Bit by a Fox Podcast (Prairie Rose: Drinks Writer & Educator)

March is National Women’s Month and on the podcast we're celebrating ladies in the booze industry for much of this month! First up is an interview with Ashley Rose Conway of popular cocktail blog Craft + Cocktails. In honor of International Women’s Day yesterday, Ashley launched a new column on her site called Spirited Women, a platform from which she can share stories about the badass ladies in the spirits industry. During my interview with Ashley we discuss what led her to this launch and why it is so important to highlight these women in an industry that has long been dominated by men.

This Week's Recipe:

Blood Orange Sherry Cobbler
3 1/2 oz sherry
1 oz blood orange juice
1 oz meyer lemon juice, or .75 oz of regular lemon juice
1 lemon peal
Garnish: dash nutmeg, mint sprig, blood orange slice, Meyer lemon slice

Peter Nevenglosky, co-founder of Avuá Cachaça discusses the category of Cachaça and it’s rich history, how he got involved in this Brazilian spirit, and how a little known cocktail legend named Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey was the first to give this little brand a leg up. 

This week's cocktail recipe is the Pan Am cocktail created by Cervantes Ramirez from Milk & Honey in New York City.

In honor of Gay Pride Month, we’ve decided to devote the rest of the month on the Bit by a Fox Podcast to LGBTQ stories – highlighting the importance of gay bars and clubs through history, the cultural impact of the movements that came out of those important spaces, and the renegades, revolutionaries and icons behind it all. It’s such a big subject, we’re creating our first podcast series in honor of Pride Month.

In the first episode of our three part series, we touch on gay bars through history. Many have argued that the American gay rights movement was kicked off in a bar. Our guest, writer and historian, Christine Sismondo, PHD, has been researching the history of lesbian and gay bars in Toronto, some parts of which have been published in Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer (2017), and she is the author of America Walks into a Bar,a book about the history of bars in the United States. We discussed how bars have played such a crucial role in gay culture and politics through the years.

Our cocktail this week is a Gin Rickey. Christine picked this classic, tall drink because it was most likely the kind of drink being served at one of these historic gay bars. Gin was also a favorite of Walt Whitman.

Gin Rickey
2 ounces gin
1 ounce fresh lime juice
club soda
garnish: wedge of lime

Add the gin and lime juice to an ice-filled highball glass. Add club soda to top. Rub lime wedge around the rim of the glass and squeeze some juice and add the lime into the glass.

Our guest this week is Sother Teague - a greatly admired veteran barman, teacher, and cocktail expert. He is the Beverage Director at New York bitters and amaro haven Amor y Amargo, Wine Enthusiast’s Mixologist of the Year in 2017, co-host of the 'Speakeasy' podcast on Heritage Radio Network...and he’s just added published author to his long list of accomplishments. His book I’m Just Here For the Drinks: A Guide to Spirits, Drinking and More Than 100 Extraordinary Cocktails is coming in hot this week. We talked about how this book came to be, his circuitous road from the being a chef to getting behind the stick, and ultimately knocking it out of the park at every turn. 

This week's featured cocktail recipe is a Negroni variation from Sother's new book:

For this week’s episode I spoke with the First Lady of Applejack, Lisa Laird Dunn. Lisa is a ninth-generation family member of America's oldest family-owned distillery, Laird’s Applejack. She is Vice President and World Ambassador to Laird & Company, which has been producing "Jersey Lightning" for 300 years. Few spirits have the rich legacy that Applejack has. It is a part of the fabric of American drinking history - a favorite of George Washington's, served in Abe Lincoln's tavern, and even managed to legally produce spirits through Prohibition. Laird's Applejack is also a key ingredient in the recent cocktail revival. This is an episode for fans of brandy, classic cocktail enthusiasts and American history buffs alike!

This week's cocktail is an Applejack recipe originally created at NoMad in NYC, and then generously shared with us by Adam Fournier, the bar manager at the new-ish NoMad here in Los Angeles. Lisa and I met over this cocktail a few nights before our podcast interview and we all fell deeply in love with it!

Scotch Dumpling
1 Egg White
3/4 oz black pepper syrup
3/4 oz lemon juice
3/4 Laphroaig 10 years
1 oz Laird’s Applejack 100 proof

Dry shake all ingredients (without ice). Then shake with ice until well chilled. Then double strain into a coupe glass.

This week’s episode is a fun one, especially if you're a real Italophile, like myself.

I spoke with food stylist, cook book author, hostess and spirit guide to all things la dolce vita in Italy, Annette Joseph.

She recently wrote Cocktail Italiano- a guide to Apertivo hour on the Italian Riviera. We spoke about Aperol Spritzes, the beach culture in Italy and the art of the Italian Apertivo. This episode will undoubtedly make you want to sip a beachside spritz no matter what the hour!

