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This podcast is to help YOU, our listeners, become more familiar with the Northeast Tennessee community. From the perspective of folks who work and live here, we invite you to come explore all NeTN has to offer and to protect these places we love!
Hey, welcome back to what? Season three. Yep. We're in Tennessee. I still have the script. It'll go away in a second, but here yet again, this is your go to podcast for all things East and the Volunteer State. Join us as we explore the stories and people behind the hidden gems, vibrant cities. Every time this wears me out.
They are. And breathtaking landscapes. We've got you covered. Yeah, we do. Hey, I'm Lera. And I'm Jenna. Am I supposed to say something else? You're not done. Oh wait! You know where we are. Maypop Studio. In downtown Johnson City. Mitch, we're running the show today. Uh, what are we going to explore? We're going to explore the hills with you.
That's what we're going to do. We're the hills. There are many hills that we are here to explore this season. My paper. It's gone. I was told today by Tiny Boss, she was like, Get the papers out of your hands. We're known for waving. Right. We're known for waving them around. They're going to help it. Hey, but we do have a fun story.
It's full of flavor. My favorite flavor. Liquor. No, yeah. I'm just kidding. No, it is, it is a good flavor. A whole lot of liquor. A whole lot of liquor. A whole lot of liquor. And this is really actually a cool story that I didn't know until fairly recently, and I don't even know all the details, so I'm excited for you guys to share it with me.
Um, but we're talking about Long Island iced tea that many people think originated in New York. And went wrong. They are dead wrong. They are wrong. And we're going to tell them all about it today. So this story actually begins in the 1920s, middle of Prohibition. On an island of Long Island, Kingsport.
That's right. Which, I didn't even know that existed. You and a whole lot of other people. Yeah, but we got, uh, Shane Shit. Oh, sorry. Sorry, didn't mean to do that. Try again. Shane? I got a bad mouth every now and then. I didn't know that. It's the liquor. Liquor, yeah. Weininger. Weininger. Shane, and I was looking at it, I'm like, Okay, Jenna, we've practiced that you know the name.
We did practice it. Shane Weininger. is here with us. Um, so he is an award winning bartender. We're going to put his skills to the test. We're going to try one. But before we try one and make one, we're going to hear the story of the Long Island. Absolutely. So we are going to rewind to the 1920s, but we'll go quickly.
Yeah, let's do right. Exactly. So there is a Long Island that is in Kingsport, Tennessee. Once upon a time, it was residential. People were living there. So it was known to be where the bootleggers were during prohibition. That's where you went to get your liquor for people like, especially the local people listening.
Right. You know where Long Island Kingsport is? Is it still called Long Island? So, if you are at Riverfront Seafood, and you are looking across the river where the Domtar baseball fields are located, that is Long Island in Kingsport, Tennessee. Eastman also now occupies a lot of that land, but once upon a time, it was residential.
Um, bootleggers were living there. You would go over to Long Island to get your liquor. Okay. Right? And so we're told, we were told a lot of stories as we were doing this, Um, that if they would get word that the police were on their way, they would throw the liquor into the river to hide it. And then, once the police were gone, if you could go into the river and whatever you could get out, you get to keep.
Whether that's a tall tale or the truth, we'll never know. It was the 1920s. So, a man by the name of Charlie Oldman Bishop created a drink with five liquors. He sweetened it with maple syrup. I like maple syrup. It sounds good. So, fast forward to the 1940s. And his son, Ransom Bishop. How cool of a name is Ransom, by the way?
1940s. He sounds like the son of a bootlegger. He took it and he elevated it to add lemon and lime, a little bit of citrus, and cola. So it gave it that, between the liquors and the cola, it gave it that darker look to fill a little bit. So before the 40s, they're just drinking straight liquor, just a ton of mixed liquors.
Just a whole bunch of liquors with a sweetener in it. Okay. Um, you know, the, the one that New York claims is from the 70s, and it's sweetened with triple sec. So you're a lot earlier than them. This is what makes ours different. 50 years before. The syrup, the maple syrup in there to sweeten it. Um, so that is how the drink came to be.
