Author: Monkeybrad (Page 40 of 57)

Last Man Standing

August 13, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

It is another bartenders handshake. So if you haven’t embraced the bitter, this one is not for you. Hell, it has got Campari, so it may not be for me, but that is not going to stop us from making it. I’ll probably ramble on a bit about having to take the bitter with the sweet, maybe compare some films, who knows? I certainly don’t. Doesn’t really matter though, this is the drink we are making, these are the words I am writing and while I hope that you enjoy both, it is really out of my hands at this point. So won’t you join me now as we stand and make The Last Man Standing.

Psycho Killer

August 12, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 4 Comments

You know how things are fun, how you look forward to them, but one day those same things just become daunting and you dread having to actually do them? No? Huh? Just me, then. Ok. Well, I am glad you aren’t afflicted with this crippling fear, but I hope you can expand your imagination enough to relate. You ever have one of those days where you start a conversation, you can’t even finish it? I mean, you’re talking a lot, but you’re not even saying anything. This is one of those days for me. I am tense and nervous and I can’t relax because it is my buddy Jenn’s birthday. That means I need to find a drink that encapsulates what she means to me and then write nice-ish things about her. I have done it for other folks, and it feels like a thing I do now. It just sort of happened organically the first couple times, but now that it is a thing, I get worried about it. Weird, huh? So, it is only natural, that I should extend this courtesy to Jenn, it is the polite thing to do and I hate people when they are not polite. So join me now, as we stand and make a drink that just screams Jenn, the Psycho Killer.

Marlin

August 11, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I bought a fish. A big fish. I did not really mean to, but things just worked out that way. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I am not unhappy with the purchase. If nothing else going to pick it up was a great day on the road with Liam in a time when we don’t get out nearly enough. Now, we have a 98 inch mounted Blue Marlin. Yep, a little over 8 feet from stem to stern in all of its silver, blue, bronze and black magnificence, a little bit of ridiculousness, with an undeniable beauty, just like today’s drink. Won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Marlin.

Angostura Colada

August 10, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

My two most recent kicks have been tiki drinks and bitter liqueurs, so why not go for something that doesn’t really belong in either of those worlds, but lives next door? Tiki and bitter adjacent. This one combines a heavy dose of Angostura Bitters, which is not really a liqueur, but is definitely bitter and a Piña Colada, which isn’t really a tiki drink, it is a boat drink and those are different things. Weird I know, but that is where we find ourselves. Are these two great tastes that go great together or are we about to waste a ton of Ango? Let’s find out as you join me now while we stand and make the Angostura Colada.

Banana Daiquiri

August 9, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

The thing is, I’m not really all that fond of bananas. I know, the monkey doesn’t like bananas. Don’t get me wrong, I am ok with them and like the flavor in things, but if I’m just eating banana by itself, it’s probably for effect. Or cramps, could be cramps. I keep trying to find a banana drink I like and I almost always fail. Luckily, I have never been afraid to fail and fail spectacularly. So join me once again, as we stand and make a Banana Daiquiri.

Ghosts of Black’s Beach

August 8, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Ever just wake up in a bad mood? I do all the time. I did it today. No good reason, I slept well with a roof over me in a comfy bed, love of my life beside me and my wee little scrap of a man snoring gently in his room. Still, something about today just hits me wrong. I don’t care for the cut of it’s jib, the way it wears that stupid hat. You know how it is. I am used to managing my idiosyncrasies, so we are gonna muddle through as we stand and make The Ghosts of Black’s Beach.

Bow & Arrow

August 7, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

For the most part, I write like I speak. When I am writing I think in speech patterns, kind of like I am talking to you directly. I put in commas where I would naturally pause. I use semicolons for soft stops, a longer pause that continues on in the same vein. I love ellipses because sometimes…just, sometimes…you need to take a longer moment to reflect…before going on. I don’t worry about the grammatical rules so much, since we are gathered here virtually and informally, but I try to get most of them right. Except for run-on sentences, I simply adore them. I try to break it up. Honestly, I do. Sometimes. I love the rhythm of speech and there are times when you just have to let your words run free, unrestrained by grammatical bridles, to communicate, to create images of the mind, to stream along till their obvious, or not so obvious, conclusion. I am not doing this for a grade, so I’m not gonna sweat the details, but I do sometimes worry about them. After the drink, we will continue our education theme this week and delve into why writing here causes a bit of internal tension. But first, will you please join me as we stand and make the Bow & Arrow.

Another Time

August 6, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Remember what things were like before? Before we distanced? Before masks were an argument? Back when we felt we could trust the data. When we turned to science for answers about this world and let faith handle questions about the next. When we went to doctors about medicine and went to our politicians for comforting lies. Yes, there were always quack doctors and there was even the occasional honest politician, but they mostly stayed in their own sandboxes, or when they got out, we the people, would remind them what we had hired them to do. It is crazy how things have changed in such a short time. I am sorry, how things have changed in such a short “unprecedented” time. Oh well, let’s skip the formalities and get to drinking. Please join me now as we stand and make, Another Time.

Kaieteur Swizzle

August 5, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 3 Comments

Learning new things. That is what it’s all about, isn’t it? Travis McGee said “Every day, no matter how you fight it, you learn a little more about yourself, and all most of it does is teach humility.” That sounds about right. Man, I wish I knew now all the things I knew when I was young. I have had plenty of opportunity to learn humility along the way, some of the lessons took, some didn’t. I am still working on that. It’s not so much the years, but the mileage, as they say. Keeping with our teachable moments theme this week we are going to do a drink tonight with a totally new to me, as yet unexplored, preparation and bar tool. We will see how things go as we stand and make the Kaieteur Swizzle.

Swimming Pool

August 4, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

Some days you just need to sit back and relax. Take some time to process things. Don’t rush to judgement. Give ’em a second chance to make a first impression. That’s what I’m trying to do, so let’s escape together. Join me now as we chill and make the Swimming Pool.