Cocktails & Capitalism

This week, I speak with Kamau Franklin about the insane charges for Stop Cop City protestors, including possible RICO indictments in the coming days. 

We discuss Sunday’s massive police raid which resulted in 35 arrests and 23 domestic terrorism charges, bringing the total number of domestic terrorism charges for #StopCopCity activists to 44. 

While RICO charges have not been issued, community organizations in Atlanta including Community Movement Builders and the Atlanta Solidarity Fund have announced that they expect these indictments in the coming weeks. 

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was created in the 70’s to go after the mafia. It targets organized criminal enterprises, enabling extended penalties including sentences of 5 to 20 years and the seizure of financial assets from individuals and organizations

KAMAU FRANKLIN is a community organizer, writer, lawyer, and cofounder of Community Movement Builders, a national Black collective that works to build sustainable, self-determining communities through cooperative economics and community organizing. A fundamental component of this work is building resistance to police brutality and overpolicing. 

I recently spoke with Kamau and 2 other activists from the movement to Stop Cop City and defend the Atlanta forest, and I highly recommend that folks go back and listen to this important discussion.

HOW TO HELP:

Show up to Weelaunee Park!

Donate to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund!

Sign this and this petition

Send automated emails to #StopCopCity funders, contractors, and city officials

GET PLUGGED INTO THE MOVEMENT:

Communitymovementbuilders.org

Defendtheatlantaforest.org

Follow and share! @defendATLforest on Twitter and @stopcopcity on Instagram

THE STOP COP CITY COCKTAIL
(SIMPLIFIED VERSION)

30 ml blueberry shrub

40 ml vodka or whiskey

Soda water or water

Ice

Blueberry Shrubb

350g Blueberries

350ml Granulated Sugar

225ml Vinegar (wine, apple cider, or unseasoned rice)

Mash berries, add sugar, & stir to combine. Seal & let sit at room temperature for ~24 h. Periodically shake or stir to dissolve sugar.

Strain, slowly add vinegar, & taste. It should taste sweet & sharp but not overpowering, so add more sugar or vinegar to your liking. Label & cover with lid. 

Shelf stable for up to 1 year.

Support the show

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!

Rick of the Decolonized Buffalo podcast joins me to talk about Leftist misconceptions regarding Indigenous issues. An Indigenous socialist who is a member of the Comanche Nation, Rick has spent time organizing with PLS and the Socialist Party. While he advocates for getting involved in organizing, he has had a number of problematic, often racist experiences with non-Natives in Leftist organizing spaces. Rick shares these experiences, explaining that they often stem from racist misconceptions regarding Indigenous history, issues, and social structures.

You can listen to the Decolonized Buffalo podcast on Apple , Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts! Follow the show on Instagram, and you can follow Rick on Twitter. If you check out his shared drive, you’ll find an amazing collection of leftist and decolonial books and other free resources.


COCKTAIL PAIRING:

The Sovereignty Margarita

Chamoyada Margarita

-3 oz mango juice

-1 oz silver tequila

-1 oz triple sec

-.5 oz fresh lime juice

-1 tbsp kosher salt

-1 tbsp chili powder

-⅛ tsp lime zest 

-chamoy for coating glass

-lime wheel for garnish

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support our work with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to strengthen the class consciousness of folks suffering under capitalism around the globe.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Have you ever wondered why we tip in the US? It seems like such an American thing to do and if you’ve ever traveled abroad, you almost immediately notice that most other countries don’t participate in this system. But why is that and where did it come from? 

In this episode we explore tipping in America with our resident anti-capitalist bartender and long time service industry worker, Jesse Torres. He takes us on an in-depth look at the history of tipping, explaining how this system of payment is rooted in classism and racism that exploits and alienates workers—especially and disproportionally women, queer folks, and people of color.

Are there alternatives to tipping and how can service industry workers move to a better system? Join the discussion as we work towards reimagining service industry wages and business models and look at current examples of change already happening across the country.

Support the show

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!

In this episode, I speak with 3 activists working to STOP COP CITY – a highly militarized police training facility that would pave over one of the largest remaining forests in Atlanta. These 3 are part of a broad coalition of activists without centralized leadership who have come together to resist this development and defend the Atlanta Forest. 


