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Welcome to Season 3 of The Cocktail Guru Podcast!
Dec. 28, 2023

Matinee Magic with John-Paul Lavoisier (S3 E4)

On this episode of THE COCKTAIL GURU PODCAST, hosts Jonathan & Jeffrey Pogash talk acting for stage, screen, and television, some of it soapy—plus his penchant for prestidigitation and playing the skins—with John-Paul Lavoisier, the daytime TV star whose passions propelled him from Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to Los Angeles, California. All brought to you by Emilio Lustau, Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, and Monin Premium Gourmet Syrups.

In this episode of The Cocktail Guru Podcast, we have a special guest, J.P. Lavoisier, who is known for his role in the soap opera "One Life to Live." The hosts, Jonathan Pogash and Jeffrey, reminisce about their time working together in the restaurant industry and catch up with J.P. after many years apart.

They discuss J.P.'s background and how he chose his stage name, which led to some confusion about his French-Canadian heritage. The conversation then turns to their favorite drinks, with J.P. sharing his love for old fashioned and recounting a memorable experience in New York.

The hosts also delve into the topic of working in the restaurant industry and the valuable lessons it teaches about customer service and empathy. They agree that everyone should experience working in a restaurant at some point in their lives.

As the conversation continues, J.P. shares his journey from New York to Los Angeles after "One Life to Live" ended. He talks about the challenges of finding new representation and eventually landing a role on "Days of Our Lives." The hosts express their excitement for J.P.'s future projects and discuss a recent opportunity he received to audition for a horror movie franchise.

The episode concludes with a lighthearted discussion about their shared experiences and connections, including a mention of a mutual acquaintance named Meg Pies. The hosts express their gratitude for the interview and look forward to future conversations with J.P.

Overall, this episode offers a delightful mix of nostalgia, industry insights, and personal anecdotes, showcasing the warm camaraderie between the hosts and their guest.

In this episode, you will be able to:

  • Uncover innovative cocktail recipes for your next gathering.
  • Elevate your mixology skills with a Thai-inspired cocktail recipe.
  • Explore unique and captivating bar decor at Tonga Hut.
  • Discover a surprising twist on the classic mai tai using Scotch whiskey.
  • Learn about Monin's pre-mixed juice blends for effortless mixology.

The key moments in this episode are:

00:00:02 - Introducing the Cocktail Guru

00:01:24 - Reconnecting after years

00:04:09 - Desert Island Drink

00:09:19 - The Entertainment Industry

00:12:20 - Fond Memories in the Hospitality Industry

00:13:11 - Transitioning into Adulthood and Work in Fine Dining

00:16:32 - Moving to LA and Starting Over

00:19:33 - Returning to Soap Operas

00:20:57 - New Opportunities and Connections

00:26:51 - Favorite Coffee and Beverage Concept

00:27:22 - Introduction to Tonga Hut

00:27:57 - Making Blackmore's Mai Tai

00:29:21 - Presentation and Taste

00:30:53 - Conclusion & Sponsorship

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

  • Tonga Hut in North Hollywood, California - Visit Tonga Hut in North Hollywood, California to experience their amazing bar and decor. Check out their tiki mugs and enjoy their delicious cocktails.
  • Monin Gourmet Syrups - Try Monin's pre-mixed juice blend for a classic mai tai or other styles of cocktails. You can also use it for non-alcoholic drinks. Visit Monin's website to explore their range of gourmet syrups and juice blends.
  • Glenn Morangie Single Malt Scotch Whiskey - Try Glenn Morangie's ten year old single malt scotch whiskey for a smooth and flavorful cocktail experience. Visit their website to learn more about their range of scotch whiskies and find retailers near you.
  • Eat's Drink's TV - Watch The Cocktail Guru podcast on Eat's Drink's TV to catch the latest episodes and explore other food and beverage content. Visit their website to access the full range of shows and content.
  • Zencaster - Listen to The Cocktail Guru podcast on Zencaster for high-quality audio recordings and seamless podcast listening. Explore Zencaster's platform for podcasters and content creators to enhance their production quality.

