The Cosmopolitan is a modern classic cocktail that’s reached far into drinks culture. For this episode, Cosmo creator Toby Cecchini (owner of Brooklyn’s Long Island Bar) shares the story of the drink’s origins and its rapid takeover of cocktail culture, along with his approach to making his signature drink.

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.

Giuseppe González built his bartending reputation at bars including Flatiron Lounge, Clover Club, PKNY, and Suffolk Arms. Now working in Las Vegas, he’s made it his mission every December to share his love of coquito, a spiced rum-and-coconut drink from Puerto Rico that’s essential for celebrating the holidays. For this episode, González talks with us about coquito’s history and shares his recipe (below) and tips for making a batch to share with friends and family.

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.

Coquito Tradicional
Makes about 5 ½ liters

60 oz. / 5 cans evaporated milk
60 oz. / 4 cans cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez)
2 Tbsp. good-quality vanilla extract
6 long cinnamon sticks (preferably Mexican cinnamon)
3 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
4 whole star anise
6 whole cloves
2 liters aged Puerto Rican rum

Add all of the ingredients, except the rum, to a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring to combine. Immediately remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Add the rum and stir, then strain out the solids, saving the cinnamon sticks and discarding the rest. Using an immersion blender (or a blender, working in batches), blend for at least 90 seconds. Bottle for use or for gifting, adding a cinnamon stick to each bottle. Keep refrigerated. To serve, pour chilled into a small cup or glass (or add to coffee), and grate fresh nutmeg or cinnamon on top, if desired.

What’s an ideal Thanksgiving cocktail? And how do you make the perfect eggnog? In our November/December 2024 issue, Imbibe contributing editor Wayne Curtis explores the former topic, and Portland bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler contemplates the latter. For this episode, we talk with Wayne and Jeff about Thanksgiving cocktails, other holiday drinks (good and bad), and how to prepare for the festive season.

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.

Boston has long been a beacon of cocktail culture in America, and Jackson Cannon is a big reason behind that. For this episode, we talk with the longtime Boston bartender about the evolution of the city’s cocktail scene over the past couple of decades, and about the reopening of Eastern Standard, one of the city’s landmark establishments.

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.

The Brandy Crusta isn’t only an essential New Orleans cocktail, it’s a key part of cocktail history, too. New Orleans bartender Chris Hannah first refined his approach to the Crusta while working at Arnaud’s French 75, and today the cocktail is a central part of the story at Jewel of the South, the French Quarter bar and restaurant where he’s a partner. For this episode, Chris Hannah shares the significance of the Brandy Crusta, and talks us through the Jewel of the South approach to the cocktail today.

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.

[This episode originally debuted in July 2023.] Perhaps no 20th-century cocktail has resonated as strongly (or been misinterpreted as widely) as the Mai Tai. This episode considers the Mai Tai from every angle, with drinks historian, author, and bar owner Jeff “Beachbum” Berry (Latitude 29, New Orleans) delving into his first-hand research into the Mai Tai’s history and how it became an international sensation, and sharing his own approach to the drink, along with best practices for Mai Tai success.

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.

[This episode originally debuted in May 2022.] In the May/June 2022 issue of Imbibe, we feature a Vodka Martini from The Doctor’s Office in Seattle, and for this episode, we visit the bar and find out about their approach to the cocktail. We chat with TDO bar director Keith Waldbauer about the blind-tasting process that resulted in their preferred formula, the virtues of batching cocktails in advance, and about coming to terms with vodka and vodka cocktails during the cocktail renaissance. Want to mix one of TDO’s Vodka Martinis for yourself? Here’s the recipe, and visit @imbibe on Instagram to see Keith Waldbauer walk us through the process.

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.

It’s Negroni Week! In celebration of this iconic cocktail, thousands of bars around the world are mixing Negronis and its relatives all week, while supporting this year’s giving partner, Slow Food. For this episode, we talk to Livio Lauro, an Italian-born bartender now working as the director of mixology and product education for Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, about his early embrace of the Negroni and how this cocktail continues to be a fascination and inspiration for bartenders worldwide.

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us at imbibemagazine.com, and on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and if you're not already a subscriber, we'd love to have you join us—click here to subscribe.