Welcome back to Drinking With Robots. I'm your host, Ingrid Folkers. And I'm your host, Rob Nester. On this episode, we sit down and talk about the late, great Julius Caesar, from his early life to great military conquests, and finally to the demise of the dictator for life. A little later, Christine Riddle from Milwaukee, Wisconsin's own Birch Restaurant will stop by to tell us about her love of travel, Midwest hospitality, and serving drinks on roller skates. But first, a word from our sponsor. Upgrade your cocktail game with Remedy Cocktail Company's handcrafted bitters. Remember online at RemedyCocktailCompany.com and choose from over 20 flavors. Elevate your drink experience today. Before the great Roman Empire, Rome was a republic. The Roman Republic lasted from the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom in 509 BC to the establishment of the Roman Empire in 27 BC. The establishment of the Republic marked a significant change in Roman politics, with power transitioning from a monarchy to a system of governance based on elected magistrates and representative institutions. According to the Greek historian Polybius, the Roman Republic represented the optimal political system with three kinds of government, monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, all serving as checks on the others. The main institutions of the Republic included the Senate, the popular assemblies, and the elected magistrates. The Roman Senate was one of the most powerful and enduring institutions of the Roman Republic. Made up of legislators chosen from the Roman aristocratic class called the patricians, the Senate's main job was to set policy for the consuls. Each year, two consuls would be elected from within the Senate to serve as the executives of Rome, each with the ability to veto the others' decisions. This system was designed to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of a single individual and to ensure that the government remained accountable to the people. The Romans also had a position of dictator, a person who would take over if the Republic was in imminent danger. Nominated by one of the consuls and confirmed by popular assembly, the dictator's term was set at six months, although he customarily laid down his power as soon as the crisis passed. The consuls and other magistrates continued in office during a dictatorship, but were subject to the dictator's authority. Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 13th, 100 BCE in Rome, Italy. His father, also named Gaius Julius Caesar, served in a respectable capacity within the Senate. However, no Caesars in recent generations had held the seat of consul. While still highly respected, the family held little political clout. Sidenote here, the Caesarean section, also referred to as a C-section, is often falsely credited with being named after Julius Caesar. This is due to a misleading line of text in a 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia,

For in the Roman tongue, dissection is called Caesar." This passage was falsely credited to be referring to Julius Caesar, but instead was likely an ancestor of his, or a Caesar of no relation at all. Mostly because Caesar's mother, Aurelia, survived her son's birth, and even served as political advisor of sorts when he was an adult. The term "Caesarean section" likely simply stems from the Latin word "cedere," which means "to cut," and actually has nothing to do with Julius Caesar. As Caesar aged into his early teenage years, the political climate of Rome was in turmoil. By 88 BC, the rivalry between Gaius Marius, Caesar's uncle by marriage, and Lucius Cornelius Sulla was heating up into open civil war. Attempts by Marius' supporters to overturn Sulla's command prompted Sulla's subsequent march on Rome. Sulla took control of the city by force, and many of Marius' supporters were put to death. Shortly thereafter, while Sulla and his legions were away from the capital, Marius and Lucius Cornelius Senna made their own march on Rome. In 86 BC, they were both elected consul and took their revenge against Sulla's supporters. Shortly after Marius was elected to consulship, he died. Consul Senna continued to rule over Rome. In a move that cemented Caesar's association with the Popularist political party, he married Senna's daughter Cornelia. However, only one year later, as Senna was preparing to meet Sulla's legions as they returned to Rome, his own troops mutinied and killed him. Sulla marched into Italy, won the Battle of Colline Gate, and adopted the title of Dictator. Sulla's victory was to be another profound event in the life of Caesar. Not only was he a member of the opposition party, by virtue of his marriage, but Sulla's behavior also helped shape Caesar's future leniency towards opposition. With Sulla in charge of Rome, a bloody purge of his enemies commenced. This time, with Caesar being 19, he was facing the death penalty. He left his wife and family and fled to the Italian countryside, where he went into hiding. Sulla eventually rescinded the sentence, and Caesar was able to return to Rome on the condition that he divorced the wife of his former rival, but Caesar refused. Under great political pressure, Sulla agreed to still pardon him, but confiscated Cornelia's dowry instead. Despite the pardon, Caesar didn't think it wise to linger in Rome with Sulla in command. Instead, he joined the staff of the Asian governor and was tasked on a diplomatic mission to secure a fleet of troops from King Nicomedes IV of Bithynia. Questions about what was actually going on between Caesar and the king started to arise when it took Caesar longer