For this week's recipe we had to include THE drink of Apertivo Hour - the Aperol Spritz. This recipe, however, is a slight twist on the classic with the addition of a lemon sugar rim and bitter lemon soda or lemonade - as the recipe below demonstrates. This spritz, featured in the book, Cocktail Italiano, is the signature cocktail of the beautifully restored 19th century villa overlooking the Gulf of Alassio, Villa Della Pergola.

Villa Della Pergola Aperol Spritz
1/2 cup lemonade (recipe below)
1/2 cup Aperol
Splash prosecco
1/4 orange slice, for garnish
Lemon sugar, for the rim

Fill a shallow saucer with lemon sugar. Rub the rim of a white wine glass with water and dip into the lemon sugar to coat.
 Add 1⁄2 cup ice and the lemonade to the glass, and then add the Aperol, Top off the glass with the Prosecco, garnish with an orange wedge, and serve with a straw.

Lemonade - Serves 8
This is how to make fresh lemonade, but you can also substitute storebought lemonade or lemon soda.
1 1/2 cups lemon juice (4 to 5 lemons)
1 3/4 cups sugar
8 cups of water
Stir together all ingredients in a pitcher and refrigerate until needed. If you have leftover lemonade, just cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

This week, we’re continuing our Bartender Interview Series, The Master Blend - a collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy. This week’s guest is Aaron Michael Siak, bar director at Bibo Ergo Sum in Los Angeles. We spoke about Aaron's career change at 29 from public accounting to fine dining, his discovery of craft cocktails at The Franklin Bar in Philadelphia, and his journey from Philly to LA.

Siak's BERTOUX Brandy cocktail currently featured at Bibo Ergo Sum:

Bertoux Brandy
Website
Instagram

Bibo Ergo Sum
Website
Instagram
Facebook

Bit by a Fox Links:

Sake may be known as a Japanese rice wine but the process of making the stuff is closer to beer making, and it may be one of the most versatile drinks to have with food. Tim Sullivan, this week's guest, is an unlikely expert and educator of sake, but after devoting the last decade to sake, and learning the craft of sake brewing in Japan, Tim is now one of the top sake experts in the US, a national sake educator, and a Global Brand Ambassador of Hakkaisan Sake Brewery based in Niigata, Japan.

Hakkaisan Sake Brewery 
Urban Sake
Timothy Sullivan's Instagram
Snow Aged Junmai Ginjo 3 Years
Hakkaisan Clear Sparkling “AWA”

Gay Pride Month is coming to a close, and our three part series devoting episodes to LGBTQ stories is also wrapping up. In this third and final episode, we bring the focus to Los Angeles. My guest this week is Garrett McKechnie, bartender and co-owner of the award winning Bar Mattachine, a gay bar in downtown Los Angeles that has successfully merged gay bar culture and history with craft cocktails.

We discuss Garrett's evolution working in gay bars in both NYC and LA, the significance of LA's role in the story of American gay rights, how the scene has evolved, and where we are today. 

This week’s featured cocktail is Bar Mattachine's signature cocktail named after the leader of the Mattachine Society in Los Angeles, Harry Hay.

Harry Hay
2 Oz Rittenhouse 100 proof Rye
1/4 Amargo Angostura Vallet Liqueur
1/2 Oz Dolin Rouge Vermouth
1/4 Oz Maraschino Liqueur

Stir all ingredients over ice until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Flame a lemon peel over glass and discard. Garnish with a brandied cherry

In honor of Negroni Week sweeping the cocktail land next week (June 4-10), I spoke with Anne Louise Marquis, the National Portfolio Brand Ambassador of Campari America. 

Negroni Weekis a celebration of one of the most perfect cocktail creations - the equal parts drink of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, but most importantly it is an international charity event that raises money for a variety of global causes. It is sponsored by Imbibe Magazine and Campari and has grown into a worldwide event with over 7,000 venues and businesses participating, but it has humble origins, originally starting out as "Negroni Social" with just a couple of bartenders in Portland, Oregon.

Find out all you need to know about Negroni Week, what it’s about, how it began, and how you too can drink for a good cause!

For our recipe this week we are sharing one of Anne Louise's favorite variations, The Right Hand, a cocktail created in 2007 by Michael Mcilroy at Milk & Honey in NYC.

The Right Hand
1.5 oz Aged Rum (Matusalem Gran Reserva)
.75 oz Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica)
.75 oz Campari
2 dashes chocolate bitters (Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters)

Stir over cracked ice until chilled, strain into a cocktail glass. Citrus garnish optional.

Wine for dudes? Boozy gatorade? A clear aged whiskey ala Pepsi Crystal? The adult beverage industry has historically made questionable choices and we're just here to heckle tf out of them. Resident snark, LA-based food and drinks writer Jason Horn and I kick off a new series all about the booze world's worst ideas. This was going to be a one-off episode until we dug in and realized we'd most likely never run out of material. Note that no booze brands were harmed in the making of this podcast. We're not naming names - except for the historic fails - and we're doing various tastings with an open mind. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed making it. 

