Wyld Pours

The Curated Cup

Wyld Pours is your offbeat guide to bold spirits, unfiltered conversations, and the wild world of beverages. Formerly Distilled: Legends & Lore, the show is now a spirited exploration of what's in your glass, and who’s behind it. From bottle battles and blind pours to raw conversations with distillers, brewers, vintners, and bar pros, we go off the beaten path with every episode. If you love sipping something strange, discovering underrated gems, and guessing what’s in the glass, this is your pour. Hosted by Yakira, aka The Curated Cup. Cheers!

  1. 2025-09-26

    S2 E01: How To Elevate Your Cocktail Experiences with The Cocktail Contessa

    In this episode we are treated to a cocktail masterclass with the one and only Cocktail Contessa aka Heather Wibbels. Join us as she guides us through using sensory to craft elevated cocktail experiences. Key Moments:(00:00) Intro (05:11) Bourbon and bitters class (06:03) Find your old fashioned (06:22) Your palate changes (08:24)Choosing a cocktail (09:06)The Whiskies (09:40) The Amari (14:12) Choosing the spirit, amaro combination (16:00) First cocktail (17:25) Choosing to add or not add bitters (19:52) How to choose fruit for garnishing vs juicing (21:31) Try black manhattans at different temperatures (23:16) Building a cocktail (29:47) How bitters change a cocktail (37:57) Second cocktails (44:20) Comparing second cocktail notes (47:00) Third cocktail (49:17) Dankness and balance in cocktails (56:52) Who is Heather Wibbels? (01:00:22) Comparing three Black Manhattans (01:02:02) What’s that flavor? (01:03:44) Taste testing amari (01:05:23) The Origin of Cocktail Contessa (01:07:47) Who is a whiskey drinker? (01:10:00) Blind Tasting (01:14:15) Your palate is actually okay (01:17:51) Ordering what you want at a bar/restaurant (01:20:13) Favorites of cocktails we made (01:22:15) Sipping cold vs room temperature (01:29:37) Flavor differences between palates are okay (01:30:56) Different is how you define why something is better (01:32:48) All experiences are informativ (01:38:14) The reality of glassware in bars/restaurants 1:38:14 (01:41:08) Expectations of a whisky drinker (01:44:02) The role of memory in cocktail experience (01:49:46) What makes a whiskey drinker a whiskey enthusiast (01:52:14) Whiskey [more than] neat (01:53:19) The hazmat people (01:54:11) Creme brûlée cinnamon or churro cinnamon (01:57:11) Elevated cocktails (02:00:32) One person, dead or alive, you’d want to sip with (02:02:20) Drinking with Thanos (02:05:18) New book (02:11:24) Are low sugar, low carb cocktails possible? (02:12:56) Having a healthy relationship with alcohol (02:15:40) Flights + Comparison + Sensory Base Black Manhattan recipe from the episode: 2 oz bourbon or rye1 oz amaro1 dash (8-10 drops) of bitterslemon peel garnish Rye whiskey from the episode: Castle and Key Restoration RyeRussell's Reserve 6 yr RyeNew Riff Single Barrel Rye Amari from the episode: Amaro BraulioAmaro CioCiaroAmaro MontenegroForo Amaro For more on amari checkout Heather’s recent post - https://www.cocktailcontessa.com/whiskey-and-amaro-cocktail-playground/ Follow Heather on Instagram @cocktail_contessa Hit follow to be notified of future episodes.⁠ Follow us on Instagram⁠ Every week we share explorations in flavor, sipping, and curated experiences. Join the newsletter to follow the journey

    2 tim 20 min

Om

Wyld Pours is your offbeat guide to bold spirits, unfiltered conversations, and the wild world of beverages. Formerly Distilled: Legends & Lore, the show is now a spirited exploration of what's in your glass, and who’s behind it. From bottle battles and blind pours to raw conversations with distillers, brewers, vintners, and bar pros, we go off the beaten path with every episode. If you love sipping something strange, discovering underrated gems, and guessing what’s in the glass, this is your pour. Hosted by Yakira, aka The Curated Cup. Cheers!