Cocktails & Capitalism

In this episode, Alex Zambito tells the twisted story of the FBI’s efforts to infiltrate and dismantle leftist movements in America. COINTELPRO campaigns began in the 50s, targeting communists, anti-war activists, and black leaders of the civil rights movement. 

Alex Zambito is on the editorial board for Midwestern Marx – a website and journal offering Marxist analysis of politics and history. He is currently pursuing his masters in history. His work focuses on anti-communist repression campaigns in western “democracies” and the history of proletarian struggles around the globe. Check out his article about COINTELPRO here:  The FBI’s War on the Left: A Short History of COINTELPRO

Follow Alex on Twitter! @SouthernMarxist

Check out the Midwestern Marx website and journal at midwesternmarx.com
Follow them on TikTok @midwesternmarx1917
IG: @midwesternmarx

COCKTAIL PAIRING:

Agent Provocateur

45 ml Rum-Bar Gold Jamaican Rum

20mlStrawberry Syrup

22mlLime Juice 

2dashes Aromatic Bitters

Small pinch of salt 

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake well with ice cubes. Fine strain into a coupe and garnish with a strawberry slice. 

Strawberry Syrup

Yields 475ml:

450g Strawberries, small dice

450g Sugar, granulated white

Toss strawberries in sugar until strawberries are well coated. Let sit covered for at least three hours (ideally 5-6 hours) at room temperature while stirring occasionally to help dissolve sugar taking care to not mash strawberries. Once sugar is fully dissolved, fine strain the strawberries out, bottle, and label. Strawberry Syrup must be refrigerated and is good for up to two weeks with its optimal flavor good for one week

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 Mikey Inouye and Aedyn-Rhys King -- two community organizers who have been fighting to shut down the Navy’s massive Red Hill fuel storage facility next to Pearl Harbor. This facility leaked thousands of gallons of toxic fuel into O’ahu’s sole source aquifer, poisoning Aedyn, his family, and thousands of others who have relied on the aquifer.  Recognizing the severity of the threat to all life on the island, Mikey and Aedyn joined a coalition of organizers from Sierra Club, Hawaii Peace and Justice, and other concerned community members to form the O’ahu Water Protectors. Through their sustained efforts, they've succeeded in pressuring the Navy to agree to shut down the Red Hill facility on March 7th -- two days before our recording. While we take a moment to celebrate this huge win, Mikey and Aedyn know that the fight is far from over. 

Mikey Inouye is an independent filmmaker, writer, producer, and community organizer who has been working tirelessly to raise public awareness about this crisis. He's collaborated with Abby Martin of the Empire Files to produce powerful documentary films about Red Hill. In addition to organizing with the O’ahu Water Protectors, Mikey has been deeply involved in the Shut Down Red Hill Mutual Aid Collective, along with his friend and fellow organizer Aedyn. 

Aedyn-Rhys King is a kanaka maoli trans veteran whose life has been upended by the Red Hill fuel leaks. While living in the Kapilina Beach Homes, he witnessed firsthand the poisoning of his family and other community members who followed the Navy’s advice and continued to drink and bathe in the water in their homes. Like Mikey, Aedyn has thrown himself into community organizing and mutual aid efforts to help the victims of the Navy’s dangerous negligence. You can support their efforts here.

For a clear timeline of events, check out this great resource from Hawaii Public Radio.

COCKTAIL:

Cloud Forest 

45 ml KōHana KEA Hawaiian Sugar Cane Spirit (or another rum)

90mlCoconut Water

15mlLime Juice 

15    mlSugar Cane Syrup (or simple syrup)

Small pinch of salt 

Lime leaves

Add the rum and a lime leaf into a cocktail shaker and muddle to incorporate. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake well with ice. Fine strain into your favorite glass filled with crushed or pebble ice. Garnish with a lime wheel and two lime leaves. 

Glassware:  Collins or rocks style glass

Garnish: Lime Leaves

ABV: 11%

KōHana Farm makes some of the best Hawaiian rum from 34 different varietals of heirloom sugar cane brought to the islands by the Polynesians. It is a spirit that is closely tied to the land.  You can also use similar rums like Cachaça, Clairin, Rhum Agricole, or Mexican Cane Rum. 

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!

We’re joined by climate justice activist and former mayor Heidi Harmon. Heidi served as mayor of San Luis Obispo before becoming the Senior Public Affairs Director for the Romero Institute’s Let’s Green CA Initiative. In this role, she works to get fossil fuel money out of California politics and pressures governor Newsom to declare a state of emergency regarding the climate. 

