Jet Cannon

Chuck

Food and Drink / By

A legend passed away.  A man’s man.   When he wasn’t flyin’ he was hunting’ or fishin’.  He had the right stuff all right.

Worthy Buzzed Boomers know at least a little bit about Chuck Yeager.  Most notably, he was the first to fly faster than the speed of sound.   To learn more, read or watch The Right Stuff.  Or read his autobiography.  He was one of our heroes growing up and one of those who didn’t disappoint as the years went by.

To raise a toast, there’s a Jagermeister and pineapple drink called a Chuck Yeager. Get it?  Pronounced the same.  But I think when Chuck was winding down at the Happy Bottom Riding Club he was drinking whiskey.  Whisky from his home state of West Virginia if he could get it.  But any whiskey if he couldn’t.  Probably not true but that’s what I’ll be tossing back in his memory.  That’s what test pilots in that era did when the sun went down.  Tossed a few back.  Fly high, Chuck.  

– Jet Cannon

action alcohol art beverage

Red or Not

Food and Drink / By

Is red wine good for your health?  Keeping up with what’s healthy, and what isn’t, is entertaining.  Remember when eggs were bad for your cholesterol?  Now maybe not so much.  I used margarine for years.  Now butter is maybe not so bad.  

So red wine?  Short answer, like most everything else, taken in moderation there may be benefits of red wine to your heart.  But, of course, don’t start drinking to improve your heart health as alcohol obviously has some health downsides.

Of course there’s a whole red wine world out there with no shortage of choices. As alcohol choices go, it’s probably a pretty good preference to have.

I can finish off a bottle of wine myself and really enjoy it ….. until the next day when I don’t feel so good and the scale barks at me because of the steak dinner that paired so well with the wine.  Best not to polish off a whole bottle unless you’re sharing.  To keep the wine in good shape overnight or longer, put it in the refrigerator and then warm it up to drink.  Use an inexpensive vacuum pump to slow down the oxidation.  Those two things will keep the wine tasting good for a week or more.

One of the best things in my mind about red wine is to read the reviews.  “Blueberries, black-plum and red-raspberry flavors are fresh and tangy on the nose of this red. The palate starts tart, but lengthens to show fresh fruit flavors and high acid, with a touch of lavender coming through on the finish.”  Memorize some of these.  Impress your friends.

THC/CBD beverage reviews seem more straightforward.  “Super tasty with major muscle relaxation”.  More on those beverages later!

– Jet Cannon

captain, eckernförde, pipe

Captain’s Cocktail

Food and Drink / By

 

Tony retires today.  Fondly referred to as “The Captain”, Tony hangs it up after decades of brilliant engineering.  At least he says it was brilliant.  I’m not even sure if it was engineering.   Regardless, we honor him with a nautical cocktail.  Happy Retirement, Captain!

Captain’s Cocktail

1/2 oz of spiced rum

1/2 tsp of sugar

1 oz of lime juice

1 oz of white rum

1/2 oz port 

For the rest of you skippers out there, check out Sex with the Captain recipes on the interweb!

– Jet Cannon

cocktail, alcohol, drink
airline, architecture, buildings

Plain Plane Cocktail

1 Comment / Food and Drink / By

Boeing sold some planes recently after a long sales drought that was due to problems with the 737 MAX and airline woes with the pandemic. I used to work there and I still have some stock and friends who work there so….. good news! Therefore, I went looking for an airplane-related cocktail. Paper Plane, Jet Fuel, The Aviation. The problem is I don’t have syrup de gimme, creme de violette, marichiono liqueur, Nonino, Rumple Minze, cinnamon schnapps, Aperol, or Amoro. And I’m reluctant to buy an expensive bottle of one or all of those just to have it sit on the shelf. Maybe I won’t like my airplane cocktail.

What I’d like is to be able to find airplane bottle size samples of each of those. But most bottles of that size have gin, vodka, rum, etc. I haven’t looked real hard, and I will, but I’m not optimistic. I understand the makers would rather sell a big expensive bottle.

My solution to this problem was to pour an Aviation Gin brand cocktail straight up. Plain plane cocktail. Please fly responsibly.

  • Jet Cannon
whiskey, brandy, drink

Stone Barrington Wannabe

2 Comments / Food and Drink / By

Knob Creek bourbon. Stone drinks it. I drink it.

Actually, I tried it for the first time yesterday. But Stone has been drinking it for years. If you don’t know, Stone is the fictional, larger-than-life character in the Stuart Woods series. Sort of a wealthy USA James Bond, Stone hangs with presidents, the Chief of Police and other important people who also enjoy a good cocktail. Stone flies his own jet, solves murders, makes out sexually like a tall dog, and regularly saves the world from disaster. He’ll also tip the delivery guys $50 “for a beer”, is wonderful to employees, and makes a mean breakfast for his gal pals.

The point is…. there is no point. But the Knob did not disappoint. I’m no expert on bourbon, but I thought it was smooth and satisfying. So when I run into Stone I will know what to order. Cheers!

– Jet Cannon

man in black jacket wearing black headphones

High fidelity Endorphins Under The Tree

Endorphins / By

Music releases endorphins in the brain. Endorphins help you feel good. And music reproduction has never been better. There are so many sources and ways to listen to excellent quality sound; from earbuds to cars to home theaters. Classic music is being remastered to bring out nuances not heard before. And speaker technology continues to improve bringing clarity to those new sounds.

After years of devolving from big horn stereo speakers down to inexpensive, small speakers, I recently purchased some new speakers for the home theater. There is a difference. Wow! And, while earbuds offer great sound, there’s nothing quite like a couple woofers moving some air around. And the high end clarity is startling.

