Cocktails & Contemplation

Author & Creative Maggie Giles joins us this episode! Maggie is a Canadian author who's debut novel "The Things We Lost" is being release April 19th, 2022! This novel took about 6 years for Maggie to craft, complete, and then finally get published! In honour of the novel, we enjoyed a special cocktail that is actually featured in the book - a Coconut Martini!! Many thanks to Fitch and Leedes for bringing this martini to life for us, it's a hectic one to say the least. Maggie talks all about her road to publication, how the heroine of her story came to life, and what's to come following this debut. Thank you Maggie for coming on the show, it was a treat!! INSTAGRAM: @maggiegiles_ WEBSITE: MaggieGiles.com

Happy first episode of 2022! To start things off this year we are joined by the fabulous singer/songwriter Devan Glover! Devan is 1/3 of the indie folk band Wild Rivers, and started releasing her of EP's in 2021. She talks about pink noise, pink shades, and of course her pink HAIR. We also touch on memorable tour stories, writing songs with the band, dream collaborations, and what to expect on the new album from Wild Rivers dropping on Feb 4th. And make sure you've got your gin handy for this week's feature THE BEES KNEES! Prohibition Era cocktail that tastes ah-mazing. For the full recipe details check out my instagram @cocktailsncontemplation Devan: IG: @devan IG: @wildriversmusic website: wildriversmusic.com

Welcome to episode 17 of Cocktails and Contemplation with special guest Roee Dunkelman! Heads up: we say words "cock" and "dick" a lot in this episode. Roee is the CEO and Founder of Cockuterie Boards (https://cockuterieboards.com/). He started this company amid the height of the pandemic and runs us through his journey of building this Cockuterie Empire. Prepare your self for some A+ banter, a throw back reference to the Rainforest Cafe, a very bloody gin and tonic, and plenty of cock talk. Don't forget to check out the cocktail recipe at FitchLeedes.com Instagram: @cockuterieboards Website: https://cockuterieboards.com/

Welcome Back ! Mostly to me, after a short lived summery break the podcast is back in full swing baby! This week, we are blessed to have film and media critic Sydney Urbanek! Syd has been writing and review film and music videos for basically her whole career, she wrote a masters thesis on Madonna, how fkn cool is that. This week, we chat all about the world of music videos, and album films, and how she landed herself in this beautiful niche. Syd and I drank TASTY mojitos and she told me to add mint to avocado toast, so you know we are trying that soon. Please enjoy the ep, and always remember to drink and contemplate responsibly ! xx TWITTER: @sydneyurbanek INSTAGRAM: @sydneyurbanek NEWSLETTER: sydurbanek.ghost.io

WELCOME BACK KITTENS AND CATS ALIKE This week on the podcast I am joined by two lovely talented musicians, the modern day indie folk duo of your dreams, Robinson Kirby. Known as Maddy Kirby and Luke Robinson. These two kids love tequila. So we decided to get SMASHED with a tequila smash. The full recipe can be found at FitchLeedes.Com. Robinson Kirby rebranded and started releasing music in February 2021 and just put out their latest release "Summer of Love" in July. The two are a couple who met at Berklee and have been making stellar tunes ever since. This episode we talked a lot about one of my very favourite topics, SONGWRITING. These two are super cute, funny, hardworking, and such lovely humans. Thank you for joining me this week!! Can't wait for some new music to drive on back roads too in 2022 :)

Author Kathleen Barber joins the podcast this week! We chat all about her admirable career over a DELICIOUS lavender gin sour!! You can head over to my instagram @cocktailsncontemplation for the full recipe :) Kathleen is a writer based out of Washington DC, she is the author of two novels, Truth be told which was formally known as Are you Sleeping, which you may know from his Apple TV series counter part staring names like Octavia Spencer, Lizzy Caplan, and Aaron Paul. Or, from her sophomore novel that was published in 2020 called Follow me. Kathleen told me all about the role of the author when their work is adapted for the big screen, talking to her producer AKA REESE WITHERSPOON on a conference call(!!!), our mutual love for Lizzy Caplan and the cult-esque film Bachelorette (seriously watch it if you've never seen) and how Isla Fischer inspired the protagonist in her second novel.

