Around the Barrel - Transcript: Ep018 Maureen Petrosky

 

Maureen Petrosky: Listen, the hardest part about entertaining is the preparation. You can think you're totally organized and prepared. The house is clean. You've got your outfit picked out. And then the next thing you know, you're running around like a lunatic as soon as the guests come.

 

 

Lucas Hendrickson: Right now in the United States, spring is giving way to summer. With that seasonal change comes the rush of get togethers and celebrations that deserve a great party to go along with them. With that rush can come the dread of trying to make those moments perfect.

 

 

On this episode, we talk with entertaining expert Maureen Petrosky about how to diffuse that dread, how ice can mean everything and how picking out that signature cocktail ahead of time maximizes your chances of both you and your guests having a great time Around the Barrel.

 

 

Welcome back to Around the Barrel, the official podcast from the makers of Jack Daniel's. I'm your host, Lucas Hendrickson. Entertaining at home can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. Some people thrive on the challenge of tents, tablescapes and themed cocktails paired with perfect bites. Some people just want to make sure the house is mostly clean and the bar is suitably stocked. I'll let you decide on your own where I land.

 

 

Maureen Petrosky's job – and she freely admits she's built this job for herself over the years – is to speak to both sides of that party-throwing occasion. She's consulted with brands around the world about throwing a great shindig, but she's also talked with people just trying to figure out how to show their friends and family a great time without blowing a hole in their budgets.

 

 

Maureen: Hi, my name is Maureen Petrosky and I work as an entertaining expert for Jack Daniel's. I'm here in Nashville with you today to talk about all sorts of fun stuff coming up for spring and summer.

 

 

Lucas: Maureen Petrosky, welcome to Around the Barrel.

 

 

Maureen: Thanks for having me.

 

 

Lucas: Thanks for joining us on the precipice of spring and summer. You are a well traveled and experienced lifestyle consultant. Is that the best way to put it?

 

 

Maureen: I absolutely love that you called it that. People always ask, "What's a lifestyle expert?" It sounds kind of ridiculous and kind of fun, but it is really a modern day consultant.

 

 

Lucas: Nice. You travel all over the country working with various brands, including Jack Daniel's. Where's home and what cocktail do you like to have waiting for you when you get there?

 

 

Maureen: My favorite cocktail is waiting for me when I get there. I am from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which is in between Philadelphia and New York City. Like you said, I work all over the world. I have two kids who are about to go into high school, which I can't even believe. My twins keep me busy. My favorite cocktail to have throughout the year is the boulevardier. I can drink it all year long.

 

 

Lucas: Unpack that for us.

 

 

Maureen: It's three simple ingredients. I like one nice big ice cube. It's got a little Campari and a little sweet vermouth. The Campari makes it pretty with that red color. It gives it that bitterness. Then we've got the sweet vermouth. I like a good vermouth, something that's not bottom shelf. I like a little bit more aromatics in there and I really like a rye in my boulevardier. It's like a whiskey spin on the Negroni.

 

 

Lucas: It's a good thing our really good rye whiskey just came out a couple of years ago.

 

 

Maureen: That is true. The Tennessee Rye from Jack Daniel's, the newest in the portfolio, is a little spicier and a little bit more robust. That's why I like it in that cocktail. The Campari is intense and the sweet vermouth can be a little flabby on its own but all together, that spicy rye really stands out.

 

 

Lucas: Right. How did you get interested in this pursuit, not just about the media side of things, which you're very well versed in, but also in menu development, restaurants, brands, all these things? How did they all percolate together for you?

 

 

Maureen: Well, it's a job I basically made up for myself. I'm still doing so every single day. We're all out here making our patchwork careers. I trained as a chef. I went to the Culinary Institute of America and I graduated from there. I got into wine when I was there; I studied to become a sommelier. I talked about wine for a lot of years. It's just an organic progression, I think, to go from really good food to really good wine to really good cocktails. That was it.

 

 

I said I wanted to write a cocktail book. All these bartenders and mixologists I knew were like, "Why are you going to write a cocktail book? You're not a mixologist. You're not a bartender."

