Welcome to another edition of the Podcast Sommelier! I’m Ashley and I’m usually found co-hosting The Kindred Spirit podcast, which is available on the podcaster of your choice. On The Kindred Spirit, we explore history, one drink at a time. (Sneak peak – our next few episodes are going to be about rum!) But here I recommend a new podcast and a wonderful libation for you to consume.
Since I’ve been a bit busy moving my office to a new location and just general job woes, I wanted to recommend something that I’ve been really enjoying and has put me in a good mood. So this month I’m recommending Wonderful! which is the perfect podcast when you are just in a funk and need to listen to people who are genuinely nice and actually care a lot about each other discussing things they are excited about.
Wonderful! is hosted by Griffin McElroy and his wife Rachel McElroy.
They used to host a Bachelor inspired podcast called Rose Buddies, which recently has morphed into Wonderful!. This happened late last year and at the moment, there are less than fifty episodes.
Wonderful! is described as “an enthusiastic podcast” and that’s exactly what it is. Each week, Griffin and Rachel bring up two things that they are enjoying. That’s it. It’s two people who really like each other and are super interested in what the other person enjoys.
Listen, very few times in my life have I been described as a romantic.
My heart is as cold, black and sarcastic as the next person but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t melt every time Griffin asks Rachel a question about the poetry she brings to the table. He wants to know about her poetry interest because she is interested in it. And then my heart is a mush puddle by the time Griffin & Rachel talk about their new son and how wonderful it is when his toy plays an absolute banger of a song.
Since it’s still in early days, they are still experimenting with the format. They did a Thanksgiving episode called “THE HUNGER GAMES THANKSGIVING BATTLE ROYALE 2017” where Griffin brought food items out to battle against each other to be the ultimate Thanksgiving victor! It’s really refreshing to listen to two podcasters who have an established track record figuring out how to make a new podcast find its footing.
I’m recommending an episode that has a slight theme to it, Episode 22: “A Mouthful of Secrets”.
This was their Valentine’s Day episode. Now, before you start throwing fruit at me for suggesting something as mushy as a Valentine’s Day episode… Stay with me. They bring one thing that they have enjoyed about the 2018 Winter Olympics and one sweet thing.
Rachel brings Soohorang, the mascot from the 2018 Winter Olympics. Rachel does an amazing job of researching how Soohorang got its name and what it means to the Olympics. Her wonderful thing about Soohorang was that instead of flowers and medals, winners got a bouquet of Soohorang toys and the fact that there is a video of Soohorang getting stuck in a door. Griffin brings curling, in particular mixed double curling. He does a great job of explaining the scoring and how curling works. After I listened to the episode, I did live stream the curling games on my offices’ tvs.
The second part of this episode is the Valentine’s Day part where they each bring something that they are excited about that is intimate to them.
Rachel brings her e-mail correspondence with Griffin. When they met it was a long distance relationship, so they spent a few months just emailing back and forth. Rachel started asking probing questions and they are absolutely the best get to know someone questions. For instance, one question was, “Name one book, one movie, one song, one person and one place that shaped who you are today.” Griffin’s favorite thing is traveling with Rachel. Being with her has made him a more adventurous person.
On that adorable note, it’s time to toast to the things that you find wonderful in your life!
In honor of the two hosts, I decided to recommend a drink that is bubbly, sweet and encourages you to share. This is a champagne and sake punch. The champagne evokes the sweet, bubbly enthusiastic nature of the podcast and the sake is for their honeymoon. One of Griffin’s favorite things was traveling with Rachel and they speak fondly about their honeymoon to Japan.
This drink is called the “Steal You Away” and is served in a pitcher.
- 2 parts Champange or Prosescco (ideally a sweet rather than dry)
- 2 parts Sake (I chose a Hakushika Fresh & Light, which was described as light and floral)
- Cucumbers
- Pineapple
- 2 oz simple syrup
Directions:
- Grab your pitcher and throw in your sliced cucumbers and pineapple chunks
- If you have time, add your two parts of sake and let everything soak overnight or for a couple hours. If you don’t have time, don’t worry about it just proceed to step 3.
- When ready to serve pour over your two parts of champange and your simple syrup
- Give everything a quick stir
- Pour into an on the rocks glass with ice
Thanks for joining me and we’ll see you on the second Saturday of June for another edition of the Podcast Sommelier. Feel free to add your comments below or reach out to me on Twitter at anwarren87.
Check out the Kindred Spirit on Instagram, Twitter, or the podcaster of your choice! If you do make this cocktail, or drink any cocktails, post a photo with the hashtag #KindredSips for a chance to be featured on our Instagram or Twitter.
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