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thecocktailgurupodcast/message

Transcript

*Please note, transcripts are auto-generated so please excuse any typo's

 

0:00:02
Jonathan Pogash is the cocktail guru, a mixologist and hospitality expert. You know, big words, dude. I'm a cocktail guru. Cheers. Jeffrey's his dad, a wine and spirits author, historian and consultant.

00:00:17
I do my homework with decades of experience. They're always looking for the next big thing. Join this father and son du for a few laughs as they explore the hottest trends in hospitality with the service industry's leading trailblazers and tastemakers. Welcome to the Cocktail Guru podcast.

00:00:44
Well, Jon, yeah, we're still on Hollywood and Vine. We are. And what do you do when you're. On Hollywood and Vine? Epicenter of stardom.

00:00:53
But we're at lost property bar. Yes, we are. Lost property bar. Great place. Very spooky place today.

00:00:59
But we have, again, I've been saying that I'm starstruck, and I really am starstruck because not only do we have the Hollywood Walk of Fame, right, almost literally at our doorstep here, but we have so many great actors and stars that we're interviewing. Like our next guest, JP Lavoisier. Incredible. JP. Hi, JP.

00:01:24
Hi. Good morning. Wonderful. It's like being transported to the year 2023 years ago. It's unbelievable because.

00:01:33
Go ahead. No more than half my life I've known you. Same. More than half my life. And it's crazy.

00:01:39
And this is the first time we've seen each other in person since then. Yeah, it's been like half your life. Just real quick, did you always call me JP or was it ever John-Paul? No, JP. Okay.

00:01:52
And because hearing it for some reason out of your mouth just now, for the first time, JP. JP. It just occurred like some people, they always make a choice, like John-John-Paul John-Paul or JP. And I don't care which one people say. And people have personal preferences and they just am like, I'm always interested in, oh, he goes with the JP.

00:02:07
He goes with the John-John-Paul John-Paul. And there's no rhyme. Especially like Sagaftra. John-John-Paul John-Paul. I don't have a middle name.

00:02:12
It's hyphenated. John-John-Paul John-Paul is my first name, but. Yeah. Well, I love John-John-Paul John-Paul being of almost french descent. Right.

00:02:21
My wife is.

00:02:24
He has no idea. But you must be of french canadian descent, right? No. And it's deceiving because. No, I'm american.

00:02:32
Pennsylvania, out of Philly. Pennsylvania Dutch. German, I think, maybe. No, I don't think my family was friends with the Beatles. I don't think I had anything to do with that.

00:02:43
Or my mother, I think, just liked that name for some reason. There's no specific. She just like, I always really like that name. But what about Lavoisier? And then that's where it's deceiving because people think I'm french canadian or whatever.

00:02:55
I didn't know this when I changed my name when I was 15 years old. I didn't realize that Lavoisier or Lavoisier, some people put it with a little z on it, which is fine. I didn't realize that there was a French. I didn't know that it was going to. I was 15.

00:03:09
I didn't know anything. So it sounded nice to you. You didn't know there was a french science by the name of Lavoisier? Who created Lavora? Dude, you know that?

00:03:19
Yeah, that's why I know that. I was 15 and I saw his name in. In a science book. I was dozing off and that's how I came up with it. I was 15.

00:03:28
I was doing magic. I was doing magic for kids birthday parties and stuff. And I thought my name needed more pizzazz. That story is longer. I just cut to the chase there.

00:03:35
But I saw. I was like, John-John-Paul John-Paul, what should be on my business card for my magic shows. And Lavassier. I saw Antoine de Lavassier. That's how I picked it.

00:03:42
But then I had no idea that people would think, are you french canadian? I didn't know what Canada was or what French was at the time. But before we get into talking a little bit more, we always ask our guests this one question. You ready? No.

