SPEAKER_0 [00:00:00]
Dramas, please.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:13]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:20]
This is life
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:22]
with a twist of lemon.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:24]
Alright, John. We're doing this. We're doing this in Iowa.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:28]
Yeah. How do you like Iowa so far? We're in the same room. A little bit weird.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:33]
It's it's cold. It's dry.
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:36]
And yeah. It's it's flat. It's flat.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:40]
So
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:41]
kinda like most of the Midwest?
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:44]
Well,
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:45]
yeah. I mean, I feel like it's definitely colder than where I just came from. Now, whether or not you constitute
SPEAKER_0 [00:00:50]
I mean, I I I'd like to think that Indiana is the heart of the Midwest.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:54]
Right.
SPEAKER_1 [00:00:55]
Midwest is defined really strangely. It's like what states are included, what states aren't included.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:02]
So do you want me to pontificate about history and why it's called the Midwest as opposed to just the middle of the country?
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:08]
If you want to, but we always moved west from the 13 colonies, and then people went all the way out west to find gold.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:18]
Sure. But but keep in mind, like, this used to be the Western Front. Right? Like, so when people were the far West,
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:25]
they were not thinking of California.
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:27]
They were thinking of Indiana,
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:29]
Michigan,
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:29]
maybe Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:31]
Like, when Washington would go out and do his
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:34]
what the heck is that called? Where you, like,
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:37]
look at the land and
SPEAKER_0 [00:01:39]
I'm drawing a blank on what that's called. Yeah. Like, they measure they measure stuff. What is this called? Surveying. Surveying. When he was a surveyor. Yeah. But here's what's interesting. For him, the far West was Ohio, right, which to me is East. Like, that's that's Middle East.
SPEAKER_1 [00:01:54]
Ohio isn't that far East from where you live, Stan. I know. It's just across the border.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:00]
Yes.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:02]
So Indiana would be east to me.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:04]
Again,
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:05]
I I I stand firmly by Indiana as the heart of the Midwest.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:11]
Alright then.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:12]
Why?
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:14]
Because I'm I live there, and I don't know, John. That's like, I don't know. It's South Of Michigan,
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:22]
and it's I don't know. This don't ask me to rationalize stupid things I say.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:29]
What does Indiana bring to the country?
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:31]
Basketball?
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:32]
Definitely basketball.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:33]
Corn.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:35]
Let me think.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:36]
I mean,
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:37]
we're a we're a prosperous
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:39]
hub for the movement of stuff across the country. We also like what is it? We got Caterpillar,
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:45]
Cummins,
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:47]
Eli Lilly. Like, there's a lot of big industries
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:50]
in Indiana.
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:51]
Orville Redenbacher.
SPEAKER_0 [00:02:54]
Wait. Really?
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:55]
Yeah. Aren't they in Gary or something? Does Gary count as Indiana?
SPEAKER_1 [00:02:59]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:00]
think, like, from my perspective down in Indianapolis, maybe not, but
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:04]
for for those folks
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:06]
in the northern part of the city or state, I'm sure they think of themselves
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:10]
as part of it. I didn't realize that they were are you sure they're from Gary?
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:15]
I know that I've driven past the Orville Redenbacher plant when going between Milwaukee and Fort Wayne.
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:21]
Alright. Well, I mean, good to know. I mean, I I I only eat Orville Redenbacher. I feel like we could talk about proper popcorn kernels
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:28]
here, but I won't digress. But suffice to say that is the superior popcorn product in my world.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:35]
So there you go.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:36]
So you've been in Iowa for
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:39]
almost twenty four hours
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:41]
when you actually crossed the border.
SPEAKER_1 [00:03:44]
What do you think so far? What's your favorite thing?
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:47]
Spending time with you, John. Spending time with you. No. I so, I mean, like, I got here yesterday. Right? And you showed me your office, your desk,
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:57]
and then we went
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:59]
to
SPEAKER_0 [00:03:59]
what is it? The the Great American, Almost American, what is it? Popcorn They rebranded
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:07]
last year to Almost Famous Popcorn.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:11]
To me, it feels like that was a step backwards. Right? Almost like, you went from Great American Popcorn to Almost Famous Popcorn.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:18]
So the
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:20]
they had permission to use the Great American name. There is a Great American Popcorn in Galena, Illinois.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:28]
So
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:28]
by rebranding, it opened up up to try different
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:32]
popcorn flavors
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:34]
and kind of expand the business that way.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:37]
So okay. Interesting. So it was it was basically a franchise then from that standpoint? Right.
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:43]
Now they don't just do popcorn. They do chocolates
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:47]
and candies, and they also do ice cream, which we've discussed previously because they had the exact same ice cream as my favorite ice cream parlor in Indianapolis,
SPEAKER_0 [00:04:56]
Wileepalooza.
SPEAKER_1 [00:04:59]
Right. Chocolate shop ice cream based out of Madison, Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:03]
Which it was I was trying to remember the word yesterday. It was overrun. They have a high overrun rate, which is that ratio
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:09]
of air to cream that makes their ice cream so bloody amazing.
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:14]
And it is delicious.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:17]
So we did, of course, the only thing that we could possibly do when we walk into a place that has ice cream. We asked if they serve milkshakes,
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:24]
and we we did get milkshakes. Did we not? We did.
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:28]
We did not share. I know that you like sharing milkshakes, but
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:32]
one milkshake per person, one straw per milkshake.
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:35]
Hey. Just to be clear, if I were to share a milkshake with you, who who would
SPEAKER_0 [00:05:40]
they would be separate vessels. Right? So no. No. Okay. Alright. Before you totally throw me under the bus here, I did propose that we share a milkshake because I was concerned about, like, my general food consumption on this trip. Because when I asked you what are we gonna do this weekend, everything you just listed was food related.
SPEAKER_1 [00:05:58]
Well, we are in Iowa, so there's not a lot of other things to do.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:03]
I I respect that. But we got a milkshake.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:06]
I chose
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:07]
what was it? It was peanut butter cookie dough chocolate swirl, some another? Yep. Peanut butter cookie dough. I think this is the first milkshake that I had from there, which is when I complained about the debris.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:19]
And suffice to say that I understand exactly where that review came from as of yesterday, and I I really struggled with this milkshake.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:27]
I I believe you heard me complain about it all the way back to the office.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:32]
The I just it was, like, constantly getting clogged. The other thing I will say, and you noted this when we were actually in the store itself,
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:40]
the straws are just normal drink straws.
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:44]
Right. We need some Wileepalooza
SPEAKER_1 [00:06:46]
milkshake straws.
SPEAKER_0 [00:06:48]
I've decided I'm gonna actually start packing those in my laptop bag so that I can take them with me wherever I go. Now I I will say though, if I had that Wile E. Palooza straw with me, it might give this particular retail
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:00]
location
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:01]
an advantage in a milkshake review, but, you know, it is what it is. I would have enjoyed it more. I want if I had to get a straw, which to me is like an or not straw, a spoon,
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:11]
which to me is anathema.
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:13]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:14]
Probably good if we just start carrying around
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:17]
straws,
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:18]
and then we can
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:20]
have honest reviews of the milkshakes we try.
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:22]
But don't you think like, to me, a milkshake isn't just the ingredients. Right? It's the experience, which we should we should delve into a little bit more because the experience yesterday
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:30]
was
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:32]
mediocre at best.
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:34]
We did learn some
SPEAKER_1 [00:07:36]
valuable information about shakes versus malts
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:39]
and how popular they are. I okay. So we inquired
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:44]
about the popularity of them. I do not know that we got useful
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:48]
information
SPEAKER_0 [00:07:49]
from the particular individual behind the counter. I I don't mean to disparage her in any way, shape, or form. She's very nice. She was studying. I'm sure that we were very disruptive in the middle of the day when nobody normally buys milkshakes and and, you know, milkshakes are I mean, I should back up. I also asked for what, like, six or seven different samples of popcorn?
