Welcome back to Drinking With Robot. I'm your host, Ingrid Folkers. And I'm your host, Rob Nester. Today, we're diving into the rich history of presidential inaugurations. From the very first inauguration of George Washington to the spectacular events of Barack Obama, we're going to explore the traditions, the extravagant celebrations, and some of the quirky stories that have accompanied these pivotal moments in American history. A little later, Chris Trull of St. Petersburg, Florida's own Wild Child Bar stops by to discuss his love of music, all things nerdy, and why you should definitely infuse your milk punches. But first, sit back and pour yourself a drink and listen to these words from our sponsor. Upgrade your cocktail game with Remedy Cocktail Company's handcrafted bitters. Order online at RemedyCocktailCompany.com and choose from over 20 flavors. Elevate your drink experience today. Today, we're diving into a topic that's as rich as a fine bourbon and as complex as a good cocktail. The history of presidential inaugurations and the grand celebrations that follow. That's right. From the very first inauguration of George Washington to the spectacular events of Barack Obama, we're going to explore the traditions, the extravagant celebrations, and some of the quirky stories that have accompanied these pivotal moments in American history. So, pour yourself a drink and let's get started. Inauguration Day has quite the historical significance. It all kicks off with George Washington, our first president, who took the oath of office on April 30th, 1789. Absolutely. Washington's inauguration set the stage. Did you know that George Washington was the only elected U.S. president to be inaugurated in two different cities? New York City in 1789 and Philadelphia in 1793. Washington's gesture of kissing the Bible after taking the oath was iconic and is a tradition that many presidents have upheld. Washington's second inauguration in 1793 set the precedent that all inaugurations were held on March 4th until 1933 unless that date fell on a Sunday. The four-month gap was needed to tally votes and travel to the nation's capital. Since 1937, the inauguration has occurred on January 20th unless the date falls on a Sunday. Each of Washington's inaugurations were a modest affair, completely unrecognizable from the fanfare we see today. While Washington's inauguration was a small affair, he did know how to party, as evidenced by the bar tab for the Founding Fathers before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The tab included seven bowls of punch, eight bottles hard cider, eight bottles colonial-era whiskey, 12 bottles of beer, 22 bottles of port, 54 bottles of Madeira, and 60 bottles of wine. The estimated cost of the bar tab, in today's dollars, approximately $18,000. That's quite the bar tab. But I suppose they needed fuel for establishing the new nation. And that really was the focus of their first inaugurations, establishing the office of the president and reassuring the young nation that it could function under a new government. Now, you may be asking yourself, what exactly is an inauguration? Well, the presidential inauguration is a formal ceremony that marks the beginning of a new U.S. president's term in office and is comprised of a few key components. The first is the oath of office. The president-elect takes the oath of office, administered by the chief justice of the Supreme Court. This is a constitutional requirement and signals the official start of their presidency. The oath is as follows. I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of the president of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Barack Obama and Franklin D. Roosevelt are the only presidents who have been sworn in four times. FDR, because he was elected four times before presidents were limited to just two terms. And Obama, in 2009, had to take the oath twice because Chief Justice Roberts was going off memory alone and slightly altered the wording of the oath. He redid it the next day to ensure it was done properly. In 2013, Inauguration Day fell on a Sunday. When that happens, the president is sworn in at a private ceremony on January 20th. And the large public swearing in takes place on the following Monday, the 21st. The next part is the inaugural address. After taking the oath of office, the new president typically delivers a speech that outlines their vision, their goals, and plans for the nation. And lastly, parades and celebration. The inauguration often features parades, performances, and formal balls. These events all celebrate the peaceful transfer of power, a cornerstone of American democracy. If I remember correctly, Thomas Jefferson, our third president, was the first president to be sworn in at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., and it has been