00:03:57
Yeah. It's a trick question. It's not a trick question. What is your desert island drink or desert island cocktail? Or you're stranded and you're like, this is what I need to have.

00:04:09
Oh, well, okay, hold on. So I'm specifically in a desert, stranded, or I'm on an island. What is it? It's desert island. A deserted island.

00:04:19
A deserted island. A desert island. And I want to drink. It's called a desert Island. Desert island.

00:04:24
But it's a deserted island. But it's. Sometimes the island is a desert. So why do people say desert island? They don't.

00:04:32
Yes, they do say desert. We do say desert island. Okay. No, it's not just you. You have never made us think cerebrally about.

00:04:42
No, I didn't mean to. This is a little too existential for me. All right, you just want an answer. Give us a fucking answer. I love old fashions.

00:04:54
Yeah. And I will say the best old fashioned I've ever had in my life. Joe Allen's is a close second because it's my favorite restaurant in the world. Yeah. Oh, really?

00:05:03
I like it. But I will have to say that the best old fashioned I've ever had in my life. That was mind blowing. That opened my eyes. Like, wait a second.

00:05:11
What is this big square? What are these little cherries? The Manetta tavern on the west there last week. Well, wait a second. Burgers.

00:05:20
Wait a second. I was just. Did you. We were not there together. I was just there a week and a half ago.

00:05:25
Two weeks. Really? You ignored each other.

00:05:29
Next week on the cast.

00:05:34
I've only been there three times in my life. And you've been there last week. What's the drink? It was an old fashioned. I was sitting at the bar.

00:05:42
That's what we had. I learned two things that night. Well, other than the fact that I like the trout almond, I think the trout says lavasia. Yeah. I don't know how to say Amandine, the trout.

00:05:58
But I was sitting at the bar. This is 2000 dead space, seven, 2007, eight somewhere around there. And I was sitting at the bar. You were on ol one life tl. And I'm sitting there waiting for three other people to join.

00:06:15
And I was sitting at the bar and the bartender was like, what do you drink? And I was like, and I would always be at Joe's. I was having Joe Allen's old fashioned. I was like, you know what? Give me an old fashioned.

00:06:22
He goes. And he makes me this old fashioned I'd never seen before. It was just beautiful. It was beautiful. And he put these cherries in it that I had never had before because Joe's didn't.

00:06:30
I'd never had these cherries before the real marriage. Marishino cherries. Yes. Which are like $30 a bottle, right? At least here in LA.

00:06:37
And I was like, I'm in love. I'm falling in love. And I was like, what are these cherries? And he shows me the cat. I was like, I've never had no idea.

00:06:46
And then you had the burger. There were two different burgers. My friend and I, we shared the two burgers. There's the black label burger and there's the Manetta burger. The Manetta burger is a cheeseburger.

00:06:59
I've had that. Did you have the fries? Oh, yeah. Delicious. Do they still make.

00:07:06
They're delicious. I'm going way back. I can't believe we're talking. This is 15 years ago. Do they still make Francois special mustard?

00:07:16
I don't know. I did not know about it. If so, I ordered the Minetta burger and fries and the bartender who made me the old fashioned, said, did I say frank? Yeah. He said, oh.

00:07:30
He goes, get Frank's special mustard. I said, what's Frank's special mustard? He goes, we have a bartender here that makes special mustard to go with your burger and fries, and they add cognac to it. I think the bartender put some kind of booze in the mustard, and I was like, so, Francois, special mustard. Francois, Frank, Francois.

00:07:46
If they still make it, I think. They do still have it, because when I was there and ordered the black label burger, which was the time before this last time, which was a couple of months ago, I love Minetta tamarind. They gave us three little dishes with condiments, and one of them, I think, was that mustard? Oh, yeah. All right.

00:08:06
Delicious. Really good. I mean, we were saying when we first saw each other that your mind was blown because you want to tell the. I just. We worked at a restaurant together in New York City when I first moved to New York, and I was a struggling actor, and then you were acting, and you were working at the russian tea room, and that's where we met.

