Tipple Theory

Episode 036 Welcome to the first episode of Season 4! It's our season of cocktails. In this episode Sean and September are going to talk about the martini. What it is and where we think it comes from.

In this episode September and Sean talk about the companies that are trying to isolate alternative alcohol molecules. Science! There are a couple of companies that have come to market in the last few years, trying to offer a replacement for alcohol with keytones, hard keytones, and Keytohol(TM). It's an interesting effort to try to curb alcohol consumption. As with anything new that hasn't been researched always be careful and listen to the full episode for more details!That's a wrap on our NA season, be sure to keep an eye out for more episodes next season where we'll dive into talking about the history of classic cocktails.

In the world of non-alcoholic spirits a category has been growing. This group of distilled or infused beverages try less to imitate specific categories of pre-existing alcohols and instead try to create unique flavors by combining herbs that will stand out on your pallet. Some of these alternatives also include "mood enhancers" or "adaptogens" like mushrooms or CBD related extracts. It's an interesting market segment, so listen in as September and Sean dive into yet another way to alter your sipping habits in the penultimate episode of our Non-alcoholic season on Tipple Theory.

Shrubs! They are a old drink comprised of vinegar, sugar, and fruit/herbs. The tradition of drinking vinegar is just about as old as wine itself! Wine, turned into vinegar and if you know anything about humans, if it won't kill us, we're gonna do it. Shrubs are also a great way to build out your cocktail ingredients list for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Join us as we break down the history and usage of Shrubs.

It's liquid, it's brown, it doesn't burn? Well it kinda does.... In this episode of Tipple Theory September and Sean talk about NA Whiskey, probably the hardest of the NA spirits to reproduce. Since the growing trend towards sobriety or at least drinking less in the U.S. continues. We are going to cover when NA whiskies started to be produced and what you can expect from them.

This episode of Tipple Theory explores the world of NA Tequila (& Mezcal). Remember last episode when we said how new of a category NA gin is? This is even newer! The first NA tequila alternative came out 5 years ago, and the first Blue Agave Jalisco made NA Tequila came out the end of 2024. That's crazy progress! Listen and learn all about it on Tipple Theory!

September and Sean's quest through the realm of non-alcoholic drinks continues! This time we explore non-alcoholic gin! Yes! It exists, and it ranges from gross to pretty darn good. This category of beverage is celebrating its 10th year in existence, so it's really new!

From temperance drinks, to mocktails, to non-alcoholic cocktails September and Sean will discuss how we got to the modern spiritless cocktail movement and how you can up your game when making drinks for yourself or guests that are abstaining from alcohol.

Welcome to the NA cocktail episode. September and Sean will talk about where the non-alcoholic cocktail culture originated, the recent renaissance of fancy drinks sans booze, AND where we're going with this new style of premixed drink, cocktail, thingy. We hope you enjoy the episode and maybe even find a new way to relax during the week and still get to work feeling chipper.

We're gonna talk about Welche's, Carl Jung, and CocaCola! NA Wine is has been going hard for a minute, except not, because it's non-alcoholic. Truly, as an older beverage, people have been attempting to make it as tasty but less headache inducing for a long time. September and Sean are going to talk about how we got into this modern age of having a plethora of NA wines to choose from. We'll even try some ourselves.

We've come a long way in the process of making non-alcoholic beer. From the origins of just boiling it off, industry now has several methods of de-alcoholizing beer or brewing it to achieve a low alcohol content. The result? A frosty beverage suitable for a dry day or lifestyle. Watch us try some non-alcoholic beers in real time and let us know some of your favorites.

Welcome to the first episode of Season 3 the season of "NA" or Non-alcoholic beverages. In this episode we're going to talk about the rising popularity of Non-alcoholic beverages and how we made our own riff on a standard Savanah, GA cocktail. Then we made it NA as well!We should be releasing episodes every other Monday at noon mst. Be sure to stop by tippletheory.com and join in on Patreon and Discord.

This is it! Our 4th mini-sode on malort. In this episode we try garlic malort and the classic; Jepson's! Truly this has been a journey. One you shouldn't go on and few would recommend, but you're here. So enjoy the schadenfreude and cheers!