held there ever since. The first ever inaugural ball was held in 1809 for James Madison, an organization of young men called the Washington Dancing Assembly, whose purpose was to throw parties for members of Washington society, was the first group of citizens to organize an inaugural event. The first ball was a great success, and it set a precedent. And it was held in Washington, D.C., right? Exactly. And it was a pretty posh affair for its time. But it wasn't until the 19th century that inaugural balls really started to resemble the extravagant affairs they are today. Andrew Jackson actually introduced the concept of the people's ball in 1829. Yes. Jackson's ball was open to the public, which was a departure from the exclusive events of his predecessors. And it was one wild party. He welcomed 20,000 people to celebrate with him in the White House after he took office. The celebration eventually became quite rowdy as guests broke furniture and smashed valuables. Orange punch was reportedly served in barrels at this party. And there's actually a recipe listed for it in the 1895 Modern American Drinks by George Day Kappeler. We'll put that recipe in the show notes in case you want to recreate the drink that fueled what is considered the wildest party ever held at the White House. Can you imagine? I also read reports that Jackson himself escaped the chaos by jumping out of a window. You know, Jackson's presidency was all about connecting with the common man. And this ball reflected that spirit. You know who should have had less contact with the common man? William Henry Harrison. He was inaugurated in 1841 and it was a cold one. He reportedly refused to wear a coat or hat while delivering the longest inauguration speech in American history. Side note, compare his 8,445 word speech with the 135 word speech that George Washington delivered during his second presidential inauguration. After the ceremony, he insisted on riding back to the White House on horseback instead of the traditional horse and carriage. Between the cold weather and his handshaking with hundreds of well-wishers, Harrison contracted a cold which quickly progressed to pneumonia. With limited treatment options that included heated suction cups, the same bleeding tactics that had killed George Washington and eventually more esoteric remedies, one of which even included the use of live snakes. It's of little surprise that 31 days after Harrison took office, he died, becoming the first president to die in office. Should have worn a coat? You know it gets cold in Washington, D.C. in the winter. Ulysses S. Grant's second inauguration in March of 1873 was one of the coldest inaugurations as well. The recorded temperature was 16 degrees Fahrenheit at noon, with winds bringing the feels-like temperature closer to negative 30. Grant's inaugural ball that evening took place in a temporary structure that was not equipped for the cold weather. Guests had to keep their heavy overcoats on as they danced. And frozen champagne wasn't the worst of it either. About 100 canaries hanging from the ceiling in bird cages were supposed to serenade the guests, but many of the birds froze to death. Oh, the poor birds. Speaking of cold facts, Ronald Reagan, our 40th president, holds the record for both the warmest and the coldest inauguration days. On his first inauguration in 1981, it was a balmy 55 degrees in D.C. During his second inauguration in 1989, it was only 7 degrees Fahrenheit. But that doesn't sound as bad as what William Howard Taft had to endure. His inauguration was during a blizzard as 10 inches of snow was dumped on Washington, D.C. And speaking of making bad decisions in the cold, I'm reminded of Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration in 1865 when vice president Andrew Johnson was sworn in. He had reportedly drank a few quote unquote medicinal whiskeys to calm his nerves and ease the symptoms of a recent bound of typhoid fever. By the time he took the oath of office, he was visibly drunk, slurring his words and rambling incoherently for some 20 minutes. Barely one month later, Johnson would be sworn in again, this time as president after the assassination of Lincoln at Ford's theater. This swearing in marked the first time that the chief justice of the Supreme Court administered the oath of office. And if rumors are to be believed, the second swearing in for which Johnson was inebriated. You know, I can't help but think about how much all this costs. The cost of inaugural balls has risen dramatically over the years. While early events were relatively low cost affairs, recent celebrations can run into the millions of dollars. Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009 is often cited as one of the most expensive in history. Estimates suggest the entire inauguration, including all the festivities around the big day, cost about $170 million. Obama's inauguration ceremony holds the record not only for the largest attended inauguration ceremony, but for the largest attended event in the history of Washington, D.C. Obviously, that is due to Obama's being the first African-American president in American history. I'm sure a lot of the costs went to arrange performers. I mean, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder all performed. Talk about a lineup. It's like the Super Bowl of politics. But you're right. This does raise an interesting question about the costs associated with inaugurations. I feel like it's a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's a celebration of democracy and a chance to bring people together. On the other hand, it can feel a bit out of touch, especially when people are struggling economically. I just feel that money could be spent better. The funding for these events often comes from private donations, which leads to questions about influence and accountability. The inaugural committee plans and finances all inaugural events, other than the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol and the luncheon honoring the president and vice president. The inaugural committee accepts donations to cover the costs associated with the inaugural events. Foreign nationals are prohibited from making donations, and the inaugural committee is prohibited from knowingly accepting donations from foreign nationals. However, donations to an inaugural committee are not subject to any contribution amount limits. The inaugural committee must disclose all donations in a report filed with the Federal Election Commission within 90 days after the inaugural ceremony. Speaking of donations, did you know First Ladies have the tradition of donating their inaugural gowns to the Smithsonian Museum? Yeah, fashion during these events has always been a big deal. The gowns worn by First Ladies often set trends and become part of the cultural fabric. The ongoing exhibition at the Smithsonian features more than two dozen gowns from the museum's almost 100-year-old First Ladies collection, including those worn by Frances Cleveland, Lou Hoover, Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. On the topic of First Ladies, Dolly Madison, who was First Lady to James Madison, was the first First Lady to attend an inauguration ceremony in 1809. It was over 150 years later in 1965 that the First Lady was given an active role in the inauguration ceremony. Lady Bird Johnson, wife of Lyndon B. Johnson, held the family Bible during her husband's swearing-in. Oh, and another fun Dolly Madison fact, she famously served ice cream at her ball in 1817. That was quite the luxury back then. And it's kind of crazy to see how these events bring together music and food, fashion and politics. They really do become a reflection of the times. And as a reflection of the time, inaugurations have been home to a number of firsts. Like John Adams' inauguration in 1797 marked the first peaceful transfer of power between two political parties. And that was from George Washington's Federalist administration to Adams' Democratic-Republican administration. And this is a groundbreaking moment in world history because peaceful transfers of power didn't really happen. Yeah, and James K. Polk's inauguration in 1845 was the first to be reported by a telegraph, allowing news of the events to spread rapidly across the country. This marked a significant shift in how Americans received real-time updates. Calvin Coolidge's 1925 inauguration was the first to be broadcast live on radio, bringing the ceremony directly into people's homes for the first time. Harry S. Truman's second inauguration in 1949 was the first to be televised, allowing Americans to not only hear but also see the event in their living rooms. And Kennedy was the first color television broadcast and the first to eschew a hat during the ceremony, contributing to the decline of hats as standard part of formal attire for men in the U.S. Bill Clinton's second inauguration in 1997 was the first to be live streamed on the internet, marking the start of the digital age and how people could access such events. Also, Clinton's first inauguration in '93 featured him playing his saxophone, definitely a first for presidential inaugurations. And perhaps one of the biggest first was in 2021 with COVID-19. The inauguration of Joe Biden was a prime example of how the pandemic influenced celebrations. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, the traditional large gatherings and galas were significantly scaled back. Instead, there were smaller, more intimate events and virtual celebrations. And they did a great job of making it accessible. People could participate from the comfort of their own homes, which is a big shift from the exclusivity of past events. It was a testament to how even in times of crisis, we can find new ways to connect and celebrate our democracy. The focus was also on the community with events highlighting essential workers and local heroes. Plus, there were performances from artists like Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. It was still a star studded event, just with a different format. It's just proof that every inauguration brings its own set of memorable moments. The pageantry and historical significance of these events continue to evolve. So to sum it all up, presidential inaugurations and their accompanying galas and balls are more than just celebrations. They're a reflection of our nation's history, culture, and the evolving nature of democracy. Stay tuned after the break to meet our guest bartender this week, Chris Troll. We'll see how he fares against the AI in this inauguration themed challenge. Will he be victorious or will it be a gala for the AI challenger? Stick around to find out. Are you a professional bartender who thinks they have what it takes to defeat our AI challenger? If so, we'd love to talk to you. Reach out by sliding into our DMs. We're drinkingwithrobots on Instagram. Or email us at bookings@DrinkingWithRobots.com. Hey. You. Yeah. You. Listening. Right now. Do us a favor. Make sure you've subscribed wherever you're listening to this podcast at. And then while you're at it, hop over to Apple or Spotify or any of those kind of places. And leave us a five star review. If you leave us one, I'll make sure and read it on air. We just wanted to say thank you for listening so far. We'd love for you to connect with us on social media. You can find us at Drinking with Robots on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and threads. While you're at it, go ahead and hit the subscribe button wherever you're listening to this podcast. So you don't miss any future episodes. Also, check us out at DrinkingWithRobots.com. Well, thanks for sticking with us today. On today's episode, we have Chris Troll from Wildchild in St. Petersburg, Florida. Chris, thanks for being with us today. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. So today's episode, we're talking a little bit about the history of the presidential inauguration. But before we get into that, Chris, tell us a little bit about you. You're currently in St. Petersburg. Is that where you hail from? Or did you kind of end up there? So I grew up an army brat. I got bounced all around the country. Too many states to mention. Ended up here right about fifth, sixth grade or so. So I grew up out on the beaches. Departed for college to Orlando, not too far. And then ended up back here in St. Pete, Tampa area. So now when you landed back in St. Pete, were you already in the bar industry or was that something you fell into? Definitely in and out of it. I was also a musician at the time. So in between tours and, you know, when gigs weren't coming, get back behind the bar. And your time behind the bar started how many years ago? Too many. I want to say 17, which is aging me drastically. But I was definitely behind the bar before I should have been. Let's just say that. I also was behind the bar before I was 21. I actually had keys to the bar before I was 21, which sounds illegal. Probably was. What's happened has happened. Still got the keys. I still have keys to a bar. Yes. That's just the way it's gone. Tell us a little bit about your early career. Were you slinging Jack and Cokes or did you dive headfirst into craft cocktailing? I have done everything underneath the bar sun, it seems. Beachside Tiki bars, slinging Jack and Cokes and Vodka Soda is where it started. And then I've worked at gastro lounges, whatever the hell that means. Craft cocktail bars. I helped open a brewery here. I was here the first five years they were open. Speakeasies. Yeah. A lot of speakeasies. A lot of those things. And a lot of just good restaurant bars. Hotel bar as well. I ran a hotel bar for five years. So a lot of different versions of bartending. But craft came, I'd say, probably 10 years ago or so working at like the first kind of crafty speakeasy-esque bars. Picking up from them, stealing all their secrets and recipes and just kind of building off of it from there. So I'm curious because you just mentioned hotel bars and restaurant bars and then speakeasies. Thinking back through your experiences, do you conceptualize those as being any different from one another really? Or is it just, you know, a horse of a different name to you? Some of the higher-end craft bars are definitely different. Yeah, for sure. There's a level of detail and a level of just craft that is expected out of you. There's almost a show that you're supposed to put on as well. Other bars are a little more churn and burn. You know, your