In this convivial and wide-ranging chat with drinks writer Aaron Goldfarb, author of Gather Around Cocktails, some of the topics we discuss include:
- Aaron's experience writing for major publications in the drinks space beginning in the early 2000s straight through the cocktail renaissance to today, including his recent Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for "Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing."
- The story of Gather Around Cocktails, which started with an Eggnog obsession, and grew into a book that's on a mission to make parties more fun and less lame.
- Of course, we do dig into eggnog a bit - talking about the most important tools and techniques for batching this rich, creamy drink and even some of the surprising ingredients you can use as dietary substitutes (lookin' at you, avocado).
- Then we take a trip around the calendar year, dipping in and out of seasons and occasions for drinking and learning about the little things you can do to crank your most festive occasions to 11.
- We talk about everything from Eric's yearly tradition of wearing tricorn hats and drinking colonial era punch while watching The Patriot every 4th of July to the innovative cocktails that Aaron and others have designed to complement traditional Jewish holidays, which can sometimes be solemn occasions.
- Along the way, we cover why the gimlet is the perfect quarantine drink, how to order a frozen daiquiri in the style of Hunter S. Thompson, and much, much more.
