Acquired Tastings

Josh and John say hola to some Spanish wines. Josh starts in the west with the Martin Codex 2019 Albariño from Rias Baixas. Josh shares some fried calamari, burrata, cave aged goat cheese, and for the first time ever successfully creates Persian saffron rice with Tahdig. John goes to the red of Rioja, and shares the Herederos del Marques de Riscal 2015 Reserva. We snack on pan con tomate, tortilla...

Josh and John crack open some of their favorite non whiskey sippers. Josh opens and shares the Boulard VSOP Calvados. He serves some Camembert cheese and French onion soup, and between the courses a Frose sorbet from Jeni's ice creams as a palate cleanser. John pours the Flor de Cana 12 year old single estate Rum. His snacks are Central American beans and rice, Pork tamales, and sweet fried planta...

In this episode John and John explore some of the classic Irish beers. Josh cracks open Smithwick's Irish Red and serves up some classics, corned beef, Irish soda bread, and 5 cheese pizza. John pours the Irish favorite Guinness draft from a nito can. He pairs it with fish and chips, and Dubliner Irish cheddar with stout. 

Josh and John dip their toes into the vast wines of the Napa Valley. Josh finds some bubbles and shares the Mumm Napa Brut rose. He finally finds duck and has it, as well as herbed brie and fresh mozzarella with cracked black pepper. John hits one of the main grapes of Napa with the Black Stallion Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. He pairs some Gorgonzola, a brisket sandwich from Count Porkula, and...

On a day when temperatures were spring like, Josh and John sip on some cocktails which remind them of warmer times. Josh shakes up a Kamikaze. He uses Absolut vodka, Solerno blood orange liquor and lime juice. John goes for one of his famous margaritas. This drink packs a punch with Tequila, Damiana, Agavero, and Grand Marnier as well as lime and mixer. They have a good time sipping on these cockt...

Josh and John travel to the Emerald Isle for some water of life. John pours the Powers Gold Label and snacks on Irish Cheddar, shepherds pie, and pecan pie. Josh sips on the Sexton single malt Irish whiskey. His pairings are rare New York Strip steak, 3 meat wood fired pizza, Snickers and Twix. They have fun getting back into whiskey.

Josh and John pucker up and drink some sour beers. John pours the Rogue Marionberry Sour and snacks on hummus with pretzel chips, blackberries, goat cheese, and candied blood oranges. Josh shares the Dogfish Head Sea Quench Ale. His snacks are spaghetti with meatballs, Toulouse sausage, and duck prosciutto.

John and Josh pour out some great American wine from Sonoma California. Josh shared the Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir Rose and some California pairings. His pairing are Humbolt Fog cheese, Tri tip sandwich with speck, and blood orange curd with ginger snap cookies. John finds the Arkansas connection and pours the Cline Pinot Noir. His pairings are bacon wrapped dates, Kansas City style ribs, and cho...

Josh and John take their first trip into the world of vodka. John brings Tito's Handmade Vodka. His pairings are smoked salmon, steak, and vegetarian flatbread. Josh has Absolut vodka with goat's cheese, homemade pierogi, and beef arepas. It was a great tasting for them getting into a new world. 

Getting another stamp in their passport of glasses, Josh and John head to Belgium beers. John starts us off with one of his all time favorite beers; Orval Trappist ale. He goes classical with his pairings of croquettes, steamed muscles, and Belgian chocolate. Josh follows it up with another great beer, St. Bernardus Abt 12. He sticks pretty classic with his pairings of Roquefort cheese, beef stew...

Bonjour! Josh and John pour wines from Bordeaux. John pours, from the left bank of Bordeaux, Chateau Greysac. He pairs with a Camembert toasted sandwich, steak au poivre, a chocolate cookie and chocolate brownies. Josh hops the river and shares the Chateau Tournefeuille from Lalande de Pomerol.  His pairings are goats cheese, Comte cheese, lamb t-bone's with peppers and onions, and two kinds of ma...

Josh and John sip on cocktails which both have similar paths, which got them to NOLA and have histories which deal with the time between the World Wars. John shakes up his spin on Paris Between the Wars. Which features smoky Scotch and Campari. Josh sticks with a classic Sidecar cocktail.  He touches it up with a quarter ounce of blood orange juice. They have a great time talking about how these c...

This week Josh and John sip on some fine Cognac with some special drink ware as well. They also discuss the grading levels and some of the history of this storied region. John pours the Courvoisier VS cognac and snacks on some smoked Gouda, stuffed mushroom caps, and 86% cacao dark chocolate. He drinks his out of etched glass snifters while Josh drinks out of some Pakistani marble snifters. Josh s...

