Three Questions, Three Drinks with Chris Mikolay

ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC ABOUT AMERICA? Despite recording from a sun-drenched back patio on a postcard perfect Autumn afternoon, anxiety is running high among the 3Q3D crew. This year, October’s beauty is bittersweet, with red and blue political signs competing with Fall’s glorious oranges and golden yellows - and raising the nation’s collective blood pressure. But is everything truly terrible, as Matt initially suggests? Or is America making a slow and often imperceptible march toward a brighter future, as the ever-optimistic Chris seems to believe? As the team explores both the pessimistic and optimistic sides of America (and the future of humanity), one thing is for sure: today’s drinks pair perfectly with Fall, and in true 3Q3D fashion, this conversation gets better with every sip.*  
*This message was NOT written by ChatGPT. (Or was it??!)  
DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:  
APPLEJACK RABBIT >> 2 oz bonded apple brandy; 3/4 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 3/4 oz orange juice, freshly squeezed; 1/2 oz grade B maple syrup. Add the apple brandy, lemon juice, orange juice and maple syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. This refreshing drink makes a delightful companion in voting booths everywhere.  
MAPLE WHISKEY SOUR >> 2 oz whiskey; 1 egg white* (optional); 1 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice; 3/4 oz maple syrup; 2–3 shakes Angostura bitters (optional). If using the egg white, add whiskey and egg white to a cocktail shaker and vigorously shake for 15-20 seconds until the egg white is very frothy.  (If not using the egg white, you can skip this step.) Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, bitters (if using) and a handful of ice to the shaker, and shake for a few seconds to combine and chill the drink.  Have your robot butler strain and serve immediately in a glass over ice while you enjoy the latest movie on your Apple Vision Pro glasses, just as Amanda would prefer.  
RUSTY NAIL >> 1 1/2 oz scotch; 3/4 oz Drambuie; Add the scotch and Drambuie into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube and toast to our new AI overlords.  
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RISK, RANDOMNESS & DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY.
Caspar Berry has led many lives, from screenplay writer, actor and director, to professional poker player, poker commentator and renowned keynote speaker. He also once served as the poker coach to Daniel Craig and the actors in Casino Royale, and beyond coaching others to merely look like they know how to gamble, Caspar believes there are parallels between poker strategies and navigating life’s uncertainties. So ante up for an unusually spirited episode of the 3 Questions, 3 Drinks podcast, where Chris toasts Caspar from across the Atlantic to explore the complexities of decision-making, risk, and the role randomness and luck play in our lives.
*Listeners Note* I apologize for the uneven sound quality during this episode as it was recorded via a Teams call between two continents. Next time I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t sound like we’ve both fallen into a well.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  
DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:  
WHITE RUSSIAN COCKTAIL >> 2 oz vodka; 1 oz Kahlúa; 1 oz heavy cream. Add the vodka and Kahlúa to a rocks glass filled with ice, top with the heavy cream, and stir. Best enjoyed while playing Blackjack in the high stakes room at the Bellagio.  