than expected to return with troops, and whispers of an affair started to circulate. His enemies took to calling him the Queen of Bithynia. While Caesar was in Asia, he played a pivotal role in the siege of Miletus, where he showed such bravery that he was awarded the Corona Civica, or Oak Crown, which was an award of the highest honor. When worn in the presence of the Senate, senators were forced to stand and applaud. Caesar reportedly wore it often. Sulla's death in 78 BC meant it was finally safe for Caesar to return to Rome. In doing so, he became a trial attorney and gained a powerful reputation for defending the common people. The great orator Cicero is reported as saying, "Does anyone have the ability to speak better than Caesar?" In order to advance his career, he sought to continue his education under Apollinius Molan. While en route to him, however, he was kidnapped by Sicilian pirates and taken hostage. The pirates demanded 5,000 gold coins for his release. Caesar mocked the pirates by insisting that a rising patrician such as himself was worth no less than 12,000 gold coins. He was held for 38 days, and though he was apparently treated quite well, Caesar vowed that when he was released, he would come back to crucify them. True to his word, after his release, he hunted them down and did just that. Although some reports say that they were killed quickly without having to experience the torture of crucifixion. Caesar returned to Rome in 73 BC, and within a year, he was elected as a military tribune. This is likely where he met Marcus Licinius Crassus, Rome's richest man, during his command against Spartacus and the slave rebellion. The two developed a friendship that would greatly benefit Caesar. Wanting to run for consul in 60 BC, Caesar, in a brilliant political move, approached Crassus' rival, General Pompey, with the proposition of a joint coalition, the three of them formed what was later called the First Triumvirate, and remarkably kept their alliance a secret for some time. Caesar won consulship, and his first order of business was to pass a law that required public release of all debates and procedures in the Roman Senate. This would later allow Caesar to use the Senate floor as a type of propaganda machine to make himself appear heroic, regardless of the real nature of proposed legislation or debate. After a very successful year of being consul, Caesar was then given governorship of Gaul, which occupies modern-day France. While Caesar was hungry for military glory, Roman law did not allow conquest for the sake of conquest. Caesar didn't have to wait long for an opportunity, however, because the Helvetii tribe, living in modern-day Switzerland, had planned a relocation that would not only move them through Roman-controlled territory, but also Roman-allied territory as well. The Romans feared that the Helvetii wouldn't just move through, but instead would plunder and raid anything in their path. Caesar had advised them not to march, but they refused to listen. Caesar's legions decimated the Helvetii, reducing their total population from 370,000 to only a quarter of that at 90,000. The weakening of Gallic tribes in the region removed the buffer against the more ferocious and untamed Germanic tribes, which caused a morale issue among Caesar's troops. Caesar gave a rousing speech praising his 10th legion and claiming if the other legions were too scared, he would go into battle with the 10th legion alone. This was a very successful strategy, as it settled his troops' nerves and made them eager to join the fight. Just in time, too, because war with the Germanic tribes was upon Caesar. There were numerous battles, and in the majority of them, he was victorious. It was at this time Caesar realized that the only way to maintain the territories in the southeast was to conquer the whole of the province. Caesar developed a reputation for not only military success, but for being seen personally standing and fighting alongside his men. He slowly established dominance over the entire province. In 56 BC, Caesar became the first Roman to cross the Rhine into Germanic territory. In order to do so, Caesar's forces constructed an enormous wooden bridge stretching over 300 feet across the river in only 10 days. This feat alone impressed and terrified the tribes, who had little comparative ability in bridge building. Within a short time of his crossing, nearly all tribes within the region surrendered. After the defeat of the Gallic and Germanic resistances, Caesar turned his attention across the channel. In 55 BC, Caesar was preparing for his invasion of Britain. Crassus and Pompey, the other two prongs of the first triumvirate, were elected consuls. Much like his crossing of the Rhine into Germania, Caesar certainly wanted to be the first Roman to gain the prestige of crossing to Britain. In late August 55 BC, Caesar led two legions totaling 10,000 men and landed on the coast of Dover. The initial landing did not go as planned, however. Celtic troops lined the shore and forced him up the beach. They landed at low tide, which forced his ships to anchor up to 600 feet offshore. Because of some uncharacteristic oversight on his part, Caesar was in serious jeopardy of losing his first major encounter on foreign soil. Low supplies on hand and a poorly timed storm that delayed his cavalry from arriving from Gaul made the situation more tenuous. When the weather broke, Caesar went on the offensive. After a rather short battle ending in Roman victory, Caesar hastily crossed back across the channel. While he had technically won, he did not maintain any new land. And he certainly