Three Questions, Three Drinks with Chris Mikolay

HIGH SCHOOL REUNIONS! 30 years ago, Amanda Adams, Matthew Jordan and Chris Mikolay matriculated from the same suburban high school. Fast forward three decades and they're now slugging back beers large and small (literally) while unpacking their 30 year high school reunion. Do people change as they age? Do social hierarchies still matter after decades have gone by? And how, exactly, should one prepare themselves for a pending reunion? Well, pull up a barstool and join another lively conversation that proves - while time has certainly passed - great questions and great drinks remain as cool as ever. DRINKS IN THIS EPISODEBLOOD RAIN BELGIAN GOLDEN ALE >> Erie Brewing Company. Best served from an absurdly large can as you wonder where the last 30 years went.BOULEVARDIER COCKTAIL >> 1½ oz bourbon, 1 oz Campari, 1 oz sweet vermouth. Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass, garnish with orange peel. Like a Negroni that grew up, got nostalgic, and switched to bourbon.LIL BUDDY LAGER >> Hopewell Brewing (Chicago). An adorably tiny 8-oz can of crisp, easy-drinking lager at 4.2% ABV. Perfect for pacing yourself as you recall the halcyon days of your youth, only to realize those days are long gone and you'll need three more Lil Buddies immediately. If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.  Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

RESOLUTIONS! A new year has arrived, which means it’s time to make bold promises you’ll quietly abandon by mid-January. But fret not: Chris, Amanda and Matt have returned from a long podcasting hiatus with 3 drinks and a plan to ensure 2026 is your best year ever. Unfortunately, things quickly fall apart after Amanda pours a drink laden with half a stick of butter while admitting she has no ability to track her schedule. Matt then attempts to raise the conversational IQ by questioning whether it’s harder to start a good habit or to break a bad one, but the group instead fixates on Amanda’s Cheez-It addiction. If you’re looking to start 2026 in style, look no further than this latest episode of the 3 Questions, 3 Drinks podcast.  DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:HOT BUTTERED RUM >> 1 oz dark rum, 1 tbsp butter, 1–2 tsp brown sugar, Hot water, Nutmeg (for garnish). Add butter and brown sugar to a mug. Pour in rum and top with hot water (less than you think). Stir until melted. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Best enjoyed on a snowy day, preferably while questioning your life choices. WATERSHED BOURBON >> Watershed Distillery Uncut, Unfiltered Straight Bourbon. Pour two fingers worth of bourbon over ice (or enjoy neat if you’re feeling brave). Sip slowly while running your fingers through your newfound chest hair. MARTINEZ COCKTAIL >> 1½ oz Dingle Gin, 1 ½ oz sweet vermouth, 1 tsp maraschino liqueur (Luxardo preferred), 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel and/or a Cheez-It.If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.  Follow our social sites here:Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=enFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

MORTALITY. After a jarring family event flips his world upside down, Chris confronts some of life’s biggest questions: What does it mean to live knowing our time is finite? How do we find purpose in the face of our own impermanence? And can confronting death actually teach us to live more fully? Joined by 3Q3D regulars Amanda Adams and Matt Jordan, this conversation about life’s ultimate deadline proves delightfully refreshing – just like the 3 cocktails shared by the group.DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE: Chambord Old Fashioned >> 2 oz Bulleit rye whiskey, ¼ oz Chambord, ¼ oz simple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and serve over one large ice cube. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry and drink like your heart condition is 100% genetic. Mint Watermelon Fizz cocktail >> 4 oz watermelon juice (blend several cups of watermelon chunks in a blender and strain out any pulp); 1 oz Vodka, ½ oz mint simple syrup. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and pour into a rocks glass with crushed ice and top with a splash of soda water. Garnish with a mint sprig and freshly cut slice of watermelon. Congratulations, by eating fruit you just made a heart healthy decision!Southside Cocktail >> 5 muddled mint leaves, I oz lemon juice, 2 oz gin, ½ oz simple syrup. Muddle mint leaves with lemon, add gin and simple syrup, shake on ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with mint sprig and enjoy one of summer’s most refreshing cocktails while pondering your own mortality.If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.  Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

