Hey, and welcome back to Meeples & Wine! We’re Michael and Suzy, and this is your favorite spot for board game reviews for couples, with a drink in hand.
This week, we went fully thematic. We’re reviewing a cocktail-making board game, so naturally, we had to skip the wine and mix up a cocktail!
🍹 This Week’s “Wine”: The Mescalita
We’re sipping on a Mescalita, and it’s a fantastic smoky, citrusy, and spicy combo. If you want to make one at home while you listen, here’s the recipe!
What You’ll Need:
For the Rim: Tajín Clásico Seasoning (or make your own with 2 parts kosher salt and 1 part chili powder).
For the Drink:
Lime wedges (for the rim and garnish)
1.5 oz mild mezcal (we recommend Del Maguey Vida)
2 oz fresh orange juice
1 oz fresh lime juice
Optional Add-ins:
3 dashes of orange bitters (for an extra orange kick)
1 to 3 bar spoons of sweetener (like agave nectar, simple syrup, or orange liqueur)
The notes for this drink suggest pairing it with smoked meats, cheese, chocolate, tropical fruits, or even spicy curries.
🎲 This Week’s “Meeples”: The Mix
The game on our table this week is The Mix by Ruse Games.
You play as a brand-new recruit at the famous Foxtrot Bar, and your goal is to become the top mixologist. You’ll be honing your skills, learning new recipes, and serving customers to earn the most Victory Points (VP).
It’s a strategic, cocktail-themed game that blends engine building, resource management, and worker placement.
Here are the quick stats:
Statistic
Details
Players
1-4 (It has a solo mode against an automated “Fox” opponent!)
Time
25+ minutes
Age
14+
Designer/Artist
Guime (Guillaume Boudreau)
Publisher
Ruse Games
Key Mechanics
Worker Placement, Engine Building, Resource Management, Set Collection
How It Plays
The game is all about efficiently using your “Mixologist” workers. On your turn, you take actions like:
Taking a Clients Card (an order you need to fill)
Grabbing ingredients from the supply
Acquiring new Technique Cards to get better at mixing
Getting more Shakers (which expand your capacity)
Preparing Cocktails to complete your orders
The “engine building” part really kicks in during the Setup phase at the end of your round. This is when you get bonuses from your Setup Track, your unique Mixologist Card, and your Technique cards.
The game end is triggered once 15 total Clients have been completed. You tally up your VP from completed orders, set collection bonuses, and remaining money, and the highest score wins!
A quick note: The rulebook we saw was still marked as a “Work in Progress,” so some final rules might change.
🚀 Where to Find It
We look for the coolest games coming out on crowdfunding sites, and this one is heading to Gamefound! You can back it HERE!
📣 Last Call
That’s all for this week! What do you think of the Mescalita recipe? Are you planning on backing The Mix? We want to hear from you!
Every week, Michael and Suzanne Teske turn their dining table into a testing ground for connection and cardboard. Meeples And Wine-Tabletop Games for Couples is their ongoing experiment in pairing a great game with a great drink, all while navigating the unique dynamics of playing as a pair. You’ll hear their real-time reactions as they learn new rules, their strategic banter during play, and their honest post-game debriefs about what worked, what caused hilarious friction, and what truly brought them together. It’s less a formal review and more a live-play session with friends, where the conversation flows as freely as the wine, beer, or spirit they’re sampling that episode. They focus on games that are ideal for two players or work well in a couple’s setting, always with an eye toward shared enjoyment over cutthroat competition. The result is a warm, relatable podcast that feels like an invitation to their table, offering genuine recommendations for your next game night and a companionable audio experience that celebrates leisure, strategy, and partnership. You get a sense of the game’s mechanics, the drink’s profile, and the unscripted laughter that happens when two people prioritize fun. It’s about finding those perfect combinations that make an evening memorable, ensuring the only thing left on the couch at the end of the night is the game box.
Author: Michael & Suzanne Teske
Language: en-us
Episodes: 100
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