Part 3 of our 4 part series to ruin our pallets forever. That's right! It's time for more of Sean's homemade flavored Malort! In this episode we try cinnamon and Lemon/lime malorts. It's....content. Truly it is odd how wormwood interacts with other ingredients, still, this stuff is bitter. Cinnamon is clearly the winner, but give it a listen and you'll be able to hear our pain. Cheers!

Malort, the stuff open mouth breathing night terrors are made of. We're back for a 2nd round of tasting Sean's homemade flavored malort, because that's good content! In this taste test September and Sean will try the Pittsburgh (ketchup) and Szechuan flavors. One is good and the other would be generally described as sub-optimal. We'll let you decide!

We're doing a series of inter-season episodes all on tasting some homemade Malort. Yes, that's right, that Chicago staple that some how can't be put down (figuratively and literally). Sean has been making malort for almost 10 years now and we're starting out this little series of tastings with his version or the "original" style and a mint malort. It's bitter, it lingers, and there's more where that came from (le sigh). Taste along with us if you dare.

Sean and September are wrapping up their season of whiskey with the progenitor of whiskey in the US, Moonshine! It had humble beginnings coming over with Irish and Scottish immigrants Moonshine was used like a currency in some parts and functioned as more than a way to get a bit tipsy. Like most things, as soon as it gets popular, then the government wants to tax it. That's what happened to Moonshine, and it's had a tenuous relationship with the law ever since (1781). Despite its dubious existence, it is has a strong and lasting tradition that is still carried on and is also responsible for the literal founding of Nascar. We hope you enjoy our close for the season of whiskey, make sure to chat with us on our Discord and tell us what to do for next season!Cheers!

This episode Sean and September dove down under to talk about Australian whiskey. The prominence of Australian whiskey has been hard won. A variable climate combined with frequent shifts in distilling laws made the industry very slow to grow. But the did it! Now the world is better for it. Grab a beverage and join us. Cheers!

Welcome to another non-episode! Un-episodic things happened this last week. Sean went to Mexico and brought back some Pulque, Mezcal, and Tequila! Taste along and learn about the phases of drink that agave goes through to become a party drink you'll love forgetting to remember. Remember, this is not an episode.

A bold new area for whiskey creation lies ahead of you. Lebanon! Where distillation have been happening since about the beginning, but making whiskey is relatively new. So new, that there is little in the way of documentation. Even brand websites don't tout their prowess the same way other countries do. Maybe its the age of the industry, could also be the culture. Either way we're going to get comfy as Sean and September share what they've been able to dig up.

This week Sean and September take a look at whiskey from India. While the country may have started out making other distilled beverages, whiskey has hit the scene with some force. It's going in popularity with the local market, and their "craft" distillers are making single malt expressions that hold up extremely well in international markets. This was absolutely new for us, but it's delicious. Cheers!

In this episode Sean and September discuss distilling in China. Baijiu is the name for the most popular distilled spirit in China. It's somewhat akin to moonshine in the U.S. but with more refined production methods and appreciation in China. At the turn of the last century Baijiu was recognized at a festival abroad and since roughly 2020 China has been producing whiskey for export. The domestic Chinese whiskey market has a large and growing apatite for the whiskey and as such 48 distilleries are operating or under construction to produce whiskey locally.Tune in and enjoy the full conversation on Chinese whiskey!

Welcome to Tipple Theory, exploring the history and characteristics of Japanese whiskey. Sean and September will talk about how distilling and whiskey got to Japan, how it caught on and how the industry is doing today. They'll try out Shibui and try a cocktail made just for Japanese whiskies.

This is not an episode, we took a little Memorial Day break this week. So there is not episode. IF you want to hear Sean talk about Fassionola syrup (and mispronounce it), then go ahead and listen.Sean also tries Bluemoon's NA Belgian white beer, for those just a little curious about that.Cheers!

Welcome to our Blended Whiskey episode! In this episode Sean and September will talk about how blending whiskies came to be, why people still do it, who does it and some brands that do it well (and don't).Be sure to check out our patreon for extended video recordings and the show's cocktail bible.

Let's talk about rye, the grain and the spirit. It is both spicy and sweet, and the base for its name sake whiskey as well as an additive to other spirits. Join September, Ty, and Sean on this rye exploration.