Days after we recorded this episode, fellow activist and forest defender Tortuguita was shot and killed by the police during a massive raid. Calls for an independent investigation into this killing have been growing, as the version of events publicized by the police seems highly questionable. 7 more activists were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism.

Cop City would be located right next to black and brown working class neighborhoods in Atlanta. These communities would be subjected to increased police harassment as well as the environmental consequences of destroying the forest: poorer air quality, hotter summers, and less protection from flooding. 

This $90 million military-grade urban warfare training center would be the largest facility of its kind in America. It would have a testing area for explosives, 12 firing ranges, a helicopter landing pad, and a center for practicing crowd control. In addition to boosting police morale and recruitment in the wake of the 2020 uprising, Cop City would serve a much more sinister function: to expand the police state and crush movement building in America and around the globe.

In addition to exposing the fundamental connection between capitalism and policing, this episode examines the legacy of racial oppression that Cop City would inherit. We discuss the theft of this land from the Muscogee people as well as its use as a slave plantation and prison farm. We also address the important role that Indigenous and Queer activists have played within this movement.

CALLS TO ACTION:

*DONATE to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to support legal costs 

*Call Atlanta Police Foundation investors, ask them to divest from Cop City (stopreevesyoung.com) 

*Form an action committee in your city!

*GO TO THE PARK IN SOLIDARITY! 

RESOURCES:

*Defend the Atlanta Forest website

*Follow Defend the Atlanta Forest on  Twitter, IG, FB, Telegram,and TikTok

*Al Jezeera video: Police vs Atlanta: The Battle Over Cop City

*Democracy Now video with Kamau Franklin

*Kamau Franklin’s article in TruthOut: 

STOP COP CITY COCKTAIL:

45mlBourbon Whiskey

15mlPine Liqueur (or more bourbon)

30mlBlueberry Shrubb (we'll post the recipe on Instagram)

15mlElderberry syrup

Soda water

Add all ingredients except the soda water to a shaker and shake  with ice. Fine strain into a Collins glass with ice & top with soda water. Garnish with a pine tip &blueberries.

Support the show

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!

Reagan and Velveeta have been working with fellow dancers to unionize the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar. While the club is contesting the results of their union vote from back in November, it looks like these ladies will succeed in forming the only stripper union in America! This will be the second unionized strip club in the history of the country, the first being the Lusty Lady in San Francisco which closed in 2013. 

We discuss the physical harassment and other unsafe working conditions that drove the Star Garden dancers to unionize. After petitioning their employer, 18 dancers were locked out of their workplace in March of ‘22. As a result, the women were driven to escalate their tactics to striking and picketing in front of the club. They’ve since collected union cards and voted in an official union election. Moving forward, the Actors Equity Association will assist these women as they bargain for a contract. 

To raise money for the out-of-work dancers on strike, Reagan and Velveeta and some other dancers in the community have been using a side project, the Stripper Co-Op, to put on brilliantly unique and vibrant pop-up strip shows at various venues. The money raised through the Co-Op is distributed fairly amongst the strippers, and they also donate a portion to mutual aid. Donations made between the Stripper Co-Op and its previous virtual iteration, the Cyber Clown Girls, total over $50,000 from May 2020 to the present to over 100 different orgs. The Stripper Co-Op was also inspired by the worker-owned Lusty Lady.

Follow @stripperstrikenoho on Instagram and Twitter! @stripstrikenoho

Please support their strike fund here! 

Sign their petition for safety here!

You can also follow their Stripper Co-op on Instagram: @stripperco_op or 

Shoutout to @jessejamz for crafting the lovely fancy version of the Stripper Strike cocktail! Cheers & solidarity!

Stripper Strike

60 ml Gin (like Las Californias)

15 ml Lime juice

60 ml Fever Tree Pink Grapefruit Tonic Water  

 Lime wedge ( garnish)

Stripper Strike, fancy version

60 ml Gin (like Las Californias)

15 ml Lime juice

30 ml Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice 

10 ml Grenadine or Jamaica (Hibiscus) syrup (recipe below) 

45 ml Tonic Water

 Small pinch of Salt 

Add all ingredients except the Tonic Water to a cocktail shaker & shake well with cubed ice. Fine strain into a Collins or rocks glass & top with the Tonic Water. Take the peel of a grapefruit & express over the drink & garnish. 