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:07]
Yeah. You were kinda high maintenance.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:10]
I feel like that's consistent, though.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:12]
Yeah. It is.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:14]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:15]
alright. We
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:18]
got this milkshake, and we did ask her I asked her rather if she felt like older customers predominantly ordered with malt or not.
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:27]
Right. And malt, the difference between a shake and a malt is just they put malt powder in it, and
SPEAKER_1 [00:08:35]
I've never bought malt powder. I've had malted milk balls before, so I don't know if that's the same or not. You've never ordered, like, a malt as opposed to a shake? I'm sure I have. I have not since we started reviewing milkshakes.
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:47]
It's it's a distinct flavor, I think. And
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:51]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:08:52]
I don't know. For for me, I think of it as, like, an older clientele is more interested in that. I I'm sure there's a reason
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:00]
why malted beverages were more popular,
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:02]
you know, back in the day. At least that's my perception of them.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:07]
But nonetheless,
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:08]
it's not a thing that I particularly enjoy,
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:11]
and I was trying I mean, the whole purpose of the inquiry, right, was
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:15]
do older customers predominantly
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:17]
use malt over a milkshake? And she
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:21]
seemed to say yes, but when I asked her what older meant, she lumped me in with that, and I definitely don't do malt.
SPEAKER_1 [00:09:28]
Yeah. I I don't think you were quite lumped in. I think she said 40, so you got a couple years left.
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:34]
I'd she
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:35]
I think I brought up the number 40, and she described
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:39]
I think she said mid thirties, actually, is what she said, which is where I was, like, oh, stabbed to the heart because she said, like, a decade older than her, and she was clearly in her twenties. Alright. She probably a college student. Right? Because we went high schoolers were still in school. She was had some textbooks sitting out on the counter. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:09:57]
I think at the time we went, people were either in school or working. Yes.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:02]
Got it. We were again, I think we were intruding upon her
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:07]
perfectly normal workday
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:09]
catching up on, I think you said physiology?
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:11]
I saw a picture of a skeleton
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:14]
and she also had a scientific calculator.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:17]
So I don't know. For for all we know, could be in theater and was picking out Halloween costumes
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:23]
and calculating a budget for production. So just just to be clear. It's possible, I suppose.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:29]
Okay. The milkshake though, the other issue that I had, right, we we we talked about the slurpability.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:34]
Well, I I didn't directly address the slurpability. What I addressed was that cookie dough
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:39]
is really not the best
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:41]
mix in, if you will, for lack of a better term. Know it's a Five Guys thing, but just stick with me here.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:46]
Cookie dough is an obstruction to the delivery of milkshakes.
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:51]
Especially
SPEAKER_1 [00:10:52]
with standard straws.
SPEAKER_0 [00:10:55]
Yeah. Especially with standard straws. I don't know. You know, looking at the size of the cookie dough chunks, I think if they came up, you know, the the long ways, and it's because they were not square. Right? They came up the long ways. They actually looked kinda like
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:10]
like gerbil food, to be honest with you, like, oversized gerbil food. But or guinea pig food, maybe. Whatever. They if they came up with the straw long ways, I think they'd be okay. I think the problem is even wide ways on the Wiley Peluso straw, they'd probably get clogged.
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:25]
There's lots of things to unpack there.
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:27]
One,
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:28]
like, generally, you want giant pieces of cookie dough when you're just eating it as ice cream. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:34]
that's where we're starting from. Two,
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:37]
I don't know what you're talking about with guinea pig and gerbil food, but it sounds like you need to get your children another pet.
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:44]
Okay. We do not have gerbils or guinea pigs. We will not have gerbils or guinea pigs.
SPEAKER_0 [00:11:50]
These these cookie let me I'll I'll pivot a little bit. These cookie dough chunks were larger than kibble. How's that?
SPEAKER_1 [00:11:57]
Alright. Better. You already have a dog, so we're all good.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:01]
So the I I agree with you. Right? Like, you go into
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:05]
cookie dough ice cream, and what you want is large chunks.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:09]
So you either in order to do a milkshake of this kind, you either need to break up those chunks, or you have to have someone passionate enough about milkshakes behind the counter to steer you away from it. And basically, like, call it out. Right? This is going to be a very difficult delivery into your mouth
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:24]
choosing this ice cream.
SPEAKER_1 [00:12:26]
So how does this play in with the customer is always right, and you should give the customer what they want?
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:31]
So if
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:33]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:35]
I don't know. You really wanna go down this road? Because I'm not sure that I, like, from an ideological standpoint, agree with that to begin with.
SPEAKER_1 [00:12:43]
We're already twelve minutes in, and we spent lots of time on milkshakes the last two episodes, so maybe we'll save that for another day.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:49]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:50]
I've got an interest to talk about the customer's lives. Right? But okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:54]
Just because to your point, I don't wanna belabor this milkshake thing.
SPEAKER_0 [00:12:59]
The slope ability in general, aside from the actual ingredients, was not particularly great. I actually showed you that the there was a chunk of ice cream that was floating in milk at one point. There were multiple layers to this. At one point, she added additional ice cream. Like, I guess she didn't measure it out properly or whatever. Suffice to say, like, great ice cream. I you know, I'm not gonna knock the ice cream.
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:19]
Really poor milkshake, though. Like, the delivery wasn't great. I thought, at least mine, she did a better job with the whipped cream than with yours, which was like honestly, it looked like a swollen pimple.
SPEAKER_1 [00:13:32]
Alright then, Stan. You
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:36]
you got my favorite ice cream though. Right? I did. And you didn't like how I ordered it because I said the expletive word that was You're not you're not gonna say that on the podcast. It's just called This Just Got Serious. Right? That's that's what it's called and it's what caramel with is it pecan chunks?
SPEAKER_0 [00:13:53]
Something like that. And there's like a whole bunch of stuff in it and it's delicious. Yeah. It's it's fantastic. I I love it. In fact, every time I go to Wilead Palooza, pretty much only get that. So alright. Suffice to say, that is the first milkshake of this trip. I don't believe is there a milkshake on the docket for today?
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:08]
There's not as of now, but if something comes to mind, we'll have to jump on that opportunity.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:14]
Okay. But most importantly, and it will not be on this episode because we're gonna do this tomorrow. Most importantly, we are going to go to the scene of the crime. Correct?
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:22]
Well,
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:23]
scene of the crime is
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:25]
an interesting term
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:27]
because
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:28]
we stepped foot in there, but never actually
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:31]
ordered anything.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:34]
If you walk into McDonald's and only use the restroom, does that make you a patron of the restaurant?
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:41]
No.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:42]
So I I
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:44]
I'm just gonna say that you just by being in it's the Hamburg Inn. Right?
SPEAKER_1 [00:14:49]
Hamburg Inn number two.
SPEAKER_0 [00:14:51]
Okay. Well, I'm I'm not gonna dive into why it's number two. But so my point is, you didn't get a milkshake, and it was the lack of getting a milkshake that started us down this trip. And so we will
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:03]
we will go to the scene of the crime that started this chain of events on the podcast. My question to you is, after we have a milkshake at the Hamburg Inn,
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:12]
will we review a milkshake again?
SPEAKER_1 [00:15:15]
If I say no, does that get me out of out of it?
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:19]
No. I mean, like, you've been talking about this for so long. I I feel like the only reason I came to Iowa might be to see missus Kolmeyer and to actually try the Hamburg Inn.
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:28]
You wanted to see my house to make sure I wasn't living in a dump. I I knew you weren't living in a dump. Actually, very, very nice house, very lovely. I've enjoyed staying there and,
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:38]
you know, the the personnel in the home is is fine.
