What We're Drinking with Dan Dunn

On this tropical edition of What We're Drinking with Dan Dunn , we're raising a frosty glass to one of the most beloved and misunderstood cocktails of all time: the mighty piña colada. Joining Dan for the festivities is Haley Traub , National Mixologist for Pernod Ricard and one of the most respected bartenders in America, whose résumé includes legendary New York cocktail institutions Attaboy and...

Summer is officially in session, which means it's time for the 43rd Annual What We're Drinking with Dan Dunn Summer Wine Special. Dan is joined by the podcast's Official Roving Correspondent, Brad Japhe , for a spirited, and occasionally absurd, deep dive into what actually makes a great summer wine. Spoiler alert: it's not just rosé and Sauvignon Blanc. This year's lineup features four exceptiona...

In this cinematic celebration of booze-soaked movie magic, Dan raises a glass to some of the greatest drinking scenes ever captured on film. From iconic barroom moments and legendary party sequences to unexpected liquid-fueled masterpieces, he explores how alcohol has helped create some of cinema's most memorable scenes, whether they're hilarious, heartfelt, chaotic, or downright absurd. Along the...

This week on 3-Minute Bartender , Dan raises a bright-orange toast to one of the world's most popular, and most polarizing, cocktails: the Aperol Spritz . Often dismissed as a frivolous poolside sipper, the Spritz actually boasts a history dating back more than a century, with roots stretching from Austrian soldiers in northern Italy to the sun-drenched piazzas of modern-day Venice. Along the way,...

This week we raise a glass to World Gin Day with a guest who lives and breathes the category: Diana Gettinger, National Brand Ambassador for Cygnet Gin . Together, Dan and Diana dive into the current state of gin, exploring how the spirit has evolved from its London Dry roots into one of the most dynamic and innovative categories in the world of booze. Is the gin boom still booming? What trends ar...

This installment of 3-Minute Bartender takes on one of summer's most beloved wine cocktails: sangria . Dan traces the drink's origins back to Spain and Portugal, where mixing wine with fruit, spices, and other ingredients wasn't so much a culinary innovation as a survival strategy. Along the way, he offers a brief history lesson, explains how sangria exploded in popularity after the 1964 World's F...

Dan kicks things off with a caffeinated love letter to coffee, and specifically to the exceptional blends coming out of Queen Bee Vinyl Café , the coffee company run by his friend Maynard James Keenan . Dan explains why Maynard's coffee venture is much more than a celebrity side hustle and shares a few of his favorite roasts. Then it's time for another installment of History At Work and In The Mak...

This week the booze takes a temporary backseat to something a little more personal. After the sudden loss of his cousin Dennis—more brother than cousin, really—Dan headed back to his hometown of Philadelphia for a celebration of life that became something more: a meditation on grief, family, friendship, and the strange, unsettling way ordinary moments can turn out to be the last ones. Dennis may n...

This week on What We’re Drinking , Dan and roving correspondent Brad Japhe celebrate World Cocktail Day by diving headfirst into a lineup of “Instant Classic Cocktails.” Drinks that may not be household names yet, but absolutely deserve to be. From a Caribbean-leaning spritz built around the newly U.S.-available Rhum Clément V.O. to a bourbon-powered riff on the French 75 featuring Basil Hayden ,...

Dan is joined by winemaker Chase Renton of L’Angolo Estate for a conversation that goes well beyond what’s in the glass. At the center of it is Resilience , a limited-release Willamette Valley Pinot Noir with a powerful mission: 100% of proceeds benefit the Kevin Love Fund , supporting mental health awareness and education. Renton opens up about his personal journey—battling cancer, navigating bur...

Dan sits down with Geoff Whitman —Pearl Jam’s official tour photographer and a seasoned pro in the wine world—to talk about his stunning new book, Pearl Jam ReactRespond . The book captures the band on their Dark Matter tour with a level of intimacy and immediacy that only someone embedded in the inner circle could pull off. Geoff shares what it’s like documenting one of the most iconic bands on t...

Dan reunites with his longtime buddy Zane Lamprey, a man who has somehow turned drinking on camera into a multi-decade career and lived to write about it. Zane joins the show to talk about his new book Glass Half Full , a funny, self-aware look at the highs, lows, and hangovers that come with chasing a dream in the booze business. Along the way, he and Dan swap war stories from the road, talk abou...