Throughout her life, Heidi has been driven by a desire to be the best mother she could possibly be. She describes her climate justice work as an extension of this commitment to her children. Understanding the threat that climate change poses for future generations, Heidi has thrown herself into environmental activism and local politics. 

Heidi encourages listeners to fight cynicism about national politics by getting involved at the local level. She reminds us that you don’t need a specific skill set to be able to participate in politics or activism. She shares her powerful story of moving “from mom to maid to mayor” in the hopes that others might be empowered to fight cynicism through action. 

Follow Heidi on Instagram (@heidiismighty) and check out the Let’s Green CA website. 

If you want to support the electrification of California, reach out to your legislators.



The Force of Nature Cocktail

— 60     ml     Your favorite Sustainable Spirit 

— 22    ml    Lemon Juice 

— 15        ml    Local Honey 

— Small pinch of salt 

— 12     g    Fruit in season like watermelon, berries, or peaches

— Herbs in season like basil, thyme, or lavender

— 25    ml        water

Prepare drink ahead of time to allow time to chill. Add the spirit, fruit, and herbs into a shaker and muddle to incorporate. Add the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate for at least two hours. Double strain into a Collins glass and garnish with fruit and herbs.

Glassware:      Your favorite martini-style or coupe glass

Garnish:         Fruit and herbs

ABV:             20%


Use fruits and herbs that are in season and buy locally when you can, or grow your own. Some combinations that are outstanding are things like strawberries and peaches with basil, watermelon and thyme, blueberry and lavender, and cranberry and rosemary.


Sustainable Spirit Brands to Support:

Gray Whale Gin, Sonoma, California

Greenbar Distillery, Monrovia, California

Koval Distillery, Chicago, Illinois

Tamworth Distilling, Tamworth, New Hampshire

Huge shoutout to Jesse Torres, who  crafted a brilliant sustainable cocktail in honor of Heidi! 

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 author, artist, and freelance creative director Steven Vogel. Steven is the creator of Black Lodges – an add-free online zine offering Marxist commentary about politics, music, culture, and art. I was thrilled to discover that this project has come to include a communist drinking club! According to Steven, this club is “absolutely necessary for maintaining your sanity” in this capitalist hellscape. 

Years as a marketing specialist, designer, and idea person for major brands lead Steven to some fundamental realizations about capitalism. Watching as the fruits of his labor were stolen and converted into corporate profit, he discovered that he owned too little to ever become a capitalist. Endless work deprived Steven of happiness and health, leading to his hospitalization for two whole years. These experiences compelled him to leave the corporate world to focus entirely on Black Lodges. 

Black Lodges is a communist newsletter project that shields itself from the corrupting influence of capital. It is entirely written, illustrated, designed and produced by Steven Vogel. Listeners can join the newsletter for free, but please consider supporting this anti-capitalist work by signing up for a paid subscription.

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/blacklodgesvibe

Black Lodges newsletter: https://blacklodges.substack.com

Merch: https://blacklodges.bigcartel.com/

Twitter: @blacklodges

Episode Cocktail:

The Red Scare (a negroni)

1 oz gin

1 oz Campari

1 oz vermouth

Garnish: orange peel

Stir all ingredients with ice until chilled, strain into a rocks glass with ice, add garnish, 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!

This week, we are joined by Dr. Ayesha Khan (aka @wokescientist) who discusses the process of dismantling internalized capitalism. She exposes the psychologically detrimental effects of our economic system that are often overlooked, including the isolating, traumatic nature of capitalist individualism and competition. 

While recognizing that the roots of our struggles are largely systemic, Ayesha reminds us that we are not powerless in the face of capitalism. She shows us how we can challenge the system on a granular level – by working on ourselves and our connections to others. She explains that we can begin the process of our own liberation by striving to embody our political values in the present. 

Dr. Khan is an infectious disease scientist who has been working to build a new field of study termed “Abolitionist Science.” In addition to applying the scientific method towards anti-capitalist grassroots movement strategy, her work focuses on helping folks apply revolutionary political theory to their daily lives and relationships. 

Her LinkTree page includes resources pertaining to mutual aid, abolition, Palestine, and covid 19 data transparency.

