Alissa Wilkinson: Gibson (3 ounces gin, 1/2 ounce dry vermouth, onion)

Film Critic for the New York Times, Alissa gives her take on the Oscars, shares some insider info on Siskel and Ebert, discusses the beginning and end of the Golden Age of TV along with some of her favorites from the era, reflects on Joan Dideon’s admiration for John Wayne and Barry Goldwater along with her surprising takes on their present day closest equivalents, and identifies why 9-11 was a before-and-after moment for American filmmaking.

David Grann: Mojito (2 ounces white rum, 1 ounce lime juice, sugar, mint, topped with club soda)

David discusses his early years covering politics on Capitol Hill, how his mother paved the way for women executives in publishing as the first woman CEO of a major publisher and how she eventually agreed that writing was a good career choice for David, describes conversations with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese to review details of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, mentions other authors of narrative history who he admires, identifies his first and most trusted reader of his early drafts, reveals how he organizes his thinking for new projects, names the person from history he’d most like to interview, and gives a tiny and cryptic hint about his upcoming book.

Capt. Karl Anderson: Spanish Manhattan (2 1/2 ounces Pilar rum, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, bitters, garnish with orange rind)

Karl tells of the assignment that his parents gave him when he was a young boy that instilled in him the discipline to become a writer, reminisces about the stories of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig fishing and gunning the same territory that he has, shares the process by which he translates the magical moments he’s had in nature to film and print, assesses whether Michael Jordan is a good sport-fisherman, and shares some advice from his dad.

Wendy Walker: Greyhound (1 1/2 ounces vodka, 2 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice)

Wendy shares the meticulous approach she took to becoming a bestselling author that began with learning what kind of fiction works for the market, describes what she likes about James Patterson's "winning structural formula", describes her early careers as an investment banker with Goldman Sachs and then as a corporate attorney, tells how motherhood brought her out of the workforce then returned her to a career as a novelist, lists the greatest plot twist ever, and reveals the strangest question she's ever gotten at a book event.

Alafair Burke: Vesper Martini (2 ounces gin, 3/4 ounce vodka, 1/2 ounce Lillet Blanc)

Alafair reveals the haunting impressions of growing up in Kansas during the active period of the BTK serial killer and how that time influenced her path to practicing law and writing crime novels, how she applies her experience as a DA to the pages of her crime thrillers, the differences between writing the novel and writing for film and TV, how she might pick the perfect writers' room, how her very successful novelist father feels about her very successful novelist career (and which movie stars her father resembles), and offers a great piece of advice at the end of the show (and at the end of the martini).

Spencer Klavan: scotch

Spencer discusses the brimming culture of intolerance during his years at Yale, art and morality, the inherently required translation in all communication as concepts move from the soul to the page, the varied interplay between science and religion through the millennia, the different types of scotch, makes some amazing book recommendations and chooses a favorite between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

David Coggins: Pilar rum

David Coggins discusses Hemingway’s escapades on his fishing boat Pilar, the secret history of New York’s 21 Club, his process for travel writing and for his Substack: The Contender, what his dad taught him about writing, how there are few Hollywood endings in fishing, the most sought after fishing spot in the world.

Jim Rutenberg: mango spritzer (equal parts mango and club soda)

Jim discusses the Murdoch family dynastic succession, the slow decline of the Big 3 News anchors and the rise of digital media, the unsteady state of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, his time as a reporter for Page 6 during it’s zenith, and offers a helpful reminder as we all enter 2025.