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:43]
Missus Kolmeyer is definitely superior to yourself, but you you already knew that. That's true.
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:49]
Alright. Milkshakes are done.
SPEAKER_0 [00:15:52]
The customer's always right. I'm not gonna let this go because I can't. Alright. So I I think that is intended
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:01]
to provide a good customer service experience. Right? And so when people say the customer's always right, they're trying to fix something.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:09]
I don't think that you assume that a customer is going to create whatever it is they need or want, like x knee hill. Right? And and this is this is my problem. I think if
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:21]
you need to fix an experience with something you sold a customer, the customer is always right. K? So, like, your laptop's broken. Right? You're gonna go to Apple,
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:29]
and you're gonna say my laptop's broken.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:32]
Apple's going to treat you as if you're correct. Right? Even if you're not, they're gonna give you that perception just to help you, like, become satisfied with the product.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:41]
But if you walk into the store, if you walk into an Apple store and you say, I need a Dell computer,
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:47]
the customer is not right.
SPEAKER_0 [00:16:49]
K? First of you're in the wrong place. True. Right. But the other thing is you're choosing an inferior product. And so I think I think with the milkshakes, right, if you walk in and you order a milkshake that's just gonna be terrible to slurp up slurp slurp
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:03]
up,
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:04]
then then someone should steer you away from that.
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:08]
Now we don't know anything about the person who was working in the popcorn shop yesterday. Could have been her third day. She may not know all the intricacies
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:18]
of the milkshakes that they can make, especially since their primary
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:23]
product is popcorn,
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:25]
but
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:26]
you you look like you disagree. I I do. Here's here's why. Here's how I know it wasn't her third day.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:31]
Who else was in the store?
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:33]
No one.
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:35]
Okay. So do you let your third day employee
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:38]
run the shop end to end with the cash register, the whole nine yards? I I don't think so.
SPEAKER_1 [00:17:44]
Fair enough. I was just trying to put the best construction on things. Well, the the best construction is
SPEAKER_0 [00:17:51]
no. I don't I don't have a best construction for this. I, like, I feel like if you are in this space, right, if you're in that kind of retail shop because here's another thing. I I asked I was asking about chocolates, and she didn't know about the chocolates I was asking. I think if you're in that kind of a store, you have to know what you're selling. Right? And so you have to, like, you've gotta be able to talk sensibly about the popcorn. Right? All of the popcorn, all 16 options. You gotta be able to,
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:14]
discuss it and analyze it. And when it comes to the milkshakes, right, you have to know you have to have, like,
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:20]
enough sense about what is gonna make a good milkshake and what is not and steer people
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:24]
in the right direction. And when it comes to the chocolates, you better know how every one of those tastes.
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:30]
Alright, Stan.
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:31]
You should open a popcorn shop.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:33]
I don't think that missus Lemon would let me do that. I believe me, like, I I have this itch someday to to open up a pizza parlor,
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:41]
but it's I I don't I don't see it happening. I'm not sure it would be equitable either. But you've got the pizza recipe
SPEAKER_1 [00:18:47]
canonized now.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:48]
I do. I should post that on my blog at some point. Only if you wanna give away your trade secrets.
SPEAKER_0 [00:18:54]
So the the truth is the ingredients are simple and the technique is not complicated, so I I wouldn't consider it a trade secret.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:01]
Fair enough. We talked about pizza a couple weeks ago.
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:05]
We did. Yeah. Interestingly, I've gotten a couple more requests for either my sauce or how to make breadsticks or how to make pizza,
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:11]
and I provided folks with direction. And I I really do need to just sit down and write in, make a video at least of the the rollout technique. I shouldn't say rollout because I'm not rolling it out. It's really hand stretched is what it is.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:23]
Have you ever done an Italian
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:25]
salad, like a Luminati salad or something like that?
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:29]
Like, with salami in it and stuff? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, sure.
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:33]
You need to canonize that recipe then too before you can open up an
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:39]
open up your own pizza parlor. So you're you're telling me that
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:43]
that kind of a salad is
SPEAKER_0 [00:19:46]
a requirement for a pizza parlor?
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:48]
In this day and age, not necessarily that kind of salad, but something that appears healthier than
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:54]
pizza and breadsticks
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:56]
and
SPEAKER_1 [00:19:56]
more bread as a side to your bread.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:00]
I I am not sure that I believe people go to a pizza parlor looking for salad. Also, I will just I will just be frank. Right? When you toss
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:08]
pepperoni or, excuse me, salami
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:11]
onto a salad,
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:13]
it it loses a lot of, like, healthy value. Right? I'm not saying it's not good. It's delicious. But that's and and especially too, if you ever watch the amount of cheese on a salad with with salami is significant.
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:26]
So, yeah, I'll leave it at that. I I have tried a Illuminati's copycat salad recipe. They, like, fry up the salami,
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:33]
throw some pepperoncini in there,
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:35]
black olives. It's delicious, man. See, I'm I'm opposed to black olives. I do not like black olives at all and especially not on pizza,
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:42]
not on salad.
SPEAKER_0 [00:20:43]
That's just not my thing.
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:46]
This brings up a good point because I made you a cocktail with a green olive in it yesterday,
SPEAKER_1 [00:20:51]
and we're gonna do some more cocktails today. We did two yesterday, I guess. You wanna talk about those? We were gonna have a cocktail episode when we were sipping cocktails, but we are not currently sipping them.
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:02]
I mean, this is a problem we could fix. We could pause the recording for a little Yeah. So we we did a martini first,
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:07]
which I don't have a lot of experience with martinis. I'm pretty sure the only time I've had a martini involved
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:12]
olive juice, which you did not make, and that was kinda what our discussion,
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:16]
I think, yesterday revolved
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:18]
around.
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:19]
Right. So generally, if you pour olive juice into the martini, it is called a dirty martini,
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:26]
and I don't particularly care for them either. I just don't like olive juice that much.
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:31]
I to to me, it's like, I I can't I can't understand like, that's a really savory flavor.
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:37]
It's like, it's extreme savoriness.
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:39]
Right? And so
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:41]
when I think about cocktails that I have had,
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:44]
they're typically
SPEAKER_0 [00:21:45]
sweet or oriented towards sweet. They're not just straight up savory. And I I think that's the thing that, like I don't know. Well, like, what other cocktail has that kind of extreme savoriness?
SPEAKER_1 [00:21:56]
I think they would all be in the martini family. So you can get, like, a Gibson as a martini with
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:03]
pickled onions.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:05]
That that does not sound that doesn't sound good at all. So this is okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:10]
What what do they call Bloody Marys. Right? That's kind of another savory cocktail. Also, not a real big fan of it. Yeah. I'm not a big fan of Bloody Marys either, which all my Wisconsin people will disown me for. I feel is it wait. Wait. Wait. Is that a Wisconsin thing? Like, is that a big thing in Wisconsin?
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:26]
That possibly
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:28]
only eclipsed by a brandy old fashioned.
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:32]
Really? Okay. So I don't think of Wisconsin when I think of Bloody Marys. I I do there is like a there's like a trend growing right now around Bloody Marys,
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:43]
especially like in the brunch world, and I don't I don't really know where it's coming from, especially because the Bloody Marys really are a meal in in of themselves,
SPEAKER_0 [00:22:51]
at least the way that they're made there.
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:53]
Right. So there's a Bloody Mary competition between like all the bars in Milwaukee.
SPEAKER_1 [00:22:59]
They've been a staple
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:01]
at Brewers baseball games and tailgating for a long time, so I I I think they're somewhat a Wisconsin thing. I could be wrong. You can leave it in your five star review on iTunes if I'm wrong. Just make sure it's five stars. But okay. Hold on. I I I'm I'm having a hard time swallowing this.