This Week's Recipe is from a pitch from a hotel trying to capitalize on the royal wedding. In honor of the groom...

Hooray for Harry
1 oz Grey Good Vodka
1 oz Red Bull

Poured over ice in a Collin's glass. Cucumber Garnish.

This week is our fourth episode in the Bartender Interview Series - The Master Blend. In collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy, the Bit by a Fox Podcast is hosting a series of interviews with some of America’s most acclaimed and innovative bartenders. This week's interview is with one of the sparkliest personalities in the LA bar scene - Broken Shaker LA's Bar Director and glitter enthusiast, Christine Wiseman.

Christine Wiseman's BERTOUX Brandy cocktail:

This week we’re continuing the second chapter of the Bartender Interview Series, The Master Blend - a collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy. This bi-weekly series of interviews will have each bartender discuss their distinct style, biggest inspirations, and how they’re making their mark on today’s cocktail culture. This week’s guest is San Francisco bartender Natalie Lichtman. She may come off as an elegant pink-haired Holly Golightly behind the bar, however Natalie’s quick rise in the intense restaurant and bar world of San Francisco has proven that she has ambition and the chops. We talked about the importance of mentors, getting that big break, and how she finds a way to feed her unique artistry behind the bar and away from it. 

Natalie's BERTOUX Brandy cocktail currently featured at San Francisco's Nico Restaurant:

Links:
Bertoux Brandy
Website
Instagram
Nico Restaurant
Website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

Natalie Lichtman

This week we have a bonus St. Patrick’s Day episode! Jack McGarry, co-founder of famed NYC Irish bar The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog, and return guest Tim Herlihy, Brand Ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, joined me to discuss their upcoming book,'From Barley to Blarney - A Whiskey Lover’s Guide to Ireland’

For this week's Bit by a Fox Podcast I spoke with wine prodigy Ryan Bailey at his home base in downtown LA’s beautiful new NoMad Los Angeles. As Wine Director, Ryan oversees the classically inspired wine program that is roughly 1000 selections and features Champagne as a focus. We delve into Ryan's early interest in wine, his experience in Michelin starred restaurants at a very young age, and we do a deep dive into Champagne and all things bubbly.

Our featured cocktail for this episode includes sparkling wine AND one of Ryan's favorite spirits - RUM!  The Old Cuban, created by New York City's Pegu Club owner Audrey Saunders is also one of my favorites.

Old Cuban- served up in a coupe glass
1½ oz. aged rum
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
6-8 mint leaves
2 oz. dry sparkling wine (try a quality dry Champagne in this!)

Muddle the lime juice, syrup and mint in a shaker. Add the rum, bitters and ice and shake until well chilled.Double-strain into a chilled coupe glass, top with bubbles and garnish with mint leaves.

On this week's episode, writer, Jason Horn and I discuss how cannabis is infiltrating the booze industry, and whether or not this is one of The Booze World’s Worst Ideas! In the second half of the podcast, we interview Abe Stevens, founder and distiller of Humboldt Distillery, found in Humboldt County in northern California, where some of the best marijuana crops in the world grow. Four years ago he launched 'Humboldt’s Finest', a cannabis infused vodka. They were one of the first spirits brands to dip their toes in the cannabis industry and his efforts have recently payed off.

Pisco. What exactly is this South American spirit that has been all abuzz in the cocktail world in recent years? Its history goes back to the 16th century, but it's still largely undiscovered by the average American consumer. Other than the Pisco Sour, many wouldn’t know how to order it, what to look for when purchasing it or how to properly drink it. This week’s guest, pisco expert Romina Scheufele answers all of these questions. Romina’s family has been in the pisco making business for 5 generations, over 100 years. She is President & CEO at Capurro Pisco, her family’s artisan pisco from Peru.

Our featured cocktail recipe is the Chilcano, one of the most popular cocktails in Peru. 

In an ice-filled highball glass add 2 Oz. pisco, top with ginger ale, and squeeze some fresh lime juice, give it a stir and enjoy.

This week's guest is New York-based spirits and cocktail writer, Kara Newman. Kara is the Spirits Editor for Wine Enthusiast and is the author of multiple cocktail books including the forthcoming little gem: Nightcap: More than 40 Cocktails to Close Out Any Evening - available October 16th. What defines a nightcap cocktail and what makes for an especially good one? Find out why these might be the sexiest drinks of all. 

This week's featured cocktail is the Open & Shut. This is a Scaffa cocktail, a room-temperature nightcap, shared by Chicago bartender Julia Momose in Kara Newman’s Nightcap: More than 40 Cocktails to Close Out Any Evening. 