We put this out there and that's how we started learning a lot of the history. Um, some folks that still reside in Kingsport that are family to the bishops were able to come and talk to us and start telling us how this all came to be and how the drink truly existed and how it became known as tea. How did you figure out that this existed, the story existed of this original Long Island tea?
Oh my gosh, right. We were at a tourism conference, as we argue, and we're sitting there at a restaurant and one of our counterparts opens up his menu and it says Long Island Iced Tea and in parenthesis Kingsport, Tennessee. Now we're, there's a bunch of tourism professionals sitting there and we say, what?
What does that mean? So we started doing our research and come to find out. That's when we discovered. Old man, Charlie Bishop, and his story, and then Ransom, and then, now Shane, and then, and then I was going to say, and then we have Shane, you know, so it's, we took this story, and we ran with it, and developed a campaign, and really just launched it, and staked our claim on, we are the home of the original.
Then what? Away we went. And away we went. Then the fun began. Norm brings out a little mad about that, because they've been claiming this since the 70s. Right, so, we were at another tourism function, and our phones start blowing up after we have put out this press release. We did a press conference, we handed out samples of the drink, and we said, We're the home of the original, and we told the story.
Yeah. A restaurant owner in New York City reaches out and said, No you didn't. We did, in New York. So, from there, fast forward, we reached out to our friends at East Coast Wings. Um, Shane and one of his bartenders, Randy, um, we were like, hey, here's our story, here's what we want to do. And so, we decided that we were going to lean on them and start doing some competition.
I bet, I bet Lyra did a lot of samplings, didn't she? Uh, we did do a lot of samplings. She's like, we need to get this. Several different times so we could sample it, yes. Laughter. We had a lot of fun making samples. , it's like what we're gonna have here in a minute when I make them. That's right. Right. That so, so that, that led us to, to go to, to them and, and say, let's start making this drink and, and we're gonna, we're gonna show them that we're the home and you're gonna make a taste it.
Did you make the folks in New York? Oh, absolutely we did. Yeah. And Shane can kinda speak to the, the competition piece. You know, what we need to first do is talk a little bit about Shane's history to know that he is an experienced bartender. I realize he may look a little shady, but he's the real deal.
I've been doing it a few years. Yeah. About 38 years I've been in the bartending business. 38 years? Yeah, started out in a restaurant in Kingsport. Cheers. So there's gonna be a lot of people listening that remember a lot of people still was cheers was around. It was the best It was the best bar around so a lot of fun Had a lot of make a lot of drinks, but we didn't make this one there So now this is interested we get to do this one now and we make it at East Coast Wings So we'll circle back around to it But let's talk quickly about Shane so that we can give you a little bit of credibility Maybe.
I hold a lot of credibility. I know. You know, when he gets to take home the trophy of the award winning Long Island Tea that gives his credibility. If we won, I want the trophy. And it's still sitting at East Coast Wings. That's true. Tell us about Shane, so we can get a little bit of background on you first.
Born and raised here in Kingsport. Lived here all my life. Except for a couple times I thought I'd move away. Loving Kingsport. Always come right back to where I'm from. So, love this town. When they asked if I'd do it, I was like, of course I would. I love Kingsport. So, you are at East Coast Wings now. Tell us your role there.
I mean, I am pretty proud of him. I'm pretty proud of him. Well, if you come by East Coast Wings, you'll see a big name on the door. That happens to be my name. I'm the general manager there. It's larger than the East Coast Wings sign. Yes. Did you make that recommendation? I asked the guy, uh, Bortz, when he made my name, I said, can we make it a little big so everybody can see it?
So yeah. Am I going to East Coast Wings or am I going to Shane Weineger, General Manning? Shane Weineger. I can say it. Shane Weineger's. Now you can see. I'm going to Shane Weineger's. And it's been said that way. Anyway, how long have you been, you were there from the time the restaurant opened? That East Coast?
Yeah. I've been there, uh, nine years. It's been open ten, so I got there a year after. Awesome. Awesome. Name on the door the whole time? Uh, as soon as I got there, yes. That was one of my first things. Scrape the other name off, put my name on. There you go. So, talk a little bit about when we approached you all about the drink and the recipe.