MONEY & WEALTH! Chris kicks Episode 92 off with a (clearly very legitimate) pyramid scheme sales pitch to Amanda and Matt, who prove, yet again, that there's a sucker born every minute. But the talk quickly shifts to hard-hitting money truths—childhood lessons we ignored, what “F-you money” really means, Rockefeller’s quip about craving “just a little bit more,” and how ego sabotages our savings. Along the way, Amanda reveals her Cadbury Egg obsession knows no budget, Matt dreams of cruising in a Saab 900, and Chris suggests tipping valet drivers with $2 bills like a benevolent Bond villain. DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:CLASSIC DAQUIRI >> 2 oz light rum, 1 oz fresh lime juice, ¾ oz simple syrup. In a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously until well-chilled, strain into a coupe, and enjoy this bright, citrusy nod to Hemingway, JFK, and warm spring nights.THE WHITE LADY>> 2 oz gin, ¾ oz triple sec (or Cointreau), ¾ oz lemon juice, 1 egg white. Dry shake, then shake with ice, strain into a coupe. The once-maligned White Lady gets her long-overdue redemption.MINT JULEP >> 2 oz Four Roses bourbon, ½ oz demerara simple syrup, Fresh mint (muddled + garnish). Muddle the mint with the demerara syrup in the bottom of a Julep glass and then discard the mint. Pour in the bourbon, stir, and then pack the glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and serve with a metal straw. Enjoy the official cocktail of the Kentucky Derby while making a reckless bet on the longshot to win it all.If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.  Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE! These days, AI is all the rage, but it’s also fueling more late-night doomscrolling than many care to admit. Whether we like it or not, though, Artificial Intelligence is no longer the stuff of science fiction — it’s here, it’s evolving faster than we are, and in some unsettling ways, it feels like we’ve begun teaching rocks to think (what could go wrong?). On the bright side, the rocks in 3Q3D’s cocktail glasses are still cold, and the conversation – at least for now – still involves real people. While Chris Mikolay appears to welcome our new AI overlords, noted technophobe and hunter-gatherer enthusiast Amanda Adams assumes Episode 91's hosting duties, leading the trio down a dark and winding path that questions how AI is reshaping creativity, education, relationships, and perhaps, what it even means to be human. DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:BABY GUINNESS SHOT >> 1 oz Kahlúa; 1/2 oz Baileys Irish Cream (floated carefully on top). Pour the Kahlúa into a shot glass. Using the back of a spoon, carefully float the Baileys on top to create a layered – and nearly perfect – deep fake of a miniature Guinness.PERFECT MANHATTAN COCKTAIL >> 2 oz rye whiskey; 1/2 oz sweet vermouth; 1/2 oz dry vermouth; 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass and garnish with a Luxardo cherry or a lemon twist. A classic cocktail that pairs perfectly with a Cadbury Egg (or 3).PINK GIN COCKTAIL >> 2 oz Dingle Gin (or any London dry gin); 2–3 dashes Angostura bitters. Add gin and bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir gently and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist if desired.Simple, sophisticated, and tinged with just enough mystery — fitting for a conversation about our AI future.  If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.  Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

BIG, DIFFICULT, FASCINATING QUESTIONS (THAT WE’LL HAVE TO FACE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE). It seems only fitting that Matt Jordan – with his genetically perfect beard – should assume command of the USS 3Q3D for a conversation that tackles the toughest bioethical questions of our not-at-all distant future. Joined as usual by Amanda Adams and Chris Mikolay, the group wastes no time discussing whether we ought to genetically enhance our children, the second and third order consequences of dramatically increasing lifespans, and whether it’s a good idea to implant a computer chip in our heads to make us a whole lot smarter. The questions are as good as the drinks (and in this episode, the drinks are *chef’s kiss*), and resulting conversation is so strong that it’s hard to believe it wasn’t held by superhumans from the future.      Drinks in this Episode: Last Word coctkail >> 3/4 ounce gin; 3/4 ounce green Chartreuse; 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur; 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed; Garnish: brandied cherry (optional). Add the gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and enjoy on your spaceship to Mars.  Sakura Sunrise cocktail >> 1 ½ ounce Roku gin; ½ ounce simple syrup; ¾ ounce grapefruit juice; ½ ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed; splash of St. Germain; 3 dashes Lavender bitters. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a coupe. Enjoy it anywhere, but ideally at a fancy bar on the North Shore of Hawaii so you can humblebrag about it later during a podcast recording.  Lemon Drop cocktail >> 2 ounces vodka; 1/2 ounce triple sec; 1 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 1 ounce simple syrup. Garnish: sugar rim. Coat the rim of a cocktail glass with sugar and set aside (do this a few minutes ahead so the sugar can dry and adhere well to the glass). Add the vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass, take a sip, and immediately declare how much you enjoyed Lemonheads as a kid.  If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