If you haven’t invested in newer sound technology lately and you have the environment and the means, think about some new quality speakers for under the tree. They will add an extra dimension to your personal music scene, which, without concerts, is how we get our music these days.

BTW, when concerts open up again, open your wallet and support the musicians who keep making the music but who are struggling like many folks due to the pandemic. There isn’t much money in recorded music anymore so they count on concert revenue.

Rock on!

– Jet Cannon

eggnog, cocktail, christmas

It’s December 1st. Bust out the Eggnog!

Food and Drink / By

This will be a first for me. I’m going to make my own eggnog!! That said, I will also mix cocktails with the store-bought eggnog the wife brought home. Waste-not, want-not. But back to the home brew. It doesn’t look that hard. Lots of recipes on the interweb. The basic ingredients are below.

I don’t really care if it’s better than the store stuff. I just want to casually mention to people that I make my own eggnog from scratch. Most of the people I know will be impressed. Cheers!

– Jet Cannon

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (plus more for garnish)
  • 2 cups brandy
  • 1 cup milk
ugly christmas sweater, christmas sweater, knitwear

Seahawks on Monday Night Football – November 30

Food and Drink / By

When in Seattle and the Hawks are on Monday Night Football, mix something up with a little blue and green. We’re hoping to make this a Blue Monday for the Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles fans, you’re on your own!

Blue Monday

2 oz. Vodka

1/4 oz. triple Sec

1/4 Blue Curacao

Splash of fresh lime juice

selective focus photo of red turkey head

Cranberries Rock!

Food and Drink / By

Our family hasn’t cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving in quite a few years. Turns out no one was all that keen on the turkey itself. Most everyone liked stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberries. We do a marinated tri-tip from the butcher shop on the bbq. Takes about 20 minutes. No sweating how long to cook it like a turkey. And it’s never dry. We do potatoes in the Instant Pot which is a quick half-hour job. The gravy comes from the gourmet grocery store and it’s good enough because….. we’ve had plenty of time to warm up with a cranberry cocktail! The wife will cobble up some cranberry sauce and I save a few berries to drop into the cocktail glass for a nice traditional garnish.

There are many, many recipes for a cranberry cocktail on the interweb. I like to add a little Charbord black raspberry liqueur to the vodka and cranberry juice ending up with what some call a Purple Haze. Which is perfect for a Buzzed Boomer from Jimi’s hometown.

jimi, hendrix, desktop
color colour fitness health

The Natural High

Endorphins / By

Not everything at Buzzed Boomer is sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. No ma’am. No sir. We want to feel good and generating endorphins is the natural, healthy way to do it. There are a variety of ways to get your body creating endorphins. We could stop at chocolate as a source….. tempting….. but today we’re talking about exercise. Careful there seniors!! Check with your doctor and all that before engaging in sex, drugs, rock ‘n roll…. or exercise.

Back in the day, I was a runner. After 20 minutes or so the endorphins would kick in. But eventually the knees started to complain. So I hit the gym. Ellipticals, cycles, rowers, stair climbers. Even a bit of treadmill because they offer more cushion than running on the road. But then the gym closed. Permanently, in my case.

So like a lot of folks, we started looking for home solutions to tone up and help lose the Covid-19 pounds (more like 25 in my case). We ended up going with a rower with connections to Ifit. The rower offers a good full body workout with no impact. Ifit offers, like Peloton, a huge variety of other types of workouts from yoga to strength training led by professional trainers. I find myself cheating a lot less than working out on my own even though the trainer is working out inside a video monitor. We have a few barbells as extra equipment and we bought a mat to protect the carpet.

We’re very happy with the machine and we’re both starting to see results. I won’t be going back to a gym when this pandemic is over. No need to.

Jet Cannon

canoe, rowers, rowing
person s holding fruit drink

National Start Your Own Country Day – Nov 22

Good Clean Fun / By

Buzzed Boomer

 

For my first Executive Order….. The National Cocktail shall be……. Named after me, of course.  Jet Cannon.  Considered to be the strongest cocktail in the world, this drink contains 100% alcohol, with absolutely no mixers whatsoever. Gin, vodka, absinthe, brandy and blackberry liquor are mixed together in equal parts are used to create this lethal mix.  It’s delightful with subtle hints of kerosene and gunpowder. 

But you have your own country now!  Don’t copy my National Cocktail!

flags, russia, usa
man, guy, tired

Too Lazy to Make Real Coffee

Good Clean Fun / By

So, I was going to ask readers for recommendations on breakfast coffee K-Cups.  I’m currently drinking Starbucks Breakfast Blend.  How original!  

Generally, I like coffee that knocks me backwards with flavor and boldness but I’ve started to like the lighter roast, at least early in the morning.  I love K-cups for their convenience, the varieties that are available (e.g. Death Wish) but as I was loading up my Keurig this morning, I noticed the French press and bean grinder on the pantry shelf.  And I thought to myself, here you are promoting the finer things in senior life and you’re taking lazy shortcuts.  YOU’RE RETIRED!  So I ordered some beans from Real Good Coffee.  It’s a Seattle outfit and it must be good with a name like that.  

All that said, I’m now interested in your favorite whole bean recommendations, starting with breakfast-type lighter roasts.  – Jet Cannon

kettle, french, plunger

                                                                  pure-mktg.com

coffee, cappuccino, latte

Buzzed Boomer – National Espresso Day

Food and Drink / By

November 23rd is National Espresso Day. The Buzzed Boomer may choose to go bareback with just a double-shot of espresso (triple-shot for me), throw the shots into a latte, or….. Espresso Martini! There are espresso cocktail mixes out there. There are coffee liquors. Just add vodka. Or you can make it from scratch. Hard to go wrong with ingredients like vodka and espresso so feel free to experiment! – Jet Cannon