Gettin’ High on Nature
Want to enjoy the great outdoors via a recreational vehicle? Here are some tips from our roving glampers on where to park your rig. Airstream Dreams Livin’ In Tin Edition.
Jet Cannon for Hunter S.
Travel
Roving Correspondent Mazerati Mike recently stopped by the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco for their famous Irish coffee. Here is their story.
“The historic venture started on the night of November the 10th in 1952. Jack Koeppler, then-owner of the Buena Vista, challenged international travel writer Stanton Delaplane to help re-create a highly touted “Irish Coffee” served at Shannon Airport in Ireland. Intrigued, Stan Accepted Jack’s invitation, and the pair began to experiment immediately.
Throughout the night the two of them stirred and sipped judiciously and eventually acknowledged two recurring problems. The taste was “not quite right,” and the cream would not float. Stan’s hopes sank like the cream, but Jack was undaunted. The restaurateur pursued the elusive elixir with religious fervor, even making a pilgrimage overseas to Shannon Airport.
Upon Jack’s return, the experimentation continued. Finally, the perfect-tasting Irish whiskey was selected. Then the problem of the bottom-bent cream was taken to San Francisco’s mayor, a prominent dairy owner. It was discovered that when the cream was aged for 48 hours and frothed to a precise consistency, it would float as delicately as a swan on the surface of Jack’s and Stan’s special nectar.
Success was theirs! With the recipe now mastered, a sparkling clear, six-ounce, heat-treated goblet was chosen as a suitable chalice.
Soon the fame of the Buena Vista’s Irish Coffee spread throughout the land. Today, it’s still the same delicious mixture, and it’s still the same clamorous, cosmopolitan Buena Vista. Both…delightful experiences.”
Website onbetterliving.com notes that since 1952, The Buena Vista has sold millions of glasses of their delicious original Irish Coffees over the years. On a busy day, they can sell over 2000 glasses and they report that they sell more Irish whiskey than anywhere else in the world.
Not making a trip to San Fran but want to up your Irish Coffee game?
- Warm a 6-oz. heatproof glass with hot water then pour it out
- Fill a glass three-quarters full (about ⅔ cup) with coffee. Buena Vista uses Peerless available on Amazon. Add two sugar cubes; stir until they dissolve
- Stir in an 1 1/2 oz (or maybe two) of Tullamore D.E.W whiskey; top with whipped heavy cream by gently pouring over a spoon
For more, see their website http://www.thebuenavista.com/home/irishcoffee.html
– Jet Cannon for Maserati Mike
Disneyland Bar Crawl
Disney World just turned 50. Not old enough for Baby Boomer status. But Disneyland was “born” in 1955 and qualifies.
Want to catch a Buzz at Disneyland? Disneytouristblog.com has created a lovely guide to all the watering holes and their special drinks. If you thought admission was expensive, wait until the credit card bill comes for your Buzz excursion through the park. Be worth it though!
– Jet Cannon
boomer Paralympians
Paralympians compete in their 50’s and sometimes, in past Games, into their 70’s. Among the 240-member Team USA per AARP, the incredibly impressive over-50 Paralympians include archers Lia Coryell (56) and Andre Shelby (52); cyclists Alicia Dana (52), Freddie De Los Santos (51), Aaron Keith (50), Monica Sereda (54), Jill Walsh (58) and Joe Berenyi (52); rower Russell Gernaat (55); table tennis player Michael Godfrey (57); shot put thrower Scot Severn (53); and wheelchair fencer Terry Hayes (63).
Go USA!
Elmers
Those of us at Buzzed Boomer love dive bars. We love live classic rock. We appreciate a properly prepared Martini (thanks Lindy)! We love pool tables. We crave a great burger. We love having our favorite IPA’s on tap. How about a place offering breakfast and great specials? And we’re grateful for a bar powering through the Covid disaster that closed so many restaurants.
Elmers in Burien, Washington is all of that except…. it’s really too nice to be called a dive bar. It WAS once a dive bar but owner Rachel has been steadily upgrading Elmers. And it looks great and it feels great. Our kind of place!
Not from Seattle? Elmers is a short ride from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and not far from a light-rail station if you’re visiting downtown Seattle.
We hadn’t been to Elmers in years but we’ll be back!
– Jet Cannon
Barreled Gin from tennessee
We recently sampled some Barreled Gin from Nashville’s Corsair Distillery. The gin spent some time in used spiced rum barrels where it does this, per Corsair’s web site, “Classic gin forward nose evolves into a spice medley of cinnamon, clove and coriander. Anise, black licorice, clove hit the pallet initially but give way to vanilla and rum notes before a clean dry finish.” Now we didn’t quite detect all that and we generally don’t like craft distilleries taking too many liberties with good old gin but we enjoyed this Barreled Gin in a dry Martini. It definitely has a little something extra without betraying its “gin forward nose.”
Corsair says this barrel-aged style of gin is becoming increasingly popular. You may not be able to find Corsair in your neck of the woods but there are a number of other distilleries giving barrel-aged gin a go.
– Jet Cannon
I’ve seen fire and i’ve seen rain
Click here to catch up with our latest travel trailer adventures!
- Hunter S.
Buzzed Boomer Environmental Reporter
Hiding from the feds in nashville
There are a lot of bars in Nashville. The Broadway District has over 30. And there are many, many more throughout the city. On Broadway, there’s Kid Rock’s, Blake Shelton’s Old Red and many more. You have to see it to believe the loud country chaos. Lots of fun.
