It's a very happy hour of Milk Street Radio: Chef Edward Lee returns for a tour of Kentucky’s bourbon distilleries, where the water is sweeter, the barrels are (accidentally!) charred, and the rickhouses are sacred territory. Plus, Gary Shteyngart recounts his wet, dry, twisted and dirty martini tour of New York City; Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette of “A Way With Words” reveal the surprising origin of the word “cocktail”; and J.M. Hirsch offers an innovative mixology tip. (Originally aired July 25, 2024.)Get this week’s recipe for Lemon Grass Martini <a href="https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/lemon-grass-martini?allow_token=d6d35f8e-030f-4648-a5e3-67e80f6bc9dc">here</a>. Cover image credit: Landon Nordeman, The New Yorker. Listen to Milk Street Radio on: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christopher-kimballs-milk-street-radio/id1158889592">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7psQrMbKQ0vgx6HeEtK1gM">Spotify</a>

Every week, Milk Street Radio travels the world to find the most fascinating stories about food—a detective who tracks down food thieves and a look inside the most famous (and often scandalous) restaurant kitchens—and interviews with culinary icons such as José Andrés, Padma Lakshmi, Jacques Pépin, and Marcus Samuelsson. And on Milk Street Radio you can always find the unexpected: the comedian who ranks apples using an elaborate 100-point system, the scientists who study if vegetables have souls, and the journalist who reveals the world’s 10 biggest food lies. We also answer our listeners’ cooking questions, find out how to make the perfect cup of coffee, and share how to eat your way through Italy.