July 2021

Remembering Dusty Hill

Many Buzzed Boomers are mourning the recent loss of ZZ Top bass player Dusty Hill. He passed away July 27th in Houston at age 72.

ZZ Top started in 1969 and with Billy Gibbons on guitar and Frank Beard on drums the power trio played on for over 50 years. Very, very few bands make it that long with the same lineup.

Dusty started out playing the cello but picked up the bass at age 13 and learned to play on stage; embarrassment being a motivator to learn his new instrument. We saw ZZ Top in 1973 and most recently in 2019 and they hadn’t lost a beat. Check out the ZZ Top rockumentary on Netflix. Among other credits, Dusty appeared in Back to the Future Part III, Deadwood, and The Drew Carey Show.

Joseph Michael Hill and ZZ Top were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Per Dusty’s wishes, guitar tech Elwood Francis will play bass for the band.

Rest In Peace Dusty.

– Jet Cannon

Photos nbcnews.com and ultimateclassicrock.com

grand central station, new york, new york city-690180.jpg

Superiority in Numbers

Cannabis, Endorphins, Fitness, Food and Drink, Good Clean Fun, Trending / By Jet Cannon

There are approximately 70 million Baby Boomers living in the United States right now. 70 million!! And some interesting things are emerging.

We are the most intelligent of all the generations
Our musical tastes are acknowledged to be more sophisticated than those of other generations
We make the best cocktails
Our exercise habits are second to none
If video gaming is added to the Olympics, Baby Boomers are expected to dominate despite advancing age. We’re just very good at games
We travel more than other generations and are steadily chipping away at bucket lists
Our sexual skills are advanced and imaginative
We have mastered utilization of marijuana hybrids and CBD to achieve a perfect Buzz while minimizing pain and facilitating deeper sleep
No other generation comes close to Baby Boomer BBQ skills

Now, none of the above is backed up by any facts or data. But does it matter? It feels good! It feels right! It must be true!

– Jet Cannon

Gorging on Country Music

Cannabis, Endorphins, Food and Drink, Music, Travel / By Jet Cannon

As music festivals go, Watershed is right up there among the great ones mixing partying, country music, and spectacular scenery. The Gorge Amphitheatre sits high above the mighty Columbia River in George, Washington. Add theme-based, colorful camping and country music stars like Tim McGraw and you have the ingredients for three days of serious fun. This year the event runs from July 30- August 1 and a few tickets may still be available, probably due to pandemic concerns. Normally Watershed is sold out.

If country music isn’t your cup of tea, check out georgeamphitheatre.com for tickets to acts like Phish, Dave Matthews, Tame Impala, and KISS.

– Jet Cannon

Gin to Win

Food and Drink / By Jet Cannon

Buzzed Boomer’s Tasting Team recently took up the challenge to compare Hendrick’s Gin with the much less expensive Trader Joe’s Gin. An acquaintance had suggested that the two gins were very comparable so the Team set up a blind tasting. First, it should be noted that the Tasting Team’s qualifications are sketchy at best. But they mean well. Second, the Team had already had few adult beverages before the tasting took place.

The tasting results were unanimous. Everyone correctly identified the Hendrick’s. It was more complex and flavorful. That said, the Trader Joe’s was considered “smooth” and would be just fine for a mixed drink. For a dry Martini, the Hendrick’s would be preferred as just more interesting but for the money, you can’t go wrong with Trader Joe’s.

– Jet Cannon

Photo Courtesy of Offbrandguy.com

gold Garnish

1 Comment / Food and Drink / By Jet Cannon

Martini and Manhattan connoisseur Mike of Crescent Bar recently offered an update/correction to a recent BB post that noted he stuffed his Martini olives with blue cheese. He does this himself as opposed to buying off-the-shelf stuffed olives. Definitely a nice touch but it gets better. His update notes that his true specialty is using Cougar Gold cheese to stuff the Martini olives. For those who are not familiar with Cougar Gold, it is a product of Washington State University’s Creamery. Their mascot is a Cougar.

Cougar Gold is a white, sharp cheddar that is aged at least one year. It has a nutty flavor somewhat resembling Swiss or Gouda. Per Wikipedia, approximately 250,000 cans of Cougar Cheese are produced annually, with around 80% of it being Cougar Gold. WSU started making cheese in cans in the 1940s when the US government and American Can Company funded WSU’s research to find a way to successfully keep the cheese in tins. Cougar Gold was developed during this time and was named after Dr. Norman S. Golding, one of the men involved in its production. Cougar Gold Cheese is not made with cougar milk.In 1993, the American Cheese Society awarded Cougar Gold with a blue ribbon, and in 1995, the cheese earned the United States Cheese Champion silver medal. Cougar Gold later received a silver medal at the 2000 World Cheese Awards and a gold medal at the 2006 World Cheese Awards.

WSU Cougars like Mike are fanatically proud of their University at its cheeses. They enjoy noting that rival University of Washington has no such distinguished product. No Husky Hot Dawgs. No Washington Apple Cider. Only a better football team.

Anyway, credit Mike with taking a Martini garnish to the next level of specialization and excellence as no one will argue about the quality of Cougar Gold. Cougars, please note that Cougar Gold makes an excellent Christmas or birthday gift for those annoying Huskies on your list.

Cheers!

– Jet Cannon

Photos courtesy of recipespes.com and WSU

Double Chocolate Trouble

Food and Drink, Good Clean Fun, Travel / By Jet Cannon

If Catching a Buzz while maintaining a healthy lifestyle is of interest to you, read no further. As if tasty summer cocktails weren’t enough of a temptation, mixing alcohol and ice cream should be illegal. Alcohol and mega-sugar doses? Paging Dr. Diabetes.

