How To Find the Spirit of Cincy

We think we all know the legend of the Odyssey after reading Homer. Today we meet a modern day Odysseus whose journey from the Philippines took a different turn and landed him in the world of Mai Tai's, Pineapple and Bamboo. ----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----We discover how our Odysseus was anointed with the moniker Tiki Man! Holding court at Trader Vic’s at the London Hilton Park Lane for almost a decade could be the reason. Cocktail trends have come and gone, but Vic Bergeron’s (the founder of Trader Vic’s) concept of finding a Polynesian paradise, wherever you are in the world, has never waned.Odysseus clues us into the how and why the Mai Tai is still its number one order! Watch Odysseus rustle up an original 1944 Mai Tai for my Mixology in a Minute Series on YoutubeAlways remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

29 Nov 201613min

“Remember, gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne!” was Winston Churchill’s cri de guerre. Only gentlemen…what about the ladies? Didn’t he know that, throughout history, women were responsible for making some of the great Champagne houses of France famous? Virginie Taittinger, our guest today, is one of those women! ----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin gave us Veuve Clicquot, Louise Pommery invented Brut, and Camille Olry-Roederer understood that celebrity and business go hand-in-hand! Now, Virginie Taittinger has joined the sorority. Her bloodline sparkles. It’s no wonder, as her mother is a Piper-Heidsieck and her father ran Taittinger for 45 years. Trained by the best, Virginie is out on her own, following in those celebrated footsteps, doing what she was born to do - bottling bubbly. After six years aging, it’s time to pop the cork of Virginie Taittinger’s first special cuvée, Champagne Virginie T, a combination of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Not only is her champagne delicious, but the packaging is divine. The red-hot box transforms into an ice bucket. Pop the bottle into the bucket with ice and, when the label turns red, it’s ready to drink! We know that Churchill ‘s drink of choice was his Pol Roger. Maybe if Champagne Virginie T, had been around then, he might have switched camps. Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

15 Nov 201617min

One man in London is tasked with keeping famed actress Gertrude Fogg’s legacy aflame. That man, Filippo Previero joins us today directly from Mr. Fogg’s Tavern in olde New Row, Covent Garden, to explain how her gift to the neighborhood has been charming punters for more than a century. (wink, wink)----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----All of Soho mourned when Gertrude Fogg tread the boards for the very last time. Of course, it was in her nature to think of others, even after she had passed. Thanks to her generous nephew, Phileas (Around the World in 80 Days), her dying wish of transforming her humble Covent Garden flat into a tavern downstairs and a gin parlour upstairs was fulfilled. At least, that’s how Filippo Previero tells the tale. On this week’s podcast, we discover how Filippo found the courage to take the leap onto that mongolfiera, heading west from Italy, to become a master of "Mother’s Ruin" (as gin came to be known in the 18th C) here in Londontown. Beginning his career making Negronis, Filippo was perfect for the task. Filippo reigns over the extensive Gin Parlour at Mr. Fogg’s Tavern. A few brands may have been around since the days of Hogarth, but, with over 300 different gins, they’re not just home-brewed anymore. Ordering a G&T is an art here. Choosing from so many gins could be a bumpy road, but Filippo and his team are there to ease your own voyage of discovery through some of the best gins worldwide. Watch Filippo Previero of Mr. Fogg's Tavern, London make The Hills Are Alive on the Lush Life YouTube channel!Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

8 Nov 201620min

If it hadn’t been for a Mr. Bearsley in 1692, what the heck would we be drinking with our Stilton? Thank goodness, he had the foresight to create Taylor’s and that the world would catch on to the merits of Port. The Head of PR for Taylor’s, Ana Margarida Morgado, let’s us know what they’ve been up to for the past 324 years.----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----I had never sipped port until I was a grad student at Cambridge. Dining Clubs were aplenty and dinner always ended in cheese and port. My college even had its own label! I really felt I had missed out on all those years as an undergrad in the USA, drinking watery beer when Port had been available all the time. Who knew there was a whole culture, full of rules and regulations, surrounding this one drink? It must be decanted, the decanter must be passed to the left and you must never forget to put that said decanter back in its hoggit. I am sure the Brits in 1692 also felt the same way, the first time Port landed on their shores. Mr. Jack Bearsley tapped into that need and we are still enjoying the fruits of his labor so many years later. While in Porto, a visit to the Taylor’s Port Wine cellars is a must. Ana guided me through a short history of the brand, and a description of each of its many offerings: Vintage, Tawny, Late Bottled Vintage, even White! She also answers my burning question, what do the Portuguese eat with Port!? Watch Andy Mil of Cocktail Trading Company, London make a Port Wine Sour with Taylor's Port on the Lush Life YouTube Channel!Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

