Happy Hour Film Club

This special episode of Happy Hour Film Club is Bartender's Choice! That means our resident cocktail crafter gets to pick the movie this time, and Nick brought us the Tom Cruise classic, Cocktail. But is it all cocktails and dreams as we visit the New York City flash bartending scene of the late 1980's? Well, you'll have to listen to find out. So make yourself an Alabama Slammer and let's talk Cocktail! Recipe below.  Alabama Slammer  - 1 oz Southern Comfort - 1 oz sloe gin - 1 oz amaretto liqueur  - 2 oz orange juice, freshly squeezed - Garnish: orange wedge Instructions: 1. Add Southern Comfort, gin, amaretto and orange juice to a shaker with ice and shake until chilled 2. Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice. Or, if serving as a shot, divide among shot glasses 3. Garnish with an orange wedge 

Get familiar with the obscure…animation, that is! Riley and Taylor watch their favorite obscure animated films - The Thief and the Cobbler (or is it?) and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas - while Nick makes an obscure cocktail. Don't miss you again on these hidden gems. Cheers! The White Lady:  - 2 oz dry gin - 0.5 oz triple sec - 0.5 oz lime juice  Instructions:  - add gin, triple sec, and lime juice into a shaker with ice - shake for 30 seconds - strain into a glass of choice

February is Taylor and Riley's least favorite month of the year, but there's no denying that love is in the air. Tune in for our Valentine's release - The Season of Love. We're featuring not one, but TWO Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan hits - You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. 

Grab your passports, because we are hopping over the pond to jolly old England. In this week's episode Taylor and Riley are exploring the criminal underworld of London with the gangster film, Legend and the Agatha Christie inspired whodunit, See How They Run. Joining this criminal escapade is Nick with a very tart and fizzy mocktail. Cheers! Citrus Fizz Mocktail   - 2 oz orange juice  - 2 oz lemon juice  - 1 oz lime juice  - 0.5 oz grenadine  - 1 egg white  - 4 oz sparkling water  - (optional) Garnish: Orange slice   Instructions:   - Add orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, grenadine, and egg white into a shaker  - Dry shake the ingredients for 60 seconds  - Add ice and shake for another 30 seconds  - Strain drink into a glass  - Top with sparkling water  - (optional): garnish with orange slice

We have a special treat this week, and we're calling it "The Lost Episode." That's right, what once was lost, now is found in the darkest corner of our hard drive - the "Going Home" themed episode we wanted to release right before Thanksgiving but was saved, alas, to the wrong folder. So here we are, back again with two new movies to talk about - Death at a Funeral and Grosse Pointe Blank.

Join Taylor, Nick, and Riley as they talk about some of their favorite movies watched in 2022,  and what new films coming out in 2023 are at the top of their radar! We've also got TWO yummy drinks on the menu this episode: mimosas and Negroni Sbagliatos.  A very happy New Year to you from the Happy Hour Film Club crew! 

We all know the power of wishes, and cinema loves to tell wish stories. They can be inspirational or cautionary, and Taylor and Riley have chosen two fantastical films to showcase in this episode. There's the story of Florence Foster Jenkins who wishes to perform at Carnegie Hall, and then we have the story of Three Thousand Years of Longing where wishes might just cause more harm than good. Our wish is that you love these two movies as much as we did! And, of course, Nick has made us a very punny cocktail - The "Djinn" Sour. Cheers! "Djinn" Sour   - 2 ounces London dry gin  - 1 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed  - 1/2 ounce simple syrup  - 1/2 ounce egg white or aquafaba (optional)  - Garnish: lemon twist (optional)  - Garnish: 3 drops Angostura bitters (optional)   Steps  - Add the gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white or aquafaba into a shaker and vigorously dry-shake (without ice).  - Add ice and shake again until well-chilled.  - Strain into a coupe glass.  - Garnish with a lemon twist.

It might be a new genre of movie - Netflix certainly seems to think so - the Hallmark Christmas movie. I know I know, you're asking yourself why we chose to skip all the timeless seasonal classics. But you already know those by heart and so do we. Taylor and Riley dive into some lesser known (maybe for a reason) holiday films to heat things up this winter, so grab your eggnog and settle in for two not-so-classic Christmas movies - A Castle for Christmas and Falling for Christmas.  Eggnog Recipe:  It's just eggnog. And booze. 

