The Joy of Cooking Podcast

Episode: "Jim Meehan: A Casual Culinary Chat About Batch Cocktails"

Date: October 22, 2025
Host: The Joy of Creation Production House
Special Guest: Jim Meehan (bartender, author, cocktail expert)

Episode Overview

This episode serves up a vibrant, informal conversation with Jim Meehan—a multiple James Beard Award-winning bartender and cocktail writer—focusing on the art and practice of batch cocktails, punch, and home bartending. Regular hosts John Becker and Megan Scott, alongside guest host Sarah Marshall, explore kitchen victories, regional culinary quirks, and tips for making memorable cocktails for a crowd. Punch culture, the history and design of bars, and the importance of hospitality all come into play in this warm, knowledge-packed chat, with practical advice for home cooks and amateur mixologists alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Weekly Updates & Food Adventures (00:38–09:55)

• Sarah Marshall recaps her whirlwind food-focused road trip (Sacramento’s Terra Madre, LA’s Cherry Bomb Jubilee), eating steak tips at Harris Ranch and gushing over California avocados and Korean BBQ at Parks in LA.
  • “Anything that they'll do table-side, I’m a fan... Tableside Caesar salad, I’m always stoked.” —Sarah (08:02)
• John Becker & Megan Scott share kitchen tales (Khao Man Gai cooked at home, Cincinnati Chili experiments with ramen and Tillamook cheddar, food poisoning woes).
• Light-hearted banter about car snacks, regional cheese preferences, and the art of not overcooking at Korean BBQ.

Notable Quote:
“Anything that fizzes in your mouth.”
—John Becker, joking about zotz vs. Pop Rocks (01:35)

2. Introducing Jim Meehan & His Culinary Life (09:55–15:18)

• Introducing Jim: Cocktail legend, writer, consultant, and former New York & Portland bartender.

• Family Food Culture: Jim describes balancing elaborate food interests with kids who just aren’t food-obsessed.

  • “I find that...dinner time...was the only time we were all together. And it was a sit down kind of...formal meal...with my kids, ironically...our kids don’t love food the way my wife and I love food. They don’t care about dining at all.” —Jim Meehan (13:18)

• Legacy of Joy of Cooking: Jim’s grandma as family gourmet, her Joy of Cooking as a formative influence.

3. Designing Bar Programs—From Swag to Structure (17:31–24:54)

• Bar Consulting Process: Jim explains how most bars bring him in too late—when it’s hard to make a real difference.
  • “Usually...six weeks before they open, they call me and say, ‘hey, we want cocktails’...the list of needs for me has gotten too long...I need to be involved at the design stage.” —Jim (19:43)
• Form Follows Function: Bar design and layout matter deeply—Meehan’s books provide blueprints.
• Hospitality DNA: Good design, staff training, and creating “a sense of belonging.”
  • Importance of host stand, cocktail tools, and how decor signals inclusivity.

Notable Quote:
“Making drinks is cooking, full stop...if you open a restaurant and want to serve cocktails, the beverage person should be involved in all the decisions related to design.”
—Jim Meehan (21:40)

4. Home Bar Wisdom (25:44–29:04)

• Home Bar Setup: Start small—pick one drink you love (like a Negroni), perfect it, then branch out.
  • “As a home bartender, find a drink you love, work on mastering it...then try a Boulevardier or a Spritz...one degree of Kevin Bacon away.” —Jim (28:14)
• Store bar supplies near a sink and garbage; no need for extravagant tools or dozens of bottles.
• Pandemic’s impact on home mixology: “The home bar is where the craft cocktail zeitgeist is being incubated right now during...a bit of a dark age...” (25:57)

5. The Case for Punch & Batching Cocktails (47:03–54:15)

[Listener Hotline Question] (47:03)

"I'm hosting a party and want to pre batch some cocktails...suggestions?"

• Meehan’s Solution: Batch Punch!

  • Why Punch? Encourages gathering, easy to serve, flexible, can be creative with garnish/glassware.
  • “If you are having a party, mixing a bowl of punch is just...it becomes a sort of hive of activity...Punch really brings everybody together.” —Jim (49:39, 53:12)

• Practical Tips:

  • Use small glasses to keep guests coming back to the bowl
  • Make a simple, crowd-pleasing punch (like green tea punch: sencha, mint, lime, white rum, sugar, clear ice)
  • Let guests self-serve; it’s okay to “hand over the ladle”
  • Overwrought garnishes can be a distraction from the liquid—aim for attractive, simple service instead (cute glassware, perhaps nutmeg or clear ice for punch)
  • If batching cocktails vs punch, keep the recipe simple and scaleable

Notable Quote:
“A punch bowl will take the heat off your Negroni station...people have to keep coming back to refill, and I find that just, it's...kind of heaven.”
—Jim Meehan (49:39–51:23)

