National Cheese Lover’s Day – January 20th
What better way to blow off Dry January than with a nice bottle of wine, some assorted cheeses and a fresh baguette?
– Jet Cannon
Boomer Cellar Bar Remodel
Taking advantage of the time hunkered down at home during the pandemic and retirement, Jeff Royer of Burlington Vermont recently updated his cellar bar. It replaces a bar he’s had since he first moved into the house some 25 years ago and upgrades the lighting, floor, the bar itself and organizes his collection of sports memorabilia…. Almost all of which is dedicated to him….. From Little League to recent Spartan races. Hockey gloves and photos. As he says, it’s an ode to Jeff. To be fair, his adult children get some wall space as well for their achievements.
Jeff has done all the work himself and estimates he has about $2000 and seven weeks into the project. Lighting updates include LED shelf lighting (CustomizedDesign.com), LED lights under the bar, and track lighting. The shelf lighting shows off his collection of shot glasses and the light beams through them up to the ceiling. Cedar replaced the 1950’s paneling on the walls. The flooring he chose is easy to clean and is vinyl-like to reduce the chances of breaking the inevitable dropped glass. New barstools came from Overstock.com.
There’s a TV for entertainment along with a dart board and room for beer pong. Just outside the entrance to the bar in the other half of his cellar, is a ring toss game and a hockey net. We’re looking forward to visiting and tossing a few back.
- Jet Cannon
Mary Pickford Cocktail
On January 17, 1920 Prohibition began and the sale and consumption of alcohol in the US became illegal. So we’re ending the 100th anniversary year. 2020 would not have been a good year to ban alcohol so it’s fortunate that Prohibition was repealed after more that a decade in 1933.
One of the cocktails to come out of Prohibition, yes, people continued to drink, was the Mary Pickford Cocktail. It probably originated in Cuba where alcohol was still legal. Mary was a famous film actress. Per Wikipedia, “it is said to have been created for her in the 1920s by either Eddie Woelke or Fred Kaufmann at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba on a trip she took to Havana with Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks.” Hence the pineapple juice. Sounds good to me.
Per Liquor.com,
- 1 1/2 ounces white rum
- 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
- 1 tsp grenadine
- 6 drops maraschino liqueur
Add to a shaker with ice, shake and pour into a cocktail glass.
Celebrate with me the 101st anniversary of Prohibition on January 17th with the beverage of your choice.
– Jet Cannon
Kansas City Ice Water
I’m resetting my Super Bowl goals now that the Seahawks and the Titans are out. I am all in with the Chiefs. And here’s the perfect drink. Supposedly a summer drink but I’m thinking Ice Water in the veins. Cool, calm, collected and headed for victory.
Per Allrecipes.com here is the ticket:
1 oz gin
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz triple sec
3 oz of lemon-lime soda
Combine all of the above except the soda in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled pint glass then add the soda. Garnish with lemon, lime and mint or all three!
I’m feeling good about this!
- Jet Cannon
Post Game
Two drinks were suggested yesterday for the college football championship. One was the Alabama Slammer and the other was the Buckeye Martini. I went with a modified Buckeye Martini. Any excuse for a martini. Not being a big fan of Vermouth, I sprayed just a little bit in my glass. I haven’t added Vermouth to my martinis in so long that the sprayer button was stuck. A further modification was to hedge my bets by replacing the black olive with a Kalamata olive. It’s more Crimson Tide red. The result was delicious. Today the Buckeyes are out of luck and I’m out of Hendricks.
– Jet Cannon
Wet January Football Specials
Those Dry January folks must not be football fans. Big college championship game tonight. As I try to recommend drinks, I’m finding lots of different cocktails with the same name and various ideas of what’s the official drink of so-and-so. Therefore, I get to pick.
For the Ohio State Buckeyes I suggest a variation on one of my favorite drinks. The Buckeye Martini. cocktailbuilders.com says:
3 oz gin
1/2 dry vermouth
One black olive
Martini glass, of course
For Alabama, may I suggest per Liquor.com the Alabama Slammer
1 oz Southern Comfort
1 oz sloe gin
1 oz amaretto liqueur
2 oz OJ preferably fresh squeezed
Orange wedge garnish
Add to shaker with ice and pour into highball glass.
As an alternative, it’s your house. Drink what you want!
- Jet Cannon
Battle of New Orleans – January 8, 1815
The Battle of New Orleans was the last battle of the War of 1812. The US defeated the British in this 30 minute battle. Surprise, surprise there is a drink named after the battle.
While this is Drier January at Buzzed Boomer, it is Friday and it’s been quite a week. Therefore, here is a recipe for a Battle Of New Orleans from Make Me A Cocktail. makemeacocktail.com.
