Eat Drink Smoke

Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy step away from bourbon for a rare tequila-focused Happy Hour, pouring LALO Tequila Blanco and finding a surprisingly smooth, easy-sipping pour with notes of agave, citrus, tropical fruit, and a little creaminess on the palate. Tony tries tequila because of Passover restrictions, Fingers brings the bottle on a recommendation from a liquor store clerk, and the two of them try to figure out whether this blanco belongs in the liquor cabinet at around $45 a bottle.

The guys spend most of the episode digging into what makes this tequila work, why it drinks easier than expected, and whether tequila fans would see LALO as a legit sipping option. The Alec Bradley Safe Keepings Toro is along for the ride, but this Happy Hour really belongs to the bottle.

Also in the mix: a little talk about news, travel, cast iron cooking, and the usual Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour wandering into places it probably didn’t plan to go.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Alec Bradley Safe Keepings Toro, a 6x52 Nicaraguan puro, and try to figure out exactly what’s going on with a cigar that’s being described as Maduro but doesn’t quite look the part. Along the way, they break down the draw, the construction, the clean, easygoing flavor profile, and whether this stick does enough at around $13 per cigar to earn a place in the humidor.

Also in this Happy Hour episode: a spirited discussion about crunchy vs. creamy peanut butter, whether Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were ruined by corporate corner-cutting, and why some companies are determined to “improve” things nobody asked them to touch. The guys also get into whiskey exports, AI cheating in college, airline baggage-fee chaos, and the general decline in common sense.

It’s cigars, food, a little outrage, and the kind of conversation that makes Eat, Drink, Smoke Happy Hour what it is.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Murcielago from Espinosa Cigars, a 6x52 box-pressed Toro with a Mexican San Andreas wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler, and debate whether this bold stick is really a medium or if it lands much closer to full-bodied. The guys break down the cigar’s spice, oak, richness, and strength, while Fingers tries to smoke through a self-inflicted lunch injury that left him with what can only be described as a medically significant fat lip.

Then they pour Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Rye Whiskey Cask Strength, coming in at 115.4 proof, and it immediately becomes one of those bottles that stops the conversation in its tracks. Tony and Fingers talk through the nose, the lack of ethanol heat, the rye spice, oak, citrus, cinnamon-roll sweetness, and whether this cask-strength rye is not only liquor-cabinet worthy, but one of the best pours they’ve had on the show in a long time.

Also in this episode: a major Costco cookware recall, Fingers’ continuing cast iron skillet education, a conversation about what to do when a cigar hits a little too hard, and a look at rising prices everywhere from cigars to used cars. The guys also dig into several stories in News of the Week, including Byron Allen buying late-night TV time from CBS, more layoffs at ESPN, gas-powered leaf blower bans, a self-driving car that killed a duck near a park, and Lowe’s investing heavily in training tradespeople for the future.

And because it wouldn’t be Eat, Drink, Smoke without it, there’s also talk of Defiance Beef, chest freezers full of meat, YouTube studio upgrades, cigar notebooks, and the kind of wandering conversation that only happens when bourbon, cigars, and a couple of microphones are involved.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy smoke the Alec Bradley Safe Keepings Toro and find out whether this easygoing Nicaraguan cigar earns a spot in the humidor. The guys talk through the cigar’s smooth, clean profile, the lack of big spice or pepper, and whether a simple, steady smoke at around $13 a stick is enough to make it worth keeping around.

They also pour LALO Blanco tequila in place of bourbon for Passover and break down whether this bright, smooth sipping tequila belongs in the liquor cabinet, even for people who don’t usually live in the tequila world.

Along the way, they get into Hershey’s returning Reese’s to its original recipe, why companies ruin good things in the name of profit, falling American whiskey exports, professors trying to outsmart AI-cheating students, three women arrested after rushing a plane over a baggage fee, TSA wait time tracking in the United app, and Fingers’ ongoing cast iron skillet learning curve.

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On this episode of Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy pour Two James Spirits Johnny Smoking Gun, a Detroit-made whiskey that immediately sends them down the rabbit hole. Infused with Japanese tea and built to pair with rich, savory broths, this is not your standard bourbon-night pour. The guys break down the strange smoky nose, the herbal and buttery notes on the palate, the almost impossible-to-categorize flavor profile, and whether a bottle this weird and this interesting deserves a place in the liquor cabinet.

They also keep smoking the Camacho Corojo Toro, a pepper-forward Honduran cigar with wood, a little sweetness, and enough balance to make it an easy yes for the humidor at under ten bucks a stick.

Along the way, they get into airline chaos, long delays, TSA headaches, United’s new sofa-bed seating idea, whether Trader Joe’s really is the best place to work in America, and why some bottles are worth buying simply because they turn into a whole conversation.

