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Drinking Made Easy
Just because Hawaii is the newest state in the union doesn’t mean it was late to the party. Hawaiians have been distilling, brewing, and imbibing for centuries. Mix together one part laid back atmosphere, one part beach paradise, and mix in a plethora of fresh fruit, and you have a recipe for some delicious drinking. In this episode, Zane belly flops onto Hawaii’s second largest island, Maui. Follow him along the sandy path to find who is doing the best mixing, brewing, and hallucinating in this island paradise.
For a 6 million year old island that’s home to one of the rainiest areas in the world and thousands of wild chickens, Kauai is anything but chaotic. Hawaii’s most green island is adorned with tourists and locals looking for the best ways to wind down and there’s no better place on the island to listen to the rainfall, then under the roof of one of the many local bars, pubs or watering holes. In this episode, Zane dives into the Pacific for some reef snorkeling, learns about the aphrodisiac benefits of honey mead, and mixes up some classic Hawaiian cocktails with some of Kauai’s best bartenders.
California’s “first city” might seem like a sleepy and quaint little oceanside town, but Monterey, California knows how to party. Located on the California coast smack dab in the middle of the state, Monterey isn’t just known for its historic buildings and world-class aquarium. From Alvarado Street, with the densest collection of bars and pubs in the area, to the many vineyards along the outskirts of town, you won’t have to wander far to find a drink.
Located on the southernmost tip of the continental United States, Key West is the heart and soul of the Florida Keys. Its Caribbean vibe, year round sunshine, laid back lifestyle and Bahamian and Cuban influences help make Key West what is today: a great place for a tropical liquor-inspired vacation. At only 4 miles long and 2 miles wide, it was made for pub-crawling. From its proximity to some of the best rums in the world, to its lax open container laws and the abundance of bars and restaurants on the world famous Duval Street, Key West couldn’t be an easier place to drink.
This sprawling metropolis is a mecca for entertainment, food, culture and nightlife. From Downtown Miami to South Beach, this venerable hot bed of activity is overflowing with places to find great food and drink. Whether you’re looking for a trendy upscale hotel bar, a nightclub, or a local dive bar to catch a baseball game on the tube, Miami’s nightlife scene has something for everyone. Follow Zane as he stumbles across some of the city’s best mojitos, shares a cold one with a local legend, and explores the Miami’s sexy mixology scene.
Zane, Steve and the Drinking Made Easy crew take on Tampa Bay Florida. They explore the rich cultural history of Ybor City, taste some of the fine locally crafted beers and spirits, play around on the bay and get “fired-up” with some unique nightlife. Tampa is the 3rd largest city in Florida and features a dynamic Cuban influence, a number of local distilleries and breweries, and is the birthplace of world the famous Hooters Restaurant!
Arrrggghhhhh!!!! For the next exciting adventure of Drinking Made Easy, Captain Lamprey and his first mate, Dumbbeard, be heading off to the treasure filled ports of St. Augustine, Florida. Beware! there be PIRATES in these waters! Our boozing buccaneers will be hearing tales of the sea with local sailors and sea dogs and their favorite watering holes. We also be learnin’ on this here adventure, as Captain Lamprey explores the rich history of US’s oldest city. So gather ya crew, prepare the grog, ready the sails and pull anchor as we voyage in search of treasure and booze!
Zane Lamprey, Steve McKenna, and Pleepleus head off to beautiful Savannah, Georgia where they explore the rich history, beautiful city, and, of course, the Savannah style drinks. Known as the “Hospitality City” Savannah is famous for its beautiful scenery and architecture as it is one of the few southern cities to survive the Civil War unharmed. Zane and Steve will taste some Savannah style liquor, drink in some of the oldest bars in the city, partake in unique Savannah customs, and, as gentlemen, battle each other through the art of fencing!
Zane Lamprey and Steve McKenna head off to our nation’s capitol, Washington D.C, where they will check out some of the local bars often visited by our nations leaders and taste some of the native drinks. Some of these bars have served presidents as old as Abraham Lincoln himself and continue to serve original cocktails today. Zane and Steve will also learn about the “ARTini” and square off with each other in a DC shoot out. Yes, we gave Steve a gun…
Baltimore gets a visit from Zane Lamprey, Steve McKenna and good ol’ Pleepleus. The city lies next to the Chesepeake Bay and is one of Maryland’s top tourist attractions. Baltimore also plays a spot in much of America’s history and is home to the historic Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812 and is the location of the first causality of the American Civil War. Francis Scot Key also wrote the Star Spangled Banner while imprisoned on an enemy ship in the Chesepeake Bay. Zane and Steve will explore the countryside full of distilleries and breweries as well as some of the nations oldest saloons.