STYLE! (Part 2). In the final installment of a special two-part series on Style, serious style is apparently found at…Costco? While Chris begs to differ, Matt makes a case for a closet full of Kirkland Signature and – provided Roman chic someday makes a comeback – at least one quality toga. Clearly, the 3Q3D crew is not afraid to break all the rules as they arrive for this second serving of style with a fresh batch of questions (including a frenetic lightning round finale) and 3 new drinks that are as varied (and, in one instance, as regrettable) as the style trends discussed. You may regret your style decisions of years past, but you won’t regret listening to this classic episode of 3Q3D!Drinks in this Episode: Bâtonnet cocktail  >> 1 part cognac, 4 parts white wine, 5 parts tonic; 2 cinnamon sticks. Mix cognac, white wine and tonic in a tumbler with ice and pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and, like a Hefty bag of old clothes you’ll be donating to Goodwill, forget this drink ever existed.  Classic Martini (Stirred, not shaken) >> 2 1/2 oz vodka; 1/2 oz dry vermouth (spring for the good vermouth, you’ll thank us); 1 dash orange bitters. Garnish: lemon twist. Add the vodka, dry vermouth and orange bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until very well-chilled, about 20 to 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon twist and go ahead, buy that fancy Costco dress shirt you’ve been eyeing. YOU DESERVE IT.   Jack Rose Cocktail >> 1 1/2 oz applejack or apple brandy; 3/4 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 1/2 oz grenadine; Garnish: lemon twist. Add the applejack, lemon juice and grenadine into a shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled. Fine-strain into a coupe glass, garnish with a lemon twist and no, that pair of Air Jordan’s doesn’t make you look cool. It makes you look like a middle-aged Dad wearing Air Jordan’s.    If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

STYLE! (Part 1). In the first of a special 2-episode double feature, Fashion Week has made its way to 3Q3D headquarters and the drinks aren’t the only thing in vogue. Amanda, Matt and Chris have upped their sartorial game, arriving to the studio dressed to the nines and ready to pour cocktails that are as elegant as their names (Tuxedo No. 2, where have you been all our lives?!). The group wonders whether fashion’s future is formal or if it’s cooler to be comfortable, how much we ought to cultivate our own personal style, and why a woman might worry about the size of her knees. Get ready for your turn on the catwalk, 3Q3D Nation, and welcome to a very stylish conversation.  Drinks in this Episode: Tuxedo No. 2 Cocktail  >> 1/4 oz absinthe, to rinse; 2 1/4 oz Plymouth gin, 1/2 oz blanc (Bianco) vermouth, 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur, 4 dashes orange bitters. Garnish: orange twist and brandied cherry. Rinse a chilled cocktail glass with the absinthe and discard any excess. Add all other ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass, garnish with a brandied cherry and an orange twist. Sipping a tuxedo while wearing a tuxedo is optional, but never a bad idea.    Brandy Alexander Cocktail >> 1 1/2 oz cognac, 1 oz dark creme de cacao, 1 oz cream. Garnish: grated nutmeg. Add cognac, dark creme de cacao and cream into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or a coupe glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and try to suppress the urge to drink 4 in rapid succession.  Chelsea Sidecar >> 2 oz gin, ¾ oz Cointreau, ½ oz fresh lemon juice. Rub the rim of a chilled cocktail glass with a lemon peel. In a cocktail shaker with ice, shake the ingredients vigorously and then strain into the prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist and    If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=enFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

