Josh Briggs [Coconut Water Shootout!]
09.26.14 | Share: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook
Psychic Andy sits down with improvisor Josh Briggs to discuss all things beverages. This weeks shootout… COCONUT WATER!
Psychic Andy sits down with improvisor Josh Briggs to discuss all things beverages. This weeks shootout… COCONUT WATER!
18 Comments!
THE SWEATY MARTINI
INGREDIENTS:
Vodka (I like Tito’s - it tastes great and is usually $20 or less a bottle)*
Olives (preferably blue cheese-stuffed)
Olive brine
Tabasco
Ice
Dry Vermouth (optional)
EQUIPMENT:
a glass of your choosing
martini shaker (or a spoon to stir)
a toothpick
Add about a cap-full of dry vermouth to your glass, give it a swish around there, and dump out whatever doesn’t cling to the glass (I’m serious).
Set aside.
Put a bunch of ice in a martini shaker (if you don’t have one, you can either make this on the rocks by mixing all ingredients right in your glass over ice, or pre-chill the vodka in the freezer - or both).
Pour 2-3 shots’ worth of vodka in there.
Add olive brine to taste (I like a REAL dirty martini, so I’d say it’s about 1 tsp per 1.5 oz shot of vodka).
Give it a good shake, and strain into your glass (if you’re making this on the rocks, or straining without a shaker, give the mixture a good stir with a long spoon).
Add a few drops of Tabasco.
Put 1-3 olives on a toothpick, and put it in your glass, giving the whole thing one final stir.
Enjoy! YOU DESERVE THIS. IT’S FRIDAY, FERGODSAKES.
*vodka “quality” is all about number of times distilled. Get something distilled 5 or 6 times, and it will taste very smooth. That’s what you want. Not something that tastes like nail polish.
Actually the distillation techniques are all different. So depending on the basic ingredient of the vodka (potato, corn, various grains, etc) that will give you a guideline on the quality of your vodka. I promote a rye vodka that’s distilled 3 times, it only needs to be distilled because the quality of the grain is so high. Tito’s is great, I usually prefer it in my martini (my drink of choice!) when I’m out at a bar. I will definitely be trying this version of the martini very VERY soon… like 4pm when I get home from work today.. cause everyone deserves a drink on a Monday too, right?!?
Actually the distillation techniques are all different. So depending on the basic ingredient of the vodka (potato, corn, various grains, etc) that will give you a guideline on the quality of your vodka. I promote a rye vodka that’s distilled 3 times, it only needs to be distilled because the quality of the grain is so high. Tito’s is great, I usually prefer it in my martini (my drink of choice!) when I’m out at a bar. I will definitely be trying this version of the martini very VERY soon… like 4pm when I get home from work today.. cause everyone deserves a drink on a Monday too, right?!?
OH! and LOOOOOVED this pod (as they kept referring to it during the episode) looking forward to more!
I recommend mineral waters.. TOPO CHICO FOR PRESIDENT!
This sounds pretty awesome, actually!
Question for some future booze episode: gin martini vs. vodka martini? (I’m personally in favor of gin in most situations but I’d like to hear other takes on it)
Glad to see the episode up for download for people who don’t use iTunes. But just FYI I think you might need to check the box for Enable Downloads on SoundCloud, it is not currently allowing downloads.
This was fantastic….there are no words
“No! No, no, no. if I haven’t been clear, this show is TOTALLY beverages but, sometimes…we’ll talk about hot sauce. ”
Andy, real talk, you TOTALLY just made my day. While I am in no way surprised that you stuck to your guns and pulled this off, the fact that you, in just a few short weeks, turned what was initially a comedic aside into what might possible be the greatest podcast of all time has had me in hysterics all morning.
I’m looking forward to the next episode!