had not satisfied his goal of conquering Britain. Caesar's second attempt at conquering Britain happened in July of 54 BC with 800 ships, five legions and 2,000 cavalry. This Roman fleet was the largest naval operation in the history of the world at the time, and remained so until the landing of D-Day in Normandy in 1944. Roman dominance swept through Britain and by September of 54 BC, arrangements for peaceful relations had been made, and the Romans returned to Gaul. Though this second invasion of Britain did little more than secure some hostages, tribute, and Roman awareness in Britain, it had the significance of being a dignity-saving campaign for Caesar. After virtually retreating from the first expedition a year earlier, this time he left only after securing his dominance. Though that dominance wouldn't last without a permanent Roman presence, Caesar was able to claim victory in a land that some people back home in Rome probably didn't even think existed. While Caesar was away, Crassus died in battle, and Julia, Caesar's daughter, wife of Pompey, died in childbirth. While Julia had lived, Pompey remained at least partially allied to Caesar, but with her death and the death of Crassus, he drifted ever closer to Caesar's enemies and began to rival Caesar for power. A looming civil war between Caesar and Pompey seemed inevitable. By 52 BC, Pompey was elected sole consul while Caesar was away dealing with uprisings in Gaul. His enemies wanted him prosecuted for a number of reasons, mainly the illegal war into Germania. Prosecuting Caesar, whether the goal was death, exile, or just a symbolic limitation of his power, would prevent his re-establishment of the populist agenda that he so masterfully manipulated previously. It was only due to the Tribune of Plebs, who managed to veto any attempts to bring Caesar down, that he was able to retain his position. In an attempt to quell civil war, the Senate voted that Pompey and Caesar both had to lay down their arms. The very next day, however, seemingly ignoring the Senate's actions, the two consuls in power ordered Pompey to take up command of the local legion to defend Rome against Caesar, basically ensuring civil war. To his credit, Caesar offered several compromises with the goal of maintaining peace. On January 1st, 49 BC, the Senate rejected Caesar's final peace proposal and declared him hostis, meaning public enemy. His hand was forced and with the iconic quote, let the die be cast, crossed the Rubicon River to lay siege to his home province. It was then that the Senate realized they had made a terrible mistake. They believed that the Roman people would rally to defend the Republic, but they grossly underestimated how popular Caesar was with the common man. Caesar's great propaganda campaign came in clutch for this moment. The Senate and Pompey had no choice but to flee to Greece and lose the city of Rome. Without fear of bloodshed or damage of personal property, Caesar was able to garner support with little difficulty, and the people of Italy allowed him to pass peacefully. Caesar believed that there would never be peace in Rome until the rivalry with Pompey was settled on the battlefield. Caesar pursued Pompey and the Republicans to Greece, where he engaged with Pompey in several battles. Pompey was ultimately defeated and fled to Egypt. There, Pompey was betrayed and assassinated. When Caesar arrived in pursuit of Pompey, the child king, Ptolemy XIII, presented Caesar with Pompey's head and his signet ring. Caesar was reportedly unhappy with this act and wept at the sight of his rival, former friend, and son-in-law's severed head. Cleopatra, 17 at the time, was a joint ruler with her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII, whom she was expected to marry, as was custom. The duo had inherited deep financial debt to Rome, which forced Cleopatra to provide troops to Pompey during his time in Greece. It was likely that Ptolemy XIII had Pompey assassinated in order to garner favor over his sister, but this move backfired and Cleopatra was able to win Caesar's favor over her brother and be named sole ruler of Egypt. When Caesar met Cleopatra, he was taken aback by her elegance, charisma, and power. She was, and Caesar was well aware, the key to controlling the vast wealth of Egypt. Caesar was, and she was well aware, the key to securing her place as queen, and perhaps even pharaoh, and the power of the gods. The morning after their initial meeting, Ptolemy was scheduled to meet with Caesar. When he arrived, however, and saw Cleopatra standing with him, things immediately went sour. Ptolemy felt betrayed and attempted to flee the palace, but Caesar's men seized him, effectively placing him under arrest. Cleopatra still married one of her younger brothers, Ptolemy XIV, but by this time, she was at least a couple of months pregnant. Over the next couple of months, Caesar and Cleopatra went on what seemed like a honeymoon vacation along the Nile. Though Caesar, by the nature of Roman law, could never recognize the son of Cleopatra, Caesarean, as his own, it makes little sense that the boy belonged to anyone but Caesar. By the time Caesar returned to Rome, many, including Cicero, tried to persuade Caesar to return the Republic to its previous form of government. But Caesar had no intention of giving up his hard-fought gains. Caesar knew the turmoil that was present in the provinces due to corruption and a weak central authority, and also had lived his entire life through the instability of the Roman social system. He first declared a general pardon for any citizen who had taken up arms against him in the Civil