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Explore every episode of the podcast Lush Life

Dive into the complete episode list for Lush Life. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
How to Drink SoGood Sake with Meryl Kennedy & Ken LaGrande21 Oct 202400:43:03

Most people know that sake is made with rice, but did you know that rice might be grown in California?

This is the 250th episode of Lush Life Podcast, every week I have been inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the guests who have been kind enough to join me and I am sure I will continue to be inspired by those who are yet to be on the program.

Thank you everyone for your support, especially Evo Terra and his team, that’s my producer, and thank you for listening.

Now, back to that 250th episode!

I was shocked, too. I had just assumed the rice was all grown in Japan. That’s just one of the many things that Ken LaGrande revealed about sake over cocktails at the Connaught. In fact, those aforementioned cocktails had all been made using SoGood Sake.

Why create a new sake and one whose pedigree is purely American?

Joining me today to explain everything is Ken himself and, one of the other co-founders of SoGood Sake, Meryl Kennedy.

Before we begin, you can always watch this episode on Youtube, plus all the other Lush Life episodes as well as a whole lot more, just head to youtube.com/@lushlifemanual that's youtube.com/@lushlifemanual!

The cocktail of the week is the Sake Sunset:

INGREDIENTS

  • 40 ml SoGood Sake
  • 20 ml Dark rum
  • 60 ml Solo Coldbrew
  • 20 ml Miso Caramel (1:9 White Miso to Caramel)
  • Garnish: Dark Chocolate

METHOD

  • Add all the ingredients to a shaker and add ice
  • Shake until well diluted and cold
  • Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice
  • Garnish with Grated Dark Chocolate

You’ll find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, plus links to most of the ingredients.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/sogood-sake-with-meryl-kennedy-and-ken-lagrande

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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to https://substack.com/@alushlifemanual.

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more!

Produced by Simpler Media

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest

New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

How to Take Venice Cocktail Tours07 Oct 202400:46:02

Yes, we are back with the 9th - how is it possible - season of Lush Life! Where best to begin? Venice, of course!

How is it that there weren’t already Venice Cocktail Tours before now? Well, I don’t want to reveal the whole story in this intro, you can now enjoy two different cocktail tours in Venice!

Let’s just say that great minds were thinking how best to introduce you to not only the role that Venice played in bringing you some of the greatest drinks ever, but also to how amazing the cocktail scene is.

I happened to meet Monica Cesarato by chance during Venice Cocktail Week two years ago. Not only did Monica create the first cicchetti tours in Venice, but she is also the author of two books, food & travel blogger, podcaster, and producer.

Our Co-Founder, Romena Brugnerotto, leads all different types of tours throughout the city, like art, culture, and cicchetti, as well as being a sommelier! Together, they had a brilliant idea to create cocktail tours, just as I was also thinking the same. Our worlds collided, and the rest is history, but there is so much more to it than that!

The cocktail of the week is the Cinico:

INGREDIENTS

  • 30ml prosecco
  • 30ml cinico (Italian cinnamon liqueur)
  • 30ml soda water
  • Garnish: lime, mint and a cinnamon stick

METHOD

  • Add all ingredients to a rocks glass with ice
  • Stir gently
  • Garnish with lime, mint, and a cinnamon stick

You’ll find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, plus links to most of the ingredients.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-take-venice-cocktail-tours

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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to https://substack.com/@alushlifemanual.

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more!

Produced by Simpler Media

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest

New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

How to Make Mr Lyan’s Cocktails at Home with Ryan Chetiyawardana30 Oct 202300:57:54

You asked for it, and you got it - all of you kind people who filled out my survey asked for more interviews with more legends. Our guest is the world's most-awarded bartender & bar owner. If Mr Lyan isn’t a legend, I don’t know who is.

If you call yourself a cocktail connoisseur, then you will have come upon the name Mr Lyan in your travels. Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan opened White Lyan in London in 2013. It was a moment that will go down in cocktail history as the first cocktail bar in the world to use no perishables, no fruit, and even no ice, an innovative approach to sustainability, with much lower waste and a use of pre-made cocktails and never before seen ingredients.

This focus on a ground-breaking approach remains in the evolution of White Lyan, Super Lyan, Dandelyan, Cub, Lyaness, Silver Lyan, and Seed Library.

Ryan’s with me to discuss his new book, Mr Lyan’s Cocktails at Home: Good Things to Drink with Friends, but we go into so much more -

How his relationship to flavor evolved, how his studying Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins as well as Biology at Edinburgh University spurred him on to get behind the bar, and why the need to write a book at all.

You have no idea how excited I am to finally have Ryan on the show!

Before we begin, you can always watch this episode on Youtube, plus all the other Lush Life episodes as well as a whole lot more; just head to youtube.com/@lushlifemanual

The cocktail of the week is Ryan’s Barlay Champagne!

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 shots (100ml/4oz) water
  • 6 shots (150ml/6oz) lemon barley water cordial
  • 8 shots (200ml/8oz) fino sherry or dry vermouth
  • 12 shots (300ml/12oz) London dry gin
  • 10 dashes Tabasco
  • Rosemary sprigs, to garnish

METHOD

  • Add the water, cordial, sherry or vermouth, and gin to a jug, then add the Tabasco
  • Stir and then decant into a clean wine bottle and chill well
  • To serve, add a shot and a half (40ml/1.5oz) of the chilled mixture to a flute, then top with bubbles.
  • Add a sprig of rosemary and serve

The Magic is that “you can make lemon barley cordial at home (it's a very old-fashioned British cordial of pearl barley and lemon), but this recipe works great with any store-bought cordial that brings sweetness and acidity. Elderflower, blackcurrant, or even more regional ones such as redcurrant or gooseberry also work-although there's a richness to the barley addition that works wonderfully. Tabasco adds a background heat, but try adding other accent spices such as gochujang or sriracha - just sieve it after mixing to remove any particulates, as they will interfere with the fizz. Plus, you just want a hint of fruity warmth. else you’ll throw the balance of the drink.”

You’ll find this recipe, more Champagne cocktail recipes, and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, where you’ll find some of the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/cocktails-at-home-with-ryan-chetiyawardana

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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to patreon.com/lushlife

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more!

Produced by Simpler Media

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest

New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

How To Make Sure Everyone Has A Good Time with Robbie Bargh, The Gorgeous Group11 May 202000:51:52

When you walk into a bar and think this is fabulous. I assure you a whole lot of thought has gone into you having that good time before you’ve stepped through that threshold.

For our guest today, it’s been his life’s work to make sure everyone has a good time and his mission is making you leave feeling the same way you came in.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. 

Everytime I’m in Dishoom, I toast to Robbie Bargh, the Founder & Director of the Hospitality Concept Agency, Gorgeous Group. Many moons ago, when I met him for the first time, Robbie was in the throes of working on the launch of what is now one of the most recognized Indian restaurants in the UK. 

Robbie is one of those geniuses who knows inherently what makes a good time and how to distill that good time into whatever project he is working on - bar, restaurant and even an upcoming theatre project.

It was a delight to finally find out how it all began.

Before we begin, you can find links on how to donate to some of your favorite bars or have cocktails delivered right to your door during this rough time on the homepage of my website alushlifemanual.com

The Cocktail of the Week is the Gorgeous Negroni Sbagliato:

Ingredients:

  • 25ml Campari
  • 25ml Sweet Vermouth
  • Sparkling Pink Champagne

Method:

Add the Campari and Sweet Vermouth to a wine glass. Add ice and gently top up with the Sparkling Pink Champagne. Stir it all together.

--

You can find this recipe, more recipes, and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll find links to all the  ingredients.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-make-sure-everyone-has-a-good-time

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Polish a Plate with Giorgio Bargiani, The Connaught Hotel, London04 May 202001:00:39

I got chatting to the guy sitting next to me at my Level 2 Wine and Spirit Education Trust class - the place you go when you want to learn about the ins and outs of distillation and the history of some of your favorite spirits. As you do, I sparked up a conversation with the Italian by asking him what he did and then he said I am a bartender at the Connaught Hotel and at that moment I knew we would be friends.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. 

Yes, that fateful day, about three years ago, I met Giorgio Bargiani, now Head of Mixology at one of the most famous bars in the world, the Connaught Bar in London. We have remained friends ever since and I have longed to have him on the show to learn a little more about my fellow student. Who I found out began his career by polishing plates!

Before we begin, you can find links on how to donate to some of your favorite bars during this rough time on the homepage of my website alushlifemanual.com

This week, Giorgio reveals:

  • Why he was polishing plates
  • How he found his first job in a hotel
  • What it’s like working at one of the best bars in the world
  • Where he likes to drink when he’s not at the Connaught

The Cocktail of the Week is Giorgio’s Flight of Negronis

Ingredients:

  • 750 ml Sipsmith Gin
  • 750 ml Martini Rubino
  • 750 ml Martini Bitter
  • 750 ml Still water

Method:

Mix all the four ingredients together and then split again in four different bottles. Leave 1 bottle untouched for a Classic Negroni.

Infuse one bottle with 1-2 whole peels of your favorite citrus fruit for at least a week then start tasting it daily until it’s perfect for you 

Infuse one bottle with 2 to 3g of your favourite dry spice for at least one hour and then start tasting it hourly until you love it. Giorgio likes Sichuan Pepper.

Infuse one bottle with 50g of your favourite fresh herbs for at least one day and then start tasting daily until you love that one too. Giorgio used Eucalyptus!