And, and your thoughts on even putting that together. Well, I had heard a little bit about it. Didn't really know. But then, when you asked us if we would do this, and then It got really interesting. We were going to do a competition because I'm very competitive. So I like to win. So then of course we was like, yes.
So me and Randy, the bartender, we got to working on it, tweaking it and got the recipe and what you're going to have here in a minute is what we made. So I need you to tell the folks about Randy though. Randy couldn't be with us today. But these two have a history and a chemistry. So it really worked well with the competition piece.
So we've bartended together for a little over 30 years. He also liked to take chairs with me. So. I actually trained Randy to bartend at Cheers, but now the student is that you're bragging or is that well, it's been bragging, but now that now the student has become the teacher and he is the bartender extraordinaire now at East Coast Wings.
Yeah, and he, uh, he also, I wish you could see the two of them together just to see a Shane and Randy combo. Yeah, Randy. So what's the name you give us? Shandy. I mean, but Randy is like a six foot. 7, 8, at least, tall. Big fella. Big fella. I had to back the cameras up if Randy was here today. Shane has leaned on Randy for quite some time to get them out of trouble.
This is true. I get in trouble and Randy bails me out. Where's Randy at? And then everybody's like, Oh, better not. Yeah, I thought that might happen during some of the competition. But anyway, well, we'll talk about that as we make the draft. And I got one question before. Were you familiar with this before they announced it?
Did you ever heard this story? I had heard that it was from Keysport. OK. But until Larry came, I did not know the whole story. And you sure? Did you used to make the old Long Island back in the day? The one, is it a Yankee Long Island? Yeah. Yes, we used to make that one. The not so good version? Is that what you meant?
Yeah, the triple set version. Yeah. Yeah. I would say. And sour. I'm not, I'm not a triple set girl. Gives me a headache. So definitely like the maple syrup edition. Before we get into the making of the drink though, Shane was quite committed to this effort. Yeah. I must tell you. Um, so he, he had claimed that he was gonna get some artwork done.
I said if we won and we won. Yeah. Okay. Like, like how committed are we talking about to the f? Mm-hmm. Oh, it's a lifelong commitment at this point. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got some heat. I got Celine. There's a tattoo. There is a tattoo. Is there a place that we can see? Yes, it is. tattoo to be seen. Are we gonna see it?
We're gonna see it. I didn't believe them. And you didn't know small. Well, hey, yo baby, go home. And the trophy? Yes. I was surprised you didn't put your name on that trophy. I was going to put a number one, but I figured with a trophy, everybody would know I won. That's right. How long did that take, Shane? Was that a multi process?
No, it was one, one session and it took about three hours. Okay. Wow, have you ever had anyone put a logo brand that you've created at Visit Kingsport on their body? I'm going to have to say, We have not. This was a first. No, Randy does not. He's not as committed. He's not as committed as me, so. So there you go.
Wow. Impressive. The very first time that Shane that Shane showed us this, I said Oh! Oh, you did. You did. And now I'm quite fond of it. I'm like, okay, it works. It gets the artwork on a little print and film. That's a nice, that's a nice design. I like it. Alright, so, let's get to the drink. Yeah, enough chit chat.
We did, we did take this on the road and so we were like, you know what, Long Island, New York, we're coming for ya. Yeah, we are. And so they, they were very kind to invite us up to one of their restaurants to compete and, and we did. Yeah. I had Shandy in tow and, and off we went. So, but I want to get to the drink and we can talk a little bit through the competition while he's, he's making the drink.
I'm turning it over to you. This is your show now. And for our listeners, it's 10 15 and we're getting, it's a work day, so this is really a strong way to start. And It's the only way to start. They're making this in the East Coast wing size glass, so let's discuss why you all chose to do that approach. And I'm sorry for the size of I'm just throwing the ice everywhere.
This ice scoop and ice bucket ratio don't work well and also this noise can't be good for the, for our listeners. Mitch, Mitch isn't cringing. Well, you know what it is. It's ice. I was gonna say, you know, if we're not waiting and flapping our papers, we're just gonna be crunching ice. Okay. Sorry Shane, you tell us what's happening here.