Support her work and community mutual aid efforts here: 

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wokescientist
• Cashapp: $ayeshakhan4
• PayPal mutual aid  fund PayPal.me/ayeshakhan4

EPISODE COCKTAIL: Mezcalita de Frutos Rojos 

(one of Dr. Khan's favorite drinks)

Makes two servings

• 120 ml Mezcal, Tequila, Rum, or Aguardiente 
•  40    mlLime juice 
• 500mlIce
• 500mlFresh or frozen berries like strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry
• 60mlOrange, cranberry, or grape juice (optional)
• Chili Salt or Sal de Gusano

Glassware:  Rocks or Collins glass

Garnish:  Chili salt rim and fresh berries

ABV: 12%

Add all ingredients except Chili Salt to a blender and blend on high for about twenty seconds or until mixed smoothly. Take a lime wedge and wet the outside top of a glass. Pour some chili salt onto a small plate and roll the outside of the glass wet with lime juice on the chili salt to rim the glass with the chili salt. Pour the blended drink into the two glasses and garnish with fresh berries. Salud!

If you don’t have a blender, take a cocktail shaker and add the berries and spirits in one of the shaker tins and vigorously muddle the fruit and Mezcal together. Then add the lime and other juices along with some ice. Shake hard for about ten seconds and then finely strain the drink into a chili salt-rimmed glass filled with fresh ice. 

Shoutout to Jesse Torres (@Jessejamz) for presenting this cocktail in the episode.

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

In this episode, we are joined by Prepper Pig, who shares practical lessons from his broad experience as a community organizer and environmental justice activist. He tells his personal story, beginning with his first experience of spontaneous mutual aid in the wake of Hurricane Hugo that left his community without water or electricity. This event was formative for Prepper Pig, compelling him to begin compiling his base of practical knowledge. 

As a housing counselor during the Great Recession, Prepper Pig fought the predatory banks that were destroying lives across America, advocating for folks who were at risk of foreclosure. After throwing himself into organizing during the Occupy Movement, Prepper Pig joined the nonprofit organizing sphere. By building personal relationships within communities, he was able to affect change in the lives of families threatened with the loss of their homes and others whose homes had been grossly neglected by slumlords. 

In the words of Prepper Pig, “Organizing is creating space for those directly impacted by oppression to be heard.”  He offers practical lessons from his experiences as an organizer, emphasizing that the role of any activists is to keep the steady drumbeat of the movement going. He also reminds us to manage our energy and set reasonable goals when engaging in activism, providing listeners with valuable advice for avoiding burnout. 

Prepping is not simply about surviving doomsday scenarios. As Prepper Pig reminds us, it is about being ready to deal with things that go wrong in our lives. His approach encompasses financial prep, power prep, food prep, water prep, self-defense, and so much more. He teaches self-defense to leftists of all types, including people of color, women, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ folks. 

Prepper Pig offers emergency preparedness and self-defense skills training to BIPOC and other vulnerable communities, merging survival skills with practical community organizing advice. You can follow him on Instagram and Youtube (@prepperpig), and you can support his work through Patreon. 

COCKTAIL: The Prepper Pig

2 fingers of honey whiskey (like honey Jack)

Ice

Ginger beer

Add 2 fingers of honey whiskey to a glass. Add ice, top with ginger beer, and enjoy!

Additional music - Reynard Seidel / The Eternal / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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, Leeh tells the story of Palestine from the 50's to the present, completing our trilogy about the struggles of the indigenous Palestinians who have lived and died under brutal Israeli occupation. In addition to providing a clear overview of recent history, this episode highlights the role that capitalism has played in this ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

Beginning by discussing apartheid, we explain Israel's systematic creation of a Palestinian underclass through deliberate displacement, ethnic cleansing, segregation, and economic colonialism. Leeh describes some of the worst massacres inflicted upon the Palestinian people during the past 70 years. She outlines the many failed efforts to establish peace, including the Oslo Accords. She even describes Palestinian uprisings against Israeli oppression during the first and second intifadas. 

Together, Leeh and Erika explain America’s motivations for providing over $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel every single year, highlighting the Six Day War.

You’ll also learn about:

• The Quibya Massacre (1953)
• The Kafr Qasim Massacre (1956)
• Israel’s shift towards neoliberal capitalism
• The First & Second Intifada
• The Cave of Patriarchs Massacre (1994)
• Camp David Summit
• This 2021 Gaza Massacre
• Israel’s bombing of the Associated Press and Al Jazeera building
• Israel’s designation of 6 human rights organizations as terrorist groups
• De-development

You can follow Leeh on TikTok and Instagram. She shares highly informative videos and important content pertaining to the Palestinian struggle against violent zionist oppression. 


ZIONIST TEARS

      60  ml Gin Mare 

      20     ml La Quintinye Vermouth Blanc

      One small slice of preserved lemon, halved

      or, a small pinch of salt 

      A few drops of Zatoun Palestinian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Add preserved lemon and gin into a mixing glass and gently press the lemon with a muddler to infuse the gin with the lemon. Add the vermouth and fill the glass with cubed ice. Stir until drink is very cold—about 20 seconds. Fine strain into a well-chilled Martini glass and very carefully add a few drops of olive on the top to float. Express a lemon peel over the drink, cut, and garnish. Add a flower and enjoy. 

