It was the original tenant that occupied the space on the corner of Congress and 5th St. until the 1950s. It was also Tucson’s first soda fountain, general store, and pharmacy. Today, it’s a modern expression of a shake-and-stir society that laid the foundation for the cocktail scene generations ago, and the site of this weekend’s broadcast – Martin Drug Co.!

Mark Whittaker, Matt Russell, Chef Ben Caballero, Sandy Ford & Leah Schwersinski

Our celebrity co-host was Mark Whittaker, food and beverage writer for the Tucson Weekly and the guy behind the Tucson Home Skillet blog. Mark shared some of the developments making food news these days, and got us current on his “culinary headbanging” tour. We were also joined by Jane McCollum of the Marshall Foundation who revealed all the details on the upcoming Main Gate Square Culinary Challenge.

Matt’s first ever Singapore Sling. Cheers!

Martin Drug Company’s director of operations Sandy Ford then walked us through her cocktail culture at this uber-hip lounge with the furry walls, as well as updating us on some major renovation projects at her two other concepts, HUB and Playground. We also heard from HUB executive chef Ben Caballero who teased us with a few potential new dishes for his next menu. How about red beans and rice with cajun shrimp, andouille sausage, and braised pork shank? Or maybe the house-made chorizo and shrimp-stuffed relleno, or crab-stuffed chicken breast with rice pilaf? We vote for all of them!

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:44 — 37.6MB)