All righty. Well, here we got our liquors right here. Vodka, which is gonna be an ounce of vodka. We're gonna make two of them right now. And I like, see, yeah, you know, you know you're good when, like I have to use the little Measuring the jigger, right? Yes. Then an ounce of whiskey. Yes. So when, when you all were making these in New York, um, is this exact, you didn't measure then either, right?
No, we did this. I mean, you measured with your heart. Well, you know, exactly. Well, we didn't know until it was like, well, how's this going to be me and Randy? We're just going to be like, take it slow. We're going to make the drink. And when they counted 1, 2, 3, go, the bartenders in New York just started running around, so me and Randy was like Panic started going.
So we look at each other like, well, we didn't know it was a race. So yeah, I think it's about the flavor, right? And they went to it being a race. And we was like, well, this is just, we do everything slow and tense. That's right. We talk. So we took her time, made the drink. And, of course, we won because we took her down with the drink.
Well, this is exactly right. So you won that one. Now, we did not win in New York, however, I mean, that was to be expected, right? So the panel of judges that they had in New York were New York judges, so. I mean, you know. That's fair. Sorry. Yeah, you tell us what you're doing. You can interrupt us at any, at any given moment, but.
Well, that's easy to do. You're going to have to. Just talk over her. You're going to get a half ounce of gin. So they did have New York bartenders, or I mean, judges that got to taste the drink and vote there. Okay. And then you get a tequila. Yeah. Half ounce of that also. So how many ounces is this total?
One, two, three and a half ounces of liquor? Two and a half. Two and a half, okay. You were at three and a half, I'm wrong. This is a whole liquor for anyone that is watching on YouTube. This is, what is this, a sixteen, I think 22 ounce glass. 22 ounce glass, and. Yeah, we got a little extra in there. This will lead to a large tattoo on your cap.
That's exactly right. You'll have a tattoo on your wing. If you get an East Coast tattoo of those, you might get a tattoo also. Talk to me about the, so you all serve this drink at East Coast Wings still in this style. We do. We serve many of them on the weekends, I mean, through the week. Everybody comes in and asks about it.
Of course, we still have the trophy and our little fong fingers as number one. We got it up, so when people ask about that. We get to tell the story and then we serve them. I love it. So you do make it, going back to the glass size, this is It's a big one. Larger than your average size pint glass for those that Yes.
Oh, I just noticed, this is kind of nice. So, this is a, right, we have the glasses that are created with the recipe on the side of the glass so that you can get the measurements. Accurately. I like that. Um, but you do that on purpose, correct? The size of that glass. Well, yes, because there's so much liquor in them.
You're not going to get that much. Very little cola would go in a 16 ounce glass right now. So for the sake of the people drinking it, you do try to soften it just a bit. Yes, and we usually limit it to two. Most people only have one. You need a partnership with Uber. Yes. Why do you have to call a ride share?
Oh my gosh, I can't imagine making it to the bottom of one of these. Much less two. Okay. Have you seen it happen? Yeah, we had one. We had one person drink three. Oh, yeah. Oh, I think I think it was uber data. Did they walk out? They walked out. They made it out, but it was you can definitely tell it had three.
You were like, and that's when you're like, choose the limit. Choose the limit. Maybe we better put a limit on this. So I'm squeezing some fresh lemons in there. Now we're gonna do the lime. Nice. So okay, I'll tell you my, my Long Island iced tea story. I, I used to like them in college, and in college you're a cheater.
Most Long Island tea stories start with Right. I used to like them in college. Yeah. And I mean, you know, you're young, you can get one, it's got all this liquor in it. And um, so I got a pitcher, right? That sounds like a good idea. A Long Island pitcher with a straw. I have a similar story, that sounds like mine.
And I was, it did not end well for, for Jenna that night. And um, I didn't touch one again for a long, long time. Sure. But that was also the triple sec version. And I had one of these not too too long ago, a Kingsport version, and it is actually very good. So the difference maker is the maple syrup, wouldn't you say, Shane?
You mean as far as the sweetener goes, taking that triple sec out and replacing it with the maple syrup. So, you know, you go back to the 1920s though, there was no such thing, I feel quite certain, of triple sec. No. I feel like that came along a little later. Um, so you had to sweeten with something, and now everybody's going back to sweetening with maple syrup anyway, right?