restaurant and hotel bars are focused on quality, but not to the obsessive amount as much. You know, you're kind of splitting the show with the food. So, yeah, they're different, but they'll teach you different skills for sure. You know, I'm curious, like in thinking back through your career to date, what skills do you think you picked up in like a hotel bar versus that high-end craft? So, the hotel bar was interesting. The one I ran was two bars. There's an inside bar that was basically in the middle of the restaurant. Basically just served the restaurant. For some reason, a lot of local regulars during the day, the older age range. And then we had an outside pool bar that was high volume on the weekends. We would throw DJ events and it was crazy. So, there you learn how to kind of multitask and take, you know, nine orders at once and remember them, build them, and also know all those tab names and stuff like that. And then inside you get to tag out and be a little bit more focused on making a really good old-fashioned for this guy. So, that was nice. But craft is also high volume. I've worked at only high volume crafty spots. The speakeasy was also high volume as well most of the time during the weekend. So, you kind of have to take those little lessons you learned from your original turn and burn and apply it to round building appropriately and knowing how to multitask and be as efficient as possible with, you know, five to eight pickup cocktails, making five to eight of them at a time. So, yeah, I mean, you learn little tricks here and there from everywhere. Do you have a preference in terms of which style of bartending you prefer, whether it's the turn and burn or the more meticulous craft side? Honestly, I should have an answer, but no, because I keep jumping back and forth between them, it seems. I like money. No. I would lean more towards craft. I always kind of pick and choose my spots as spots that are crafty. They do care about, you know, not just flavor, but like execution and hospitality. Like I'm blessed at Wild Child. It is a phenomenal staff. The kitchen is putting out the best food. And I'm not just saying that because I work there. Like I was eating there all the time beforehand. So, it's a very good culture to be in. So, when I was a musician, there was three rules for taking a gig. And it's good money, good people, and good music. It has to meet two of those three for me to consider taking the gig. That kind of goes for the bar as well. Like that's kind of how I've always searched for, you know, somewhere to work. Now, I know you've done a fair amount of cocktail competitions. Where do you like to draw your inspiration from when coming up with these over the top designed cocktails? Anywhere I can. It's starting to be all my cocktails are over the top, over thought out. And I can't get away from it. But a dish, you know, a piece of music, a painting, a vibe, a joke. A lot of my cocktails have started as jokes. Like straight up. Sometimes a name of a cocktail. And I know that's exactly the opposite way of most people working. It's like name comes last. Like sometimes I'll come up with a name. I'm like, that's a good cocktail name. And then have to develop a theme from there. Like today for our inaugural cocktail. Like I had what, almost 50 people to pick through now, you know, 47. That's, that's a lot. So, you know, I took inspiration from, you know, what I, what I kind of resonate with, I guess. So, yeah, I went with Washington on that one. Classic. Absolutely. So, Chris, I know you've done a number of cocktail competitions. You were world-class top 30 last year. And you are world-class top 100 so far this year. Congratulations to you. Thank you. Congratulations to you as well. Well, thank you. We'll see how that goes. But talk to me a little bit about the other competitions you've done. Can you fill us in there? Yeah. So I started, as most people do with little local competitions, intercompany competitions. When we had a location I was working at, I had a bunch of different bars. They would do intercompany comps. Never really did well with any of those. I think I was going above everyone's head sometimes. But the first real comp I like really got into was the Indie Bartender Fund competition. That was in 2023. That started on Instagram. Most people know Cocktail Man now. Everybody knows him now. Back then, he didn't have that many followers in the U.S., I guess. That's why I'm saying I won. But it was an extensive competition. There was a hundred-question time test on bartender knowledge. And I'm not just talking like bartender knowledge, like bartender folklore knowledge. It was intense. It knew if you opened a different webpage browser and you're void. So that was the first round. The second round was a super intense challenge. I don't want to say too