VESPER MARTINI >> 3 oz Gordon’s Dry gin, 1 oz vodka; 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc aperitif; Garnish: lemon twist. Add the gin, vodka and Lillet blanc into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 20–30 seconds, until ice cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Express the oils from a lemon twist over the drink, rub the twist along the rim of the glass and drop it into the cocktail. Remember that this drink is best shaken, not stirred.
GODFATHER COCKTAIL >> 2 oz blended Johnny Walker Red scotch; 1/4 oz amaretto. Fill a mixing glass 2/3 full of ice. Add the scotch and amaretto and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice for an offer you can’t refuse.   If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.
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TRAVEL & VACATION TIPS! Before you pack your bags and load up the station wagon, make sure to download 3Q3D’s long list of summer travel tips. From why it’s okay to spend every morning away from your vacation companions, to proper picture taking techniques (sorry not sorry, but it’s a big thumbs down on the coordinated family beach photo), this episode is as spicy as Amanda’s Chile Salt Michelada.  
DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:  
GIN & TONIC COCKTAIL >> 2 oz Bombay Sapphire Sunset Special Edition gin; 4 oz Fever Tree cocktail, lime wedge.  Fill a highball glass with ice, then add the gin. Top with the tonic water and gently stir. Garnish with lime wedge and after a long hot day at the beach, bring this with you in the shower to help cool off.  
CHILE SALT MICHELADA >> Mix 1 tablespoon kosher salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper on a small plate. Moisten the rim of a pint glass and press into chile salt to lightly coat. Combine ¾ oz fresh lime juice, 2 dashes hot sauce (preferably Cholula) and 1 dash Worcestershire sauce in a glass. Partly fill glass with ice and top with 8 oz chilled Mexican beer. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with a lime wedge and be transported to an exotic beach in Zihuatanejo.    
SUGAR FREE LONG DRINK >> Purchase a six pack of Long Drink in the white can. Fill a glass with ice, pour in your Long Drink, garnish with a lime wedge, and discover the Legend of 1952.   
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HOW TO BE A (LITERAL) BOSS. After several months of working sunup to sundown for The Man, 3Q3D’s long sabbatical is finally over. But fear not, 3Q3D Nation: Amanda, Chris & Matt waste no time getting back in the saddle to show you who’s boss – while discussing how to actually be a boss. Whether you’re a seasoned executive, an aspiring leader, or just someone curious about what it takes to be an actual boss, Episode 83 is all about leadership lessons both practical and philosophical. Oh, and when it comes to the actual cocktails, let’s just say that if this episode were a performance review of 3Q3D’s mixology, the 3Q3D crew would be getting promoted. 
DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE: 
TEXAS SIPPER COCKTAIL >> 1 ½ oz vodka, ½ oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur, 1 ½ oz fresh grapefruit juice. Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and pour into a rocks glass with ice. Top with soda water and a mint sprig, and toast to your recent promotion. 
GRASSHOPPER COCKTAIL >> 1 oz green creme de menthe; 1 oz white creme de cacao; 2 oz heavy cream. Add the green creme de menthe, white creme de cacao and heavy cream into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Grate nutmeg over the top of the drink, if desired. The kid’s got moxie, I tell ya.  
GIBSON MARTINI >> 2 ½ oz Dingle gin; ½ oz dry vermouth; pickled cocktail onions. Mix gin and dry vermouth with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake like you mean it. Pour into a martini glass and add 3 cocktail onions on a toothpick. Cheers, old sport, you’re headed for the C-suite. 
  
