Botanical Trails
A chance to explore gins with friends, have a few laughs and go off the beaten path. It is a small slice of the intellectual tavern life.
Episodes
Wake the kids, call the neighbors - Toe Squished Grapes is back to cap our 2024 season with a special holiday episode. However, instead of wine this year, they are exploring non-alcohol options for the holidays, with not one, not two, but three beverages for us try. In this jam packed episode we cover the new drink concocted by Molly - the Lemon Drip, sneak in a little football talk, try to figure out if it is an adaptogen or ado...
In our second to the last episode of the season, our fan favorite Brian Place joins us for a third time to enjoy two amazing gins from Spain. As we savor the flavor of our beverages we chat about his trip to Spain from a few years ago, including the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, discuss exactly what paella is, and share two great Off The Beaten Path topics.
Come for the gin, and stick around to hear about Brian met someone directly...
As we approach the end of 2024 and look to wrap up season 2, we have three more episodes to release, starting with my buddy Steve joining me for episode 9. In this episode we try a couple of Navy Strength gins. While enjoying these high octane drinks, we discuss how the term Navy Strength came about, Steve’s trip to Krakow, Poland, and my adventure in picking up his kids in the school pick-up line.
Come for the gin, and stick arou...
My guest for our latest episode has had quite a hand in shaping the selection of gins that we have tasted on the show. Rishi, from Rishi’s International Beverage in Grand Rapids, is our guest for this episode. And while enjoying two tasty gins from the UK, we discuss his journey of starting his own bottle shop and how tastes have impacted the growth of his business over the years. We also talk about how his customers are now sea...
In our latest episode, my cousin Marc joins us as we enjoy two delicious gins from Scotland. Throughout the episode, we learn about some of the very cool places that Marc has had a chance to visit - including Wales, England, Cuba and New Zealand. And in Off The Beaten Path, Marc adds a new category to my favorite segment.
Come for the gin, and stick around to hear about Marc filming a documentary in Cuba 🎙
Cheers!!
For our latest episode, my guests are affectionately known as “The Outlaws” - Beth Jester, Andy King and Alyssa Jester. They are also my cousin-in-laws. And in this episode, we try a couple of gins that I picked up while visiting my cousins in South Carolina. And as we try these new gins, we talk about the annual documentation of showing who married up, nicknames that we might be able to use for Alyssa, how to avoid conversation...
My cousin Todd joins us as we try two gins from Detroit, the Arsenal of Democracy as it was known during the Second World War. While sipping the gins, we talk about the Detroit Lions and their new uniforms, how Todd is related to those who resemble Aaron Rodgers and John Elway, his podcast - “Saturday at Seven”, and we go through our final rounds of gin trivia.
Come for the gin, and stick around to hear how Todd teaches us how to m...
My cousin-in-law Adam joins us as we try two gins from far away places. During our enjoyment of the gins, we chat about Adam’s love of Disney, whether or not Goofy is a dog, my first exposure to Mr. Bill on Saturday Night Live, a trip to Alaska, and Adam’s experience of being a pilot. We also follow up on a question about Daffy, the Goddess of Gin.
Come for the gin, and stick around to hear how Adam subtly sneaks in two topics for...
Drew joins us again to try two French gins as we conclude the Rhine River Chronicles. While enjoying these gins and putting a wrap on this three-part series, Drew and I discuss if I can actually taste lavender, how he went to Euro Disney at perhaps not the greatest time, why there are pumpkins in Slovenia, his fear and basic avoidance of deep water and nostalgia for some of our favorite comedy movies.
Come for the gin, and stick ar...
We are incredibly excited to kick off season 2 with a very special guest - my Mom, aka “Maki”. In the kickoff episode to the season, we pick back up with the Rhine River Chronicles, and in this second installment of the series we try a pair of Dutch Gins. As we give these two gins a try, we chat about our river cruise this past fall, my mom’s favorite international trip, and I share an old family favorite for my Off The Beaten Pa...
In a holiday themed episode, the lovely ladies of Toe Squished Grapes are back to help me put a bow on the first season. Kelly brings two wines for us to try and has the patience of a saint while dealing with the snarky comments from the peanut gallery. She also utilizes her bible - “Wine for Normal People” to teach us a bit more about the regions these two wines come from. As we enjoy the wines, Molly leads our discussion aroun...
What do you get when you combine a former intern, an AI questionnaire and the Pink Panther? You end up with episode 21 with Jamie Belt as our guest. During the episode we sample two blue gin and discuss how robots are now screening your resume, the proper way to prepare a pop-tart, and how seeking a large coffee in Europe might be a search in vain.
Come for the gin, and stick around to hear if Malibu Barbie is the best name to giv...
Episode 20 is the first of our Rhine River Chronicle series, which is a three part series that will stretch into the beginning of season 2. On this episode, our old friend Brian Place joins us again as we try two gins from Germany that I picked up on a recent river cruise up the Rhine River. As we try these two local products of Speyer, Germany, we discuss our experiences on separate Viking River Cruises, have Brian push for a co...
Are you a fan of pizza? If so, this might be just what your ordered. My guest (and Good Samaritan) Lori Wilson and I try a couple of new Italian gins. One is our first ever listener donated gin, and the other is a fun little discovery. While sampling these two gins, we chat about our journeys through Italy, the talents of Michelangelo, and how Lori was responsible for my luck in landing the awesome producer for this little podc...
In this episode we travel to the land of the Cheeseheads - Wisconsin. My sister Amie, a resident of Madison, has introduced me to a couple of great distilleries there, and we try two of their gins in this episode. While enjoying these tasty gins, we chat about the treacherous waterways of Death’s Door passage, how we connected through football early in our lives, a couple of Beastie Boy concerts, our trip to Morocco, and an idea...
Wake the kids, call the neighbors - Jim is back for his second stint as guest on the podcast. For this episode, I came up with two gins that have a bit of a connection between us, and Jim does an amazing job of guessing what those connections are. While enjoying the gins we also chat about different movies theaters we have gone to, lament the passing of Paul Reubens, debate if root beer tastes good, and for trivia, Jim phones a f...
The guest for episode 16 is actually me!! It’s a podcast takeover, and two of my former guests are hosting. On the debut of Toe Squished Grapes, Molly & Kelly are having us try wine. They follow the same criteria - we try two wines, have a bit of trivia and go Off The Beaten Path.
Along the trails we learn how the region that a grape is grown in can impact the wine, talk about mouth feel, and delve into swearing. ...
My guest for episode 15 is my buddy Jon Kuipers. In this episode we enjoy a gin he introduced me to a couple of years ago, and try a new gin from Portugal. While sipping these tasty gins, we chat about his trip to Alaska, how little we actually know about Orcas, gray hair, and how tonics can compliment a gin.
Come for the gin, and stick around to hear Jon phone a friend when it is his turn for gin trivia 🎙️🍸🍸
My thanks to Darin...
In 1984, my guest Greg and I ended up in a math class together. The rest, as they say, is history. Greg recently traveled to England and brought back some gins for us to try. While enjoying these spiced gins, we chat about his trip, our recent tour of a distillery, riding camels and eating abroad.
Come for the gin, and stick around to hear about how I now question our friendship due to his lack of enjoyment of chocolate.
My thanks...
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