Store in the the fridge and when is very cold enjoy it as you wish, with or without ice.

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make Your Coffee Spiritual with Martin Hudák of Maybe Sammy and Mr Black27 Apr 202000:44:15

I met today’s guest under pretty cool circumstances. Picture the sit-down dinner of the UK finals for the Diageo World Class competition - one of the hardest cocktail making competitions in the country. There were eleven finalists and each table of ten was served by one of the competitors for the night. At my table was one of the senior bartenders of the American Bar of the Savoy Hotel - it’s tough to get better than that.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. 

Who knew that under that sharp white jacket and smooth persona, Martin Hudák of Maybe Sammy and Global Coffee Ambassador of Mr. Black, has a passion like no other - for coffee and coffee cocktails. He kept it under wraps until winning the World Coffee in Good Spirits Award in 2017. Since then, he’s gone on to move to Australia, open an award winning bar of his own and win the International Bartender of the Year.   

Through the miracles of modern science, I was finally able to interview him in Australia and discover what led him to go down under and how his coffee loving became spiritual.

On today’s program, you’ll discover:

  • When he made his first Martini
  • Who taught him how to put on a tie
  • Where his favorite bars in the world are
  • How to get his special blend of coffee

The Cocktail of the Week is the La Finca.

Ingredients:

  • 30ml Mr Black Single Origin Colombia 
  • 20ml Oloroso Sherry 
  • 10ml Manuka Honey syrup (2:1)
  • Dried or fresh fig 

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass with one big ice cube. Garnish with the fig.

--

You can find this recipe, more recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details:  https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-spiritual

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How To Tell The Stories with Mark Gillespie, WhiskyCast Podcast20 Apr 202000:37:35

I don’t know who said you should never meet your idols, but they got it wrong this time. My guest today is drinks’ podcasting royalty, and from the first moment I contacted this king of the airwaves, he was raring to join the Lush Life family 

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. 

As the Fates would have it, Mark Gillespie, the Host and Executive Producer of WhiskyCast, the podcast that wrote the book on how to do a successful drinks podcast, from interviews to news to tastings to events, lives only minutes away from my family’s home in Philadelphia. Those fickle gods kept us apart until last week when Lush Life went virtual.

Usually he is the one doing the interviewing, but today is one of the rare occasions when he was interviewed. 

So, pour yourself a dram, sit back, and enjoy hearing how and why Mark became the man behind WhiskyCast. 

Stick around to find out what we’re drinking!

Before you start, you can find links on how to donate to some of your favorite bars during this rough time on the homepage of my website alushlifemanual.com

The Cocktail of the Week is the Seven & Seven.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Seagram's 7 Crown Whiskey
  • 6​ oz 7-Up soda
  • Lemon wheel 

Method:

Add Seagram's 7 in a highball glass filled with ice. Top with 7-Up (or Lemonade). Stir and then garnish with the lemon wheel

You can find this recipe, more easy recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details:  https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-tell-the-stories

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Use Your Downtime with Maxim Schulte & Jo Last, The Savoy Hotel13 Apr 202000:17:29

I always say how much I love the spirit world and now during this crisis they have come together to support each other in ways that would have seemed incomprehensible just a few months ago. From making hand sanitizer, to delivering cocktails at home, to supporting the medical workers worldwide, the hospitality industry has stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park.  Today we meet two who’ve hit a home run. Sorry for the baseball references, but it’s spring after all and I love baseball!

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and welcome back to Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. 

You can find links on how to donate to some of your favorite bars during this rough time on the homepage of my website which is www.alushlifemanual.com.

I always pride myself on meeting my guests face-to-face but obviously while we are self-isolating that is impossible. Therefore I am using an online platform and reliant on wifi, so please, please bear with the slight hiccups you might encounter along the way.

Back to our guests today, Both Maxim Schulte, Head Bartender of the American Bar at The Savoy Hotel in London and Jo Last, Senior Bartender at The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy, have had to leave their positions behind the bar to wait out the crisis like the rest of us.  

Instead of lounging around though, they immediately launched The Booze Brain, an online training platform for brands and industry leaders to continue to educate and keep in touch with each other through FB and Instagram Live.

They are already on their fourth week of Booze Brain, and as you’ll hear, everyone in the business jumped at the chance to share their knowledge and know-how with their peers and cocktail enthusiasts like me who can learn right alongside them. Even participate in their IG lives! 

Pour yourself a cocktail, pick up your phone, laptop or any screen and check out Booze Brain. Here are Maxim and Jo to tell us more.

The Cocktail of the Week is the Savoy Martini - in bulk!

Ingredients:

  • 700 ml Bottle of Gin or Vodka
  • 140 ml Still Water
  • 110 ml Dry Vermouth

Method:

Take a 700ml bottle of gin or vodka that you desire and pour 250ml out of the bottle and store elsewhere or drink! Fill 140ml of still water and 110ml dry vermouth into the bottle. Now put the bottle in the freezer for a couple of hours. Pour the silky liquid straight into your glass. Finish the Martini with a lemon twist or olive, however you like it best.

--

You can find this recipe, more Martini recipes and all the cocktails of the week at  ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-use-your-downtime

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Use Your Brain with Elliot Ball, The Cocktail Trading Co., London23 Mar 202000:52:46

This is a biggie and I am not ashamed to scream out. It’s Lush Life’s 150th episode and if that weren’t exciting enough my guest is Elliot Ball of among many other bars he runs, the Cocktail Trading Co.

What does it take to do 150 eps?  The support of all of you who listen to the stories that inspire us to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. The best producer in the business (I am biased!) Evo Terra of Simpler Media Productions and Podcast Pontifications and the participation of all my guests.

Why is it so special for me to have Elliot on this monumental occasion? Well if you close your eyes and click your heels three times, you’ll head straight back to my first episode many moons ago. 

I was pretty new at this and he was so game - it was Andy Mil, not only my first guest of all time but also Elliot’s partner at Cocktail Trading Co... From that moment, I felt a deep connection to them and their bar.

With their other partner Olly, their journey those almost 4 years since my first episode has been stratospheric. 

Now it’s time for Elliot to tell us his story of how he’s used his neuroscience background in the bar and catch up where Andy left off those 4 years ago because a lot has changed.

Make sure to listen all the way to the end for a special announcement.

Before that, you’ll discover:

  • Why Elliot is so special to Lush Life
  • How he met Andy & Olly
  • How a neuroscience degree can help you become a better bartender
  • The right way to send a CV to them
  • Much, much more

 The Cocktail of the Week is the Mizuwari's Downfall.

Ingredients:

  • 3 parts Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whisky
  • 1 part Jalapeño & fennel syrup
  • 4 parts Clarified pineapple-cilantro soda 

Method:

Mix, Chill, Carbonate, Pour over ice spear when ready.

--

You can find this recipe, more whisky recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2TTwLSx

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Be a Bright Young Thing with Denis Broci, The Fumoir Bar, Claridge's Hotel London16 Mar 202001:16:05

The Bright Young Things were a group of rich, indulgent aristocrats who between the two wars entertained themselves by dressing up, posing and performing. 

All this gaiety was caught on camera by the incomparable and controversial Cecil Beaton. One thing is for sure, if they were alive now, all their fun would be had at Claridge’s with cocktails conceived by our guest today!

Denis Broci makes you feel like a Bright Young Thing when you step into Claridge’s Bar or The Fumoir Bar - two of the glamorous spots in the world.

Today we are celebrating the release of the cocktail book, Cecil Beaton: Mixing with the Bright Young Things, which Denis, as Manager of both bars at Claridge’s, curated with a list of sixty-four drinks from the 1920’s and 1930’s, the ‘Golden Age’ of cocktails.

But first I had to hear all about Denis and how he found himself at one of the most iconic hotels of all time.

In this episode, I discovered:

  • What happened his first week of work that scared him to death
  • What it was like working at Michelin Star restaurant
  • How he came to curate the new book, Cecil Beaton: Mixing with the Bright Young Things
  • His favorite bar in London and outside of London
  • His Top Tips for the Home Bartender

Needless to say we began with a Bee’s Knees and ended with our cocktail of the week, the Fumoir Negroni!

This particular version is Claridge’s signature cocktail in the Fumoir Bar and was created to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Negroni cocktail in 2019. 

Ingredients:

  • 25ml ( 5⁄6 oz) Hepple Gin 
  • 25ml ( 5⁄6 oz) Campari 
  • 18ml ( 3⁄5 oz) Martini Rosso 
  • 7ml ( 1⁄5 oz) Punt e Mes Carpano 
  • 3.5g ( 1⁄8 oz) Camomile 
  • 3.5g ( 1⁄8 oz) Coffee beans 

Method:

Infuse the gin with camomile for thirty minutes, and the vermouths and bitter with the coffee separately for the same amount of time. Fine strain the infusions into a mixing glass and stir with ice, ensuring that the flavours are well balanced. Fine strain into an old fashioned glass with an ice block. Garnish with orange twist. 

You can find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at  ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-be-a-bright-young-thing

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How Never to Take Anything Personally with Pierre-Marie Bisson, Milk & Honey, London09 Mar 202000:57:47

20 years ago, a bar was born in New York City that changed the way we drink today.  Two years after that, it arrived in London. Fast forward those 20 years and Milk & Honey in London is still open and just as cutting edge as it was all those moons ago. Our guest today not only manages that legacy but is creating his own.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.