The whole coconut water craze irks me a little because it’s been around for AGES, and a lot of people act like it’s this new amazing thing. Coconut water blew up because some American companies decided to capitalize on it, doesn’t mean it didn’t exist beforehand. Go back in time fifteen to twenty years ago and step into an Asian grocery store (or other grocery stores catering to minority populations) and you’ll still find plenty of coconut water, albeit by Asian brands. I’m Chinese-American and coconut water was one of my favorite beverages as a kid. I’m pretty sure the brand I drank is the one that makes the can that Josh Briggs described (with the bits of coconut floating around, which I personally loved). And nothing beats coconut water when it’s coming straight from the coconut! A lot of health food fads in the U.S. are just taken from food staples of other countries / populations.
(FYI, please don’t interpret the above as hate on Andy or Josh Briggs, just wanted to get some personal coconut water history out there.)
Anyway, I love all the Totally’s and I’m glad TBaSH is joining this podcast network! This episode was a blast, can’t wait for more. 😀
I love everything about this podcast.
Andy has exposed just how important, but overlooked, beverage are. The excitement of each guest on Totes Laime when the topic would come up - played perfectly off Elizabeth’s annoyance, since she’s undoubtedly long sick of hearing about Andy’s beverage conundrum - was so amazing.
MORE!
P.S. Thanks for reassuring 15 year old Troy that Lime Crush was not only acceptable, but maybe even bad ass.
I don’t even like beverages all that much (Water, coffee and booze for me), but for some reason I loved this podcast!!!
Can’t wait until you talk about hot sauce (sometimes!)
Even saying that, and with those limits, I’ll bet you could easily fill an hour talking about your beverage choices.
Tap water or bottle? Sparkling? Thoughts on the flavoured water trend?
How do you make your coffee? Make it at home? Drink it all day? Limit your intake? Favourite coffee shop? Who makes the coffee in your office?
What’s your booze of choice? Ever deviate? How old were you the first time you got drunk? How old were you the last time you got drunk?
Beverages pervade every corner of our lives.
I love the podcast. Well done Andy!!
So I finally got around to listening to the episode and the discussion on ice beer. And it is really simple idea. At some point in the brewing to bottling process (after fermenting to make alcohol) they drop the temp of the beer down to freezing. As ice forms in the beer they pull out the ice. Because alcohol does not freeze and the minimal amount of water removed does not impact the flavor. So bud ice and the such are really the same as bud light/bud, just with less water to create higher alcohol content. Sorry I had to be that guy. Great show.
Just want to add that you can get toasted coconut water at asian grocery stores and it is THE BEST. Less semen-y, more yummy coconut flavor.
Andy, I had to say something regarding your coconut water tasting: you unknowingly picked two of the worst tasting brands to test. My boyfriend, who is in a position of having to taste and sell products, described one of the brands as “ballsweat”. I’m fairly proud of the fact that I’ve avoided coming face to face with a sweaty sac up to this point in my life but I can tell you, that brand is fucking terrible. And depending on the particular package you purchased, it could even be re-constituted, not actually real coconut water. And the other brand is a mindfuck combination of both bitter and tasteless at the same time. I don’t know if you’re interested in giving coconut water another try (probly not) and you probably haven’t even thought about it since, but if you’re ever bored and feeling adventurous, you should try either Blue Monkey or Taste Nirvana. I’m sure you don’t give a fuck, but I am a pretty big fan of coconut water and for some reason couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t say something.
P.S. - I originally wrote this post calling out each brand but re-assessed the situation and figured I should be a bit more diplomatic. Regardless, both brands you taste tested are garbage and an embarrassment to coconut water.
When Andy first floated the idea of this show, I was onboard, but I was surprised to see that it was an hour long show! What could people talk about for an hour about coconut water???
Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not a coconut water lover either, and this show made it OK for me not to try other brands hoping for a better outcome (I tried Zico).
This is a fun show, and it would be great if occasionally Andy could have listeners on the show, or maybe do a live show (sponsored by a beverage company).
Good luck!!
if you order a “short” at Starbucks, it comes in the kid-sized cup and is closer to $2-3. Good way to try stuff, esp if you aren’t sure you’ll like it.
I have recently seen on one of the “hack memes” for Starbucks that if you request to taste a certain beverage, the barista will make it for you. They don’t appreciate doing the frappucino samples though because of the large effort for a small cup.