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Josh and Matt bring you visions of a bright red glass, a room full of friends, and a recipe that earns its place at the table—our cranberry whiskey sour brings seasonal flavor to a timeless form while telling the story of how a humble template shaped cocktail culture. We start with the build: rye for spice, cranberry for tart depth, fresh lemon for lift, real maple for warmth, and orange bitters to tie it all together. Then we zoom out to the roots of the sour—spirit, citrus, sugar—born from sailors fighting scurvy and refined from ship to saloon.

Across the episode we share why the whiskey sour is a benchmark order at any bar and how mastering it unlocks the logic behind the many other popular cocktails. Our holiday variant respects the classic while speaking in winter tones—cranberry’s tannic snap, maple’s woodsy echo, and a bright orange twist. You’ll leave with a reliable recipe, a sharper palate for balance, and a new way to explain why a “basic” drink often carries the deepest craft.

If this story and recipe hit the spot, follow and subscribe, share with a friend who loves cocktails, and leave a review telling us your favorite whiskey sour riff. Cheers to balance and to better holiday drinks.

Christmas Cranberry Whiskey Sour

Ingredients

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• 4 oz cranberry juice
• ½ oz real maple syrup
• 1 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• A couple dashes of orange bitters

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake well.
3. Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass.

Garnish - Orange twist

Makes 2 cocktails

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A frosty glass, a warm toast, trivia, and a roomful of music nerds trying not to cry-laugh over a slide whistle—our holiday special brings the good stuff. We start with a cookies-and-cream Sugarlands concoction and buttery-nipple shots poured into Matt's Grandpa’s vintage shot glass set, then raise a heartfelt toast to departed friend. From there the energy jumps: holiday music trivia, name‑that‑tune chaos with student recordings, and a chord-progression challenge that reveals how deeply these carols live in our bones.

We dig into the stories behind the songs with some trivia. The slide whistle segment might be the funniest minute of our year, but it’s also a clever lesson in melody recognition: strip away the production and you can still sing your way home. Then we pivot to the all-time top toys list—Slinky, Yo-yo, Barbie, Game Boy, LEGO, Hot Wheels, Wii, Switch—and unpack why certain fads explode, which classics endure, and how design, scarcity, and nostalgia shape holiday demand.

To cap it off, we play a yes–no lightning round of questions to guess what Andy is thinking of and pick our Stellar Sip. It’s equal parts music history, party game, and story time—woven with real friendship, small traditions, and the kind of laughter that lingers. Pour something sweet, press play, and join the table. If you smiled, shared a memory, or guessed a tune before we did, subscribe, leave a review, and tell a friend who needs a holiday laugh.

Support the show

Visit www.mattandfriendsdtu.com for links listen, support the podcast, and more!

Check out our sponsor, Poppin's Travel Company, for all of your travel needs! Their highly qualified agents are ready to book your next big adventure or dream vacation.

Visit our merch store

We'd love to hear from you on social media! Like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and X.

Cheers, and thanks for listening!

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A herd of buffalo carved a path across Kentucky, and that same path led to one of the most storied distilleries in America. We follow that trail from frontier stills to a modern distillery campus, unpacking how Buffalo Trace became a benchmark for bourbon history, science, and hype—often all in the same bottle.

We start with the unlikely origin story: prehistoric buffalo trails guiding settlers to a natural river crossing, early farm mashups turning into documented distilling, and a run of owners who built, rebuilt, and refined through fires and setbacks. The narrative accelerates with E.H. Taylor Jr., who pushed for federal standards and turned whiskey making into a repeatable craft, then shifts to George T. Stagg’s scale-up. The Prohibition chapter proves pivotal too as stills were kept running and knowledge alive.

From there, we spotlight Elmer T. Lee, the WWII veteran who treated bourbon like a system to be modeled. His creation of Blanton’s Single Barrel reframed what premium could mean, celebrating individuality instead of blending it away. Under Sazerac, the portfolio expanded into a galaxy—Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, W.L. Weller, George T. Stagg, Elmer T. Lee, and the Van Winkle partnership—each with distinct mash bills, age statements, and loyal followings.

We break down why bottles vanish and why billion-dollar expansions still can’t rush oak. Through floods, fires, and shifting tastes, Buffalo Trace keeps threading tradition with experimentation, turning history into a living practice that you can actually taste.

If you love bourbon lore and the craft behind the hype, this story is your pour. Hit follow, share with a friend who’s still hunting their first Eagle Rare, and drop a review to tell us what bottle you’re chasing next. Cheers.

Support the show

Visit www.mattandfriendsdtu.com for links listen, support the podcast, and more!

Check out our sponsor, Poppin's Travel Company, for all of your travel needs! Their highly qualified agents are ready to book your next big adventure or dream vacation.

Visit our merch store

We'd love to hear from you on social media! Like and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and X.

Cheers, and thanks for listening!