Our theme this week is football! Whether you're a fan of the gridiron or the beautiful game, we got the football films for you, Taylor and Riley talk about Silver Linings Playbook and Victory. No matter how you play football, there's a football film (and cocktail) for everyone. Recipe: - 1.5 oz whiskey - 1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1/2 oz honey simple syrup - 2-4 oz ginger ale  Instructions: - Pour whiskey into cocktail shaker filled with ice.  - Add lemon juice and honey simple syrup and shake well.  - Pour into glass filled with ice. - Top with ginger ale and garnish with a lemon slice. 

It's witching season and Taylor and Riley have their three favorite spooky sisters to chat about on this week's episode! Grab your broomsticks (or rhumbas) and settle in for this Hocus Pocus double feature.  Jean Jacket aka The Shish-ka-Baby: - 2 oz bourbon (or apple brandy) - 0.75 oz lemon juice - 0.25 oz simple syrup - Apple cider to top - apple slice to garnish Instructions: - Pour bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup into a shaker with ice - Shake until well chilled - Strain into a glass with ice - Top with apple cider - Garnish with apple slice 

Let's get spooky! On this week's episode, we're talking about things that go bump in the night, more specifically, ghosts. Just in time for spooky season, Riley and Taylor chose two ghostly movies: The Haunting (1963) and The Devil's Backbone, while Nick prepared a spine-tingling cocktail, The Corpse Reviver #Blue. Recipe below. Cheers! Corpse Reviver #Blue   - Absinthe, to rinse - 0.75 oz London dry gin  - 0.75 oz blue curacao - 0.75 oz Lillet Blanc - 0.75 oz lemon juice  - lemon twist garnish  Instructions: - Rinse a chilled glass with absinthe. Discard excess and set aside.  - Add gin, blue curacao, Lillet Blanc and lemon juice into a shaker with ice - Shake until well chilled - Strain into glass and garnish with lemon twist

On this week's episode, Taylor and Riley talk about two film adaptations that reimagine Taming of the Shrew and The Tempest, that's right - Shakespeare! Tag along as we speak iambic pentameter for an entire episode and...well, we don't do that. But we will be talking about 10 Things I Hate About You and Forbidden Planet. Check out another tasty drink recipe below!  To Mead or not to Mead (aka The Bee's Knees):  - 1 oz. -or- 30 ml Lemon Juice  - 1 oz. -or- 30 ml. Honey Syrup (Maybe with the Vanilla syrup?)  - 2 oz. -or- 60 ml. London Dry Gin  - (Optional) Candied Ginger   Instructions:  - Pour lemon juice, honey syrup, and gin into a shaker  - Shake for 30 seconds  - Strain and pour into glass of choice  - (Optional) Garnish with Candied Ginger

Grab your backpacks and boxed lunches because on this week's episode we are going back to school. Taylor and Riley's movie picks have everything from high school crushes, crazy parties, and graduation day to Latin class, calligraphy club and school plays. Booksmart and Rushmore certainly deliver plenty of academics and teenage angst, so whether you brought back Latin or have a girl crush on your favorite teacher, there's something for everyone. And Nick has made a cocktail fit for the teacher's lounge (recipe below) because teachers need a little something extra sometimes. Cheers!    Cold Brew Shakerato:   - 1 oz Orange juice - 1 oz Campari - 1 oz Gin - 1 oz Coffee Liquor - Garnish: Orange twist   Instructions:   - Add orange juice, Campari, gin, and coffee liquor into a shaker with ice - Shake for 30 seconds - Strain into glass of your choice - Garnish with orange twist

Sandy beaches and salty waves swept us up this week for a much needed get-away....to our couches...where we watched other people take vacations.... Okay, so maybe Taylor and Riley only had a staycation, but their vacay movie picks Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar have plenty of sunshine and Tommy Bahama to go around. Nick made us a yummy blue drink (recipe below) that you can try at home while you spit-take these two side-splitting comedies.  Blue Hawaii Cocktail: - 3/4 oz vodka - 3/4 oz light rum - 1/2 oz blue curaçao - 3 oz pineapple juice - 1/2 oz simple syrup - 1/2 oz lime juice - Garnish: pineapple wedge - Garnish: cocktail umbrella Instructions: - Add vodka, light rum, blue curaçao, pineapple juice, simple syrup, and lime juice a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. (Or blend all ingredients with ice in a blender.). - Strain into a Hurricane glass over crushed or pebble ice. (Or pour from blender into glass with no ice.) - (optional) Garnish with a pineapple wedge and cocktail umbrella.

