Jet Cannon

National TV dinner Day

September 10th is National TV Dinner Day. Ah, the good old days. Baby Boomers, remember? Before microwaves? A full meal in an aluminum tray. Genius. TV trays. One for each member of the family. Black and white TV’s’ with rabbit ear antennas. Three channels. Ed Sullivan. The national anthem at midnight then sign-off. Cold War. Asian wars. Riots. Assassinations. Segregation. No liquor or beer sales on Sunday. Ah, the good old days. And compared to The Great Depression they were, we suppose.

Looking on the bright side, we can still get a TV dinner at the grocery store or an original 1950’s Swanson dinner on eBay for around $100 bucks (so glad we didn’t eat them all, though sales are slow). And TV trays are available from Amazon for delivery to your front door. Ah, the good new days.

– Jet Cannon

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Singing the Tequila Blues

Food and Drink / Jet Cannon

We’re trying to keep a positive attitude about our beloved Tequila after reading Kate Linthicum’s excellent article in the Los Angeles Times, How Celebrities are Changing Mexico’s Tequila Industry. Why the gloom? It has to do with celebrities, foreign ownership, environmental concerns including pesticides, and production industrialization in the $10 billion a year industry. Growing demand has attracted celebrities which fuels more demand. Not necessarily a bad thing. But of the major brands, only Jose Cuervo enjoys Mexican ownership. Mala Vida is a smaller brand but it’s owned by the Mexican rock band Mana so we’ll check that one out as it has a good reputation.

Back to the gloomy news, as demand for the agave plant grows, forests get bulldozed and pesticides are introduced to improve crop yields. To produce the Tequila more efficiently, new methods are used which some think compromises the flavor.

So now what? We’re going to pay a little more attention to Jose Cuervo variants to support Mexican ownership. We’re sure to see more marketing to showcase environmentally-preferred farming methods used by certain brands. And we’ll try to resist buying Tequila promoted by our favorite celebrities as they are not necessarily better. (Note: Sammy Hagar sold Cabo Wabo in 2007). We’re hoping celebrity Baby Boomers in the business take pride in the quality of the product, protect the Mexican environment, and send us samples. We’re weak that way.

– Jet Cannon

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Buzzed Boomer Fitness

Endorphins, Fitness / Jet Cannon

Today we’re dispensing with any Buzz other than that gained from a good workout. No alcohol, weed, caffeine, or other substances.

Now, there is only one thing you need to know about your fitness capabilities and needs. And that’s what you and Dr. Spock need to figure out. Everyone is different.

There are many fitness options for seniors including walking, water aerobics, resistance band training, dumbbell strength training, pilates, yoga, rowing, and cycling, to name a few. To release some endorphins you’ll need to get the heart rate up to a safe-but-elevated level appropriate for your age and physical condition.

What really matters is to do something physical. Regularly. Beer bicep curls do not count.

– Jet Cannon

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Don’t Puck with Seattle

Food and Drink, Good Clean Fun / Jet Cannon

We tried The KRACKEN ATTACKS FROM SEATTLE Limited Addition Rum for two reasons. One, we like rum. And two, the Seattle Kracken hockey team remains undefeated, given that they haven’t played yet.

We have to hand it to the folks at Kraken Rum. Since there are a number of cities “under attack” by the Kracken, they’re urging us to collect all the various bottles which feature well-know landmarks from each city (e.g. Seattle Space Needle). Good marketing. We bought a few of those Starbucks coffee mugs from various cities until we realized we didn’t need a coffee mug from every city we visited. So we probably won’t collect all the bottles but the spiced rum “with natural flavors” was pretty tasty. We made cocktails without mixer or garnish. Just shaken with ice and poured into a chilled martini glass. Sweet but not too sweet. Strong (94 Proof) but not too strong. From what we remember anyway.

Kraken Rum. Attacking a city near you!

– Jet Cannon

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Buzzed Boomer Tailgate Superstar

Burgers, Food and Drink, Good Clean Fun / Jet Cannon

An embarrassing college football defeat could not dampen the fun of chatting with Billy, the proud owner of a magnificent tailgate vehicle. Converted from a Walla Walla, Washington ambulance, the rig now features a TV and plenty of room for tailgate food and bbq essentials. We asked about the condition of a rig that you’d assume was run hard and put away wet.

“In Walla Walla, it was 184,000 freeway miles. And it’s a diesel,’ noted Billy. Message… like us Buzzed Boomers, it’s still got some good miles left in it. Like us Buzzed Boomers who reinvent ourselves, the ambulance was reinvented from saving lives to celebrating life, friendship, bbq, beer, and college football.