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:18]
A Bloody Mary at a baseball game.
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:22]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:23]
Tailgating, they serve them. You pay, like, an outrageous amount of money for a Bloody Mary at Miller Park, which will no longer be called Miller Park in
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:32]
a year or two. I don't remember when naming rights expire. But
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:36]
What what do they put? Because a Bloody Mary usually is more about the things, like the the
SPEAKER_0 [00:23:43]
edible things that are put in it than the actual, like, tomato juice. What what do they put in it at the ballpark?
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:49]
So it's not one of those crazy
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:51]
Bloody Marys where you're putting, a hamburger on top of it. So I think it's just like a stock of celery and
SPEAKER_1 [00:23:57]
your typical Bloody Mary.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:00]
Okay. So I hamburger's interesting. Just let's just put that there. I I've seen, like, a fried chicken,
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:06]
you know, like,
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:08]
sticks. What I was expecting kind of expecting you to say is that in Miller Park, it was a bratwurst
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:15]
with maybe some sauerkraut floating around in there and a couple of french fries. That actually doesn't sound bad.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:24]
Okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:24]
Well, if
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:27]
you say so, John.
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:30]
Anyway, that makes me wanna go watch baseball, but there's too much snow on the ground.
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:35]
Well, I mean, you could watch some spring training, right, on MLB TV?
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:39]
I could. I've not subscribed to MLB TV ever since
SPEAKER_1 [00:24:43]
I moved to Iowa, and there were six teams that were blacked out. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:48]
Blackouts
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:49]
with MLB TV are probably the worst. I've you've heard about my issue with that being a Pirates fan, thinking that somehow in Indiana, I would be able to watch Pirates games. But alas,
SPEAKER_0 [00:24:59]
we were, at least at the time that I subscribed, blacked out for the Cubs, the Brewers, the Cardinals,
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:05]
and the Reds,
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:07]
which yeah. That's that's The my
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:09]
the whole central National League central.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:12]
Yeah. It was it was ridiculous. And, of course, there's there wasn't, like, a real good clean way at the time for me to see that before I subscribed, And you pay for or at least I did. I paid for the whole year.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:21]
And it wasn't cheap. It was, like, a $150 or something like that, and then I couldn't watch these games. And then, of of course, too, it seemed like that year, the American League teams that we played were in spitting distance, so I couldn't watch those games either, and it it made me furious.
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:37]
So you became a
SPEAKER_1 [00:25:40]
Florida fan?
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:42]
No. No. No. No. No. I mean, the Pirates are still my baseball team.
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:47]
This
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:48]
when we get closer to baseball season, I'm sure we'll talk about this more. But last year,
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:52]
I I I had just my heart was broken by my Pirates,
SPEAKER_0 [00:25:56]
and I could not, for the life of me, like, muster up the energy to watch them since the McCutcheon trade. And I I really I don't know. I peeled back. That that was again, we don't need to go into this, but that really cuts to the heart.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:11]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:12]
So how do we get on this? Bloody Marys. We were talking about cocktails.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:16]
So Martini,
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:18]
we did gin and dry vermouth. I actually do put the dry vermouth into the cocktail. I don't just look at the bottle on the shelf.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:25]
So I'm I'm kind of a purist in that regard.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:29]
I think I did shake it last night because I was making two at once, and I didn't stir. Generally, I would stir it, so we might have to try again tonight.
SPEAKER_0 [00:26:37]
Does that I apologize. Does that actually impact the taste of the martini?
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:44]
Kind of. I'm sure Pierce will tell me absolutely. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:48]
they say that if you shake it will bruise the gin which basically puts a bunch of like air bubbles in it.
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:55]
Whereas if you stir then you,
SPEAKER_1 [00:26:58]
don't have to deal with any air bubbles.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:00]
Bruise the gin?
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:02]
That is the term. I couldn't tell you what it exactly means.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:06]
I'm gonna say it sounds a little fishy to me. Now, so I'm I'm curious, do does vodka ever play into the martini world?
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:14]
So in America,
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:16]
I think most of the time when you see martinis on the menu, they will be vodka based.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:23]
I don't really like vodka.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:25]
If there's any cocktail that calls for vodka, I'll substitute gin.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:30]
And that's where you come in with, like, these bubblegum martinis. So those are all, like, flavored vodka based.
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:37]
Okay. So much to unpack here. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:27:42]
they when they use vodka, they completely substitute the gin for the vodka, or they use gin and vodka?
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:49]
It really depends on the martini.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:52]
Most of the time, you would use to completely substitute it.
SPEAKER_1 [00:27:56]
The James Bond martini, the Vespa, I think,
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:00]
for
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:01]
vodka
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:02]
and
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:04]
what the heck is the liquor called?
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:07]
Isn't Vespa a car?
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:10]
I think so.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:11]
So why is the martini
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:13]
named after a car?
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:15]
Because
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:16]
James Bond likes cars.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:18]
Okay. Don't drink and drive, kids.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:23]
Okay. So full substitution. That's interesting. I'm here's the other thing that I'm a little curious about. You say you called them bubblegum
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:30]
martinis?
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:32]
Yeah. You see, you don't see any of these things because you don't go to any college bars.
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:37]
But, yeah, there's, like, a whole
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:41]
there's weird stuff, Stan. Like, there's one
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:43]
that's called the naughty schoolgirl martini where they
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:48]
John, come on, man. Seriously, my kids are gonna listen to this.
SPEAKER_1 [00:28:52]
What?
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:53]
You're gonna have to bleep that out.
SPEAKER_0 [00:28:55]
Alright. Never mind. I digress. So I just wanna make sure understand. These are like, there's a whole category of vodkas that are flavored.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:02]
It's this is not something that I've tried. I like, vodka is not I don't dislike it because I don't think you like, pure vodka, I don't think you can dislike that, which is another issue I wanna tap into. You said you don't like vodka, but vodka has no flavor. So how do you dislike it?
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:19]
I don't know. I it definitely has a flavor, or maybe it's the lack of flavor that I don't like.
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:24]
Tito's vodka
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:26]
is drinkable. I don't know if you've had Tito's.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:29]
I've had Tito's. Actually, I I'm pretty sure that I have Tito's at home for cooking purposes,
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:35]
but I don't I don't know that I don't I I just there's not enough flavor
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:41]
present or even like, how do you it's like saying you don't like water.
SPEAKER_1 [00:29:46]
There are certain waters that I don't like, Stan.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:49]
Okay. Now you're just getting weird.
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:51]
So
SPEAKER_0 [00:29:52]
the these flavored vodkas though, like, kind of I again, this is not an area that I have familiarity with. What what kind of flavors are we talking about?
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:00]
Any flavor you want.
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:04]
I don't know. There's like blue raspberry
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:07]
or vanilla or
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:09]
I mean, if you have no flavor in vodka, you can pretty much flavor it with whatever you want.
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:15]
Exactly. Okay. So we've we've come full circle here now, and I I still don't understand. I still do not understand how
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:22]
you do not like vodka, but okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:25]
So so gin and vermouth, that was all we had, and then you threw in an olive, not olive juice,
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:31]
but I guess it's not dirty if you just throw in an olive?
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:34]
Correct.
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:35]
So we had blue cheese stuffed olives, which I think are amazing. I don't know if you liked it or not. You didn't say anything. But Well, I mean, I I like blue cheese stuffed olives. I think that for me, I'm I still don't like, I can't wrap my head around the purpose of the olive
SPEAKER_0 [00:30:52]
in the the drink, and I don't know, like, the blue cheese doesn't really change anything going on there, does it?
SPEAKER_1 [00:30:59]
It just makes the olive more more enjoyable when you eat it at the end.
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:04]
Okay. Do you feel like that olive soaks up any gin or vermouth flavor?