Pierre-Marie Bisson holds a special place in my heart. Not only is he the General Manager of Milk & Honey, but also a great supporter of Lush Life Cocktail Tours. There is no way I could do the tour without stopping in for a London Calling made by him or his team.

Pick up A Proper Drink by Robert Simonson if you want to read all about Milk & Honey and its influence. We’re here to find out everything we can about Pierre and how he made his way to this iconic bar, then he reveals his favorite spots in London and Paris and give us some top tips for the home bartender.

In this episode, I discovered:

  • How never to take anything personally
  • What he knew he never wanted to do again
  • Why you’ve never done everything
  • How the Brits differ from the French
  • The true meaning of hospitality

 Our cocktail of the week is the London Calling!

Ingredients:

  • 2 dashes Orange bitters
  • 10ml Fino sherry
  • 15ml Lemon juice
  • 15ml Simple syrup
  • 50ml Gin
  • Grapefruit twist

Method:

Put all the ingredients into a shaker, strain into a coupe, express a grapefruit twist on top and drop it into the cocktail.

--

You can find this recipe, more gin recipes and all the cocktails of the week at  ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/38knMOc

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Drink French with David Lebovitz, La République, France02 Mar 202000:52:41

The idea of sitting in a trendy Parisian bar in the 11th arrondissement, waiting for the author of many of the world’s best selling food books and the first-ever food blogger, could make anyone’s knees slightly tremblant. Then our guest today walked in with a big smile on his face said Bonjour.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is the Lush Life Podcast. Every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.

David Lebovitz is known to every chef, home cook, baker and lover of Paris. His blog Davidlebovitz.com, as well as many of his books have been luring the uninitiated and old-hats to discover some of the best that Paris has to offer. 

Now with the publication of his new book Drinking French, just released today, his name with be forever synonymous with everything that goes into a glass, cup or bottle in La République. 

I was on a mission to discover how he found shaking, stirring and muddling, instead of sifting, kneading and rolling.

In this episode, I discovered:

  • Why I’ll never eat a whole bag of potato chips again
  • Why David decided to write a book about drinking
  • What baking and cocktail making have in common
  • What do white belts have in common with drink’s writers
  • How baking and cocktail making are similar

Our cocktail of the week is the City of Light!

Ingredients:

  • Half a lemon wheel, half an orange wheel, and 2 thin slices of cucumber, for garnish
  • 11⁄2 oz (45ml) dry vermouth
  • 1 oz (30ml) Lillet blanc or Vin d’Orange (page 147)
  • 1 oz (30ml) Cointreau
  • 1 oz (30ml) dry Prosecco or Crémant 

Method:

Lay the garnishes in the bottom of a footed goblet or large wine glass. Add the vermouth, Lillet, and Cointreau. Fill the glass two-thirds full with ice, stir briefly, and top off with the Prosecco.

--

You can find this recipe, more vermouth recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2VsVApZ

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How To Keep Winning Awards with Erik Lorincz, Kwant Bar, London, Part 224 Feb 202001:17:39

Wait right there..this is the second episode of two where we meet a bartender at the top of everyone’s game, so if you want to hear the first part of his journey. Stop and go back to the previous episode.  Oh, did I mention Erik Lorincz is that bartender?!

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.

So we left Erik at the doors of the Connaught Hotel - wondering whether he would take the leap. As history shows, we know he did and from there his career skyrocketed into the stratosphere, landing him where he is now, proud owner of his own bar, Kwant.

Today we’ll discover:

  • Why working at the Connaught was like playing football like Massi
  • How you could promote a bar before Social Media existed
  • Why 2010 was one on Erik’s best years of all time
  • What job Erik thought would be too big for him
  • What Erik believes are the cocktails for the modern palate

 Our cocktail of the week is the Hacienda!

Ingredients:

  • 30ml Patron Tequila Silver
  • 10ml Cocchi Rosa
  • 15ml Lacto Fermented Purple Carrot
  • 10ml Fino Sherry Tio Pepe
  • 10ml Vida Mezcal
  • 15ml of Agave Nectar
  • 30ml of Lime Juice

Method:

Add everything to a shaker. Shake and strain into a glass with one big ice cube. Garnish with Mexican Marigold.

You can find this recipe, more tequila recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.  

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/37vij77

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Drink Asolo Prosecco01 Oct 202300:55:46

Throughout history, artists and writers have been drawn to the Northern Italian hill town of Asolo; some say it’s because it’s the “city of a hundred horizons,” I think it’s because it’s the home of Asolo Prosecco!

At one time, you might have caught a glimpse of poet Robert Browning, actress Elenora Duse, or writer Freya Stark sitting enjoying a glass of bubbly at one of the cafes in this Pearl of the Veneto; I can almost guarantee the liquid in their glass was Asolo prosecco!

In this episode, I’m taking you with me to Asolo to meet a few people who are making Asolo Prosecco what it is! We‘ll begin with a masterclass led by Wine Educator and Journalist Gianpaolo Giacobbo, who will explain what Asolo prosecco DOCG is exactly.

Then Ugo Zamperoni is next. He is the President of the Conzorio of Asolo Prosecco - which is the association of producers and grape growers.

Then we are off to meet a few producers of Asolo Prosecco: Dennis Bordin from the Tenuta d’Asolo Progress Country & Wine House, Ermenegildo Giusti of Giusti Wine, and then we finish with Tenuta Baron’s Andrea Sbrissa.

I interviewed them all in situ, so alas, there is no video podcast this week, but you can find a video guide to the town of Asolo and a selection of the vineyards and historical sites you can visit when you are next in town. You can find it on my YouTube channel, youtube.com/lushlifemanual.

Our cocktail of the week comes straight from master mixologist Samuele Ambrosi, owner of Cloakroom Cocktail Lab and Knowledge Hub in Treviso. We met at Venice Cocktail Week last year, and I am thrilled to include one of his cocktail creations. It's called the Made in Italy and is a little different from what you might think of as a prosecco cocktail - because it’s savory!

The cocktail of the week is Samuele Ambrosi’s MADE IN ITALY.

INGREDIENTS

  • 50ml Basil and "datterino" tomatoes cordial*
  • 150 ml Asolo DOCG Prosecco extra Brut

METHOD

  • Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass
  • Add ice
  • Stir, stir, stir
  • Strain into a champagne glass
  • Garnish with a tomato basil cracker

*Basil and "datterino" tomatoes cordial*

  • In an electric blender, add 500gr cherry tomatoes and 10/12 fresh basil leaves and blend everything for a few minutes
  • Leave the liquid all together for 10/15 minutes in the fridge.
  • Then strain all and put 1 tsp white sugar
  • Keep the cordial in the fridge
  • Best before 10/12 days
  • You can use the leftovers (tomato peel, basil leaves, etc.) to make the garnish!

You’ll find this recipe, more prosecco cocktail recipes, and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, where you’ll find some of the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/asolo-prosecco-podcast

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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to patreon.com/lushlife

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more!

Produced by Simpler Media

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest

New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

How One School Video Can Change Your Life with Erik Lorincz, Kwant Bar, London17 Feb 202000:58:33

Superlatives were invented to describe our next guest - world’s best, greatest, one and only...there is no list that he isn’t on or has been number one! Today we are in the presence of bartending royalty! 

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.

I truly believe even if Erik Lorincz hadn’t seen that film on bartending when he was at school, he would have still risen to the top of whatever profession he chose. Lucky for us, it was behind the bar.

For those of us living in London, we have been able to see his star rise through the Connaught, as the tenth Head Bartender of the Savoy and now at Kwant, his own place.

In this, the first episode of two, we'll discover:

  • How the first cocktail Erik ever made foreshadowed his career
  • How he was living the dream in Bratislava
  • Why he chose London as his next port of call
  • What became his favorite bar in London
  • The steps he took from Slovakia to standing at the entrance to the Connaught Hotel

Our cocktail of the week is the Heads and Tails directly from his new bar, Kwant!

Ingredients:

  • 25ml Vida Mezcal
  • 25ml Beermouth
  • 3 Drops Peychaud’s Bitters
  • 10ml Agave Nectar
  • Genmaicha Soda
  • Crispy Cavalo Nero

Method:

Add all the ingredients except the Genmaicha Soda into a mixing glass. Stir and strain. Top with Genmaicha Soda. Garnish With Crispy Cavalo Nero.

You can find this recipe, more Mezcal recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/how-one-school-video-can-change-your-life

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How To Find Your Ancestral Spirits with Johnny Neill, Berkshire Botanical10 Feb 202000:43:35

Not everyone was born to be in the drinks industry, our guest was, but he just didn’t know how much,  until he just happened to sign up with ancestry.com.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.

Johnny Neill knew all about his father’s connection to the gin world from as far back as the 18th C, but it took a membership to ancestry.com to find out that the other side of his family was busy making whisky at about the same time.   

Now with the success of Whitley Neill, he’s making expressions tied to the culinary proclivities of specific members of his family - quince, raspberry and now his own.

He’s here today to tell us how it all came to be.

Our cocktail of the week is the Yattendon Martini:

Ingredients:

  • 50ml Berkshire Botanical Dry Gin
  • 10ml Lillet
  • 10ml Pine Cordial

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a coupe glass, stir, garnish with a Pine Needle.

You can find this recipe, more gin recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2vEnZhD

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

Two Chicago Bars That Are Knocking It Out of the Park: The Violet Hour and Z Bar03 Feb 202000:22:12

Have you been to Chicago lately? I think it might be one of the most exciting cocktail towns in the world and I am thrilled that we’re going back to it this week to meet two more of its mixology maestros! 