much because he's supposed to be doing another one soon. But eventually, I ended up winning. I was the North America winner of that. I was one of five winners in the world. And we all flew out to Colombia. And we chilled with Alcumico, everybody who runs the farm there. And the owner, Sean, who's absolutely amazing. Super talented dude. And so, so, so nice. Like the nicest dude I've ever met in my entire life. Hung out on the farm. And then we ended up at the bar. Did a guest shift there. We all each had a cocktail on the menu. And that was crazy, you know, to be a number nine bar in the world at the time. You know, a 50 best almost every year. Like I'm behind that bar slinging my drinks. It's crazy. So that was probably the first one. And then there, one of the winners, his name is Mihai. He's from Europe. Well, he won world class and got to globals. And he was like, dude, if you can win this, you can, you can win world class. So the next year I applied to world class, got the top 30. Not bad for the first year. So now we're back in it again. We'll see what happens. And that's awesome. What are your aspirations in terms of cocktail competitions? Are you going to go until you win world class? What's your mentality there? I mean, obviously you play to win. I'm not going to go until I win. It's a lot, dude. It's a lot of stress. It's a lot of time. I also have other jobs to do. I have a life. Barely. But, you know, we have other things we need to spend this time on. And I really feel like if I do world class for like five or six years, it's going to age me severely. So maybe another two, three years. We'll see. Or maybe I just won it this year, you know? Maybe you just win this year and that'll be fine. Yeah. Just wrap it up. When you're not behind the bar. When you're not thinking about your next cocktail build. What do you enjoy? What's your passion? Talk to us about, you know, music. Is it a, I've done this for just a little while or I've done this for a long while? What do you play? You can consider me retired now. I put in my, my years. I did my, my service. So, uh, I started playing drums that quickly developed into like beat making a little bit in high school, like selling beat tapes to kids. And then, you know, obviously learning how to play piano. I was in drumline in high school. I was in punk bands in high school. I was in metal bands in high school. I've been in every kind of band possible, like jazz, funk, hip hop, crime core, all over the place. So I kind of just lost my, my love of making music. Like, I mean, I'm literally staring at my drum set that's set up right now on the other side of the computer that I'm talking to you on. So it's still there. I still play with it. I am curious. Do you think that informs, uh, your need for proper tunes when you're behind the bar? And what is your go to playlist look like? Give me your top three artists for like when you step behind the bar. Bro. Hip hop. Well, it depends on the bar. Obviously we're getting, we have to fit the room, but if it's like we're vibing on a Friday, put on some Kendrick, give me some Wu-Tang. Like, you know, you know what I'm saying? Wu-Tang's nothing to fuck with. Timberland. Just like put on Timberland or like Pharrell, like not Pharrell, like happy, like shit Pharrell's produced. Like the bangers. Yeah. Yeah. A show like that. That's always fun. That's awesome. You know, we talked about music a little bit, but what else do you enjoy in life? I love to travel. Love to see stuff. Love to see in the culture. Love to eat. Gotta love food. I love learning. So like I'm a huge reader and like documentary nerd. Love going for a long run in the morning, abusing myself slowly. Talking about learning and things of that nature. This episode's topic is all about inaugural history. Yeah. Was that kind of up your alley or was it like, oh, not this? A bit of both. No politics at the bar. So they say. See, it's a good thing. We're just a little old podcast. Yeah, exactly. It's a safe space. Um, definitely a history buff. When I was a kid, like history channel was on all the time when it was actually the history channel. Damn. I sound like such an old person. No, trust me. I feel you. MTV when they played music videos, your damn kids. Well, I was telling someone about the first time I heard about Leopold brothers and it was like when the learning channel played learning content. Yeah. Crazy, right? Yeah. So, yeah, I was always into like history. Um, and I mean, as you learn more about alcohol and all the effects it's had on culture, you realize that alcohol has played a really significant portion of history, whether it's politics or, you know, other bad things that happen. Alcohol was directly involved every single time it seems. So, yeah. Yeah. My favorite small fact, which is not so small is that this is straight