What We're Drinking with Dan Dunn

It’s that magical time of year when the lights twinkle, the relatives bicker, and the bottles pop. On this special holiday edition of WWD, Dan kicks things off by diving into the surprisingly chaotic history of sparkling wine — a tale involving accidental bubbles, chilly French cellars, and a certain monk named Dom Pérignon. Then it’s time to bring in reinforcements. WWD’s Official Roving Correspondent, Brad Japhe, joins Dan in-stu...

Dan sits down with Greg Lambrecht, the brilliant mind behind Coravin, the revolutionary wine-by-the-glass system that forever changed how we drink, share, and hoard our favorite bottles. Greg walks us through the origin story: the early prototypes, the science, the skepticism, and the moment the wine world finally realized this wasn’t a gadget… it was a paradigm shift.

He also gives us a look at how Coravin has shaped modern wine c...

This week on What We’re Drinking, things get Philly, funky, and downright fantastic as Dan sits down with his old friend Garrett “G Love” Dutton, frontman of the legendary G Love & Special Sauce. It’s a reunion decades in the making, and the conversation hits all the sweet spots: the early days, the grind, the gigs, and the weird, wonderful road that took a couple of scrappy East Coast kids into the big wide world. G Love opens up ...

On this week’s episode, Dan finally claws his way out of the novel-writing fog long enough to pour a drink and have an honest-to-God conversation with someone who isn’t a fictional character. Fortunately, that someone is Danielle Frank, author of the hilarious and sharply observed new book A Wine Lover’s Guide to Parenting.

Danielle and Dan get into it: wine, love, parenting… though not necessarily in that order, because nothing in...

In this hilariously enlightening episode, Dan lays down The 10 Rules of Day Drinking, a guide to mastering the fine art of daytime debauchery without completely ruining your afternoon (or your life). From choosing the right setting (“sunlight forgives”) to knowing when to stop giving drunken TED Talks about friendship, Dan walks listeners through the unspoken commandments of responsible irresponsibility. Along the way, expect sharp...

In this delightfully indulgent episode of What We’re Drinking, Dan is joined by WWD's Official Roving Correspondent, Brad Japhe, for a spirited deep dive into the world of cordials, those sweetened, flavored liqueurs that make life (and cocktails) a little more delicious. From nutty to citrusy, herbal to creamy, Dan and Brad explore what defines a cordial, how they’re made, and why they’ve been charming drinkers for centuries.

Alon...

In this Halloween special edition of 3-Minute Bartender, Dan unearths one of mixology’s most delightfully macabre creations, the Corpse Reviver #2. Equal parts gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice, and a dash of absinthe, this zesty elixir was first prescribed to jolt the dead (or at least the deeply hungover) back to life.

Dan digs into the drink’s spooky origins from the Savoy Cocktail Book, unpacks the legendary warning tha...

On this episode, Dan sits down with Charles Braastad, ninth-generation member of the Delamain family and Cellar Master for Delamain Cognac, one of the oldest and most revered houses in the region. They dig into the intricate relationship between time and quality in Cognac, why Delamain works exclusively with Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, and how climate change is reshaping the ripening curve and acid balance of the Ugni Blanc grape...

On this episode of What We’re Drinking with Dan Dunn, comedian Jonas Garvin drops by to promote his new stand-up special, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Things go hilariously sideways as Dan and Jonas go “Full Old Man Mode,” griping and laughing their way through a boozy grab bag of topics, from the rise of non-alcoholic beer and outrageous drink prices to the plague of QR code menus, the overuse of pumpkin spice, and the unwritten ru...

It’s a feast for the senses on this week’s What We’re Drinking, as Dan uncorks a true liquid treasure, Cognac. He takes listeners through the rolling vineyards of western France to uncover how this legendary brandy is born, from grape to glass. Expect equal parts history, craft, and hedonism as we explore what makes Cognac one of the world’s most revered spirits.

Joining the conversation are three heavy hitters from the Cognac pant...

In this episode of What We’re Drinking, we say goodbye to the fruity porch-pounders of summer and raise a glass to the cozy, soul-warming bottles that feel like a fireplace in liquid form. It’s the season of sweaters, roasted meats, and stuffing, and the wines we’re diving into are built for exactly that.

We feature standout bottles from six stellar American wineries—Stonestreet Estate Vineyards, Gran Moraine, Matanzas Creek Winery...

On this episode, Dan is joined by Silver Oak CEO David Duncan, who takes us deep into the world of wine. David shares how he and his family built Silver Oak into one of the most iconic names in Napa and Sonoma, and what it takes to maintain excellence across generations. From vineyards to cooperages, from cellar decisions to family traditions, this is a fascinating peek behind the label of one of America’s most beloved wineries.

Bu...

Renowned cocktail historian David Wondrich joins the show to talk about his brand-new book, The Comic Book History of the Cocktail: Five Centuries of Mixing Drinks and Carrying On. We dig into the myths that refuse to die, the bartending legends, past and present, who shaped the craft, and the painstaking research process that’s made Wondrich the industry’s most trusted voice. Along the way, he refle...

On this week’s edition of “3-Minute Bartender," we take a decadent detour into dessert-cocktail territory with the Irish Mudslide. Legend has it the original Mudslide was born in the 1970s at the Wreck Bar on Grand Cayman, when a bartender swapped Baileys Irish Cream into a White Russian after running out of cream. A happy accident, and history was made.

Dan spins the tale forward with his Irish twist: ditch the vodka, bring in a pr...

On this episode, Dan welcomes two whiskey powerhouses and adds his own poetic flair to the mix. First up is Noah Rothbaum, acclaimed spirits authority and author of The Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World’s Greatest Spirit. Noah breaks down why whiskey remains a global obsession, offering insights, history, and a few surprising stories you won’t find anywhere else.

Then, Dan sits down with Blake Johns, the man behind Smokey...

Recorded on-site at Baby Blues BBQ in Venice Beach, this episode of What We’re Drinking—titled “The Audible: Calling Smarter Game Day Pours”—focuses on the art of tailgating done right. Host Dan Dunn is joined by actor Oliver Cooper, Baby Blues pitmaster Rick McCarthy, spirits expert Joe Brooke, and wine authority Geoff Whitman for a lively roundtable that covers everything from perfect barbecue to smart drink choices for game day.

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On this episode of What We’re Drinking, Dan shares the story of getting called in for jury duty and, let’s just say, not exactly rising to the occasion. We’ve also got a brand-new installment of our enormously entertaining and egregiously neglected segment What’ll It Be, featuring a major Hollywood star as the guest in our bar—served, of course, by Lloyd, the creepy bartender from The Shining. And we wrap things up with a small ann...

In this episode, Dan takes you inside one of the best dinners of his life—an omakase feast at Asakura in Los Angeles, where legendary chef Makoto Okamoto (La Bombance, Tokyo) was behind the counter. We dive into the artistry of omakase, the history of sake, and a remarkable story from brewmaster Takafumi Sumikawa, whose family’s Sumikawa Brewery nearly collapsed after a devastating flood in 2013, only to come back stronger than eve...

It’s hotter than the hinges on the gates of hell, so we’re cooling down with the neon, tropical legend that is the Blue Hawaii. Born in 1957 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village thanks to bartender Harry Yee and a bottle of Windex-colored booze, this drink became Hawaii’s unofficial liquid postcard. We’ll shake it up, spill some wild Elvis trivia (including questionable Hollywood casting choices and age gaps that would...