 

 

I said, "Exactly. I'm going to write this book for everybody else: all the people out there that don't want to be a mixologist or bartender, but want to make drinks at home that taste amazing and make them feel just as great as the one that you're going to make them when they come out to see you." The goal in writing "The Cocktail Club" was to really empower people to take the drinks they love to order out and make them at home.

 

 

Lucas: In the process of doing all of this, what kind of trends have you noticed working their way through the U.S. over the past 10 or 15 years and what do you think is coming up for us in 2019? What can we expect from the cocktail world in the near future?

 

 

Maureen: What I see is that people still want to be empowered with information. They still want to know where their things are coming from, everything from the grain to the bottling. Is it local? Is it environmentally friendly? All of those buzzwords are still in play right now. That is all still happening and very much a part of the conversation.

 

 

I also think value is 1000 percent in play. People want to know they're getting a good value. They don't mind spending money as long as they think they're going to get something great. They do love a bargain. That goes for everyone, from the biggest wallet to the smallest wallet.

 

 

Those are things I think are important to remember. The everyday person is drinking a lot still and enjoying it and they want to be an everyday connoisseur. That includes being aware of what they're spending on things and what they're getting for their money.

 

 

Lucas: Right. You mentioned information sources and wanting to know where these things are coming from. With the explosion of micro-distilleries, smaller wineries and the explosion in beer in the United States over the past 15 years or so, what are some other sources that you go to to get information about those kinds of things and pass them along to your clients, friends and passersby?

 

 

Maureen: Luckily we can go right to the source. We have some people on the inside to whom we can ask lots of questions, but some of that's not transparent, even to professionals like us. There are people like journalists really digging deep to try to find out where these things are coming from. We have the same struggles that the everyday consumer has.

 

 

Not to keep throwing it back, but it's a great thing to know every single drop of Jack Daniel's whiskey is made right in Lynchburg, Tennessee. If you want something American made, from the source to the bottle on your table, it doesn't get any more homegrown than that.

 

 

Lucas: One of my favorite phrases the Assistant Master Distiller Chris Fletcher has used multiple times in talking with us is that idea of grain to glass. Even earlier than that, you think about growing the trees that make the barrels that also turn into the charcoal mellowing. The folks that we're here talking about have a handle on literally every piece of that process from start to finish.

 

 

Maureen: It really is so cool because when you think about small towns and hometowns, what's bringing people there to visit? Is it finance like New York City or is it entertainment like L.A. or is it whiskey like Nashville right now? It's super fun. That's a job that someone can have in their hometown and I love that.

 

 

Lucas: Yeah. I'm assuming you've visited Lynchburg a few times over the years. What's your favorite part of the little town in the Holler?

 

 

Maureen: It's so special down there. It's really hard to sum up what my favorite part is. It's just a feeling. I was able to be down there for The Jack, which is the big invitational barbecue, which I love. As you guys know, it's just something about the music, the food, the drinks and the people. It's all of it together. There isn't one little part that makes it special down there. You can't get it anywhere else.

 

 

Lucas: It is seemingly unchanging. All the modern processes of 21st century whiskey making are in that town. At the same time, the town itself feels like it's been put in a bubble, but in a good way.

 

 

Maureen: Absolutely. Like you said, it's a place you see so many more visitors coming to. They have adapted it to make it accessible, but they've been able to bottle, pun intended here, that special feeling that makes it a place worth the visit.

 

 

Lucas: Obviously we both have some affinity towards that hometown feeling. Speaking of home drinking, home entertaining, cocktails, that kind of stuff, what do you think is the most important piece of bar hardware that somebody should have in their home? They're just trying to get started making good drinks for parties, for friends or for random small groups. What is the most important thing you think they need in their homes?

 

 

Maureen: A jigger. Honestly, if you're just getting started, the easiest thing to screw up is the amounts that go into a cocktail. You might think you want a stronger drink than you actually do. It really can change with just the slightest bit. A good two sided jigger that's got a two ounce and a one ounce on it – you can make pretty much every drink from there.

 

 

Right after that, a cocktail shaker. Besides that, you can substitute almost anything else that you need to make a drink. You can even do a shaker with two glasses. The jigger, I think, is important. That's the measurement. For me that would be the tool that everyone should get if they're going to get one thing.

