America turns 250, Eat Drink Smoke hits 400, and Tony Katz and Fingers Malloy celebrate with fried apple pie, patriotic cigars, cold beer, and a whole lot of fast-food nostalgia.

The show kicks off with the triumphant return of the deep-fried McDonald’s Hot Apple Pie. Is it smaller than it used to be? Absolutely. Is it basically an apple pie egg roll now? Also yes. But does it still taste like Gen X childhood wrapped in flaky, cinnamon-apple joy? Oh, you better believe it.

Tony and Fingers light up the John Adams from Liberty Cigars, a 6x52 torpedo featuring a Habano wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. Is Liberty Cigars just patriotic shtick, or is there something real happening here? The guys break down the flavor profile, burn issues, construction, price point, and whether the John Adams belongs in your humidor.

Since the Midwest heat index is roughly “surface of the sun,” bourbon takes a backseat to beer. Fingers reviews the Dogfish Head Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager, while Tony tries the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.

Also this week: a TSA traveler allegedly tries to hide smoke grenades in peanut butter, companies second-guess replacing workers with AI, Americans are eating way too many meals in their cars, and a terrifying reminder that wire grill brushes belong in the trash.

Plus, Tony explains why it is Independence Day, not just “the 4th of July,” Fingers admits how many meals he eats in the car, and the guys celebrate America 250 with cigars, beer, apple pie, and sarcasm.

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The drink this week is Jacob’s Pardon Small Batch American Whiskey Batch #2, coming in at 109.3 proof. Tony and Fingers find vanilla, brown sugar, oak, butterscotch, a little heat, and enough flavor to make it a serious contender for the year-end list.

Also on the show: Beyond Meat wants to become a protein drink company. Is that a smart pivot, or should they lean into brisket-flavored beverages and shock the world? Tony and Fingers talk summer foods, ribs, grilling, watermelon feta orzo salad, frozen grapes, and why kale should maybe just go directly into the trash.

Plus, bourbon layoffs continue as the industry faces a serious slowdown. Is it tariffs, changing drinking habits, GLP-1 drugs, oversupply, or all of the above? The guys break it down.

And in News of the Week: the 2027 Masters ticket lottery is open, the White House Correspondents Dinner has been rescheduled, and the FCC says you may want to turn off Bluetooth when you are not using it.

Light up, pour a drink, and enjoy another episode of Eat Drink Smoke.

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They talk about why Connecticut cigars deserve more respect, when this cigar fits best, and whether it earns a spot in the humidor at around $12.

Also on this Happy Hour: the proper way to reheat leftover pizza, why skillet pizza may be the superior method, Tony’s appliance-unplugging habits, cigar humidor headaches, Subway’s continued decline, Eric Clapton getting hit by a fan-thrown record, concert etiquette, Weird Al, Rod Stewart, and a Defiance Beef road trip that may or may not require a flatbed.

Find everything at EatDrinkSmokeShow.com.