00:08:33
You were a server, and I was a bartender. I started as a barback and then bartender. The RTR. The RTR.

00:08:46
I said, I can't believe I'm doing this. This guy that I've known for 23 years on 57th and 7th, and now I'm sitting with him on Holly. I'm going to go sit with him on Hollywood and Vine in 2023.

00:09:03
Life is a tangled way it's crazy. But you were serving and you were acting, and then you got your one life to live thing, regular role, recurring role, and you were like, screw this. I'm out.

00:09:19
At the time, I can only speak for, I guess, soap operas or whatever, but when you first join, you sort of don't realize how critical your position is. Like, they can fire you at any time. And so when I found out that I booked it and when I was going to start, I think I gave a three week notice to Bismarck. I think I gave a three week notice, even though, as opposed to the two week. And I think my last day was Valentine's day of 2002.

00:09:48
But then my start date of the job kept getting pushed back. I was supposed to start in March, and then I didn't start till April, and I was like, so for, like, two months, I was waiting. You're kind of scripting freaking out a little bit. I was like, can they change their mind? It's like, well, yeah, but they'll owe you you for that first cycle.

00:10:03
Even though it's a year, they still owe you their certain sections, but at any point you can be let go from any job, I guess, or whatever. So I didn't realize that. I mean, fortunately it worked out. But what I'm getting at is I think now, as an older person, and if a kid, if it's like a 20 year old came to me and said, jp, this ink is dry on this thing, I would go, all right, here's the deal. Don't just be ready because you never know, you might have to go back.

00:10:36
Not that I burned any bridges, I don't think I did, but some people get so excited, like, yes, this is it. And now I can tell everybody, buy things and do things, like, hold on. And I remember when I first started working there, I was excited and I got a little studio apartment near the studio and a little studio apartment near the studio, and I was furnishing it with like nice stuff. And I remember, and I wasn't, in hindsight, I'm like, man, she was. So, I wasn't bragging or anything, but I was at work one day and I was telling the girl that was playing my sister at the time, I was like, yeah.

00:11:10
I was like, I just got like a new lamp, I got a new bed, I got a new dress. I was telling her about all this new stuff that I got because I moved apartments, so I left everything behind. I was like starting fresh. And I told her about how much I had recently charged on my credit card, right? And I had only been at the show for like maybe a month or so, and she had been at the show for like 13 years.

00:11:27
She had grown up on the show. And again, I wasn't trying to show off at all. I was just telling a funny, a great story about, I got this really cool pillow and I happened to tell her how much. I was like, yeah, I just put this much on my credit card. And dead serious, she goes, be careful.

00:11:45
And she was like, she was only in her 20s, but she knew she was like, be careful. And I had no idea what she meant at the time. It didn't register to me. That's all she said, be careful. And now later on I go, yeah, it was okay, but I should have been more careful.

00:12:03
And then, uhoh, that's it. But that's great. What do you remember fondly from working in restaurants and at the russian tea room? If. No, no, I will say one of the best jobs I've ever had.

00:12:20
I mean, I guess it would be second to one life to live, but one of the best jobs I ever had. I was so lucky. I worked at a restaurant in Philly called Zanzibar Blue. It's not there anymore, but it was in the Bellevue Hotel, just off 14th Market street. Anyway, the Bellevue Hotel in Philly.

00:12:39
There was this great old school jazz restaurant, really nice cuisine, live band. We had a stage, dark, and I was 18, and I was so lucky that they took a chance on me because I'd never been a waiter before. And getting emotional because I was treated like such an adult working there, because it was all adults that worked there. I mean, there were younger kids, if you want to call college and grad school type stuff that was at that age, but I was definitely the youngest one there. And in hindsight, I look back, go, that job was so cool.

00:13:11
I got to wait on adults that were in a fine dining restaurant that were there to enjoy themselves.

