Good Clean Fun

sazerac rye, whiskey, american

In The Beginning, There was Sazerac

Food and Drink, Good Clean Fun, Recipes, Travel / By

As I found myself of late in the French Quarter, a veritable garden of earthly delights, my thoughts drifted to cocktails. As a younger man, I had assumed the cocktail had been a fixture of the libation scene since, well since forever. Not so. They are a fairly recent addition to spirits, beer and wine having only arrived on the scene in the early 19th century. There are a great many claims as to the origin of the word and who made the first one where. Most of the evidence seems to point toward it being something akin to an Old Fashioned.

But as I was seated in the courtyard at Amelie, in the Quarter, next to the fountain, I chose to believe that it was the Sazerac. The Sazerac gained popularity in the mid-1800s at the Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans, which was named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac. The drink was originally made with cognac, but the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century that destroyed European vineyards forced a switch to rye whiskey. Peychaud’s Bitters, which are a must for the Sazerac, were also created in New Orleans, in the 1830s, by a pharmacist named Antoine Amedie Peychaud (in fact, the cocktail was actually first mixed by Peychaud, before it even had a name).

Here’s looking at you Antoine!

-Hunter S.

cocktail, cocktails, lemon

Mini-Kegerator

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Picture your next tailgate or picnic with your favorite cold beverage on tap.  It doesn’t have to be beer.  Cider, soda, cold brew coffee, cocktails…. All stay nicely fresh and pressurized.  See thespruce.com for a nice review of options.  I was given a NutriChef Mini-Keg for Christmas and it has not been out of the refrigerator yet for an event but I’ve given it a few test runs.  The beer and cider I’ve obtained from local producers has stayed fresh until it was consumed.  It holds eight pints and is perfectly portable for spring and summer events. 

– Jet Cannon

eat, drink, oktoberfest

Mountain Glassware

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Looking for a peak experience?  Try enjoying your favorite beverage in a glass that includes a mountain peak.  They are definitely a crowd pleaser.  My brother bestowed the Mt. Rainier version on me and it’s one of my favorite go-to glasses.  See huckberry.com or thegreenhead.com among others online.   Northdrinkware.com donates a percentage of sales to non-profits that work to protect mountains or their surrounding communities.  

Your favorite peaks including the Matterhorn, Everest, Mt. Fuji, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Washington are available from various companies.  Decanters, in some cases, too.

Drink up!  Higher!

– Jet Cannon

seattle, rainier, mountain
black and white round car air filter

V8 Before It’s Too Late

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It’s time for a V8.  The motor.  Not the drink.  Time for the Buzz that comes with mechanical perfection and the rush that comes from pure acceleration.  

Time is running out on new production V8 motors.  V6 turbos and ultimately electric cars are the future.  Thankfully, performance of both are good to outstanding.  But there’s nothing quite like the rumble of an idling V8 or their sound when they get up and go.

Classic car buffs understand that so their beautiful sound won’t be lost.  We’re counting on you Buzzed Boomers to keep the mechanical Buzz alive.

– Maserati Mike

corvette, chevrolet, classic
modern cozy steamboat with side wheel

Happy Fat Tuesday!

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Fat Tuesday says New Orleans and Hurricanes!  Buzzed Boomer likes to emphasize quality over quantity and a proper Hurricane….Well it won’t take many to catch that Buzz.  They tend to be strong.  My research says there are lots of variants as far as recipes go so we have some latitude.  See the InterWeb for a bunch of fancy recipes.  A Buzzed Boomer key should be keeping it as fresh as possible.  But even in New Orleans at Pat O’Briens, where the Hurricane was invented in the 1940’s, the Hurricanes are pre-mixed.  Tourists!  They’ll drink anything.  

Originally the Hurricane was just dark rum, passion fruit juice, and lime juice.  Pretty straight forward.  I found pseudo passion fruit juice at the supermarket.  It’s a blend of juices, including passion fruit, so it’s not the real deal.  If you don’t have even that, orange juice and a little Grenadine to turn it red will do.   

The glass is important, too.  Kind of hurricane lamp shape.  Didn’t think I had one but, by golly, I do.  Courtesy of Alaska Airlines.  

So, we will cobble something together drink-wise, make some cajun shrimp mac and cheese to fatten us up before Lent, and off we go!!

Cheers!

– Jet Cannon

snow wood landscape vacation

Happy Presidents Day!

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Presidents Day originally celebrated George Washington’s birthday.  George was a whiskey drinker.  Therefore, I’m getting out the good stuff.

“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” 

― George Washington

Cheers!

– Jet Cannon

drink, glass, whiskey

Buzzed Boomers Boomer Bar – The Horse & Cow Pub & Grill

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A bar that honors the undersea element of our nuclear triad needs to be celebrated and, ideally, visited.  Boomers is the nickname for the ballistic missile submarines that protect our freedom via their unfathomable deterrent to an attack on our country.  An Ohio-class sub can launch 192 warheads wiping 24 enemy cities off the map.  Boom.  

So back to the Horse & Cow.  Located in Bremerton, Washington and also Guam, the pubs contain one of the largest private collections of submarine artifacts.  And the food and drinks are great.  Taking the ferry from downtown Seattle to Bremerton is a scenic treat in and of itself.  The pub is located right outside the gates of the US Navy submarine base in Bremerton and both are a only a short walk from the ferry terminal.  The “sail” from the spy submarine Parch is just down the street. For Baby Boomers, having lived through the Cold War, it’s a visit you’re not likely to forget.

For more history, where the name Horse and Cow comes from, and more information, see horseandcow.com

-Jet Cannon

Celebrate Music, Endorphins and Weed on Bob Marley’s Birthday – Saturday February 6

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Music alone can create good feelings and a natural endorphin buzz.  But for Bob’s Birthday, a pioneer of reggae, one should probably add a little ganja as he was an early proponent of legalizing marijuana.  

He passed away at a young 36 yet left us some great music.  The Wailers were Rolling Stones Band of the Year in 1976.  Check out 1973’s Catch a Fire album to see what started it all.

– Jet Cannon 

cannabis, cbd, marijuana

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead

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Remember National Lampoon magazine?  If so, you’re a full-fledged Buzzed Boomer!!  And if you remember the thrill of getting the magazine in the mail each month, check out this hardcover book or the video on Amazon.  Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead by Rick Meyerowitz.  The magazine is politically incorrect by today’s standards AND yesteryear’s standards. But the book will take you back with reprints and stories about the folks who put the magazine together!

– Jet Cannon

Dive Bars

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New York is the greatest city in the world and not just because it has so many treasured dive bars tucked unnoticed amidst the sea of $22 cocktail places.  Covid has taken an unfortunate toll on many of them, but some great ones still survive.  Rudy’s on 9th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen  (no relation to the former mayor and current douchebag) is one such bar.  Old, dark, narrow, and perpetually packed. With more duct tape on the vinyl seat cushions than actual vinyl, Rudy’s is immediately comfortable. Best of all free hot dogs, just ask at the bar as you order a generously proportioned pitcher of  Rudy’s Red and Blonde on tap for $11. Who says Manhattan has to be expensive? A man could grow old there quite happily.

As Covid winds down, be sure to help your favorite watering hole get back on its feet.

  • Hendricks Twist
neon light signage on wall

Boomer Cellar Bar Remodel

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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
adventure arid barren coast

Drier January

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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