from Mark Forsythe's The History of Drunkenness. The oldest buildings ever found in Mesopotamia had these vats that had trace of fermented substance. And you can kind of extrapolate from that that we switched from hunter gatherer society to an agricultural society because of the invention of beer. So I think that's super cool. Absolutely. Well, you can go hunt berries or you can sit here and have beer. And I think most of us would agree sitting and having beer. Trump's going to find berries. No doubt. I guess I can ferment those berries too. You know, we talked about a lot of the historical stuff around the inauguration, you know, in the first part of the show. Now you claimed you were bringing it heavy with lots of research you did. Did you find anything fun and exciting? All right. So I wanted to get as far away from any political mess as possible. So George Washington, fun fact, only person to be completely approved by the Electoral Congress. Twice. 100%. Everybody was like, yeah, that dude rocks. Put him in. So, you know, with talking about the inauguration, that's the source of this episode's prompt. And so just to kind of bring everybody up to speed on that, as we near Inauguration Day, let's raise a glass to past presidential pomp, circumstance and imbibing. Your challenge in this episode is to select a presidential inauguration from history and create a period correct signature cocktail that caters to that president's personal tastes. For the AI cocktail, it was named the Velvet Resolve and it was modeled after FDR's inauguration. AI points out that FDR famously said, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. The Velvet Resolve embodies that unshakable confidence, offering a rich, comforting cocktail with a velvety texture and layers of complexity. It's designed to soothe the spirit while delivering a bold, sophisticated flavor profile. The ingredients are one and three quarter ounce cognac, half an ounce dark rum, quarter ounce cream de cacao, quarter ounce ruby port, two dashes angostura bitters, a whole egg and garnished with nutmeg. So that is what the AI had come up with for this prompt. Chris, tell us about your cocktail. Well, damn, they hit me with a flip. All right. All right. All right. So my cocktail, as we discussed, is for George Washington, our inaugural inauguration, if you will. So it's called the 13 Toast Punch. It's a story of them giving a cheers to 13 cheers, one for each of the colonies. So mine is going to be a three quarter ounce of cognac, VSOP or VS, three quarter an ounce of rye whiskey, half ounce of apple jack or apple brandy, half ounce of a five year old Madeira, half ounce of a citrus oleosaccharum, three quarter ounce of lemon, a half ounce of orange, freshly squeezed, of course. Two dashes of tobacco bitters. And then we're going to milk punch it with an English black tea infused milk. And then we're going to create some nutmeg on top, hit it with some big mint sprigs, two brandy cherries because Washington gets two cherries, a lemon and an orange wheel. We're going to serve that in a large, fancy porcelain teacup with a big chunk of ice, maybe a large square cube. So my build was kind of a nod to everything going on at this time. The cognac being a nod to the French, our biggest ally. They saved our ass essentially. The rye is a nod to Pennsylvania and all the early, early colonial whiskeys. Applejack actually holds the oldest distiller license in the country. And what's more American than some apples. Washington, as I said, famously loved Madeira. He actually really loved English tea, even despite the tea party. He liked a nice cup of afternoon black tea. Oleosaccharums were used often at the times with the fresh citrus, often a big flex to have fresh citrus in the 1700s, especially in a large format like a punch. So, you know, it's for our first president. We got to flex for him a little bit. The tobacco bitters is a nod to Jamestown, which was our first established colony that worked and was saved by tobacco. And Washington's family also had a tobacco farm. So that was his early cash crop. And then, as I said, the two brandy cherries are a nod to Washington's love of cherries and that famous cherry tree story where he can't tell a lie. So, yeah, that was my thought process. And then you got to milk punch it because, yeah, man, why not? Ben Franklin had so many milk punches left in his cellar when he died. So let's let's roll with that. I do want to take a second because the drinking with robots back bar is fairly well stocked when it comes. Sorry. No, no, no. No. When it comes to spirits, we're good. We had everything on here except both the A.I. competitor and you spec'd wine. Yeah. And we don't stock a lot of that. So I want to give a shout out to our friend Matt Weiss at the wine centric show. He was kind enough