Get an inside look at the great brews and events happening at Azalea City Brewing Company in Palatka, Florida, as the Boozy Blondes share drinks with brewery owner, Andrea Conover. Andrea always said “someone should open a brewery here in Palatka.” Turns out, she became that person, and Azalea City opened on Thanksgiving Day 2020! Now, over two years later Azalea City has become a community gathering place, hosting numerous events and serving delicious and creative craft brews!
The girls chat in Azalea’s courtyard enjoying the Coffee Cream Ale, a 5% cream ale with a powerful roasted coffee scent, Ravine Red, a 4.3% Irish Red Ale and the seasonal 5.5% Peppermint Stout. Andrea shares that she had no prior brewing experience before opening Azalea, but she wanted to bring something revitalizing to Palatka. She did her research, traveling around the state to check out other breweries (sounds familiar, doesn’t it – she could totally be a Boozy Blonde!) as the old Coca Cola bottling plant transformed into Azalea City Brewing Company.
Before they officially opened head brewer Eli would brew ten gallons at a time, and the team would share these beers at local festivals and events to promote the new brewery. You can still find them at these events today in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Gainesville, Palatka and Deland.
Azalea City hosts 20 taps of its own beers and hard seltzers and also offers wine. While they don’t have a kitchen (yet), there is always a food truck out back serving up something delicious to complement all the beers!
Be sure to follow Azalea City on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for their weekly newsletter to keep up with all the events they are hosting and attending, music and food truck schedules and new beer releases!
Tune in as the blondes recap their visit to historic downtown Sanford, Florida, a hidden gem of bars and breweries located just northeast of downtown Orlando. At the time of this recording, there are over 20 boozy destinations within a few walkable blocks. This episode covers fifteen of them, so settle in with your favorite libation, and take notes – there is a lot to see (hear) here!
The first stop on the boozy tour was Dees Brothers Brewery. Dees Brothers believe there’s a beer our there for everyone, and they brew them. Molly had a flight with Radler, a 4% lager, Centennial Blonde, a 4.5% blonde ale, Beans & Brew, a 5.2% English ale with coffee and vanilla, and Cotswold Ale, a Dees Brothers core beer, an English Amber Ale at 4.2%. Chrissy had the Wild Tonic Hard Kombucha, raspberry and goji rose flavor at 5.6%.
This was a great place to start because they have a full kitchen and offer vegan cheese, so the blondes split a grilled cheese and mac and cheese. The food is fantastic here!
After Dees Brother, the girls headed towards Suffering Bastard inside of Tuffy’s Bottle Shop & Lounge, but got distracted by Loggerhead Distillery which they passed on the route. John, who was working, welcomed the group in and they sampled all Loggerhead has to offer – vodka, gin, moonshine, rum, bourbon, etc, etc. Chrissy’s favorite was the Apple Pie Moonshine and Molly’s favorite was the Key Lime gin, bottles of both of which left the distillery with the girls.
After tasting all that Loggerhead had to offer, it was time to eat again, and thankfully, Suffering Bastard offers food along with its amazing selection of craft cocktails. The blondes had a reservation here because this speakeasy is small and very popular. Chrissy ordered the State Puff Painkiller (this drink had been on her radar for years!) and Molly ordered the beginner level Mai Tai (beginner level was not by choice). These drinks were accompanied by the potstickers, pork sliders and dragon fruit sliders.
The pub crawl continued from here. Next stop was The Sullivan Public House, a great Irish gastropub with live music and snug where the group got to sit. Molly drank a Guinness and Chrissy had Jameson and ginger.
Moving on towards home, there was one more stop on the tour – the Wild Wild West End Honky-Tonk Saloon. Unfortunately the night gets a little fuzzy here for the blondes – they put a lot of drinking time in up to this point! This bar is a Sanford live music pillar and it recently added a courtyard, which had a food truck parked here, so Chrissy ordered chips and guac while Molly ordered shots.
This concluded night one in Sanford, and day two was just as busy/boozy! The girls met up with Florida Hop Mama, Ashley at Celery City Craft. Armed with Brew-Hoos (Yoohoo, Irish whiskey and espresso vodka) and a flight, the blondes chatted with fellow blonde boozer Ashley outside in the beautiful courtyard. Celery City offers over 50 beers on tap and has a full bar. Sushi & Seoul provides the food on site, and though the girls didn’t eat here, the plates look delicious!