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To celebrate 3Q3D’s third anniversary, the original crew regroups and recreates the show’s very first episode down to the exact same questions. While Amanda, Chris and Matt are certainly more comfortable on air, they begin to question nearly everything (including *gasp* backing into every parking space) and end up lamenting democracy writ large. While the questions from Episode 1 return, the drinks are decidely better this go round: the team brings back a few favorite cocktails from 3Q3D’s quixotic 3-year journey, including the Old Cuban, a perfect Old Fashioned, and, fittingly, the Birthday Cake Martini. Cheers to 3 years, and thanks to all who have listened!  
Drinks in this Episode:
The Old Cuban Cocktail  >> 6 whole mint leaves, 1 oz simple syrup, 3/4 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed, 1 1/2 oz aged rum, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 ounces Champagne, chilled. Garnish: mint sprig. Muddle the mint leaves with the simple syrup and lime juice in a shaker. Add the rum and bitters and ice, and shake until well-chilled. Double-strain into a coupe glass.Top with Champagne and garnish with a mint sprig. Salud, amigo!  
Old Fashioned Cocktail >> 2 oz bourbon, 1/4 oz simple syrup, a few dashes of angostura bitters. Pour ingredients into a bourbon glass over one large ice cube, garnish with a Luxardo cherry and an orange peel. Like an old friend – or a podcast for inquisitive people – this cocktail won’t let you down.  
Birthday Cake Martini >> 2 oz Smirnoff whipped cream vodka, 1 ½ oz Amaretto liqueur, 1 oz Godiva white chocolate liqueur, 2 oz heavy whipping cream; mix ingredients with ice in a shaker, strain, and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with birthday cake sprinkles. Happy birthday to 3Q3D!
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THE MOVIES! Amanda Adams sits in the director’s chair for this big, buttery episode about the movies we love – and the movies we love to hate. And, as she guides the OG 3Q3D crew through a conversation about the films that framed our youth, what makes a movie objectively great, and why we love some movies that are objectively terrible, Amanda can’t help but get sentimental about a certain Legendary movie from her formative years. If you’re a Gen X’er and a film fan, this energetic episode is for you.
Drinks in this Episode:
Classic Daquiri cocktail >> 2 oz light rum; 1 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed; 3/4 oz demerara sugar syrup. Add the rum, lime juice and demerara sugar syrup to a shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a lime wedge and imagine a “Legends of the Fall” era Brad Pitt is approaching on horseback. Delicious!
Ache Orange Creamsicle Sourt by Heart State Brewing >> Crack open this beer, pour it into a cold glass, and prepare to be perplexed by how little this actually tastes like an orange creamsicle. Do yourself a favor and go make the actual Orange Creamsicle Cocktail from Episode 80 and thank us later.
Espresso Martini >> 2 oz vodka; 1/2 oz Kahlúa; 1 oz espresso, freshly brewed; 1/4 ounce simple syrup. Add vodka, Kahlúa, espresso and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice and shake until well-chilled. Pour into a chilled martini glass, garnish with 3 coffee beans and enjoy staying up well past your bedtime as the espresso courses through your body.
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PARENTING! With 13 children between them, Amanda, Matt and Chris debate unconventional parenting do’s and don’ts, discuss whether parents today spend too little or too much time with their kids, and ponder how much our parental actions ultimately determine our children’s fate. In classic 3Q3D fashion, this conversation zig-zags between the insightful and the absurd while steadily building to a third cocktail crescendo (and supercharged, at the halfway mark, by THE GREATEST DRINK IN 3Q3D HISTORY). If you’re the kind of person who might shame a child into having excellent taste, then this episode is for you.
Drinks in this Episode:
Waterloo Cocktail >> 1 ½ oz blended whiskey, ¾ oz Mandarine Napoleon liqueur (or substitute Gran Marnier), ¼ freshly squeezed lemon juice, ¼ oz simple syrup; combine ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Pour into a rocks glass with ice, top with 3-5 oz chilled club soda and garnish with an orange slice. Toast to your excellent taste, as well as your ability to weaponize shame as a go-to parenting tool.
Orange Dreamsicle Cocktail >> 2 oz whipped cream vodka, 1 oz vanilla vodka, 3 oz orange juice (no pulp, as God intended), heavy whipping cream; combine both vodkas and OJ in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass, top with a few splashes of heavy whipping cream, garnish with an orange wedge and then drop in an AN ACTUAL CREAMSICLE. Take one sip and be instantly transported back to the halcyon summer days of your youth when all was right with the world.
Vieux Carré Cocktail >> 3/4 oz rye whiskey; 3/4 oz cognac; 3/4 oz sweet vermouth; 2 teaspoons Benedictine liqueur; 2 dashes Peychauds bitters; 1 dash Angostura bitters; Garnish: maraschino cherry or lemon twist. Add the rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice or a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry, a lemon twist (or both), and lift a glass in honor of Fat Tuesday or simply as the perfect counterbalance to an Orange Dreamsicle cocktail.
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DRINKING & ALCOHOL. Alcohol is the only drug where, if you don’t use it, people assume you have a problem. Kind of weird, right? It seems that alcohol – and our culture of drinking – are topics worth exploring. Hence, in this special “crossover” episode, 3Q3D regular Amanda Adams, and occasional 3Q3D visitor and fan favorite Colt McCutcheon, sit down with Chris Mikolay at the halfway mark of his Dry January goal to pour a few (booze free) drinks to discuss several questions that are interesting no matter how much you’ve imbibed: why are humans compelled to drink to excess? Will future generations view alcohol consumption as we view smoking today? And, the most controversial of all: is it ever okay to allow underage kids (and their friends) to drink in your home?