to kick us a bottle of five year Madeira and some nice ruby port to make us able to finish up both of these cocktails. So big tip of the hat to Matt Weiss at wine centric. And if you're not listening to that show and you're curious about wine, go check it out. He's got a podcast. He's got a YouTube channel. Wonderful stuff. You're like me. And you go, I think I like red stuff. He can teach all about details. So I'm currently sampling my cocktail. I actually made it. I didn't just invent this and put it on paper. So currently drinking and I have a camera like an adult. Well, this is the first time I've gotten to actually try both the challenger and the A.I. cocktail. So I made a special trip out here yesterday to partake in that side of the process. Damn, no pressure. Yeah. So I've tasted your cocktail. And speaking of tasting, as we talk about in each episode, our point breakdown is we have 50 possible points for taste because ultimately that's the most important aspect. We have 30 points for presentation. We like seeing cocktails that are pretty and 20 points for originality. You know, it's really tough to make a whole cloth new cocktail, but we like seeing new things as well. We're going to start with the A.I. For taste, the A.I. received 39 of a possible 50 points. For presentation, 24 of a possible 30. And for originality. And for originality, 14 of a possible 20 for a total of 77 points. Chris, your cocktail received 16 out of a possible 20 for originality, 26 out of a possible 30 for presentation and 48 out of a possible 50 for taste for a total of 90 points. Let's go. We have broken the A.I. streak. Congratulations for fending off our A.I. overlords for at least one more episode. Hell yeah. I will say that cocktail was damn delicious. It was. I'm currently drinking it. I love this. So I always enjoy sharing the judge's notes. So let's start with the A.I. We all got to try this. And I think this is agreed upon here. The A.I.'s cocktail was really booze forward. It had a smooth mouthfeel. The booziness of the cocktail muddies a lot of the complexity that it sought to achieve. But it's not unpleasant. You could refine this and maybe salvage it. But I don't think that in its current state, anybody would have been like, I'll take another one of those for your cocktail. The judge said it's complex, delightfully smooth and dangerously drinkable. They really enjoyed the chosen glassware and approach to the prompt. It's rare that the judge is like, I will drink all of this. Yeah. Usually they're a sip and taste and then set aside. I had to kind of pry it out of the judge's hand. That's the goal, right? Enjoy the whole cocktail. I really enjoyed your use of an infused milk to do a milk punch. That's something I haven't really seen much of. So that's a great way to impart flavor. Yeah. We were actually discussing while we were prepping everything that that offers a lot of opportunity to bring in subtle touch of flavor. I was rifling through what tea bags we had in the pantry. And I was like, ooh, you know, there was, was it Lapsing, you know, Lapsing Souchong tea and various other things that would be really fun to bring in. Cereals. Breakfast cereal. I did an apple martini with Montenegro and I used apple jack cereal milk. Fun fact, apple jacks doesn't taste like apples, but you use the milk and it'll impart a little bit. I know people using like rice crispy milk. I've had a fruity pebbles. Yeah. Clarified one. I think fruity pebbles tastes like lemongrass. Lemongrass and fruity pebbles are the same flavor in my brain. All right. Hot take. I don't know. Maybe a hint of jackfruit. Yeah. That bubble gum vibe. I could see that. But yeah, I did a chocolate milk clarified chocolate martini for our Hanukkah event just last week. And it was delightful. That's awesome. Yeah. Play with infused milks and use different milks like meltdown ice cream. Milk wash with that, you know, use Greek yogurt. I just did a ricotta clarified pear cardamom cocktail for our New Year's Eve event. That was really, went really well. So. Well, Chris, I want to say thank you so much for stopping by and sitting down with us for this episode of the podcast. We all loved your cocktail immensely. If folks want to keep up with you, how can they do that? First, thanks for having me. This was a blast. Super, super fun. Glad I could throw it down for the humans and bring back the victory to us. If people want to follow me, I am pretty much only on Instagram. It's Chris makes cocktails. There's some underscores and dashes, but Instagram, I'll figure it out if you leave them out. So Chris makes cocktails on Instagram. Uh, and then again, I work at wildchild St. Pete, same thing. Instagram wildchild St. Pete. Check us out. Awesome. Well, that's us signing off and saying drink. Well, be well. Drink punch. Thank you so much.