Always Parched

The long awaited, frequently procrastinated, and finally recorded… the manhattan episode! Your home bartender friends jump on the mics to cover an all-time classic. In this episode Wo and Micah discuss microwaved manhattans, bagged manhattans, qualities that make for a memorable manhattan, bar ratings, who got it right, two establishments that got it very wrong, ideal manhattan recipes, garniture, positive takeaways, and nerf basketball hoops (obviously) - PLUS - why is Micah undermining aromatic bitters?!

Dinger is back on the mic with Wo and Micah to drink, catch up, and give us his first-hand experiences as to how the service industry is handling the pandemic. But stick with us - this episode isn’t all doom and gloom - we have lots of great suggestions on ways you can both help your favorite local establishments and get a great dining experience from the safety and comfort of your own home. In this episode we also cover what we are drinking to pass the time, bottle hubris, boozeless booze, and great cocktail books to put on your shelf - PLUS - wash your hands!

Social distancing can’t keep these two friends from enjoying a drink and talking cocktails. In this episode Wo and Micah (Dinger is out doing real work) get together online to catch up on life, share stories from an eventful week, and ask the big questions like - whatcha drinking, buddy? Our late night recording features home bar bottle strategies (both the adding to and eliminating of booze), multiple shout-outs to Hangar One vodka, helping your favorite local establishments, tackling super challenging recipes from the Aviary, a dad hack, and growing old - PLUS - should you order a manhattan at every bar you go to… we’ve got the answer!

In this episode we are joined by two amazing guests, Jos Zonneveld (By the Dutch) and Nikki Preiss (Preiss Imports), to talk about how the Netherlands have always played a leading role in the world of fine spirits. This is one of the most comprehensive and informative Always Parched episodes to date - so pour yourself a Dutch inspired cocktail and get ready to broaden your booze knowledge! Today we learn even more about gin, genever, batavia arrack, egg liqueur, Dutch drinking culture, and weekend lattes - PLUS - one of the AP hosts seems particularly interested in how a person goes from practicing law to owning a spirits company.

Today we have 2 special guests… Joshua James (Clever Koi, Across the Pond, Fellow Osteria) and By the Dutch spirits! Both Joshua and Dinger are actively participating in events during AZCW - so why not hand over the mics and find out what they have planned for this year’s festivities?! In this timely episode we sample the full line-up of By the Dutch, explore tasting notes, discuss the origins of genever, learn some stuff about Batavia Arrack, and get a full preview of what you need to do and where you need to be this month - PLUS - the compelling oddity that is shelf-stable egg liqueur!

Welcome to the first ever Always Parched punch bowl themed episode! Traditional punch recipes call for 4-5 ingredients and in this episode we’ll cover five booze-related topics! Listen in on the conversation as we praise the glorious mouthfeel that is clarified milk punch, lament our lack of perfectly clear ice, breeze past prohibition, reveal our favorite boozes of 2019, and fess up to the biggest cocktail misses of the year - PLUS - we give a handful of shoutouts to some of our favorite things, places, and people.

After a long hiatus - Wo, Dinger, and Micah are back on the mics and ready for a new year of Always Parched. In this quick episode the guys shake off the podcasting rust and talk about what they’ve been up to for the last 6 months… SPOILER: it’s mostly parenting and learning new kids songs. Find out which host visited the ER trying to batch some cocktails, who’s got a fantasy football addiction, and which home bartender had his margarita featured on a local Phoenix restaurant menu - PLUS - Wo gets his time to shine at the liquor store.

Too tired to put together a proper cocktail but you could really use a drink? Canned cocktails got your back… and your front! In this episode we leave our strainers and shaker tins on the shelf and crack open some cans of ready to drink Caipirinhas. The good people over at Novo Fogo added two new flavors to their Sparkling Caipirinha line - and they sent us some to try… our first booze mail! So how does one pronounce Caipirinha? Great question. We’ll help you out with the correct pronunciation, explain the difference between cachaca and rum, describe what makes for a quality canned cocktail - PLUS - Wo, Dinger, and Micah disagree on a pivotal pop-culture reference.

The Always Parched hosts sample four wild agave varietals (and learn why mezcal is the wine of spirits), drink from handmade copitas, eat insects, pick favorites, and discuss the challenges of introducing a mostly misunderstood spirit into a new market. Allow yourself to be biased by story and community as we sit down with Abel Arriaga from Mezcal Carreño. This episode is jam-packed with everything you need to know to better approach, understand, and embrace the terroir driven spirit that is mezcal - PLUS - after hitting the cutting room floor 3 times, we present to you… Dinger’s cheese story.

It’s that special time of year again… so join us for a few drinks as we discuss the classic, the always delightful and never overrated… the negroni. What more can be said about such an iconic drink? Probably not that much - but we’re going to give it a go anyways! In this episode, we take a look at the brief history of Negroni Week, who started it, who benefits from it, and why you should go out and support your local participating bars - PLUS - when does a negroni riff become a negroni inspired cocktail?