Radio Imbibe

Since its 2013 debut, The Dead Rabbit in New York City has garnered numerous awards and accolades as being one of the world’s best bars. For this episode, we talk with founding partner Jack McGarry about the bar’s ambitious expansion plans starting with outposts in New Orleans and Austin, Texas, in 2023; how the Dead Rabbit’s style is evolving as it approaches its 10th anniversary; and how McGarry is taking on solo leadership of the team.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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

The cover story of our March/April 2022 issue focuses on the world of brandy, and for this episode, we wrap up our coverage of the spirit with Nicolas Palazzi. Born in Bordeaux and now living in Brooklyn, Palazzi is the founder of PM Spirits, an importer and distributor of specialty spirits, including Cognac, Armagnac, and Calvados. For this episode, we talk with Palazzi about his search for memorable barrels of brandy, what he looks for in great brandies, and his work to bring these spirits to an American audience.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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

The cover story of our March/April 2022 issue focuses on the world of brandy, and for this episode, we talk with acclaimed New York bartender ms. franky marshall. A longtime Cognac educator, ms. franky shares insights into what makes Cognac so distinctive; the ways Cognac remains a dynamic spirit today; and how Cognac novices can begin their own explorations of this exceptional French brandy.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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

As a companion to the brandy cover story in our March/April 2022 issue, we head to California to chat with David Warter, the vice president of winemaking and distilling for E&J Gallo Winery. Gallo’s gone big on California brandy in recent years, and Warter shares details about what makes California brandy distinctive, and he offers insight into Gallo’s brandies from the Argonaut and Germain-Robin lines. 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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

Our March/April issue dives deep into the world of brandy—and it’s impossible to talk about brandy in America, or the world of apple brandy, without talking to Lisa Laird Dunn. The executive vice president, COO, and global ambassador for Laird & Co. in New Jersey, she’s the ninth generation of her family to be involved in the brandy business. For this episode, we chat with her about apple brandy’s heritage in the United States, its indelible role in American drinks history, and the role that the cocktail resurgence has played in restoring the fortunes of American apple brandy.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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

Andra “AJ” Johnson has been a barista, sommelier, cicerone, and bartender, and today she’s a partner and beverage director for Serenata in Washington, D.C. For this episode, we catch up with AJ about her ongoing project White Plates Black Faces, which shares the stories of people of color in the hospitality industry, and talk about her role as co-founder of DMV Black Restaurant Week and the Back to Black series of bar pop-ups. As a bonus, she also shares her recipe for the Venezolana from Serenata. 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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

When Efrem Fesaha made the leap from a career in finance to open Boon Boona Coffee, a roastery and café in the Seattle area, he looked to his family’s home in Eritrea for inspiration. For this episode, we chat with Fesaha about Boon Boona’s approach to coffee, from its focus on African producers and Africa’s significance in coffee history, to the role it plays in the Seattle area’s African immigrant and small-business communities.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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

This episode introduces another of our Imbibe 75 People to Watch, Linda Milagros Violago. A Canadian sommelier and wine professional who’s worked at restaurants worldwide, Violago recently relocated to Seattle to lead the wine program at Canlis, a family-run institution that dates to 1950, with an award-winning wine program more than 22,000 bottles deep. For this episode, we chat with Violago about her background in wine, what brought her to Canlis, and what she has planned for the months ahead.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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

To kick off 2022, this episode introduces one of our Imbibe 75 People to Watch, Christian Suzuki-Orellana, known more familiarly as Suzu. A longtime Bay Area bartender, Suzu is the creator of the Kagano Bar pop-up, based on his grandparents’ bar in Japan, and the bar manager (and “Head Bird,” with bar supervisor Marguerite Regan) at Wildhawk in San Francisco.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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

Martin and Rebecca Cate are the owners of Smuggler’s Cove and Whitechapel in San Francisco, and the authors of the James Beard Award–winning book, Smuggler’s Cove. The Cates have also both written for Imbibe, and for this episode, we talk with Rebecca about her essay in our November/December 2021 issue in which she reflects on what pandemic closures meant for their bar’s family of regulars, and what it’s been like welcoming these old friends back to the bar. Martin also shares the recipe for a holiday favorite served at Smuggler’s Cove.  Hibiscus Rum PunchThis recipe is an adaptation of Sorrel Punch, a traditional holiday drink enjoyed throughout the Caribbean. This version was originally developed using a house-made hibiscus liqueur; you can make your own, or use Sorel, a recently released commercial version from Imbibe 75 alum Jackie Summers. 1½ oz. aged Jamaican rum (such as Worthy Park)1 oz. hibiscus liqueur (see note above)½ oz. fresh lime juice1/3 oz. demerara syrup (2:1)2 oz. chilled soda waterTools: shaker, strainerGlass: Collins or highballGarnish: edible hibiscus flower or lime wheelShake the first 4 ingredients with ice. Add the soda to the shaker, then strain into an ice-filled glass, and garnish.Hibiscus Liqueur: In a large glass jar, combine 3 quarter-size discs of unpeeled fresh ginger, 10 whole cloves, and 1 liter of lightly aged rum. Cover the jar and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours, then strain out the solids and add ¾ cup of dried hibiscus flowers, and let it sit covered for another 48 hours. Strain the flowers, then seal; the infusion will keep for up to 6 months. To make the liqueur, take 2½ cups of the hibiscus infusion, and add 1 cup of 2:1 simple syrup, and ½ cup of honey (warmed in the microwave or on the stovetop, so it’ll dissolve easier in the mixture). Stir thoroughly to blend, then keep refrigerated for up to several weeks.Traditional recipe adapted by Smuggler’s CoveRadio 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, Twitter, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.