Glassware:  Martini Glass

Garnish:  Lemon Peel and Flower

ABV: 30%

Shoutout to Jesse Torres for preparing this delicious cocktail based on Leeh and Erika's suggestions. 

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!

Continuing the story of Palestine, Leeh outlines the Great Arab Revolt and the events leading up to the 1948 Nakba. Known to the Palestinians as “The Catastrophe”, the Nakba was an ethnic cleansing campaign that destroyed over 500 villages and displaced 700,000 Palestinian refugees. This violence was spearheaded by Zionist David Ben-Gurion, who would go on to become Israel’s first Prime Minister. 

This episode deconstructs the notion of antisemitism, going back to the roots of the term “semetic”. We also discuss the following:

• UN 1947 Partition Plan
• Plan Dalet 
• The Der Yassin Massacre
• The Abu Shusha Massacre
• The Lydda Massacre
• The Al Dawayima Massacre

Leeh does an incredible job of telling this story clearly and powerfully.  You can follow her on TikTok and Instagram, and she has a LinkTree page that includes a lot of relevant resources

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, Leeh begins the story of Palestine. She describes the origins of Zionism and the influence of Theodor Herzl, explaining the settler colonial scheme to establish a Jewish state in the home of the Palestinian people.  

You’ll also hear about:

• How the British seized control of  Palestine 
• The Balfour Declaration 
• Beginning of settlement
• Palestinian support for Jewish settlers

Tune in next week to hear Leeh describe the Arab Revolt and the 1948 Nakba. 

🇵🇸

Our anticapitalist bartender friend, Jesse Torres, crafted THE FREE PALESTINE to celebrate the Palestinian people, their culture, and their resistance to oppression.  The beverage is a non-alcoholic mocktail that can be converted into an alcoholic drink. It centers around the watermelon — a symbol of Palestinian resistance 🍉 Visually, the drink looks like a slice of watermelon, which displays the same colors as the Palestinian flag. It’s made by adding a green ingredient to a glass filled with crushed ice, then gently layering the watermelon juice mixture on top. It’s garnished with raisins to imitate black watermelon seeds. This drink celebrates Palestinian culture, resilience, and resistance in the face of oppression

We wanted the original drink to be made without alcohol, as the majority of Palestinians are Muslim and thus abstain from drinking.

The Free Palestine Cocktail

• 100  ml  watermelon juice
• 30  ml  lime juice
• 15  ml  simple syrup (1:1 ratio) to taste
• small pinch of salt
• 25  ml  Torani Apple Syrup
  OR fresh green juice of choice

To make it alcoholic:

• Midori Melon Liqueur (instead of green juice or syrup)
• 25  ml  clear spirit of your choice: Mezcal, Tequila, Gin, Vodka, Arak (available in Palestine)

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT green ingredient in a mixing tin and shake with cubed ice until drink is properly diluted and chilled. In a Collins glass or your favorite transparent drinking vessel, fill with pebble or crushed ice and then add green ingredient (green apple syrup or juice or Midori). Then fine strain shaken watermelon mixture and GENTLY layer the watermelon on top to create the look of a watermelon’s rind and flesh. Garnish with a small watermelon wedge and top with a few raisins.

Garnish with a small watermelon wedge and raisins

In crafting this cocktail, Jesse used ingredients that are important to Palestinian cuisine such as limes and raisins.

The Midori and spirits aren’t required to enjoy this drink. For a non-alcoholic alternative, try using your favorite “green” fresh-pressed juice combination (like kale, celery, or greens) or Torani green apple syrup.

Tip: using pebble or crushed ice in this drink really helps to create the layered effect.

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, we share a few stories from listeners about the experiences that drove them to become anticapitalists. Since this is the first episode of this type, both Erika and Ben (who joined us for the Orwell trilogy) share a bit about their own anticapitalist journeys. Tune in to discover the many ways that folks on the left are being galvanized to reject capitalism.

Big thanks to Addie, Cam, and YepX for writing in and allowing others to learn from the experiences that ground their anticapitalist convictions. For others who wish to share their stories, please send them to [email protected]!

 
“I was hungry. My baby was hungry. And the food was right there, and we had no access to it. I wouldn't have been able to articulate it in that moment but I think that was the moment where my sense of the social contract that comes along with capitalism broke.”

-Addie 

I found that capitalists tend to fund fascists in times of uncertainty, and Communists do the most to fight fascists. Objectively I knew which side I needed to be on.

-Cam

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!