Designated Drinker Show

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Sangria That Will Make You Sing & Dance After spending time with—and being mentored by—some of the “giants” from the Civil Rights Movement, Xina has dedicated her life’s work to fighting for racial equality. In 2018, she established UNMUTE, an initiative that arms the workforce with tools to foster those tough-to-have, yet desperately needed, conversations around...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Sparking Peach Cobbler We are baring it all on this epi with Julie Socher, a crazy talented boudoir photographer on a mission to empower her subjects in order to bring out their inner beauty and confidence. She shares the methods behind her process of creating truly breathtaking portraits that captures the strength and femininity of her clients. Her body of work r...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Happy As A Lark We were happy as a lark to have Jim Rivers, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology at OSU and author of “Don’t Worry, Birds Won’t Become Dependent on You Feeding Them, Says Study,” as this week’s Designated Drinker. Jim comes a wealth of knowledge on our feather friends and shares his appreciation for nature which was what fueled his journey into...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Stoned Paloma On this epi with Victoria Pustynsky, we are getting fancy, dance-y and just a bit sparkly, as she introduces us to her Aurora X Artet—a delicious hemp-infused spritz that is as delicate as it is delicious. Victoria’s journey into the world of spirits started when she entered the hospitality industry which would eventually inspire her dive head first...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: A-No. 1 Things get a bit curious on this epi with John Wiseman, the President of Curious Elixirs. It’s easy to see how his background in marketing combined with years spent in the hospitality industry have influenced his latest venture into crafting booze-free cocktails. Driven by the belief that non-alcoholic drinks should be unusually delicious, well-crafted and...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Sweet Bourbon Iced Tea In this week’s epi, meet Jeannine Ingenito an ancestry and spirit enthusiast. As the chapter regent of her local Daughters of the American Revolution group she found much more than just revolutionists in her lineage; everyone from witches to patriots to murderers. Discovering her own spirits led her to be interested in another kind of spirit...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: After School Special In this epi, meet Colin Blake—a photographer turned Spirit Educator for Moonshine University. He has found his passion in the world of spirits teaching novices and experts, alike. If you want to learn how to get your own distillery up and running, enjoy a bourbon or take a sensory training course, Colin’s your man. His are best kind of classes...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Mango Mimosa In this epi, meet Georgia Dunn, who’s mission to preserve her family’s ginger beer recipe led to the British West Indies Trading Company. What pasta sauce is to Italy, ginger beer is to the Caribbean—where every family has their own secret recipe. She found her passion in an age-old recipe, which reminds us that inspiration can come from anywhere. Che...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Mindful Rose In this epi, meet the cocktail wizard, Pam Wiznitzer, a powerful creative force in the cocktail scene. She may just have started out taking a bartending class to score free booze but she quickly found her destiny behind the stick. After losing her day-walker job in the ‘08 recession, she quickly climbed the ranks and became Pam the “Wiz,” a leading ro...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Nearest Perfection   Uncle Nearest Whiskey pairs well with a great story and an even better story teller. In this epi, our guest—Mac Newell, the Director of Digital Content and Engagement for Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey—regales us with the back-story of Tennessee Whiskey and the best way to enjoy a two finger pour. If Gina is taking notes, you know this is a de...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Crush it   In this epi, meet Milan–founder of the Free Spirits Company–an ad-exec and avid cocktail fan turned alcohol-free spirit creator. As an emerging leader in the alcohol free-spirits industry, he helps keep the party going while giving us more interesting options to reduce how much alcohol we drink. So go ahead and order another round of your favorite cockt...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Vegan Whiskey Sour   In this epi, meet the “Night Mayor,” Alexandria City Councilman John T. Chapman, who proves that politics do not always need to be a nightmare. He earned the title “Night Mayor” by supporting the growing economy of the food and beverage industry. Not one to be idle, his passion for education led him to start the Manumission Tour Company, whic...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Spicy Mezcal Mule JoAnn is an avid traveler and foodie who writes about her adventures on her blog and a published author of the travel guide “Secret Washington, DC: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.” On this epi, she tells of forgotten women in our nation’s capital history and DC’s more spicy and saucy stories. #CocktailingAloneTogether and then head...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Soulful Danny is not only a chef and co-owner of popular Korean restaurants Mandu, Anju, and CHIKO but has become a “relentless” voice against racism. He is driving conversations, raising awareness and inspiring youth through his support of EmbraceRace, a non-profit helping parents explain race to children. And who wouldn’t support that? #CocktailingAloneTogether...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Let’s Get Seltzy If you’re looking for Max, chances are he’s either fly fishing, brewing beer or fermenting hard seltzer. As the brew master of Roadhouse Brewing, he’s always aiming for new heights, never settling for average and pushing past failure. And the proof is in the can. #CocktailingAloneTogether and then head over to our library of libations to find anot...