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On this episode of Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Camacho Corojo Toro -- and find out what happens when a cigar sits quietly in the humidor for nearly four years before finally getting its turn. The guys break down the cigar’s oily wrapper, steady construction, black-and-red pepper spice, wood notes, and just enough underlying sweetness to keep things interesting, even if it doesn’t quite land in Tony’s personal wheelhouse.

They also stumble into an actual surprise during a Gas Station Find when Big Sipz Chocolate Martini turns out to be far more drinkable than either of them expected. What starts as a joke ends with comparisons to a White Russian, a rare moment of approval, and the shocking possibility that a three-dollar gas station drink might actually be party-worthy.

Along the way, they get into rotating cigars in the humidor, frozen burger tricks that may or may not be gourmet, dog walkers treating Fingers’ mailbox like public property, the challenge of talking about Iran when the story keeps changing by the hour, and why this may be the first truly successful gas station find in show history.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy smoke the Camacho Corojo Toro and find out that a cigar sitting in the humidor for nearly four years can still bring plenty to the table. The guys break down the all-Corojo build, talk through the pepper, wood, and subtle sweetness in the profile, and debate whether this under-$10 stick earns a spot in the humidor.

They also pour Two James Spirits Johnny Smoking Gun, a Detroit-made whiskey infused with Japanese tea that delivers one of the strangest and most interesting flavor profiles they’ve had in a long time. Smoky, herbal, savory, and unlike just about anything else on the shelf, it turns into a full-on tasting-room conversation about whether “weird” is worth $50.

Along the way, Fingers brings in a surprise Gas Station Find that actually works, the guys argue about the right way to season burgers, get into neighborhood dog-walking etiquette, talk airline delays and TSA chaos, and take a look at a list of the best places to work in America.

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On this episode of the Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy pour George Dickel Barrel Select Tennessee Whisky and try to figure out whether this old-school name still deserves a spot in the liquor cabinet. The guys break down the whiskey’s light profile, subtle oak, faint vanilla, and easy-drinking smoothness, then see whether a little water or a cube can wake it up enough to justify the price.

They also keep smoking the Perla Del Mar Maduro Double Toro from J.C. Newman, a budget-friendly box-pressed cigar that brings broadleaf richness, cedar, earth, and just enough depth to make it an easy pick for the golf course, the garage, or a weekend smoke that won’t punish your wallet.

Along the way, the guys get into Ruth’s Chris enforcing a dress code, why golf attire inspires irrational distrust, whether social media is quietly making everyone angrier and older, and how dealing with difficult people might actually be aging all of us in real time. There’s also talk of convertibles, Twitter bots, muting people instead of blocking them, and why some overlooked old-school brands are still worth trying before you write them off.

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On this episode of Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour, Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Perla Del Mar Maduro Double Toro from J.C. Newman and make the case for why this box-pressed Connecticut Broadleaf cigar belongs in the conversation whenever you’re talking about budget-friendly smokes that actually deliver. At around $7.50 a stick, the guys break down the cigar’s broadleaf richness, spice, cedar, earth, and medium-to-full profile, while also talking through who it’s for, when it works best, and why keeping notes on your cigars can help you figure out your palate over time.

They also suffer through a brutal Gas Station Finds review of Reese’s White Eggs, a candy so bad it nearly wrecks the entire cigar experience, and maybe the trust between man and peanut butter forever.

Along the way, the guys get into overpriced lighters versus cheap torches, Walmart’s digital shelf labels, and the fear of dynamic pricing, a massive late-winter storm hammering the Upper Peninsula, a report on rising death rates among Gen X and elder millennials, delayed colonoscopies, COVID quarantine memories, and why Tony is now ordering an entire cow from Defiance Beef.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy review the Perla Del Mar Maduro Double Toro, a budget-friendly box-pressed cigar from J.C. Newman that delivers rich broadleaf flavor, solid construction, and enough spice, cedar, and earth to make it an easy humidor pick at around $7.50 a stick. They also pour George Dickel Barrel Select Tennessee Whisky, talk through its light profile, subtle sweetness, and how a little water or ice helps bring out more oak, spice, and vanilla — even if it still falls short of earning a permanent spot in the liquor cabinet.

Along the way, the guys tear into a disastrous Gas Station Finds review of Reese’s White Eggs, debate Walmart’s new digital shelf labels and the possibility of dynamic pricing, react to a People magazine report on rising death rates among Gen X and elder millennials, and get into whether social media is quietly making everyone older, angrier, and more miserable. There’s also a detour into Ruth’s Chris enforcing its dress code, golf attire, convertible midlife-crisis math, and why some old-school brands are still worth your time.

It’s cigars, whiskey, candy, grocery-store paranoia, aging, internet rage, and the usual wandering chaos that make Eat Drink Smoke what it is.

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