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Last week, we heard from Shelby Allison of Lost Lake, a tiny slice of Tiki Heaven, in Logan Square. This week we’ll be hearing from Abe Vucekovich of The Violet Hour and Vlad Novikov of Z Bar at the Peninsula Hotel Chicago

First off, we meet Abe, General Manager of The Violet Hour in Wicker Park - probably one of the most iconic bars in the country. Winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for Best bar Program and about 1000 other awards, Abe gives us a history on how it came to be and the origin of a few of their classic cocktails.

Our cocktail of the week is the Art of Choke.

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz white rum
  • 1 oz Cynar
  • 3/4 teaspoon lime juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon demerara syrup (2:1, demerara sugar:water)
  • 1/4 oz green Chartreuse
  • Garnish: mint sprig

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a mint sprig

You can find this recipe, more rum recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/3aLGEYW

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How To Make Award-Winning Tiki Cocktails in Chicago with Shelby Allison, Lost Lake Bar27 Jan 202000:38:37

When you’ve won Imbibe Cocktail Bar of the year, the Spirited Award for Best American Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail and been short-listed for the James Beard Foundation Award for best bar program, you might rest on your laurels. Well, not our guest today, she’s working as hard as ever.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

With a father in the military, Shelby Allison traveled the world as a child, but has claimed Chicago as home now. Logan Square wouldn’t be the same without Lost Lake, the bar she opened more than five years ago to instant acclaim.

I was in Chicago for a small break and was able to meet her at Lost Lake. Five minutes after it opened, the seats were full and the drinks were ordered. After taking the first sip, I now want Lost Lake to be my local.  

Our cocktail of the week is the Lost Lake.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Plantation Xaymaca
  • .75 oz passionfruit syrup (Small Hands Foods)
  • .75 oz fresh lime
  • .5 oz fresh pineapple juice
  • .25 oz Campari
  • .25 oz Luxardo Maraschino

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with one cup crushed ice. Blend for three seconds using a single spindle drink mixer. Pour into tropical glass, top with more crushed ice. Garnish tropically!

You can find this recipe, more rum recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2TG9qUR

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Celebrate Burns Night in Style with Sam Simmons, Atom Brands Whisky20 Jan 202001:00:24

On the 25th of January every year, Scots and Scotland lovers toast poet extraordinaire Robert Burns “Of Mice and Men” and “My Love is Like a Red Red Rose” fame. 

I usually skip the haggis and neaps and tatties and go straight to that golden liquid that Robbie called O thou, my Muse! guid auld Scotch drink! and who better to celebrate with than the man formally known as Dr. Whisky. 

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Sam Simmons, now Head of Whisky for Atom Brands, learned to love the dark spirit as a PHD student at University of Edinburgh. Quickly he succumbed to its charm, creating not only one of the first whisky-led blogs, Drwhisky.com, but also the Whisky Band (more on that later in the show).

Perfect timing meant we could all enjoy his story on the cusp of Burns night with a perfect dram of Aerolite Lyndsay.

Our cocktail of the week is the Aerolite Hot Toddy.

Ingredients:

  • 40ml Aerolite Lyndsay
  • 20ml Lemon Juice
  • 10ml Honey Water (1:1)
  • Cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg

Method:

Add whisky, honey water, lemon juice to a toddy glass. Add a pinch of nutmeg and stir in. Top with hot water. Garnish with a clove studded lemon slice and a stick of cinnamon. 

You can find this recipe, more whisky recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/35PM8hR

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make Gin in the Yarra Valley with Joe Worthington, Four Pillars Gin, Australia13 Jan 202000:53:53

It’s no surprise that our guest today still dreams of being the host of the  Radio 1 breakfast show one day. He definitely has the gift of the gab.Right now he is using that gift to introduce Four Pillars Gin to everyone he can!

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

As European Trade Relations Manager for Australia's Four Pillars Gin, Joe Worthington would never think of going to any meeting empty handed. You can taste this generosity of spirit in every drop of their gin, maybe that’s why they’ve just been voted the best gin in the world at the  International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Our cocktail of the week is the Who Shot Tom Collins:

Ingredients:

  • 30ml Rare Dry Gin 
  • 100ml  Old-fashioned Lemonade 
  • 15ml Bloody Shiraz Gin
  • Lemon 

Method:

Mix gin and lemonade in a highball over ice. Squeeze in two wedges of lemon. Float Bloody Shiraz Gin on top

You can find this recipe, more gin recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2FEXFGd

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make Single Malt Whiskey Out West with Thomas Mooney, Westward Whiskey06 Jan 202000:50:59

Welcome  back to Lush Life! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.  We swing back into action with a guest who was always the guy at the office who doing whisky Tastings. I had no idea that position even existed. 

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 


Whiskey was Thomas Mooney, the co-founder of Westward Whiskey’s, drink of choice. So much so that he really was the guy who arranged whiskey tastings at the office. He thought one day he would retire and then have a whisky distillery, but that dream became a reality sooner than he thought.


We begin the year with a classic American cocktail with a french name, The Boulevardier. Think Negroni but replace the gin with American Whiskey.  


So we have sweet vermouth, campari and whiskey. Supposedly a man named Erskine Gwynne, an American who whilst living in Paris in the 1920’s, founded a magazine called Boulevardier.


The authors published in his popular magazine drank as good as they could write - Hemingway, Joyce, and Noel Coward to name just a few.


Today we have a take on the classic boulevardier recipe from Will Meredith head bartender of award winning London Bar Lyaness. He calls it the Crystal Garden Boulevardier.


 


Our cocktail of the week is: Crystal Garden Boulevardier.


INGREDIENTS


  • 45ml Westward Whiskey

  • 20ml Basil Bitter*

  • 20ml Peach Stone Aperitif*

METHOD


  • Builds the three ingredients in a glass with ice

  • Stir and then garnish with a grapefruit slice

 


To learn Will’s inspiration for the cocktail and how to make the Basil Bitter and the Peach Stone Aperitif, you’ll have to visit my website where you can find this recipe, more Whisky recipes and all the cocktails of the week at  ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop


 


Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2EtBKRn


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Join the conversation on your IOS or Android at flick.group/lushlife where we can talk cocktails until the sun rises!


Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife


Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything!  and more! 


 


Produced by Simpler Media


Follow us on Twitter and Instagram


Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest


New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

How Irish Whiskey is Made in Hell with Geoff Speiran, The Dublin Liberties Distillery16 Dec 201901:05:11

If you didn’t listen to last week’s episode, then press stop and go back to that one now!  You’ll meet Geoff Speiran, the Global Whiskey Ambassador for The Dublin Liberties Distillery. Once you know all about Geoff, then you are ready to take on our tour.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

Welcome to Hell!  Not your usual greeting except when you are in the Liberties section of Dublin. Why was it know as Hell? You’ll just have to find out on this episode of Lush Life. 

Geoff will guide us through Dublin’s newest distillery and then take us through a tasting of a selection of The Dublin Liberties Distillery range of Irish Whiskeys. What a way to end the year!

Our Cocktail of the Week is a take on an Old Fashioned called “A Measure of Attitude”.

Ingredients:

  • 50ml Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey
  • Teaspoon Merlet Crème de Pêche
  • 8ml Bénédictine 
  • 2 Dashes Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Method:

Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass and stir. Serve into a tumbler glass with a block of ice. Express a lemon peel over the cocktail and discard peel.

You can find this recipe, more Irish Whiskey recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/341vo6o

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make Great Irish Coffee in Hell with Geoff Speiran, The Dublin Liberties Distillery09 Dec 201900:54:06

Buenos dias! That’s what our guest today would have greeted me with if he had ended up a Spanish teacher. Instead, he greeted me with a dram of Irish Whiskey and I am not complaining.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Today Geoff Speiran, Global Whiskey Ambassador at The Dublin Liberties Distillery joins me in an area of Dublin, previously known as Hell, which feels right with Friday the 13th around the corner. I was there not only to hear his story but the phoenix-like return of Irish Whiskey.

Our cocktail of the week is the Irish Coffee.

Ingredients:

  • 50ml Dubliner Irish Whiskey
  • 15ml Amaro Di Montenegro 
  • 10ml Brown Demerara sugar syrup
  • 120ml fresh espresso coffee
  • Top with fresh cream and freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

Swirl the glass with hot water until warm, then pour it out. Add whiskey, sugar syrup & amaro and stir. Add the hot coffee and stir. Pour the cream delicately over the back of a teaspoon until you have a thick consistent layer. Grate some fresh nutmeg over the top for the perfect Irish coffee!

You can find this recipe, more Whiskey recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2YigZ4n

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make a Whisky Sour the Bruichladdich Way with Adam Hannett, Head Distiller02 Dec 201900:40:26

Born and bred on the Scottish Island of Islay, one would assume that whisky was in our guest’s blood, but it took a venture off island to bring him straight back.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Adam Hannett thought he was destined for a life of marine biology, but that was not to be. Lucky for the whisky lover in all of us, he found his calling as the Head Distiller at the legendary distillery of Bruichladdich. He’s here with us today to prove that passion and energy make for great whisky.

Our cocktail of the week is the Laddie Sour.