00:13:21
It was an older crowd and more mature, and I look back to be thrown into the wolves of adulthood at 18, having to be this server that was like, explaining things, and I had to learn about stuff and booze that I had never drank before because I had to take a test. So my point is, you said, did I enjoy anything about it? I enjoyed everything about it. I look back, go, that was great. So when I worked in Philly and when I worked at russian tea room, I mean, yeah, you're in the weeds and yeah, it sucks.

00:13:52
During Christmas time, you're getting triple. You got 17 tables.

00:13:58
But I think everybody should experience. Listen, I've always said that everybody should work in the restaurant. Everybody should work in a restaurant at some point in their life. That's never going to happen. Nobody's going to, but you should.

00:14:09
Why? Because everyone goes to a restaurant, sort of, and we all kind of order food from somewhere. We all get serviced by somebody, whether it's somebody, they're delivering it to you or whether you're being waited on. Understand what's going on on that. Just understand.

00:14:21
Have a little. So everyone should work in a restaurant for at least a day, just so that. Absolutely. So when you're the customer, you're like, I get it. Hold on, just relax.

00:14:32
I get it. Because I've been over there, so everybody should be so. I loved it. I could think of complaints, but come on. I loved it.

00:14:40
And when you got one life to live, your life completely changed.

00:14:47
You were doing it. That was shooting in New York. What brought you out to LA was. That the show went off the air. The show went off the air?

00:14:53
Yeah, it was 2011 was when it was announced that one life was going off the air after 43 years. And the good thing was we were given a six month notice, so everyone had six months to go. Okay. And most of the people really, what brought me out, most of the people that were sort of in my wheelhouse of age and just sort of just similar traits. And everyone moved out to LA.

00:15:33
Pretty much almost everybody on the show that was in my contacts, everyone kind of moved out to LA and I just followed. I wasn't know, can I come to? But I just kind of went, all right, well, I guess I'll go to LA. Because aside from my love for the city, which I still have, there was nothing keeping me in New York because I'd been on the show for ten years and. And I just had this community of people.

00:16:10
I just, you know, for ten years I had built this world, and then, and the financial part of that world was over and the friendships were coming here. So it's like, I'm going to be with my friends, I'm going to be with my social, my social. Did you have a gig when you were coming out here? No. Were you starting over?

00:16:32
And I had pavement and I didn't know LA. I didn't have representation. Your representation didn't carry. No, no. The representation I had at the time was bicoastal, but it was night and day.

00:16:55
They might as well have been two separate agencies. And even they admitted to it, or at least that's what they told me. So the New York office set me up with the LA office for a meeting. So I'm out here in LA. I met with them, I go home, and my New York rep, who I was actually friends with, he was a poker budy of mine.

00:17:15
We actually hung out. He was a friend, and to this day, he's still my friend. He's a friend. My New York guy calls me and says, hey, I just spoke to LA. They'll take you on.

00:17:28
But I just don't feel like they're as excited about you as they should be. I think you should look elsewhere. It's the same agency. Yeah. And I went, really?

00:17:38
And he's like, yeah, they'll bring you on, they'll try to get you out. He goes, but I don't feel energy in their voice when they call. He's like, so I think you should pursue other places. And I went, okay, thanks. Click.

00:17:52
And I did. So I did. So it's the same agency. You think it's the same accounts, but not really. That's how different.

00:17:59
They were. So I had to find new people. And then how soon after did you get the next soap gig? Oh, okay. So when I came out to LA, my phone did ring a few times from a few other soaps, and I wanted to hold off because I wanted to see.

00:18:24
Because I'm in a new town with people that. With offices that I've never met before, projects I've never even. Because for ten years, I was unavailable. Right. Basically.

00:18:36
I mean, yes, we had, like, six. Like, we would be dark for two weeks, for Christmas, a week for Thanksgiving. There were six weeks around the calendar, but no one's going to submit you if they don't know that you can definitely be available. Right? So I wasn't available for ten years.