Open & Shut
1 1/2 oz Amaro Lucano 
1/2 oz of Cognac

Combine Amaro and Cognac in a rocks glass with no ice, and stir. Garnish is optional, a lemon or orange peel is nice. In Julia Momose’s words: "Simply build in the glass, retire to bed, sip, and ease yourself into slumber."

Award-winning bartender and industry veteran H. Joseph Ehrmann chats about his 30+ journey in the food and beverage industry, his legendary San Francisco bar Elixir, and his new line of cold pressed cocktail mixers, Fresh Victor. 

This week's featured cocktail is a Fresh Victor Whiskey Sour:

In continuation of National Bourbon Heritage Month - and the last episode in our Bourbon series - this week's guests are Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler, authors of Which Fork Do I Use With My Bourbon? Setting the Table for Tastings, Food Pairings, Dinners, and Cocktail Parties.

This week's featured cocktail is Susan's recipe for a Manhattan:

Sean Harrison is the Master Distiller behind one of the oldest and iconic gin recipes known around the globe, Plymouth Gin. We spoke about his serendipitous beginnings with the distillery, what it's like to be the maker of such a historic brand, and the evolution he's witnessed of gin and Plymouth over the last two decades.

This week's cocktail recipe is Sean Harrison's Rosé Fifty-Fifty:

This week is our third episode in the Bartender Interview Series - The Master Blend. In collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy, the Bit by a Fox Podcast is hosting a series of interviews with some of America’s most acclaimed and innovative bartenders. This week's interview is with Devon Tarby who discusses her bartending beginnings at famed cocktail bar The Varnish where she met her future partners in the highly successful hospitality firm, Proprietors LLC, and what it's like to be nominated for a James Beard Award. 

Devon Tarby's BERTOUX Brandy cocktail:

Perfect Timing
1.5 oz BERTOUX Brandy
.75 oz Fusion Verjus Blanc
.75 oz Ramazzotti Aperitivo
.25 oz Giffard Creme de Peche
1 tsp. Simple Syrup
2 dashes acid Phosphate
2 drops of salt solution

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with edible flower.

We’re now in the final episode of our three part Cognac series. In this week’s episode I again sit down with two Cognac houses, both with a rich heritage and British DNA but, again, very different from one another. My first interview is with 5th generation Cognac producer, the incredibly dynamic doyenne leading the Cognac industry, Bénédicte Hardy of Cognac Hardy. My second interview is with Per Even Allaire, Deputy Commercial Director in charge of worldwide sales for Hine Cognac, the only Cognac house servicing the Queen of England.

This week's featured cocktail is Cognac & Tonic:

In honor of the Kentucky Derby tomorrow, I spoke with ELIZABETH MCCALL, the newly named ASSISTANT MASTER DISTILLER at the "Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby" - WOODFORD RESERVE. We spoke about her trajectory from psychology student to sensory scientist and Master Taster, to one of the youngest female distillers in the country.

This week's cocktail is, of course, the Mint Julep, made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon. 

Mint Julep
2 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon
½ oz Simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)
3 Fresh mint leaves
Crushed Ice

Rub the fresh mint inside the glass to express the oils. In the same glass, add simple syrup, bourbon, and half a glass of crushed ice. Stir well. Add more ice and garnish with the rest of the mint.

Hobbiest mixologist, viral video personality, and cocktail book author of Suck It Up: Extraordinary Cocktails for Everyday People, Dan Magro has a real-talk and hilarious approach to mixing drinks and taking names. We talked about the proliferation of multi-hyphenates in LA, his deep love of brunch as a lifestyle, and his ultimate, if unexpected, drinking buddy.

This week's cocktail recipe is a brunch favorite from Dan's book, Suck it Up.

Links
Suck it Up: Extraordinary Cocktails For Everyday People
Dan's Viral Buzzfeed Video
Dan Magro's Instagram

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, and this week we are talking with Irishman, Irish whiskey expert and Tullamore D.E.W. brand ambassador, Tim Herlihy just for the occasion. 

In this week's episode, Tim breaks down what the difference is between Irish whiskey and other whiskey categories, he fills us in on a bit of history and what makes Irish whiskey so special. We also learn exactly how the Irish truly celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Hint - it doesn't involve green beer. Tim also shared with us his favorite Irish whiskey cocktail, The Tipperary.

This week's recipe:

The Tipperary
1.5 oz Irish Whiskey
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
2 dashes of aromatic Bitters
Orange Twist for garnish

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir until well chilled, and then strain into a cocktail glass. Express the oils of the orange peel over the glass and garnish.

