Lagralane Spirits

Is food central or trivial to the formation of identity?

In our final episode of the season, hosts Jason and Yvonne Lee welcome Yvonne’s sister, Chef B.B. Huff to the show. Chef Huff left the corporate world to begin her own company, The Salted Parlor, which is a boutique catering firm specializing in storytelling through food. In this episode, these three bring food into the story of our lives. They ask questions like how do we use ingredients and dishes to tell a story? How does art and the story of food connect us to the past? What is food’s role in preserving culture?

This spirited culinary conversation will leave you wondering, if food is a conversation starter, what happens after they leave your table?

For more spirited discussions, make sure to subscribe to the podcast.

And if you’ve enjoyed thinking and mocktailing along with us, we’d love for you to leave us a review.

Cheers … and Please Drink Responsibly!

Links:

Guests:

Chef B.B. Huff - The Salted Parlor

https://www.thesaltedparlor.com/about

https://www.instagram.com/saltedparlor/

Cesar Chavez

https://ufw.org/research/history/story-cesar-chavez/

https://www.history.com/topics/mexico/cesar-chavez

Lower Depth Theatre

https://lower-depth.com/

Additional Links + Special thanks to:

Podcast Haven - https://thepodcasthaven.com/

Liam E. Allen (original music) - @Liamea97

Cocktail Recipe: Ala Ala*

*This cocktail was created by Jason Lee. “Alaala” translates from Tagalog to English as “Memory” or “Recollection.” It is also the name of Jason’s elementary school yearbook in Manila, which was an interesting inspiration for the cocktail. 

Muddle sliced peaches w/ dashes of Regan’s Orange Bitters; Peychauds; Bitters Lab Charred Cedar & Currant bitters; and Hella Bitters Smoked Chili bitters.

Then:

2 oz Pierre Ferrand Cognac

1/4 oz Lambanog

1/2 oz simple syrup

1/2 oz sparkling water 

Build in cocktail glass.

Serve on rocks.

Add Tangerine peel (or blood orange peel) garnish.

How do we personally take action to shift the narrative?

With an energetic calm that is both inspiring and soothing, playwright/actor/producer Nambi E. Kelley (Native Son, Re-Memori, Jabari Dreams of Freedom) joins hosts Jason and Yvonne Lee for a discussion about how we take action to shift the narrative from one that is exclusive and often incorrect, to one that is authentic to ourselves and our stories.

Knowing that small change can make a tidal wave of change, these three discuss their personal journeys as examples of how they have individually taken action to change the narrative. From acting in roles and productions with representative stories, to providing access to those who are climbing the ladder now, to adapting stories with strong messages, this episode is full of inspiring solutions to using your voice and career to make change.

As they say, if we don’t take action now, we’re not just letting down those who came before us, but those who came after us.

Jason makes his first original-recipe cocktail and names it Bureau 68 after being inspired by the actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau of 1865-1868. As he says, “[This cocktail] is built upon the specs of others through the lens of access, brought together in the combination of remembrance of all these accomplishments but also the combined bittersweetness of success.” 

What advice can we give to those coming up behind us? How can we strive for individuality and the freedom that brings?

Nambi and The Lees suggest that by maintaining identity, self-love and actualizing kindness, we can achieve individuality. By being individual, which means being true-to-self, we can achieve a level of freedom; they further  encourage us to be scared but then also be courageous. They ask, how do you change the narrative – how do you impact people? You tell the truth.

For more spirited discussions, make sure to subscribe to the podcast.

And if you’ve enjoyed thinking and mocktailing along with us, we’d love for you to leave us a review.

Cheers … and Please Drink Responsibly!

Links:

Guests:

Nambi E. Kelley

http://www.nambikelley.com/

Jabari Dreams of Freedom

www.jabari-dreams-of-freedom.com

First Woman, Inc.

http://www.firstwomaninc.com/

The Freedmen’s Bureau – The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands (Freedmen’s Bureau 1865-68 primary years)

https://www.freedmensbureau.com/

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/FreedmensBureau.htm

GirlTrek

https://www.girltrek.org/

Lifeline - film

https://lagralane.com/#portfolio

Infants of the Spring by Wallace Thurman

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/868448.Infants_of_the_Spring

Lower Depth Theatre

www.lower-depth.com

Additional Links + Special thanks to:

Podcast Haven - https://thepodcasthaven.com/

Liam E. Allen (original music) - @Liamea97

Cocktail Recipe: Bureau 68

Bureau 68 was coined & created by Jason after being inspired by the actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau of 1865-1868.