00:18:52
So for ten years, I wasn't like, hey, JP, you want to do. I didn't get any of those calls, which is now what I'm so excited for every day. It's like, hey, yeah, so when I came out to LA, I kind of wanted to experience being available for anything and everything. Like three days on this, one day on this, a week on this. So I did get a couple calls saying, hey, JP, do you want to jump back into a.

00:19:15
And I said no. So that happened for a little bit. But then I got a very gracious, generous call from days of our lives in 2000. I'd been here for maybe four years, 2015. 2015.

00:19:33
And something felt right about saying yes to them. I knew some people there. There were some friendly faces that I had met through the grapevine, and it just felt like, yeah, I'll go do that. So, days in 2015. For a year.

00:19:52
I could keep talking. So, to answer your question, days of our lives in 2015. I was on that for a year. And then. How about after that?

00:20:02
After that, days? Yeah.

00:20:07
By the way, we can talk about anything you want. I want to tell you about the homeless person in New York. I can't say that I know you're there, but I haven't followed your career necessarily. Not that you would necessarily expect me. To, but now that we've.

00:20:24
Now we will. Now that we've reconnected, I'm super curious because I remember 20 something years ago, I'd be super curious about all of this because it was the industry that we both started in. So are you doing anything now? Are you going out for things? Do you have things in the works?

00:20:40
I know that the strike just happened. So you're kind of small world, because I'm not trying to blow your mind, but, hey, maybe this will blow your mind. Okay, try me.

00:20:57
And I'm going to be vague. I'm going to be specific. I'm going to keep everything kind of neutral, but I'm going to tell you the story.

00:21:04
A week and a half ago, I get a call to read for a part in a movie that's in the horror franchise, which I love. Okay. You do? I love it. That's my favorite genre of really?

00:21:19
Movies. It says jazz. You know, I'm from the hometown where they filmed the blob. Oh, with Steve McQueen. Yes.

00:21:28
That's my theater. That was my theater. I think I may have known that. Yes. And one of my favorite movies, the Blob.

00:21:34
Yeah.

00:21:37
And then this story is really great for me, too, because of the fact that I'm sitting here with you right now, because of the connection. About a week and a half ago, I got a call to read for a movie in a horror franchise, which I love. And I was like, yes. And then I realized that there's an actress, there's a girl in the first one in the first movie of this franchise that I went to acting class with in 2000 in New York. Oh, okay.

00:22:06
Of whom I still have the number of. She still lives in New York and I don't see her anymore, but I've known her for 23 years. I basically met her the same time as you, basically. Right. And she's still based in New York and she's in the first film.

00:22:20
And I randomly get this call to read for a continuation, and I text her and I go, I'm sorry. I put myself on tape, and after I submitted it, I said, I just read for this part. Obviously she knows she was in the first one. I don't have to tell her. I said, I just read for this.

00:22:37
And she goes, oh, she gets right back to me. She goes, what role? I'll tell the director to make sure he watches your tape. And I go, and that was like two days ago. And I said, great, thank you.

00:22:47
So I didn't even ask her. She said, great. So this girl that I've known for 23 years who just happens to be in this first movie that I love, the first time that I saw the movie, I didn't even know she was in it. I randomly put the movie on and I went, oh, she's like, in the first scene, I went, I've known her for 21 years. This was a couple of years ago that I saw the film.

00:23:07
And now randomly I got submitted that I didn't even know to read for more of them, that they're making and I reached out to her, and she's like, yeah, because you never know who watches your tapes. Sometimes you'll submit yourself, and it has to go through. And she goes, no, I'll make sure. And I was like, okay. I didn't even.

00:23:24
And. And then that was two days ago. And then I'm like, I'm seeing Jonathan two days. Like, these two people from New York that we've kept in touch. We're still aware of it.

00:23:33
We're still relevant to each other in some way. Incredible. So that was neat for me. This just happened. And now this just happened.