Another Wednesday, another episode! This week the podcast is joined by model and entrepreneur, Taylor Ross! Tay helped me name my newest cocktail invention, a grapefruit spritz! Now known solely as, The Shelby. Taylor and her sister just launched a brand new elevated beauty and wellness business called Tobin (@shoptobin). Although, you may recognize her from her viral CoverGirl modelling shoot, OR maybe when Justin Bieber started posting photos of her in 2016. Taylor is a previous nanny to the Bieber family, and we chat all about how that image has followed her around for a number of years, and how it has be hard to move away from it into her professional career. Check out her instagram, business, the cocktail recipe, and more in this episode and scoot on over to Instagram for more details. @cocktailsncontemplation Taylor Ross: @taylorsrross @shoptobin shoptobin.ca

Happppppy Wednesday! This week on the podcast I am joined by two long time buddies and rockstars, Cam Wyatt and Boris Baker! They are two out of four members of the Kingston based Rock Band, Kasador. I originally met these lads after they played a show at my university and immediately decided I wanted to be their friends and six years later, here we are lol. On this episode, I take Boris' paloma and podcast virginity as we drink a tequila based drink featuring the Fitch and Leedes Grapefruit Tonic. It was so good!! I don't even love tequila and I loved it. The boys share some wild stories from their tours, talk about how they put together their debut album Brood & Bloom, how song writing comes together in a band of four, and so much more. Check out their music here anywhere you stream your stuff! Instagram: @KasadorBand

Welcome back, to a new episode of Cocktails & Contemplation! WARNING: This episode has a LOT of honesty. and it's awesome. This week Pina Crispo, aka @chic_mamma joins the contemplating over a classic Tom Collins, cause she LOVES GIN. Pina is an accomplished Mamma, a best selling author of the "Mama's Gotta..." series which included Mama's Gotta Work, soon to be followed by Mama's Gotta Grow. Pina also used to work with my Dad! LOL. Back when I was basically a child, and they ruled the radio world at 102.1 The Edge. She also met Dave Grohl and has a picture of him holding her daughter at 3 months old. This is just the tip of the ice berg, listen to the episode for full details on this Chic Mamma's life and turbulence! Instagram: Chic_Mamma Blog:https://chicmamma.ca/

Welcome back to another episode of Cocktails and Contemplation! We went colourful & fruity this week with another feature of my very favourite tonic!! Think yellow gin, orange juice, pink tonic, and red pomegranate seeds. So SO good. This week, Riley Allison joins us! She is a co-founder and Executive Director of Carley's Angels, an organization dedicated to the legacy of her younger sister's battled with an extremely rare cancer. You may be familiar with Carley’s story from her blog, or @kissandcrymovie - the feature film based on Carley’s story, or maybe even the book written in Carley’s honour called Always Smile: Carley Allison’s Secrets for Laughing, Loving, and Living. We talk all about Riley's journey with taking over this organization after Carley's passing in 2015. We talk about real life vs movie details from Kiss & Cry, how strange it was to watch Riley's actor doppelgänger play her on screen, how Carley's Angels mission has developed over the years (and how they were accidentally doing illegal stuff in the beginning lol), and how although challenging it may be, working on Car's legacy is ultimately healing for her. She's an awesome chick and hearing her story was beautiful. I hope you enjoy! Wanna support Carley's Angels? @carleyangels @ririallison carleysangels.com

Climate Optimist & Sustainable Consultant, Kristen Mandala (@thegreener.good) joins Cocktails and Contemplation this week! Since this episode is all about being sustainable and waste aware, we created a vegan alternative Gin Sour with aquafaba instead of egg white! If you don't know what that is, don't worry we talk all about it. Kristen is a lovely human who is the most encouraging and passionate lady when it comes to educating ourselves on what we can do to exist in a more sustainable way. We chat about myths when it comes to sustainability, she answers my questions like is the beyond meat burger ACTUALLY that much better for the environment, and how it's important to be ok with not being perfect or to hold ourselves to impossible standards. More questions for Kristen? She loves em!! Slide into her DM's here Instagram: @thegreener.good Blog/Consulting : thegreenergood.net