Ingredients:

  • 50ml Classic Laddie
  • 20ml Lemon Juice
  • 15ml Simple Syrup
  • Egg White
  • Angostura Bitters

Method:

Dry shake all ingredients together. Add ice and wet shake. Strain over ice into a rocks filled glass. Garnish with lemon zest.

You can find this recipe, more Whisky recipes and all the cocktails of the week at  ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2OezxPG

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

Serving up Season 8 of Lush Life25 Sep 202300:03:24

School is back, and a new season of Lush Life commences! How exciting!

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is the Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time.

Yes, next Tuesday, I bring you the first episode of Season 8 of Lush Life.  This season, we’ll have even more great conversations, enjoy more great cocktails, and visit a few more great places to enjoy a sip or two.

We’ll be delving into prosecco, horse racing, and absinthe, plus meeting even more legends of the industry, and that’s just the beginning! Of course, I will also be bringing you the latest cocktails of the week!

Just a note if you are new to Lush Life - you can find out more information on everyone I’ve interviewed on my blog alushlifemanual.com! And you can also watch most of the interviews on my YouTube channel, which, not to confuse you, is youtube.com/lushlifemanual without the A! 

I can’t leave you without a pre-season cocktail of the week.

Since this time of year is all about apples - this is one of my favorite autumn cocktails (and one I always start the season with!)

It’s the Avallen Autumn Old-Fashioned:

Ingredients

  • 50ml  / 1.5 oz Avallen Calvados
  • 10ml / 1 tbsp Amontillado Sherry
  • 5ml / 1 tsp Maple Syrup 
  • 1 Large Barspoon Fig Jam

Method

  • Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass: Stir to dissolve jam (10-15 seconds)
  • Then add ice, and stir, stir, stir. 
  • Double strain into a rocks glass with ice filled to the top
  • Garnish with a slice of fig or apple or a fig and an apple


You’ll find this recipe, plus all the cocktails of the week, at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find almost all the ingredients in our shop


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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to patreon.com/lushlife.

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more! 


Produced by Simpler Media

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest

New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

How to Make Funky Rum in Jamaica with Christelle Harris, Hampden Estate Distillery25 Nov 201900:36:08

Jamaican rum is known for its high esters - those are the compounds that give it the heady aromas it has and makes it taste all banana-y, pineapple-y and fruity.  Some also call it funk, but our guest calls it magic.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Christelle Harris is well versed in esters, muck and funk as she is the granddaughter of the owner of Hampden Estate - one of the oldest continuously running distilleries in Jamaica. She was in London for UK RumFest and sat down with me to explain exactly why Hampden Estate Rum has such a fanatical fanbase.

Our cocktail of the week is the Hampden Sour.

Ingredients:

  • 40 ml Hampden Estate 46°
  • 25 ml fresh citrus juice
  • 15 ml sugar syrup (for an extra lush kick, try it with home-made sage syrup)
  • 5 ml still water
  • Lemon slice (fresh or dried)

Method:

Put all ingredients into a shaker. Add ice & shake. Strain & serve straight up into a coupette glass or rocks. Garnish with lemon slice (fresh or dried)

You can find this recipe, more Rum recipes and all the cocktails of the week at  ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/35bati9

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How Bourbon is Made By Ghosts with Michael Thornton, Boone County Distilling Company18 Nov 201900:42:53

If you find yourself shuttling from Cincinnati Airport to Lexington Kentucky down Interstate 75, you’ll see the signs directing you to stop at Boone County Distilling Company. 

Only 6 minutes off the interstate and you can take a tour of the only distillery that says its bourbon is “made by ghosts.” Too far to go, well then, you can sit back and listen to today’s episode and I’ll bring the tour to you.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

Today we have Michael Thornton as our guide. He’ll walk us through the workings of Boone County Distilling Company where bottling began in 2015, but its history began in the 1700’s  Discovering along the way how Boone County was one of the largest players in bourbon production throughout the centuries.

Our Cocktail of the Week is Pendennis Old-Fashioned.

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 oz Boone County Bourbon
  • Quarter size pour of Simple Syrup
  • 2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters
  • Orange Wedge
  • Maraschino cherry

Method:

Put in a quarter size pour of simple syrup in the bottom of an Old-Fashioned glass. Add two dashes Angostura bitters, orange wedge, and maraschino cherry. Muddle gently without smashing everything together. Pour 2.5 oz bourbon on to the ingredients and add ice.

You can find this recipe, more Bourbon recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2K9N4pi

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Drink Sake with Seafood with Satomi Dosseur, Sake Sommelier11 Nov 201900:23:05

Convincing people to enjoy a glass of sake while tucking into a pepperoni pizza is going to be a tough job. Our guest today is ready to take on that challenge.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

I lured Sake Sommelier Satomi Dosseur away from an event we were both attending to give me the lowdown on the liquid that was front and center that evening. The event was being thrown by the Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center to explore how Sake & Seafood were the perfect match. 

After a lifetime of not knowing anything about this most ancient of spirits, I certainly know a lot more now after our chat. Did you know that...well, I’ll let Satomi tell you, 

Our cocktail of the week is Sake Martini:

Ingredients:

  • 30ml Gin or Vodka
  • 30ml Sake
  • Sliced cucumber or olives for garnish 

Method:

Chill your Martini Glass. Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir and then strain into the Martini Glass. Garnish with a cucumber slice or olive.

You can find this recipe, more Martini recipes and all the cocktails of the week at  ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2WAkD96

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make a Rum Sour in the Mountains with Karen Hoskin, Montanya Distillers04 Nov 201901:14:17

Way up in the mountains, you’d expect to be served a hot chocolate or a hot toddy, but a rum sour? You would think that’s more of a beach cocktail. Thanks to our guest today, you would be wrong. It’s home right here in Crested Butte, Colorado.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

I’m not sure why anyone would doubt that Karen Hoskin could create a rum distillery in the Colorado Mountains. This is a women who was an elite firefighter, there is probably nothing she couldn’t do.  

She was in London for the UK RumFest when I had a chance to discover what led her to open Montanya Distillers high above sea level.  

Our cocktail of the week is Montanya’s Rum Sour.

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz. fresh lemon, juiced
  • .75 oz. simple syrup*
  • .5 oz. pasteurized egg white
  • 2.5 oz. Montanya Distillers Exclusiva Rum
  • Garnish: Amarena cherry

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker, add ice and shake. Pour over a king ice cube into a Rocks Glass. Garnish with an Amarena cherry.

*Simple Syrup:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups water

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let cool. Refrigerate for up to two weeks.

 You can find this recipe, more rum recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2BGtf4g

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make Small Beer, the Modern Way with Felix James, Small Beer Brew Company28 Oct 201901:06:09

Our guest today is rewriting the English dictionary. No longer will “it’s just small beer” mean something unimportant. From now on, small beer means just that small beer!

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Felix James, cofounder of Small Beer Brew company here in London gave me a history lesson on Small Beer - A lower ABV version of beer that was drunk by most men women and children alike, as early as Chaucer and Shakespeare’s time. Water could kill you so small beer it was. Even George Washington has his own recipe.

One day after work, Felix longed for a great beer that wouldn’t leave him unable to drive home. This thought keep repeating itself until he and his partner decided it was time to fill that gap in the market and create their own. 

How does this fit into Season 4’s classic collection? Well if Chaucer and Shakespeare were drinking it than it’s a classic in my book!

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/342dRvl

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make the Aperol Spritz, Venetian-Style with Russell Norman, Polpo21 Oct 201900:42:21

Like many others who came before him, our guest today fell in love with Venice at first site. Unlike many others, he brought Venice home with him..in a big way. 

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

We’re not talking a t-shirt or gondola-shaped ashtray, Russell Norman brought us Polpo - the restaurant that introduced Cicchetti and, for our purposes here, the Aperol Spritz to London and the UK. 

I met up with Russell in the original Polpo on Beak Street, to hear how  his first date with Venice developed into a long, long lasting relationship!

I apologise now for all the background noise you’ll hear…this is London during the day on a busy street. Just pretend every honk is made by a vaporetto on the Grand Canal. 

You could fight me and say that the Aperol Spritz is not a classic cocktail and I promised it would be all classic cocktails this season.

Well, I’m fighting back to say that yes it is. Aperol was invented in 1919 by the Barbieri brothers and the spritz is ages old. 

During the time when the Austrians owned Venice in the 1800s. The Austrian soldiers found the wines a little too alcoholic and added in a bit of water. Thus the spritz was born.

Fast forward  to the 1950’s when the Italians added Aperol to their spritz and, now, it’s everywhere and so easy to make.

Of course, our Cocktail of the Week is the Aperol Spritz.

Ingredients:

  • 3 oz Prosecco
  • 2 oz Aperol
  • 1 oz  Soda
  • Olive 

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a wine glass with ice, stir. Garnish with an olive if you want it really Venetian. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t share the recipe for the Cynar Gin Fizz that Russell and I enjoyed during our chat, and you can find that recipe, the Aperol Spritz and all the cocktails of the week at  ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2oDUXf5

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make a Rob Roy the Scottish Way with Alex Walker of Glenfiddich Whisky14 Oct 201901:08:17

Robert Roy MacGregor, the infamous 17th-century outlaw was Scottish through and through. Most likely, he would have been a little bothered that the classic cocktail named after him was invented in the USA. Well, it doesn't matter really where it was invented. We are still drinking it thanks to our guest today, the National Brand Ambassador of Glenfiddich. 

