Food and Drink

Watch and Learn, Grasshopper

Food and Drink / By

“In addition to directing such hits as Bridesmaids and Spy, creating the comedy series Freaks and Geeks and directing (and acting in) episodes of The Office and Arrested Development, Paul Feig happens to be a master mixologist. His new book, Cocktail Time!, is a compendium of classic drinks and his own creations.”  Thank you Parade magazine.

In his spare time, “Feig partnered with a boutique Canadian distillery to concoct the award-winning Artingstall’s Brilliant London Dry Gin ($43, drizly.com), which he describes it as having “hints of citrus, hints of floral black pepper and nice warmth without feeling too alcoholic. Ours is a really great mix of botanical and alcohol in harmony so it’s not a harsh drink.”  As we enjoy a sip of gin occasionally, we’re going to try it.

Feig has also made a martini for King Charles III.  No pressure!

One of Feig’s favorite crowd-pleasers for the holidays is the Grasshopper.  Read more about Feig and get the recipe for the Grasshopper here in Parade.

– Jet Cannon

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Love the wine You’re with

Food and Drink / By

According to National Day Calendar, Saturday November 12th is International Wine Tourism Day. “Wine is big business. In the United States alone, people spend over 17 billion dollars on wine tourism. The wine industry in America brings 43 million visitors to over 10,000 wine producers all over the country. Wine is so popular that all 50 states have winery facilities. On a global scale, wine tourism accounts for more than 50 billion euros of direct revenue to the world economy. That equals about 57 billion U.S. dollars.”

So this weekend, visit your local winery or… just love the wine you’re with!

  • Jet Cannon

Whose turn in the barrel?

Food and Drink / By

Globe-trotting Buzzed Boomer Correspondent Maserati Mike raced through Ireland’s Jameson Distillery (ESTd 1780 in order to reach the tasting room. Among other fine versions of their Irish Whiskey, MM discovered the IPA Edition where the whiskey is finished in craft beer barrels. Contrast that with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey where only new in-house-crafted barrels are used for aging 4 to 7 years and then sold to craft beer and wine makers to age their products.  So whose turn in the barrel?

Meanwhile, no further word from Maserati Mike.

  • Jet Cannon

BrewDog

Food and Drink / By

Last week, Buzzed Boomer Roving Correspondent Maserati Mike checked out the latest BrewDog bar in London.  If bigger is better, the Waterloo BrewDog wins.  

“We’ve really gone for it this time.  Our biggest UK bar is here. Two floors and 27,500sqft of craft beer nirvana inside Waterloo station, next to the iconic London Southbank. With a restaurant, an on-site microbrewery and 60 taps of draft beer over two bars, we’re serving some of the freshest beer in London and some of the greatest food that’s ever graced the inside of a train station.But why stop there? With our Grind Cafe for your brunch and caffeinated needs, a cocktail hideaway, a co-working space, a podcast recording studio, duckpin bowling and AN ACTUAL SLIDE, there’s plenty to keep you occupied while they clear the leaves off the line. Get down here. Grab a drink. Pray for train delays.”

Last we heard, Maserati Mike was still there.

– Jet Cannon

wine by train

Food and Drink, Music / By

Per Costco Connection, “In 2012, multiple-Grammy Award-winning band Train added winemaking to their creative repertoire with Save Me, San Francisco (SMSF) Wine Co. Ten years and 11 million bottles later, SMSF is bringing a limited reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Item 1701833) to select Costco warehouses in California. Proceeds from sales support Family House San Francisco, a nonprofit organization that provides housing to families of seriously ill children receiving treatment for life-threatening illnesses.”

  • Jet Cannon

Weeding out the weak

Food and Drink / By

We were recently treated/subjected to Malort, a Chicago liqueur with an intriguing history.  During Prohibition, “Carl Jeppson begins producing his “bäskbrännvin” (a traditional Swedish-style of bitters) and sells it as a “medicinal” product that rid its imbibers of stomach worms and other parasites in the body. Jeppson skirts federal regulation given the recurring conclusion by law enforcement that nobody would drink his concoction recreationally.”  Since then, it’s been modified and included at one point a stem of wormwood in the bottle.  Yum.  Through the decades, Jeppson’s Malört – a traditional wormwood-based digestif – has been thought of as a rite of passage or a hangover cure. For many Chicagoans, Malört is the drink that has defined the Chicago bar experience. 

Intrigued, we gave it a try and found it not at all unpleasant.  Read about Malort here and take note of a possible cure for hangovers and/or worms!

Shout out to Jack and Tim for sharing!

– Jet Cannon

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Brain Food

Food and Drink / By

Right after cocktail hour, we start thinking about healthy eating.  Sometimes we even follow through.  