Glassware:  Collins or rocks glass

Garnish: Grapefruit peel

ABV: 14%

You can find Jamaica at your local Mexican or Central American food store. You can also use a well-made grenadine in place of the Jamaica, if unavailable. 

Jamaica Syrup

75g Jamaica

500ml Sugar, granulated white

500ml Water

Using a pan and stove, add water, sugar, and Jamaica and bring to a boil. Let lightly simmer for 20 minutes. Fine strain into a container to let cool. Then bottle and label. Jamaica Syrup must be refrigerated and is good for up to one month.

Support the show

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!

This week, I speak with a Jodie of Palestine Action – a UK-based network of activists using sustained direct action to shut down businesses profiting off of the violent oppression of Palestinians. They’ve already shut down two facilities owned and operated by Elbit Systems, and their tireless work has led to the cancellation of 280 million worth of British military contracts with Israel.


 Jodie paints a vivid picture of what it looks like to engage in direct action. We break down the meaning of direct action and how it differs from participating in protests. We discuss what this has looked like for Palestine Action, from lock-ons to large-scale property damage used to shut down  facilities by making these blood-soaked capitalist enterprises untenable & unprofitable. 

Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest weapons provider. They produce the drones that monitor and attack Palestinians as well as technology for the apartheid wall. This Israeli company advertises its products as “battle tested” because they’ve been used extensively against a captive Palestinian population. It uses Gaza as a  “weapons testing lab” so that it can market and sell its products to oppressive regimes around the world. Their drones and weaponry have been used in Myanmar, Kashmir, and on the US-Mexico border wall. 

GET INVOLVED!

Join Pal Action & sign up for the newsletter!

https://www.palestineaction.org/join-the-resistance/

Participate in a workshop! https://bit.ly/PalActionWorks

Follow PalAction on…

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/pal_action/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pal_action

Telegram: https://t.me/palaction

Donate to support their work! https://www.palestineaction.org/donate/

DRINK PAIRING:
Molotov Mocktail

This wonderful wintery drink can be served hot or cold! It's a spirit-free cocktail, but as per Jodie's request, the flavors really hit your taste buds "like a sledgehammer" 

Molotov Mocktail

2LWater

350gFresh Cranberries (one 12oz package)

350mlSweetener—Granulated Sugar, Honey, or Maple Syrup

2Cinnamon Sticks

12Whole Cloves

10Whole Allspice Berries

1Star Anise

5Fresh Ginger Slices, peeled (about the size of a quarter)

2Black Tea sachets 

60mlLemon Juice

METHOD: Add water and cranberries to a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. Add sugar, whole spices, and ginger and simmer for an additional hour, covered. Turn off the heat, add the tea sachets, and let steep for five minutes. Add the lemon juice and stir to incorporate. Strain out all the solids and let cool completely.

Serve hot or chilled and poured over ice! Garnish with a lemon slice and a star anise. Enjoy!

Tip: to make this boozy, add 45ml of your favorite spirit. Vodka, gin, bourbon, and light rum work best but use whatever you like. A red wine like Burgundy or Merlot work in this as well.

Support the show

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!

In this episode, Jessica Burbank explains the origins of her anticapitalist views. We discuss her working class background, her family’s economic hardships during the 2008 economic crash, and the massive bank bailouts that led her to dive deep into the field of economics. 

Next, we pivot to a discussion of capitalism as an undemocratic system designed “by and for the bosses.” We explore how this for-profit system manufactures scarcity, tying this fundamental tenet of capitalism to the kind of predatory practices of the oil and gas industries. These companies have engaged in horrific price gouging as American’s suffer through the economic hardships of an ongoing pandemic. (For more on this topic, watch Jessica’s video with More Perfect Union titled “Why Gas Prices Are So High Right Now.”)

Jessica is an organizer and political analyst whose work with More Perfect Union and The Young Turks shines light on so many important issues, from military spending to the labor movement.  Don’t miss her Ted-X talk – “A New Direction for the U.S. Economy” – wherein Jessica calls for revolution and the complete overhaul of our economic system. 

Follow Jessica Burbank on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Substack. Be sure to watch her videos about CIA history. 