Like most tailgaters, Billy was warm and inviting, interrupting our questioning only to grab a beer. He plans to hand off the Husky shrine to his son at some point so the tradition can continue. Thank you for making our day because the football game sucked!

– Jet Cannon

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Gentleman’s Manhattan

Food and Drink, Recipes / Jet Cannon

Having a fondness for Nashville and therefore nearby Lynchburg, Gentleman Jack, introduced in 1988, is always on our radar and on our shelf. Tennessee whiskey is mellowed by using charcoal filters. Gentleman Jack is “double mellowed”.

“Gentleman Jack undergoes a second charcoal mellowing to achieve exceptional smoothness. Its balanced flavor is perfect for celebrating life’s extraordinary occasions, plus all the moments along the way. “

We like the sound of a Gentleman’s Manhattan. We’re looking forward to ordering one at a reputable watering hole and hoping no one asks where the gentleman is.

To make one at home, Jack’s website calls out adding a couple dashes of bitters to 1/2 ounce of dry vermouth, a 1/2 ounce of sweet vermouth, and to 1 1/2 ounces of Gentleman Jack. Dry and sweet vermouth. Interesting, and it works.

But don’t forget the “dark cherries”. So another shout-out here to John Selby for turning us on to Luxardo Cherries via his “World’s Best Old Fashioned” recipe. These cherries and their juice taste like you want your cough syrup to taste like but it never does. Cough syrup starts out good but then goes off the tracks. The cherries, on the other hand, are delicious! An episode of the munchies and the whole jar could quickly disappear. We’re still waiting for that case of complimentary cherries to arrive by FedEx but since they haven’t… take our un-influenced word for it. Luxardo takes a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned up to 11. Gentlemen, start your Manhattans!

– Jet Cannon

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Caffeine, Food and Drink, Recipes, Travel / Jet Cannon

Roving Correspondent Mazerati Mike recently stopped by the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco for their famous Irish coffee. Here is their story.

“The historic venture started on the night of November the 10th in 1952. Jack Koeppler, then-owner of the Buena Vista, challenged international travel writer Stanton Delaplane to help re-create a highly touted “Irish Coffee” served at Shannon Airport in Ireland. Intrigued, Stan Accepted Jack’s invitation, and the pair began to experiment immediately.

Throughout the night the two of them stirred and sipped judiciously and eventually acknowledged two recurring problems. The taste was “not quite right,” and the cream would not float. Stan’s hopes sank like the cream, but Jack was undaunted. The restaurateur pursued the elusive elixir with religious fervor, even making a pilgrimage overseas to Shannon Airport.

Upon Jack’s return, the experimentation continued. Finally, the perfect-tasting Irish whiskey was selected. Then the problem of the bottom-bent cream was taken to San Francisco’s mayor, a prominent dairy owner. It was discovered that when the cream was aged for 48 hours and frothed to a precise consistency, it would float as delicately as a swan on the surface of Jack’s and Stan’s special nectar.

Success was theirs! With the recipe now mastered, a sparkling clear, six-ounce, heat-treated goblet was chosen as a suitable chalice.

Soon the fame of the Buena Vista’s Irish Coffee spread throughout the land. Today, it’s still the same delicious mixture, and it’s still the same clamorous, cosmopolitan Buena Vista. Both…delightful experiences.”

Website onbetterliving.com notes that since 1952, The Buena Vista has sold millions of glasses of their delicious original Irish Coffees over the years. On a busy day, they can sell over 2000 glasses and they report that they sell more Irish whiskey than anywhere else in the world.

Not making a trip to San Fran but want to up your Irish Coffee game?

Warm a 6-oz. heatproof glass with hot water then pour it out
Fill a glass three-quarters full (about ⅔ cup) with coffee. Buena Vista uses Peerless available on Amazon. Add two sugar cubes; stir until they dissolve
Stir in an 1 1/2 oz (or maybe two) of Tullamore D.E.W whiskey; top with whipped heavy cream by gently pouring over a spoon

For more, see their website http://www.thebuenavista.com/home/irishcoffee.html

– Jet Cannon for Maserati Mike

Terry Kath Remembered

Music / Jet Cannon

Terry Kath was born in 1946, the first year of the Baby Boomer generation. Sadly, he passed away at a young 31 years old. Jimi Hendrix admired Terry as a better guitarist than Jimi himself. Fortunately, Terry’s music and live footage lives on.

His daughter put together Chicago: The Terry Kath Experience which showcases his musicianship, shares some of the stories behind the band, and followed her search for some of Terry’s long-lost guitars. He is remembered by Joe Walsh, Steve Lukather and many others including his Chicago bandmates.