SPEAKER_1 [00:31:09]
Somewhat, yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:11]
Do you feel like the gin and vermouth
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:14]
absorb any olive flavor?
SPEAKER_1 [00:31:17]
Not really.
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:18]
Blue cheese flavor? Definitely not.
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:21]
Okay. So, I I mean, I didn't I didn't have any issue with the martini. I think you made made a rather large martini.
SPEAKER_1 [00:31:29]
Made a standard martini,
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:31]
Stan. Okay. It was it was a large drink to have before dinner. I'd well, actually, that's another question. Is a martini a before dinner, during dinner, or after dinner kind of a thing?
SPEAKER_1 [00:31:42]
That is a good question.
SPEAKER_0 [00:31:45]
I take it you do not know the answer. I don't know the answer.
SPEAKER_1 [00:31:50]
I can definitely tell you before dinner and after dinner drinks. We'll make a
SPEAKER_1 [00:31:55]
before dinner drink today.
SPEAKER_1 [00:31:57]
After dinner, you run into kind of those sweeter, like, dessert drinks.
SPEAKER_0 [00:32:02]
So I'm not big on sweet drinks in general. I it's just not my my thing. We did have another cocktail last night, though, which I would say is more on the sweet side of things, but not not overly so.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:13]
Yeah. So we made Manhattans
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:16]
with rye.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:17]
You can definitely change
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:19]
how sweet a Manhattan is based on what you're using. So one of my favorite ones is the Southern Comfort Manhattan, which is super,
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:28]
super sweet.
SPEAKER_0 [00:32:29]
So I I'm just gonna be totally upfront with you. I object to the idea of SoCo in a Manhattan. I to me to me, SoCo is not elegant enough for a Manhattan, a proper Manhattan.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:43]
So this comes straight from my grandfather.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:45]
This was his cocktail of choice.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:48]
So that's really really what that was the first Manhattan I ever had because, you know, you turn 21, you have no idea what to order.
SPEAKER_1 [00:32:56]
So, hey, let's try that thing that I've seen other people make.
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:00]
I'm not knocking on grandpa. I I'm not I'm not, you know
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:04]
I mean, no offense. I'm just saying,
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:06]
to me, in Manhattan, it's like a it's a high flutant kind of bougie drink and
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:11]
you
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:12]
I don't know, man. Soco I think I just associate Soco with that. I just turned 21
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:18]
kind of
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:19]
kind of drinking.
SPEAKER_1 [00:33:20]
So I cannot drink Soco
SPEAKER_1 [00:33:23]
any other way. I think it plays nicely with the sweet vermouth.
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:28]
That's interesting. So when I make a Manhattan at home, I will typically use rye because there's also like a a, you know, rye versus bourbon camp.
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:36]
And we've talked a little bit about that.
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:38]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:39]
have I I would I would also say that my preference for rye has been more recent because typically, I just made it with bourbon.
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:47]
But I did a head to head taste test
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:50]
probably,
SPEAKER_0 [00:33:52]
well, five, six months ago and concluded that rye was was a better better choice.
SPEAKER_1 [00:33:57]
Yeah. The rye has this night bite that is kinda a little bit subdued by the sweet vermouth, but you can still taste it
SPEAKER_1 [00:34:05]
really,
SPEAKER_1 [00:34:06]
really apparently.
SPEAKER_0 [00:34:08]
Rye is an interesting drink because it's spicy. Right? And so different distillers will take that spice level to to different points. And I am a real big fan of Woodford Reserve rye. I think it's actually the only rye that I will just straight up sip
SPEAKER_0 [00:34:21]
by itself because I think the the spiciness is
SPEAKER_0 [00:34:25]
full mouth, if you will, without being overpowering.
SPEAKER_0 [00:34:29]
And so I'm I'm a big fan of it, and I consequently, I like using the Manhattan. I think you're right, though. The vermouth
SPEAKER_0 [00:34:35]
kinda cuts back on that, like,
SPEAKER_0 [00:34:39]
almost punch, if you will, of rye.
SPEAKER_0 [00:34:41]
I think the so because I'm not overly sweet in the drinks that I like, when you get a really sweet bourbon,
SPEAKER_0 [00:34:48]
I think that's that's like it takes the whole Manhattan, maybe in that Soco direction. Right? Because Soco is really sweet. And that might be why I'm not not too crazy about it.
SPEAKER_1 [00:34:57]
Yeah. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:34:59]
generally,
SPEAKER_1 [00:35:01]
you would use a rye would be the classic recipe.
SPEAKER_1 [00:35:04]
Other
SPEAKER_1 [00:35:05]
people will use, like, Canadian whiskey and stuff like that. I just feel like that's an American for a drink called a Manhattan.
SPEAKER_0 [00:35:12]
So Yeah. We should be clear. I'm opposed to Canadian whiskey pretty much across the board. Right?
SPEAKER_0 [00:35:19]
I mean, can you can you name for me a Canadian whiskey that is worthy of
SPEAKER_0 [00:35:23]
consuming?
SPEAKER_1 [00:35:25]
Me personally? No.
SPEAKER_0 [00:35:27]
Yeah. I I I think I don't know. I if you are listening to this and are Canadian or you are particular towards Canadian whiskey, I'm sorry. You can do better for yourself.
SPEAKER_1 [00:35:40]
Maybe a maple whiskey from Canada?
SPEAKER_0 [00:35:42]
No. Okay. Alright. But this is Maple
SPEAKER_0 [00:35:45]
whiskey is no Oh, my word. Maple whiskey is no better than your What did you call it? Bubble gum vodkas? Bubble gum vodka. It's You're take Basically, what you're doing is you're taking a perfectly fine Or you would think, a perfectly fine spirit and mixing it with a a sugary syrup because you don't want to actually taste the alcohol. Like, that's the point of of those kind of whiskeys,
SPEAKER_0 [00:36:06]
of those kind of vodkas, is you don't want to actually taste what a distiller put his heart and soul into making. And that is my fundamental problem. Right? You are you're detracting from the craftsmanship because presumably, there is no craftsmanship there.
SPEAKER_1 [00:36:20]
So you're not a fan of,
SPEAKER_0 [00:36:22]
is it Jack Daniel's fireball whiskey or honey whiskey? No. And that and actually, the fireball whiskey has been it's been, like, trendy lately, and I don't I don't I don't get it. It's it's not particularly expensive, which I think is maybe why people walk into the store and they're like, oh, I'll try it, and they grab it, and then they sample it. And sure, it tastes fine. Like, I'm I'm not gonna say that it doesn't taste fine, but that like, again,
SPEAKER_0 [00:36:44]
it is there to detract
SPEAKER_0 [00:36:46]
from the underlying whiskey because the whiskey they're using is subpar.
SPEAKER_1 [00:36:51]
Yeah. I agree.
SPEAKER_1 [00:36:53]
I think we are probably odd
SPEAKER_1 [00:36:56]
in that we actually appreciate
SPEAKER_1 [00:36:58]
the alcohol that we consume and the craftsmanship
SPEAKER_1 [00:37:02]
behind it, which is why we'll be drinking
SPEAKER_1 [00:37:06]
higher quality stuff and not,
SPEAKER_1 [00:37:08]
well, stuff.
SPEAKER_0 [00:37:10]
Okay. So the martini last night, the Manhattan, you made it with Bulleit Rye. Correct? Yep.
SPEAKER_0 [00:37:17]
Bulleit Rye. Now, we actually toured the Bulleit Distillery together in Louisville.
SPEAKER_1 [00:37:23]
We did.
