Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy step away from bourbon for a rare tequila-focused Happy Hour, pouring LALO Tequila Blanco and finding a surprisingly smooth, easy-sipping pour with notes of agave, citrus, tropical fruit, and a little creaminess on the palate. Tony tries tequila because of Passover restrictions, Fingers brings the bottle on a recommendation from a liquor store clerk, and the two of them try to figure out whether this blanco belongs in the liquor cabinet at around $45 a bottle.

The guys spend most of the episode digging into what makes this tequila work, why it drinks easier than expected, and whether tequila fans would see LALO as a legit sipping option. The Alec Bradley Safe Keepings Toro is along for the ride, but this Happy Hour really belongs to the bottle.

Also in the mix: a little talk about news, travel, cast iron cooking, and the usual Eat Drink Smoke Happy Hour wandering into places it probably didn’t plan to go.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Alec Bradley Safe Keepings Toro, a 6x52 Nicaraguan puro, and try to figure out exactly what’s going on with a cigar that’s being described as Maduro but doesn’t quite look the part. Along the way, they break down the draw, the construction, the clean, easygoing flavor profile, and whether this stick does enough at around $13 per cigar to earn a place in the humidor.

Also in this Happy Hour episode: a spirited discussion about crunchy vs. creamy peanut butter, whether Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were ruined by corporate corner-cutting, and why some companies are determined to “improve” things nobody asked them to touch. The guys also get into whiskey exports, AI cheating in college, airline baggage-fee chaos, and the general decline in common sense.

It’s cigars, food, a little outrage, and the kind of conversation that makes Eat, Drink, Smoke Happy Hour what it is.

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Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy light up the Murcielago from Espinosa Cigars, a 6x52 box-pressed Toro with a Mexican San Andreas wrapper and Nicaraguan binder and filler, and debate whether this bold stick is really a medium or if it lands much closer to full-bodied. The guys break down the cigar’s spice, oak, richness, and strength, while Fingers tries to smoke through a self-inflicted lunch injury that left him with what can only be described as a medically significant fat lip.

Then they pour Redwood Empire Emerald Giant Rye Whiskey Cask Strength, coming in at 115.4 proof, and it immediately becomes one of those bottles that stops the conversation in its tracks. Tony and Fingers talk through the nose, the lack of ethanol heat, the rye spice, oak, citrus, cinnamon-roll sweetness, and whether this cask-strength rye is not only liquor-cabinet worthy, but one of the best pours they’ve had on the show in a long time.

Also in this episode: a major Costco cookware recall, Fingers’ continuing cast iron skillet education, a conversation about what to do when a cigar hits a little too hard, and a look at rising prices everywhere from cigars to used cars. The guys also dig into several stories in News of the Week, including Byron Allen buying late-night TV time from CBS, more layoffs at ESPN, gas-powered leaf blower bans, a self-driving car that killed a duck near a park, and Lowe’s investing heavily in training tradespeople for the future.

And because it wouldn’t be Eat, Drink, Smoke without it, there’s also talk of Defiance Beef, chest freezers full of meat, YouTube studio upgrades, cigar notebooks, and the kind of wandering conversation that only happens when bourbon, cigars, and a couple of microphones are involved.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.