Food and Drink

Malort Going Mainstream??

Food and Drink / By

We first encountered Malort on Jack Miller’s yacht as his traditional birthday toast. It was almost a dare to drink it. Here’s how VinePair describes the flavor.

“When describing the taste of Jeppson’s Malört, Chicago’s infamous wormwood-based liqueur, people tend to get creative. A cursory glance of various Reddit subs like r/bartenders and r/Chicago reveal some solid attempts: Notes of Fresca, paint thinner, and sadness; Week-old grapefruit rinds soaked in floodwater and shame; Gasoline filtered through a week-old garbage bag; Imagine if your parents’ divorce had a flavor. The spirit is famously gnarly, and has been “enjoyed” almost exclusively in the domain of the Chicago bar scene, where it’s existed as a rite of passage for dive bar denizens and as a reliable and irreverent bartender’s handshake. But in recent years, Malört has slowly crept out of the Chicagoland area, emerging on back bars nationwide as an “IYKYK” novelty item and even appearing in bona fide cocktails.”

So there you go! Drink up and cheers!

  • Jet Cannon
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Best Energy Foods For Older Adults

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Who doesn’t want more energy?  There’s the shortcuts (and their drawbacks) and then there is the healthy way.  We asked WebMD.  

“Each balanced meal should have a mix of lean protein, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. This combination can help keep you full while giving your body the vitamins and minerals that it needs.”

Did that say carbs and fat!?  So getting healthy energy doesn’t sound too horrible.  Read the Web MD article here for the details. 

– Jet Cannon?

Fall Fun

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We were curious as to what the Interweb would offer up for an October cocktail we found several Black Old Fashioned’s. We picked the Black Barrel Old Fashioned from Cleveland Whiskey that tied in cold brew, tailgates, high-end cherries. Can’t go wrong with that.

Here’s the ingredients and their Web page right here.

Ingredients

  • 1 oz Whiskey of Choice
  • 2 oz Black Barrel Cold Brew
  • 1/4 oz Simple Syrup
  • 4 Dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Orange Peel
  • Amarena or Luxardo Cherry

Good Hurricanes

Food and Drink / By

Not the bad ones.  Good luck, Florida.  You may need to swill a good Hurricane on higher ground to calm the nerves.  

Located in the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter, Pat O’Brien’s is a prime destination for tourists who may not know its past as a popular speakeasy. That’s according to New Orleans Historical.  Pat O’Brien’s signature drink, the Hurricane, was invented in the 1940’s during World War II when manufacturing replaced distilleries, making whiskey scarce. To obtain a single case of whiskey, bar owners would have to order 50 cases of rum. The abundance of rum inspired employees at Pat O’s to create a new cocktail, and the Hurricane, a rum-based drink, was born.

Although the Pat O’Brien’s recipe remains a secret, here’s a close match:

A traditional hurricane includes:
-2 oz. light rum
-2 oz. dark rum
-2 oz. passion fruit juice
-1 oz. orange juice
-1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
-1 tbsp. simple syrup
-1 tbsp. grenadine
– an orange slice and cherry to garnish.

Made from scratch, your Hurricane will likely surpass most of the touristy pre-mix versions in the French Quarter.  

Enjoy and be safe out there.

– Jet Cannon

Celebrating The Dirty Martini

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With politics in the airwaves and lighting up our phones, we went to Washingtonian.com to check out political cocktails over the years.  There are 13 from which to choose including The Nixon, the Biden Shot, and the F___ Trump Punch.  We’re highlighting the Clinton Martini given his recent speech to the DNC. 

“Restaurateur Alan Popovsky doesn’t remember which came first—the Clinton staffers or the Clinton martini. Either way, his former Adams Morgan hot spot, Felix, served the $3 Absolut vodka special to a young White House crew who spilled in every Wednesday night for the live Sinatra covers. “It was always a little dirty,” Popovsky says—of the martinis.”

Ha! Thank you Monica.

Cheers!

– Jet Cannon

It’s a Heatwave

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For the heatwave that’s in the news, we looked up Heatwave Cocktail.  There are quite a few variations but we picked this one from Drink Kings.  Who better to trust?  Their version has rum, peach schnapps, grenadine, and pineapple juice.  Can’t go wrong with that.  Click here for their recipe.

– Jet Cannon

Ship-Faced Aquaholic

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A tiki bar in lovely suburban community Orinda, CA?!  Thankfully, yes.  Boo Loo Lounge?  We think that’s where we were.  It’s pretty much unmarked.  Like a speakeasy.  But what an oasis!!  We were immediately transported to the tropics in the cozy, dark tiki hut.  Mai-Tai in hand, we conversed with the friendly locals and took in the first-cabin tiki decor.  When life gives you lemons, have a tiki drink.

– Jet Cannon

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My Favorite Cocktail, By John Lennon

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Talk about the perfect finale to your next vinyl party, the Brandy Alexander, was a favorite of John Lennon’s, according to this article in All Recipes. First introduced in the 1920’s, Lennon made quite a scene at a live Smothers Brothers show back in the day after over-indulging in the cocktail that tasted to him like a “milkshake”. 

No listening party coming up?  The Brandy Alexander is a delicious dessert cocktail following any meal or event.  Just don’t overdo it or they could still be talking about your antics 50 years later.

 Here’s how to make it: 

  1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
  2. Add 1/2 ounce crème de cacao, 1/2 ounce brandy or cognac, and 1/2 ounce heavy cream per serving. 
  3. Cover and shake until the outside of the shaker has frosted, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Optional: sprinkle with nutmeg to garnish.

– Jet Cannon

Agave Vodka

Food and Drink / By

Vodka is gin for children.  That’s been our feeling.  However, we’re now on the lookout for Weber Ranch Vodka.  NBC-DFW reported the following:

Wheat, corn, potatoes and now agave. All things that vodka can be made from.

“We wanted to do something, crazy,” mused master distiller Antonio Rodriguez.

That crazy idea turned into Weber Ranch Vodka, an agave-based vodka “Born in Jalisco, Crafted in Texas.”

This unique approach to the classic spirit creates a flavor profile with a rounded finish, a smooth mouthfeel and citrus flavors from the agave plant, Rodriguez explains.

It’s the flavor part that caught our eye. Vodka mixes so nicely because it has no flavor of its own, in our experience. So a Weber dry martini or on the rocks just could be very interesting! 

– Jet Cannon