Three Questions, Three Drinks with Chris Mikolay

MARRIAGE. Matthew Fray’s writings on marriage and divorce, including his most famous blog post, “She Divorced Me Because I Left Dishes by the Sink”, have been read by tens of millions worldwide. In this episode, Matthew shares 3 great bourbons and a bracingly honest perspective on marriage, divorce and what he wished he had done differently to save his own relationship. Men, Matthew believes, are most commonly the culprits in their marital breakdown, and understanding how a few well-intentioned behaviors can erode trust over time is often the key to saving a relationship from ruin.

Matthew’s book, “This is How Your Marriage Ends”, will be released worldwide on 3/22/22 and is now available for pre-order wherever books are sold.

Drinks in this episode:

>> William Heavenhill Small Batch 13 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey, “Bottled-in-Bond”, 100 Proof; Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, KY

>> Evan Williams 23 Years Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 107 Proof; Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, KY

>> Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 131.1 Proof, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Franklin County, KY

If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Give us a follow on our social sites here:

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FAME! Emmy award-winning Cleveland media personality Stephanie Haney brings 3 blue checkmarks and a lot of fun to this conversation on the evolving nature of fame. Over several drinks served up at Cleveland’s best cocktail bar, the Velvet Tango Room; Chris, Amanda and Stephanie debate whether society is entitled to the inner lives of celebrities, ponder what it means that kids now want to be YouTube Stars instead of astronauts, and wonder, in today’s age of relentless selfies and Zooms, how awesome/awful life must have been before mirrors were invented.

Listen to Stephanie Haney’s award-winning podcast, 3 Things to Know, here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-things-to-know-with-stephanie-haney/id1540124369

Drinks in this episode mixed up at the Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland, Ohio. From the menu description:

>> Blood and Sand cocktail: From the 1930s. Johnnie Walker Black, Cherry Heering, sweet vermouth, and freshly squeezed orange. It’s the perfect example of a sum being greater than its parts.

>> The Rust Belt cocktail: Cleveland, a shining example of what a city must do to stay relevant in the 21st century. It’s about substance meeting style. With a bite of bitter and a pointed punch of rye, you'll find only a hint of sweetness.

>> Vodka Water with 3 Limes

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THE HOLIDAY EPISODE! In the true spirit of Christmas, Amanda, Chris and Matt begin Episode 36 by arguing over the better Christmas movie – Elf vs. Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone vs. A Christmas Story – until their attention shifts to the troubling bullying behaviors of Rudolph’s fellow reindeer. While answering more listener questions (this time all holiday related), the group holds its first annual gift exchange and celebrates the season with a variety of jolly good drinks, including a cup of controversial “holiday sludge”, aka Eggnog. Merry Christmas, 3Q3D Nation!

Drinks in this episode:

>> Christmas Cosmopolitan – 1 ½ oz vodka, 1 oz Cointreau or Triple Sec, 1 ½ oz Cranberry Pomegranate juice, ½ freshly squeezed lime juice; combine ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice, and after shaking for 10 seconds, strain into a martini glass and garnish with lime peel and fresh raspberries.

>> Christmas beer sampler: – “Yule Jude”, Platform Brewing Company; “Christmas Ale”, Great Lakes Brewing Co.; “2Xmas”, Southern Tier Brewing Co.

>> Hartzler Dairy Eggnog – pour chilled eggnog into a glass and spike with bourbon, whiskey, brandy or dark rum, and top with sprinkles of nutmeg and cinnamon.

If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Give us a follow on our social sites here:

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MAILBAG! Chris, Amanda and Matt struggle with the crippling burden of worldwide fame and high expectations as 3Q3D climbs the Top Podcasting charts. To soothe themselves, they mix up a few drinks recommended by listeners and answer questions about each other and the show. As they skim the surface on several fantastic listener-suggested questions, the group agrees many are deserving of a deeper discussion at another time and instead debate whether Amanda’s head might be the size of a regulation basketball.

Drinks in this episode:

>> Irish Coffee – 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar, 4 oz strong hot coffee, 1 1/2 oz Irish whiskey, 1 oz heavy cream, lightly whipped. Place the brown sugar into a warm Irish coffee glass, mug, or other heatproof glass; pour brown sugar in Irish coffee glass; Add the coffee and Irish whiskey; Stir until the brown sugar is dissolved; Float the lightly whipped heavy cream on top by slowly pouring it over the back of a spoon. Do not stir. Instead, drink the Irish coffee through the cream and enjoy.

