Monthly Archive

May 2015

The Cocktail Hour

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Whether you sip it with friends, chug it before hitting the dance floor, or take it as a post-work pick-me-up, there's clearly nothing like a cocktail for bracing the spirit. In addition to its peculiar history as a medicinal tonic, plenty of hard science lies behind the perfect cocktail, from the relationship between taste perception and temperature to the all-important decision of whether to shake or stir.

What's more, according to historian David Wondrich, mixology is "the first legitimate American culinary art"—and one that has since caught on around the world. Raise a glass, and listen in as we discover the cocktail's historical origins, its etymological connection to a horse's butt, and its rocky history, post-Prohibition. We also check out an original copy of the world's first cocktail recipe book at New York City's bartending mecca, Cocktail Kingdom; take a private cocktail science class with Jared Sadoian of The Hawthorne in Boston; and talk red-hot pokers with culinary scientist Dave Arnold. Cheers!

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Gastropod on Gastropods

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Finally, Gastropod is tackling gastropods! In this episode, Cynthia visits one of America's first and only snail farms.

Though Gastropod is, as regular listeners know, a podcast about the science and history of all things gastronomical, we do share a name with Gastropoda, the taxonomic class that includes slugs and snails. And, as it turns out, the history and science of heliciculture, or snail farming, is completely fascinating. Join Cynthia on a trip to rural Washington State to learn how to raise snails and whether fresh and vacuum-packed taste any less rubbery than canned. Plus, you'll hear about the earliest evidence for human snail consumption, how the Romans fattened theirs up, and all about the bizarre world of snail sex. …More →