It's the last episode of the year and we're LIVE again! This time we invite you to the Bando to be apart of the conversation. We're going head-to-head with some classic comparisons and asking the audience to vote give input on their favorites. Salt vs. sugar grits. Drumsticks vs. flats. To double up our fan engagement, this week's drink is brought to you by @candrisse, a brand that highlights creativity and self love by providing expressive, useful, and unique works of art. Sip with us and catch our live video recording on Bando Bevs Facebook.

Versus Recipe:

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tbs Pumpkin Spice Seasoning
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water 
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 cup Oat Milk (or milk of choice)
Cognac (as desired)
Whipped cream
Holiday garnish

Mix all dry ingredients in a small saucepan.
Whisk in water until no lumps remain.
Heat on high until mixture boils.
Reduce heat to a simmer and whisk in milk. Return to rolling boil.

Pour into mugs. Add alcohol (optional). Top with whipped cream and holiday garnish!

After their first live episode, Paris and Natasha are back in the bando for episode 28.  The two touch on the last episode a bit, and discuss why a live recording almost didn't happen.  The fears that almost kept them from their first live episode led to the question "whats stopping you?" What stops us from going after our desires?  Is it the fear of failure or the perception of others?  Is it not knowing the outcome or the unwillingness to commit? Whatever it is thats stopping you, buckle in and Appcelerate through it. Go for it, give it your all and experience achievement while sipping this curated beverage. 

Appcelerate Recipe:
3 cups of fresh apple cider
Juice of one lemon
Grand Marnier (cocktail)
Caramel whipped cream 
Cinnamon
Apple slice for garnish.

Heat apple cider in a saucepan and add lemon juice.   Once warm, divide cider into two mugs. Add Grand Marnier for cocktail. Top with whipped cream, sprinkle with cinnamon, and garnish with an apple slice. 

Welcome to Episode 27! Our first live podcast recording and one year anniversary of the Bando Bevs podcast. We're at the headquarters of the District Running Collective (DRC) and excited to have our guest Matt Green, who is the co-founder and lead captain of DRC. Matt co-founded DRC after hosting several birthday runs with friends and has expanded DRC to an International brand and successful partnership with Under Armor. Matt sits down with Natasha and Paris to discuss going back for more & quick decisions over a glass of "Seconds". This is the first episode where our live audience gets to participate in the conversation and sip with us.

Seconds:
2oz lemon juice
1oz liquid from canned lychee
2oz club soda
1oz ginger & mint simple syrup
2.5 oz gin (cocktail)

Shake everything except the club soda over ice. Pour over ice, add club soda, garnish with mint and lychee. Enjoy!

Ginger & Mint Simple Syrup:
1 part water
1 part sugar
1/4 part fresh ginger (peeled & cut)
1/4 part fresh mint

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat & stir continuously until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Keep in fridge.

When she walks you stare, when she speaks you care! She is, Black Beauty. There is always something new to learn about skin care, health, and wellness. Join us for episode 26 where we discuss all things beauty with Vivian Wynter, your beauty and lifestyle professional. Vivian has over 16 years of experience as a licensed aesthetician and spokeswoman for the cosmetic and beauty industry. Listen, sip, and share as we drink during our first mocktail only episode with our very own Seedlip specialty.

Recipe:
3oz Seedlip Spice 94
2oz Ginger Beer
1/2tsp Ginger Syrup
3 Blackberries
2 Basil Leaves (large & fresh)
Lemon to garnish

Instructions:
Muddle blackberries and basil at the bottom of a glass. Add remaining ingredients and ice. Stir. Garnish with lemon wedge. 

What episode is it anyways? Don’t ask Paris, she doesn’t know. Do you recall a time when you presented yourself to the world as someone else? We often hear the words “be authentic” or “just be yourself” and it scares us. It’s easier to put on a show than to be vulnerable and comfortable in the things that make us unique. For Episode 25, we dive into what authenticity and being authentic means for us and how it could impact your world. As we celebrate Halloween and dress up as others, let’s encourage one another to take the masks off. Partner that authenticity with a spooky drink that is sure to make your skin crawl.

Mask Off Recipe:
2 oz Lemon Lime Soda (7-up)
3 oz Club Soda
1 tbsp Ginger Syrup
1 oz Pink Gin (for cocktail)
Splash of Hibiscus Elixir
Garnish with Halloween Candy!

Stir all ingredients and sip with spookiness! 

What's your relationship with money? Join us for Episode 24 with special guests Victoria Reese (@picturethisvic) and Revaé Tharps (@revaemarie), as we discuss financial wellness. We'll share our personal experiences with money and how we can take what we learn about finances and share with our family and friends. At the end of the day, we have the power to change the "family history" with money. Hopefully this conversation will help develop your relationship with your finances. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee or in our case, financial freedom!


