The Charlie Tonic Hour

The Charlie Tonic Hour podcast started almost seven years ago, in January 2012. Since then we have recorded 349 episodes with countless guests. We have grown and evolved from an “alcohol-infused culture podcast” to an all alcohol focused show. But now the time has come for Ginny Tonic and Charlie to evolve in a different direction. This episode, number 350 of Charlie Tonic Hour, will be the last. We invite you to join us and enjoy one last Ginny and Charlie cheers. It has been a beautiful ride and now you can hear how it all draws to a close.

After catching you up on some cool things in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, Charlie and Ginny Tonic explore the pop-up Miracle Bar experience happening in the US and internationally. They look at the origins of the experience and then focus on Cincinnati's own Miracle happening at the Overlook Lodge in Pleasant Ridge. They are joined by bar owner Jacob Trevino discussing his bar's transformation, what the experience of hosting a pop-up bar is like and we even cover Santa Con a bit before we're done. After the chat, Ginny and Charlie share a couple event recommendations and call it a show of shows once again!

This week on the Charlie Tonic Hour, Ginny and Charlie talk about everything from birthday karaoke to beautiful cocktails at Please in Cincinnati. Then they sit down with the owners of Western Reserve Distillery. This new distillery in the Lakewood neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio is the first and only certified organic distillery in Ohio and one of only three in the United States. Join Ginny and Charlie as they try some of their first products and talk about their future plans for whiskey!

This week Ginny Tonic and Charlie talk about their recent trip to Charleston, SC for the wedding of a couple of good friends. It was a weekend of beach, beauty, and more than a few cocktails. For the main topic they tackle the Liquor.com article "Distillery Etiquette: How Not to be a Jerk on a Distillery Tour". Since Ginny has been a tour guide for New Riff Distillery and Charlie now works in production there, they feel they are uniquely qualified to share their opinions on this topic. For the drinks segment Ginny makes two cocktails using the Botany Bay Smoked Sea Salt that they picked up in Charleston. 

On this week's episode we load you up with Cincy stories, a new bartender profile plus cocktails and history that dig deep in the world of bitters. Our profile features Trey of Wiseguy Lounge OTR as he shares his story as an up and coming bartender full of enthusiasm for his craft. After that we reference a book, share the knowledge you need and sip a few cocktails that really feature the beauty of bitters. We leave you with a couple event recommendations and call it a show.

Your dynamic duo of tonic returns once again distilling down the stories, drinks and fun from the wide world of alcohol and spirits culture. This time there is a band with an anniversary, a dinner in the woods, an outstanding tequila and drinking considerations as they relate to not drinking. What does all this mean? Join us and find out.

It has been a solid two weeks filled with events and the stories that follow them. Join us as we run through all the latest adventures then turn our attention to the largest distillery you've never heard of; MGP Distillery. They are the juice you've drank more often than you know but they are a distillery shrouded in mystery and we were given the golden ticket to walk inside and explore with a great mix of hosts. It's a distillery with history, stories and new tales to tell. Join us to learn so much more with special guest Patrick “Pops” Garrett (founder and chief drinking officer at Bourbon & Banter).

This week Ginny and Charlie are joined by their close friend and Real House Wives expert Kristen Race to discuss the hit reality TV show and how alcohol and drinking play into the events, drama, culture, and monetization of the show. For the drinks segment they make the original recipe for a "Skinny Girl" margarita that Bethany ordered in the first season of Real Housewives of New York and compare it to the bottle of "Skinny Girl Margarita" that we bought at CVS for $10.99. All that and of course our recommendations for Cincinnati Events and the latest happenings in the lives of Ginny Tonic and Charlie!

This week there are fireworks, alcohol events, breweries, summer parties and a new bartender profile. After we run down the latest events, we turn our attention to a profile of bartender Peter Lusher of the Woodhouse Kitchen + Bar. We start with his story then turn our attention to cocktails before closing with a few event recommendations. Welcome to the latest installment of the Charlie Tonic Hour!

This week Ginny was off recording without Charlie for much of the week. But don't worry, they are still together for the discussion of events and adventures around Cincinnati, including an epic day on a boat and an amazing dinner at Woodhouse Kitchen + Bar for a birthday celebration. In the next installment of their industry spotlight series, Ginny interviews Emmy Friedrichs, General Manager at The Mercer OTR about her unique perspective on wine and cocktails plus how her love of dogs got her back into the industry. Next she talks with Carus Waggoner of Second Sight Spirits about a recent Carriage House Farm dinner that featured four cocktails with Second Sight Rum. We try the drinks and talk about the inspiration behind them throughout the dinner. Enjoy! 