00:23:41
It's, like, full circle. And I was so excited to. I randomly sent you a note because I was watching days of our lives on tv at a doctor's office, and you popped up there, and I was like, what is going on here? And you had a seizure, and they. Had to rush you in.

00:23:59
And Megan, my wife Megan, we all worked at the russian tea room together. She was a co check, so we hung out. We probably went to faces and names. Oh, my God. Yeah.

00:24:12
55Th two blocks away from the back. Door of the tea room or whatever, based in names. We'd make fun of guests. Just between us and crazy, coked out managers. It was a thing.

00:24:27
But I'm thankful that you were able to join us in person here in Hollywood on the cocktail group podcast. And this can't be the last of our interviews with JP, because now we are going to be following him very closely with this new. Hold on. Are we almost done? Yeah, unfortunately.

00:24:47
I want to keep going, but our executive producers don't. I know. I bumped the table. That was me being deflated. Dad, stop it.

00:24:57
Stop bumping the table. I'm defying our executive.

00:25:03
Saw. I saw Meg pies once a couple years ago in a Starbucks. Meg pies. Meg pies. Is that a person?

00:25:12
No. Meg pies. I don't know. You don't know what I'm talking about? I don't know if I do or not.

00:25:17
Fine. Never mind then. That was a turd. What is a meg? What's a chocolate?

00:25:26
Why did you use to eat that together? Never mind. Yeah. What's the connection? There's no connection.

00:25:33
Faces and names. They must have served no pies. Right. The end. I don't know.

00:25:38
There's something maybe. Okay, well, thanks, everybody. Thanks for joining us. You're welcome. Thank you.

00:25:45
What are you drinking there?

00:25:48
Are we still on? Yes. Yeah.

00:25:52
I tell a story the same way, but dunkin'donuts, and McDonald's are my top two favorite coffees and they're both my go tos. And there's a dunkin'donuts, by the way, a block away. That's where I went. Doesn't matter where I am. Coffee, McDonald's.

00:26:13
Dunkin'donuts are my top two, but sometimes, depending on how well they're made, they might flip flop. It used to be McDonald's was my second, and Dunkin'donuts was my. McDonald's was my first. Dunkin'donuts was my second. But sometimes if they're too.

00:26:24
So it's not always that. Anyway, so what am I drinking? Dunkin'donuts my one two favorite coffee, believe it or not. Now you're going to have a new favorite called.

00:26:37
Beverage only concept. Well, they probably have food, but it's a beverage chain. It'll be a chain of beverage restaurants. Well, we could talk about that another time, but thank you. Let me just say it's a cross between Starbucks and Dunkin donuts.

00:26:51
And McDonald's just the only one is outside of Chicago. Right. All right, thank you. This has been great. JP.

00:27:01
Great to see you. It has. I know. We'll keep talking. Thank you.

00:27:07
And this is just ovois, not you. We'll see you later. Bye. Tipple time has been brought to you in part by Glenn Morangi and Monin gourmet syrups. Hey, it's Jonathan Tipple time coming at you right now.

00:27:22
I am pleased as punched to let you know that we are once again here at Tonga Hut in North Hollywood, California. They've kindly allowed us to use their amazing bar. I wish you could see the entire decor here. And what is that guy over there? He's like a drooling statue.

00:27:38
What do we call him? Cat the drooling bastard. Look at that. We'll have to get some b roll of him. See, I'm already starting to use the lingo.

00:27:45
The Hollywood lingo. It's b roll, right? Forget it. So I'm just gonna do what I know what to do, and that is make cocktails for you. This is a mai tai, but it's a super simple mai tai using scotch whiskey.

00:27:57
And I call it Blackmore's Thai. Thai as in T-A-I. But it is in honor of our good friend David Blackmore, whom we all know and love. My father and I have known him for many, many years. And he is with Glenn Morangy, single malt scotch whiskey.