WINTER SURVIVAL TIPS. With over a foot of fresh fallen snow blanketing 3Q3D headquarters in Northeast Ohio, Amanda, Matt and Chris wonder why they live in a locale with such harsh winter conditions. However, as the drinks go down and the conversation warms up, the group looks at the bright side of shorter days and colder nights, debates which animal has winter figured out (hibernate like a bear, or fly south like a bird?), and reminds listeners to keep that moisturizer nearby. So get out of the cold and join the conversation – all are welcome to hunker down in the 3Q3D igloo.DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:  CLEVELAND WHISKEY COMPANY CHRISTMAS BOURBON >> Pour 2 fingers of this spice flavored bourbon over a large cube and enjoy next to a roaring fire on a cold winter night.  MARY PICKFORD COCKTAIL >> 1 ½ oz white rum, 1 ½ oz unsweetened pineapple juice, 1 tsp Luxardo liqueur, ¼ tsp grenadine. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe glass, serve with a Luxardo cherry, and with the moxie of Mary Pickford now filling you up, walk out into that winter storm and show it who’s boss.  MAI TAI COCKTAIL >>  1 ½ oz white rum; ¾ oz orange curaçao; ¾ oz lime juice, freshly squeezed, ½ oz orgeat, ½ oz dark rum, lime wheel and mint sprig. Add the white rum, curaçao, lime juice and orgeat into a shaker with crushed ice and shake lightly (about 3 seconds). Pour into a double rocks glass. Float the dark rum over the top. Garnish with a lime wheel and mint sprig and be instantly transported out of the cold and into a Polynesian tiki hut (or, perhaps, a hotel bar in Oakland, California, where the mai tai was born).If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC ABOUT AMERICA? Despite recording from a sun-drenched back patio on a postcard perfect Autumn afternoon, anxiety is running high among the 3Q3D crew. This year, October’s beauty is bittersweet, with red and blue political signs competing with Fall’s glorious oranges and golden yellows - and raising the nation’s collective blood pressure. But is everything truly terrible, as Matt initially suggests? Or is America making a slow and often imperceptible march toward a brighter future, as the ever-optimistic Chris seems to believe? As the team explores both the pessimistic and optimistic sides of America (and the future of humanity), one thing is for sure: today’s drinks pair perfectly with Fall, and in true 3Q3D fashion, this conversation gets better with every sip.*  *This message was NOT written by ChatGPT. (Or was it??!)  DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:  APPLEJACK RABBIT >> 2 oz bonded apple brandy; 3/4 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 3/4 oz orange juice, freshly squeezed; 1/2 oz grade B maple syrup. Add the apple brandy, lemon juice, orange juice and maple syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. This refreshing drink makes a delightful companion in voting booths everywhere.  MAPLE WHISKEY SOUR >> 2 oz whiskey; 1 egg white* (optional); 1 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice; 3/4 oz maple syrup; 2–3 shakes Angostura bitters (optional). If using the egg white, add whiskey and egg white to a cocktail shaker and vigorously shake for 15-20 seconds until the egg white is very frothy.  (If not using the egg white, you can skip this step.) Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, bitters (if using) and a handful of ice to the shaker, and shake for a few seconds to combine and chill the drink.  Have your robot butler strain and serve immediately in a glass over ice while you enjoy the latest movie on your Apple Vision Pro glasses, just as Amanda would prefer.  RUSTY NAIL >> 1 1/2 oz scotch; 3/4 oz Drambuie; Add the scotch and Drambuie into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube and toast to our new AI overlords.  If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.  Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

