Designated Drinker Show

Get the featured cocktail recipe: "Schuler or Shouldn’t I?" and "Classic Pisco Sour" Heralded as the world’s foremost Pisco expert, Johnny has led the way in revitalizing interest in Peru’s native spirit. He is the master distiller for Hacienda La Caravedo and as an ambassador for pisco, he has dedicated much of his life to setting industry standards for excellence and has traveled throughout Peru...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Buzzworthy  Learn a little more about us, as we host our first live audience at AAF-DC’s AM Buzz. We are talking about podcasting with Brendan Monaghan, the CEO of Panoply Media, a premium podcasting company that produces original shows, curates digital audio content and operates Megaphone, an industry-leading technology platform for podcast creators and advertise...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: The Mason Jar In 2017, for the first time ever, Bon Appetit named a sandwich shop America's BEST RESTAURANT. Yes. A sandwich shop. And once you've tried one (or 10, who would blame you?) of Mason Hereford's culinary masterpieces, you totally understand why. What's even better is Mason's fun-loving personality and the importance he places on employee happiness. For...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Summer Cobbler Meet the mastermind chef behind Union Market, DC’s premier high-end food emporium. Richie’s career has taken him to the far corners of the globe. He’s perfected his talents in some of the most demanding restaurants in New Orleans, New York, Colorado, San Francisco, London and even, the Isle of Man. His journey proves that the combination of talent a...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: In Da Coconut Club From being crowned Grand Champion on the Food Network’s Chopped to opening his own restaurant, Adam shares his story of trials and tribulations and how he tries to have a good laugh along the way. The focus, patience and persistence he needed to beat out top-notch competitors maybe be nothing compared to the permitting and licensing process he’s...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Berry, Berry Bramble It’s not a stretch to say that Marcella Kriebel has always been an artist and foodie. Her collection of watercolors and illustrated cookbooks reflect her love for both. After graduating with majors in both Studio Art and Cultural Anthropology, it is easy to see how her background was a springboard for journaling and cooking in countless privat...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: An Italian Gentlemen Riding His Bike Through The Piazza & Classic Gin Rickey Check-out part 2 of our Summer Time Splendor Spectacular in Old Town Alexandria. The boozy banter and sipping summertime refreshers continues with some very talented bartenders from this historic gem. In this episode, meet Chris Bassett of Myron Mixon's Pitmaster BBQ and Mike Saccone and...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Rickey's Summer Remedy & International Affair Check-out part 1 of our Summer Time Splendor Spectacular in Old Town Alexandria. We are hanging out with some very talented bartenders at some of the best cocktail bars in this historic colonial town. In this episode, meet John Schott of The People's Drug and Alex Taylor of Hank's Oyster Bar in Old Town Alexandria. Joh...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: So Fresh and So Clean, Clean Jamie Leeds is one of DC’s most-highly recognized chefs and restaurateurs due to her wildly successful restaurants, her very active role in the community and her 30 plus years of inspiring culinary experience in NYC and DC. In May 2005, she opened her first Hank’s Oyster Bar and began serving what she termed “Urban Beach Food.” Now, af...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Black Hole Sun & Matcha to Love About Summer Welcome to our first Summertime Splendor Spectacular episode. Since the days are getting longer and the nights warmer, we are serving up some special episodes filled with recipes that promise to refresh and delight. We're bringing along a few friends to mix it up with, so sit back, enjoy the boozy banter and get ready t...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Island Hopper In 2005, Garrett and his then girlfriend and now wife, Malanie Oxley, opened Maui Brewing as a small single brew-pub restaurant that served its own locally brewed beer. Today, things are slightly different. They have been named America’s #1 small business, employee over 400 people and are projected to earn over $20 million in sales in 2018. Talk abou...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Baby Fireflies, Complete With Lumens Nearly a thousand years ago, the first Polynesians set sail for the Hawaiian Islands using only the stars for navigation. With them they brought select varieties of Kō – or as we know it, sugarcane. And thankfully they did, because today, Manulele Distillers are crafting their Kōhana Hawaiian Agricole Rums using the descendants...