00:28:11
And he is always, I always see. Him in a suit and tie. So this kind of is inspired by him. So let's go ahead and add our Glenn Morangi ten year old single malt scotch whiskey to our mixing tin, and I'm doing 2oz. A nice, healthy pour of single malt.

00:28:29
And what we're going to do now, oh, it's over here. This is the mai tai from Monin. It is their pre mixed juice blend, and it is really, really delicious and works really well in a classic mai tai, but also in other styles of cocktails and also non alcoholic drinks. It's sort of this pineapple, orangey, citrusy blend. And now what we're going to do is shake this one up.

00:28:54
Okay, so I'll add my ice. We'll give it a nice little shake. You ready? Okay, here we go.

00:29:05
All right. Delicious. Beautiful. Looks great. And of course, we must use a tiki mug to pour this cocktail into and to drink from nothing but the best for us.

00:29:21
Here it is. Time to add a little bit of ice to our tiki mug. Yay. All right, here we are. I have a little bit too much energy.

00:29:32
We got a little coffee action before coming here to keep our energy high. And we're just straining that. Oh, that looks so good. I wish I could just take a sip right now, but I gotta slow down. Slow down, Jonathan.

00:29:47
You'll get yours. All right. I don't know what I'm saying. These are some pineapple fronds. Look at that.

00:29:53
That is so lovely. Did you know that I'm a cocktail stylist as well? I wish you could. Well, you can see it if you're watching us on YouTube, which I definitely recommend you do. So I've got the pineapple front and I have some a lime wheel over here.

00:30:10
Oh, my gosh. I'm going to whisper because dad likes the ASMR. Okay, so I'm going to take a little sip of this right now. Okay. Can you hear the ice?

00:30:25
Okay, I'm going to taste you ready?

00:30:31
Oh, someone wants to have a little taste. Oh, Kat is over here. Kat from the Tonga Hut. Will you do the ASMR with me? Oh, sure.

00:30:41
Okay, let's have.

00:30:46
What do you think? It's delicious. You're hired.

00:30:53
And that about does it for tipple time. We'll see you next time. Cheers. Tipple time is brought to you in part by Monin gourmet syrups and Glenmorangie.

00:31:12
That does it for today's show. If you enjoy what we do, please rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. To watch or listen to today's episode or to see the show notes, visit thecocktailgurupodcast.com you can also follow us on Facebook, YouTube, X, Instagram, or TikTok. The Cocktail Guru podcast is produced by 1st Reel Entertainment and can be seen on eatstrinkstv.com, Spotify and Zencaster, or heard on Apple, Google, Amazon, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Travel arrangements provided in part by Tzell travel.

 

John-Paul LavoisierProfile Photo

John-Paul Lavoisier

Actor

John-Paul was raised in the main filming location town of the 1958 sci-fi flick "The Blob." He spent a great deal of time during his childhood and young adult years performing magic tricks and playing the drums for almost anyone that would watch or listen. Him and his bunny rabbit could be spotted on any weekend day at a kids birthday party, and the drum set would appear the evenings at a coffee shop or banquet venue. With no other dreams or abilities to consider, and fueled by his love for Rush, he moved to center city Philadelphia after high school to study jazz performance at The University of the Arts. During his second year enrolled he learned about his love for films and realized Manhattan was only about 100 miles away where he could toss his luck at acting.

Almost immediately after landing in NYC John-Paul began booking gigs of all sorts. Student films, print ads, extra work (union card!), small venue theatre shows, infomercials, even a romance novel cover, all while paying the rent via mainly waiting tables at The Russian Tea Room. After calling his basement 1 bedroom in Astoria, Queens home for about a year he auditioned for ABC's "One Life to Live"..........five times. Then they chose him. He played "Rex Balsom" on that show for 10 years non-stop until the network canceled it in 2011.

John-Paul has lived in Los Angeles since 2012 and spends much of his time reading novels, exercising, golfing, and hosting the occasional poker game. He can often be found running the paved roads of Beverly Hills or getting absol… Read More