RISK, RANDOMNESS & DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY.Caspar Berry has led many lives, from screenplay writer, actor and director, to professional poker player, poker commentator and renowned keynote speaker. He also once served as the poker coach to Daniel Craig and the actors in Casino Royale, and beyond coaching others to merely look like they know how to gamble, Caspar believes there are parallels between poker strategies and navigating life’s uncertainties. So ante up for an unusually spirited episode of the 3 Questions, 3 Drinks podcast, where Chris toasts Caspar from across the Atlantic to explore the complexities of decision-making, risk, and the role randomness and luck play in our lives.*Listeners Note* I apologize for the uneven sound quality during this episode as it was recorded via a Teams call between two continents. Next time I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t sound like we’ve both fallen into a well.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:  WHITE RUSSIAN COCKTAIL >> 2 oz vodka; 1 oz Kahlúa; 1 oz heavy cream. Add the vodka and Kahlúa to a rocks glass filled with ice, top with the heavy cream, and stir. Best enjoyed while playing Blackjack in the high stakes room at the Bellagio.  VESPER MARTINI >> 3 oz Gordon’s Dry gin, 1 oz vodka; 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc aperitif; Garnish: lemon twist. Add the gin, vodka and Lillet blanc into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 20–30 seconds, until ice cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Express the oils from a lemon twist over the drink, rub the twist along the rim of the glass and drop it into the cocktail. Remember that this drink is best shaken, not stirred.GODFATHER COCKTAIL >> 2 oz blended Johnny Walker Red scotch; 1/4 oz amaretto. Fill a mixing glass 2/3 full of ice. Add the scotch and amaretto and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice for an offer you can’t refuse.   If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

TRAVEL & VACATION TIPS! Before you pack your bags and load up the station wagon, make sure to download 3Q3D’s long list of summer travel tips. From why it’s okay to spend every morning away from your vacation companions, to proper picture taking techniques (sorry not sorry, but it’s a big thumbs down on the coordinated family beach photo), this episode is as spicy as Amanda’s Chile Salt Michelada.  DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:  GIN & TONIC COCKTAIL >> 2 oz Bombay Sapphire Sunset Special Edition gin; 4 oz Fever Tree cocktail, lime wedge.  Fill a highball glass with ice, then add the gin. Top with the tonic water and gently stir. Garnish with lime wedge and after a long hot day at the beach, bring this with you in the shower to help cool off.  CHILE SALT MICHELADA >> Mix 1 tablespoon kosher salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper on a small plate. Moisten the rim of a pint glass and press into chile salt to lightly coat. Combine ¾ oz fresh lime juice, 2 dashes hot sauce (preferably Cholula) and 1 dash Worcestershire sauce in a glass. Partly fill glass with ice and top with 8 oz chilled Mexican beer. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with a lime wedge and be transported to an exotic beach in Zihuatanejo.    SUGAR FREE LONG DRINK >> Purchase a six pack of Long Drink in the white can. Fill a glass with ice, pour in your Long Drink, garnish with a lime wedge, and discover the Legend of 1952.   If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

HOW TO BE A (LITERAL) BOSS. After several months of working sunup to sundown for The Man, 3Q3D’s long sabbatical is finally over. But fear not, 3Q3D Nation: Amanda, Chris & Matt waste no time getting back in the saddle to show you who’s boss – while discussing how to actually be a boss. Whether you’re a seasoned executive, an aspiring leader, or just someone curious about what it takes to be an actual boss, Episode 83 is all about leadership lessons both practical and philosophical. Oh, and when it comes to the actual cocktails, let’s just say that if this episode were a performance review of 3Q3D’s mixology, the 3Q3D crew would be getting promoted. DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE: TEXAS SIPPER COCKTAIL >> 1 ½ oz vodka, ½ oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur, 1 ½ oz fresh grapefruit juice. Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and pour into a rocks glass with ice. Top with soda water and a mint sprig, and toast to your recent promotion. GRASSHOPPER COCKTAIL >> 1 oz green creme de menthe; 1 oz white creme de cacao; 2 oz heavy cream. Add the green creme de menthe, white creme de cacao and heavy cream into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Grate nutmeg over the top of the drink, if desired. The kid’s got moxie, I tell ya.  GIBSON MARTINI >> 2 ½ oz Dingle gin; ½ oz dry vermouth; pickled cocktail onions. Mix gin and dry vermouth with ice in a cocktail shaker and shake like you mean it. Pour into a martini glass and add 3 cocktail onions on a toothpick. Cheers, old sport, you’re headed for the C-suite.   If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.  Follow our social sites here:Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