While the blondes were at Celery City, their husbands enjoyed some time across the street at The Station. This sports bar has a firehouse theme and even an Air B&B upstairs! If your favorite team is playing while in town, this is where you want to catch the game.
For lunch, the blondes made reservations for the The Old Jailhouse. Formerly a jail, the building still has the original prison cell block door and prisoner ledger! The craft cocktails were delicious – Chrissy had a rum and ginger and Molly had the fall specialty drink, Witches Trial – gin, lime juice, Cardamaro, Cherry Heering, Peychaud’s Bitters, House Serrano Chile & Fennel Seed Syrup.
After lunch the girls headed home for a break before the evening stops which started at Deviant Wolfe Brewing. Four friends started this brewery who was to promote balance in an active lifestyle, community involvement, accepting environmental responsibility and socializing with friends and family all while enjoying craft beer. The girls split a flight and really enjoyed the Sourmanjaro. It’s a 5.1% kettle soured blonde ale conditioned on African coffee beans – such a unique flavor! They also loved the Besitos de Coco, a 5.9% toasted coconut and vanilla bean brown ale.
From here, the girls made a pit stop at Henry’s Depot Food Hall & Cocktail Bar. They were looking for espressos, but the coffee shop was closed. This is a great place for a group with different culinary preferences because everyone can order from different restaurants, but sit together either inside or outside.
After checking out Henry’s, they made their way to Tuffy’s – host to Suffering Bastard where they went the night before. Tuffy’s is huge, and to the girls’ delight, they had espresso martinis on tap (Chrissy) and Lavender Tom Collins on tap (Molly)! The girls were in heaven! Tuffy’s offers a fall bar, fire pits, live music, creative seating (an airstream, pontoon boat, etc) and plenty of games like bocce and cornhole.
To end the night, the girls visited Hollerbach’s Willow Tree, a long-standing Sanford staple. What started in 2001 with 7 employees has expanded to add a rooftop beer garden with 70 employees! Hollerbach’s offers an authentic German experience with German bands, German food and German boot-drinking challenges! Here they ate dinner and enjoyed old fashioneds (Chrissy) and mules (Molly). Next time the girls will attempt the das boot challenge!
Molly left town the next morning, but Chrissy kept the boozy tour going! She started with the Food Truck Wars taking place that morning and moved to Community Brew House. If you are a home brewer, this is the place for you – from supplies to classes, you can get all you need to take your brew game to the next level. This brewery offers small, artisan batches to foster new ingredients and new ideas. Chrissy enjoyed a pumpkin sour here. While they don’t have a kitchen, you can bring outside food here.
From here was Wops Hops, Sanford’s first micro-brewery. Chrissy enjoyed a flight here to include Cloudy Jen (named after her beertender!), a 6.8 New England Hazy IPA, Pope’s Poison, 5.9% spiced/herbed beer, Cyn City, a 4.4% strawberry kiwi sour and Moles & Assets, a 4.5% nitro stout with molasses.
The grand finale on this Sanford Trip was the city’s namesake, Sanford Brewing Company. In the heart of historic downtown Sanford, this brewery has over 100 seats offering craft beer, meads, ciders and specialty sodas. Chrissy had the Resting Beri Face Sour and loved it – until it made her sick later because it contains lactose, which she didn’t know when she ordered it. The brewery has a kitchen and live music.
Lushes, if you enjoy great drinks, creative brews and delicious food, make Sanford a must-visit destination on your list. The girls insist, this town will not disappoint their fellow booze travelers. Cheers!
Patti Southard and Wayne Lake opened Casa de Vino 57 about five years ago. From day one, their goal was to make everyone who visited the cozy wine bar tucked away on Treasury Street in St. Augustine feel like friends and family. The Boozy Blondes can attest – they felt so welcome and comfortable chatting with Patti and Wayne, they hung out for three hours after the interview, only dragging themselves away when their husbands said it was getting late and they were coming to pick them up!