This week we run through a series of amazing Cincinnati events, share some places that are really excelling at what they do and ties it all together with a story or two for the opening discourse. From there we flash back for a classic interview with Angel's Envy's own Wes Henderson. Next we dive into the new bourbons of New Riff and close with some very body focused event recommendations.

We talk about a tiki night, Foxy Shazam, Dashbar, a new cocktail forum, the Adventure Zone, tequilafest and cabin life before we even jump into the heart of the episode this week. From there we look at cocktail conventions and ponder if they are accessible to non-industry individuals. We wrap it up with a new bar tool review and recommendations for the events in the area you will not want to miss. We even include a new podcast recommendation just to add to the fun. As always, another Charlie Tonic Hour is hear for you to enjoy!

Ginny Tonic and Charlie open this one with a look back on the wild run of events that made up the last two weeks criss-crossing the city and sampling everything from HyRyDer to the Reds to a party at Casa De Tonic. After that, they settle in for a new feature within the show focusing on influential bartenders in the area. For their first choice, they sit down for an extended interview with Mike Stankovich, the owner and main man behind the bar at Longfellow located at 1233 Clay Street here in Cincinnati. After that chat is wrapped, they serve up four recommendations of things happening for the area and send you on your way for another two weeks.

The episode of June 27, 2018 leads you to an epic, epic week in the life of Ginny and Charlie. They saw both Hedwig and Angry Inch and La Traviata, they Brunched, they Prided, they drank their way across Cincinnati and back and they tell you all about it. Once recording began, the topic this week became "Should We Sleep With Alcohol?" Ginny and Charlie discuss the Supercall article on the best nightcaps and talk about what studies have to say about the effect of alcohol on sleep. Bottom's Up takes us to Ketel One Botanical and its fresh take on a vodka (that isn't vodka).

On this week's show, Ginny and Charlie talk about taking the MesSed Comics Tunnel Tour, visiting Cincinnati establishments new and old including Sacred Beast, Aster, Wiseguy's Lounge, Brew House, and of course The Vogue Cafe. They then turn their attention to a talk of agave and why there may or may not be a shortage right now. What does that means for tequila lovers? Listen and learn. Finally, they end with a discussion of Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco and make a lovely cocktail featuring scotch and ginger liqueur. It's a new Charlie Tonic straight up, no chaser. 

It may have been two weeks but Ginny and Charlie are back with a new show. This week they talk about all the adventures they got up to since the last podcast, including the 6th Annual Magical Mystery Tour to a cabin in Kentucky, Member's Only night at the zoo, and a launch party for Savage and Cooke Spirits in Ohio. Then they discuss the recent article, "How New Amsterdam Became the World's Fastest Growing Spirits Brand" and discuss what made the marketing a success for a new brand. They end with a cocktail and a review of Social Sparking Sake Wine and 360 Vodka plus a couple recommendations. 

Sharing an audio reminder regarding the recent broadcast schedule updates for the show. Ginny Tonic and Charlie started this podcast just talking to each other each week back in January of 2012. For almost six and a half years, they managed to never miss a Wednesday producing at least one podcast every week. No matter what life tossed our way, the show ALWAYS went on. Today, for the first time in 334 episodes, they've made the choice to break that trend and not air a new episode. Of course, the show will go on but it will shift to a bi-weekly format as it goes forward. That means half as much Ginny and Charlie but they promise to make the shows twice as good to make up for it. To help further ease our load, Bottoms Up will fold back into the main show and cease its life as a secondary podcast following last week's episode #100. Also, sadly, Ginny Tonic has made the decision to let the Remeasured Life podcast end after one season so that she can focus all her effort into the main Charlie Tonic Hour podcast. Why the change? Ginny and Charlie have both taken on significant, new careers over the last few months and they always promised ourselves that the show should be fun above all else. They've said since day one that if it became something they had to push to achieve, they would make adjustments to make it work. Life has forced their hand a bit so they're slowing the pace and keeping themselves centered in the fun. The next episode of the Charlie Tonic Hour will air on May 30th, 2018 with a new episode arriving every 14 days thereafter.

Over on the main show, Ginny Tonic and Charlie discuss the new book Texas Cocktails by Nico Martini. Texas Cocktails covers recipes, history, interviews and personal thoughts on everything to do with cocktails in Texas. Here on Bottoms Up, they make a cocktail called “The Only Word,” a Texas take the Last Word cocktail. A fitting final drink as the Bottoms Up podcast folds back into the main show after this week's installment and 100th episode!