2.5 oz Hine Cognac

3/4 oz Rammazzotti Amaro

1/2 oz fresh lemon AND lime juice

1/4 oz simple syrup

Dash of Angostura Bitters

Dash(es) of Chard Cedar + Currant Bitters (Bitters Lab)

2 Blackberries

Shake & serve in Martini Glass. Add blackberry garnish.

Why is film such an important medium for creating access? How can we use empathy to expand vision?

Hosts Jason and Yvonne Lee share a moment with Spirit Award nominated producer (Songs My Brothers Taught Me), Angela C. Lee who also is the Associtate Director of Artist Development at Film Independent. By examining the ecosystem of filmmaking and producing, these three discuss the larger notion that access to “Hollywood” doesn’t come just because we deserve it. They explore how we can find (or even create) traction within a film system by showing myopic gatekeepers the capability of success from projects that have stories, actors and production teams with whom these power-holders may not associate with viability. As a solution, these three discuss one real truth: diverse producers get diverse projects made.

How do we nurture empathy to gain equity? How do we create a pathway to ownership so that we can control and expand vision?

Listen and be inspired by Angela’s determined passion. LA based and a native Chicagoan, she understands that producing is about seeing and supporting a filmmaker's vision, and sticking with them for the long haul to create space where they can shine. Along with Jason and Yvonne, who are on a mission to provide opportunities for stories that may not otherwise be told, they ask, how can we explain that discovery is infinite?

For more spirited discussions, make sure to subscribe to the podcast.

And if you’ve enjoyed thinking and mocktailing along with us, we’d love for you to leave us a review.

Cheers … and Please Drink Responsibly!

Links:

Guests:

Angela C. Lee

https://www.filmindependent.org/talent/angela-c-lee/

Project Involve

https://www.filmindependent.org/blog/project-involve-is-back-meet-the-30-new-fellows-joining-us-in-2022-2/

Philiane Phang

https://www.filmindependent.org/talent/philiane-phang/

Chloe’ Zhao (Songs My Brother Taught Me, Nomadland)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlo%C3%A9_Zhao

Original source of NPR episode about the ABA:

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/dont-worry-be-tacky/

Kurtis Blow - “Basketball” song

https://youtu.be/_shxzlTRK44

Death & Company

https://www.deathandcompany.com/

Array Now

https://arraynow.com/

Byron Allen

https://entertainmentstudios.com/founder/

Robert Townsend

https://www.roberttownsend.com/

Shonda Rhimes

https://www.shondaland.com/

Sundance Institute

https://apply.sundance.org/

Ruth Ann Harnisch

https://thehf.org/about/

Additional Links + Special thanks to:

Podcast Haven - https://thepodcasthaven.com/

Liam E. Allen (original music) - @Liamea97

Drink Recipe:

A daiquiri variation created by bartender Alex Day for Death & Co in NYC, a company who has been a huge inspiration for Jason. 

Ingredients:

1oz Islay scotch - Lagavulin 

1oz blended scotch - Johnnie Walker red or black

3/4 oz lime juice 

3/4 oz simple syrup

4-6 mint leaves 

Absinthe spray 

Shake ingredients with ice. Finish with absinthe spray.

Can we move away from caste to create a more equitable society? How do we understand racism by looking at caste and class? 

Pull up a seat and join us for a special roundtable episode with the Lagralane Team. 

Using the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson as a source of exploration, we help define what caste is, and discuss how race has become the basis of our caste system in the United States. We also talk about how caste affects each of us personally – and what we can do to bring about meaningful change. 

Through the lens of our multi-ethnic and multi-generational Lagralane Team, we seek to answer the question: can we move away from caste to create a more equitable society?

How can we be the guardians of truth?

Our team has a myriad of perspectives rooted in being adopted, Black, Asian, White, mixed-race, male, female, fluid and beyond … we are representative of America and we have also lived the experiences presented in Caste. We know first-hand that we’re all living in a time of discontent created by generations before us. While sipping The Comeuppance cocktail, knowing the task before us is huge, we also ask how can we make change? How can we live today so that healing can begin for so many? How do we share the task of being guardians of truth? 

For more spirited discussions, make sure to subscribe to the podcast.

And if you’ve enjoyed thinking and cocktailing along with us, we’d love for you to leave us a review. 

Cheers … and Please Drink Responsibly!

Links:

Guests:

The Lagralane Team

(in alphabetical order)

Peppur Chambers-Soraci - 

www.penandpeppur.com 

https://www.instagram.com/peppurthehotone/

AJ Dinsmore - 

https://writers.coverfly.com/profile/Amanda-Joy-Dinsmore https://www.instagram.com/aj.dinsmore

Courtney Oliphant - 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-oliphant-6546818a/

https://www.instagram.com/cori_anne92/?hl=en, 

Matthew Soraci - 

www.lagralane.com

https://www.facebook.com/matthew.soraci

Mentions:

Caste:The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson 

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/653196/caste-oprahs-book-club-by-isabel-wilkerson/

The Gilded Age

https://www.hbo.com/the-gilded-age

The Myth of the Model Minority: Asian Americans Facing Racism by Rosalind S. Chou, Joe R. Feagin

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-myth-of-the-model-minority-rosalind-s-chou/1124310184

Model Minority Myth

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/what-is-the-model-minority-myth

How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

by Clint Smith

https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/clint-smith/how-the-word-is-passed/9780316492935/

Belonging - Ben McBride

http://www.benmcbride.com/

The Ideal Bartender by Tom Bullock

https://punchdrink.com/articles/tom-bollock-and-the-forgotten-legacy-of-african-american-bartenders/

https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz/1917-The-Ideal-Bartender-by-Tom-Bullock/IV/

Additional Links + Special thanks to:

Podcast Haven - https://thepodcasthaven.com/

Liam E. Allen (original music) - @Liamea97

Cocktail Recipe: The Comeuppance

Jason renamed the Bizzy Izzy to “The Comeuppance” to fit the conversation around Caste in this episode. Although many believe it is “un-American” to challenge hateful and hurtful tropes or to demand reparations from the past 250+ years, that is exactly what we should be doing right now. 

The Bizzy Izzy is a classic drink by an African American bartender in St. Louis from 100 years ago named Tom Bullock, who included this cocktail in his book, “The Ideal Bartender.”

1oz fresh pineapple juice (Dole or fresh)

1oz sherry (Lustau)

1 oz  templeton rye whiskey (Templeton)

¾ oz fresh lemon juice

¾ simple syrup 

A couple dashes (or more) of angostura bitters 

1 oz chilled club soda 

Lemon wheel garnish

Shake and pour into a highball glass. 

We return to explore the theme of passing – and the duality of preserving one’s identity while being forced to navigate the world in certain ways. 

Joining us for this episode are producer and philanthropist Brenda Robinson and CEO and civil rights attorney Chaz Ebert. As Executive Producers on the film Passing (2021), Brenda and Chaz have so much to share on their respective roles, as well as the vital importance of the critically-acclaimed movie. 

Together, we examine systems of oppression and share personal stories of what we gotta do – and what we’ve had to do – to survive and thrive historically. We also examine Modern Day Passing and the many ways we might pass (intentionally or otherwise) outside of skin color.

What is modern-day passing and what are the roles we play to gain equity? How do you find ways to fit into the dominant culture? How do you stay true to self and show up empowered and authentic to everything that you are?

QUESTIONS

Power-producers Chaz Ebert and Brenda Robinson join hosts Jason and Yvonne Lee to talk access. In this mini-reunion, these four friends and film professionals share why they do what they do – and that is to lift and provide opportunity for voices of color working in film. By highlighting impactful projects like Regina Hall’s award-winning debut film, Passing, to new projects like veteran Lisa Cortes’ documentary Empire of Ebony which covers 70 years of culture from Ebony and Jet magazines, we learn from the inside what it’s like to operate from what can often feel like the outside. We also learn that what matters in this industry is being empowered from within, showing up to the table as your authentic self… and knowing that the table you’re at is THE table.  

What do you gain by not having to pass as anything?

In our very first episode with a delicious mocktail, we acknowledge the increasingly popular addition of inclusive mocktails as a beverage choice in social situations. Jason whips up a non-alcoholic French 75 and the conversation flows, as always. Knowing that modern-day passing takes on many, many forms, our guests also share personal stories of how passing has affected them and how it has shown up in their own families. Yvonne poingantly presents Chaz and Brenda with their confessional question, what more needs to be done  so that people of color can show up authentically and not have to pass for anything?

For more spirited discussions, make sure to subscribe to the podcast.

And if you’ve enjoyed thinking and mocktailing along with us, we’d love for you to leave us a review.

Cheers … and Please Drink Responsibly!

Links:

Guests:

Brenda K. Robinson

https://www.filmindependent.org/people/brenda-robinson/

Chaz Ebert

https://www.rogerebert.com/contributors/chaz-ebert

Book: 

Passing by Nella Larsen

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/passing-nella-larsen/1001883168

Film: 

'Passing' filmmaker Rebecca Hall shares the personal story behind her movie

https://www.npr.org/2021/11/30/1059824073/passing-rebecca-hall-film

Empire of Ebony

https://deadline.com/2021/02/the-empire-of-ebony-lisa-cortes-documentary-ebony-jet-magazine-one-story-up-1234700486/

LIFE Camp

(Erica Ford, Violence Interupter)

https://www.peaceisalifestyle.com/

A Most Beautiful Thing

https://www.amostbeautifulthing.com/

Additional Links + Special thanks to:

Podcast Haven - https://thepodcasthaven.com/

Liam E. Allen (original music) - @Liamea97

Cocktail Recipe:

3/4 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Float San Pellegrino Sparkling water 

Cocktail

2 oz gin

3 oz champagne 

3/4 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Shake ingredients and strain into a champagne flute

Float champagne on top

Add a lemon slice garnish

What does it mean to look at yourself through the eyes of the ‘other’? How do you maintain a sense of self in this process? How do you build social equity to match the room that you are in?

Hosts Jason and Yvonne Lee examine the pathways to equity in this season two debut of Lagralane Spirits. With guests Monique Marshall (anti-bias/anti-racist educator) and DeMille Halliburton (champion of access and equity), they discuss the historical perspectives of ‘Passing’ which is the ability of a person to be regarded as a member of an identity group that is different than their own.

This meaningful conversation is accompanied by the Ramos Gin Fizz cocktail, chosen purposefully for this episode due its unique appearance and complexity to prepare. 

The journey to access, or ‘getting in the room’ is different for each one of us, and usually includes self-exploration and self-acceptance.

Enjoy Monique and DeMille’s unique examples of how they work to provide pathways of access and equity to others whether through food banks, entertainment or education. They also share personal stories about passing and identity as they answer this episode’s Cocktail Confession question, “When it comes to establishing and maintaining equity, what have you had to do to get in the room?”

*This episode contains strong language. 

For more spirited discussions and cocktails, make sure to subscribe to the podcast.

And if you’ve enjoyed thinking (and drinking) along with us, we’d love for you to leave us a review.

Cheers … and Please Drink Responsibly!

Links:

Book: 

Passing by Nella Larsen

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/passing-nella-larsen/1001883168

Film: 

'Passing' filmmaker Rebecca Hall shares the personal story behind her movie

https://www.npr.org/2021/11/30/1059824073/passing-rebecca-hall-film

Guests:

Monique Marshall

https://mmscequity.com/about

SoCalPosis

https://socalpocis.org/team-instructor/monique-marshall/

DeMille Halliburton

SEE-LA

https://seela.org/portfolio-item/sola-food-co-op/

Blackhouse

https://theblackhouse.org/about-us/

Film 2 Future

https://www.film2future.org/

Additional Links + Special thanks to:

Podcast Haven - https://thepodcasthaven.com/

Liam E. Allen (original music) - @Liamea97

Cocktail Recipe:

Ramos Gin Fizz

2 oz  gin

1/2 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz lime juice

1 oz simple syrup

2 dashes of orange flower water*

1 oz cream**

1 egg white

2-3 oz of soda water 

*We swapped in Rose Water; it’s what we had on hand in the house

**For lactose intolerant drinkers, this can be swapped cream with oat milk

One of the most complicated and difficult cocktails to make. Famous for a big frothy, Meringue-like head because of the egg white and soda water.

Shake the ingredients with 3-5 ice cubes for 5-10 minutes to build up thick and creamy foam.

Pour into a glass and leave it in the refrigerator for 3-4 minutes to let the head of the cocktail rise up.

In this final episode of the first season, Jason and Yvonne spend valuable time with Oscar-nominated, “brother” Kemp Powers -- journalist, screenwriter, playwright, journalist and now, director. This grounded, yet uplifting conversation circles around this notion: to maintain truth and integrity in storytelling, we must bring ourselves into the story and we do so by holding steadfast to emotional honesty and by creating empathy. This way, we create a great story, and a great story brings us together.

This week:

• Jason asks, “How do we honor identity without exploiting it for the sake of a ‘good’ story?”
• Jason and Yvonne examine the book and 1977 television miniseries, Roots by Alex Haley as a way into the discussion about to honor or to exploit in storytelling
• Frederick Douglass: “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July” (1852)
• One Night in Miami, stage play (Jason as Malcolm X), “How the Ending of ‘One Night in Miami’ Recreated a Long Lost Cultural Landmark” Los Angeles Times
• Yvonne asks, “Are you in service to yourself or to the greater good?”
• Episode 5 guest, Jacqueline Olive work is about filling in the gaps of narrative in history and her documentary, “Always in Season” which won the 2019 Sundance Special Jury Prize for Moral Urgency 
• Kemp Powers, Pixar’s first black director; “Do Black People Wear Belts? Kemp Powers on Creativity and Tackling Stereotypes at Pixar” WBEZ, Chicago 
• ‘Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel Reveals Directing Team, The Hollywood Reporter
• Kemp shares his career journey; the ups and downs and says, “It’s about finding the people who get you.”
• Kemp says, “I’m a storyteller.”
• Yvonne asks, “How do you maintain integrity in storytelling?”
• Kemp answers, “It’s about emotional honesty.”
• Kemp shares, “It took me my whole life to understand who I am,” … “I know me really, really, well.”

Cocktail: Sidecar

A gorgeous, savory drink that is cognac forward with a delightful citrus kick.

Recipe

• 2oz Cognac
• ¾ oz Cointreau*
• ¾ oz Lemon juice* (preferably freshly squeezed)
• Orange twist garnish
• Shaken

*Jason prefers to dial back (or ramp up!) on these two ingredients and uses ½ oz Cointreau and ½ oz lemon juice in his recipe as a perfect way to tell the Sidecar story

History & Meaning

The Sidecar:

Like many cocktails, the Sidecar’s history and origination is attributed to more than one story. Here at Lagralane Spirits, and for the emphasis of this episode’s title, we both honor and perhaps exploit the story of the sidecar by making it our own. 

In this episode, Jason and Yvonne sit down with Jacqueline Olive, a friend and a filmmaker. All three met through her documentary, “Always in Season” at the Sundance Film Festival. Here, they sit down and examine the meaning behind the question, “Who’s telling the story, and does that add or take away from the story?” Through the lens of storytellers and their own experiences as People of Color living in America, they respond. 

This week:

• Jason asks, “How do we author history?
• Jacqueline’s work is about filling in the gaps of narrative in history?
• Jackie’s documentary, “Always in Season” won the 2019 Sundance Special Jury Prize for Moral Urgency 
• Jackie asks, “Who’s telling the story, and does that add or take away from the story?"
• Quote originates from Greek poet, Dinos Christianopoulos “They tried to bury us but they didn’t know we were seeds.”
• Jackie talks about how acts of rebellion and resistance inspire her to create
• Jackie says that having a child is authoring history 
• Jackie described the racial tension that she and her family experienced in Mississippi  
• Jackie says authoring history is about going to school with questions, not answers
• Yvonne asks Jackie if she finds that some Black people do not want to talk about painful racial topics 
• Jackie responds that she is not about to judge them, but she will make space for the conversation to be had 
• Jason says that trauma can also stop us from exploring our ancestry 
• Jason explores why some people stop talking about their history 

Cocktail: Manhattan

Recipe

• 2 oz of Rye Whiskey
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• Three teaspoons of simple syrup 
• Several dashes* of Angostura and orange bitters 
• Brandied cherry
• Stirred in a mixing tin

 *We love our bitters; “You can’t under-bitter a Manhattan”

History & Meaning

The Manhattan :

The Manhattan is one of David Embury’s six essential cocktails which he mentions in his 1948 book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. The six are the Manhattan, Martini, Old Fashioned, Daiquiri, Sidecar and the Jack Rose. It was important to us to include the Manhattan; no one really knows who created this classic  -- there are a lot of theories and stories. Enjoy! 

In this episode of Lagralane Spirits, Jason and Yvonne sit down with critically acclaimed actress and documentary filmmaker, Erika Alexander. The three discuss taking control of our storytelling destiny, being the narrators of our own history, and the meaning of true power and agency in the filmmaking industry and beyond. 

This week: 

• Enjoy a Boukman Daiquiri and share this recipe’s origins 
• Erika is the creator of Color Farm Media
• Erika talks about the difficulties of being a darker skinned woman in the acting industry. She was often only casted as a sex worker, a slave, and maid 
• Erika’s husband was a writer and he taught her the discipline that came with writing 
• Jason talks about how colorism, and being both too white and too dark, affected his chances at his auditions 
• Yvonne talks about how she felt that she had to choose whether to be Black or Filipina when auditioning 
• Erika reflects on the irony of Jason and Yvonne being rejected by casting directors for not being Black enough and her own story of being too Black for many casting directors 
• Jason asks “Who are the authors of history” and how we can restructure the narrative 
• Erika thinks that to be an artist is the hardest thing in the world, and it’s noble, and it takes more than a pound of flesh
• Erika got into documentary making to learn more about strong women because they are often depicted as Wicked Witches 
• Documentary making is what introduced her to John Lewis. This was the last year before he passed away. Erika and her team released Good Trouble in 2020. 
• Charlamane tha God and Kevin Hart have reached out to Erika to support her documentary work with their own resources  
• Yvonne talks about how she wants more representation for Filipinas and Asians as a whole 
• Jason talks about how you have to be assertive to take control of the narrative 
• Erika talks about how we cannot see each other as Other
• *Reference for quotes read in this episode: Teow, Jeremy. “Black Revolt in the White Mind: Violence, Race, and Slave Agency in the British Reception of the Haitian Revolution, 1791–1805.” Australasian Journal of American Studies, vol. 37, no. 1, 2018, pp. 87–102. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26532955. Accessed 28 July 2021.

Cocktail: Daiquiri

Recipe

• 1 ½  oz Boukman rum
• ½ oz Pierre Ferrand cognac
• ¾ oz lime juice
• ½ oz cinnamon simple syrup*
• Shake and enjoy!

*Make your own simple syrup with equal parts water and sugar to boil, and add cinnamon sticks.

History & Meaning

The Boukman Daiquiri was created by Alex Day, a bartender from Philadelphia. The drink was named after Haitian priest, Dutty Boukman, who helped kickstart the Haitian Revolution. 

About Erika Alexander

Erika Alexander is beloved for her iconic acting roles as Maxine Shaw (Living Single), Detective Latoya (Get Out), Perenna (Black Lightning), Linda Diggs (Wutang: An American Saga) and Barb Ballard (Run The World). Erika wears many hats not only as an actress, but as a trailblazing activist, entrepreneur, creator, producer and director -- an all-around boss. And as co-founder of Color Farm Media, Erika represents one of the most bold, daring, and powerful voices in our country today.

In this 3-part series to Episode 3, we deep dive into three very different adoption stories to explore the topic of biological identity and origin. In Part 3, Jason and Yvonne sit down with Lisa Cole, a writer, mother, filmmaker, and global nomad. Lisa discusses how her writing about strong and disenfranchised women has been her way to find herself and shed light on the people who need it. Lisa also tells Jason and Yvonne about her fertility journey and her relationships with her transracially adopted children. 

This week:

• Yvonne asks Lisa, “What has been your search for identity?”
• Lisa talks about how her writing has actually always been about finding a sense of self 
• Lisa talks about adopting after she was unable to carry a child to term; she mentions Safe Surrender. 
• Lisa talks about the vision of her daughter she had after the birth of her son 
• Jason asks Lisa, “How do you maintain truth in your adoption stories when there are so many opportunities to tell stories that are meant to protect others?”
• Lisa tells Jason and Yvonne that her daughter has been reconciling with her own adoption story 

Cocktail: Whiskey Old Fashioned

Recipe

• 2 oz of George Dickel Rye Whiskey
• Three teaspoons of simple syrup 
• Several dashes of bitters 
• A couple of splashes of water 

History & Meaning

The Old Fashioned :

Before the 1860s, cocktails in America tended to be some mixture of spirit (often cognac), water, sugar, and bitters. After the 1860s and into the 1870s, other liquors like absinthe were being introduced to bars. 

But a generation of drinkers wanted something more classic, so they would ask for something their grandfather would drink. They would say, “Make me something old-fashioned.” And the name stuck.