Show Notes
Chocolate or alcohol? The god of cocoa or the god of wine? In this episode of We Need to Talk About Chocolate, journalist and writer Ed Easton and Melt Chocolates founder Andrew Nason leave the yurt and enter the kitchen - to stage a full-scale showdown between two of humanity’s oldest and most beloved drugs.
Ed is promoted to Bacchus, god of wine. Andrew becomes the Chocolate God.
And together, they run a carefully (and questionably) scientific experiment. Matching calories, exploring ancient rituals, and testing the effects on brain, blood, sleep, mood, and the dreaded next morning, they ask: Why do we celebrate alcohol but feel guilty about chocolate?
Is booze really the better party fuel? And could chocolate deliver the joy without the fallout? From Aztec cacao ceremonies to modern cocktails, from dopamine to antioxidants and hangovers, this episode goes far beyond taste - into culture, chemistry, and the stories we tell ourselves about pleasure.
Because chocolate was never just a treat. And alcohol was never just a drink. And yes… We really do need to talk about chocolate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Chocolate Podcast
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How did Forrest Mars fight his way back into the family business and turn Mars into one of the most powerful companies in the world?
How did Mars go from a failed family candy business to the beginnings of one of the biggest chocolate companies in the world?
In this episode of The Chocolate Podcast, Andrew & Ed Easton roleplay and discuss the life of Lope de Aguirre, a Basque conquistador who fought for Spain in Peru, who was publicly whipped for mistreating indigenous people, hunted down and murdered Judge Esquivel, then joined an El Dorado expedition led by Pedro de Ursúa.
How did Captain Henry Morgan pull off one of the most audacious pirate attacks in history?