It's our one year anniversary of the Bit by a Fox Podcast and we are diving headfirst into our second season with Episode 50! In continuation of our discussion from last week about mindful drinking or not drinking, and wellness, this week's episode has a little bit of everything. I spoke with Gaby Mlynarczyk - bartender, drinks writer, and author of Clean + Dirty Drinking, 100+ Recipes for Making Delicious Elixirs, With or Without Booze.

This week's cocktail recipe - Gaby's Carrot + Cardamom cocktail - includes the "Clean" and "Dirty" version

For this week’s episode, we feature Maggie Hoffman and her recent book  “The One-Bottle Cocktail”, a collection of drinks recipes with a seasonal and culinary bent that focuses on using just one type of spirit per drink.

We spoke about what ingredients can replace liqueurs and amaros and modifiers in a cocktail so you don’t have to spend a ton of money to make your favorite drinks. 

The featured cocktail this week is a refreshing strawberry-gin drink, created by Shannon Tebay Sidle of New York’s Slowly Shirley and Death & Co.

Slippery When Wet- Makes 1 drink
1 large or 2 small ripe strawberries, halved
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce undiluted honey
2 ounces gin
1 heaping teaspoon plain Greek yogurt
Garnish: freshly ground black pepper and a vertical slice of strawberry

Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and honey in a cocktail shaker and muddle until well broken up. Add gin and Greek yogurt and fill shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice, then double-strain cocktail into it. Grind black pepper on top and garnish with the strawberry slice.

This week's guest is Dr. Rachel Barrie, Master Blender for historic single malt scotch brands BenRiach, The GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh. I caught up with Rachel while she was in Los Angeles celebrating the release of the much anticipated The GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival. The GlenDronach brand is one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, and is most noted for their sherry cask aging. Rachel and I sipped through this new release as well as two other expressions, while we discussed her journey over the last three decades to become Scotch Whisky’s First Lady.

This week's recipe is Rachel's favorite scotch-based cocktail...

Blood & Sand 
3/4 ounce Scotch
3/4 ounce Cherry heering
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
Garnish: orange peel 

Shake all ingredients over ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish.

It's our 20th episode of the Bit by a Fox Podcast! And we've decided to shake it up a little....

A couple of weeks ago I visited the 75th annual Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America Convention at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. It’s the largest gathering of distributors, wholesalers and products in the wine and spirits industry. It’s where you go to see and be seen. If you’re a wholesaler or distributor, you go there to shop for new products. If you’re a new brand, this is where you go to launch, and look for distribution. It’s often a beta test for brands to see how it is reflected in the industry first before bringing it out to consumers. And it’s overwhelming. SO. MUCH. BOOZE. Over 500 exhibitors, two giant exhibit halls and massive suites turned into brand activations. It’s just a sea of products. It’s difficult to stand out amongst so much, but I found my favorites and wanted to share them with you. This is my first podcast out on the road and I had a portable mic to interview folks in their booths and it was so much fun. #FoxInTheField! 

Brands featured:
Look out for these exciting new products in the coming year!

Sierra Norte Oaxaca Whiskey - with distiller Doug French
Gray Whale Gin | Golden State Distillery with owner Marsh Mokhtari
Priqly (prickly pear liqueur) with owner Jeffrey Friedman
Haikara Sake with Sales Manager Petra Stone
Bom Bom (cream liqueur) with owners Kevin and Eva 
Tom’s Town Distilling Co. from Kansas City with owner Steven Revare
Ginja9, (sour cherry liqueur) from Portugal with owner Alexander Dias
Ararat Brandy with Brand Ambassador Christopher Adams
Bedlam Vodka | Graybeard Distillery from North Carolina (last year’s WSWA Brand Battle winners) with distiller Scott Russ 

I was on my way to the airport when the Brand Battle - a competition towards the end of the convention where top 7 brands battle it out - was taking place, so unfortunately I missed it. But I was sure to stay glued to social media to get the word once the winners were announced. And Gray Whale Gin took home the first place award. The buzz around the convention seemed to predict this win but I was super happy for them. In honor of their win, I wanted to share a simple cocktail of theirs for our recipe this week. 

The Skinny Gray Whale
1 part agave syrup
1 part lemon juice
2 parts Gray Whale Gin

Shake with ice, strain, and garnish with a spray of lime and orange

In a continuation of our series, The Booze World’s Worst Ideas, food and drinks writer, Jason Horn joins me once again to take a deep dive into the questionable choices made by the adult beverage industry. This week we’re talking hangover cures - or rather the seemingly endless products out there now that are billing themselves as a cure to the dreaded hangover. 

We’re closing out the year (and our second season!) with our last interview in the second chapter of the Bartender Interview Series, The Master Blend - a collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy. This week’s guest is Austin Hennelly, Head Bartender and the man behind the cocktails at David Chang's first Los Angeles restaurant - Majordomo. Austin moved out LA two years ago to open the restaurant after working at some of the most iconic bars in New York City - Dave Arnold's experimental Booker & Dax, the little bitter jewel, Amor Y Amargo, and the James Beard Award winning Maison Premiere.