On this episode Sean travels solo in his sound booth to our neighbors to the north to explore their whiskey heritage and where we get some commonalities and differences. We'll look at how distilling came to Canada, and how our whiskey industries have been connected for a good long while.

It's time for Scotch! Episode 3 of our season of whisky takes us to one of the granddaddies of the style. Sean and Ty talk about how whiskey got to Scotland, its regions, and how it has evolved technically and legally over the years.

In this episode Sean, Ty, and September talk about Irish Whiskey; one of the 2 progenitors of modern whiskey (can you guess the other?) We talk about the origins of Irish whiskey and how distilling got to Ireland (when, is a bit fuzzy). We talk about how distillers in Ireland almost died out and some great ways to enjoy Irish whiskey.

Welcome to the first episode of Season 2, the season of whiskey. In this episode September and Sean are diving deep into bourbon and introducing our season 2 guest Ty, Senior Bartender at Atlanta's Famed Canoe Restaurant.

Glass is in session. Our closing episode of season 1 is all about the vessels that carry your tipple to you. We'll go over the essential glasses you should have at home and other more common types of glasses that you will encounter on your sipping adventures.

On this episode of Tipple Theory September and Sean discuss the basic mixers you should have behind your bar at home, as well as the difference between Soda/seltzer water and club soda. Be sure to check out our Patreon for behind the scenes video of the show and video on how to make each week's drink.

On this episode of Tipple Theory September and Sean discuss the intricacies of brandy, cognac, and the many other varieties of this fruity spirit. Make sure to check out our patreon for video of how to make this week's drink and BtS footage of the show.

This episode September and Sean discuss vermouth and bitters sweet cousin: Cordials. Cordials have ancient roots, and also share those those oh so common medicinal origins. They diverge, however, with their spirit base, sweetness, and general ease of consumption by themselves. Join our breakdown of this spirit as we swerve past Jager and Rumple Mintz to discuss what cordials are and how they came to be used in modern mixology.

The bitter truth comes out! Sean and September talk about the origin of bitters and how this "medicine" and it's affiliations with the snake oil industry were shed as both regulations at the beginning of the last century and the birth of cocktail culture took bitters in a whole new direction.

Like many of our favorite beverages, vermouth has a shared origin as a medicine. Modern vermouth has some specific requirements to make it [Italian] vermouth. It must be at least 75% wine, be fortified, and include wormwood among its infused herbs. That being said there are a wide variety of vermouths and it can be enjoyed many ways. Listen as September and Sean break down the details of that dusty bottle that you're supposed to be keeping in the refrigerator.

Tequila is: fermented Webber Blue Agave + coming from Jalisco, and specific municipalities in Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, or Tamaulipas.There are more varieties of agave and regions that ferment them too.Listen as Sean and September break down all the ins-and outs of tequila.

Where did Rum come from originally? What makes it unique to other spirits? US regulations on importing awesome foreign rum, and what about Captain Morgan? Join September and Sean as they explore one of those must have bar spirits, Rum, Rhum, Rhon, Rumbullion, and Kill-devil.

In this episode we're continuing our season 1 tour of bar basics with whiskey. Whiskey is a distilled spirit that must be made from grain. It's popular around with world, but here in the U.S. it's most popular expression is Bourbon. We'll be talking about both and what distinguishes two brown (generally) luxuries.

Gin is a botanical spirit with a long history that didn't even start out as the Gin we know today. Sip along with September and Sean as they explore and imbibe Gin, the evergreen spirit.

In this episode September and Sean talk about the origins and use of vodka, the "neutral spirit". Featured Cocktail:Vesper MartiniPlease chime in by emailing us at tippletheory.com, we would love to hear from you. In the next episode we’ll be talking about Gin! Check out our Patreon at Patreon.com/tippletheory for videos and recipes! 

In this episode September and Sean discuss the basic tools you should have for your bar. Then we talk about some not so basic tools. This should get you started down the path of cocktail preparedness. .Tipple Theory is an exploration of the history and practice of creating alcohol around the world. On this show we will share some of the history of how your favourite beverages came to be as well as techniques professional bartenders use to elevate your poison of choice into an experience worth savouring.