In this special episode Marie joins Josh and John and shares some beers from Seattle. She brings 3 beers from Fremont Brewing which was near where she lived in Seattle. First Josh pairs with their seasonal Festbier Marzen with large soft pretzels with cheese sauce, seared scallops and cheese brats. Marie pairs with a Northwest special, Field to Ferment, Fremont's fresh hopped beer with hummus, app...

Josh and John travel with their glasses to Germany! Yes there is Riesling. Josh pours the 9 year old Selbach-Oster 2011 Riesling Kabinett. This lovely Riesling is paired with spice this week. First up some beef tamales, lamb vindaloo, and hatch green chili Mac and cheese. John pours a surprising red. He shares the 2015 Von Winning Pinot Noir II. This späteburgunder paired great with, pork schnitze...

Happy Christmas eve! In this holiday special Josh and John share their favorite sippers for the holidays. John sips on the Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Nog and has a tray of cookies. On this tray are Mississippi cheese cookies, chocolate pecan tassies, and pecan sandies. Josh pours the Five Farms Irish cream. He goes savory and has bresaola, Dubliner cheese, and puff pastry with sautéed leeks, goat chee...

Another Holiday Special episode. Josh and John share some great Barrel Aged Stouts. John stays local with the Lost 40 Brewery's Nighty Night triple barrel aged Imperial stout. To snack on, he shares Pimento cheese, Sheppard's pie, and cheese brats cooked in beer with caramelized onions. Josh brings the founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS). While they sip on the KBS, they snack on Porketta, Kore...

In this episode Josh and John pop open some champagne, getting ready for the holiday season. Josh brings the grower champagne from Pierre Peter Grand Cru blanc de blanc. For his pairings he has buttered and salted popcorn, goat cheese covered in blue berries, lemon. and thyme, and spicy/salty "braised" pork belly. John shares the Moet and Chandon Rose Imperial champagne and pairs it with baked puf...

Since the whole family was in town we got a special cocktail hour going after Thanksgiving to share with you all. Josh and John were joined by Anne Marie and JoAnne and they each bring a cocktail. John sips on a Scorpion, JoAnne shares a French 75, Marie thinks of the beach and has a Mai Tai.  Josh twists a classic with a Mezcal Rob Roy. They all share stories and have a wonderful time. We hope yo...

We head down Mexico way this week to sip on some Tequila. Josh brings the Espolon blanco Tequila and has steak nachos, kung pow chicken and key lime and salted caramel petit fours. For his tequila John pours the El Jimador reposado and has ceviche, jalapeno cheese dip, and guacamole. Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving! In this special episode Josh and John pair wines for your Thanksgiving meal. We serve some Thanksgiving staples; turkey breast, dressing and gravy, and homemade pecan pie. First up we have the Lucien Albrecht Rose Cremate d'Alsace. Staying in Alsace the white wine we drink is the 2014 Hugel Classic Gewürztraminer. Finally we have the 2020 Nouveau Beaujolais from George DuBeauf....

It's dark beer season and Josh and John dive into Porters. John brings the Founders Porter and has smoked pork tenderloin, spicy chicken wings and Hershey's chocolate pudding cups. Josh pops open the Bell's Porter. For his parings, he brings spicy, whiskey, maple lacquered bacon, coffee, chili rubbed beef tenderloin, and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Its a fun tasting and great pairings. H...

It's time for Josh and John to step out of their comfort zone and sip on some gin. Josh brings the Rock Town Distillery, Barrel Aged Gin, and has some interesting snacks. First, Goat Masala, BBQ pork rinds, and Blueberry Stilton cheese. John brings the Botanist Islay Dry Gin from Scotland.  He has cucumber sandwiches, cranberry goat cheese, and shrimp toast. Josh and John have an interesting tasti...

John and Josh enjoy one of their shared favorite types of beers, Milk Stouts. Josh brings the Left Hand Brewing Nitro Milk Stout. For the pairings he has a sous vide "braised" lamb shank with tomato, balsamic reduction, spicy chicken stir fry, and salted chocolate oatmeal cookies. John shares a beer from his travels, the Milk Stout from Duck-Rabbit Brewing. For his parings he has John's Kansas Cit...

Josh & John join Aaron of The Straight Cut podcast. Josh brings a 346 Rum Negroni; 3 parts Campari, 4 parts sweet vermouth, 6 parts Dilopmatico Manuno Rum. John brings a Blood and Sand; 1-1/2 oz Famous Grouse, 3/4 oz Cherry Liquor, 3/4 oz sweet vermouth, and 3/4 orange juice. The Julius Caeser cigar is paired with the cocktails. Listen at The Straight Cut Podcast number 79.