Listen to Episode 32: We’re Taking a Summer Holiday!”

Now that we’re in the dog days of summer and more than half way into our first season of the Bit by a Fox Podcast, we’ve decided to take a wee two week break for summer holiday!

This is the perfect time to sip on a cocktail or two, and catch up on allllll those Bit by a Fox Podcast episodes you might’ve missed along the way. We’ve been recording every week since January and we’ve built up quite the library of boozy episodes. I KNOW some of y’all have a missed a few.

During this week’s shot sized episode, I suggest some of our top episodes so far, and I read (and comment, naturally!) over some episode suggestions that we got from our recent late bloomer launch party. And for the first time ever, we turn to our listeners for future episode suggestions. Take a listen, go back into our archives and throw out any ideas YOU think would make the podcast even better!

The photo above by photographer, David Parise is part of a series of photos taken of vintage Barbie and Ken dolls and I’ve recently become OBSESSED. Check out more of his work and purchase one of his prints at BarbieAndKenPhotos.Com

Listen to Episode 31: Tam O’Shanter and the Great Wall of Scotch”

This week we’re exploring one of the most fascinating restaurants in the country, the legendary and whimsical Scottish-themed restaurant the Tam O’Shanter.

Tam O’Shanter, Ryan Tanaka 2018

Tam O’Shanter is the oldest continuously operated family run restaurant in Los Angeles, now in their 4th generation, and it’s considered to be one of the first themed restaurants in the country. Built in a distinctive Storybook style in 1922 by Hollywood set designer Harry Oliver with some help from movie-studio carpenters, the Tam is Old Hollywood meets Scottish pub meets…Walt Disney – who was a key player in the Tam O’Shanter history books.

Tam O’Shanter, Ryan Tanaka 2018

To get the inside scoop on their nearly 100 year history, I interviewed John Lindquist, the GM of Tam O’Shanter. The second half of the episode is devoted to Tam’s infamous Scotch collection. Upon walking in the door, you are greeted with the Great Wall of Scotch, an immense display that holds about 200 of their 400 plus bottles of single malts and blends from distilleries around the world. For the second half of the episode, I spoke with Martin Ridell – the in-house Tam O’Shanter Scotch ambassador who knows a thing or two about the water of life.

This week’s featured recipe is one of Martin’s favorite Scotch-based cocktails, The Scottish Goodbye:

The Scottish Goodbye
Equal parts:
Scotch Whiskey (Martin recommends Teachers Highland)
Averna Amaro
Lillet Blanc
Mist of Laphroig
Garnish: lemon twist

Stir all the ingredients over ice until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Give it a wee mist of Laphroig. Garnish with a lemon twist.

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Brunch is the most important meal of the day. That’s the saying, right?!

It truly is a very important weekend occasion…especially when you spend half your day doing it! My favorite is getting together with friends for a late breakfast and then stretching it out to the late afternoon/early evening, so it really does live up to its name and covers two meals of the day. It’s economics, people. They don’t call it brunch for nothing!

You know what restaurants don’t like from their brunch guests, however? People who linger for half the day. I know from experience. I’ve gotten my fair share of side eye during multiple shift changes over the years.

That’s why hosting at home with friends is no-brainer. You also have more control over the food and drink…and for this theme loving gal, it couldn’t be more perfect. This past weekend I hosted a Provençal themed brunch with strawberry crepes & crème fraîche, fresh fruits and cheeses and a delightful (and luckily very large) bottle of Mathilde Chapoutier “Grand Ferrage” Côtes de Provence Rosé.

This time of year, a nice chilled bottle of crisp, dry rosé is a perfect complement to brunch with friends.

I fell in love with Provençal style rosés last July when I spent a few weeks in the region. Frankly, they drink it like water there, but it’s like a BILLION times better than water. It is also such a great food wine. I’m not gonna lie – the strawberry & crème fraîche crepes were definitely one of my most inspired pairings.

My rosé choice for this past weekend’s brunch was the namesake of creator and owner, Mathilde Chapoutier, daughter of renowned winemaker Michel Chapoutier. Made in sunshine-y Côtes de Provence, Mathilde created a rosé she would want to drink – dry and bright with stone fruits of peach and apricot, but elegant and round with a silky mouthfeel.

Honestly, it went perfectly with our delicious spread and disappeared faster than I anticipated. Ladies get thirsty during brunch!