Laura Ali has written a handy cookbook, “Mind Diet for Two” tailored to Baby Boomers interested in supporting brain health.  The 65 recipes emphasize the familiar berries, vegetables, fish, beans, whole grains, poultry, olive oil and…. Red wine!  The recipes are tailored for two (empty nesters), with ingredients actually available at the grocery store, and take less than 30 minutes to prepare. And let’s not forget the daily glass of red wine.

– Jet Cannon

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Never Ending Fall

Food and Drink, Music / By

The band Never Ending Fall has taken to TikTok with their Costco Kirkland brand liquor versus the name brands blind tests.  Thank you for your service!  Read more in The Seattle Times.

The short answer is that the Costco booze is as good as, or comes close, to the name brands in most cases.  So if you’re not trying to impress your friends, you can save a significant amount of money by hitting the warehouse.  Or better yet, put your friends to the test.  We did one blind test with a dedicated vodka drinker and he picked the Kettle One as smoother.  Without hesitation.  But we’ve noticed he’ll happily drink the Kirkland if we just hand him a glass without saying what it is.  So it’s close.

– Jet Cannon

Forget the candy

Food and Drink, Good Clean Fun / By

Do you know anybody making Boozy Creamsicle Shakes for Halloween?  Please share their name and address.

Delish.com has recipes for 47 beyond-clever cocktails to help us celebrate.  They are amazing!  We’re not sure it matters what they taste like because the names and presentations rock!  We’ll probably go with the Jekyll & Gin unless we can find the props for Bloody Mary Syringes! Only 45 more to consider.

– Jet Cannon

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Buzz without the headache

Food and Drink / By

USNews describes eight concoctions that may provide a Buzz without as much, or any, alcohol.  Read more here.  Kombucha, maybe.  However, we won’t be drinking beet root juice.  You, on the other hand, may enjoy it.  We suggest you try ordering it at a trendy cocktail bar!  Let us know how that goes.

– Jet Cannon

The Proof is in the barrel

Food and Drink / By

Recently taking the tour at Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, we learned a bit about Tennessee whiskey while getting in our steps (literally) at the scenic, hilly campus.  We highly recommend the tour if you’re ever out that way…. Pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  

We did pick up a bottle of Barrel Proof.  Our bottle was 128 proof.  Whatever comes out of a single hand-selected barrel is not watered down.  And it’s true what they say that higher proof does not necessarily mean harsh. “Intense yet smooth”.  That may be due to the charcoal filtering that makes Tennessee whiskey unique from bourbon whiskey.

Anyway, we’ve renewed our relationship with Jack Daniel’s No. 7 and Coke which is supposedly the most popular cocktail in the world. 

Cheers!

– Jet Cannon

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International (and beyond) Gin & Tonic Day

Food and Drink / By

October 19th is the day.  (Thank you alert professional spirits taster Maserati Mike.)  And we are celebrating with Italy’s Malfy Originale Gin made with Amalfi coast lemons. A splash of Fever Tree tonic and we’re good to go. 

Yet after reading Forbes’ review of noteworthy gins, we really want to try the domestic Gray Whale Gin.  Check out these ingredients:  “Juniper from Big Sur, which is complemented by sea kelp from Mendocino, Temecula limes, fir tree needles from Sonoma, Capay Valley almonds, and mint from Santa Cruz.”  Almost sounds healthy!!

Cheers!!

– Jet Cannon 

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How Sweet It is!

Food and Drink / By

October 16th is National Liqueur Day.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget.  That’s why we’re here. So maybe start this Sunday with a little Kahlua in your coffee.  If that’s not your cup of liqueur, maybe one of these will find its way into a cocktail, straight up, or on the rocks.

  • Bailey’s Irish cream
  • Cointreau
  • RumChata
  • Grand Marnier
  • Campari
  • Amaretto
  • Frangelico

Just a little something to sweeten the disposition. (Spaulding, we’re talking to you!)

– Jet Cannon

Drink Up!

Food and Drink / By

In an embarrassing setback for alcohol-swilling USA, a hotel in Bangkok set a Guinness World Record for the largest Negroni Cocktail.

“BANGKOK, Sept 13 (Reuters) – A hotel in the Thai capital set a Guinness World Record on Monday by stirring up the world’s largest Negroni cocktail, with more than 630 litres (1,109 pints) of the bitter Italian drink.

Mixologists at the Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok Hotel poured dozens of bottles of the key ingredients – gin, vermouth, and Campari – into an iced acrylic container 1.7 m (5.6 ft) tall and weighing about 400 kg (882 lb).”

USA officials are reportedly recruiting top mixologists to challenge the new record.  “This is more important than landing on the moon,” said one official.

– Jet Cannon