Check out her work with The Young Turks:

Rebel HQ
Unbossed with Senator Nina Turner (YouTube show and podcast)
(“Unhoused On Skid Row In Need Of Basic Facilities”)

Jessica Burbank’s recommended reading:

Stephanie Kelton’s book The Deficit Myth and her substack The Lens.
Longer list

COCKTAIL:   DAIQUIRDATION 

The name is a play on the economic term “backwardation” that describes a situation in which the “futures” price of an asset is lower than the current price of the same asset)

This is a delicious take on the classic daiquiri with the addition of guava since this is Jessica’s favorite kind of juice. Because guava juice varies in sweetness, you might want to adjust the amount of simple syrup to your liking. 

Daiquirdation

2 oz rum

1 oz guava juice

1 oz lime

1/4 oz simple syrup

3 dashes bitters

Fill a shaker with ice, add all ingredients, and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and enjoy!

Support the show

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!

When invited to speak at the recent Gates Foundation annual event, Mikaela Loach seized the opportunity to announce that capitalism is causing climate change and “billionaires shouldn’t exist.” 

This young climate justice activist has been fighting fossil fuel projects in the UK using a variety of tactics. She is one of three claimants who has taken the UK government to court for handing over taxpayer money to fossil fuel companies in violation of their commitments to reach net zero emissions. 

Mikaela has been heavily involved in the #StopCambo campaign that successfully shut down development of the Cambo oil field. She and others in this campaign continue to fight the development of Rosebank, the biggest untapped oil field in the North Sea. If the oil and gas in this massive field are burned, they will create more CO2 than all the total emissions from all 28 low-income countries. #StopeRosebank

Mikaela is a 5th year medical student and the co-host of the YIKES Podcast – a show that focuses on the things that make us go “Yikes!” – from the climate crisis to racial capitalism. She just announced that she has a book coming out called IT’S NOT THAT RADICAL: Climate Action to Transform Our World. Pre-order the book here!

Links:

Follow & amplify the #StopRosebank campaign with @StopCambo

Pre-order Mikaela’s book: It’s Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World

Read We Will Not Cancel Us by Adrienne Marie Brown

COCKTAIL: No More Billionaires

Mikaela Loach is a Climate Justice Activist and a lover of agave spirits. This drink combines the smokey elements of mezcal with the spice and richness of ancho chiles to make a cross between a Spicy Margarita and a Paloma. Be sure to use fresh grapefruit juice as it is key to making this drink bright and extra delicious. Italicus Bergamot Liqueur rounds out this cocktail and helps combine all the ingredients while also providing a lovely rich floral backdrop.

 30     ml   Mezcal

30    ml    Ancho Reyes Ancho Chile Liqueur  

30    ml    Grapefruit juice

15    ml    Lime juice

15    ml    Italicus Bergamot Liqueur or St Germain

8       ml    Simple Syrup (15ml if not using Italicus)    

Small pinch of salt

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake well with cubed ice. Fine strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with an expressed grapefruit peel.

Glassware:      Rocks

Garnish:         Grapefruit peel

ABV:             20%

Pro tip: Italicus is an Italian liqueur made with bergamot and floral botanicals. It adds a lovely and rich floral backdrop to this cocktail. You can substitute a couple dashes of floral or lavender bitters or St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur. Or you can just used 15ml of simple syrup instead.

Support the show

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!

This episode dives into the nightmarish reality of residential schools and their connection to capitalism. Here are some of the issues we discuss:

• The history of the residential school system
• The connection between residential schools and the military
• How these facilities promoted capitalist values
• How residential school allowed for the theft of land
• “Outing programs” that tried to make Indigenous children into farm laborers and servants
• Indigenous erasure and how it was perpetuated by these “schools”
• Native activism

Professor Jimmy Lee Beason II is a member of the Osage Nation. He is also a Professor in the Indigenous American Indian Studies Department at Haskell University in Lawrence, Kansas – a facility that was once the site of a residential school. Through his work, he’s able to share Indigenous history, culture, and values with Native youth and adults. In teaching and mentoring Indigenous students, Jimmy’s decolonial work combats the legacy of Indigenous erasure perpetuated by the residential school system across Turtle Island.

Follow Jimmy on Instagram @osage_native_scholar and you can find links to his written works and interviews on Linktree.