While Wayne stuck to water during the interview, Patti enjoyed a glass of sparkling pinot noir rose, and the blondes shared a wine flight, which looked more like a wine tower! They loved the presentation of the flight and were told to drink from the bottom to the top (lighter wines are on the bottom of the flight and the wines get bolder as they go up).
Patti and Wayne got together years ago over their love of wine and dreamed of opening a wine bar. Wayne had years of experience working with wine, and Patti had years of experience drinking wine! Perfect! They found the property at 57 Treasury Street which included a beautiful courtyard and apartment above the downstairs bar. The original structure was the Joaneda House and built in 1806. It is one of the ten oldest structures in St. Augustine on the narrowest street in all of America!
In addition to its boutique wine selections, Casa de Vino 57 also offers beer and wine-based cocktails as well as amazing charcuterie boards with vegan cheese options! They host monthly wine walks and Full Moon Tastings as well as live music Thursdays – Sundays! You can join the Wine Club and schedule private wine tastings.
Be sure to follow Casa de Vino 57 on Facebook and Instagram and keep up with their website to stay in the know for all the fun events!
The Boozy Blondes are still apart! But they see the light at the end of the tunnel and are excited to meet up in Miami a few days following their Happy Hour call! They have both been busy being boozy since their last chat and discuss new places they’ve been, fat-washing bourbon and martini mix-offs!
Molly is still enjoying St. Augustine and took some out-of-town friends around the downtown area enjoying local favorites like Cantina Reina, The Floridian and No Name (The Bar with No Name). She also spent some time in The Villages at the new square Sawgrass Grove and hit up Crooked Can in Winter Garden.
Chrissy continued her mountain exploring and loved the new places she stumbled upon – Roadside Distilling and Hiawassee Brew! Roadside Distilling is in the appropriately named Pappy’s Plaza in Blairsville, Georgia, and is the largest distillery in the state! Visitors are offered a five-free-samples flight when they arrive (awesome!) and Chrissy enjoyed the chocolate peanut butter old fashioned after sampling. She “hiked” Bell Mountain and took in the stunning views with a can of Owl’s Brew Boozy Tea then enjoyed a flight from Hiawassee Brew.
During her down time, Chrissy binged Drink Masters and was inspired to fat-wash some bourbon. She tried her first batch with sesame oil, and it was a success! Fat washing infuses unique flavors to your booze, and when done correctly, won’t over-power the taste! Make sure to look up the correct proportions when you try this at home – each flavor uses its own ratio.
Be sure to follow the Boozy Blondes on Instagram so you can vote on your favorite martini in the martini mix-off challenge. The girls will be reunited soon and recording back in person – they can’t wait! Special shout outs to Hilary at Currahee Brewing and Jose, host of @4everacreskitchen this week! Cheers!
So sad – the Boozy Blondes are still apart! But you can eavesdrop on their happy hour call when you listen to this episode!
Backed by the marsh and the Florida sun, Molly is drinking 903 BrewersBirthday Xtrafunfetti Sasquatch Imperial Stout (11.3% double milk imperial stout – not pictured – that was her pre-call cocktail) while Chrissy took in the view high in the mountains sipping on wine from her Wine Insiders shipment (listen to Episode 011 – Booze Delivery: Winc, Wine Insiders, Beer Drop, Drizly and More! to learn about great booze delivery services tested by the blondes).
Back in St. Augustine after a cold Christmas in PA, Molly has been enjoying her favorite bars downtown and the laid back beach bars (listen to Episode 023 – Pub Pedal: St. Augustine Beach Bars: Jack’s BBQ, Salt Life, Beachcombers, Sunset Grille, Mango Mango’s and More!) and finally snagged the Sunset Grille t-shirt! Molly’s parents were in town, so of course, she brought them to Forgotten Tonic to check out the festive Miracle Bar (listen to Episode 004 – Behind the Booze – Forgotten Tonic Interview with John Moore).
Their visit posed a great question – is it okay to drink a Bloody Mary after the morning hours? The girls will reveal the popular vote during their Happy Hour Volume 3 call. Molly says yes, Chrissy says no.