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Alex Walker may not be from Scotland originally but that doesn't mean he doesn't know a thing or two about Scottish whisky. His accomplishments speak for themselves, and after stints at the Savoy Beaufort Bar and the Artesian in London, plus winning too many of world’s toughest cocktail competitions to mention here, Rob Roy would definitely be happy with Alex’s version of his eponymous cocktail.

Of course, our Cocktail of the Week is the Rob Roy!

Ingredients:

  • 50ml Glenfiddich 12
  • 20ml Sweet Vermouth
  • 2 dash Angostura
  • Lemon Twist

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass, stir it down and strain into coupette. Garnish with the lemon twist.

You’ll find this recipe and more whisky recipes, plus all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2Vh85Tf

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make a Daiquiri in West London with Sly Augustin, Trailer Happiness, London07 Oct 201900:45:59

Jennings Cox is one of the biggest names in cocktails. History has remembered him as the “inventor” of the daiquiri. But as David Wonrich the famous drinks historian says "The daiquiri represents such an obvious marriage between local, as in Cuban,  ingredients—rum, sugar, limes—and American technology—cocktail shaker, ice—that it would take the chowder -headedest duffer who ever buttoned a trouser not to invent it." Whether Cox did or didn’t, it’s a great drink and has remained one of the one of the classics since the late 1800s.

Our guest today might not have invented it, but move over Jennings Cox, Sly Augustin is in town and he’s made the daiquiri his own.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Check any list of the best bars in London and Trailer Happiness is always at the top. That would be because of the dedication and effort of its owner Sly Augustin. Today on Lush Life, Sly recounts how he fell for Trailer Happiness as a customer and since buying the place, he’s continued to make it a home away from home. 

It’s tongue-in-cheek tiki vibe give it a party atmosphere and although it’s on the lower ground floor, you would swear you were sunning yourself on a beach holiday, drinking the best cocktails on the island, which I guess the UK is? And did I mention they have amazing cocktails.

Here is the Trailer Happiness Daiquiri:

Ingredients:

  • 50 ml Don Q Cristal
  • 25 ml lime juice
  • 20 ml 1:1 sugar syrup

Method:

Add all ingredients to a shaker, add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled coupette.

You’ll find this recipe and more rum recipes, plus all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2nt1XdA

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make a Negroni with Australian Gin - With Eddie Brook, Cape Byron Distillery30 Sep 201900:47:42

A Negroni is one of the great cocktail classics. In fact, it’s celebrating its 100th birthday this year, when, as legend would have it, Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender to add a drop of gin to his Americano.  

Folks are changing up ingredients all the time and the negroni has been tinkered with by creative bartenders trying their hand at redefining the basic recipe of vermouth, campari, and gin.

Our guest today knew the native flavors he had in his backyard were crying out for attention and he was going to be the one who answered their call!  I can’t say his original m.o. was to rework the Negroni per se, but the outcome of his pursuits have provided bartenders with a new spirit to play with.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Eddie Brook’s family had macadamia nuts on their mind when purchasing an old dairy farm in Byron Bay ,an eight hour drive north of Sydney. They discovered they had landed in the region’s largest subtropical rainforest, home to hundreds of Australia’s native  botanicals.

After a childhood spent enjoying literally the fruits of his parents labor and a chance meeting with his idol, Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich fame, Eddie established Cape Byron Distillery and the awards keep pouring in, especially for that one ingredient that gives his take on the negroni a particularly Australian character.

Our cocktail of the week is the Slowgroni! It has the best of both worlds - the old and the new. It starts with the traditional Gin, Campari and Vermouth recipe, but this time the gin is Brookies and the additional ingredient is the Byron Slow Gin that Eddie described!

Ingredients:

  • 30ml Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin
  • 15ml Brookie’s Byron Slow Gin
  • 30ml Campari
  • 15ml Premium vermouth
  • Garnish: Orange slice or zest.

Method:

Stir over ice in mixing glass until chilled. Strain over ice-filled glass. Garnish with an Orange slice or zest.

You’ll find this recipe and more Negroni recipes, plus all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2LF7hEo

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make a Classic Martini with Alessandro Palazzi, Dukes Bar, London23 Sep 201900:24:07

Hello everyone and welcome back for Season 4 of Lush Life - The classic Collection. We’ll be exploring classic cocktails  - who drank them, who makes them and a few modern twist on the genre. 

Things would get so boring if we didn’t change it up a little, so saying that I wanted to let you know the format has been “jujjed” slightly. 

Don’t be scared -  none of the good stuff is gone. You’re still going to hear from the greats of the cocktail world and still going to get your cocktail of the week.  You’ll just have to wait until the bitter end to discover who our next guest is and all the ways you can support Lush Life!

That being said - let’s get on with the show...

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.

There could be no better way to begin a season of classics than by inviting Alessandro Palazzi to kick off Season 4. He defines classic in every sense of the word, but don’t think that makes him any less modern. 

With more than 800 gins on the market, vermouth production on the rise, and let’s not even get into vodka, fruity, shaken, or stirred. No one can really define how to make a classic martini at all any more

What I can tell you is from his second home at Dukes Bar, Alessandro has probably made more martinis than anyone in London, if not the world.  

Four years and many martinis ago, he was game enough to be Lush Life’s 3rd guest ever..and now he’s back -  the one and only Alessandro Palazzi! 

So we all know James Bond had his martini shaken not stirred.

It was also Winston Churchill’s signature beverage - icy cold and so dry he just bowed toward France instead of letting vermouth anywhere near his glass.

Julia Child liked it one part gin to 5 parts French vermouth  - maybe that’s why she is known as the French Chef. 

Everyone who has ever loved a martini had it a different way.  It may seem simple to make but as a wise bartender said once, “People mess up simple all the time.”

In that vein here is the simple Dukes Bar classic gin martini recipe and this week’s Cocktail of the Week.

Ingredients:

  • 3 dashes dry vermouth
  • 4 ounces gin, frozen
  • lemon peel

Method:

Dash vermouth into a frozen martini glass & coat the glass. Pour in the gin. Do not stir! Garnish with a lemon peel.

You’ll find this recipe and loads more Martini recipes, plus all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/32u8O5K

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Drink Select Aperitivo with Rudi Carraro24 Jul 202300:25:09

Just when you thought my season was over, I’m surprising you with a little mid-summer episode dedicated to a place and spirit I love.

If you’ve been listening to Lush Life for a while, you would probably know that I love Venice. If you are a first-timer to Lush Life, I'll say it again I love Venice!

So how excited am I to be joined by my friend Rudi Carraro, Global Brand Ambassador of the very Venetian Select Aperitivo?

I’ll let Rudi tell you how Select and Venice go hand-in-hand while I sip my Select Spritz dreaming I’m on a terrace overlooking the Grand Canal.

Before we begin and for the last time this season, you can always watch this episode on Youtube, plus all the other Lush Life episodes as well as a whole lot more, just head to youtube.com/@lushlifemanual that's youtube.com/@lushlifemanual!

Now let’s join Rudi!

Our cocktail of the week is the Select Spritz:

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 oz Select Aperitivo
  • 3 oz Prosecco
  • 1 splash Soda
  • 1 Green olive

METHOD

  • Fill a wine glass with ice
  • Pour Select Aperitivo into the glass
  • Add the prosecco and then the soda
  • Stir very gently
  • Garnish with a green olive - truly Venetian!

You’ll find this recipe, more Select Aperitivo cocktail recipes, and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, where you’ll also find most of the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/select-aperitivo-with-rudi-carraro

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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to patreon.com/lushlife.

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more!

Produced by Simpler Media

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest

New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

Serving up Season 4 of Lush Life09 Sep 201900:03:43

September has come ‘round and I am bursting with enthusiasm.  So in that state of mind, Season 4 of Lush Life - The Classic Collection will commence next Tuesday . 

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

The Classic Collection...hmm what’s that I hear you asking yourself? Well, Season 4 is bringing it all down to basics.  Why you may ask? 

I’ve been busy all summer rereading the classics - as in my essential New York Times Book of Cocktails, Robert Simonson’s wonderful book A Proper Drink, all about the revival of the modern cocktail craze, and my very own signed copy of David Wondrich’s Esquire Drinks.


These great minds have reminded me that if you don’t know your classics how can you move forward. As a layman and I mean layman in cocktail making, it’s time to go back and master the old-fashioned, martini, negroni before purchasing a centrifuge to make the Boys to  the Yard like Liquid Intellect!

So what does this mean for our season ahead? Our guest are still the greats of the drinking world. Still the movers and shakers of the industry! Don’t you worry?

I’ll just be mixing in a little more history to the classic cocktail of the week and you might even see some video instruction along the way on alushlifemanual.com.

But don’t think I am stuck in the past.  There are so many new things happening in the Lush Life world that I can’t wait to tell you about, but you will just have to wait until next week!

I can’t leave you without a cocktail of the week - so as the last days of summer are fading away here in London  the most famous of all summer cocktails seemed to be the perfect choice.

 

The Aperol Spritz - whose history we’ll go into in a later episode.

Ingredients

  • 3 oz Prosecco
  • 2 oz Aperol
  • 1 oz  Soda
  • One green olive

Method

  • Mix all the ingredients into a wine glass with ice and stir.
  • Garnish with an olive if you want it really Venetian. 

 

We’re talking classic here!

You’ll find this recipe, plus all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

 

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Become a patron of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $1 a month - less than Starbucks: www.Patreon.com/LushLife

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything!  and more! 