On this week's Charlie Tonic Hour, Ginny and Charlie announce that they will being going to a bi-weekly format for the show going forward. That means half as much Ginny and Charlie but we promise to make the shows twice as good to make up for it. During this week's show, they discuss a very exciting trip to Buffalo Trace Distillery with the Bourbon Society of Greater Cincinnati as well as the new book Texas Cocktails by Nico Martini. Texas Cocktails covers recipes, history, interviews and personal thoughts on everything to do with cocktails in Texas. Once the book is covered, they make a cocktail called "The Only Word," a Texas take the Last Word cocktail. All this and more as a new Charlie Tonic Hour is unveiled!

This week we try two spirits from Graton Distilling Company. These would be the Redwood Empire Whiskey and D George Benhem's Gin. Along the way we also make a cocktail we love. Both of these two products are new to Ohio and you will need to try them soon!

In an all new show this week Ginny and Charlie recap the last two weeks in their crazy mixed-up life, including a Cinco de Mayo tequila tasting with Cantera Negra, a quick stop by Service Bar at Middle West Spirits, and finally getting to see Avengers Infinity War, but even more exciting, Geostorm. Then they discuss the recent Punch article, Why Can't Hollywood Get Drinking Right? Did movies really depict drinking better back in the good old days? Finally they end by trying two spirits from Graton Distilling Company, Redwood Empire Whiskey and D George Benhem's Gin. These two products are new to Ohio and you need to try them soon! 

This week for Bottoms Up you can sit in on a cocktail class lead by Ginny Tonic. The audio was recorded at Artichoke cook ware store in Cincinnati Ohio. The theme of the class was Cinco de Derby and this is the section of the class where she makes a classic margarita.

Back in January of 2014 during episode #108 we took you on location for and interview with Columbus, Ohio's very own Middle West Spirits. During that interview we chat with co-founder Brady Konya. We're thrilled to share it once again this week. Here, what starts as a basic tasting grows into a knowledge lesson in spirits and what makes OYO not just regionally loved but artisanal at it's core. This is a company putting out some amazing product, the earliest hint of Ginny's own career to come and by the end this conversation you'll understand why we love Middle West.

This week we return with a second round of mini madness here at Casa De Tonic. This week we discuss Copper & Kings American Brandy, Clement Premium Canne Rum, Aviation American Gin and Montenegro Amaro Italiano Liqueur. Round #3 is still to come!

This week Ginny records live from the Midwest regional conference for the United States Bartender's Guild in Cleveland, Ohio. She sits down with the President, Vice President, and Treasurer of the Cincinnati chapter and talks with them about what got them involved with the USBG and why bartenders should join this surprisingly historic organization.

Spring cleaning at the Charlie Tonic home is like no other. Over the past week we sorted all the spirits and found ourselves left with a host of minis and sample bottles from the past. On this week's Bottoms Up we dive into those bottles and see whats there for mini madness round 1!

This week we catch you up on two weeks of stories from around Cincinnati as we get back up to speed with life. From there we share some thoughts on how you can read a whiskey label like a pro, step over into some mini-bottle madness and close you out with not two but four recommendations for the weeks ahead. A fresh, brand-spankin'-new Charlie Tonic Hour is ready for arrival! 

Award winning brewers Matt and Nancy join us as we delve into a wonderful beer from Zebulon Artisan Ales.

This week we flash back to a past episode as Ginny and Charlie were joined by Cincinnati bartender Peter Lusher for a Grappa filled episode! What is Grappa you ask? You will learn all this and more as Ginny and Charlie walk down the path of Grappa madness and have too much fun tasting their way through it all with Peter.

It's a story Charlie has told previously on the show, but we've resurrected the tale of the Prairie Fire as we find ourself led to build it with moonshine. To say the least, this is a shot that didn't go well.

This week we catch you up on life, spend some time in Columbus, tell a few stories and start with a discussion on manly drinks. That ultimately evolves into a consideration of how your want to see yourself when drinking at a bar. From there we revisit the prairie fire shot (this time with moonshine) and find out what an utter disaster that can be (and audio you will enjoy). Recommendations and we're out once again with a new Charlie Tonic Hour ready for you to enjoy.

This week on Bottoms Up we flash back to 2017 and a LIVE recording at the Overlook Lodge! We were joined by Bret Kollmann Baker and Joshua Elliott of Urban Artifact as we discussed their beer, their philosophy and uncovered the story of this unique Cincinnati brewery and taproom. It's quite a tale with some great beer knowledge shared as we go.