Glass type: Cocktail Glass
| 2 dash | Absinthe | |
| 1 dash | Orange Bitters | |
| 1½ oz | Bourbon | |
| 3 dashes | Peychaud’s Aromatic Bitters | |
| 1 dash | Anisette |
Stir all the ingredients together in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with an orange peel and serve.
Enjoy!
– Jet Cannon
Sleep. The Magic Elixir
Buzzed Boomer is all about feeling good. And catching a Buzz is a lot more fun if you’re already feeling great. A good night’s sleep is key to good mental and physical health. But getting a good night’s sleep isn’t always easy. Lots of people want to help you. It’s a Boomer business. Pillows, mattresses, white noise-makers, melatonin and other supplements, prescription drugs, herbs, chamomile tea, etc.
Here’s something a little different we tried and liked. Ceiling fan. Not because it is too hot in the room. It just gently provides fresh air and a cool pillow. The gentle breeze really seems to help. Add that to drinking less alcohol (quality not quantity), exercising during the day, and skipping the nap may improve your slumber. Try the fan idea with a small floor or counter fan if you already have one. The smaller ceiling fans are not expensive and can be installed where you might currently have an overhead light. If you’ve tried everything else and you’re still having trouble sleeping, give it a go.
– Jet Cannon
Exercise Endorphin Buzz
Getting an endorphin Buzz is going to take about 20 minutes of fairly intense exercise. Check with your doctor before engaging blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.
Assuming it’s okay to proceed, a power drink may be what you need to kick into high gear and get the blood flowing. I like to make a smoothie with fruits and vegetables and powdered protein plus a little energy booster. Just enough booster to at least have a placebo effect on my effort level. Are pre-workout elixirs safe? I have no idea!! That’s why I use just a pinch. It looks like it’s mostly caffeine but I’m no doctor. Too much and you will literally Buzz and that’s undoubtably not good.
The key thing is to build in the exercise habit to your routine and keep working to improve your fitness. It’s good for your overall health and you may catch a Buzz.
– Jet Cannon
Drier January
Dry January is a great idea. Especially if you’re hung over. No alcohol for a month. Ramp up that exercise program. Maybe lose some of those holiday pounds.
That said, do what I say and not what I do. I’m keeping my Zoom Friday Happy Hours with the Beer Boys. The rest of the week, more exercise, healthy eating, mocktails, and perhaps a little weed. For those of you who go cold turkey, more power to you!!
– Jet Cannon
Glorious Glassware
When breaking out the bubbly, it’s fun to have the appropriate glassware. A proper glass for your Champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling wine shows off the bubbles. The proper vessel is also the ticket for beer, wine, martinis, mules, margaritas, shots, highballs, and lowballs. It’s nice to have the right tool for the job. That’s a lot of glasses, granted. But, hey, it’s worth it. Presentation is important! Cheers!
– Jet Cannon
Dumpster Fire 2020
As years go, 2020 sucked for so many people. So much sadness, and worry, and loss of life here and around the world. And the lives of the famous were lost as well. To name some:
Chadwick Boseman
Charlie Daniels
Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Diana Rigg
Kobe Bryant
Sean Connery
Kelly Preston
Olivia De Havilland
Alex Trebek
Gale Sayers
Bill Withers
Little Richard
Kirk Douglas
Fred Willard
Helen Reddy
Eddie Van Halen
Brian Dennehy
Trini Lopez
Bonnie Pointer
Irrfan Khan
Wilford Brimley
Ja’net Dubois
John Lewis
Carl Reiner
Regis Philbin
Jerry Stiller
Kenny Rogers
John Prine
Mac Davis
Ian Holm
As we finally say goodbye to 2020, take a few moments and send thoughts, a prayer, or a toast to all of those we lost…. Famous and not famous.
– Jet Cannon
Mix It Up
Variety is the spice of life and Buzzed Boomers are blessed with a gazillion choices when it comes to vices. There are around 2500 beer brands in the US (not counting imports), over 8500 wineries, around 2000 distilleries, hundreds of hard cider and seltzer brands, and weed is legal in 15 states (medical marijuana in 35). No need to get stuck in a rut. Plus changing the Buzz scenery, combined with moderation, could help Boomers stay healthy so as to Buzz another day.
I’m starting to rotate more marijuana into the mix so that I drink less. Lots more choices at the weed store. Getting advice from a twenty-something was entertaining. Weed was less complicated back in the last century and also illegal. But the free market has taken over. Lots of edibles and liquids. Oils. Buds. It’s a bit overwhelming.
I’m being cautious. My friend gave some marijuana brownies to a couple he knows. They might have eaten too much. They reported their best sex ever but then got so paranoid they called 911.
– Jet Cannon