 

 

It might not be as sexy or pretty as cocktail shakers, pretty swizzle sticks or things like that. Those are all fun accoutrements to have, but I do think the jigger is the way to go.

 

 

Lucas: On the flip side of that, what's the most overrated piece of equipment that people think they need to have to be able to show off for their friends?

 

 

Maureen: I love that you said "show off for their friends" because I feel like it's such a thing that keeps people from entertaining at home. They feel like it has to be flawless. They think it has to be perfect. "Oh, I haven't redone my kitchen" or "Oh, my bar is underneath this cabinet." Yours, mine and everybody else's is, so don't worry about it.

 

 

I feel like it doesn't have to be showing off. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be fun. That's up to the host. It doesn't matter what space you have. I host dinner parties in my 450 square foot apartment in New York City. We would all jam in there and we had the best time. Bigger isn't always better.

 

 

I think probably the most overrated is a fancy schmancy bar set up. Whether it's over your countertop or under your countertop, you have a bar cart, or you have a big fancy bar, if it's a big old mess, nobody wants to go in there and make a drink. It takes the joy out of it. You really only need a few great bottles to make thousands of cocktails.

 

 

Lucas: If several of them are Jack Daniel's products, all the better.

 

 

Maureen: In my mind, absolutely. As an entertainer, I think it's a great price point and it's so easy to drink that it's an easy way for me to introduce my friends who might not want to drink brown spirits or whiskey to taste it. It's a no brainer for me.

 

 

I also love to have things that are beautiful. The single barrel select bottles are gorgeous. You can have a few things in there, but the rest of it you can clear out. Honestly, if you've got a bottle of something that's sitting in there for three years and you used it for one cocktail one time, you can probably get rid of that.

 

 

You know, I get weird bottles all the time. As a journalist and as a writer in the spirits world, we get lots of samples. You can get rid of all of those if you're not going to use them. Keep your favorites on hand. That makes you more likely to go make yourself a good drink than just walking past another messy area in your house.

 

 

Lucas: Right. We all get to that point where we want to try something new and try something different. Frequently, it seems, at least among my peer group and friends, brown liquors were the last thing to be adopted. What tips do you give people who are just wanting to dip their toes into the wonderful world of, specifically, Tennessee whiskey?

 

 

Maureen: It's easier than you think. I actually think if you are opposed to it because you think it's complicated or confusing, it's a thousand times easier than wine. It's a thousand times easier to learn about whiskey than it is to learn about wine. I think people think it's not as versatile or it's going to be too strong. I hear that all the time. It's the natural thing.

 

 

What was your first cocktail that you ever had? Do you remember?

 

 

Lucas: Oh, probably a Tom Collins.

 

 

Maureen: Right. Mine was an amaretto sour. It was really basic. A lot of people start with a gin and tonic or a vodka soda – maybe a Jack and ginger if they're lucky. With those kind of cocktails, the whiskey comes later. I don't know why. It came later for me. Naturally, I was exposed to, maybe because we can access it easier, rum drinks and vodka drinks. They just seemed like that's where you went after beer.

 

 

Whiskey is so much more interesting and more fun to taste your way around the glass. There's a few things to know about it and then once you know that, you can pretty much pick your way through whiskeys. You can tell if it's a rye and, all of a sudden, you're an expert too. It's kind of empowering.

 

 

Lucas: Yeah. The idea of versatility, jumping into the idea of spring and summer entertaining and trying to do things for larger groups, say punches or smashes, how do you feel Tennessee whiskey lands on that versatility scale? How is it as far as making drinks for larger groups and trying to make as many people as happy as possible?

 

 

Maureen: I think it's right there in the mix. I think if you don't have it in your mix, you're missing out. We're about to kick off with one of the biggest spring things, which is the Kentucky Derby. How many people have a party for that?

 

 

There's the julep. Juleps can be really strong, but they don't have to be so intense. You can make a big pitcher drink of a strawberry mint julep.