SPEAKER_0 [00:37:24]
That was that we did a actually, like, a little mini bourbon trail run, because I think we also what did we do? We did Evan Williams, and we did hit the Evan Williams experience I don't recommend. Yeah. That's that's not worth worth doing. I actually think Bulleit out of that trip was probably the best
SPEAKER_0 [00:37:39]
distillery tour that we got in because we were just focused on the Louisville area. Right. Because we had limited time. We did Bulleit. We're we went somewhere else.
SPEAKER_0 [00:37:48]
We stopped by that Jack Daniel's place, didn't we? Alright. Which
SPEAKER_0 [00:37:53]
that was and and it was Downtown Louisville, and I can't remember now. It's like in that little
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:00]
concert area that they had by the Maker's Mark
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:04]
restaurant, which you and I had eaten at previously. Which I don't think is there anymore.
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:08]
Oh, that's that's a travesty. Because that was actually I think I got a hamburger. I think I got a pretty decent hamburger there
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:14]
many years ago now, it seems. But suffice to say that the Jack Daniel's, like, if I mean, you're into or is it no. Not Jack Daniel's. Jim Beam. I keep saying Jack Daniel's. Jim Beam. There we go. Alright.
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:25]
Apologies.
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:26]
So the Jim Beam experience was interesting
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:29]
because it did not cost a lot for a
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:31]
rather wide berth of samples.
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:34]
But Yeah. It was Jim Beam. So
SPEAKER_1 [00:38:36]
Right. Yeah. So Bulleit was definitely a bust of that trip. It was the most
SPEAKER_1 [00:38:41]
distillery kind of experience too.
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:43]
Yeah. Now I will say if you have a chance to do any part of the Bourbon Trail, my personal favorite, which I've I've said many times before, is Woodford Reserve. I think it's just a fantastic,
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:54]
like, experience,
SPEAKER_0 [00:38:55]
the whole farm thing, and they do everything there. Buffalo Trace, as I understand it, is pretty close and is also supposed to be a really good experience as well. I just have not made it out there. Have you heard anything about 4 Roses?
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:07]
I have not. I actually don't know that I know of anyone who
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:11]
has been to 4 Roses.
SPEAKER_1 [00:39:14]
Because that's just is that South Of Louisville?
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:17]
To to be honest with you, I I don't know. I actually I'm sitting here and I'm wondering, have I had Four Roses at all?
SPEAKER_1 [00:39:24]
I have,
SPEAKER_1 [00:39:25]
and it was a decent bourbon.
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:27]
One of the ones that we didn't do that I would like to do at some point is Angel's Envy's downtown Louisville.
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:32]
And that's you know, talking about bourbons, that's a pretty sweet bourbon.
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:36]
Right. Sweet sweet. That was a favorite of yours for a while. Yeah. When I when I got into bourbons, I would say that's kinda where I started.
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:43]
I also I also like Maker's Mark. I think I've kind of evolved beyond that. Again, the Woodford Reserve
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:50]
tour, if you will, really
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:52]
changed my perspective on what bourbon could be.
SPEAKER_0 [00:39:55]
And thus I mean, I I don't get me wrong. I'll still drink Maker's Mark and what is it? Maker's 46 is usually pretty good too, if you can find a bottle of that. Angel's Envy is is totally fine.
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:05]
But, you know, if I'm if I'm gonna bother to spend money on bourbon,
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:10]
I am probably going to either get just straight up Woodford or
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:14]
the double barrel. Now the double barrel, if I drink that, I that's I always do that straight. I don't mix that.
SPEAKER_1 [00:40:21]
I've
SPEAKER_1 [00:40:22]
only had that once,
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:24]
I think, at your house. Okay. Do you I mean, do you remember it?
SPEAKER_1 [00:40:28]
Not well enough to give a review.
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:31]
Well, we'll have to fix that. So it's I mean, it's good. It's it's more full bodied, I think, than the typical
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:38]
Woodford, which you would expect because it's double barreled.
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:41]
It's not overly sweet. Sometimes double barrel aged
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:45]
stuff becomes, like, intoxicatingly
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:47]
sweet, and I think that the sweetness is enhanced without becoming over overbearing.
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:51]
But I like it. You know, it's got a little more of a woody taste to it, a little more oakiness,
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:57]
which,
SPEAKER_0 [00:40:58]
you know, isn't great all the time, but at the right moment is is really delightful.
SPEAKER_0 [00:41:02]
And yeah. You know. But so we went down this path, John, because we were talking about the rye. Woodford Reserve rye is my favorite. Bulleit is probably my second. I I really like Bulleit rye. I think the thing about Bulleit rye is it's not overly spiced. It doesn't burn your soul. Just kinda gives you a little tingle in the back of your throat.
SPEAKER_1 [00:41:19]
Yep. I would agree. I think Bullet Rye is probably my favorite.
SPEAKER_0 [00:41:25]
Yeah.
SPEAKER_0 [00:41:26]
Now, your Manhattan last night was large,
SPEAKER_1 [00:41:29]
in my opinion. I think that it was large because I had a giant
SPEAKER_1 [00:41:35]
Death Star
SPEAKER_1 [00:41:36]
ice mold
SPEAKER_0 [00:41:37]
inside the glass. That was an awesome ice cube, by the way. Just to be clear, that was a really it was a really nice ice cube. I'm looking forward to having a drink tonight with a similar ice cube. Well, I did refill the molds, so hopefully, they'll be frozen. Now do you only have two Death Star molds? I only have two Death Star molds. They came from my mother-in-law.
SPEAKER_1 [00:41:56]
Actually, that might have been before we got married. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:41:59]
are they both complete Death Stars?
SPEAKER_1 [00:42:02]
They are both complete Death Stars, at least if I fill the mold correctly.
SPEAKER_0 [00:42:06]
So I think in that way, they're they're a little they're a little off. Right? If
SPEAKER_0 [00:42:12]
you had three death stars, I would be concerned. Two death stars is a proper amount. I just feel like one of them, you really yeah. You probably should not fill up all the way.
SPEAKER_1 [00:42:21]
But needless to say, they are both fully operational battle stations.
SPEAKER_0 [00:42:25]
They they were effective yesterday.
SPEAKER_0 [00:42:28]
Your your you have a particular vermouth preference with Manhattans, don't you? I actually like trying the different vermouths.
SPEAKER_1 [00:42:36]
I just bought Martini
SPEAKER_1 [00:42:38]
Rossier,
SPEAKER_1 [00:42:39]
however you say it. Just your the one that you'll find anywhere sweet vermouths are sold
SPEAKER_1 [00:42:44]
because it's consistent.
SPEAKER_1 [00:42:46]
Probably
SPEAKER_1 [00:42:47]
a little on the sweet side as far as vermouth go, but worked out. I thought it was a delicious martini
SPEAKER_0 [00:42:55]
or not martini. Delicious
SPEAKER_0 [00:42:57]
cocktail. I'm tripping over my words here today. A delicious cocktail, and you did well. I should say, like, Manhattan's
SPEAKER_0 [00:43:03]
my go to drink. Right? And one of the reasons I have a similar grandpa story,
SPEAKER_0 [00:43:08]
that was my grandpa's, like, drink that he would grab at the UAW
SPEAKER_0 [00:43:13]
Golf Course after work. And he liked it because of the cherry. So I have I believe I vented about this in the past.
SPEAKER_1 [00:43:20]
I think I told you when I was at Topgolf, and I I got a Manhattan, and they didn't serve it with a cherry. Right. Yep. And you sent it back. You bet I did. You bet I did. So they wouldn't really take it back. The other thing to note about my Manhattan recipe is I use more bitters than would typically be called. I usually do about five dashes of bitters rather than the two to three.
SPEAKER_1 [00:43:40]
Last night, we just used Angostura aromatic bitters.
SPEAKER_1 [00:43:44]
If we do a Manhattan again before you leave, I'll have to use the Woodford Reserve cherry bitters that I have.