This is a healthy drink. It actually could be a juicy one, if you wanted it to be. So, before you finish this off, though, we did not win in New York. Okay, yeah. But then, you got to be Home territory. Tell them about that. We got to come back to Kingsport and we did it at Riverfront Seafood Company which we had our home crowd there, which was nice.
How many people do you think was there? Oh my gosh, as many as we could get in their bar area. And the New York folks came down to Kingston. Yes, the New York folks came down and uh, We had a competition there, and we won there. Yeah, of course. And then, was there a tiebreaker? Now we had one on one. So we decided we needed to have a tiebreaker, and we would meet in the middle on neutral ground.
Okay. Uh, we met in the D. C. area, and so, again, Shandy in tow. We headed to, uh, D. C., and we had, we were at a piano bar. It was a great atmosphere. We've got a panel of judges. And off we go. And, and we won. You got, yeah, you had the STA trophy. You had to, and we had a great crowd there too, representing Kingsport.
It was, it was. They were a little jealous of how many people we had there were from Kingsport. They were, they were, I thought they were jealous. 'cause you won. Did they taste it and say like, oh, this is actually pretty good. Like I don't think they would ever say No. No. Okay. Okay. Too much pride. Yeah, no.
They still had in their heads that they had the curse and the original. Correct. And you know, we never claimed. We had the best, although we do. Right. The claim is that we have the original. And we do. Right. And we do. So, you know, it was, it was a lot of fun. But all the while, we're getting to tell the story about Kingsport and Northeast Tennessee.
To a group of people that some of them had never even been to our state. So you're putting it on the map. Much less Kingsport or Northeast Tennessee. They're like, I've never even been. I've never even been to Tennessee. In Long Island, New York, there are these people sitting at the bar. They're originally from Long Island.
They're there to show their support and I get it. But at the same time, they're asking a lot of questions. About where we live. What's it look like? Well, the mountains, you know, all the things that, that people just really love about our region of being outside and enjoying all of the outdoor assets, plus the best Long Island tea.
Outside of Long Island, you know, they're able to get the real deal. So, it was just a cool opportunity to talk to a lot of people and tell them our story about who we are and what we are and why we love where we live, so. Yeah, and then bragging rights, too. Of course. Well, yes. And that. And that. I mean that.
Jane's just walking around in shorts year round, showing it off. It's a nice conversation piece, I'll tell you that. I believe it. Well, and it's an opportunity for us to keep telling a story, so. But anyway, alright, finish off the drink. I'm sorry. Alright, so now let's put the main ingredient in. I want to taste this thing.
Lara keeps talking. You're not surprised though, are you? I thought I was going to say, in this, look, I just have a lot to tell you all about. Okay, a little maple, a little maple. Can I stir? You can stir. Okay. But do you stir now, or once the cola? Nope, no more. We won't stir now. Stir now. We do want to stir now.
And then add cola. So, the stir not shaking? Yes. Why? It just mixes it together, matter of fact. Me and Randy did both ways. Now we, let me tell you, when we said we made a ceremony, Ben Well, Randy decided this is the best way. And so you did try multiple approaches. We did. We tried shaking it. We tried stirring it.
Now, Shane wants to redo what you've done. No, it's fine. Yeah, he can. He wants to redo. Randy, Randy, Randy would kill me if I didn't do this now. So, I mean, even, uh I was just doing a little. You gotta get all the way down in there. My guess is the maple syrup. Look at the art of this hand. He's got this like, uh.
Does the maple syrup stick to the sides of the glass? Is that why you're doing that? Yeah, well it just flows to the bottom. So next time. Maybe we missed you. Yeah. Some of this is just some super superstition, you know. Like what it really makes the difference. But we won. That's right. We won. All right. So next steps.
We're going to divide this up. Yes. Okay. Sure. We've been sitting for a minute. Well, sure. Go ahead. You can do whatever you want to. I just don't want it to be watered down. Right. There you go. Can I touch it? You can. No one's going to care? No one's going to care if you touch it. Just put all the water in there and then I'm going to dump this into his I'm gonna, I'm gonna dump this.