Osage Native Cooler (spirit-free)

This spirit-free cocktail is a refreshing non-alcoholic riff on a classic Cooler. Jimmy prefers cucumber and mint but try it with any fruit and herb combination like strawberry and basil or use cilantro instead of mint. A non-alcoholic spirit such as Seedlip helps to add the flavor and body of a alcoholic spirit without any of the booze and can really elevate and add complexity to your favorite spirit-free cocktail. Try finding one—it’s worth the effort!

Osage Native Cooler

60    ml    Non-alcoholic Spirit like Seedlip Garden 108

15    ml    Honey or simple sugar syrup

22    ml    Fresh Lime Juice

6        Slices of fresh cucumber

6-8         Mint leaves     

            Small pinch of salt

1-3        Slices of Jalapeno (optional)

            Mineral or carbonated water to top    

In a cocktail shaker add the slices of cucumber, jalapeno (if using) and non-alcoholic spirit and muddle very well. Add the rest of the ingredients except the carbonated water and shake with ice. Fine strain into a Collins glass filled with cubed ice. Top with your favorite carbonated water and garnish with a slice of cucumber and mint bouquet.

Glassware:      Collins glass

Garnish:         Cucumber slice and Mint bouquet

ABV:             0%

Pro Tip: if not using a non-alcoholic spirit, use 35ml of honey or simple sugar syrup, 45ml lime juice, and 30ml of water instead. 

Support the show

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!

Join us for a fun deep dive into the history of Halloween and Día de los Muertos with Nash and Angel of the Death and Friends podcast. We talk about the ancient origins of Halloween, beginning with the Celtic bonfires, feasts, and drunken festivities that took place during Samhain. When the forces of colonialism, Catholicism, and capitalism arrive on the scene, the Pagan celebration is appropriated and severely distorted. We discuss how these communal celebrations slowly morph into the capitalist holiday that we now celebrate by purchasing candy, decorations, mass-produced costumes, and scary movies. 

Angel Luna helps us understand the connections between Halloween and Día de los Muertos. He explains the anticapitalist origins of sugar skulls – a tradition that grew out of political art critiquing the Mexican bourgeoisie. To give you a bit of Angel’s background, he is a Chicago-based comedian and magician. If you need a magician for a wedding, a bar mitzvah, or a quinceniera, you should hit him up! Follow him on Twitter and IG.

Nash Flynn is actually a returning guest who previously appeared on the show to talk about how capitalism ruined funerals. In addition to being a comedian, Nash is also a death historian who studies death-ways and burial rituals. She’s also the host of the Tomorrow Today podcast that explores current research about the shape of the future.


Follow Death and Friends on IG and Twitter
Follow Nash on Twitter and IG

~~~~~~~~~~

Our cocktail pairing for this episode is the “October Veil,” a name that refers to the ancient belief that the veil between this world and the next is thinnest during Samhain. It was believed that the veil became so thin during this time of year that spirits could cross over into the world of the living.

Big thanks to Jesse Torres for crafting this beautiful Halloween drink!

October Veil Cocktail

Use your favorite spiced rum but we recommend using Chairman’s Reserve, Bounty, or Foursquare. Any good dry fortified wine that isn’t sweet like Madeira, Sherry, or Port will work great here too. 

60 ml Chairman’s Reserve St. Lucian Spiced Rum

22 ml Dry Madeira or Sherry 

22 ml Cinnamon syrup

30 ml Pumpkin puree (canned)

15 ml Lemon Juice

15 ml Cranberry Juice

2 dash Aromatic Bitters

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake well with one ice cube. Dump into a brandy snifter or other lovely glass and top with pebble or crushed ice. Add a straw and garnish with a rosemary sprig, fresh cranberries, and a dusting of powdered sugar. 

Glassware:  Brandy Snifter

Garnish: Rosemary Sprig, Fresh Cranberries, Powdered Sugar

ABV: 18%

Cinnamon syrup

2:1 ratio by weight of granulated demerara sugar to water. Using a pan and stove, add sugar to water and bring to a simmer (≈88°C—DO NOT BOIL). Add three broken cinnamon sticks to every 250ml of water and let simmer for twenty minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Fine strain, bottle, and label. 

Shelf stable up to one month.

Support the show

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!