In continuation of our Cognac series, I sit down with two very different Cognac houses. One house is rooted in tradition in the heart of the Grand Champagne region, and the other is a young brand that is shaking up the category with some modern techniques. My guests are Patrice Piveteau, deputy general manager and cellar master at Cognac Frapin, and winemaker, distiller and Bourgoin Cognac family member, Frédéric Bourgoin.

This week's featured cocktail is the French 75:

French 75
1 oz Cognac 
1/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
4-5 oz Champagne
lemon twist

Our guest this week is Gabi Porter, New York-based documentary photographer and barfly, whose work is featured in nearly every boozy publication the world over. Gabi specializes in taking photos at bars and restaurants, and has made a name for herself as one of THE go-to cocktail photogs in the industry. From creating headshots for NASA scientists to documenting rock stars with a point and shoot, and then moving on to the stars of the cocktail world, Gabi has had an important perspective behind the lens and is certainly not short on stories.

Last week we kicked off a Gay Pride Month series on the podcast. We’re devoting the rest of the month to LGBTQ stories - the importance of gay bars and clubs through history, the cultural impact of the movements that came out of those important spaces, and the renegades, revolutionaries and icons behind it all. It’s such a big subject, we’ve created our first podcast series for #PrideMonth. In this second episode in this series, we touch on the gay club culture in the 70s and 80s - the music, dancing, drag, sex, and drugs involved in the queer club scene, and how it crossed over and influenced straight/mainstream culture through the years.

Our guest this week is Emily Colucci, a writer and arts curator based in New York City. Emily is co-founder of Filthy Dreams,a blog analyzing art and culture through a queer lens and a touch of camp.

This week's featured cocktail happens to be one of the most popular cocktails of the disco era: The Harvey Wallbanger. This drink was heavily advertised all throughout the 70s to promote sales of Galliano Liqueur which, in turn, became the most popular liqueur in America during the decade.

Harvey Wallbanger
2 oz Vodka
4 oz Fresh orange juice
3/4 oz Galliano

Add vodka and orange juice to a tall, ice-filled highball glass. Float the Galliano on top and stir. Garnish with orange wheel and enjoy.

Tomorrow is National Rosé Day, yes, it's an actual day, and not just a lifestyle, thankyouverymuch. I thought we’d get into the spirit by diving into this pink summer fave on the podcast. The thousand years of history, the French Riviera glamour, the highs, and the lows lows (blush wine, anyone?) This wine is a fighter and boy she's made a comeback over the years in a big way. 

Instead of creating a recipe for this week’s episode I wanted to feature one of my recent favorite affordable rose picks for the summer and one many of you will be able to find at your local wine shop: Gérard Bertrand’s Cote des Roses Rosé. 

It has a glass stopper instead of a cork, and the base of the bottle is in the shape of a rose. Besides its GORGEOUS bottle, its truly a lovely wine that reflects the qualities you’d expect in a traditional rose from the South of France. Fresh, light, crisp with a wonderful balance of fruit and acidity. Great on its own and with food. 

Get more info on the Bit by a Fox blog! 

September is National Bourbon Heritage Month and The Bit by a Fox Podcast will have a new bourbon focused episode every Friday.

This week we have return guest, New York-based food, wine, and spirits writer Kara Newman on the show. She discusses her sixth cocktail book, an interactive sort of choose your own adventure book called Cocktails with a Twist. We also invent what we think should be a new classic cocktail, talk about babies making martinis, and our love of vermouth, gin and aquavit. 

This week's cocktail:

With its iconic square-shaped bottle dipped in red wax and that consistently familiar flavor profile, Kentucky bourbon brand Maker's Mark is recognized and beloved the world over. Apparently, not without a shaky start. According to Rob Samuels, who currently runs the company, it took a good 30 years for the billion dollar brand to turn a profit. He should know. His grandparents started Maker’s Mark in the 1950s when American whiskey was at an all time low, his father Bill Samuels Jr. helped to usher in this country’s bourbon boom, and for the last 8 years, Rob has been leading the brand into the next generation as President and COO.

I caught up with Rob at the recent BevCon conference here in LA and he gave us the super insiders take to all things Maker’s Mark, the Samuels Family and Kentucky bourbon.

This week's featured cocktail is the signature drink for Kentucky horse race institution, Keeneland.

Keeneland Breeze
1 1/4 oz Maker’s Mark 
splash Orange liqueur
splash Ginger ale
splash Fresh squeezed orange juice
Orange wedge
Rocks glass and ice

Fill rocks glass with ice, add the bourbon, orange liqueur and fresh orange juice, top with ginger ale, give it a stir and garnish with an orange wedge.