Drinks in this Episode:
Athletic Brewing Co. Run Wild Non-Alcoholic IPA
>> Crack a can of this booze-less beer and chug until your hearts content. Don’t worry, nothing happens (except at some point you’ll have to pee). Restore Cold Pressed Immunity Juice >> Visit your local cold pressed juice shop for a bottle of zesty apple, lemon, ginger and cayenne brew. Pour over ice and sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on top for added flair. Toast to your good health and the first good drinking decision you’ve made in years!

Fake Gin & Tonic
>> 2 parts Clean Co. non-alcoholic gin, 4 parts Fever Tree Elderflower tonic; pour gin and tonic into a glass over ice, garnish with a lime, and pretend to like it.

The Sober Man’s Aviation cocktail
>> 2 parts Clean Co. non-alcoholic gin, 1 small spoonful of Luxardo cherry syrup, 1 part lavender simple syrup, 1 1/2 parts freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry and lemon peel. Tell yourself it’s just like the real thing and muster the strength to hold back the tears.

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THE YEAR IN REVIEW / THE YEAR AHEAD.
For the 3rd time, Amanda Adams, Matt Jordan and Chris Mikolay record a New Year’s episode that reviews the year’s biggest headlines – from events both consequential and alarming, to stories immaterial but impossible to ignore. After lively discussion (and Amanda’s cocktail redemption), the group turns the page on 2023 and makes bold predictions for the year ahead. Fans of the classic 3Q3D format will enjoy this episode as it slaloms swiftly between the silly and the serious and, in true 3Q3D fashion, gets more interesting with every sip.

Drinks in this Episode:
La Louisiane Cocktail >> 2 oz rye whiskey, 3/4 oz sweet vermouth, 1/2 oz Benedictine, 3 dashes absinthe, 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters. Add the rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a Luxardo cherry and remember to “THRIVE” in 2024.

Cranberry Cobbler Cocktail >> 1 to 2 oz. bourbon or whiskey, 3 to 4 oz. cranberry juice, 1 to 2 oz. orange seltzer water, 1 to 2 oz. cinnamon simple syrup. Muddle a few cranberries at the bottom of your glass.Fill a glass with crushed ice. Stir or shake together the syrup, cranberry and bourbon/whiskey for 30 seconds or so. Pour over ice. Top the drink with the orange seltzer and toast to your Super Bowl Champion Cleveland Browns and their impossibly handsome head coach, Kevin Stefanski.

Old Pal Cocktail >> 1.5 oz rye whiskey, 1 oz Campari, 3/4 oz dry vermouth, ¼ oz sweet vermouth. Add the rye whiskey, Campari and dry vermouth into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and scoff at those choosing to participate in “Dry January”.

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AUSTRALIA vs. ENGLAND vs. AMERICA! In this special transcontinental episode, Chris invites an awesome Aussie, Belynda Thomas, and Englishman extraordinaire, Elliot Grey, into the studio to spill the tea on what it’s like living in America from an ex-pat perspective. As the group sips and snacks on Elliot's "posh pigs in a blanket", things escalate faster than American portion sizes – from friendly banter to an epic showdown that seeks to determine which great nation reigns supreme when it comes to music (The Beatles, case closed), animals (50 million kangaroos can't be wrong) and culinary delights (your country is automatically disqualified if you enjoy either Vegemite or Marmite, sorry). Whether you prefer your soccer to be called football or your football to use Australian rules, you’ll enjoy listening to Belynda and Elliot discuss their perspective on Australian, British and American culture as much as you’ll love their classic Aussie and British senses of humour.
Drinks in this Episode:
Elliot’s Proper G&T >> 1 part Sipsmith® London Dry Gin, high-quality tonic water, wedge of fresh lime. Fill a highball glass with ice, pour in gin and top off with tonic. Garnish with a wedge of fresh lime and cheer on the Everton Blues.
Belynda’s Aussie Autumn Fizz >> 2 parts apple cider, 1 part caramel vodka, Prosecco, diced apples. Pour cider and caramel vodka in a champagne glass filled and top with Prosecco. Add freshly cut apples to the drink and enjoy while watching Skippy the Kangaroo. Apple Pie Martini >> FOR THE RIM: 1 tablespoon fine graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, Pinch of ground cinnamon.
FOR THE MARTINI: ½ cup apple cider, 3 tablespoons simple syrup, ¼ cup vodka, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon schnapps, ¼ teaspoon apple pie spice, Pinch of salt optional. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon. Wet the edges of the martini glass with water or an apple slice. Dip the edges in the prepared graham cracker mixture. In a cocktail shaker with ice, place all the ingredients and shake it. Pour into the prepare glass while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
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