ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC ABOUT AMERICA? Despite recording from a sun-drenched back patio on a postcard perfect Autumn afternoon, anxiety is running high among the 3Q3D crew. This year, October’s beauty is bittersweet, with red and blue political signs competing with Fall’s glorious oranges and golden yellows - and raising the nation’s collective blood pressure. But is everything truly terrible, as Matt initially suggests? Or is America making a slow and often imperceptible march toward a brighter future, as the ever-optimistic Chris seems to believe? As the team explores both the pessimistic and optimistic sides of America (and the future of humanity), one thing is for sure: today’s drinks pair perfectly with Fall, and in true 3Q3D fashion, this conversation gets better with every sip.*  
*This message was NOT written by ChatGPT. (Or was it??!)  
DRINKS IN THIS EPISODE:  
APPLEJACK RABBIT >> 2 oz bonded apple brandy; 3/4 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 3/4 oz orange juice, freshly squeezed; 1/2 oz grade B maple syrup. Add the apple brandy, lemon juice, orange juice and maple syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. This refreshing drink makes a delightful companion in voting booths everywhere.  
MAPLE WHISKEY SOUR >> 2 oz whiskey; 1 egg white* (optional); 1 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice; 3/4 oz maple syrup; 2–3 shakes Angostura bitters (optional). If using the egg white, add whiskey and egg white to a cocktail shaker and vigorously shake for 15-20 seconds until the egg white is very frothy.  (If not using the egg white, you can skip this step.) Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, bitters (if using) and a handful of ice to the shaker, and shake for a few seconds to combine and chill the drink.  Have your robot butler strain and serve immediately in a glass over ice while you enjoy the latest movie on your Apple Vision Pro glasses, just as Amanda would prefer.  
RUSTY NAIL >> 1 1/2 oz scotch; 3/4 oz Drambuie; Add the scotch and Drambuie into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube and toast to our new AI overlords.  
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