Produced by Simpler Media

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest

New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

Where to Drink in Trentino, Italy22 Jul 201900:32:52

Trentino, nestled in the Alps, welcomes each and every guest with a glass of Bollincine Da Montagna translated as Mountain Bubbles but officially known as Trentodoc - their splendid sparkling wine. But what else is there to drink in this gorgeous northern region of Italy.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  


Today we get to meet a few people who are making the drinks that Trentino is famous for and some that were a surprise.  Matteo Covazzi from Mezzacorona, the second largest producer of Trentodoc, is with us to explain exactly what Trentodoc is. Then we have Andrea Luchetta telling the tale of Bellaveder, a small producer of Trentodoc and the other wines I got to try. Michele Dolzan from the world famous Villa De Varda grappa distillery joins us and, to end it all, we have Andrea Paternoster who is making mead, the Trentodoc way. 


This is just a fraction of what’s available to imbibe in Trentino. To find out what else? You would have to read my new Lush Guide to Trentino at alushlifemanual.com, but don’t leave us yet, as we head to Mezzacorona.


Our cocktail of the week is not really a cocktail recipe but a syrup recipe and a syrup which can be used in loads of cocktails.  


On the aforementioned jaunt through Trentino, we met Nonna Ponomarenco at the agriturismo Maso Flonkeri where she showed us how to make an amazingly aromatic, yet subtle rose syrup to add to Chardonnay. At least that’s what she added it to and it was incredible.  


We picked her roses to make it,  but please buy CULINARY-GRADE roses. Do not use the ones you get at the florist!


 


INGREDIENTS


  • 1 cup water

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 lemon

  • 2 cups fresh rose petals

METHOD


  • Place the rose petals in a bowl.

  • Squeeze the juice of a lemon over them and scrunch the liquid with the petals.

  • Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

  • Stir to dissolve the sugar.

  • Add in the rose petals and cook for 10 minutes.

  • Strain into glass jars, removing the petals from the liquid

  • Turn the glass jars upside down and store for a few days.

 


When it’s ready add it to Chardonnay or Prosecco or anything you want...


 


You’ll find this recipe, plus a video of Nonna making it, and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop


 


Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2Jxh7XX


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Become a patron of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $1 a month - less than Starbucks: www.Patreon.com/LushLife


Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything!  and more! 


Produced by Simpler Media


Follow us on Twitter and Instagram


Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest


New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

How to Make a Great Rum Cocktail with Alex Jollivet and Tom Wiggett, The Duppy Share15 Jul 201900:41:49

Meeting in primary school doesn’t always predict a future business career together, but in the case of our guests today, it most certainly did. They also went to the same prep school, university and lived together in London...oh and did I mention they both love rum!

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.

Alex Jollivet and Tom Wiggett also drank together and while Tom was enjoying a thousand variations on the G&T, the only mixer Alex was being offered with his rum was Coke, not that  there is anything wrong with a good Cuba Libre, in fact I make a Cuba Libre range of Merchandise so check it out at A Lush Life Manual.com/merch. 

Still it can get monotonous, so what are two guys to do - well these guys created Long Tail Mixers. Three different mixers that were developed specifically to compliment rum, whiskey, bourbon..whatever brown spirit you have on your shelf. 

Our Cocktail of the Week is the Sundown Spice, a combination that will have you dreaming of the beach in the Caribbean. 

Ingredients:

  • Long Tail Island Spice Mixer
  • 50 ml The Duppy Share Rum
  • Lime Wedge

Method:

Fill your Long Tail Glass with 3 ice cubes. Pour in The Duppy Share Rum, add Long Tail Island Spice Mixer. Cut a lime wedge and add for garnish.

If you want to hear more about Duppy Share - go back and listen to my episode titled How to move from insurance to rum in five easy steps!

You’ll find this recipe and two more from Long Tail, plus all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2LCIktM

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

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If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Design Cocktails That Are Irresistible with Fabio Pezzini, the Polo Bar, London08 Jul 201900:55:48

A hotel was destined to be our guest’s second home from the time he first stepped into one when he was a little boy. Now Fabio Pezzini is all grown up and behind the bar at one of London’s premier hotels right in the center of it all.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

The Polo Bar at the Westbury Hotel has seen and heard it all. From bowler hats to Beatles performing on the roof nearby on Savile Row, now the modern day fashionistas and Instagrammers. The windows lining the ground floor bar off of Bond Street are the perfect setting for any of his and his team’s cocktails. As Bar Manager, Fabio is guiding the Polo Bar into a new era and his journey from Verona to London will prove he is the one to make it happen.

Our Cocktail of the Week is the Bellinicus, a Polo Bar favorite!

Ingredients:

  • 45ml Italicus
  • 20ml Lemon Juice
  • 15ml Rose Syrup
  • 4ml Peach Bitters
  • Moët & Chandon to Top

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a shaker, add ice & shake. Strain into a Champagne Flute. Top with Moët & Chandon.

You’ll find the cocktail martini recipe and all the cocktails on ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2xnQ3U0

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

Where to Drink in Charleston, South Carolina, USA01 Jul 201900:41:57

Can you imagine a state where in every bar all that was served were airplane mini-bottles of spirits? So you order an old-fashioned and they take the tiny bottle of JD off the shelf, unscrew it, add sugar and bitters and that’s it. Only order, unscrew, serve for every cocktail! Crazy talk...yet that was South Carolina until 2006 - yes 2006. 

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

My first trip to Charleston was long after 2006 and this town is on the top of everyone’s list to visit. Could it be because of all the great bars?. I was there as part of a group of Journalists, the British Guild of Travel Writers to be exact, invited to experience the city. The first thing I did was research all the bars that could not be missed and I put all I found in my Lush Guide to Charleston, which you can find on my blog, alushlifemanual.com.

I gathered together a few of the people who are making the bar scene so dynamic.  One was Scott Blackwell from High Wire Distillery whom I had on the show a  few weeks ago. Today I have Craig Nelson, whose bar Proof has been written up in all the magazines - for all the right reasons. Then we meet the bar managers of two of the most famous restaurants in the USA which just happen to be in Charleston  - Justin Simko, Bar Manager of the Bar at Husk and Ashley Dodds, Bar Manager of FIG. 

Our Cocktail of the Week is The Cheshire Cat - created by bartender Nikki Fairman for FIG.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz - Cucumber Tequila
  • .75 oz  - Lime Juice
  • .75 oz - Nikolaihof Elderflower Syrup
  • 2 droppers - Butterfly Pea Extract
  • 6 drops - Orange Blossom Water

To Make the Cucumber Tequila:

Vacuum seal 1 liter of silver tequila and 400g of peeled, de-seeded, sliced cucumbers. Place in a 140-degree water bath for 2 hours. Shock in an ice bath for 20 minutes. Strain.

Method:

In a rocks glass, add the Butterfly Pea Extract, Orange Blossom Water and chilled Cucumber Tequila over one large ice cube. Give the contents a quick stir just to incorporate them. 

Combine equal parts Lime and Elderflower Syrup (.75oz each) together in a  "Pour Me" sidecar. To enjoy this whimsical tipple, just pour in the sidecar ingredients, give it a stir and watch the magic happen!

You’ll find the cocktail martini recipe and all the cocktails on ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2x4PEG4

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

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If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Make Apple Cider at Home with Xavier D’Audiffret, Maison Sassy24 Jun 201900:31:52

Don’t ever call someone’s idea crazy - you’ll probably end up eating your words or in this case drinking them. Our guest today knew that cider was not just for crepes and galettes any more and when he heard the French government was paying farmers to chop down apple trees in his home region of Normandy, he knew the time was now.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

Xavier d’Audiffret and his cofounder Pierre knew they hit on something when Collette in Paris, the store that put the concept into concept store, and Joel Robocun,  the most Michelin starred chef in the world were the first supporters of Maison Sassy, the cider they had produced in their hometown in Normandy.

Now it was up to them to convince the rest of the world.  Xavier is here to tell us how the story began.

Our Cocktail of the Week is the Maison SASSY Rosé Negroni.

Ingredients:

  • 30 ml Red Vermouth
  • 30 ml Campari
  • 30 ml SASSY Cidre Rosé
  • Orange zest

Method:

Build all the ingredients in a glass over ice, stir. Garnish with orange zest.

You’ll find the cocktail martini recipe and all the cocktails on ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2Kr4u2b

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Answer When the Connaught Comes Calling with Ago Perrone, the Connaught Bar, Part 217 Jun 201900:33:19

Before we head into The Connaught Bar, I want to make sure you know this is a two parter. Did you listen to part 1 of Ago Perrone’s story? Then you already know that he is Director of Mixology for The Connaught Bar. If you are flummoxed and have no idea what I’m talking about then head back to last week’s episode where you can hear the beginning of Ago’s journey. If you’re set, then let’s head to Mayfair - Carlos Place, to be exact and one of my favorite hotels in the world.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

So we left off as the Connaught Bar came calling. So exciting...no more faffing about - let’s jump right in...with Ago...and that knocking door.

This week’s cocktail, the SWEET & Z is inspired by the story of 2 guests that are completely different but the best of friends ; one in fashion with a love of strong drinks like the Negroni, the other a quieter soul with a love of fine food and sweeter drinks, his favourite being the Golden Cadillac.

This drink is a tribute to them with the bitterness of the negroni and sweetness of the golden Cadillac. Add a bit of chocolate candy and you have the Sweet & Z!