Still in the chilly mountains of north Georgia, Chrissy has been exploring local breweries and came across a hidden gem – White Side Brewing. It sounds like she stumbled upon a Great Gatsby party! Oh, and bonus, Chrissy took 2nd place in the annual Tournament of Champions (TOC)! (Have you had the pleasure of listening to that episode yet?) And after a hike to Sunset Rock, Chrissy enjoyed her well-earned drink at The High Dive in Highlands, NC. Chrissy also raved about her hangover-free wine drinking thanks to the Ullo Wine Filter – try it for yourself and drink more wine! #worthit
The blondes will be reunited again soon, but until then, listen in while their spill their adventures, new boozy concoctions (Chrissy’s Garden Party Spritz is a must-try!) and shout-outs to the special people who made an impact during the week – in this episode shout outs to Rachel Molina (TOC competitor) and John Moore (Forgotten Tonic). Don’t forget to post a question via DM on the Boozy Blondes Instagram – like @chandrasekharkartik did and really stumped Molly.
The Boozy Blondes are on location at Celery City Craft Beer Garden in Sanford, Florida, with @FloridaHopMama (Ashley)! Chrissy found Ashley’s account on Instagram and immediately shared it with Molly. Ashley’s caliber of photography, fabulous style, hilarious reels and her impeccable taste in beers and bars drew the girls in, and Ashley quickly became one of their Boozy idols.
There are a few DOEs today – the blondes are drinking the Irish Coffee Cold Brew-Hoo (Irish whisky, espresso vodka and Yoo-hoo) along with a flight and Ashley is sipping Dream Lock, a hazy IPA.
Ashley shares how she got into the craft beer scene and developed her brand around her love of sharing all the amazing beers she finds. She worked for a local distributor as a promoter and started drinking Kona Big Wave which was her gateway to the craft beer world. She loved the taste and wondered what other beers were out there. She started blogging and created her @FloridaHopMama Instagram account about five years ago. Her business has expanded to freelance social media, photography and content for local businesses.
She tells the girls all about Beer Spa in Orlando – a hopeful Boozy destination for 2023. (Spoiler alert, there is another interview releasing in Season 2 with more Boozy idols – the guys from Pour Another Round podcast – who also partake in a beer spa – Piva Beer Spa in Chicago, IL – and the FOMO is getting real for the blondes!)
Born and raised in central Florida, @FloridaHopMama has so much love for the state, especially the craft beer scene that has grown immensely just in the past five years. “We have good stuff!” she says. “Please come visit!” Make sure to follow her on Instagram to keep up with central Florida events too!
Her future plans include a podcast with @maltymaiden, so look for The Real Beer Moms Podcast coming to everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts sometime soon! Her advice to anyone thinking about starting a blog or podcast or Instagram account or ANYTHING you’re passionate about is to just go for it! Regardless your passion, we all start somewhere and you have no idea where it can take you. Just do it!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Lushes! We are back, ringing in 2023 with Season 2 of the Boozy Blondes Podcast. This season promises more interviews with boozy influencers, owners and brewers, and we can’t wait to share the boozy travels this year has in store for your favorite booze travelers.
Molly and Chrissy are apart for most of the first half of 2023, so they plan to host happy hours with each other to discuss their separate boozy escapades and finds. Tune in to keep up with the adventures, starting with the first episode of Season 2 – episode 028 – releasing January 12, 2023. Chrissy is keeping warm with Brothers Bond bourbon, Owls Brew Boozy Tea, and espresso martinis in chilly Sky Valley, Georgia, while Molly drives south back to sunny Florida after surviving the bitter cold of PA for Christmas.
Special shout outs to the team at Napa South, @chandrasekharkartik and the blondes’ favorite field drinker Tanya! If you have a question for the Boozy Blondes, send a DM to @boozy.blondes on Instagram or email boozyblondespodcast@gmail.com.
They did it! The girls successfully completed Season 1 of the Boozy Blondes Podcast! In this final episode of 2022 they review what went well, where they would like to improve, favorite stops on their adventures and goals for next year.
The DOE is Champagne! Finishing Season 1 calls for a celebration and what better libation than Champagne!
Some fun stats from Season 1:
Instagram Followers: 400+
Listeners: 767 plays across 9 countries over 4 platforms
And some goals for Season 2:
Instagram Followers: prediction!! 1500 followers as of Nov 3, 2023!
Listeners: 1000 listens by the end of 2022
More interviews!