This week Dan sits down with Johnny Depp to talk about his newly launched rum brand, Three Hearts . The conversation covers everything from the rich, rebellious history of rum (pirates, privateers, and plenty of bad decisions) to what drew Johnny into the spirits world in the first place. He also makes a compelling case for why dark rum is where the real soul of the category lives—deeper flavor, m...

Dan and Brad Japhe raise a glass to one of the world’s most enduring cocktails in this celebratory deep dive into National Gin & Tonic Day . From its roots as a medicinal mashup of quinine-laced tonic and British gin in colonial India to its modern status as a global go-to refresher, the G&T gets the full treatment—history, technique, and why it still hits like nothing else on a hot day. Then it’s...

March has not exactly been Dan’s month, so in the interest of preserving what was left of his sanity, he headed south to San Diego for a change of scenery and a stiff drink with Trey Zoeller, the founder of Jefferson's Bourbon . Trey was in SD for a pretty wild reason: Jefferson’s has teamed up with Holland America Line to launch a new ocean-aged whiskey project, which involves loading a barrel of...

We took the show to Townhouse in Venice Beach for a live recording with the incomparable William H. Macy and, yeah, he more than delivered. Alongside Brad Japhe , we talk through Bill’s decades-spanning acting career, his involvement with Woody Creek Distillers , and the single best nugget of wisdom he ever got from David Mamet . As a bonus, Bill caps off the night with a few original tunes on the...

In this episode of What We’re Drinking , Dan is joined by Colm O’Connor , Guinness Brewery Ambassador straight out of the legendary Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Together, they dive deep into all things Guinness—its rich history, the craft behind the perfect pour, enduring myths, and why it remains one of the most iconic beers on the planet. With St. Patrick’s Day upon us, Colm shares how the hol...

In this St. Patrick’s Day–themed episode, Dan is joined by esteemed spirits writer Brad Japhe for a deep dive into the rich history and remarkable resurgence of Irish whiskey. Tasting their way through five standout expressions— Jameson Triple Triple, Redbreast Moscatel Wine Cask Edition, Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy, Green Spot, and Powers Gold Label —the two explore what makes each bottle uniq...

Jon Taffer is back, and this time he’s raising hell in honor of Season 10 of Bar Rescue . The hospitality hitman joins me to talk about a decade of blowups, breakdowns, and barstool breakthroughs, what still shocks him after all these years, and why so many owners keep screwing up the same fundamentals. We get into the psychology of failing bars, the art (and science) of turning them around under...

This week on What We’re Drinking with Dan Dunn , we welcome one of the true mad scientists of the spirits world: Alexandre Gabriel , founder and master blender of Maison Ferrand . Our main focus is the release of Batch No. 2 of Planteray Mister Fogg Navy Rum , a bold, high-seas-inspired expression that channels the swagger, strength, and storytelling tradition of classic Navy rum. Alexandre walks...

National Margarita Day falls on February 22nd, and we’re celebrating accordingly at WWD Headquarters. On this special episode, Dan is joined by Margarita Time author Caroline Pardilla and spirits expert Brad Japhe for a deep dive into America’s most beloved tequila cocktail, and the agave spirits that make it all possible. We break down why the Margarita remains endlessly popular, deceptively simp...

Essential Mardi Gras Cocktails is a spirited, history-soaked romp through New Orleans drinking culture, with Dan joined by WWD’s official roving correspondent Brad Japhe and Abigail Gullo , Bar Director at Loa and a James Beard Award semifinalist. Together, they trace the roots of Mardi Gras itself before diving deep into the cocktails that define the season and the city: the Hurricane, Ramos Gin...

Dan and roving correspondent Brad Japhe dive into The Wonders of Italian Wine , spotlighting standout pours from Luca Bosio Vineyards and Bel Colle, including a lineup of single-vineyard Barbaresco and Barolo. Along the way, they unpack what makes Bel Colle’s celebrated Monvigliero and Bussia Grand Cru holdings so special, and explore how Luca Bosio blends generations of vineyard know-how with mod...

The episode opens with Dan getting candid about the weird emotional math of making a weekly podcast—and creative work in general—when the world feels like it’s perpetually on fire. He talks through the balancing act: staying engaged, staying human, and still showing up to do the job without pretending everything’s fine. From there, Dan shifts gears to something grounding and familiar: his friend a...

On this edition of What We’re Drinking with Dan Dunn , Dan sits down with writer, cultural agitator, and longtime professional pundit Joel Stein for a conversation that cuts straight through wine, journalism, mortality, and modern American weirdness. Dan and Joel talk frankly about the sad, shrinking state of journalism. What it used to be, what it’s become, and why so many writers now find themse...