I love that the compass rose on the label symbolizes Mathilde’s love of travel and her on-going quest to visit the world’s greatest wine regions. Same, girl, same.

Here’s to transporting your brunch to the south of France with a little jeuge and a bottle of Mathilde Chapoutier “Grande Ferrage” Rosé. Santé!

This post was sponsored and fueled by Mathilde Chapoutier Rosé. All opinions are my own.

Listen to Episode 30: The Booze World’s Worst Ideas with Jason Horn

Wine for dudes? Boozy gatorade? A clear aged whiskey ala Pepsi Crystal? The adult beverage industry has historically made questionable choices and we’re just here to razz tf out of them on this week’s Bit by a Fox podcast. Resident snark expert, LA-based food and drinks writer Jason Horn and I kick off a new series all about the booze world’s worst ideas.

This was going to be a one-off episode until we dug in and realized we’d most likely never run out of material. Note that no booze brands were harmed in the making of this podcast. We’re not naming names – except for the historic fails – and we’re doing various tastings with an open mind. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

This Week’s Recipe is from a pitch from a hotel trying to capitalize on the royal wedding. I didn’t make it, so I don’t have a pic. :/ In honor of the groom…

Hooray for Harry
1 oz Grey Good Vodka
1 oz Red Bull

Pour over ice into a Collin’s glass. Cucumber Garnish.

You get the gist.

Listen to Episode 29: Meet the Teetotaling BBaF Podcast Producer, Anna Tivell”

The Bit by a Fox Podcast is now 7 months in, 29 episodes deep and just past that mid-season mark. There is no better time than now to introduce listeners to the producer, editor, gorgeous eccentric, and lovable Swede who helps to make this all happen every week, Anna Tivell.

I’ve truly enjoyed getting to know this beautiful little weirdo this past year and I know you will too. She has such an interesting perspective on drinking based on her Swedish upbringing and her experience living in Iceland for a number of years where there was a prohibition of beer up until 1989. She drank moonshine as a kid, but now drinks very little. Her journey with alcohol has been a fascinating one.

Our featured cocktail for this episode is from Anna and her husband Billy’s popular LA restaurant, Salazar. It is one of my favorite summer cocktails, The Paloma. This mezcal version is one of the best I’ve ever had:

Salazar Paloma
2oz. Mezcal
2 oz. Fresh grapefruit juice
3/4 oz. Fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. Agave nectar
Pinch of salt
Bar spoon of habanero tincture

Add all ingredients to an ice-filled shaker and shake until well chilled.
Strain into a Collins glass with chile lip
Add 2 oz grapefruit soda
Top with crushed ice and grapefruit wedge garnish

Listen to Episode 28: Talking Champagne with NoMad Los Angeles Wine Director Ryan Bailey”

For this week’s Bit by a Fox Podcast I spoke with wine prodigy Ryan Bailey at his home base in downtown LA’s beautiful new NoMad Los Angeles. As Wine Director, Ryan oversees the classically inspired wine program that is roughly 1000 selections and features Champagne as a focus. We delve into Ryan’s early interest in wine, his experience in Michelin starred restaurants at a very young age, and we do a deep dive into Champagne and all things bubbly.

Our featured cocktail for this episode includes sparkling wine AND one of Ryan’s favorite spirits – RUM!  The Old Cuban, created by New York City’s Pegu Club owner Audrey Saunders is also one of my favorites.

Old Cuban – served up in a coupe glass
1½ oz. aged rum
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
6-8 mint leaves
2 oz. dry sparkling wine (try a quality dry Champagne in this!)

Muddle the lime juice, syrup and mint in a shaker. Add the rum, bitters and ice and shake until well chilled.Double-strain into a chilled coupe glass, top with bubbles and garnish with mint leaves.

Portrait of Ryan Bailey provided by Chef’s Roll
Old Cuban cocktail pic from Honestly Yum

Listen to Episode 27: Mead – History’s Oldest Drink with Fred Minnick”

For this week’s Bit by a Fox Podcast, we talk about the oldest adult beverage known to man, enjoyed by Queen Elizabeth, the Vikings and even the Greek gods: MEAD. 

You’ve probably read about it in school or in some romantic tale – it’s one of the most documented boozy beverages in history – and maybe you’ve had a chance to try it, But many are still unfamiliar with this storied drink of fermented honey. Well, it’s experiencing somewhat of a comeback. As award-winning author and spirits expert Fred Minnick puts it, it becomes popular about every 2000 years. 