War, though in reality it did little, because there would only be trouble if Caesar pursued his opponents as his predecessors, Sulla and Marius, did. It did alleviate many fears about Caesar's intentions. Perhaps the most important reform made by Caesar, one that had a far-reaching and lasting effect, was the reform of the calendar. On the advice of the Alexandrian scholar of Cisogenes, Caesar changed the calendar to bring it in line with the solar cycle rather than the lunar. By adding 67 days to the current year, he brought the calendar to proper alignment with the seasons and celestial events such as the winter solstice. Caesar's ego being ever-present meant he renamed the month of Quintilius to Julius, or July as we know it, in honor of himself. This, along with new honors that were being heaped upon him, began to alienate him from the aristocratic leaders. His preference for a foreign queen versus his own Roman wife certainly did little to endear him to his opposition, and began planting the fearful seeds of Caesar's desire to be king. More importantly, he accepted the dictatorship, granting him near-absolute power in theory and practice for a period of ten years. The Senate also elected him consul for the next ten consecutive years, and named him father of the country and dictator for life. At the festival of Lupercalia, Caesar sat upon his gilded chair on the rostra, wearing his purple robe, red shoes, and a golden laurel, looking awfully kingly. After the race, Marcus Antonius ran into the forum and produced a diadem, a jeweled headband, and attempted to place it on Caesar's head, saying, The people offer this, the title of king, to you through me. There was, however, little support from the crowd, and Caesar quickly refused, being sure that the diadem didn't touch his head. The crowd roared with approval, but Antony, undeterred, attempted to place it on Caesar's head again. Still, there was no voice of support from the crowd, and Caesar rose from his chair and refused Antony again, saying, Jupiter alone is the king of the Romans. The crowd wildly endorsed Caesar's actions. The event was likely staged. Had the crowd supported Antony, Caesar may have very well accepted, and perhaps the true intention was a simple test of the people. Another theory is that Caesar wanted a massive public event to be able to declare that he didn't want the title, and perhaps mend fences with the senate. Either way, it was quite clear that the common citizens were not ready for a crowned king. All this leads up to March 15th, 44 BC, where the plot to assassinate Caesar was to take place. Whether or not Caesar had any idea of the conspiracy growing against him is certainly debatable, but he was well aware of the ramifications of such an act. Suetonius quoted him as saying, It is more important for Rome than for myself that I should survive. I have long been sated with power and glory, but should anything happen to me, Rome will enjoy no peace. A new civil war will break out under far worse conditions than the last. Marcus Junius Brutus was seen as the key to restoring the Republic for one simple reason. His supposed ancestor, Lucius Junius Brutus, was the man who took the lead in expelling the Etruscan kings centuries earlier, and was fundamental in establishing the Roman Republic. The conspirators felt that with Brutus involved, they could recreate the perception that a Brutus would save Rome from tyranny a second time, and give legitimacy to the plot. It was decided that the assassination would take place at the Curia of Pompey's Theater, where the senate would meet with Caesar for the last time. Each member of the plot would be required to stab Caesar with a dagger, thereby not only ensuring his death, but unifying the group under shared guilt as well. Of the many warnings Caesar is said to have received, one stands out above the rest. A soothsayer by the name of Spirina was said to have delivered the famous warning to Caesar, Beware the Ides of March. And when Caesar saw her on the day, he said to her, The Ides have come, as if suggesting that there was really nothing to fear. Her reply was simple but eerie. Aye, Caesar, but not gone. In the senate chamber, Publius Servilius Casca, who positioned himself behind Caesar, was the first to strike the mark. He stabbed Caesar in the upper shoulder near the neck, and Plutarch writes that Caesar said, Casca, what is this? Caesar, reacting with the tenacity of a grizzled veteran, apparently grabbed Casca's arm and stabbed it with his own writing pen, likely still completely unaware of the scope of the plot. At this point, the ferocity of the attack was revealed in earnest. The assassins stabbed Caesar relentlessly, each taking a shot at the dictator. The attack was so rapid and vicious that several conspirators wounded each other. Brutus, the great symbol of republican virtue and freedom from tyranny, was wounded in the hand by an errant dagger as he himself stabbed Caesar in the groin. Et tu, Brute? Latin for Utu Brutus has been attributed to Caesar as he saw his supposed friend, but is likely a complete fabrication, written by Shakespeare himself. Historical sources suggest that Caesar said nothing, and this seems most likely considering the duress he was under. Despite the overwhelming assault on him, Caesar still had the presence of mind to maintain his dignity for posterity. Resigning himself to the assassination, Caesar pulled the folds of his toga over his head so as to prevent anyone from seeing his face in death. In all, Caesar was stabbed 23 times before his inevitable collapse at the foot of the blood-splattered statue of his old