What We're Drinking with Dan Dunn

It’s cocktail hour, and Anna Vocino is here to make sure there’s something good to eat with whatever’s in your glass. The actress, comedian, bestselling cookbook author and founder of Eat Happy Kitchen joins Dan to talk about her new book, Eat Happy Cocktail Hour: Deliciously Gluten Free and Low Carb Sips, Dips, and Bites and the art of eating and drinking well without sucking all the fun out of it.

Also on the show, Dan revisits an article he wrote years ago about the ruination of one of Venice Beach’s most iconic streets and discovers, somewhat depressingly, that the damn thing may be even more relevant today than when he wrote it. And finally: Ever wonder what it would be like to have drinks with Yoda? Of course you have. Well, wonder no more.

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This week, Dan sits down with acclaimed bartender Kenta Goto and award-winning drinks writer Noah Rothbaum to talk about their new book, The Goto Bartender’s Guide, a look at Japanese cocktail culture through the drinks, techniques, traditions, and philosophy that have shaped Goto’s singular approach to bartending and hospitality.

Also on the show: a fresh round of Drinks of the Week, with Dan cracking into wine, vodka, and rye whiskey. And in the latest History at Work and in the Making, we go back to a time when putting ice in a cocktail wasn’t just a given—and trace the unlikely history of how frozen water became one of the most important ingredients behind the bar.

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Dan takes a look at how the Trump administration’s tariffs are hitting the drinks business, from distilleries, wineries and importers to bars, restaurants and, ultimately, the people picking up the tab. Who’s getting squeezed, how much money is at stake, and what could all of this mean for the price of your next bottle or cocktail?

The episode also includes Dan’s tribute to his friend Bryan “Bald Bryan” Bishop, the beloved longtime co-host of The Adam Carolla Show, who passed away last week after an extraordinary 18-year battle with cancer. Dan got to know Bryan during his years as the Carolla show’s resident booze expert, and remembers a genuinely good man who will be deeply missed.

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To celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Dan takes the show on the road—or at least down the street—for a special live episode recorded in front of an audience on the rooftop of Casa de Ocho, Tequila Ocho’s pop-up in the heart of Venice Beach. Joining Dan is his old friend Zane Lamprey, comedian, author, world traveler, and legendary host of the seminal drinking shows Three Sheets and Drinking Made Easy, along with Philip Khandehrish, longtime tequila expert and Brand Ambassador for Tequila Ocho and Heaven Hill Brands.

Philip gives Dan and Zane the full Ocho education, from the late, great Tomás Estes and master distiller Carlos Camarena to single-estate agave, vintage harvests, terroir, and what makes Ocho one of the most distinctive tequilas on the planet. Along the way, Dan and Zane look back at the early days of covering drinking culture, how wildly the booze business has changed since then, and share probably far more information about themselves than anyone in attendance actually asked for. Tequila was involved. These things happen.
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Dan has been away on a much-needed vacation, so this week we’re reaching into the vault for an encore presentation of one of our most-listened-to episodes of 2024. It’s a very special caffeinated edition of the show, as Dan turns his attention to his other liquid obsession: coffee. Joining him is none other than Maynard James Keenan. Yes, that Maynard—vocalist for Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, not to mention the man behind Caduceus Cellars, Merkin Vineyards and Queen B Vinyl Cafe, his Arizona coffee-roasting venture.

Dan also serves up hot takes on two of his go-to java brands, La Colombe and Free Rein. Along the way, there’s a story about Bruce Springsteen, a heartfelt tribute to a Van Halen cover band, and enough coffee talk to keep you wired until Dan returns with a brand-new episode.
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