 

 

You're bringing in some of that spring fruit, that pretty pink color. We smash it up with a little lemon juice and a little sweetness of honey. You can use a rye or you can use the Jack Black, which is nice and smooth in there, and a little club soda. Then you've got a cocktail that's a little lighter for someone that isn't ready for just the bourbon and sugar. Then you put a little sprig of mint in there too and you've got a different kind of julep. It's easy enough to make a big pitcher of that.

 

 

I mentioned the boulevardier before, which is the Negroni with whiskey in it. You can make a big pitcher of that ahead of time before your guests get to your door. I can guarantee you, 99 percent of the time, if you offer someone a cocktail when they come in, they'll say, "Yeah, sure. Thanks." Instead of, "Here's a beer or wine," it's, "Would you like to taste the boulevardier?"

 

 

They say, "That sounds fun. What is that?" Then they're sipping a drink that you pre-batched ahead of time. It's nice and chilled. You can make it the night before with three ingredients. It doesn't get any easier than that.

 

 

Lucas: The idea of pre-batching – is that something you think people forget about in the middle of trying to create their entertainment landscape?

 

 

Maureen: Listen, the hardest part about entertaining is the preparation. You can think you're totally organized and prepared. The house is clean. You've got your outfit picked out. And then the next thing you know, you're running around like a lunatic as soon as the guests come. It's almost impossible.

 

 

Lucas: You just described me throwing a party. There you go.

 

 

Maureen: That's also me throwing a party, just so you know. You can feel okay. I'm an entertaining expert and that's exactly what's happening in my house too. The fun part about entertaining is it's all hands on deck. I can remember as a kid, my parents had big blowouts in the backyard and it was never about what the furniture looked like or even what the people were wearing. It was just that everybody was there together.

 

 

Really, the host sets the pace for the party. You seem like a fun enough guy. I don't know why you're worried about your space that you're entertaining in. People come to see you and that's what people have to remember. It's easy enough. I'd say one of the first things you should do is big batch a drink. Then you have that crutch when they get there and you're not running around. You're offering one thing. Pick a signature cocktail. Taste test a few. Which one do you like the best? Then you can offer it with ease.

 

 

Lucas: Craft cocktail places. We have several of them here in Nashville because we were in the middle of that a few years ago. They frequently like to tout how many different styles of ice their place utilizes. For the home mixologist, home entertainer, whatever you wanna call it, what would be the best thing that they could do for their drinks and their guests, ice-wise? I know this is a weird question, but it can be one of those overlooked things.

 

 

Maureen: No, I don't think it's a weird question. I think it's an awesome question because we are on the precipice of spring and summer. People are saying, "What can I do to up my entertaining game or get myself ready if I want to have some people over?" You need ice. It's hot out. People want a cold drink. That's important; I promise you. Get a bag of ice.

 

 

I think a lot of it depends on your limitations. We shouldn't let the trends that are happening in bars, specialty places and craft places indicate what's always going to happen at home. They are going to teach us a little bit, but you have to be able to make it work for your space. If you don't have a huge freezer and you don't have time to be making ice for a few weeks ahead of time, you might have one tray of king cubes that holds four cubes and you can make them every single day.

 

 

Sure, it's fun if you're having a smaller party to make a few of those sets ahead of time. Put them in zip top bags. A lot of the time, I go to people's houses and they'll have just those four cubes and they think they can only make those four. Dump them out. Put them in a zip top bag. Put that in your freezer. Make them again. It takes a couple of minutes and it is a nice addition. People do "ooh" and "aah" over ice and there's a reason. A big cube's going to last a lot longer. It's not going to water your drink down.

 

 

There's lots of different kinds of ice cubes out there, but don't get hung up on it. Remember it. Do it to the best of your ability. If you have some space, if you have a king cube tray, make a few. That's probably one of the easier things. It's a lot easier than cooking a meal for someone.

 

 

Lucas: There's less of a chance of messing one of those up than a meal.

 

 

Maureen: Exactly. I like that you said that because I was somewhere where someone got the ice cube tray. They were very excited to use it. They brought it out and the cube was too big for the glass, so there is a way to mess that up, too. As a lifestyle expert I tell you from experience, and really that's what a lifestyle expert is. It's just experience. It's not a Pinterest-perfect life and it's not Instagram-worthy all the time, but it's all of those trials and errors that teach us those lessons, so try your ice cube out in your glass before your guests come to make sure it works.