friend, rival, and son-in-law, Pompey. Gaius Julius Caesar died at the age of 55 on March 15th, 44 BC. Following the assassination of Caesar, there was immediate panic on the Senate floor. Brutus attempted to address the Senate and give the reasons for the conspiracy, urging his fellow senators to spread this great deed of liberty as one of honor. Those who weren't involved, however, would have none of it. They fled the chambers, likely fearing for their own safety. In the immediate aftermath of Caesar's death, Brutus came down from the capital to address the masses. In doing so, he calmed the population by claiming the deed was only done to preserve liberty and the republican system. Although the goal of the conspirators was to ensure the continuation of the Republic, Caesar's assassination effectively ensured its downfall as it created a power vacuum that the conspirators failed to plan for. This power vacuum, and its eventual filling by Caesar's heir Octavian, marked the turn of events that would lead to the rise of the Roman Empire and the downfall of the Roman Republic. Speaking of downfall, stick around after the break when we talk to Christine Riddle of Milwaukee, Wisconsin's own Birch Restaurant and see if she has what it takes to defeat our AI competitor or if she too should fear the Ides of March. 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 at 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 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. Thank you so much for sticking around after the break. On today's episode, our guest is Christine Riddle from Milwaukee, Wisconsin's own Birch Restaurant. Christine, thank you so much for joining us. Yes, thank you for having me. Can you tell us a little bit about Birch? It is really wonderful. Like, Farm to Table, just got nominated for a James Beard. Congratulations. Oh, that's awesome. I mean, I didn't get nominated, but... I feel like it's always awesome, though, even if it's the back of house getting nominated or the bar program getting nominated. Like, either way, I think that speaks really highly of the quality of a spot that it's even considered for nomination. Now, I know you've recently moved from Hawaii back to the Midwest. Tell us a little bit about that transition. Did you lose a bet? I was saying this earlier, you know, move for the weather. No, it's just a lot more affordable here. I want to open a bar, so it's a great city to be able to do that into. I think that it's definitely a heavy drinking culture and things are affordable and everybody is just looking to have a good time. Yeah, I would imagine because I've known a few people who have lived in Hawaii over the years and everything has to be imported. So even before, we'll say, our current economic situation, it's incredibly expensive just on your daily cost of living, is my understanding. Yeah, groceries are really high. I mean, you make good money and it's wonderful. I loved it out there, but it's shocking. When I first went grocery shopping, it was, well. One thing I want to make sure we mention before we get too far into this, and I think this is maybe a first for us, it's your birthday. Happy birthday. It is my birthday. Thank you so much. Yeah, 40 today. It is also World Bartender Day. Yeah, it was meant to be. Yes. Well, happy birthday. Thank you very much. So happy that you're spending a little bit of time with us on your special day. Yeah, absolutely. I know where I'd rather be. Well, actually, so that brings another thing. You're in Chicago right now, as we understand, celebrating. I'm actually having a Bloody Mary trying to fix celebrating yesterday. Oh, oh, okay. So wait, wait, wait. So I love Bloody Marys, and we've had this conversation on previous episodes. You know, we did a whole episode on the Bloody Mary. I love them. What is your go-to? Like, are you one of those that's like, I can do with kind of the basic, minimalist Bloody Mary, or are you a throw everything and a slider on one? No, I mean, I'm sure that will change. I stay in Milwaukee for a longer period because they really load them up. But a little beer chaser and some pickled items, I'm great. Yeah, see, I'm the same way. I'm like, give me a stalk of celery, two pieces of bacon, you know, maybe some olives. Well, definitely some olives. Yeah, I just want vinegar. Yeah, I'm set. At that point, I'm ready to go. I am not a Bloody Mary fan. Keep your cold vodka tomato soup to yourself. Now, along those lines, any cocktails that you absolutely hate to drink or to make? Oh, man. Let me think about this. I don't hate the drink. I don't love making lemon drops for some reason. I just feel like there's so many better options. No, I get that completely. Yeah, I'm a pretty equal opportunity drinker and bartender. That's a good way to be, right? You want to make the guests happy. It's all about hospitality in the end. Yeah. So I'm curious, you know, we talked about before we started recording today that this is state eight or nine that you've lived in. Is that right? Correct. Yeah. So I've lived around a lot. I've been real antsy for a while. So now are you originally from the Midwest? Yeah, I grew up just outside of Detroit, a few miles south of Detroit. I feel like there's definitely, not to make broad generalizations, but, you know, I feel like Southern hospitality is a thing for a reason. And I feel like most of the folks that I've met from the Midwest have a really good handle on hospitality as well. Like two regions. You just kind of think, oh, shucks. You know, I can't wait to sit down here. Yeah. Everybody definitely wants to feed you for sure. They want you to be very cozy. Yeah. I think it stems from people want to make other people feel good and like make sure everybody's having a good time. Yeah. I think that, you know, family is such a big thing here that I think that it kind of transfers over to the hospitality aspect as well. People want to make you feel like family. Oh, yeah. I can see that. I think it's because I think it's kind of similar. You mentioned everybody wants to feed you. I feel like it's similar with like traditional Southern culture. You know, I remember being a kid. You never went anywhere where someone didn't try to feed you. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's pretty much the same in my Midwest experience anyway. My clothes have all gotten a little smaller. Well, I will say a couple of summers ago, my wife and I were in Wisconsin and we were there for maybe just like a week and I kind of had the same situation. I was like, I can't eat any more cheese. Cheese and sausage. It's real. Yeah, it really is. Now, I know you're in Wisconsin, so we have to talk about it. The Wisconsin Old Fashioned. What's the deal? What's the deal? I wish I knew. I wish I knew. I'm trying so hard to understand it. I've had so many of them from so many different places that claim to make the best. I have not seen proof of that. I just don't get it. For me, I don't want sugar on sugar on sugar. I like brandy, but I feel like Old Fashioned, whiskey is my heart. That's where I don't know. I think that's where I have a fundamental issue is just starting at the base. It's like brandy is not what belongs in an Old Fashioned. It's a whole different drink. Just name it something else. Yeah. And then adding, you know, a half ounce of sugar and then Sprite. If you guys are familiar out there listening to what this is, it's a wild ride. Yeah. And then the garnishes can get real crazy, too. Like pickled mushrooms in an Old Fashioned. Oh, yeah. People use olives a lot. That's a common one. To balance out the sugar. Also being served in pint glasses. Yeah. That was the other thing that was so strange. We were there and, you know, I had to get the obligatory Wisconsin Old Fashioned. And, you know, my entire drinking life, 20 plus years, I have always gotten Old Fashions in like a rocks glass. And they set down a pint glass in front of me. And I was just, you know, I felt like I was in Bizarro World. You are. You are in Bizarro World when you order one. There are so many questions. It's like the martini lines of, you know, do you want to shake and stir dry? All these things. That is essentially what translates for the Wisconsin Old Fashioned. Now, I will say with that said, and one of my favorite distilleries is actually based in Wisconsin. And that is Nick Brady Maas. For those of you who don't know who he is, he was the guy who invented rum chata. And there's a great story that he's told me a couple of times in passing of how that happened. Let's just say he got in a little bit of trouble with his old man and got confined to the house. But he's got this great distillery outside of Madison. I think it's southeast of Madison in Cambridge called Dancing Goat. And they make some phenomenal rye that's aged in limousine oak barrels. So that's if you get a chance to grab a bottle of that should be a local product for you up there. If you're not familiar with it already. I'm not. I'll keep an eye out. Oh, he does crazy stuff with it, too. Like I've got a couple of bottles here that he's finished off in various bitters casks. So that's a really fun kind of end on some of those bottles. Yeah, fun, funky. So one of the things we were talking about, you mentioned having gotten like a great tip because of serving some cocktails, wearing a very unusual item when you were working in San Francisco. What was that? Yes, I roller skated into work and somebody had made a comment about I should wear them through my shift. Kind of laughed it off. And then they were like, oh, you know, it'd be such a mess. Drinks would end up everywhere. And I was like, no, I'm super solid on skates. So I did. It happened to be serving instead of bartending that night. And it was a blast. I got to rip around the bar and things on fire and roller skates. Maybe not the safest, but it was a blast. How did your boss feel about that? Were they on board? Oh, Doc, my immediate boss loved it. He was absolutely on board. The company Future Bars has higher bosses that look over all their bars. They weren't as excited from a legality standpoint and insurance. Okay, but go with me for a minute here. You mentioned, you know, at some point you're wanting to start your own bar. I do. Yeah. What about a roller skate bar? I don't know. That was kind of my plan B. Like maybe I can get into a Sonic if things don't go quite right. So I actually have a lot of friends in this area of North Carolina that do roller derby. Have you ever thought about doing roller derby? I have. I've tried to apply it a few different places, but it never lines up with my schedule. Oh, yeah. I could see that being tough. Yeah. With the bartender schedule. Yeah, I could definitely see that. I think it'd be a blast. I think it's like a good way you have a long week, kind of taking in a lot from dealing with people all week, which I love, but it'd be a good outlet. Yeah. Speaking of an outlet, do you have anything that you do right now to help you unwind after a long shift or a long week? Um, I would like to say something healthier, but cocktails definitely are one of those things. Naturally. Yeah. I try to travel when the weather's nice. I try to get outdoors as much as possible. Camp, hike, I used to