To celebrate 3Q3D’s third anniversary, the original crew regroups and recreates the show’s very first episode down to the exact same questions. While Amanda, Chris and Matt are certainly more comfortable on air, they begin to question nearly everything (including *gasp* backing into every parking space) and end up lamenting democracy writ large. While the questions from Episode 1 return, the drinks are decidely better this go round: the team brings back a few favorite cocktails from 3Q3D’s quixotic 3-year journey, including the Old Cuban, a perfect Old Fashioned, and, fittingly, the Birthday Cake Martini. Cheers to 3 years, and thanks to all who have listened!   Drinks in this Episode:The Old Cuban Cocktail  >> 6 whole mint leaves, 1 oz simple syrup, 3/4 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed, 1 1/2 oz aged rum, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 ounces Champagne, chilled. Garnish: mint sprig. Muddle the mint leaves with the simple syrup and lime juice in a shaker. Add the rum and bitters and ice, and shake until well-chilled. Double-strain into a coupe glass.Top with Champagne and garnish with a mint sprig. Salud, amigo!  Old Fashioned Cocktail >> 2 oz bourbon, 1/4 oz simple syrup, a few dashes of angostura bitters. Pour ingredients into a bourbon glass over one large ice cube, garnish with a Luxardo cherry and an orange peel. Like an old friend – or a podcast for inquisitive people – this cocktail won’t let you down.  Birthday Cake Martini >> 2 oz Smirnoff whipped cream vodka, 1 ½ oz Amaretto liqueur, 1 oz Godiva white chocolate liqueur, 2 oz heavy whipping cream; mix ingredients with ice in a shaker, strain, and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with birthday cake sprinkles. Happy birthday to 3Q3D!If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here:Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=enFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

THE MOVIES! Amanda Adams sits in the director’s chair for this big, buttery episode about the movies we love – and the movies we love to hate. And, as she guides the OG 3Q3D crew through a conversation about the films that framed our youth, what makes a movie objectively great, and why we love some movies that are objectively terrible, Amanda can’t help but get sentimental about a certain Legendary movie from her formative years. If you’re a Gen X’er and a film fan, this energetic episode is for you. Drinks in this Episode:Classic Daquiri cocktail >> 2 oz light rum; 1 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed; 3/4 oz demerara sugar syrup. Add the rum, lime juice and demerara sugar syrup to a shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a lime wedge and imagine a “Legends of the Fall” era Brad Pitt is approaching on horseback. Delicious! Ache Orange Creamsicle Sourt by Heart State Brewing >> Crack open this beer, pour it into a cold glass, and prepare to be perplexed by how little this actually tastes like an orange creamsicle. Do yourself a favor and go make the actual Orange Creamsicle Cocktail from Episode 80 and thank us later. Espresso Martini >> 2 oz vodka; 1/2 oz Kahlúa; 1 oz espresso, freshly brewed; 1/4 ounce simple syrup. Add vodka, Kahlúa, espresso and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice and shake until well-chilled. Pour into a chilled martini glass, garnish with 3 coffee beans and enjoy staying up well past your bedtime as the espresso courses through your body. If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