Welcome to episode 8 featuring Orillia native, independent artist, Cassie Dasilva! One thing you should know about Cassie, she loves pink, so naturally we decided to drink a cocktail with the infamous Pink Tonic. And even MORE exciting, Fitch and Leedes sent her her very own cocktail kit so we could drink the same cocktail together from afar! Cassie fills us in on how her ex boyfriend forgetting her birthday has lead to one of her most popular tracks, how she unexpectedly blew up on TikTok, her rebrand/comeback after being dropped by a label, and the trials and tribulations of being an independent artist. Instagram: @cassiedasilva http://www.cassiedasilva.com/

Welcome back to Cocktails & Contemplation!! This week we have my great friend and siiiiick guitar player Robbie Davidson along with two special features. This ep is full of caffeine, which inevitably lead to us telling more embarrassing stories than ever before. Robb talks about his band John Famos, when The Arkells frontman Max Kerman came to one of their shows, getting too drunk on stage (who hasn't), constantly challenging ourselves and the endless chase that is music, and then played a game which got.... interesting.... lol ENJOY

What a big and exciting week for Cocktails & Contemplation. On this episode we have an amazing guest, Graham Reid who is a Toronto based gin distiller from Reid's Distillery AND feature the launch of my new sponsorship with tonic company Fitch and Leedes!! I partnered with Graham to make three incredible, unusual, and delicious Gin & Tonics using the three from Reid's Distillery and the three premium tonics from Fitch and Leedes. We talk about everything you need to know on how to craft the perfect G&T and get super experimental with flavours you probably won't expect. Graham also opened up to me about the struggles of running a small distillery and the trials that a lot of people have no idea about. Reminding us how truly important it is to support locally right now, and always. You can shop Reid's Distillery Gin here: https://reidsdistillery.com/ And for the perfect pairing shop Fitch And Leedes premium tonics here: https://fitchleedes.com/

This week on the pod we are joined by Canadian actress, Annie Clark, and I made whisky sours that came with an embarrassing confession. Annie, who is commonly known for her iconic role Fiona Coyne on Degrassi: The Next Generation, is a hella multi faceted lady with the worlds cutest giggle. We talk about the trials and tribulations of being an actor, how it felt to have her parents watch her perform a sex scene at a movie premiere, her emotional attachment to Leonardo DiCaprio, and why her tequila soda reminds her of early twenties debauchery.

Welcome. To your free therapy session. This week I am joined by two-time Paralympian, Erin Latimer and we DRINK PINK!! This girl is crazy insightful, wise, talented, and after this interview, she is gonna make you want to start living for today. We talk about Erin’s surprise road to the Paralympics, her experiences with life post being a professional athlete, how her limb-difference has impacted her career for the better and spills all the tea about the notorious Athlete’s Village.

This week on the podcast we have my old friend and certified rocker Jono Townsend. He decided to drink a bourbon that hurt him (in the best way) while I took it a bit more classic this week with a unique gin and tonic featuring a new find. Tune in to us talking about how discouraging the music industry can be, how he managed to end up in a Lee Daniels feature film coming out in February, some f*cked up stuff that happened on a tour of his, and why he has to send hatemail into someones DM's.

Another big week for contemplating life y'all. Sam Doll graces us with her presence and things get SPICY. Along with the spicy margarita featured on this episode, Sam fills us in on how Kiefer Sutherland became her arch nemesis, that time she toured with a kidney stone, and all about her song writing process with thanks to some exes for inspiration. Also she hasn't been wasted since her fishes funeral in 2017 incase you didn't know lmao

On the first official episode of Cocktails & Contemplation, I hung out with my girl Dallas Rodin, singer, songwriter extraordinaire. We tried out a fabulous pink drink called The Juniper Rosé which was really stiff tbh, so we got pretty in-depth on it all. Find out what songs Dallas wrote about who, what professional athlete ruined Dasani water for her and why she has no friggin clue who King Henry VIII is.

Hi! I'm Steph, I am a creative talker, listener, and drink maker established in 1995. My life saw a significant derailment this year (just like everyone else)which has kept me up at night, and with a lot of free time. So here it is, my newest project, built from undirected energy and the twenty-twenty blues, Cocktails & Contemplation. Where we get into the nitty gritty, hilarious, personal details of some really cool people, and oh teach yah a little something about mixology in the meantime.