Ebon Moss-Bachrach Talks ‘The Bear’ and Teaming Up With Johnnie Walker for Emmys Cocktail Pairings

Earlier this summer, The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach was on vacation with his family in Greece when he found out he got nominated for an Emmy for his role as Richie Jerimovich, a.k.a Cousin Richie.

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“It’s all so kind of surreal, always,” Moss-Bachrach, who’s calling from London where he’s filming the Fantastic Four , tells Rolling Stone about hearing the Emmys news. “It’s like deep gratitude followed by feelings of, I don’t know, like being a fraud, you know what I’m saying? We don’t need to get deep into it but … it’s crazy.

Continues Moss-Bachrach, “It’s definitely not something I ever thought about when I decided to follow a path as an actor. I never envisioned like what getting nominated for any kind of an award would feel like. But it’s a show I’m deeply proud of and it’s a show that’s certainly changed my life. And a show where I have a lot of love for everyone involved and so it’s mostly, I just feel proud of all of us. I would say that’s the primary emotion or feeling I have.”

Now streaming on Hulu , The Bear Season Three earned a record-breaking 23 Emmy nominations at the upcoming awards show, airing on Sept. 15. Moss-Bachrach scored a nomination once again for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, which he also won at the 2023 Emmys . (See: Season Two’s episode “Forks,” one of Rolling Stone ‘s best TV episodes of all time.)

Ahead of the 76th annual Emmys, the award-winning actor teamed up with some of The Bear crew once again, including the show’s culinary producer Courtney Storer as well as mixologist Charles Joly , to curate a Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky-food pairing that’ll get served at the ceremony.

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Want to toast this year’s nominees with the 76th Emmys’ official spirits partner? Viewers can order a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for their own bar at home to pour a glass during this year’s ceremony.

“My time with Courtney has been a lot of being out in Chicago, having a drink, eating some food,” Moss-Bachrach says of working with The Bear ‘s culinary producer, “so it seemed kind of like just an extension of our friendship to then collaborate on this Blue List, which is recommended places to go where you can find these dishes and cocktails that’ve been inspired by Johnnie Walker Blue. It’s a cool way to organize or give some structure to — or give an excuse — for us to hang out and sort of do what we do.”

Think: a Johnnie Walker Rob Roy paired with steak frites drenched in Johnnie Walker Blue Label Au Poivre sauce in lieu of brandy; a fizzy whisky sour alongside a caramelized onion burger; and, a Chicago-style smash burger with a satisfying frozen coffee that the brand says “playfully takes the popular Espresso Martini to a whole new level.”

In other words, there’s no shortage of delicious food — and drinks — to enjoy at this year’s Emmys. The only difference is this year the menu is curated by some of the team behind one of the hottest shows on TV.

And while the last season of The Bear ends with — potential spoiler alert ahead — a celebratory house party, Moss-Bachrach says his Emmys after-party plans include hopping a flight back to London.

As for what’s next for Cousin Richie in Season Four, Moss-Bachrach says: “I know where he’s going. I think there’s a lot of things that happen in the third season … seeds planted in the third season that really come to bloom in the fourth season. I think it will be a very, very exciting, chaotic, cathartic season, and yeah, I guess I’ll just leave it there.”

Fans can watch the Emmy Awards live on Sunday, Sept. 15, on ABC and stream the ceremony the next day on Hulu .