PARENTING! With 13 children between them, Amanda, Matt and Chris debate unconventional parenting do’s and don’ts, discuss whether parents today spend too little or too much time with their kids, and ponder how much our parental actions ultimately determine our children’s fate. In classic 3Q3D fashion, this conversation zig-zags between the insightful and the absurd while steadily building to a third cocktail crescendo (and supercharged, at the halfway mark, by THE GREATEST DRINK IN 3Q3D HISTORY). If you’re the kind of person who might shame a child into having excellent taste, then this episode is for you. Drinks in this Episode:Waterloo Cocktail >> 1 ½ oz blended whiskey, ¾ oz Mandarine Napoleon liqueur (or substitute Gran Marnier), ¼ freshly squeezed lemon juice, ¼ oz simple syrup; combine ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Pour into a rocks glass with ice, top with 3-5 oz chilled club soda and garnish with an orange slice. Toast to your excellent taste, as well as your ability to weaponize shame as a go-to parenting tool. Orange Dreamsicle Cocktail >> 2 oz whipped cream vodka, 1 oz vanilla vodka, 3 oz orange juice (no pulp, as God intended), heavy whipping cream; combine both vodkas and OJ in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass, top with a few splashes of heavy whipping cream, garnish with an orange wedge and then drop in an AN ACTUAL CREAMSICLE. Take one sip and be instantly transported back to the halcyon summer days of your youth when all was right with the world. Vieux Carré Cocktail >> 3/4 oz rye whiskey; 3/4 oz cognac; 3/4 oz sweet vermouth; 2 teaspoons Benedictine liqueur; 2 dashes Peychauds bitters; 1 dash Angostura bitters; Garnish: maraschino cherry or lemon twist. Add the rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice or a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry, a lemon twist (or both), and lift a glass in honor of Fat Tuesday or simply as the perfect counterbalance to an Orange Dreamsicle cocktail. If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

DRINKING & ALCOHOL. Alcohol is the only drug where, if you don’t use it, people assume you have a problem. Kind of weird, right? It seems that alcohol – and our culture of drinking – are topics worth exploring. Hence, in this special “crossover” episode, 3Q3D regular Amanda Adams, and occasional 3Q3D visitor and fan favorite Colt McCutcheon, sit down with Chris Mikolay at the halfway mark of his Dry January goal to pour a few (booze free) drinks to discuss several questions that are interesting no matter how much you’ve imbibed: why are humans compelled to drink to excess? Will future generations view alcohol consumption as we view smoking today? And, the most controversial of all: is it ever okay to allow underage kids (and their friends) to drink in your home? Drinks in this Episode:Athletic Brewing Co. Run Wild Non-Alcoholic IPA >> Crack a can of this booze-less beer and chug until your hearts content. Don’t worry, nothing happens (except at some point you’ll have to pee). Restore Cold Pressed Immunity Juice >> Visit your local cold pressed juice shop for a bottle of zesty apple, lemon, ginger and cayenne brew. Pour over ice and sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on top for added flair. Toast to your good health and the first good drinking decision you’ve made in years!Fake Gin & Tonic>> 2 parts Clean Co. non-alcoholic gin, 4 parts Fever Tree Elderflower tonic; pour gin and tonic into a glass over ice, garnish with a lime, and pretend to like it. The Sober Man’s Aviation cocktail>> 2 parts Clean Co. non-alcoholic gin, 1 small spoonful of Luxardo cherry syrup, 1 part lavender simple syrup, 1 1/2 parts freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry and lemon peel. Tell yourself it’s just like the real thing and muster the strength to hold back the tears.If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

THE YEAR IN REVIEW / THE YEAR AHEAD.For the 3rd time, Amanda Adams, Matt Jordan and Chris Mikolay record a New Year’s episode that reviews the year’s biggest headlines – from events both consequential and alarming, to stories immaterial but impossible to ignore. After lively discussion (and Amanda’s cocktail redemption), the group turns the page on 2023 and makes bold predictions for the year ahead. Fans of the classic 3Q3D format will enjoy this episode as it slaloms swiftly between the silly and the serious and, in true 3Q3D fashion, gets more interesting with every sip. Drinks in this Episode:La Louisiane Cocktail >> 2 oz rye whiskey, 3/4 oz sweet vermouth, 1/2 oz Benedictine, 3 dashes absinthe, 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters. Add the rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a Luxardo cherry and remember to “THRIVE” in 2024.Cranberry Cobbler Cocktail >> 1 to 2 oz. bourbon or whiskey, 3 to 4 oz. cranberry juice, 1 to 2 oz. orange seltzer water, 1 to 2 oz. cinnamon simple syrup. Muddle a few cranberries at the bottom of your glass.Fill a glass with crushed ice. Stir or shake together the syrup, cranberry and bourbon/whiskey for 30 seconds or so. Pour over ice. Top the drink with the orange seltzer and toast to your Super Bowl Champion Cleveland Browns and their impossibly handsome head coach, Kevin Stefanski.Old Pal Cocktail >> 1.5 oz rye whiskey, 1 oz Campari, 3/4 oz dry vermouth, ¼ oz sweet vermouth. Add the rye whiskey, Campari and dry vermouth into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and scoff at those choosing to participate in “Dry January”.If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