Ever wanted a career in the alcohol industry? This week Ginny Tonic and Charlie share with you the panel they presented at the San Antonio Cocktail Conference which targets this very topic. Here's the original writeup for their presentation: Above the Bar: Careers for Booze Hounds that Don't Involve Bartending Bartending is a great and fairly easy way to start a career in the alcohol industry, but what if you don't want to work until 3:00 am the rest of your life? Ginny and Charlie will share their non-traditional path to careers in the bar and booze world and explore other roads. They will offer advice and strategies for starting you down the path that will get you out from behind the stick, while still having a great time and growing your career in an industry you love. Enjoy and we'll be back again next week!

This week Ginny Tonic and Charlie try two wines from two different ends of the Trinchero spectrum; Sutter Home White Zin and Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc. Cheers!

On this week's show it is all about wine! Ginny recounts her experiences in Napa Valley at the Trinchero Family Estates, as well as a dip into bowling and a viewing of Hurricane Heist. Then Ginny and Charlie explain how they are starting to understand wine from a spirits perspective. Finally they finish out with two wines from the two different ends of the Trinchero spectrum. Sutter Home White Zin and Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc.

This week Ginny is off exploring wineries in California so Charlie flashes us back to December of 2016 and an evening in Ludlow Kentucky where we first really explored Second Sight Spirits.  This creative distillery first made news for bringing creativity and inspiration from their careers with Cirque du Soleil to their distillery. They topped that with a full line of products whose quality really sets them apart from the crowd is a great way. Ginny Tonic and Charlie are fans and this Bottoms Up in two acts takes you through the history and initial products produced by the distillery.

Last week Ginny Tonic shared some detail on the Bourbon Classic and hinted at a MASSIVE podcast gathering which took place there. This week, we're bringing you that discussion start to finish! The conversation this year featured representatives of ModernThirst, StraightUp615, Bourbon & Banter, Sips Suds & Smokes, Four Roses and, of course, the Charlie Tonic Hour. Taking place on location at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts before Saturday's events got underway, this amazing lineup discussed their adventures exploring a cooperage and several distilleries, sampled a 45 year old bourbon, then discussed the Bourbon Classic and the broader bourbon industry as it stands in 2018.

For this week's Bottoms Up, we try two single barrel bottles of bourbon hailing from two different distilleries (New Riff and Belle Meade), but both started life as sourced bourbon from MGP.

This week our podcast hosts divide up the state of Kentucky as Ginny Tonic takes on the Bourbon Classic (Louisville) and Charlie celebrates the 30th anniversary of WRFL 88.1 FM (Lexington). It's a weekend filled with cocktails, food, personalities and music that comes your way in podcast form LOADED with stories. From there, they tackle a short discussion segment where Ginny considers the evolving nature of new distilleries. Next, for this week's Bottoms Up, they try two single barrel bottles of bourbon hailing from two different distilleries (New Riff and Belle Meade), but both started life as sourced bourbon from MGP. We close with event recommendations and then send you on your way for the next seven days.

As Ginny Tonic begins a new phase of her life, a host of new spirits take center stage with a focus on some of the gems from the Heidelberg Spirits portfolio. This week we discussed Second Sight Spirits Spiced Rum, Amador Double Barreled Bourbon, Seven Brothers Hickory Smoked Whiskey, Cantera Negra Reposado Tequila, Red E Vodka, and Amaro Nonino. To say the least it's a packed little short shot of alcohol to kick off your weekend!  

This week is all about jobs within the industry. We begin by celebrating Ginny Tonic's new career with Heidelberg Distributing as she begins her new life as a Spirits Market Manager. After that, we move in the complete other direction for a discussion covering when a bar owner might need to remove someone from behind the stick firing them. Of course there are spirits sampled, stories told and so much more as another Charlie Tonic Hour rumbles your way.

We jump back to a special moment in our Charlie Tonic / Bottoms Up history. In episode #14 of this very show, we sat down with a brewery that was just beginning to make a real name for itself in the city; MadTree Brewing. They were 18 months into their life as a company back in 2013 and this interview provided an amazing glimpse at three guys who stood just on the verge of something incredible. As we wrote in the show notes at the time... "A local brewery that makes some great beer is one thing. A local brewery that makes some great beer AND has a taproom that feels like an extension of your backyard, where you can hang out, play corn hole, and get some great food from the food truck parked outside is another. MadTree Brewing has been selling beer for less than 18 months and they have managed to achieve both of these things. This week Ginny and Charlie sit down with the three owners of MadTree to talk beer, business, and how to win over investors. You won't want to miss it!" As they recently celebrate their five year anniversary, we thought it was a perfect time to invite you to the bar for a re-listen of this conversation!