Strategically attracting more booze followers
The girls are extremely grateful for your support and are excited to see where 2023 takes them and this podcast! They are so thankful to have the opportunity to collaborate with and meet boozy friends along this journey and know Season 1 was just the beginning!
An ongoing tradition for the Boozy Blondes is to visit Sky Valley, Georgia, between Christmas and the new year. This episode gives you a raw look into a typical New Year’s Eve celebration during their trip – the annual Tournament of Champions – the favorite Drinking at Home night of the year! This year the group added an extra element to the tournament – Secret Santa onesies! Each player had to wear a onesie chosen by another competitor.
Today there is no DOE. The girls never mention what they are drinking in this episode, but it is very apparent they were overindulging prior to (and during?) recording.
The annual Tournament of Champions involves a bracket-style competition of seven games:
Pool
Shuffleboard
Darts
Foosball
Flip Tac Toe
Blackjack
Asshole
Six competitors go head-to-head to earn points in each game – the player with the most total points at the end wins a coveted spot on the podium. The girls interview the competitors following the 2022 tournament and ask them all the same questions:
Which of the competitors would you choose to battle one on one?
Who had the best onesie?
What game should be added to Tournament of Champions?
Which of the seven games in Tournament of Champions do you play the most in real life?
Who would you trade onesies with?
Listen to this sometimes cringy yet entertaining episode for an uncensored peek into the real world of drinking with the Boozy Blondes, and get to know the other Tournament of Champions competitors a little bit too – Rainer, Joey, Rachel and Phil.
1st place | Joey 2nd place | Chrissy 3rd place | Rachel 4th place | Rainer 5th place | Phil 6th place | Molly
Beware of high-pitched voices!
What are some of your favorite games that would be good for the Boozy Blondes to add to Tournament of Champions for next year? DM the girls on Instagram (@boozy.blondes) with your suggestions!
Wow. Chrissy really has made the podium every year! Impressive!
Get ready, lushes! The Boozy Blondes are sharing their recipe for the best ways to drink at home! Sure, cuddling up with your favorite glass of wine in the best seat in the house qualifies as drinking at home, but this episode takes it to another level. If you’ve been listening to the Boozy Blondes podcast over the past 20-some episodes, you know these girls take their drinking seriously – and always up a notch!
Drinking at Home Recipe (easy!) – 3 parts guests – one hearty serving of libations – a dash of the perfect theme
Mix these together for execution, and voila! Drinking at home just went up a level. The Boozy Blondes have hosted many different themed parties over the years of their friendship and give listeners insight how to recreate some of their faves:
WOW Party – Wine of the World…each guest or couple brings a bottle of wine and dish to share from an assigned country. Put out score cards for wines, and recommend guests bring a food that pairs well with their bottle. Make sampling stations, and enjoy!
Oktoberfest Party – host a night making flower crowns with your friends prior to the event. Create name tags with German names and host a German games competition.
Sports Party – when your favorite team is playing, it’s fun to lean in to the colors. Serve drinks and food that compliment your team’s jerseys!
Crocket Party – this is an oxymoron of a party – it’s a redneck version of croquet in fancy white outfits! Grab those plastic flutes for Champagne, pinkies up while eat tea sandwiches and survive the wickets!
Lockdown during Covid taught the girls to get creative with virtual activities while drinking at home. Virtual Bingo, Beer Pong, Drawful and You Don’t Know Jack were some of the best virtual drinking at home nights.
Yard Game Tournaments are a Boozy Blondes fave! Whether you go all out with team costumes and brackets or just get the gang together to throw horseshoes or bags, a little competition always keeps things interesting! The girls have been team HoboMolecule for at least 15 years now!
Along with yard games, card games and board games add some competition to your drinking at home night. YouTube has a great Power Hour series; the girls especially love the Totally Rad 90s Power Hour!
Hosting a beer tasting at home is a fun way to try new varieties. This has become a tradition for the Boozy Blondes during their annual trip to Sky Valley. Pick out some beers (or ask guests to each bring a six pack), set up sampling stations and download this handy beer tasting sheet! This is a great way to find beers you love – or hate! Be sure to have your camera ready to capture the bitter beer faces!
What are some of your favorite games/themes when drinking at home? Let the Boozy Blondes know in the comments below!
Boozy Blondes 