AUSTRALIA vs. ENGLAND vs. AMERICA! In this special transcontinental episode, Chris invites an awesome Aussie, Belynda Thomas, and Englishman extraordinaire, Elliot Grey, into the studio to spill the tea on what it’s like living in America from an ex-pat perspective. As the group sips and snacks on Elliot's "posh pigs in a blanket", things escalate faster than American portion sizes – from friendly banter to an epic showdown that seeks to determine which great nation reigns supreme when it comes to music (The Beatles, case closed), animals (50 million kangaroos can't be wrong) and culinary delights (your country is automatically disqualified if you enjoy either Vegemite or Marmite, sorry). Whether you prefer your soccer to be called football or your football to use Australian rules, you’ll enjoy listening to Belynda and Elliot discuss their perspective on Australian, British and American culture as much as you’ll love their classic Aussie and British senses of humour. Drinks in this Episode:Elliot’s Proper G&T >> 1 part Sipsmith® London Dry Gin, high-quality tonic water, wedge of fresh lime. Fill a highball glass with ice, pour in gin and top off with tonic. Garnish with a wedge of fresh lime and cheer on the Everton Blues.Belynda’s Aussie Autumn Fizz >> 2 parts apple cider, 1 part caramel vodka, Prosecco, diced apples. Pour cider and caramel vodka in a champagne glass filled and top with Prosecco. Add freshly cut apples to the drink and enjoy while watching Skippy the Kangaroo. Apple Pie Martini >> FOR THE RIM: 1 tablespoon fine graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, Pinch of ground cinnamon.FOR THE MARTINI: ½ cup apple cider, 3 tablespoons simple syrup, ¼ cup vodka, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon schnapps, ¼ teaspoon apple pie spice, Pinch of salt optional. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon. Wet the edges of the martini glass with water or an apple slice. Dip the edges in the prepared graham cracker mixture. In a cocktail shaker with ice, place all the ingredients and shake it. Pour into the prepare glass while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend.Follow our social sites here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast

THE POLITICS EPISODE. With an introduction as long as the Gettysburg Address, Chris explains (by using his beloved Cleveland Browns as an incredibly strained metaphor for political tribalism) why he has actively avoided political conversation on the podcast thus far - and why it's now finally time to analyze our nation's current political divide. Chris is joined by longtime 3Q3D cohost and political junkie Amanda Adams, as well as an actual living, breathing politican: Ohio State Representative for the 34th district of the Ohio House of Representatives, Casey Weinstein. Over drinks both sophisticated and unrefined, the group discusses the root causes of our political polarization and whether it’s possible to have better political conversations - including how we might see people less through the lens of red or blue and instead, as human beings worthy of respect no matter their political persuasion. Drinks in this episode:Ole Smoky Mountain Apple Pie Moonshine >> Call Uncle Jessie and have them Duke boys pack up the General Lee with a few bottles of Hazzard County's finest 'shine for delivery before Election Day. Pour it over ice and taste that sweet, sweet freedom.Sidecar Cocktail >> 1 1/2 oz cognac; 3/4 oz orange liqueur (such as Cointreau); 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice. Coat the rim of a coupe glass with sugar, and set aside. Add the cognac, orange liqueur and lemon juice to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.Strain into the prepared glass, garnish with an orange twist and toast to democracy. Baluarte Reposado Tequila Reserva Especial >> Fly to Mexico and be seduced into purchasing this delicious 100% agave tequila by a smooth talking employee of the airport Duty Free Shop. Pour into a cocktail glass over a large ice cube, garnish with a lime wedge while citing the Pledge of Allegiance.If you’ve been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a (5 star?!) rating. Great reviews make our day, and we'd love it if you shared a favorite episode with an inquisitive friend. See the drinks and follow our social sites here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast