We are back and more excited than ever to kick off our winter 2015 show series, which will examine restaurants that have catering arms too. It’s a growing segment of the industry and one that has not been properly explored – how to create a great relationship with a restaurant (for smaller private parties) that also has a catering arm for the larger ones.

“Restaurants, Private Rooms and Catering too!” will cover the small but burgeoning market of restauranteurs that do it all and well.  Tune in on Wednesday, January 14th at noon as BOTH the Director of Catering Sales, Sarah Weisman, and in-house Director of Private Events, Jodi Lynn, for Epicurean Events join us.  Wondering if you should host your next dinner in a private room or at home? We will answer that question, explore cost structures and private space possibilities in the Epiucrean group, which also owns four restaurants in New York: dell’anima, L’Artusi, L’Apicio and Anfora. The Italian inspired cuisine is driven by seasonal products and high caliber service that focuses on being friendly rather than formal; the Italian seeking guests are driven by the amazing tastes, homemade burrata and exceptional customer service.

After covering everything you ever wanted to know about liquor in our last series, it is time to discover where to find the best food to pair with those cocktails you now know all about!

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.  Yet what better way to bring our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series to a close than with the Brand Ambassador of the premier rum company, Zacapa!  On Wednesday, December 17th at noon Lynnette Marrero will introduce us to the first rum to be inducted into the International Rum Festival’s Hall of Fame.

This honor may have something to do with the fact that Zacapa is aged in “The House Above the Clouds,” a facility 7,544 feet above sea level in the highlands of Guatemala.  The naturally thinner air and lower atmospheric pressure of this unique location intensifies the infusion of flavors into the barrels.  This is not the only thing that makes Zacapa’s creation process surprisingly unique.  Instead of using traditional molasses as a base, Zacapa is made from concentrated first press of sugar cane, called virgin sugar cane honey, and a specialized strain of yeast extracted from pineapples.

Clearly, there is nothing typical about the way in which this rum is made, nor in the way that it tastes.  Tune in this Wednesday to hear more about how this company has made their rum EXTRA-ordinary.

Clearly, there is nothing typical about the way in which this rum is made, nor in the way that it tastes.  Tune in this Wednesday to hear more about how this company has made their rum EXTRA-ordinary.

This week we will not only be infused with imagination, but also with alcohol! We will be continuing our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series on Wednesday, December 10th at noon LIVE from our offices with Colin Asare-Appiah.  The Bacardi Portfolio Master Mixologist will be whipping us up some innovative new cocktails, perhaps even some of the final contenders of Bombay’s “The World’s Most Imaginative Bartender” competition.

It should come as no surprise that the company whose namesake is a 182 carat sapphire entitled the Star of Bombay enjoys crowning the best bartenders in the world.  The real gem of the company, however, is their brand new distillery, Laverstoke.  Designed by multiple award winning designer, Thomas Heatherwick, the distillery boasts a BREEAM award for sustainability and two stunning, intertwining botanical glasshouses.  These glasshouses are meant to maintain two separate climates, one tropical and one temperate to foster the ten botanicals from around the world infused into every bottle of Bombay.  If we are lucky, maybe Gary will reveal if the rumor about these gin botanicals making people angry is true, or a complete hoax.

So get your shakers ready.  If we can have martinis on a Wednesday afternoon then so can you!

“I make a filet mignon at a pot roast price.”  Tito Beveridge, founder and owner of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, wasn’t talking about steaks when he said this; he was talking about his double gold medal winning vodka.  Wednesday, December 3rd at noon our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series continues as the VP of Brand Marketing for Tito’s Vodka, Nicole Portwood, joins us.  Learn how Tito’s has become THE vodka in its less than 20 year life span.  It all started with Tito racking up 19 - yes, 19 - credit cards to the grand total of $88,000 in order to build a one man distillery and production still.

His gamble of creating the first legal distillery in Texas paid off, not only for him, but for vodka lovers everywhere.

We know that you want to learn more about how Tito became ‘the vodka guy’ and exactly what it is about this brand that makes it so darn good.  So join us Wednesday, December 3rd at noon and find out!

Good things come to those that wait. Bulleit’s Master of Whiskey, Gina Fossitt, will be joining us on Wednesday, November 19th at noon to tell us why the Bulleit Distilling Company has been over a century in the making.  Our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series continues as we learn how the original creator of the high rye whiskey, Augustus Bulleit, mysteriously went missing one day in 1860.  It wasn’t until his great-great grandson left a successful law practice 127 years later that the old family recipe was revived.  Now the company boasts a bourbon, a specialized rye whiskey, and an aged bourbon reserve, all of which are the recipients of multiple awards.

We can’t spoil ALL of the fun.  If you want the full story then you are going to have to tune in this Wednesday at noon!

If you thought that you couldn’t possibly learn any more about alcohol, think again.

We have yet to discuss some of the finer ingredients in cocktails, like vermouth.  This is exactly why Master of Wine, Charles Curtis, will be returning this Wednesday, November 12th at noon to continue our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series.  Charles will be talking to us about Lillet, which for those of you that don’t know, is a key ingredient in the famous Vesper dry martini inspired by the iconic James Bond.  If that particular concoction doesn’t suit your fancy, Charles will also be telling us about different types of fortified wines.  If you’re in the mood for a regular ole martini or a Manhattan then the vermouth conversation will be just for you.  Or if you would rather learn about flavor fortified wines and how their popularity rose during the prohibition era and the Great Depression then you will not be disappointed either. 

So grab a glass and a shaker and tune in this Wednesday at noon!

Forget about liquor before beer.  Learn the new motto: beer before beer, you’re in the clear.  Our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series continues with a topic that we have yet to address, beer.  Kristen Demergian will be joining us this Wednesday, November 5th at noon.  She is the NY Ambassador at Allagash Brewing Company, a brand dedicated to producing Belgian style beer.  In an effort to fill a void in the US beer market in 1995 founder, Rob Tod, started the company as a one man operation, which has grown into one of the industry’s most respected brands.  This may have something to do with the fact that all of Allagash’s bottled beers are ‘bottled conditioned’, meaning that sugar and yeast are added to all of their beers prior to being bottled in order to achieve natural carbonation.  The result is a softer, more complex beer whose flavors develop over time.

If you thought that beer and spirits did not have much in common, think again.  If you want to know more (trust us, there is a lot more to learn!) tune in this Wednesday at noon.

You break it, you buy it.  However, breaking a superior strength Johnnie Walker bottle may be harder than you think.  If you want to know why, tune in on Wednesday, October 29th at noon as we continue our Fall “Wet Your Whistle” series.  We will be joined by Johnnie Walker’s Master of Whiskey, Stephen Wilson, who since 2006 has been the host of the Johhnie Walker Journey and the House of Walker experience at events across the country. The company has been the winner of multiple international awards for quality and the recipient of the Royal Warrant. We will hear about that, and get the inside scoop on his travels to Cardhu, where he studied the Johnnie Walker art of blending.  An impressive feat considering the company has the largest collection of whiskies in the world.  It is no wonder why; the brand boasts six separate labels, from the number one Scotch Whiskey in the world (The Red Label) to the highly revered Blue Label.   

Don’t underestimate the powers of scotch.  If it can save Indiana Jones’ life in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” who knows what Johnnie Walker can do for you? #keepwalking

A family business seeped in history was the clear message conveyed when we had Jack Daniel’s assistant master distiller on the Fall Wet Your Whistle Series last Wednesday; his own grandfather was master distiller there in the 1950’s.  Who better than to talk about Mr. Jack’s history, as Fletcher affectionately refers to the patriarch, than his own great grandniece, Lynn Tolley, who will be joining us on the show Wednesday October 22nd live at noon!

Chris tells us that the recipe for Jack Daniels No. 7 has remained the same for over 150 years, but Lynn, a relative AND taste tester, will speak to us about the evolution of the brand, the whiskey and the process of its making.

Last week, we did not get to unravel the origin of the “tales of mischief, revelry and whiskey”, but this Wednesday we plan on wiping the dirt off both those stories, and the rest of the family secrets.

Get ready for a special treat because on Wednesday, October 15th at noon, our Fall “Wet your Whistle” series continues with a special guest, Chris Fletcher!  The assistant master distiller of the oh-so-eponymous Jack Daniel’s, will be schooling us on all things whiskey.  Have you ever wondered why almost half of the liquor at a bar fits under the category of whiskey?  Well Chris is going to help us unravel the mystery of what makes a scotch or bourbon different from other types of whiskey.

Maybe, if we are lucky, he will even spill the dirt on how some of the tales of “mischief, revelry, & whiskey” came about.  You won’t know unless you join us this Wednesday!