Mixology in the Midwest: Behind the Bar with Carl Busch

This week on Wait, You’re Mad?, we’re diving into something that feels Midwestern: drinking culture. Not the frat-boy kind — the “meet at a bar to decompress, overshare, and solve all of life’s problems in one night” kind.

We’re joined by Carl Busch, award-winning mixologist and owner of EJ’s Wine Shop in Dubuque’s Historic Millwork District — a tasting room known for cozy vibes, curated wines, thoughtful cocktails, and the type of staff who actually help you figure out what you like instead of making you pretend you know tannins.

Together, we cover:

• How Carl became one of Iowa’s Top Mixologists
• The story behind EJ’s Wine Shop & how he builds his seasonal menus
• The chaos, the beauty, and the unhinged memories from years behind the bar
• AND we kick off the episode with a very on-brand wine chug
  
  

Then we wrap with Pair It or Spare It — a rapid-fire game where Carl has to pair drinks with chaotic life situations (Target holiday shopping carts, Sunday Scaries, hometown Facebook fights… you get it).

Follow EJ’s Wine Shop @EJsWineShop for events, tastings, and winter menu drops.