Radio Imbibe

[This episode originally ran June 18, 2024.] The Daiquiri is an undisputed champion of the cocktail world, and its simple formula not only offers the promise of a complex character, but it’s also a great starting point for endless exploration. For this episode, we take a deep dive into all things Daiquiri with a roundtable discussion including some of today’s top Daiquiri practitioners: Joshua Ibañez, former bar manager at Rumba in Seattle and an Imbibe 75 alum; Shannon Mustipher, another Imbibe 75 alumnus and author of Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails; and Garret Richard, co-author (with Ben Schaffer) of Tropical Standard, and bar manager at Sunken Harbor Club in Brooklyn.Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

Noah Rothbaum has been writing about drinks for more than 20 years, and he's been a whiskey enthusiast for even longer. His latest book, The Whiskey Bible, comes out in September from Workman Publishing (publisher of Karen MacNeil’s seminal book The Wine Bible), and he joins us to talk about researching and writing the book, the whiskey knowledge he uncovered along the way, and what keeps him excited about the world of whiskey.Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

Erick Castro is one of the more influential bartenders working today. The owner of Gilly’s House of Cocktailsand Raised by Wolves in San Diego, he’s also the host of the Bartender at Large podcast, and he’s been involved in bar projects from coast to coast. For this episode, Erick shares his insight into the enduring appeal of simplicity in cocktails, and he talks about best practices when making frozen drinks for summer.Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

The annual Tales of the Cocktail conference has taken place in New Orleans for more than 20 years. Almost since the beginning, Charlotte Voisey has been one of the most omnipresent individuals at Tales—organizing parties, moderating seminars, heading up the Spirited Awards, and much more in her role with William Grant & Sons. Earlier this year, Voisey stepped away from her previous job and into her new position as executive director of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. With this year’s event coming up July 20-25, we’re chatting with Voisey for this episode to talk about her big change, how Tales has evolved over the years, and what she’s looking forward to when the global cocktail crew descends on New Orleans this summer.Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

Gin is the quintessential cocktail spirit, and the foundation of every great Martini and Negroni. For this episode, we look at the ingredients and techniques that go into making some of the world’s best gins with Simon Ford, creator of Fords Gin, and Terry Fraser, master distiller of Tanqueray London Dry Gin and Gordon’s Gin.Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

Riesling is the signature wine of Germany, but many casual wine drinkers have less familiarity with other German styles or with the country’s wine regions. For this episode, importer Stephen Bitterolf of vom Boden (Instagram: @vomboden) helps demystify German wines and takes us on a tour of some of the country’s producers, including Shelter, Seehof, Moritz Kissinger, Hild, and Vollenweider.    Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

Distilled spirits form the foundation of our favorite cocktails. But beyond simple differences like bourbon vs. scotch or gin vs. vodka, many bartenders and drinkers may only have a cursory knowledge of the deeper details. The Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) is a global educational organization that aims to make such deeper, detailed knowledge of spirits accessible to professionals and curious consumers. For this episode, we explore WSET’s spirits education programs with Rob McCaughey, the head of business development for spirits for WSET Americas.Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

In order to understand what the Martini is, it’s important to know what the Martini was. Our contributing editor Robert Simonson (publisher of The Mix newsletter and author of The Martini Cocktail) joins us for this episode to explore the Martini’s evolution since its inception, and to consider the Martini’s role in modern cocktail culture.Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

The most celebrated cocktail of the 20th century is finding fresh fans today, as bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts around the world discover the Martini’s magic. Our May/June 2025 issue digs into the Martini’s details. For this episode, we’re joined by three veteran bartenders and bar owners, who share their Martini experience and their insight: Natasha Bahrami from The Gin Room in St. Louis, Trevor Easter from The Butterscotch Den in Sacramento, and Abigail Gullo from Loa in New Orleans.Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

Alcohol-free beer still occupies a small part of the overall market, but as we cover in our March/April 2025 issue, brewers big and small are increasingly focusing their expertise and modern techniques on making NA beers that can compete with traditional beers in flavor, style, and overall appeal. For this episode, Imbibecontributing editor Joshua M. Bernstein talks about this rapidly evolving NA beer landscape, and how brewers are stepping up their alcohol-free game.Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.