And he should know. Fred is the author of the new book Mead: The Libations, Legends and Lore of History’s Oldest Drink and is this week’s guest. Take a listen and find out what all the buzz is about. ut.

This week’s cocktail, created by Fred Minnick and Jeremy Johnson, owner of Meta in Louisville, Kentucky, is the Mead Vesper – basically a Vesper cocktail with the addition of mead.

Mead Vesper
1 ounce of Gin
1 ounce of Vodka
.25 ounce of oxymel mead
.25 ounce of vermouth
lemon twist and cocktail glass

Stir all the ingredients over ice until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

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Episode 26: Seedlip – The First Non-Alcoholic Spirit”

For this week’s Bit by a Fox podcast we’re getting a little less boozy. Or rather, not boozy at all! In this latest episode we talk about one of the most successful spirit launches out of the UK in recent years – Seedlip – a product that bills itself as the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit.

What does that even mean? How do you drink it? And why has it been so wildly popular in the craft cocktail community? Bartenders Aaron Polsky and Laura Lashley explain it all in this fun interview. They’ve been working with the brand here in LA, and have been singing its gospel since it landed stateside and has gained buzz across the country. This is our first interview with multiple guests and we did this on location at Aaron’s home bar, Harvard & Stone in Hollywood.

Our featured cocktail this week is an Eastside made with Seedlip’s Garden 108 as the base spirit.

Seedlip East Side – makes 1 drink
2 ounces of Seedlip Garden 108
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
2 cucumber slices
small bunch mint leaves

In a cocktail shaker, muddle a cucumber slice and 5-6 mint leaves. Add the Seedlip Garden 108, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and ice. Shake until well-chilled, then double-strain into a an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a cucumber slice and mint sprig.

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Episode 25: Los Angeles Gay Bar Evolution with Garrett McKechnie”

Gay Pride Month is coming to a close, and our three part series on the Bit by a Fox Podcast devoting episodes to LGBTQ stories is also wrapping up. In this third and final episode, we bring the focus to Los Angeles. My guest this week is Garrett McKechnie, bartender and co-owner of the award winning Bar Mattachine, a gay bar in downtown Los Angeles that has successfully merged gay bar culture and history with craft cocktails.

We discuss Garrett’s evolution working in gay bars in both NYC and LA, the significance of LA’s role in the story of American gay rights, how the scene has evolved, and where we are today.

This week’s featured cocktail is Bar Mattachine’s signature cocktail named after the leader of the Mattachine Society in Los Angeles, Harry Hay.

Harry Hay
2 Oz Rittenhouse 100 proof Rye
1/4 Amargo Angostura Vallet Liqueur
1/2 Oz Dolin Rouge Vermouth
1/4 Oz Maraschino Liqueur

Stir all ingredients over ice until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Flame a lemon peel over glass and discard. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

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Episode 24: LGBTQ Club Culture in the 70s & 80s w/ Emily Colucci” 

Last week we kicked off a Gay Pride Month series for the Bit by a Fox Podcast. We’re devoting the rest of the month to LGBTQ stories – the importance of gay bars and clubs through history, the cultural impact of the movements that came out of those important spaces, and the renegades, revolutionaries and icons behind it all. It’s such a big subject, we’ve created our first podcast series for #PrideMonth. In this second episode in this series, we touch on the gay club culture in the 70s and 80s – the music, dancing, drag, sex, and drugs involved in the queer club scene, and how it crossed over and influenced straight/mainstream culture through the years.

Our guest this week is Emily Colucci, a writer and arts curator based in New York City. Emily is co-founder of Filthy Dreams, a blog analyzing art and culture through a queer lens and a touch of camp.

This week’s featured cocktail happens to be one of the most popular cocktails of the disco era. The Harvey Wallbanger. This drink was heavily advertised all throughout the 70s to promote sales of Galliano Liqueur which, in turn, became the most popular liqueur in America during the decade. Below is a traditional Harvey Wallbanger cocktail recipe, however, I highly recommend a slushy version that I created a few years ago. Click on the pic for that icy take.

Harvey Wallbanger
2 oz Vodka
4 oz Fresh orange juice
3/4 oz Galliano

Add vodka and orange juice to a tall, ice-filled highball glass. Float the Galliano on top and stir. Garnish with orange wheel and enjoy.