It's the one year anniversary of the podcast and we have a very special episode for you with special guest bartender, Emily Butler! Join us for this fun recap episode and learn what a lemon swath is, what movies we're digging so far this year, and what 2001 movie sparked a sexual awakening for both Riley and Taylor. We can't believe it's been a whole year of podcasting, and we could not be more excited to continue talking about movies and drinking cocktails with you all. Thanks for listening and supporting, cheers!    French Fizz, special cocktail by Emily Butler:    - .75 oz lemon juice   - .75 oz vanilla simple syrup   - fresh muddled blueberries   - egg white  - 1.5 oz gin   Instructions:  - Muddle blueberries and strain into shaker - add lemon juice, vanilla simple syrup, gin and egg white into shaker (no ice)  - dry shake for 30 seconds  - add ice and shake for another 30 seconds  - strain and pour into glass  - top with prosecco  - (optional) garnish with lemon peel

On this week's episode, Taylor and Riley talk about some of their favorite pseudo super heroes featured in Mystery Men and Unbreakable. Not every hero can fly or have super strength - some are just really good with a shovel. Join as we try to figure out just what makes a hero a hero, and cool down with a sweet, chocolaty mudslide.  Mudslide:    - 1 oz vodka  - 1 oz coffee liqueur  - 1 oz Irish cream   - 3 scoops vanilla ice cream  - 1 cup ice  - Chocolate Syrup   Instructions:   - Pour all ingredients into a blender  - Blend until the ice is completely blended  - Pour into glass of choice  - Optional: Garnish with chocholate shavings and/or whipped cream

We had so much fun celebrating Pride and are very excited talk about two remarkable LGBTQIA+ films on this week's episode to continue celebrating Pride. Starting in Santiago and ending in Northern Italy we explore a trans woman's grief in A Fantastic Woman and a young adult's blossoming romance in Call Me By Your Name. Plus we have a wonderful summer cocktail that tastes good in a glass or in a whole pitcher, just to keep your options open. You can find the recipe below. Cheers!  Watermelon Vodkarita: 2 oz Vodka 1.5 oz Watermelon Juice 3/4 oz Lime Juice 3/4 oz Simple Syrup 1/4 oz Triple Sec Instructions: Pour vodka, watermelon juice, lime juice, simple syrup, triple sec, and ice into a shaker Shake until cold (or 30 seconds) Pour into glass of choice with ice Garnish with some watermelon

It's officially wedding season, and on this week's episode we have two wedding favorites to share with you! What's up next on the list? Muriel's Wedding and Four Weddings and a Funeral, two raunchy foreign comedies that'll make you laugh...and probably make you cringe a little, too. Check out the recipe for our signature wedding drink below - thanks, Nick!   French 75: - 1 ounce gin - 1/2 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed - 1/2 ounce simple syrup - 3 ounces Champagne (or other sparkling wine) - Garnish: lemon twist Instructions: - Add the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. - Strain into a Champagne flute. - Top with the Champagne. - Garnish with a lemon twist.

Get your fill of teenage angst and life lessons on this week's episode of Happy Hour Film Club. Taylor and Riley will be taking a close look at coming of age movies, specifically Now and Then and Bend it Like Beckham. We also have a great cocktail made lovingly by Nick, the Moscow Mule. Link in bio! Cheers!     Moscow Mule:   - 2 oz Vodka - .25 oz Lime Juice - Top with ginger ale (or use ginger beer or ginger soda)   Instructions: - Pour vodka, lime juice, and ginger ale into a glass of your choice with ice - Garnish with a lime wheel

A dish best served cold? Revenge. This week Taylor and Riley discuss Promising Young Woman and First Wives Club as their film picks for the theme of revenge. Before any good revenge is a strong drink and what better drink than a Painkiller! Painkiller 1 oz. -or- 30 ml. Orange Juice 1 oz. -or- 30 ml. Cream of Coconut 4 oz. -or- 240 ml. Pineapple juice 2 oz. -or- 60 ml. Rum Instructions: Pour orange juice, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, and rum into a shaker. Shake over ice for 30 seconds Open pour into double rocks (Optional) garnish with fresh nutmeg