That said, the Buzzed Boomer Research Department has been sampling some summer beverages to go with our cheeseburgers and fries. Go Puff shares recipes, with tantalizing pictures, of concoctions that should be, but thankfully aren’t, banned. Boozy Chocolate Frozen Mudslide, Strawberry Shortcake Drink, Boozy S’Mores Shake, Irish Coffee Milkshake with Whiskey Caramel, Boozy Peach Milkshake, Samoa’s Cookies and Cream Coconut Milkshake, Hot Fudge Bourbon Milkshakes. You get the idea. Yum. Don’t want to make your own? Mental Floss lists some restaurants around the country with spiked shakes. Or fire up Google for double trouble near you.

– Jet Cannon

Food and Drink, Recipes / By Jet Cannon

Ernest Hemingway Daiquiri

National Daiquiri Day was July 19. July 21 is Legal Drinking Age Day and also Ernest Hemingway’s birthday. Per a brief history of the Hemingway Daiquiri in Wine Enthusiast magazine, the recipe below was probably an attempt to make a cocktail a little friendlier than what was likely Hemingway’s actual favorite. That would have consisted of 4 ounces of rum and a splash of lime juice. So instead we have the following:

Hemingway Daiquiri Ingredients

2 ounces white rum
¾ ounce lime juice
½ ounce Maraschino liqueur
½ ounce ruby red grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed, if possible)
Lime wedge (for garnish)

Legal Drinking Age Day not only celebrates our first legal drink but also reminds young and old to respect alcohol and drinking responsibly. That would not favor Hemingway’s purported favorite.

Daiquiri Photo by Matthew Dimas

Hemingway Photo courtesy of literariness.org

Garnishing Greatness

Food and Drink / By Jet Cannon

Buzzed Boomers are universally known for garnishing their cocktails in a manner fit for the classy Baby Boomers that we are. Besides offering tantalizing taste, it’s nice to drop the fact that your garnishes go up to eleven. Past posts have noted martini connoisseur Mike of Crescent Bar who stuffs his own olives with blue cheese, despite the fact that blue cheese stuffed olives are available on grocery shelves. Those…. just….. are….. not as good.

John Selby suggested that only Luxardo Cherries, the “Original Maraschino Cherries” are suitable for his “World’s Best Old Fashioned”. I’m a convert.

Tantri Wija, outstanding Seattle food writer, recently suggested pickling ones own onions to drop into a Gibson. She makes a compelling argument for tailoring the pickle juice to a person’s specific likes. Garlic, mustard, pepper, allspice or ?? (Follow Tantri in The Seattle Times for a wealth of cool cocktails and other beverage surprises.).

Google “pickling Gibson onions” for recipes from Martha, New York Times, Liquor.com and others then tailor to your tastes. Tantri notes that you may have to settle for frozen onions but keep looking for the fresh ones. Farmer’s markets?

Time permitting, garnish for greatness. We like the idea of taking longer to achieve cocktail excellence and then savoring responsibly.

– Jet Cannon

Photos courtesy of Liquor.com and Tastykitchen.com

Belle Meade

1 Comment / Food and Drink, Travel / By Jet Cannon

My son, Laser Cannon, recently gave me a bottle of Belle Meade Sour Mash Straight Bourbon Whiskey direct from Nashville. Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery has a great history including resurrecting after being shut down during Prohibition. Green Brier history.

I enjoy making cocktails with Bourbon but I am not a connoisseur by any means. There are sites like The Whiskey Jug that do reviews. But it did remind me to remind you how enjoyable taking a tour of the growing number of small distilleries popping up across the country can be. Last time we were in Nashville, we toured Corsair, especially noted for their Ryemageddon American Rye Whiskey. It’s fun to see the distilling process and the pride in which these folks take in their product. The tasting room is a bonus.

One disadvantage of touring small distilleries around the country is that you won’t always find their product in your local liquor store. For example, I haven’t been able to obtain or even order Corsair Gin. Yet you probably have some good distilleries to tour near you and that way you can continue to enjoy their products if they hit the mark.

– Jet Cannon

Visiting Donkeys and other Relatives

Good Clean Fun, Travel / By Jet Cannon

Enjoy the latest Roadletter from Hunter S. as he and Lori return for a triumphant visit to the Great Northwest!

Click here. https://mailchi.mp/c8f608d6e44a/test-5555528?e=785bc70c1d

When You Need a Professional. Bartender

Food and Drink, Travel / By Jet Cannon

Portland, Oregon. Walking around downtown and across the river to East Portland. Thirsty. We pulled into Produce Row Cafe for an adult beverage. Mike was behind the bar, soon to be joined by Bryce. Friendly. Knowledgeable. Professional. What a treat! So often these days, and especially post-Covid (almost), bartenders don’t know a Rusty Nail from, well, a rusty nail. Not so at Produce Row. It’s one of those places you don’t really want to leave because it just feels right and the drinks are perfect.

– Jet Cannon, Hunter S., Old Man Wrong, and Moge Star

Sugar High

Endorphins, Food and Drink, Travel / By Jet Cannon

We queued up in big line to sample the sugar at Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon. Lots of choices and all of them were tasty. We noticed lots of tourists checking out the enormous Powell Books carrying their pink box of doughnuts. Meanwhile, we’re still sugar Buzzed.