1 Nov 201619min

Spending years in the hallowed libraries of Oxford pouring over the ins and outs of Quantum Mechanics might lead you to drink! It certainly happened to George Economides. One stag do in Sifnos and his whole world changed from investigating particles in a box to those in a glass. Harking back to his native land of Greece, our guest today is reviving the local spirit, Mastiha, and introducing it to the rest of the world - one cocktail at a time. ----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----George has the hardest time describing the flavor of Mastiha to those who have never tried it - bubble gum, pine, woods, a combo of all. It’s truly tough to pin down to just one word. Tasting is the only way to describe it. “Grown” on the island of Chios in the Northern Aegean, Mastiha has a rather quirky production process. The resin from the tree drops on the ground, hardens and then is collected, cleaned and reconstituted into the nectar that has made its benefits famous throughout history. The list of drinkers range from Hippocrates, the Romans, Columbus, Italian popes, Arabic Sultans and me!. After my first sip with the Cypriot, I was converted. Watch Christian Sirica of Opso, London make a Greek Spritz with Enosis Mastiha on our YouTube channel!Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

25 Okt 201618min

How many times does this happen to you? You are walking down the street dressed in a sari, a man stops you, asks who you are, tells you your bar is his favorite in America and wants to open one in India? Well, it happened to Anne Frey owner of 1 Tippling Place and she is here to tell us more.----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----1 Tippling Place is exactly the way Anne Frey wants it to be. She planned it that way. She longed for a local of her own and now there are going to be two: one in Philadelphia and one in Mumbai. After a trip to the UK, she fell in love with its cocktail culture and thought it would do well in Philadelphia. With help from Robin Honhold, now of White Lyan, and Dave Tang, a protégé of Sasha Petraske of Milk and Honey, she created a bar worthy of its neighborhood, the über-chic Rittenhouse Square. Everything is freshly made – syrups, juices, bitters - and ice is hand-cut! This constant attention to detail has been recognized by Food & Wine (24 Best Cocktail Bars in US), Roca Patron (People's Choice 100 Best Bars in America), Maxim, Chilled and Dujour magazines. (All you Vodka drinkers, don’t worry she has kept it on the menu, unlike a few snobbier places out there.) Now Anne is off to Mumbai again, after a extremely successful pop-up bar, to recreate a 1 Tippling Place in one of the busiest cities in the world. We can’t wait to hear all about it when she returns. Watch Chris Zingler of 1 Tippling Place make his Apple Bottom Gin on out YouTube channel!Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

11 Okt 201617min

When it’s all about the food, how do you make the drinks stand out? Zahav Restaurant and its chef Michael Solomonov have been winning award after award since opening its doors, including finalist for "Outstanding Chef" at the James Beard Awards. As Bar Manager of one of the busiest eateries in the country, it’s Jeff Bartash's job to find out. ----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----I feel like I should already know what Israeli cooking consists of; I certainly eat a whole lot of Lebanese food living in London. It took a trip home to Philadelphia, while researching an article I was writing for Sainsbury's Magazine, to discover what I had been missing: Mezze of salads, hummus, lamb shoulder cooked over hot coals, and more.I, of course, had heard of Zahav, but eating there is a whole different basket of Laffa. Needing a beverage to accompany my salatim, I asked the staff for a suggestion.Next thing I knew, a pitcher of Lemonnana was plonked down on the table. Lemon, Mint & Bourbon...so simple – no wonder it’s the national drink of Israel. Oh, just a slight different between what you might have tasted on the streets of Tel Aviv - Zahav’s version added bourbon to the mix. We sampled the five other signature cocktails that had made it onto the menu, but on my way back to the UK, I was still dreaming of Lemonnana. I just had to meet Jeff Bartash, the man whose job it is to oversee which cocktails make the cut and end up on the list. I learned a whole lot more than I imagined, about, not only Lemonanna, but also their wine list, which includes little known wines from Lebanon and Turkey as well. Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

4 Okt 201619min

Paddington Bear is not the only thing that emerged from the “darkest Peru.” Thankfully, the spirit on everyone’s lips at the moments has made it across the border as well. As the 100th anniversary of the invention of the Pisco Sour is upon us this year, Fabiano Latham is determined to educate everyone on the merits of the most Peruvian of beverages.I met Fabiano for drinks at his former haunt, Chotto Matte, one of the first restaurant/bars in London to serve Nikkei cuisine, accompanied by a slew of Pisco cocktails. Nikkei is actually the term to describe the Japanese diaspora. In this instance, it refers to a particular mode of cooking combining the Japanese influence with the local Peruvian cooking. Eat ceviche and tiridito and you can’t help but think sushi/sashimi. In Fabiano’s opinion, Pisco is the perfect go-with for this delicate food. He fell in love with it early on in his career and can’t help but feel he earns his wings every time someone is charmed, as well. Pisco is basically Peruvian brandy grown by the first 16th century Spanish settlers. It’s clear, sharp and dry - great with the spice and flavor of the local food. Although, greedy Gold Rushers were drinking Pisco Punch in late 19th century San Francisco, the Pisco Sour reigns supreme as the most popular Pisco cocktail. With only four ingredients, Mr. Vaughn Morris, owner of Morris’s Bar in Lima and inventor of the Pisco Sour, created a sensation. One hundred years later, we are toasting to his ingenuity. Fabiano shares a birthday with him - does this mean he was destined to be the UK’s premier Pisco aficionado? Possibly! As more and more Pisco distilleries are introduced upon our shores, it’s good to know we have Fabiano to point us in the right direction. See how Fabiano makes the Chilcano de Tonka at Chotto Matte, London on our Youtube ChannelAlways remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

27 Sep 201623min