Links:
Maker's Mark
Keeneland

I went to Cognac last month and I came back with VERY heavy luggage full of beautiful bottles, an entirely new appreciation for brandy, and an epic series of episodes! This week we kick off our Cognac series. 

First up is David Boileau, a Cognac educator and ambassador since 2006 for the BNIC - the professional organization behind Cognac. I also spoke with Jacques Blanc who is the house historian and tour guide of Maison Ferrand of Pierre Ferrand Cognac.  

This week's featured cocktail is the signature drink of Cognac:

The Summit
1.5 ounces Cognac VSOP
2 ounces lemon-lime soda
4 thin slices fresh ginger
1 lime peel
1 long piece cucumber

Päntsdrunk is the Finnish concept of drinking alone in your underwear. It is also the title of a popular book by Miska Rantanen detailing the intricacies of this Finnish practice. Podcast host, producer and all around superstar Kristen Meinzer knows a thing or two about getting Päntsdrunk after she and her co-host lived two weeks of it for her popular podcast By the Book. 

This week's cocktail is a combo of Kristen's favorite drink as well as the Päntsdrunk drink of choice in Finland - beer. 

English sparkling wine is suddenly all the rage with wine experts and enthusiasts alike. But it's been bubbling up for the last 30-40 years, spearheaded by the leading English sparkler (and apparently the royal family's fave), Chapel Down. I sat down with head wine maker Josh Donaghay-Spire while he was in town recently, and we chatted about the exciting category of English sparkling wine. 

This week's cocktail recipe is an English winemaker’s twist on the classic French 75...

English 75
1.5 oz of London Dry Gin
.5 oz lemon juice
.5 oz simple syrup
Chapel Down Brut

I'm doing Dry January this year and dragging you all with me! For this week, at least! For this week’s episode (our last in the first season, btw!), I brought in seasoned spirits industry vet Selena Donovan, West Coast Grey Goose Brand Ambassador, who is also going dry this January. We spoke at the cozy cocktail den, Melrose Umbrella Co. in Hollywood about why we both decided to dry it out for this month...and we drank lots of delicious water! 

This week, we’re continuing our Bartender Interview Series, The Master Blend - a collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy. This bi-weekly series of interviews will have each bartender discuss their distinct style, biggest inspirations, and how they’re making their mark on today’s cocktail culture. This week’s guest is Nicolas Torres, owner and bar director at popular San Francisco bar True Laurel. We spoke about what it takes to create a sustainable cocktail bar, the California influence on True Laurel, and the lighter direction the drinks industry as a whole is taking.  

Torres's BERTOUX Brandy cocktail currently featured at San Francisco's True Laurel:

Bertoux Brandy
Website
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True Laurel
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Bit by a Fox Links:

Aquavit is a Scandinavian spirit that has been produced since the 15th century and yet we’re still getting familiar with it in the states. Thanks to a renewed interest in heritage spirits, the growing and ever curious cocktail culture, and a smattering of new brands on the market, Aquavit is making its way into bars and on cocktail menus across the country. One of those exciting new brands helping to pave the way is the Swedish Åhus Akvavit, also the Los Angeles brand partner in The seventh annual Aquavit Week, a week-long celebration of the signature spirit of Scandinavia. For this week’s episode I interview Malina Bickford veteran bartender, writer and US Brand Manager for Åhus Akvavit. One of the biggest supporters of Aquavit Week in Los Angeles is where we decided to record this episode, in Downtown LA’s RedBird Restaurant. Drinks director Tobin Shea has led an award-winning Bar Program that features a variety of aquavit brands and aquavit cocktails. Tobin also joins us later into the episode, shares the Åhus Akvavit cocktail featured on the menu for Aquavit Week and helps to explain how he likes to incorporate aquavit into cocktails. 

This week’s cocktail recipe:

This week we’re talking about the oldest adult beverage known to man: MEAD. You’ve probably read about it in some romantic tale - it’s one of the most documented boozy beverages in history - and maybe you’ve had a chance to try it, but many are still unfamiliar with this storied drink of fermented honey. Our guest this week is award-winning author and spirits expert, Fred Minnick who's just written the book Mead: The Libations, Legends and Lore of History’s Oldest Drink. Take a listen and find out what all the buzz is about.

This week's cocktail, created by Fred Minnick and Jeremy Johnson, owner of Meta in Louisville, Kentucky, is the Mead Vesper - basically a Vesper cocktail with the addition of mead. 

For this week's episode, I spoke with Malek Amrani, entrepreneur, sommelier, and founder of The Vice Wine, a small batch Napa Valley wine label that's been getting a lot of attention since its launch a few years back. Malek and I discussed his journey from Moroccan teenager landing in New York, to his very early start in drinks business, and balancing his life as wine maker and business owner with a passion for Triathlons and physical fitness.

