Most of us know Willie Geist from his smart, very charming on-screen presence on Sunday Todayand Morning Joe. But Geist is more than a TV anchor and accomplished journalist.
He’s a husband (married his childhood sweetheart!) and a dad to two children. In high school, Geist was the captain of both the football and basketball teams. In 2021, he ran the New York City Marathon and raised money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help fund Parkinson’s Disease research. He has even acted, playing a fictionalized version of himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm. To cap it all off, Geist has a very specific claim to fame in the food and beverage world.
Related: What Willie Geist Eats To Fuel a Morning Anchoring the Today Show and Morning Joe (Exclusive)
In an episode of Be My Guest With Ina Garten, Geist went over to Ina Garten’s house in East Hampton and told the Barefoot Contessa that during his senior year of high school in 1993, he and a buddy had some free time, so they enrolled at the Metropolitan Bartending School. “And we were co-valedictorians,” Geist tells Garten.
That’s why when Parade caught up with Geist before his Sunday Sitdown Live interview with the one and only Ina Garten, we couldn’t help but pick his brain about his go-to cocktails to shake or stir when hosting.
Related: Willie Geist’s ‘Pipe Dream’ Came True and ‘Exceeded’ His Expectations (Exclusive)
Willie Geist’s Go-To Cocktail
“What’s funny is my go-to drink requires absolutely no bartending skill whatsoever,” Geist told Parade backstage at City Winery in New York City. “It’s a bourbon with a splash of ginger ale, a little lime and really just put your finger in the top and twirl it around.” How much ginger ale? According to Geist, it “really depends on the quality of the bourbon. If it’s really good, you don’t want to taint it with the ginger ale.” No matter what, though, he will always stir the drink “with a little twirl of the finger.”
The combination of bourbon, lime and ginger ale has a delicious balance of sweetness, tartness and fizziness and is a guaranteed happy hour delight. And even if Geist’s methods don’t sound super complicated or 100% professional, if it works for Willie and Ina, it works for us.
Related: ‘Today’s Willie Geist Addresses Sheinelle Jones’ Months-Long Absence
😋😋 SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter🍳🍔
How Willie Geist Approaches Drinks When Hosting
Willie says he’s a bourbon man through and through, but his inner bartender knows that’s not for everyone, so he tells Parade that he’s always ready for “what the situation calls for.”
“I can do a martini, we can do margaritas if it’s summery and we’re outside. Maybe it’s something like that. But generally, honestly, we open up some bottles of wine, people like a High Noon or something in can–we’ll do that.” His aim is to make guests feel comfortable and taken care of, which is great advice for any host.
Related: Willie Geist Calls This Classic Ina Garten Recipe His ‘Go-To’ (Exclusive)