Have you ever wanted to sit in a room and listen while a bourbon expert asks ten different master distillers questions about everything to do with the bourbon industry? What if those distillers included Harlen Wheatley (Buffalo Trace), Tom Bulleit (Bulleit Bourbon), Fred Noe (Jim Beam), Daniel Preston (Cacao Prieto Artisan Distillery), Colin Spoelman (King's County Distillery), Willie Pratt (Michter's), Dave Schmier (Redemption Bourbon), Drew Kulsveen (Willett) and Jimmy Russell (Wild Turkey) on that panel of 10?  Four years ago, Ginny Tonic and Charlie were lucky enough to have that chance at that year's Louisville Bourbon Classic and this week we flash back to that presentation, hosted by Fred Minnick, giving it another listen. We re-share this in celebration of the Bourbon Classic taking place in Louisville, February 28th – March 3rd, 2018!

What actually makes a rum & coke into a Cuba Libra? What is the history behind this drink? How does it play into Charlie's own history? Listen and learn as your short shot of alcohol comes served with lime this week!

As much as we here at the Charlie Tonic Hour are advocates of drinking and drinking culture, there comes a time when you simply have to reflect on what's fun, what's healthy and what deserves a bit of moderation. This is where "drinking deliberately" comes into play. Catch our thoughts on this topic, storytelling from the week that was, how craft beer may be healthier than red wine, what actually makes a rum & coke into a Cuba Libra, what not to order while traveling abroad and so much more. Of course there are recommendation at the end (something like five in total) and more audio goodness to be had. It's all in this week's Charlie Tonic Hour! 

This week Ginny Tonic and Charlie consider liqueurs. You know, those alcoholic beverages made from distilled spirits that are often flavored with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, flowers or nuts and sweetened when bottled. In this week's Bottoms Up they jump into two cocktails (one of which was NOT featured in the main show) and enjoy an episode of tasting liqueurs!

This week Ginny Tonic and Charlie consider liqueurs. You know, those alcoholic beverages made from distilled spirits that are often flavored with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, flowers or nuts and sweetened when bottled. In the discussion segment they go through some essential ones to consider for you bar. After that they jump into a cocktail that is served with mixed results. Sure there's also recommendations, Cincinnati stories and more... It would be the Charlie Tonic Hour without them.

This week (over on the main show), we talk with the creative personalities of Aster, a new bar located on 4th Street near Vine and here on Bottoms Up we work our way through their entire drink menu. This great new spot considers itself a “social sippery where old friends gather and new ones are made”. This is a cocktail run that is unequaled on many levels and covers everything from low ABV cocktails to amazing new tastes to drinks that elevate the mind. It's a packed little short shot of alcohol to kick off your weekend!

From the Bay Horse Cafe to Maury's Tiny Cove, Ginny Tonic and Charlie were all over the city this week checking out bars, new and old, creating stories every step of the way. This quest took them from OTR to Cheviot then back downtown again. This week the opening segment covers A LOT of locations and stories then our hosts settle in to talk with the creative personalities of Aster, a new bar located on 4th Street near Vine. This great new spot considers itself a "social sippery where old friends gather and new ones are made". First, we share an interview about the concept behind the bar then we try their drink menu in a cocktail run that is unequaled on many levels. We close the show with some recommendations that will send you on your way in style once again.

Four years ago, Charlie attended a panel at the 2014 San Antonio Cocktail conference that introduced him to barrel aged gin. He's been talking about it ever since as an example of regional distilleries doing amazing things. A chance encounter at the 2018 conference allowed him to reconnect with Treaty Oak, the distillery that blew him away all those years ago. In the full podcast episode (#318 of the Charlie Tonic Hour available at CharlieTonic.com), Charlie interviews their distiller. Here, in this week's Bottom's Up, he and Ginny Tonic retry their gin and experience their bourbon. How does it all hold up? What do they think? How will this story continue? Listen and learn!

Four years ago, Charlie attended a panel at the 2014 San Antonio Cocktail conference that introduced him to barrel aged gin. He's been talking about it ever since as an example of regional distilleries doing amazing things. A chance encounter at the 2018 conference allowed him to reconnect with Treaty Oak, the distillery that blew him away all those years ago. In this episode, Charlie interviews their distiller. Next, he and Ginny Tonic retry their gin and experience their bourbon. How does it all hold up? What do they think? How will this story continue? Listen and learn as a new Charlie Tonic Hour is ready once again.