 

 

Lucas: Right. What is one either food skill or cocktail skill that you haven't picked up or haven't mastered that you want to continue to try to put into your library of abilities?

 

 

Maureen: With cocktails I'm still playing with amaros, finding out a little bit more how versatile they can be and where they can fit. I tend to like them, but then it gets confusing if it's going to be too sweet or too overpowering. They can be so different from maker to maker. That's a fun thing to play with. I know, fun new ingredients.

 

 

Maureen: As far as food goes, something that I've learned again is that people always love meat and cheese. You cannot have a pretty enough charcuterie plate. Not to mention it goes great with whiskey drinks. Chop up some dark chocolate on there, have some dried fruits, have some meat and cheese and you're basically hitting all of the flavor categories from smokey to salty to sweet that can go with all that smokey, salty, brineyness of whiskeys. That's really fun.

 

 

Lucas: The new brands that have come up under the Jack Daniel's umbrella over the last several years, obviously kicked off after Old No. Seven for 120 years, then Gentleman Jack was about 30 years ago. Then there's Tennessee Fire, Tennessee Honey, the Single Barrel Select lines and now the Rye.

 

 

Jack Daniel's is in an interesting place in that it's such an established brand, but now has this universe of brands underneath it that make it so versatile for anybody to use. What do you talk to your clients and friends about in regards to the brand and those new products that have come down the pike?

 

 

Maureen: I think that people always want to know the next new thing. They're always looking for it. I mean, I know I am, too. It's fun. It's interesting. Again, it's taking those and using them in different ways. The Fire was great to use in a lot of recipes that I was doing in the crockpot over the winter – hot cocktails. It's really easy. It's just such a simple mix with a little bit of hot cider and friends love that Halloween in the house that you come to as an adult. They ring the doorbell, I give candy and I give cocktails. It's great.

 

 

As we move into summer, the Honey is really fun. I actually just drizzle it over a little bit of vanilla ice cream. It's bananas. It's so good. It's delicious and to cut it just on ice, it's just fine the way that it is. It doesn't have to be mixed with lots of other things.

 

 

I think people always want to know about the new things, but that being said, there is this resurgence of the classics again, like Jack and Coke. That's a simple recipe. You were saying, "Why do people not drink the whiskey at first?" but Jack and Coke has been a lot of people's first cocktail that I've talked to.

 

 

Bring it back. It's kind of fun. You always see Diet Coke with a lemon in it. Jack and Coke with a lemon in it is delicious. It's a nice refreshing spin on a nice icy cocktail that would be perfect for the summertime.

 

 

Lucas: Yeah. Maureen, where can people find you online and in various places?

 

 

Maureen: You can find me at maureenpetrosky.com. We've got lots of fun things happening there. Then of course there's "The Cocktail Club." You can pick up a copy of the book to know how to do your own cocktail club, which is basically a book club, but better. We get together once a month and have drinks.

 

 

Lucas: There you go. And on the social media?

 

 

Maureen: On the social media it's @maureenpetrosky across the board.

 

 

Lucas: Maureen. Thank you for your time and thanks for joining us Around the Barrel.

 

 

Maureen: Thanks for having me. Next time hopefully it's at your house.

 

 

Lucas: Well, we'll see about that.

 

 

Around the Barrel is the official podcast of the Jack Daniel's Distillery. Follow the podcast on the web at jackdaniels.com/podcast. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, rate and review at Apple Podcasts or wherever you gather your on demand audio. Always remember, with great podcasts and great whiskey, please enjoy responsibly. Join us next time for more conversations Around the Barrel.

 

 

Your friends at Jack Daniel's remind you to drink responsibly. Jack Daniel's and Old No. Seven are registered trademarks. Copyright 2019, Jack Daniel's. Tennessee whiskey, 40 percent alcohol by volume, 80 proof. Distilled and bottled by Jack Daniel's Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee. Around the Barrel is intended for listeners 21 years of age and older.