Cutting Edge Recipe:

• 1 cup fresh brewed coffee (add cinnamon to coffee grounds)
• 1 oz Bailey’s Irish Coffee Creamer
• 1/2 tsp salted caramel syrup
• 1.5 oz whiskey 

Choose your favorite coffee mug to savor.

#sipdelicately

You know that saying "give people their roses while they can still smell them"? It doesn't specify how many roses or even that you have to give multiple roses. It is easy to prioritize quantity over quality... but the primary factor is actually intention.  Show love whenever and however you can, in the best ways possible. That love includes yourself.  Love yourself so much that you don't need to put guards up. Love yourself so much that your love inspires other. Love is contagious... spread it! Speaking of love, we think you'll love the drink we've concocted for Episode 23 called A Dozen Roses. Mix it up and press play. Cheers!

A Dozen Roses

Recipe:
7-8 Raspberries
2 oz Coconut Water
3 oz Fentimans Rose Lemonade
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Simple Syrup
2 oz Dark Rum cocktail

Instructions:
Muddle raspberries at the bottom of the glass (reserve one for garnish)
Combine coconut water, lemon juice, and simple syrup, in shaker
Shake over ice & pour into glass
Add Rose Lemonade & Rum cocktail
Garnish with raspberry

#sipdelicately

Have you ever been asked "are you working hard or hardly working?"  We know all about working hard, but what about working smarter? Let's face it, the harder you work the more tired and burned out you become. Think about life before word processing systems. Remember when you made a mistake writing in pen and had to start over? Insert white out, which allowed us to cover up the incorrect words and write the corrected ones. Well working smarter and not harder is sort of like the concept of white out. You have the option to throw the entire document away or go back and "fix" the part you no longer want. This is similar to how we work. Our emails tend to get fluffy, our calendars fill up, and we get distracted by new work. If you feel you can relate to this then sit back, pause, and focus on what you can do to maximize your time and think smarter, not harder. Our drink this week is called "White Out" and it's the perfect match for productivity.

Recipe:
White Out
4 oz unsweetened coconut milk
24 oz lime sparkling water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tbsp blue agave nectar
1 inch fresh ginger
3 oz triple sec

Blend all ingredients together
Serve over ice
Garnish with lime wedge

Cocktail:
Top with 2 oz of Gin (Hendricks Summer Solstice)

Believe it or not, we've been cherry picking all of our lives. Choosing what we feel is the "best" out of the options. We did this as kids when the two captains pick the best athletes in the class for their team. We do this as adults when we pick our friends, our jobs, and even our partners. Episode 21 talks about how we can leverage cherry picking to our advantage. For example, not only cherry picking the right group of friends, but making sure we are checking in on our tribe to give them the same level of support they give us. This week's beverage partners the conversation with a bold cherry juice-based drink that is sure to spark the tart and level the heart.


Cherry Picking Recipe:
2 oz 100% Natural tart cherry juice
1 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice
3 tbsp Jalepeño simple syrup
3 drops of Cardamom bitters

Cocktail:
Add 2 oz. of Jameson Irish Whiskey

• Shake over ice
• Top with club soda
• Garnish with lime peel

Jalepeño Simple Syrup:
1 cup chopped fresh jalapeños
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
Combine in a pot over heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Let steep for 20 minutes. Keeps up to 2 weeks!

Episode 20 is here and we are pleased to announce our very first guest!  On this episode, we have our good friend Elliott Johnson of DC's homegrown Soul Mega Brewing Company.  We're known for cooking up beverages in the bando and Elliott is cooking up beverages "Worldwide" so this was a perfect fit for our podcast.  Our drink is mixed with Soul Mega's Worldwide, an American Pale Ale and it will be sure to help our listeners Gravitate to the power of beer.  Join us as we "tap in" and discuss what it takes to develop your own product from the ground up and the challenges of starting small with big plans. 

Gravitate Recipe:
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1/4 cup honey
3 cups seltzer water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 apple (sliced)
12 oz Soul Mega Worldwide Pale Ale [Cocktail]
Sparkling apple cider [Mocktail]

Instructions: 
Combine apple cider and honey in a small saucepan over medium-high; bring to a simmer.  Cook 10 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup, stirring occasionally.  Remove pan from heat; cool to room temperature.  Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.  Place 1/2 cup cider mixture in a large pitcher.  Add seltzer water and lemon juice to pitcher, stirring to combine.  Stir in half of the apple slices. 

Mocktail:
1/2 cup cider/lemon/seltzer mix
2 oz chilled sparkling apple cider
Serve over ice; garnish with an apple slice.

Cocktail:
1/2 cup cider/lemon/seltzer mix
3 oz Soul Mega Worldwide Pale Ale
Serve over ice; garnish with an apple slice.