6. Cocktail & Recipe Deep Dives

• “Joy Tea” Origin Story (47:26)

  • Home-infused vodka with black tea, simple syrup, water, shaken over ice, lemon slice—a simplified Long Island Iced Tea without the excess.
  • “It says it’s going to be bitter basically if I [make the syrup with the tea], so I didn’t make it, but had full intention.” —Sarah (48:36)

• The Penicillin (57:51)

  • Modern classic whiskey cocktail; a riff on whiskey sour & hot toddy flavors.
    • Muddle ginger & lemon, honey, blended Scotch, shake, then float peaty Scotch.
  • “I love the peaty Scotch smell on top...so delicious.” —Megan (58:32)

• Regional Cocktail Corner: Wisconsin Old Fashioned (55:24)

  • Made with brandy, muddled citrus, cherries, sugar, topped with Sprite or soda (the "press"), sometimes pickled veggies.
  • “Wisconsin is a magical place...the weird sense of performative shame most Americans feel about their drinking habit does not exist in Wisconsin.” —Jim (55:36)
  • “Sort of a cherry Coke for adults.” —Jim (57:28)

7. Philosophy, Inspiration & History in Cocktails

• Recipe Specificity & Storytelling: Jim’s recipes are exact so others can replicate—and so history doesn’t get lost.

  • “The recipes are nice...but the bartenders loved...the diagram of how PDT is set up...that was universally regarded as the most valuable part of the book.” —Jim (22:47)
  • “If you develop a recipe with ingredients you can source around the world...other people can make it. Recipes that others can make reliably are incredibly valuable.” —Jim (34:04)

• On Tradition, Creativity, and Memory:

  • Cocktail creation likened to jazz and poetry—a “continuous presentness of the past.”
  • “Cocktails are a distinctly American culinary [art]...improvisational, like jazz...take a standard and solo on it.” —Jim (42:23–45:23)
  • “A drink can trigger a memory...that is the power of making cocktails” (36:29)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Role of the Bartender:
  “I find that the process of pulling guest shifts is both very exciting and very terrifying...when I left, you know, the bar, it was actually, it was something I love doing and was very good at. And now when I jump behind a bar, it is like riding a bike. But you're like not a very good bike rider.” —Jim Meehan (11:13)

• On Home Bartending & the Pandemic:
  “The home bar is...where the craft cocktail zeitgeist is being incubated right now...” —Jim (25:57)

• On Sharing Recipes:
  “I don’t think sharing all your recipes is going to shut down restaurants or bars. If anything, it inspires people...People go out to meet people and try their drinks...Drinks are social lubricants, teleportation devices.” —Jim (36:29)

• On Regionality and Adapting Bar Culture:
  “If you want to make a house blend of Amaro...do it for your own sake...but I would actually not...make a blend. The glory of a well-tested recipe is that it’s replicable.” —Jim (32:30–34:04)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:38–03:46: Intros, car snack banter, road trip food
• 09:55–13:18: Jim Meehan’s introduction and food at home
• 17:31–21:40: Bar program design, consulting process, "making drinks is cooking"
• 25:44–29:13: Setting up a home bar, home mixology
• 29:53–34:09: Amaro blends, recipe philosophy, accessibility
• 47:03–54:15: Hotline question—batch cocktails, punch philosophy, party hosting
• 55:24–57:28: Wisconsin Old Fashioned—a regional cocktail spotlight
• 57:51–58:32: Joy Scouts Cocktail of the Week: The Penicillin

What They’re Cooking and Eating (60:28–62:27)

• John & Megan: Chicken chili verde, green tomato chow-chow, requests for bland food recipes (Megan’s recovering from illness)
• Jim Meehan: Pasta week in anticipation of an event with Joshua McFadden (“Six Seasons” salad, spaghetti & meatballs)

Where to Find & Follow

• Jim Meehan: Instagram @ixography
• Podcast: joyofcooking.substack.com | Instagram @thejoyofcooking | Bookstore at bookshop.org/shop/joyofcooking

Recommended Reads & Recipes

• Punch!: David Wondrich’s “Punch”
• Meehan’s Books: PDT Cocktail Book, Meehan’s Bartender Manual, The Bartender’s Pantry
• Joy of Cooking: Try the “Penicillin” (p. 24) or “Joy Tea” (p. 22) from the 2019 edition

This episode is a rich, convivial primer on making drinks for a crowd, why bar design matters, and how hospitality is at the heart of all good food and drink. Whether you're curious about the nuts and bolts of home bar setups, want to impress with a crowd-pleasing punch bowl, or love lore from the frontlines of American bars, Jim Meehan’s advice and stories will keep you inspired and thirsty for more.