>> Rusty Nail cocktail – 1 1/2 oz Wild Turkey 101 bourbon whiskey, 3/4 oz Drambuie; Pour the whiskey and Drambuie into a rocks glass with one large cube and stir until well-chilled.

>> Jungle Bird cocktail - 1 1/2 oz Captain Morgan’s Dark rum, 3/4 oz Campari; 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed, 1/2 oz demerara syrup; Add the rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice and demerara syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge (or substitute a Luxardo cherry).

To see the video of Adele going undercover at the Adele impersonator contest, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQM3XUhiXbQ

If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Give us a follow on our social sites here:

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STRANGE BUT TRUE FACTS! As a kid, I was fascinated with the Guinness Book of World Records and all sorts of strange and interesting facts. So I thought it would be a good idea to invite 3Q3D fan favorites Colt McCutcheon and Doug Harvey back into the studio to record an episode on all things weird but true. Alas, Colt opens the show with a Greek history lesson about Achilles lesser known little brother, Bofadeez, and the episode just devolves from there. Special thanks to Susie Schmitt (aka HR) who served as our scorekeeper and fact checker, and my apologies to anyone who has come to appreciate 3Q3D for its moments of deep thinking intellectualism. If that’s you, well, just skip this one (and don’t say I didn’t warn you).

Drinks in this episode:

>> French 75 cocktail – 1 oz gin, ½ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice, ½ oz simple syrup, 3 oz Champagne (or other sparkling wine); combine ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice, shake and strain into Champagne flute. Garnish with a lemon twist.

>> Bandera cocktail (aka the Mexican Flag) – Inspired by the colors of the Mexican flag, this drink is served in 3 separate shot glasses consisting of tequila (white), fresh lime juice (green), and sangrita (red)-a spicy tomato-based chaser (we used Mr. & Mrs. T. Bloody Mary Mix). Each serving requires 1-ounce each of lime juice, tequila and Bloody Mary Mix, and should be consumed in order.

>> Del Dotto 2019 Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Enjoy 10% off Blumaka insoles with discount code 3Q3D10. Blumaka Konnect insoles are the most sustainable footwear insoles on the planet and are worn by athletes in MLB, NFL and the highest levels of NCAA sports. Learn more at https://blumaka.com/

If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Give us a follow on our social sites here:

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THE FUTURE! If the 3 Questions, 3 Drinks podcast is ever the subject of a documentary chronicling its meteoric rise and eventual implosion, they’ll point to Episode 33 as the beginning of the end. Debating whether we should be optimistic or pessimistic about the fate of humanity over the next 100 years, Chris and Amanda take decidedly opposite views. Halfway through this episode you’ll either be rooting for Team Amanda or jumping aboard Team Chris. And Matt – well, The Dude abides.

Drinks in this episode:

>> French Horn cocktail – 2 oz Tito’s vodka, 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 oz Chambord. Chill a cocktail glass while making the cocktail, and once chilled moisten the rim of the glass with lemon rind and roll in salt. Pour ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously and strain into salted glass.

>> Sidecar – 1 ½ oz cognac, ¾ oz Cointreau, ¾ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice; Coat the rim of a coupe glass with sugar, if desired, and set aside. Add the cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled, strain into the prepared glass and garnish with an orange twist.

>> White Russian cocktail –2 oz vodka, 1 oz Kahlúa, 1 splash heavy cream; Add the vodka and Kahlúa to a rocks glass filled with ice. Top with the heavy cream and stir.

Enjoy 10% off Blumaka insoles with discount code 3Q3D10. Blumaka Konnect insoles are the most sustainable footwear insoles on the planet and are worn by athletes in MLB, NFL and the highest levels of NCAA sports. Learn more at https://blumaka.com/

If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Give us a follow on our social sites here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

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Episode 22 explored Faith, and it was one of 3Q3D’s most popular episodes to-date. Back for an encore performance, Fr. Patrick Schultz (Parochial Vicar at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church) and Dr. Matthew Carey Jordan, Ph.D., join Chris Mikolay for another insightful conversation, this time focusing on the causes of America’s declining belief in God, what could reverse that trend, and why elephants might actually pray.

Drinks in this episode:

>> Amarula Fruit Cream Liqueur – pour Amirul over ice and enjoy.

>> Sazerac – Absinthe (to rinse), 1 sugar cube, 1/2 teaspoon cold water, 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 1/4 oz rye whiskey, 1 1/4 oz cognac, Rinse a chilled rocks glass with absinthe, discarding any excess, and set aside. In a mixing glass, muddle the sugar cube, water and the Peychaud’s and Angostura bitters. Add the rye and cognac, fill the mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass. Twist the lemon peel over the drink’s surface to express the peel’s oils, then garnish with the peel.