SPEAKER_0 [00:43:51]
Okay. I think just on the basis of what you've said, we will have to do another Manhattan because that that sounds like something I wanna try. It's interesting. The
SPEAKER_0 [00:43:59]
I make my Manhattans at home with about five dashes of bitters based upon your recommendation. I like that. I use the ang Angostura
SPEAKER_0 [00:44:09]
brand as well. Really haven't explored other bidders. I can't I can't honestly say that when I go to the store, there's a lot of variety to choose from. Yeah. You really have to find a good place. The Woodford ones, actually ordered online
SPEAKER_0 [00:44:21]
to get them. Oh, look at you fancy pants.
SPEAKER_1 [00:44:25]
So those are cocktails today.
SPEAKER_1 [00:44:28]
I guess we're doing the Manhattan again. I also wanna make you a Aperol Negroni.
SPEAKER_1 [00:44:33]
Standard Negroni is usually used with Campari. You have a bad Campari story.
SPEAKER_1 [00:44:38]
So I have a bottle of Aperol, which is also an Italian aperitif,
SPEAKER_1 [00:44:42]
and we'll mix you up Aperol Negroni.
SPEAKER_0 [00:44:46]
So my Campari story is because I watched an episode of The Sopranos where they took shots of Campari, and I thought it because 'm really fond of that TV show. I thought it'd be fun to have a similar, you know, bottle around.
SPEAKER_0 [00:44:59]
And I
SPEAKER_0 [00:45:01]
I almost I almost lost it. Like, it was it hit my stomach in a way
SPEAKER_0 [00:45:06]
that I I I can't think of another drink on the first pass has has ever hit my stomach. Sarah refused to try it based upon the smell. I think finally, she did sample it, but, yeah, it it was I don't even know what happened to that bottle because I know we never finished it. So for all I know, it's still under the sink in the house in Cheswick.
SPEAKER_1 [00:45:25]
Well, if you mix it with gin and sweet vermouth,
SPEAKER_1 [00:45:28]
it's delicious.
SPEAKER_0 [00:45:30]
At least, I think it is. So a Negroni, is that is that an Italian drink?
SPEAKER_1 [00:45:35]
I would assume so since Campari is an Italian
SPEAKER_1 [00:45:38]
aperitif.
SPEAKER_0 [00:45:39]
Wait. I don't know what this word is. Aperitif?
SPEAKER_1 [00:45:42]
So that is this is a before dinner drink
SPEAKER_1 [00:45:46]
that you use
SPEAKER_1 [00:45:48]
and it, like, stimulates the appetite or something like that.
SPEAKER_0 [00:45:52]
I I mean, that's not really something I have a problem with my appetite. It's pretty much always stimulated.
SPEAKER_1 [00:45:56]
This comes from
SPEAKER_1 [00:45:58]
times of higher society where people were
SPEAKER_0 [00:46:01]
cultured and something. I don't know. I would like to just point out that we are about forty five minutes into this podcast. We've talked about milkshakes
SPEAKER_0 [00:46:08]
and cocktails,
SPEAKER_0 [00:46:10]
so we are definitely cultured, mister Kolmeier. Right. This is definitely a food episode.
SPEAKER_0 [00:46:16]
Speaking of food, I would feel remiss if we did not discuss dinner last night. I thought that this was first of all, I
SPEAKER_0 [00:46:24]
this was a fascinating choice to me because when I think of Iowa, I do not necessarily
SPEAKER_0 [00:46:28]
conclude Mexican food.
SPEAKER_0 [00:46:31]
Yeah. But you said that you didn't really wanna do a pork tenderloin, and that's kinda Iowa's claim to fame. I that is the Midwest's claim to fame. Like, if you travel around in in Indiana, they're always like, oh, yeah. We got the best pork tenderloin in the Midwest. And I I don't know. Like, do you do you actually like pork tenderloin?
SPEAKER_1 [00:46:48]
No. I find them to be kinda dry.
SPEAKER_0 [00:46:51]
Nine times out of 10, they are they're dry. Do they here in Iowa, they deep fry them mostly?
SPEAKER_1 [00:46:57]
Yeah. I mean, it probably depends on where you get it, but generally, yeah, deep fried. I feel like the reason they deep fry them, right, is to attempt to
SPEAKER_0 [00:47:06]
subvert the dryness factor with just raw unadulterated grease. And then typically, I don't know again, I I haven't had an Iowa pork tenderloin,
SPEAKER_0 [00:47:15]
but in Indiana, I find that very often,
SPEAKER_0 [00:47:18]
they, like, overbread it, which again, I think is is to, like, detract your mind
SPEAKER_0 [00:47:24]
from the fact that the pork is just not well done.
SPEAKER_1 [00:47:28]
Right.
SPEAKER_1 [00:47:29]
So
SPEAKER_1 [00:47:30]
yeah. So we we skip that because otherwise, you just get Midwest food or you're eating pork of some kind.
SPEAKER_0 [00:47:37]
I did eat pork yesterday at the Mexican place. You did too. Yeah. I did. And it was delicious. So I got street tacos. And we should back up. You had
SPEAKER_0 [00:47:45]
asked about pizza and I vetoed that.
SPEAKER_1 [00:47:49]
Pizza was kind of a joke because I was talking about Fong's pizza, which Alton Brown actually really liked in Des Moines, but they're weird. You can get like a crab rangoon pizza and that is just not traditional enough for you you and your pizza palettes, man. I'm I'm not sure. Like, that to me is not a pizza. That's probably like, that's no different than a,
SPEAKER_0 [00:48:09]
I don't know, like a pita or
SPEAKER_0 [00:48:11]
you know I'm talking about? Like, the they're not pita. What are the are the Flatbread. Flatbread. Thank you. That's that's a flatbread. That's that's how you serve it now. If make it circular, it doesn't suddenly become a pizza. It's still a flatbread in my mind.
SPEAKER_1 [00:48:23]
Fair enough. And your pizza's amazing, so we'll let you be the expert.
SPEAKER_0 [00:48:27]
Okay. So we went to a Mexican place. What was the name of it? Adelita's
SPEAKER_1 [00:48:31]
Mexican Grill.
SPEAKER_0 [00:48:32]
So we sat down, and they had chips and salsa. And I
SPEAKER_0 [00:48:37]
was a little underwhelmed with the salsa.
SPEAKER_1 [00:48:40]
Yeah. You you wanted some more kick.
SPEAKER_0 [00:48:42]
I want not just more kick. I wanted some kick. There was no kick present in what I would say was a gringo
SPEAKER_0 [00:48:49]
style salsa. Like, they were definitely serving me that salsa because they perceived me to be like every other white guy that walks into a Mexican restaurant.
SPEAKER_1 [00:48:58]
Now I should say
SPEAKER_1 [00:48:59]
the salsa flavor itself for what it is was very good. Good cilantro flavor,
SPEAKER_1 [00:49:05]
spiced well,
SPEAKER_1 [00:49:07]
decent tomatoes for being in the middle of winter.
SPEAKER_0 [00:49:09]
Yeah. I I won't I won't argue that. But, consequently, when I go into a Mexican restaurant, one of the things that I I do is I ask for
SPEAKER_0 [00:49:17]
their other salsa. Right? Which some it's usually their their hot salsa, but I I always ask, like, can you give me the other stuff? Because you know that, typically,
SPEAKER_0 [00:49:25]
your waiters and waitresses are not eating the stuff they bring out first. Right?
SPEAKER_1 [00:49:30]
Because Right.
SPEAKER_0 [00:49:31]
It, again, it's a more bland salsa. So they brought us out some hot salsa,
SPEAKER_0 [00:49:37]
which I thought was unbelievable.
SPEAKER_1 [00:49:39]
It was very good.