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Your Melons Are Showing Tiffany’s journey has taken her to the far edges of the United States. No really. Born and raised on Maui, Tiffany moved to New York City where her love affair with food began. After attending the culinary arts program at the Institute of Culinary Education, she went on to become an award-winning pastry chef creating delightful treats at so...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: #aCreativeTeaTime If you need a jolt of creativity, look no further. Morgan is the founder and director of the A Creative DC project. Nylon Magazine has referred to her online projects as "a virtual clubhouse [representing] D.C.'s creative class," and she has contributed online voice and visuals to the DC creative scene since founding the city's first street style...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: One-Off Julep At the crossroads of passion and obsession, you will find Bill Thomas. In 2011, Bill opened Jack Rose Dining Saloon which boasts more than 2,700 different expressions, making it the largest publicly available whisk(e)y collection in the Western Hemisphere. With more than 20 years in spirit industry, he is considered one of the foremost authorities on...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Really, I Wear Pink For Candiace, the many steps she’s taken across the stages of the pageant world have prepared her for the reality of being a cast member of The Real Housewives of Potomac. She may come in a petite package, but don’t underestimate the power of her contagious positive energy and zest for life. We have no doubt she’s about to be crowned queen, onc...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: It's Not Remotely Austrian So, if you combine a bit of wacky, a dash of ADHD, a lot of creativity, and then top it off with some unstoppable entrepreneurship, you would get this kooky high-energy team. Sebastian has been behind some of the most successful restaurants in DC and continues to win over the most sophisticated of palettes with his newest venture, Primro...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: VJOP Redux: Big Island Red Snapper (Part 2 of 2) In this two-part episode, we meet Jared Brown. To say his life journey is awe-inspiring is an understatement. He has: rubbed elbows with the likes of Julia Child and the Dalai Lama; at the ripe old age of 11 years, experimented with liqueur distilling; written countless books and traveled many a mile with his wife,...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Big Island Red Snapper In this two-part episode, we meet Jared Brown. To say his life journey is awe-inspiring is an understatement. He has: rubbed elbows with the likes of Julia Child and the Dalai Lama; at the ripe old age of 11 years, experimented with liqueur distilling; written countless books and traveled many a mile with his wife, and even worked at the Rai...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Rosie Likes Whisky, too On this episode, we meet Erika Goergen and learn how life sometimes has a few surprises in store. Paths can be set, but often that journey may go left when you thought you were destined to go right, up when down was what you expected and can even throw in a 180 which pushes you into a whole new direction. For Erika, this journey has made he...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Final Countdown Cocktail Which Comes With Buddha's Advice, “Swim In Every Ocean” Yes, being queen is good but remembering we only rise by lifting others is what makes us great. Rachel Sergi may be a master behind the bar but what she created has made her a true legend. She has developed not just a competition that challenges, champions and celebrates female barten...

Get the featured cocktail recipe" "Full of PRIDE" Mule Building a success business from the ground up is admirable but never forgetting to help others along the way and changing the world for the better is downright is inspiring. DC Brau is one of DC’s leading breweries and their continued support of SMYAL and the Washington Blade Foundation through their Pride Pils campaign proves that greatness...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Pinky + Brainzerac An idea might be great but without direction, it is destined to wither on the vine. Focus and force without purpose is lost energy. But when those things come together, you just might have a perfect storm on your hands. This dynamic duo proves this theory to be true. As experts in the beverage industry, they identified a simple problem, develope...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Lady Liberty If you look up perpetual motion in the dictionary, you’re likely to find a picture of Elyse Braner. Not only is she the co-chair of Women Who Whiskey-DC, she leads a local running group, volunteers as an elementary school track coach, ran 8 marathons last year, holds down a full-time job in marketing and events planning, and is also a brand ambassador...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Hey There, Sailor From creating craft cocktails to distilling spirits as a managing partner at Jos A. Magnus & Co. Distillery, Designated Drinker, Nicole Hassoun's journey is rather inspiring. She continues to break barriers as she focuses her talents on producing vodka, award-winning gins, as well as other contract spirits. She continually looks for new projects...