>> Negroni – 1 oz gin, 1 oz Campari, 1 oz sweet vermouth. Add the gin, Campari and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with large ice cubes. Garnish with an orange peel.

If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please consider sharing an episode with a friend, and give us a follow:

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Thank your for listening!

PARENTING! Fresh off the stage from her sold out show and running on fumes, “Truth Bomb Mom” Kristina Kuzmic recharges with 3 phenomenal drinks and an energizing 3Q3D conversation with Chris and Matt. Raising 14 kids between them, the group examines the unintentionally awful things we often say to our children, debates whether there are universal rules for parenting, and ultimately agrees that Matt’s Nutella-tini is possibly the most magnificent drink ever created.

Drinks in this episode:

>> Incanto Liker Od Višnje (Cherry Liqueur) – pour into a wine or champagne glass and enjoy as a dessert wine (or pour over a brownie with ice cream to create an epic dessert)

>> Pumpkin Spice Old Fashioned – 2 oz Bulleit bourbon whiskey, 1/2 ounce pumpkin syrup*, 2 dashes orange bitters, 1 orange peel, cinnamon stick and Luxardo cherry. Add the pumpkin syrup, orange bitters and orange wedge into an Old Fashioned glass and muddle; then add the bourbon, a large ice cube and a splash of club soda (optional), and stir gently with the cinnamon stick to combine and garnish with Luxardo cherry.

*Pumpkin syrup: Add 1 cup water and 3/4 cup light brown sugar to a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat to low and whisk in 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice and 1/3 cup pumpkin puree. Simmer on low for 8 minutes, remove from heat, and allow to cool. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and store the syrup in the refrigerator in a container with a tightly fitting lid for up to 1 month.

>> Nutella Martini – Blend together 2 oz heavy cream with 2 tablespoons Nutella. Combine Nutella and cream mixture and 2 oz vodka in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a martini glass rimmed with Nutella and coarse salt. Garnish with Luxardo cherry.

If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please consider sharing an episode with a friend, and give us a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/

ENTERTAINMENT! Cleveland comedy legend Mike Polk, Jr. swings by the studio brandishing his favorite Irish whiskey and joins Amanda, Chris, and Matt for a fun and frenetic conversation. Like a swift kick to the crotch, the opening Algonquin cocktail serves up a side of schadenfreude and an historic comedic connection, until a masterfully made Manhattan makes the group mull the merits of our entertainment-free agrarian past. By the time they polish off Polk’s potent potable, the group is taking issue with Teen Wolf and demanding to know what on earth Gwyneth Paltrow was thinking.

Drinks in this episode:

>> Algonquin cocktail – 1 ½ oz rye whiskey, ¾ oz dry vermouth, ¾ oz pineapple juice; mix all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, strain into a martini glass or coupe and garnish with a Luxardo cherry

>> Manhattan cocktail – 2 oz rye whiskey, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 2 dashes angostura bitters; Add the rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass with ice, stir until well-chilled, strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a Luxardo cherry.

>> Powers Irish Whiskey – serve neat or pour over ice

If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please consider sharing an episode with a friend, and give us a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/

Thank you!

PET PEEVES! Find out just how petty your OG 3Q3D crew is as Chris, Amanda and Matt arrive locked and loaded with a variety of new drinks and individual lists of Top 10 Pet Peeves. From the AGONY of resetting a Netflix password with a tiny remote to the EXASPERATINGLY AWFUL people who don’t understand basic texting etiquette, the conversation turns particularly feisty when Amanda squares off with Chris and Matt over her personal animus toward the (clearly very smart) people who back into parking spots.

Drinks in this episode:

>> Frozen Aviation – Pour 4 oz “On The Rocks” pre-made Aviation cocktail into a blender with ice; blend until thoroughly slushy, and pour into a chilled glass

>> Whiskey Sour – 2 oz bourbon, ¾ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice ½ oz simple syrup; shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker and strain into a glass, garnishing with a lemon slice and maraschino cherry

>> Pumpkin Beer Sampler:
Atomic Pumpkin, New Belgium Brewery
Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin, Hoppin’ Frog Brewery
Spooky Tooth, Fat Head’s Brewery

If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please consider sharing an episode with a friend, and give us a follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/

Thanks for listening...enjoy!