snowboard, things like that. In terms of travel, where have you been recently that you've really enjoyed? Not counting moving from Hawaii, because I'm sure that would probably be up there. Yeah. Hawaii was great for sure. In the last year, I've covered a lot of ground. Um, I've been to Japan twice in the last year, and that is my favorite place in the world. So I feel pretty lucky about that. Um, it was a toss-up. I actually considered moving there, uh, instead of here. I knew maybe it wasn't as stable for a long term, but it's really amazing there if you haven't been. Yeah, it's still on my to-travel list, unfortunately. I haven't been out there, but it's somewhere I've been dying to go. Well, the yen is, uh, low right now, so it's a great time to go. You mentioned that you were quite a fan of Japanese whiskeys. I am a fan of Japanese everything, but yes, definitely Japanese whiskeys. So for the benefit of our listeners, if you had to tell someone, look for these three domestically, so think about what's available here stateside, what would be your recommendation? I feel like that's so tough, because I feel like a lot of what you can get in the states is really limited. I do think just the big companies, Centauri and Nika, both put out really incredible products, and I think, like, with Centauri, if you can get yourself a great bottle of, uh, aged Hibiki, Yamazaki, um, it's worth it. I would definitely agree with that. The Hibiki 30-year, if you can find it. If you can find it. Or afford it. Both of those things are going to be a challenge. How low is that, Ian? They do some really fun stuff if you're over there, because you can age in anything, so it doesn't necessarily just have to be, you know, oak. So you get really fun, funky whiskeys. Oh, what's some of the stuff that you've seen them aging in? Because I'm always curious about that, because in the U.S., I feel like we're so oak prevalent, oak dominant. Yeah, I mean, I had a really great cedar. Oh, wow. I aged in cedar. Yeah, but all kinds of stuff, so I had fun. Did you get a lot of that, like, kind of piney influence? Absolutely, yeah. Huh. Interesting. I would love to try that. Makes me wonder if it would approach something like a Brawlio or a Zerbinz kind of idea. Yeah. Well, if you go over there, there's some great bars I can recommend. I know we've talked a little bit about travel. Are you also a big history buff? I feel like those two things go hand in hand a little bit. I'm a huge nerd. I don't know that I would say history buff. Gotcha. Well, so how did you feel about, did it scratch a little bit of the nerd itch to do a cocktail prompt based on Roman history and Julius Caesar? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, looking at things, it was like, I know, kind of stabbed in the back, overthrown, and I didn't remember a whole lot of the more nitty gritty details. So really diving back into it was a lot of fun. I learned some fun, weird things, like he was kidnapped when he was in his mid-20s by pirates, and he was really arrogant about it and was like, you don't know who I am. This ransom, your acne is way too low. You need to double it. That's perhaps one of my favorite things. That's one of my favorite stories. And if I remember correctly, the continuation of that was, I will ensure that every one of you die. And it happened. Yeah. So one of the things I think a lot of people don't realize about Caesar, because I think oftentimes the fact that he was assassinated and the fact that he was appointed dictator for life, I think people assume a negative connotation around him. I think it's important, you know, we talk about this in the first part of the show, that dictator had a different meaning in Roman legislative structure and governing structure, and it was just another position, like console or whatever. For you, kind of digging into this for your side of it, was there anything that jumped out at you like, oh, I didn't know that? Yeah, absolutely. I think like you were saying, you know, you hear dictator and you just negative connotation immediately. And reading, I decided to name my cocktail cult of personality because he was kind of a hero to a lot of the lower and middle class, helping with debt relief and land ownership. It wasn't a negative connotation. He was kind of loved by the average person. And I think that's one of the things that kind of comes through when you, when you dig more into why he was assassinated, it was, he was doing these things without really a lot of consultation of the Senate because they were more entrenched power structure and economic structures, and they were fearful of kind of his consolidation of power and kind of doing things unto himself, thus the Ides of March. But, you know, that brings us into a discussion of our prompt for this episode. Oh, man. This episode is centered around the Ides of March and the downfall of Julius Caesar. Take that historical inspiration and create a cocktail that betrays the senses and makes us a two Brute. So let's talk about your cocktail first, Christine. Will you walk us through what your cocktail was? Yeah, absolutely. So I went in a little different direction than I typically drink. I did a dessert cocktail. So super risky. I'm a little nervous about the outcome here. But I did dessert kind of signifying the end, the end of the Republic, the end of an era. And I wanted to lean into flavors that reflected the time frame and the region from the cocktail to the garnish. I knew I wanted wine-based, so I chose to do vermouth as my base spirit. I added in Ramazade, so a little Amaro to showcase the bitterness of the Senate. A