Always Parched

He’s all growns up! Our home bartender co-host, Wo (Mike Mainwold), competed with local professionals in the Campari Loves Gin Competition. Listen in as we talk about what it’s like going behind the bar for the very first time, finding inspiration from the culinary world, avoiding amateur mistakes, and making your friends proud(ish) - PLUS - we let the bitterness shine with the real star of this episode… Bitter Island.

In this episode, the Always Parched hosts are joined by special guest barologist - and winner of the 2019 Last Slinger Standing competition - Chanel Godwin-McMaken from Little Rituals (Phoenix, AZ). We talk about humbling experiences, not overthinking situations, staying in the moment, green chartreuse, courageous cocktails, and how winning is done! - PLUS - what is the prefered nomenclature: bartender vs mixologist vs vodka-soda slinger vs barologist.

We try them all so you don’t have to! Okay - so we didn’t try every obnoxiously colored little bottle of flavored misadventure, but we did try WAY too many of them. In this semi-regrettable episode Wo, Dinger, and Micah start off with a mixed bag of questionable vodkas and then finish strong with some quality, well comprised examples of goodness. Find out if the Always Parched crew successfully traversed Micah’s gauntlet of disaster - PLUS - did you know your flavored vodka is probably just spirit and perfume… want to know more… take a listen!

The results are in! And - more importantly - Dinger is back to impart valuable wisdom and insight to his home bartender co-hosts. Listen in on the conversation as Wo and Micah make their drinks, plead their cases, and assert a variety of excuses as to why they didn’t win the Four Roses cocktail competition - PLUS - our resident expert described one recipe as gross… so find out if friendships are lost in this episode of Always Parched.

It’s amateur hour! Four Roses invited home bartenders (sorry, Dinger, no professionals allowed) from around the country to create the official 130th Anniversary Cocktail. In this episode, Always Parched hosts, Wo and Micah document the meticulous process of creating a signature recipe for their very first cocktail competition - PLUS - brown butter fat-washed bourbon is a thing and you need to try it right now!

Our first guest! In this episode Dinger, Wo, and Micah talk mai tai(s), rum, and tiki culture with local expert and bartender extraordinaire, Libby Lingua from UnderTow (Phoenix, AZ) - PLUS - we find out just how much effort, planning, and attention-to-detail goes into delivering a totally immersive tiki experience.

Adult drinks call for adult cherries! The maraschino cherries (aka red abominations) you took down by the handful as a kid are no longer welcome at the bar and Always Parched is here to help you make the switch. In this episode Dinger, Wo, and Micah sample some of the best cocktails cherries this world has to offer - PLUS - we have homemade brandied cherries you may want to make for yourself.

Why is your favorite bartender pilfering from your cocktail? Is your cocktail doomed if they don’t like what they sampled? Are you looking for insight as to when it's appropriate to double strain your mojito? On this episode of Always Parched we answer some of those questions and maybe a few more! Listen in as we cover all sorts of cocktail miscellany - PLUS - helpful suggestions on tools and trends that will boost your home bartending game.

What better way to start this podcast adventure than with an episode dedicated to the home bartender? We discuss the twelve bottles that are crucial to every new home bar setup - PLUS - your hosts Dinger, Wo, and Micah debate which bottles are most important to their own personal home bar. Which bottle made the cut on all three of our lists? Listen to find out!

Get to know the Always Parched hosts Michael Allmandinger (Dinger), Mike Mainwold (Wo), and Micah Zahler - PLUS - find out why you (yes, you!) should be listening. We drink things and then we talk about them. Sometimes it’s cocktails and other times it’s not, but it’s Always Parched.