Zane and Steve explore the historic city of Newport, Rhode Island and learn about rum running and local brews in this episode of Drinking Made Easy. Newport is home to one of the highest collections of surviving colonial buildings and is also known for its illustrious mansions, shopping, and scenery. But Zane and Steve are here for the booze. Though they will be able to partake in a lovely game of tennis, the drunken duo will be focused on sipping local brews and enjoying local drinking customs including the first ever Drinking Made Easy Beergatta Race!
Cape Cod is a beautiful peninsula of Massachusetts and is receiving a visit from Drinking Made Easy. The area is a popular tourist attraction for its miles and miles of beaches, historical sites, and natural attractions. Zane and Steve will be combing the beaches looking for the best brews, cocktails, and bars. Lots of competition in this episode with belly flopping, beer chugging, keg throwing, and dune jumping just to name a few.
Drinking Made Easy heads to Maine’s largest city, Portland. As always they will explore the best drinks of the area as well as visit some unique breweries and fermentories that make use of rich local ingredients and employ unique strategies the making of their beverages. This cozy water-front city has a large amount of local influences in their beers, their bars, and the cocktails.
Memphis is known as the ‘home of the blues’ and is the perfect place to find good music, rich history, great BBQ, and some hefty drinks. Zane and Steve will be taking on some of the biggest drinks available and even learn how to make Purple Sizzurp with Academy Award winning group Three 6 Mafia. This episode is full of infamous cocktails and great establishments, but be warned…Zane and Steve are handling guns in this episode…uh oh.
Zane and Steve head to the ‘Country Music Capitol of the World’, Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville has been known as a sort of Mecca for country music but Zane and Steve have other things on their minds, namely, booze! The boys will be looking to taste some of that native Tennessee whiskey, locally brewed beers, and some Ole Smoky Moonshine. Join them as we learn the difference between bourbon and whiskey, how moonshine is made, and how they drink down in Nashville!
Asheville has witnessed a recent boom in the craft beer industry and has earned the title “Beer City USA” two years in a row. Unlike other Beer City winners like Portland, Oregon, Asheville is pretty small by comparison with a population of approximately 75,000. But even with its small stature Asheville offers up 11 different breweries and plenty of beer festivals. Zane and Steve plan to hit 9 of these breweries in one day to taste a beer from each. Then they will square off in an Asheville Beer Taste Test. Learn more about the breweries and their beers below.
Charlotte is the biggest city in North Carolina and is growing rapidly. With a great mixture of bars, lounges, and nightclubs, Charlotte offers plenty of options for entertainment and drinking. Many of these great bars can be found in Charlotte’s uptown district, which acts as the center of the city’s activity. In this episode, Zane and Steve will get to try some great breakfast and specialty drinks, relax and smoke some hookah, and face off in a death defying race down treacherous white water rapids. Ok, maybe not “treacherous” or “death defying” but rapids nonetheless! Oh and Pleepleus gets into a fight with a giant crab.
Charleston, South Carolina is known for its good manners and for its historic architecture which is why many describe the city as a ‘Living Museum’. Zane and Steve get to check out some of the fine drinking establishments and taste breakfast drinks, fizzy gin drinks, classical drinks, and even some drinks chilled to -320 degrees.
Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest and is commonly known as The Emerald City for its lush green landscape. Due to its size, Seattle has a number of different districts, each offering up its own distinct style and culture. In this episode, Zane and Steve will speak with the “Godfather of Micro-Brewing Industry”, Charles Finkel, as well as explore Seattle’s many different bars to get a taste of their different styles…literally.
Zane and Steve jump the border for Canada to tour the city of Vancouver, which is the largest metropolitan area in western Canada. They’ll taste local beers, local wines, and some local cocktails while also experiencing the cities different districts like Gastown. The drunken duo will also refine their taste with an elegant wine, cheese, and meat paring dinner…then bring it back down again for some creative cocktails and booze.