little Luxardo for some sweetness. So there was a little bit of Amaretto. We ended up using the Sirono instead of Luxardo, which is what I workshopped with. No shame to the product, but it will definitely turn out a little bit different. I think it's got a little bit sweeter note and fingers crossed, hoping for the best. It tastes great. Yeah, and then there's chocolate bitters in there as well. But definitely a sweet cocktail. And I wanted it to read kind of the way a port would at the end of a meal. Something you could have with cheese, like blue cheese, cheddar, fruits, even chocolate. Yeah, absolutely. And I do feel like it's very appropriate for the time frame using a wine base. I thought that was really smart of you to do that. Yeah, I think wine, things that are herbaceous or bitter. I didn't really want to lean like acid forward or anything, because I just didn't feel like it was necessarily appropriate for the time frame. Now let's talk about the AI's cocktail. So the AI created a cocktail called Caesar's Last Will. So I thought that was kind of a, what are you going with here? Now I'm going to stop right now and say, I think that the idea that you went with, which was kind of a play on the senses, you know, that you were doing a wine base, but, you know, kind of reading like a port digestif, you know, something sweeter. Brilliant for that idea of, you know, betraying the senses. I do feel like the AI got a little caught up more in the, let's talk about Julius Caesar when it came up with its cocktail. And so with that said, let's jump into what it did. Caesar's Last Will is two ounces of London Dry Gin, a half ounce of Dry Vermouth, a half ounce of Campari, a half ounce of fresh lemon juice, a half ounce of red wine reduction, and a quarter ounce of honey syrup. What the AI had to say about the body of the drink is that the cocktail's interplay of Dry Vermouth and Campari, balanced by citrus and the rich depth of the red wine reduction, mirrors the rise and fall of a leader whose legacy is as enduring as it is bittersweet. And then this was a shaken cocktail into a chilled coupe and garnished with doing an expression of orange peel and then a sprig of rosemary kind of in the form of a laurel wreath as the final garnish. I think to your comment about the wine component, I think that the AI did tap into a similar idea by using that wine reduction. Yeah, their drink sounds solid. Yeah, I'm not quite sure how the gin came in, really, but, you know. Sure. Yeah. Yeah, that kind of did throw me when I saw that as well. Yeah. I'll be honest with you. Some of our prompts, I feel like the AI really does struggle with because it gets kind of hung up on certain aspects of it. We'll see how it fares for this one. Yeah, I feel like doing a dessert was risky and sitting side by side with some acid might be hurt me even worse. So let's jump in. Let's talk about the scoring. As you may be aware, if you've listened to previous episodes, we kind of have three buckets of points. We have a taste bucket. That's 50 potential points. We have a presentation bucket. That's a potential of 30 points. And then we have originality. That's a total of 20 points. So with that said, let's start with the AI and let's see how they did. So the AI for originality scored 17 points. For presentation, the AI scored 28 points. And for overall taste, the AI scored 39 points. Oh boy. Now, Christine, for your scores, you scored 17 points for originality, 29 points for presentation. And for overall taste, you scored 46 points. So congratulations. You did beat the AI. Thanks. I was very nervous. I will say rather solidly. I mean, it was a 92 to 84. You didn't just skate by. I'm really impressed. You did a great job. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Man, relief. And on that note, 46 points for taste is fairly high. One of the higher scores we've seen as well. So congratulations on that aspect as well. Thanks. Beyond flattered. Now, the judge does include some notes that we would like to pass on to you as well for both your cocktail as well as the AI cocktail. Yeah, please. For the AI cocktail, the judge said, great color and aroma and on point for the prompt. The taste is surprising for what you see. Slightly dry and acidic, but enjoyable overall. Now, Christine, for your cocktail, the judge said, great presentation and once again, surprising flavor for what you see in the glass. Well done. Complex with nice cocoa finishing notes and well-balanced overall and would sip again. Aw, how flattery. Yes, you did a great job. Thank you so much for participating in this prompt. I think this one was a particularly fun episode, given the historical element to it. I always love doing the nerdy historical ones. Yeah, it was a lot of fun diving into it. And anytime I have an opportunity to sneak Amaro into something, I'm pretty happy. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. And it turns out it worked very well in your favor. Wonderful. Thank you. Well, listen, thank you so much for stopping by for today's episode. We appreciate you greatly. If our listeners want to keep up with you, how can they best do that? Grainfully employed on Instagram. Reach out. I will respond almost immediately. If you're in Milwaukee or the area and you happen to be listening, I am the president of the USPG there. Please reach out. You can reach out through Instagram there as well. Join. Come to one of the events. You don't even have to be a member. I'll just show you what we're doing. Well, with that, that's us signing off for today's episode, saying drink well. Be well. Put whiskey in your old fashions.- Thanks.