For this week's episode I'm talking to food and drinks writer Jason Horn about his most recent story as drinks contributor for Playboy.com: Climate Change is Coming For Your Cocktails. The changing weather is rapidly affecting our food and drink, and it may even be responsible for killing what could have been the best bar in the world. 

This week's featured cocktail:

Vodka made entirely from MILK?! Black Cow Vodka is perhaps the first of its kind in the world made from discarded whey - a bi-product of cheese production. Co-founder Paul "Archie" Archard talks about how this harebrained idea came to be, how Black Cow is one of the most sustainable spirits being made, and why milk is the perfect organic ingredient to make vodka with. 

This week's cocktail recipe is Black Cow Vodka's Espresso Martini:

Espresso Martini
2 oz Black Cow Vodka
1 oz Fresh Cooled Coffee
.5 oz Maple Syrup

This week we’re continuing our Bartender Interview Series, The Master Blend - a collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy. This bi-weekly series of interviews will have each bartender discuss their distinct style, biggest inspirations, and how they’re making their mark on today’s cocktail culture. This week’s guest is Michael Kudra, head bartender at the three Michelin starred restaurant Quince in San Francisco. Kudra, formerly from Chicago’s famed Aviary, moved to California in 2017 to take over the fine dining bar program at Quince. We discussed how his move to California has helped to encourage his biggest inspirations behind the bar.

Michael's BERTOUX Brandy cocktail currently featured at San Francisco's Quince Restaurant:

Links:
Bertoux Brandy
Website
Instagram

Quince Restaurant
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Twitter
Facebook

Links:
Bertoux Brandy
Website
Instagram
Che Fico
Website
Instagram

Christopher Longoria

Brent Elliott is the Master Distiller behind one of the most iconic bourbon brands in the world - Four Roses Bourbon. We got to chat about the dramatic journey that Four Roses has had since 1888(!), how they were one of the few distilleries in America to survive Prohibition, and how Seagrams nearly destroyed the brand in the 1950s. I also got a chance to taste the "Fourth Rose" in their lineup - Four Roses Small Batch Select.

This week's cocktail recipe is the Gold Rush:

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is an international community of whisky lovers, where members have access to some of the finest rare and limited edition whiskies in the world. My guest this week is Paul Skipworth, former CEO of Ardbeg and Glenmorangie, and now Chairman of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, I caught up with Paul last month while he was in town briefly to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Society at the British Consul General's Residence in Los Angeles.

The cocktail recipe this week is one of my favorite ways to enjoy scotch when I’m not having it on its own - in a Whisky Highball.

The key to a quality made whisky highball is quality ice, a chilled highball glass and the proportions that work for you. I like 2 oz of whisky to 4-5 ounce of soda, and a lemon wedge. You can add mint or other garnishes as you would a gin and tonic. Listen to Paul Skipworth and drink it how you like it!

Whisky Highball
2 oz Scotch whisky
4-5 oz club soda
Lemon wedge

Add both the whisky and the soda to an an ice filled highball glass that has been well chilled, stir gently and garnish.

Now that we're officially into the second season, there's going to be a few changes around these parts. Listen in on this shot-sized episode for all details! And find out next week's guest!

This week, we kick off The Master Blend - A Bartender Series. In collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy, the Bit by a Fox Podcast will host a series of interviews with some of America’s most acclaimed and innovative bartenders. Kicking off this first episode in the series is Aaron Polsky. Part Mad Scientist, part Jimmy Page, part sweet Jersey boy, Aaron is the creative bar director behind the lively Rock & Roll cocktail bar in Hollywood, Harvard & Stone. 

Aaron's BERTOUX Brandy cocktail recipe is a riff on the French 75:

Black Diamond
1.5 oz BERTOUX Brandy
.5 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
.5 oz homemade elderberry or blueberry liqueur*
.75 oz fresh lime juice
Champagne

Links
BERTOUX Brandy
Harvard & Stone
Aaron Polsky's Instagram

While it is often customary in many cultures to have wine and beer with the Christmas meal, people have been mixing up boozy cups of cheer for centuries. For this shot-sized, end of the year episode, Prairie picks a sampling of traditional holiday drinks from around the world.

Homemade eggnog from the Bit by a Fox Blog archives is featured for this week's cocktail:

Foxy Nog
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (or for a dairy free version, 4 cups of Almond Milk)
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
4 oz brandy
4 oz spiced rum
2 oz sherry
fresh nutmeg for garnish

Place the eggs in a blender by themselves and beat for just under a minute. Add the sugar for another 40 seconds, until blended and then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until it looks like everything is well combined. After the mixture has a chance to chill for at least an hour, you are ready to get your nog on! You can serve this drink up in a coupe or a teacup or you can add a few cubes of ice to lighten it up. But remember the freshly grated nutmeg for the topper is key.