Once he gets rid of one, you can dump it into that. Once he pours one out. That's right. Yeah, I like, I like a lot of ice in my drinks. Oh yeah. My ice girl. I love it whenever it's the ice from Laird's office. So, I do want to talk, like some, The drink is great. I have more to add though. I know you're shocked.
There are other businesses that have also gotten involved that it's, you know, yes, we have multiple restaurants. East Coast Wings is the one that does offer the original. Some are offering their take on it, um, by using a maple crown royal, right, to get the maple flavor in there. So, but we have multiple businesses who are participating in multiple ways.
We have Um, Bellafina Chocolates in downtown Kingsport, who have been making a Long Island Tea Truffle. They also went with us to Long Island, New York. It is so good. That truffle is so good. That we have, you can get Long Island Tea Cupcakes, and a lot of businesses that have gotten on board to say, What are you part of this?
So, here's your question. Is anyone doing Anything with actual tea because there's not actually tea in here. I don't know where the name came from. So What? We when you put the soda in there, it makes it look like tea Okay, so what we learned we were able to talk with a lady who is part of the Bishop family She is a great niece of Ransom Bishop.
I think I'm getting that correct If you go to visit Kingsport comm you can see her interview with Connie with Connie Bishop. Does she still live in Kingsport? She does. Yes, she does still live in Kingsport, but we were able to talk with her, and she is the one person that we've been able to determine why they called it T.
She said as kids, they would be, they're visiting, and kids didn't like T, and so they called it Adult T, so that you knew not to touch the Adult T. Now, that's the story that Connie told us, and I'm gonna believe it, and I'm gonna run with it. Yeah, and it also looks like T, so there you go. And it does have the look of T, so.
Ready. All right. Are we ready? Well, we're ready for when you're ready. With that perfectly mixed maple syrup. Well, I hope so. What I'm, what you all don't know is this actually is his first time making this. No, it's not. Randy always does all the work, but uh. Usually I get to do the talking and Randy does the work.
This is true. They got you on double duty today. He's multitasking. That's all right. Definitely. Is that with water in it? No, no, you dump the water. Okay, okay. Thank you. Come on, man. Thank you, Shane. I do, I do know what I'm doing sometimes, Lyra. I mean, I know you don't believe me all the time. And I was even early today.
I know. I'm very proud. I'm very proud. I'm gonna take a smell of this real quick, cause I know. Oh yeah. I can smell it as he's pouring it. Um, it's, uh, it's potent. So we've got vodka, whiskey, rum, tequila, gin. That's it. Lemon, lime, maple. Okay, so now finishing it off. Now we're gonna put tequila in there. That is literally a cup of liquor.
With some maple syrup. With a splash. With a little bit of maple syrup. Yeah, like, this is, uh, I'm excited for this. Okay, do we need to mix it or is it good? We're gonna mix it just a little bit. Around? Around the glass. That's right. I know how to, I know how to learn something. Learn something new tonight.
How to say my last name and how to mix a drink. That's right. Wind her up and mix in a drink. And that you got a big ol tattoo on your leg with this drink. And it's commitment. You don't need to learn anymore today. That's enough of us learning about Shane today. After I drink this, I'm done for the day.
I'm gonna take a nap. Mm hmm. Okay, so. Do we have enough that we can share with others? Yeah. Okay. We got four, unless we're, you know, there is a limit of two per person. Well, yes. Right. Okay, so we should probably have Tiny Boss come on in. Tiny Boss. Yep. And we never have Chelsea come in and tell us about some other things.
Yeah, so we, we want to keep this, the momentum going, right? Behind the Long Island team, but more importantly, to bring people to our area, to visit and explore everything that we, oh. We're here. Oh, Shane, I can't pour this into those. Oh, let's see if I can help you here. Hold on. We might make a mess, but we'll try not to.
So, I feel like a professional. Yes. Let's do another one. We'll split them up here. We do want to keep the, uh, momentum going. Mitch, bring your cup over. Come on, Mitch. Mitch, the man that makes the magic happen. Oh, okay. Quality control, he says. Yeah. Come on in. That's good. This is for you to do. Here you go.