We recently found the rockumentary on IMDb TV. The DVD is also available at Amazon. It’s worth watching.

– Jet Cannon

Photo: Rollingstone.com

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disney, florida, magic kingdom-2692578.jpg

Disneyland Bar Crawl

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

Disney World just turned 50. Not old enough for Baby Boomer status. But Disneyland was “born” in 1955 and qualifies.

Want to catch a Buzz at Disneyland? Disneytouristblog.com has created a lovely guide to all the watering holes and their special drinks. If you thought admission was expensive, wait until the credit card bill comes for your Buzz excursion through the park. Be worth it though!

– Jet Cannon

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Sour Power!

Food and Drink / Jet Cannon

Thanks to National Calendar Day, we now know that each year on August 25th, people across the United States observe National Whiskey Sour Day.

Traditionally garnished with half an orange slice and a maraschino cherry, a whiskey sour is a mixed drink containing whiskey (often bourbon), lemon juice and sugar. Whiskey sours are shaken then either served straight or over ice.

Per previous posts, we suggest insisting on Luxardo “The Original Maraschino Cherries”. BTW, Buzzed Boomer receives no promotional consideration for recommending Luxardo cherries. Yet.

Let’s leave you with this quote and, again, our thanks to National Calendar Day.

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” – Mark Twain

Jet Cannon

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Gin to win

Food and Drink / Jet Cannon

Captain Tony just dropped off a bottle of Hendrick’s Gin. Out of the blue. But that’s Captain Tony!

So that prompted us to do a comparison with Bombay, our go-to house gin in the Buzzed Boomer Research Center. Should we pick a winner? Or why not just enjoy them both and everybody gets a trophy?

Hendrick’s is interesting for a number of reasons. First, it’s made in Scotland where you normally find Scotch. Also interesting is their technique of blending gin from two different stills; one being a Carter Head. Only the still master knows the ratio. (Still Master. Curious as to what it pays, hours, benefit package, perks, etc.) They claim that their small batches make for a better product. Plus, they infuse cucumber and also recommend cucumber as a garnish.

Bombay is owned by Bacardi. We wish distilleries would not get gobbled up by giant corporations. That’s depressing and that’s one of the reasons why we drink. But apparently the gin is still made in England and not in the Caribbean somewhere. Bombay also uses a Carter Head still but they don’t blend.

While our Buzzed Boomer tasting methods are imprecise they are also very subjective. Mostly, we wing it.

We didn’t want there to be a winner. We wanted to sing the praises of two of our favorite gins. But there was a favorite. Hendrick’s was just more pleasant. No big flavor differences jumped out to our unsophisticated palettes but the Hendrick’s was smoother and more enjoyable. The winner was given an ultra-dry Martini sampling in a proper glass after a proper shaking. No cucumber garnish or any other distractions. Clean and smooth. Yum.

We love this job. Now where do we get KISS Gin?

– Jet Cannon

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Quest for the world’s Best

Food and Drink / Jet Cannon

Buzzed Boomer researchers are on a constant quest to find the world’s best because, whatever it is, it’s likely to be great. We live in a big world so to be at the very top of the heap, well, we want some of that!

John Selby shared his recipe for the world’s best Old Fashioned in a recent post and so far no one has challenged him. And we thought it was a great Old Fashioned. So when we read that Avion Silver tequila is self-proclaimed as World’s Best Tasting Tequila, and has a 2019 Double Gold SIP Award as evidence, we wanted to do our own sipping. Our current favorite is the honey-smooth Clasa Azul. Tough competition.

“The Avion story begins in the small town of Jesus Maria, Mexico — a town and culture the Lopez family has cherished for generations. Here, single origin, rare blue agave is grown at the highest elevations and takes 7 to 10 years to reach maturity. After harvesting by hand, our agave is slow roasted in brick ovens from three days to perfectly caramelize and really the natural sweetness and rich flavors. Avion uses up to 30% more agave in each bottle, making us proudly inefficient as a tequila producer. This is the meticulous process that goes into creating the World’s Best Tasking Tequila.”

On to the tasting. We started with a chilled Avion in a chilled glass. It’s very good. We’re not able to distinguish “citrus-forward” and all that. We just noted that it was tasty. So we tried some on the rocks. Then another one on the rocks. Just to be sure, one more on the rocks. Yeah, it’s really good!

The Consejo Regulator del Tequila counted 1377 registered domestic bottled brands from 150 producers. And that count was awhile back. There may be more now. And that doesn’t count some 285 brands bottled internationally. To further validate the World’s Best Tasting Tequila claim we should probably sample the top 50 brands or so. As they say, back to the salt mines.

– Jet Cannon