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Maybe or Maybe Not Chocolate Float From serving as an naval officer on the US George Washington Aircraft Carrier, to graduating from George Washington Law School to handcrafting delicious treats in George Washington’s hometown, Thereasa proves a life lived with purpose and passion only gets better when you add chocolate. Well, and that you can never have enough “g...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Brandy Shandy & Washington’s Gin Rickey We are going through a time warp on this episode. Lisa shares all that’s currently happening at The Betsy Ross House—the only historic site dedicated to telling the stories of working-class colonial women and their contribution to our nation’s early days. While Betsy Ross, yes Betsy Ross, tells us what it was like to be a w...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Southern Lady They say politics can lead one to drink, and Hannah proves it true—well, it’s more like politics drove her into the world of distilling. She may have come to New Riff with little or no experience in distilling, but by leaning on her years of experience running political campaigns, managing non-profit organizations and her go-getter approach to life,...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Rescue Me Starting a walking tour business in the midst of a worldwide pandemic may seem crazy to most, but for Katie, she saw it as an opportunity to bring new perspectives to DC’s past and to encourage us to explore the fascinating neighborhoods that are just “off the Mall.” With a promise to educate and entertain while she introduces us to the hidden history o...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Rescue Me Evidence shows interacting with pets can have a profound effect on us. Simply petting a friendly animal can change our oxytocin and beta endorphin levels, which can reduce our overall stress. So, if you are looking for a pet that will surely steal your heart—and maybe a slipper or two—then contact your local shelter. If you happen to be the Alexandria,...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Perfecto Martini Research shows when we give to others, we experience more happiness than when we receive. Which goes to prove, generosity is an act that is both selfless and selfish—but either way, the world is a better place for it. As the executive director of Carpenter’s Shelter, Shannon shares how his organization is striving to make a difference and gives u...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Cooler Than You Theresa’s recipe for success? Passion, persistence and dedication, all topped with a dash of chutzpah. Theresa’s love for all things culinary has faithfully led her through her field of studies, influenced her personal travels and guided her career path which ultimately led her to her current position as a curator at one of our National’s gems, th...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Salt of the Earth If you appreciate a perfectly barrel-aged spirit, then you should truly appreciate the work that Clint and his team at The Conservation Fund do to to conserve forests which provide the wood essential in barrel production. We like to call that, “pouring it forward.” #CocktailingAloneTogether and want more delicious cocktail recipes that can help...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Blushing After finishing restaurateur rehab, Mike joined DC Central Kitchen in 2004. Since then, it has grown from a $2.5 million dollar / 30-person staff organization to a $19 million dollar organization employing more than 170 people. And with all the innovations, new development and soon-to-open headquarters and social enterprise center, they are projected to...

Get the featured cocktail recipes: Tavern Rum Punch 1748 Steve takes us on a trip through history by pouring the old ways of the New World into our glasses. As the Dir of Historic Trades at good ole’ GW’s Mount Vernon Estate, Steve oversees the production of spirits at George Washington's Distillery, where 18th-century methods and recipes are used to create rye whiskey, as well as peach and apple...