Drink & Learn Podcast

Drink & Learn Podcast

Join drinks historian Elizabeth Pearce and bartender extraordinaire Abigail Gullo as they discuss booze history and culture with a little drinking advice thrown in for good measure. Best way to learn, ever.

Episodes

December 17, 2021 31 mins

It's our annual round-up of drink themed gifts for loved ones (or yourself, if you need an excuse)

Elizabeth's List
Amaro Monte
Zero Proof book
Electric Juicer

Abigail's List
Support a bartender!
Cocktail Illustrations
Train your nose
Complete Whiskey Course
https://www.babybarrels.com




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Elizabeth and Abigail return with two listener questions. We offer advice on how best to store all your alcohol and Abigail share her bartending journey.

Here's a list of some items to help save your alcohol:

Sizzler Bottle Cap
Air Cork
Champagne Bottle Stopper

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May 29, 2021 66 mins

Elizabeth and Abigail are joined by bartender Rachel Urbelis from Cielo on Sanibel Island, FL to discuss what it was like during a pandemic. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't great. 

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May 8, 2021 52 mins

Abigail waxes poetic on her love for sherry and shares here favorites. Elizabeth admits the history is cool and remains a fan of PX. 

References:
SHERRY COBBLER aka the Pretty Ricky from Compere Lapin

1 ¾ oz Amontillado Sherry

1/2 oz Dark Rum (high proof)

¼ oz Lemon Juice

¼ oz Oleo (sugar syrup made with lemon and orange peels)

1tsp of preserves (any will do)

1 dash angostura bitters

Whip shake above ingredients w/2 cubes

Pour...

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April 24, 2021 44 mins

Elizabeth and Abigail discuss Cognac and Armagnac, their origins and differences and suggest some to try.

Resources  we talked about:
Charles Neal
By the Smoke and the Smell: My Search for the Rare and Sublime on the Spirits Trail

Brandys to try:
Martell Caractere Cognac
D’USSÉ Cognac
Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
Claude Chatelier Cognac VS
Castarède Armagnac
Domaine Boingnères Armagn...

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April 5, 2021 55 mins

Elizabeth and Abigail share the history of Charles Henry Ramos, the creator of this famous Gin Fizz and offer advice if you are making it at home. 

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November 28, 2020 59 mins

Elizabeth and Abigail explore the history of Champagne and share some of their favorites.

Mentions include:
Wine Folly
When Champagne Became French
Aubry Brut Rose
Perrier Jouet

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November 14, 2020 64 mins

Elizabeth asks Abigail for advice on the best basic tools for outfitting your bar. She shares her favorites for mixing and shaking. Elizabeth learns other uses for her mixing glasses and Abigail is delighted to learn about a valued characteristic of historic glass. Some brands mentioned:

The Yari Mixing Glass
The Koriko Shaker (Abigail said Noriko on the podcast but it's Koriko)
The Parisian Shaker
An exam...

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October 31, 2020 50 mins

Elizabeth and Abigail discuss the history of Pisco and how it became so popular in San Fransisco in the 19th century.

Mentions:
History of Pisco in San Francisco: A Scrapbook of First Hand Accounts
Small Hands Food
Pisco en el siglo XIX


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October 18, 2020 56 mins

Elizabeth and Abigail explore the rich and complex history of absinthe's popularity, especially in 19th century France, and offer ways to use it in cocktails today.

Mentioned in the show:
Hideous Absinthe: A History of the Devil in a Bottle by Jad Adams

Absinthe Frappè Sheet Music


Absinthe Frappè lyrics 
From the 1904 Broadway comic operetta 'It Happened In Nordland'
Music by Victor Herbert (...

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October 3, 2020 61 mins
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September 19, 2020 65 mins

Season Three features episode requests from listeners. Elizabeth shares some bitters history and Abigail gives counsel on which ones to buy if you are just starting your cocktail journey as well as some more unusual flavors to try. 

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July 13, 2020 57 mins

Elizabeth and Abigail get you ready for summer. Learn about the history of the blender and get some advice on making your best frozen drinks including daiquiris of all kinds, ice cream based concoctions, and frosé !

Here are some links/recipes referenced in the episode:

Fix the Pumps by Darcy O'Neil (about the history of soda fountains)
https://www.amazon.com/Fix-Pumps-Darcy-S-ONeil/dp/0981175910

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June 29, 2020 42 mins

Author Robert Simonson joins Elizabeth to discuss his book The Old Fashioned, which traces the origins and evolution of this classic cocktail.

Follow him on Instagram is @robertosimonson

If you feel like treating yourself, check out The Simonson Old Fashioned Kit from Cocktail Kingdom.
https://www.cocktailkingdom.com/simonson-old-fashioned-kit

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Elizabeth speaks with Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, the author of  Hungover: The Morning After and One Man's Quest for the Cure about hangovers, of course, but also the journey he took in researching and writing the book. They discuss the merits of waking up hungover in New Orleans and what, if any, are the benefits of hangovers. Elizabeth wonders why no one has invented a cure yet and if it's because we all feel we deserve t...

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Elizabeth and Abigail offer tips to clear out the "clutter" from your home bar and also answer some listener questions. Abigail also introduces us to the idea of "infinity bottles" which are not part of the Harry Potter Wizarding World, no matter how much you think they should be. 

References include:
Seedlip drinks
Jacques Pepin's recipe for Fromage Fort
Peg Bracken's I Hate to Co...

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Hannah Griggs joins Elizabeth to talk about her website, Intemperance.org where she mapped 1,000 Prohibition raids that occurred in New Orleans throughout The Great Mistake. She discusses her findings and takes listeners on a virtual tour of drinking life in New Orleans back then, one data point at a time.

Other references include:
Tanya Marie Sanchez' work on women bootleggers in New Orleans.
Lisa Lindquist...

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March 28, 2020 44 mins

Elizabeth and Abigail address the ways drinking has been impacted by the Corona virus. Elizabeth talks about how whiskey was used in treating the influenza epidemic of 1918 and she and Abigail explore ways to drink mindfully and well while the world is staying at home. Even if the American Medical Association doesn't count alcohol as medicinal anymore, it can still be good for the soul.

Mentioned in the episode is the...

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March 7, 2020 48 mins

Elizabeth and Abigail trace the evolution of  St Patrick's Day celebrations and offer some whisky drinking advice for the day. Much of the information on the day comes from The Wearing of the Green: A History of St. Patrick's Day by Michael Cronin and Daryl Adair. to listen to the history of Irish Whisky, visit A Story of Irish Whisky podcast. Abigail recommends making a punch using Irish Whisky featured on her blog. The ...

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