Jet Cannon

two clear high stemmed glasses

Battle of New Orleans – January 8, 1815

Recipes / By

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

whisky, jim beam, bourbon whiskey
high angle view of lying down on grass

Sleep. The Magic Elixir

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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

man in black crew neck t shirt drinking yellow liquid from plastic bottle

Exercise Endorphin Buzz

Endorphins / By

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

fitness, weight, dumbbell
adventure arid barren coast

Drier January

Good Clean Fun / By

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 

superman, hero, man

Glorious Glassware

Food and Drink / By

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

sparkling wine, bubbles, glasses
accident action danger emergency

Dumpster Fire 2020

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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

loading bar, 2021, new year's eve
group of people gathering inside bar

Mix It Up

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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

woman in white shirt holding clear drinking glass with yellow liquid

Mimosa Time

3 Comments / Food and Drink / By

Holidays and a little bubbly?  Pull out the Champagne glasses.   It’s Mimosa time! 

Like any good fruit-based drink, fresh ingredients are key.  If possible, start with fresh-squeezed orange juice.  And, hey, if you’ve got fresh-squeezed OJ, you might just want to stop there.  But if you’re adding a bubbly Buzz, don’t pull out your best Champagne.  It’s not necessary after being mixed with OJ.  Prosecco might be a better choice.  Ratio-wise, at least half should be sparkling wine.  If anyone is watching, I like to add a drop or two of Cointreau or Grand Marnier.  Garnish with fresh berries like cranberries, strawberries, or raspberries to complete the holiday pageantry.  Finally, schedule your afternoon nap.  Cheers!

– Jet Cannon

orange liquid filled champagne flute on brown surface
clear shot glass with brown liquid inside

Festivus – December 23rd

Food and Drink / By

A Festivus for the rest of us! Get out your meatloaf, aluminum pole, and be prepared to air your grievances. Or make your own traditions. That’s the beauty of Festivus.

While no alcohol was served in “The Strike” episode of Seinfeld, Georges boss drinks from a flask at the Festivus dinner. I’m saying that’s Scotch. Hennigan’s. From the Red Dot episode. “No smell, no tell, Scotch.” Cheers.

  • Jet Cannon

broken eggshells on a yellow background

Eggnog Update

Food and Drink / By

In an earlier post, I bragged about my plan to make eggnog from scratch, or more precisely, from eggs.  A bit later and before I gathered the eggs, I noticed some Trader Joe’s Eggnog Liqueur in the fridge.  Wife must have bought it.  Okay.  

Last Saturday, our son called in a pre-Christmas Zoom call.  They were opening some of our presents early…. Long story.  I grabbed some glasses and the Trader Joe’s to get into the early Christmas spirit.  I poured some of the creamy liquid over ice and held the bottle up the the screen.  Buzzed Boomer!  Day drinking!   My son remarked that he’d bought the eggnog liqueur last year and never drank it.   Well it tasted fine to me.  Eggs are safe for this year.

– Jet Cannon 

bar billiards gambling game

ManCave Grand (Re) Opening

2 Comments / Good Clean Fun / By

It won’t be long now.  Safe, indoor social gatherings.  And what better place to have a get-together than your ManCave or basement pub?  For me it’s time to clean up the cobwebs, check the liquor supply and take a fresh look at the space and it’s attributes.

If you don’t have a Mancave, they’re fun to plan and assemble if you’ve got the space.  Mine is in part of the garage!  Barplan.com and other sites have great ideas for big budgets and not so big budgets.  Definitely read up for ideas and tips while you do your planning.

Obviously, your choices should reflect what you like to do.  Most folks don’t have the space for everything so pick your favorites.  Cards?  Pool table?  Darts?  Watch sports?  Listen to music?  Drink?  Pinball?  Foosball? 

Get ready to enjoy and entertain!  A safe spring and summer is coming.

– Jet Cannon

beer, bottles, toast

Covid Birthday Cocktails

1 Comment / Food and Drink / By

If your friends were coming over, those cool layered shots would be a natural crowd pleaser.  Visually dazzling, sweet and tasty.  And most anyone will try one, as opposed to tequila or vodka shots.  But your friends aren’t coming; over or at least they shouldn’t be.

So you need to go all out for your own birthday cocktail.  The best glass, the best ingredients, and the best presentation.

My friend Joan just turned 60.  She’s a Baby Boomer who understands how to celebrate an event and host a great party.  But not this year.  Therefore, I insisted that her husband make her a proper celebratory drink to commemorate the event, though belatedly.  There are a number of cake cocktail recipes online if you want to go extravagant.   

Here’s a simple recipe for martini lovers or chocolate lovers and those of us who love both:  

2 oz vodka

1/2 oz hazelnut flavored liquor

1 oz chocolate cream liqueur

Add ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice, shake, and pour into a chilled martini glass.  Add whipped cream to glass and decorate with a candle, sprinkles or other birthday  decorations.  Of course, you can substitute most any drink in the glass.  It’s the decorations that are key!

As a test, I made an espresso martini with lots of whipped cream.  However, my numbers were too heavy and kept sinking so more testing was necessary.  Then more tests.  More whipped cream. More tests.

– Jet Cannon

clear wine glass on table

Shaken Not Stirred

Food and Drink / By

While visiting a wonderful basement pub in Vermont, the host showed off his collection of stainless steel cocktail shakers.  He had big ones that could make cocktails for five or six people and small single serving shakers and sizes in between.  Very impressive.   I’ve not found the big one online but I have learned that those cool looking shakers are not a friend of mine.  I have had them break open while gallantly and ceremoniously pouring into a guest’s cocktail glass more than once. You’d think I’d learn to hold it together during the pour.  In the same session, I found myself using all my strength to pull one apart that was stuck together, then running it under hot water and finally giving up and grabbing another shaker.

There is always the option of using a strainer on a pint glass or on the bottom half of the stainless steel shaker. It’s just a shame, though, that the coolest-looking shaker has issues.

There is a better mousetrap.  Oh, they cost a little more but they’re worth it.  Rubber gaskets keep the lid on tight while you pour but then the lid easily comes off afterwards.  Some are insulated so your beverage stays nice and cold until it’s completely drained.

Pouring a cocktail for a guest should not end in embarrassing failure.  And pouring a cocktail for yourself shouldn’t require feats of strength.  With the right equipment, those issues go away and the stainless steel collection will look great just sitting on the bar.  

– Jet Cannon