My favorite bar this trip was located I-don’t-know-where (you can look it up online). I wasn’t driving. There’s no sign. It’s a speakeasy in the Prohibition tradition. Old Glory is hiding in what used to be the towering boiler room for White Way Cleaners, formerly one of the largest steam cleaning facilities in Nashville. The space features the original electrical boxes, coal hopper, and smoke stack that were in use in the 1920s. Today it’s dark with lots of candles. The Feds will never find us here.
The craft cocktail bartenders are something special in their own right. Give them a hint on what you like and they will rise to the challenge and provide you with a visually-pleasing, palate-pleasing taste treat. They use ingredients that might as well be French to me. Turns out some of them are French. And I don’t have them on the shelf at home which is why I need to spend more time in speakeasies. I tried a Last Word which is gin, green chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice, Excellent. I also asked for a “surprise me” gin martini. It came with Ford’s Gin and a vermouth-like ingredient plus some orange blossom and bitters. Also excellent.
Here’s to Prohibition and Old Glory!
– “Vito” Jet Cannon
Nashville Caffeine Buzz
Nashville is on the steroid juice when it comes to drinking, live country music, party buses, cut-off jeans, cowboy boots and hats, and roof-top bars. I just wasn’t expecting art in my coffee. Yet, plenty of caffeine is a requirement for this Baby Boomer to keep on rockin’ in this town. Whoa!! It’s fun. It’s overload. It’s draining. But it’s a hoot!
– “Johnny” Jet Cannon
Just Plane Drinking
Business. Vacation. Doesn’t matter. It’s nice to have a cocktail at the airport and onboard just to unwind and relax. Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Yes.
Onboard, Captain Tony recommends always ordering a double. In First Class, Business Class or Premium Economy, when they offer a second cocktail they’ll likely bring you another double. In economy, order a double because you don’t know if or when the cart will be back.
My only issue with Plane Drinking is the lavatories. You just don’t want to overdo the liquid consumption. Particularly as some of us Baby Boomers find ourselves frequenting more frequently. Back to the lavatories. Tiny. Overused. There is nothing good about them and I try to avoid entering at all costs.
Meanwhile, the Cheese Platter on my favorite airline, Alaska, reminds me what a gift cheese is to the planet. Wish I would have invented it but I thoroughly enjoy the fruits of the talented animals and people who make such a wonderful variety of mouth watering sensations. But I digress.
Plane drinking. I enjoyed my first crystallized lime powder in my gin and tonic. Cute little packet. And it worked! Tasted pretty great. Some say that actual lime slices in cocktails are only a notch cleaner than airplane lavatories because you don’t know everyone who has handle the lime or what they were doing right before that.
As I write this, it is a fact that alcohol hits harder at 35,000 feet. Which, given the fact that most airplanes don’t have walk up bars or lounges, AS THEY SHOULD, it’s good that a little bit…. goes a little bit further.
I hope you’ve enjoyed flying with Jet Cannon and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
⁃ Jet Cannon
Gorging on Country Music
As music festivals go, Watershed is right up there among the great ones mixing partying, country music, and spectacular scenery. The Gorge Amphitheatre sits high above the mighty Columbia River in George, Washington. Add theme-based, colorful camping and country music stars like Tim McGraw and you have the ingredients for three days of serious fun. This year the event runs from July 30- August 1 and a few tickets may still be available, probably due to pandemic concerns. Normally Watershed is sold out.
If country music isn’t your cup of tea, check out georgeamphitheatre.com for tickets to acts like Phish, Dave Matthews, Tame Impala, and KISS.
– Jet Cannon
Double Chocolate Trouble
If Catching a Buzz while maintaining a healthy lifestyle is of interest to you, read no further. As if tasty summer cocktails weren’t enough of a temptation, mixing alcohol and ice cream should be illegal. Alcohol and mega-sugar doses? Paging Dr. Diabetes.
That said, the Buzzed Boomer Research Department has been sampling some summer beverages to go with our cheeseburgers and fries. Go Puff shares recipes, with tantalizing pictures, of concoctions that should be, but thankfully aren’t, banned. Boozy Chocolate Frozen Mudslide, Strawberry Shortcake Drink, Boozy S’Mores Shake, Irish Coffee Milkshake with Whiskey Caramel, Boozy Peach Milkshake, Samoa’s Cookies and Cream Coconut Milkshake, Hot Fudge Bourbon Milkshakes. You get the idea. Yum. Don’t want to make your own? Mental Floss lists some restaurants around the country with spiked shakes. Or fire up Google for double trouble near you.
– Jet Cannon
Belle Meade
My son, Laser Cannon, recently gave me a bottle of Belle Meade Sour Mash Straight Bourbon Whiskey direct from Nashville. Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery has a great history including resurrecting after being shut down during Prohibition. Green Brier history.
I enjoy making cocktails with Bourbon but I am not a connoisseur by any means. There are sites like The Whiskey Jug that do reviews. But it did remind me to remind you how enjoyable taking a tour of the growing number of small distilleries popping up across the country can be. Last time we were in Nashville, we toured Corsair, especially noted for their Ryemageddon American Rye Whiskey. It’s fun to see the distilling process and the pride in which these folks take in their product. The tasting room is a bonus.
One disadvantage of touring small distilleries around the country is that you won’t always find their product in your local liquor store. For example, I haven’t been able to obtain or even order Corsair Gin. Yet you probably have some good distilleries to tour near you and that way you can continue to enjoy their products if they hit the mark.
– Jet Cannon
Visiting Donkeys and other Relatives
Enjoy the latest Roadletter from Hunter S. as he and Lori return for a triumphant visit to the Great Northwest!
Click here. https://mailchi.mp/c8f608d6e44a/test-5555528?e=785bc70c1d
- Jet