You just have one. We get the blue cup. Should we do a little intro? Because I don't know that our, has anyone seen Tiny Boss? You've heard us talk about Tiny Boss. Director, producer, script writer, and boss, Alicia, Alicia Phelps. And you've heard us talk about MAPOP here in downtown Johnson City, it's in my script all the time.
Mitch, get up, I'm gonna get Mitch. And we don't talk about Chelsea as much as we love Chelsea. And then, our director of marketing at Visit Kingsport, Chelsea, I couldn't do life without her. So, uh, cheers, cheers to the Long Island Team. Um, let's get a clink. I do want to say, Cheers. Alright, I'm gonna let you all taste that.
Of course there is, I'm going to do the half one. Oh yeah, that's actually, like how does the liquor disappear? Like you don't taste it. That is the danger of this drink. Randy, you'd be proud, that's all I can say. Randy, I hope Randy will listen and watch. I'm proud. You actually did make a good Long Island tea.
It's really good. It's really good. The maple syrup is very forward. Um, which is, which is what I think is nice about it. Sorry, I just noticed. I think you were thinking that one over there. This is how we drink a Long Island, see? Cheers! Okay, I'm typing it in. Sorry. So, well, you can tell them about the trail.
That's right. The trail is all her. But we want to keep Momentum alive. Yeah. Um, to keep telling the story of northeast Tennessee. At least she's leaving so that she can now boss us around. But that's what's happening. Thanks for joining us. Um, so we are working with local businesses, like I said. We will continue working with East Coast.
Y'all are going to keep serving the drink. Oh, yes, of course Yeah, and so we decided we have a mural in downtown. Yes um That people are active right that you can it's really cute Tell talk about the mural a little bit because I I look i'm doing a horrible job at trying to touch on all the things So talk about the mural a little bit Because we had a mural installed 2023, it is interactive, so you can take your friends downtown, pose by the tea, pose by the straw, you're squeezing the lemon into the Coke.
It's really fun. I have done that. Okay. Right downtown, right off Center Street. You can't miss it. You touched on the businesses that are already participating. Of course, we've got East Coast Wings. We want people to experience Long Island Tea. We want people to continue to learn about our story. Um, more than just the liquor, so why not put together a trail of all of these stops?
In Tennessee, we love a trail. Is what listeners need to know. We love a trail in Tennessee. Come check them all out and add the Long Island Tea Trail to your list. It makes it easy for a visitor, like, wants to experience the local culture. Hey, I can go to these spots. What is your vision with the trail?
Stops including businesses, not just drinks, but drinks of course. Food. Historic landmarks. It's all going to be digital. There'll be a digital passport. Oh, and what's better than trail is prizes to go on. And this can be a prize. This is a great prize. Yeah. The t shirts might be a prize. We'll have some other fun surprises along the way.
So this is all going to be coming soon. A meet and greet with Shandy. That's a great. Definitely. Maybe we'll hide on the trail and jump out. Here's your Valentine. I love it. We're. We're we're just excited to continue to tell our story, um, in creative ways. Have we put a, have we put a deadline on ourselves to get this trail running?
Oh, I love that. I love that. Well, you know, it's still cold outside. Like, when it warms up, yeah, launch in the spring. I don't know, this will warm you up. So it could be an option, you know. You can always go see Shandy anytime. That's exactly right. You know, a huge thank you to Shandy, being Shane Weininger here today, Randy at home, we missed him.
Thank you, Chelsea, for continuing to push this effort forward. At the end of the day, we're all here because we love it here, and we want other people to love it here. So this is just one more fun story to tell. And taste. And taste. That gets people interested in coming to Northeast Tennessee. And you know what?
Meet me in Tennessee and have a Long Island tea. Share your stories with us online. There's something she wants us to say about, if you like what you hear, subscribe. Subscribe and keep listening. Something along those lines. Follow. And then tag us in your social media. I don't remember the hashtag. Meet me in Tennessee.
Meet me in Tennessee with a Long Island iced tea. I like it. That's good. Cheers. Cheers everybody. Yes, happy weekend.