Ingredients:

  • 30 ml Patron Reposado Tequila
  • 30 ml Martini Rubino
  • 30 ml Galliano L’aperitivo
  • Cacao Cascara light cream
  • Galliano L’Autentico

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, stir. Strain into a champagne coupe glass over diamond of ice. Add a ring of chocolate and spray with grapefruit and basil essence

Yeah, it’s tough to make, so much better to head to the Connaught and have one of the excellent staff make it for you there.

You’ll find the cocktail martini recipe and all the cocktails on ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2JRCq81

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Convey Your Personal Experience in a Cocktail with Ago Perrone, The Connaught Bar10 Jun 201900:36:26

I felt right at home with my next guest, even though we had never met. The Connaught Hotel is a place I have been returning to since I was a child. As my parent’s port of call when visiting London, The Connaught has seen me roam its halls, sleep in its beds and also try smoked salmon for the first time in the now legendary dining room. We only stopped staying there because now I live in London. Meeting Ago Perrone, Director of Mixology for the Connaught Bar, was like being reintroduced to an old friend after so many years.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

What can I say about Ago Perrone that hasn’t already been said. Winner of a myriad of personal awards, including CLASS Magazine’s Best Bartender of the year and winner of the Bacardi Legacy. Now he has led the Connaught Bar to be one of the best bars in the world.

Over two episodes this week and next, we’ll explore what it takes to earn such accolades. This week sees Ago deciding what path to take in life...and how that choice led him to the doors of the Connaught Bar and next week what happened after those doors opened. We start his journey in a beautiful part of the world, Lake Como.

Our Cocktail of the Week is the Mulata Daisy.

Ingredients:

  • 40 ml Bacardi Superior Rum
  • 20 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 bar spoon caster sugar
  • 1/2 bar spoon fennel seeds
  • 20 ml dark crème de cacao liqueur
  • 10 ml Galliano L’Autentico in the glass
  • Garnish: cacao

Method:

Shake all ingredients over ice and and double strain into a champagne coupe glass. Garnish with cacao powder on the rim. 

You’ll find the cocktail martini recipe and all the cocktails on ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2JQtoIB

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Know Which Rum to Drink in Antigua with Lisa Farara, Antigua Distillery03 Jun 201900:33:25

My friend and fellow podcaster Palle Bo, the Radio Vagabond, tells me that I don’t reveal enough about myself on Lush Life. I am slightly reticent to do that as I want it to be all about my guests. Still I will keep trying little by little

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion who lives in London by the way, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

I wouldn’t have not met my next guest if I hadn’t been invited to the Traverse Elite Content Creators Conference in Antigua. 40 of us from the UK, USA, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean flew to the island of Antigua to teach and learn new skills while discovering the island.

When i learned I was invited, I immediately called Peter Holland of thefloatingrumshack.com to ask his advice on drinking rum in Antigua. He’s one of my former guests who knows everything about Rum everywhere.

He put me in touch with Lisa Farara, one of the granddaughters  of one of the eight founders of the Antigua Distillery and the rest, well I’ll let her tell you, as she’s our guest today.  

After the cocktail of the week, learn where to discover more info on Antigua and where to drink their version of the classic Rum Punch. If you want to make the cocktail of the week first and then listen to the episode I wouldn’t blame you as it will put you right in island mood, now over to Lisa who starts us off with a history of rum in Antigua.

Our Cocktail of the Week is the English Harbour Colada - a play on the Piña Colada.

Ingredients:

  • 2oz English Harbour 5yr Old Rum
  • 2oz Fresh Squeezed Antigua Black Pineapple Juice
  • 2oz Fresh Coconut Water
  • Pineapple wedge and lime wheel

Method:

Build in an old fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and lime wheel

You’ll find the this recipe and all the cocktails on ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Create Two Successful Brands in a Row with Alex Carlton, Stryyk Not Rum27 May 201900:35:44

Creating one successful brand is hard enough, but two - well as our guest today, Alex Carlton discovered, it’s just as exciting the second time round.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

I met with Alex on his birthday a few weeks ago, having just received the best gift an entrepreneur could. A fantastic review of his Stryyk Not Rum.

STRYYK, the distilled zero-proof spirit, was born out of Alex’s inherent need to create. Having already had a massive success with his Funkin smoothies, purees and drinks mixes, he just couldn’t rest on his laurels. This time he is set to dominate the non-alcoholic beverage market..or should I say...

He’s set to strike gold again with Stryyk but, before I think up even more bad puns...I’ll let Alex take the floor.

Our Cocktail of the Week is the STRYYK Espresso Martini.

Ingredients:

  • 50ml/2oz Stryyk Not Rum:
  • 50ml/2oz Fitches Cold Brew Concentrate
  • 15ml/0.5oz Sugar Syrup

Method:

Shake and double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with coffee beans.

You’ll find the cocktail martini recipe and all the cocktails on ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2HsaG7n

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Celebrate the World's 50 Best with Mark Sansom19 Jun 202300:36:08

What a great way to start the summer by celebrating with a guest whose job it is to celebrate the best of the best.

Mark Sansom has been Director of Content at The World’s 50 Best Bars, 50 Best Discovery, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and soon to be the World’s 50 Best Hotels for the past 5 very momentous years!

Today he guides us through a bit about the history of World’s 50 Best, but mostly we get to what’s been happening since Covid and how the site and events have changed since Mark joined the team.

Before we begin and for the last time this season, you can always watch this episode on Youtube, plus all the other Lush Life episodes as well as a whole lot more; just head to youtube.com/@lushlifemanual that's youtube.com/@lushlifemanual!

Our cocktail of the week is one of Mark’s favorites, the Mezcal Negroni!

INGREDIENTS

  • 50ml Campari
  • 50ml sweet vermouth
  • 50ml gin
  • 10ml super smoky mezcal
  • orange half-wheel

METHOD

  • Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass
  • Add ice
  • Stir, stir, stir
  • Strain into a rocks glass with ice
  • Garnish with an orange half-wheel

You’ll find this recipe, more mezcal cocktail recipes, and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, where you’ll also find most of the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/worlds-50-best-bars-with-mark-sansom

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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to patreon.com/lushlife.

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more!

Produced by Simpler Media

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest

New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

How to Make Bourbon Out of 100% Corn with Scott Blackwell of High Wire Distilling Company20 May 201900:46:23

When someone says their bourbon is made with 100% corn - you can’t really believe them can you? You can if it’s our guest today. Scott Blackwell of High Wire Distilling Company wanted to create a spirit that was different, but how do you even start?

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

Winner of the Best of the South award from Garden and Gun Magazine this year was just one of the many awards that High wire Distilling Co has won since its decision to make bourbon with Jimmy Red, a corn that moonshiner used in the past and came very close to extinction.

It’s really Scott’s tale, to tell so I’ll let him tell it.

Our Cocktail of the Week is the Old Fashioned.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Jimmy Red Bourbon
  • .25 oz Demerara Simple Syrup
  • 5 dashes Angostura Bitters

Method:

Stir in a mixing glass, strain over a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon twist.

You’ll find the cocktail martini recipe and all the cocktails on ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2J3nO4h

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to reestablish an over 280-year-old Gin Brand with Milo Walker, Nicholson Gin13 May 201900:24:18

So you know that your family once owned a gin company and some pubs, but how surreal would it be to find it was not just any gin company but one of the most important brands in the UK ever. Even arguably the oldest.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.  

Milo Walker, Brand Ambassador and heir to Nicholson Gin, discovered that his family produced not only politicians and cricketers,  but also gin distillers. There might not have been a Lord’s Cricket Ground if Nicholson Gin hadn’t stepped in. It was also Harry Craddock’s, the Savoy’s most legendary bartender, preferred choice for many of the hotel’s most famous cocktails!

Milo talks us through his recent education on all things Nicholson Gin!

Our Cocktail of the Week is the Gloom Raiser.

This classic cocktail featured in The Savoy Cocktail Book and Harry’s ABC back in the 1930s and demanded only Nicholson Gin. They’ve added raspberry syrup as a fresh alternative.

Ingredients

  • 50ml Nicholson Original Gin
  • 15ml Dry French Vermouth
  • 2 dots absinthe
  • 5ml Raspberry syrup
  • Garnish with a lemon twist

Method:

Add ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist. Enjoy!

You’ll find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2J5i5La

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

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If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

How to Be the First Female Bartender at Dukes Bar, London, with Mariantonietta Varamo06 May 201900:33:12

Can you say that one gelato changed your life? For our next guest, being served an ice cream cone introduced her to the world of hospitality and she never looked back. From the age of 12, Mariantonietta Varamo has been on a fast track to making her dreams come true. Thank goodness for us, she choose to be behind the bar.

Little did Mariantonietta know when she left Italy for London that she would be the one to shake things up at Dukes Bar. As the first female bartender at that bastion of martinis and boulevardiers, she would be put to the test. She passed with flying colors and now she is managing GBR, Dukes Hotel’s other bar and restaurant. With this track record, who knows what she has planned next.

Our Cocktail of the Week is the Misty Negroni.

Ingredients:

  • DOM Benedictine infused with coffee beans
  • Martini Bianco vermouth
  • Ardbeg 10 Whisky
  • 3 drops of sweet orange bitters
  • Slice of orange

Method:

Build over ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Stir well and serve with a slice of orange.

You’ll find the cocktail martini recipe and all the cocktails on ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2IV4E0q

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

-----

If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.

Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!

Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.

Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.

Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

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