It’s been a year (to the day), but the Speaking Easy Podcast is coming to you live through the airwaves again! First, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. To those who don’t but still have the day off, a merry day of drinkin’ to you! To those of you who have to work today, cheers to your after-work plan! That should cover everyone, but we hope you’re all well and imbibing responsibly and joyfully. When we announced a hiatus last December 25, we really didn’t know what the future would hold. And frankly, some of it is still murky (we may need to clean our glassware better 🙂 to see further). In reflecting on 2018, we’ve had a lot of personal life happening while the show has been paused. A big part of the podcast was always about making time for those you love and enjoying a few tasty concoctions to celebrate your time together. And, in a lot of ways, the podcast was one way for us to do that, but there was a lot more that we wanted to take time to explore. We wanted to take this time to reach back out to you, our fans, to check in a bit on: * What we’ve been up to this past year,* What we’ve been drinkin’ this past year,* A little bit of trivia on beverage control laws, and* What the future of the Speaking Easy Podcast may look like. We hope you enjoy this episode, which contrary to your first impression of our ramblings during the show, WILL include a very special recipe for a big event, and reach out to let us know what you think! There is also one very special announcement from our very own Alex, and listen to the episode before reading below! **SPOILER ALERT – DON’T READ BEFORE LISTENING** Dearest Listeners, As you heard on the episode, I’ll be leaving my regular hosting role on the podcast while Jordan explores the future of the show—and I do say “regular” hosting role because there’s no way they are going to get rid of me fully—i.e. I’ll pop in when it makes sense. It’s been a big year on a personal front, and a year of change in terms of my imbibing. I wouldn’t say that I’ve fallen out of love with cocktails, but we’re taking some time apart at the moment. I’ve always viewed this show as a “cocktail and home entertaining” show, and the latter part will always be part of my Midwestern heart. I’ve definitely been exploring the world of beer more, and would love to connect with other beer-focused listeners through my Untappd account, which is @SchmalexSchmuboff. Send me a friend request and we’ll keep the party that we started with this podcast going on a different platform. I’ve got three thank yous that I’d like to send out before signing off: 1)     To my (now) wife—thanks for putting up with all the nights of trying my (often) poorly constructed drinks and my insistence on visiting “just one more” liquor store to try to find an obscure Slovak herbal liqueur or something of the sort. Cheers to my forever wedding date (“scotch and soda, thanks!”) and champagne buddy! 2)     To the mad scientist, and master producer, “Silent” Tyler: You literally made the show something beyond just being two jokesters rambling on and on, and made it into something that really shaped our lives for a couple of years. I can’t thank you enough for all that you did, but thank you. Cheers to all your other endeavors, and you deserve all the success! 3)     To Jordan, the best damn co-host and (I’ll finally admit it) the best damn home bartender around: Well...

It’s the conclusion of another great year of the Speaking Easy Podcast, and we got into what’s become an annual tradition—having a one or two too many (which, believe it or not, is not our normal “being a better drinker” and having a conversation to ramble off our favorite episodes of the year, what we learned, and what we’re looking forward to.

This was a fun one for us to record, and it was the first time we recorded with a live audience! We had Jeff on our show the first time fairly early (Episode #022 – Interview with Jeff Cioletti, author of The Year of Drinking Adventurously), and he trusted us enough to a) hang out with us off the air and b) come back on the show. We set this date up to talk about Jeff’s newest release, The Drinkable Globe: The Indispensable Guide to the Wide World of Booze, where he merges two of the greatest pursuits of mankind—travel and drinking. Obviously Jeff is who we want to be, and we met up at Café Kindred and Townshend Bar at an event sponsored by One More Page Books to have this lively conversation about the book recently. In this episode, you’ll hear: * About Jeff’s travels all over the world in search of thirst-quenching and palate-pleasing drinks * How drinking cultures vary globally * The traditions and rituals Jeff took part in during his travels * What they drink in Antarctica (that was also MADE in Antarctica) While I’m at it, I will say this—Jeff is a great guy—one of our favorites in the industry—and his previous works have made our list of the best cocktail books (and for good reason). This book follows suit and becomes a bookshelf essential for the home bartender in your life. Go and get it: The Drinkable Globe by Jeff Cioletti on Amazon. And you should follow Jeff where you can—he’s active on Twitter (@JeffCioletti), he has a blog with the same name as his most recent release book, drinkableglobe.com, and you should also check out some of his other releases: The Year of Drinking Adventurously: 52 Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone, which we reviewed and discussed on a previous episode mentioned above, and Beer FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About The World’s Most Celebrated Adult Beverage.

Well, it must be of great surprise that we’d willingly and not compelled by a court somewhere submit ourselves to a vodka tasting, based on how we’ve typically treated vodka on this show (briefly, we’ve been quite dismissive). I mean, while the reliable Moscow Mule saves vodka from permanent banishment from our bars (well, at least Alex’s), it’s definitely not the first bottle we reach for. But when our good friend Eric Kozlik, the Chief Executive Officer and Supremely Cool Dude of the Modern Bar Cart, invites us along for a tasting of vodkas of strange origins, we’re at least game to play nicely for a little bit. He’s been a part of two of our favorite episodes (Episode #035: Interview with Eric Kozlik of Embitterment Bitters & Episode #081 – Speaking Easy Gets Interviewed on the Modern Bar Cart Podcast), so we know it would be a good time even if we didn’t enjoy the spirit. The tasting—involving different vodkas from grape, to mixed grain, to whey—was a fun and interesting way to approach this spirit. To be honest, our (historically low) expectations were slightly exceeded, though don’t expect us to start bringing the flavorless liquor into heavy rotation as result. It appears as though even Jordan, whose appreciation for vodka is similar to his appreciation for Alex’s sense of humor (sad), even found something not horrifically offensive. Which is really saying something. In this episode, you’ll learn: * A little about how and why vodka is made to have no flavor * How to properly taste something that doesn’t naturally have a taste * A few tidbits about selecting an interesting bottle on the shelf * A few of the goings-on of Modern Bar Cart * And just how Alex and Jordan fare in dealing with a vodka-based night of delusion “Clear liquors are for rich women on diets.” – Ron Swanson  

This week Alex & Jordan answer a question we’ve gotten for our entire 2 years, and only ever answered in spurts: what bottle should I pick up? And we try to answer that question with a few of our favorite recurring bottles from our bars.

We know, we know—we haven’t done a wine episode. And this still isn’t it. But we felt that we owed our listeners some version of an episode dedicated to the fruit of the vine, in addition to our Sangria episode, and so we hope we came through with winetails.

While Alex really wanted to call this “Holiday-Drinkin’ #2 – Festive Boogaloo” in honor of the best movie about dancing ever (Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo), here is our second edition of Holiday cocktails. Seasons drinking!

We’re turning 100! No, that’s not about our age, but this is the Speaking Easy Podcast’s 100th episode! We’re so glad to have made it here, so we are celebrating—with dessert! Dessert cocktails can be a great punctuation to a great meal or a momentous occasion.

Blair Reynolds is a devoted drink aficionado and an innovative bartender and a well-loved bar owner based in Portland, Oregon. His dedication to sharing his passion for tropical libations and tiki culture is unmatched.

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