On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Noah Rothbaum, a author of “The Whiskey Bible: A Complete Guide to the World’s Greatest Spirit,” among others.

In the book - and in the interview - Rothbaum shares everything you ever wanted to know about whiskey, and more, including the pivotal role of Jewish immigrants in bringing whiskey to America.

“In many ways, American Jews invented whiskey in this country or at least helped popularize it, around the turn of the century, the late 1800s to 1900s,” Rothbaum explains. Because of the laws of kashrut, Jews were accustomed to making their own alcohol in the old country; a skill they brought with them when they started emigrating to America and Canada.

“Fortunately the rules for making spirits are a lot simpler than the rules for making wine,” he explains. “Most whiskey by its very nature is kosher … because there's only really three ingredients: water, yeast and grain. … The fourth ingredient is the barrel, because all whiskey comes off the still clear; the color and so much of the flavor comes from the barrel.”

“The Whiskey Bible” contains more than 600 pages of knowledge, history, and stellar recipes from bartenders from around the world, including one from Sam Ross, called "penicillin."

When Rothbaum asked where the name came from, Ross said that when he was smelling the cocktail - the different kinds of notes from the whiskey and the honey ginger syrup and the citrus - it reminded him of chicken soup aka Jewish penicillin.

More than anything, Rothbaum wants to elevate people’s knowledge of and confidence in drinking whiskey.

“I wanted folks to feel empowered and savvy.” Rothbaum says. When someone hears something about whiskey, whether it's from their colleague, a know-it-all friend or they see a movie where somebody's drinking it, they can pull out “The Whiskey Bible, flip to that page or section and see what’s what.

Noah Rothbaum shares his journey into the world of whiskey, numerous whiskey facts and points of history, and Sam Ross’ penicillin recipe, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

Get “The Whiskey Bible” at your favorite bookstore and follow @Noah_Rothbaum on Instagram. For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Alan Silberberg, an award-winning author, cartoonist and children’s TV creator, whose latest book is “The Bagel Who Wanted Everything.” This funny, heart-warming story of a plain bagel’s quest to see what else is out there in the world is the latest in his series of silly kids’ books about Jewish food; other titles include “P is for Pastrami” and “Meet the Latkes.”

When asked what it’s like to be in his head, Silberberg says, “”It's like going up a really beautiful hill that sometimes you trip and then fall very fast into a big, splashy pool of chicken soup. I'm up, down, making things up … coming up with characters; it's a fun life.”

Silberberg loves drawing food; it’s the gateway to every kid, every family.

“It's like a muscle memory for your tummy,” Silberberg says. “There aren't enough good funny stories about food, especially Jewish food; I have the Jewish funny food niche.”

Silberberg shares his journey from loving to doodle, to working in kids TV, to author. He also talks about his favorite Jewish foods, bagel preferences, fun with food characters, and how to live an everything bagel kind of life.

“My books allow kids to enter the story and not identify as the kid, but go, ‘Oh, I'm kind of like that bagel,’” Silverberg says. “There's something safe about … being able to connect [and identify] with a food.”

To learn more about Alan Silverberg go to silberbooks.com and follow @alan_silberberg on Instagram. Read the article at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.

On this episode of Taste Buds with Deb, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Trisha Pérez Kennealy, owner and culinary educator of the Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, MA.

A proud Puerto Rican Jewish woman, Kennealy lived in Puerto Rico until she was 12, at which time her family moved to Massachusetts. She says she is like “Juanita Epstein” from the “Welcome Back Kotter” TV show.

“What I love about both my Jewish religion and my Puerto Rican heritage is that they both are inspired by a diversity of experience,” she says. “[As Jews], what we eat and how we celebrate is so tied to [our] family’s [origin]; everything is so symbolic.

“Likewise, in Puerto Rico, we spend a lot of time around that [multigenerational] table … food is really an important part of the way we spend time together, the way we take care of one another.”

Soup is a definite common ground between the cultures. “I am a big believer that everyone should know how to make chicken soup, because it's the base; chicken stock can be used to do so many different things,” she says. “It really is good for you.”

Kennealy talks about her background, heritage, and love for being a culinary educator - especially around the globe, along with tips for entertaining and hospitality. She also shares her recipe for mofongo and matzo ball soup, which you can find at JewishJournal.com/podcasts.

For more cooking inspiration, follow @trishaperezkennealy on Instagram.

For more from Taste Buds, subscribe on iTunes and YouTube, and follow @TheDEBMethod on social media.