SPEAKER_1 [00:49:41]
Not
SPEAKER_0 [00:49:43]
hot enough to completely burn your face off on the first bite, but it gradually built the more and more you ate of it. And it had a lot of good flavor going on. I think, like, it was it was interesting to me because it seemed less thick than the first salsa, which made me think that there was more than just tomato going on. Like, maybe they had some tomatillo in there or something.
SPEAKER_0 [00:50:03]
Seasoning was on point. I it was delicious. I cleaned out the bowl.
SPEAKER_1 [00:50:08]
Well, I'm glad that I've impressed you with Iowa Mexican food.
SPEAKER_0 [00:50:12]
Now, I I mentioned I got the street tacos. Right? So I had steak,
SPEAKER_0 [00:50:15]
chicken, and pork. Their pork, thought, was absolutely awesome.
SPEAKER_0 [00:50:20]
I'm glad I got what I got and got the sample, everything, but I kind of wish that I'd just gotten like, you know, half a dozen pork tacos. I think I would have been just as happy. They did serve it with sliced radish, which to me is like a sign of a good Mexican restaurant. Like, when you get sliced radish that comes out, like, that's that's just an additional
SPEAKER_0 [00:50:38]
awesome flavor.
SPEAKER_0 [00:50:39]
You got what was the thing you got called?
SPEAKER_1 [00:50:42]
I got a chili verde, and Daniel will yell at me for how I pronounce that because I don't speak Spanish.
SPEAKER_0 [00:50:49]
Okay. The chili verde.
SPEAKER_0 [00:50:53]
There you go. Verde. Okay. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:50:56]
you brought when your plate came out, I looked at it. I was like, oh, that that verde sauce looks really good. So I ordered some of that, and I wound up dipping my street tacos in. I would say that their verde sauce was fantastic.
SPEAKER_1 [00:51:05]
Yes.
SPEAKER_1 [00:51:07]
Tomatillos make life happier.
SPEAKER_0 [00:51:09]
It's it's really a amazing
SPEAKER_0 [00:51:11]
vegetable.
SPEAKER_1 [00:51:12]
Is this a vegetable, right, or is it a fruit? It's probably technically a fruit, but you would call it a vegetable like tomatoes.
SPEAKER_0 [00:51:18]
Okay. I'm a stick with vegetable.
SPEAKER_0 [00:51:21]
Tomatillo to me is it's it's great. Right? Like, you can throw that in
SPEAKER_0 [00:51:26]
just about any Mexican dish, and it it adds another, like, nice tanginess to it without being too overpowering.
SPEAKER_0 [00:51:32]
It's just it's fantastic.
SPEAKER_0 [00:51:34]
This Mexican restaurant was solid. I was extremely happy, and I ate way more than I needed to. I would say too, one thing that surprised me,
SPEAKER_0 [00:51:44]
the rice had, like, a great flavor, which typically, like, rice at most Mexican restaurants is just it's a filler there. It's on the side. It doesn't have a lot going on. I'm not usually compelled to bring my rice home. I brought my rice home because there was so much food. I couldn't finish it all. But yeah.
SPEAKER_1 [00:52:00]
Yep. That's definitely our go to restaurant in Cedar Rapids, and missus Coltmeyer really likes it. So probably go there more than we should.
SPEAKER_0 [00:52:09]
I don't know. I don't think your your dining out budget is big enough to be there more than you should, but yeah. Fair enough.
SPEAKER_0 [00:52:17]
So we
SPEAKER_0 [00:52:19]
are
SPEAKER_0 [00:52:20]
we've got a little bit of an adventure left to go. Right? We're gonna do your your wife is cooking this evening? Yep. And then tomorrow is the Hamburger hamburger?
SPEAKER_0 [00:52:30]
I I'm curious. Like, are we getting hamburgers at the Hamburger Inn? Or what's what's the plan there? I've never eaten there, so I guess we'll find out. Well, okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:52:38]
I'm sure the Hamburger Inn is an allusion to a location,
SPEAKER_0 [00:52:42]
but it I I feel like if you name a place the Hamburger Inn,
SPEAKER_0 [00:52:45]
they probably have a good hamburger. Right?
SPEAKER_1 [00:52:48]
I guess we'll find out.
SPEAKER_0 [00:52:51]
I'm a little surprised you haven't researched this a little more. Have you asked around, like, feedback?
SPEAKER_1 [00:52:55]
So the Hamburger Inn is the place that all the presidential candidates will stop through when they're in Iowa City, so I imagine it has to be decent food.
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:05]
I
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:06]
So it's interesting.
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:08]
It's a political stop,
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:11]
and you think that by virtue of that, it has good food.
SPEAKER_1 [00:53:15]
Well, mean,
SPEAKER_1 [00:53:16]
the donors are paying for their meals. Right? So
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:19]
I mean, my guess is that they're probably giving comp meals. Don't you think? Oh, no. They probably can't. I wonder I wonder if
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:26]
I don't know enough about campaign
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:28]
law to know whether or not they have to actually buy it themselves. I would think maybe they have to.
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:33]
Maybe. I don't know. Or if they don't, then the owner of the business probably has to declare it as a a donation to a political party.
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:41]
This has gotten way too confusing for us being almost an hour into this episode. Yeah. But, you know, we're so close to an hour. We might as just chug along.
SPEAKER_0 [00:53:49]
So okay. Well, after we're done, I'll I'll do some research, figure out what I'm gonna eat. I like to walk into a restaurant with a plan rather than just kinda wing it with the menu. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:00]
I will say
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:01]
that we this is this is Iowa part one. Right? Iowa part two will happen after apparently a Negroni,
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:10]
chicken paprikas,
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:11]
and the hamburger with a milkshake.
SPEAKER_1 [00:54:13]
Right.
SPEAKER_1 [00:54:14]
Alright. Whatever else we do today. Yeah. So
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:18]
Maybe maybe we'll lunge around. Think we're going to Lowe's. Right? Yes. Gotta fix Put you to work.
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:23]
Alright. Well, John, until
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:26]
the next time we record, I guess. Alright. Sounds good. We should remind everybody, twistedlemonpod.com.
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:33]
Twisted lemon pod is the Twitter handle, the Facebook handle,
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:37]
Life of the Twist of Lemon on iTunes. Search for us. Leave us a five star review. There's
SPEAKER_1 [00:54:41]
there's one thing I wanna say. We've
SPEAKER_1 [00:54:45]
not had any recent reviews on iTunes,
SPEAKER_1 [00:54:48]
and we've been sitting at nine written reviews. So I'm curious if somebody just doesn't wanna be the tenth review or what.
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:55]
There are stickers available to the tenth reviewer.
SPEAKER_0 [00:54:59]
If you fill out a review and let me know your address, I will I won't even reveal who you are if you wanna do another anonymous
SPEAKER_0 [00:55:06]
review on iTunes, but whatever. Like, that's fine. I get it. But let me know who you are. I will send you stickers
SPEAKER_0 [00:55:13]
and yeah. Because we gotta push that over. We haven't had one since November. Right. And I'm
SPEAKER_1 [00:55:18]
kinda curious if people stopped listening. I know there's people who listen who haven't reviewed. So you listening right now who are listening to every episode but have not reviewed us on iTunes,
SPEAKER_1 [00:55:30]
go right now.
SPEAKER_1 [00:55:32]
Five star review.
SPEAKER_1 [00:55:33]
You can call me stupid names or something like that.
SPEAKER_0 [00:55:38]
Okay.
SPEAKER_0 [00:55:39]
In my heart of hearts, there's still just my mother and the nine people or eight other people that left
SPEAKER_0 [00:55:45]
iTunes reviews. So love you, mom.
SPEAKER_1 [00:55:48]
Thanks, mom Lemon for listening.