Designated Drinker Show

Get the featured cocktail recipe: "76"

2 amazing chicks. 1 amazing patio. Lex Soler and Angela Laino sit down with us on the patio of their Miami-inspired cocktail lounge, the Flamingo Cocktail Club. The concept is cool but not as cool as these 2 badass bartenders turned entrepreneurs, who have renovated a church into a zero-waste craft cocktail bar with a plant-based food menu in the heart of Nashville.

Beyond serving perfectly crafted cocktails, the Flamingo Club is a place where communities come together, ideas are exchanged, friendships are forged and memories are made.

Why not unleash your creativity and try crafting one of recipes from our library of libations. Don't forget to subscribe, download and review to share your thoughts about the show!

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Fancy Lady Soccer Club

As Ann and Sandy both say, Smith & Lens is so much more than a gallery of just 4-walls and we couldn’t agree more. Just like the founders, it’s a little bit quirky, totally unique and a whole lot creative. The walls are adorned with works by various artists, to include Ann’s thoughtful, yet a bit rebellious approach to photography and mix media pieces. As a silversmith, Sandy handcrafts metal into stunning jewelry, hollowware bowls and so much more. Each piece is truly a unique work of art.

Unleashing their creative spirits outside of their gallery, these two amazing women have established two can’t-miss festivals. Every January, head to Bay St. Louis for Dolly Should, a fest to celebrate Dolly Parton’s birthday with a Dolly look-alike contest, all sorts vendors and delicious food, of course. If you’re looking for a bit of Frida fun, then start growing your unibrow now and get your floral headband ready for Frida Fest. Every July, the community comes together to celebrate the art of Mexico’s famed artist, Frida Kahlo. This year’s proceeds will go towards an art supply and education fund for budding artists. Both of these grassroots fests are FREE, so why not put both on your calendar?

Why not unleash your creativity and try crafting one of recipes from our library of libations. Don't forget to subscribe, download and review to share your thoughts about the show!

Get the featured cocktail recipe: 50/50–Nashville Style

Meet Simon Ford. CEO of Fords Gin. The Jedi Master of Juniper. The bartender’s bartender. Or for those who really think they know him, Mr. Fords Gin. No matter what you call him, he is as charming as he is successful and makes for the perfect cocktail muse.

Simon set out to make the quintessential gin and that is exactly what you find in Fords Gin. It’s juniper-forward with notes of citrus, sweet spices and florals, making it the perfect jack-of-all-trades gin needed in classic cocktails. What’s Simon’s recipe for success? It’s a 3:1 ratio of persistence to innovation, a dash of charm and always finished with a twist of humor.

Want some more tasty treats? Then head over to our library of libations and get inspired to create your own craft cocktail. Don't forget to subscribe, download and review to share your thoughts about the show!

Get the featured cocktail recipe: Divide & Conquer

Chris has a lot to brag about. His wildly successful craft cocktail bar, Raised By Wolves, was named Imbibe Magazine’s “Cocktail Bar of the Year 2019,” and Esquire declares them as one of “The Best Bars in America, 2019.” As if that wasn’t impressive enough, it is one of the only venues in the U.S. that combines a bar and a fine spirits retail operation under one roof. Oh, and don’t even get us started on about Chris’ amazing head of locks.

When Chris isn’t gallivanting across the globe inspiring and empowering bartenders, he is focusing on Simple Serve, a trade-focused marketing agency, and Bartender’s Weekend in San Diego, an annual event he founded with his business partner and long-time friend, Erick Castro. Damn, Chris is one busy dude. Cheers to him.

Feeling a bit wild, yourself? Then head over to our library of libations and get inspired to create your own craft cocktail. Don't forget to subscribe, download and review to share your thoughts about the show!

Get the featured cocktail recipe: In Plain Sight

Like Zak, some people are just natural mentors. They live to share knowledge, invest in other’s growth and find fullfillment in seeing them excel. Those who have had the privilege to work with, and learn from, Zak are the proof in that pudding, so to speak.

Before he signed on at NOCHI, Zak was an instructor at the prestigious Culinary Institute of American in Hyde Park New York. And before heading into the world of academia, he was whipping up his pastry delights at numerous award-winning restaurants and hotels across the country. Some had stars and others had diamonds, but none came with as much brass as 1600 Pennsylvania. Yep, that’s right. Zak had the honor of serving as guest chef at the White House. Now that just takes the cake.

Want more tasty treats? Then head over to our library of libations and create your own craft cocktail. Don't forget to subscribe, download and review to share your thoughts about the show!