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That’s Hot

July 13, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I am never quite sure how you measure success. I am pretty sure it is something other people achieve, it always just escapes my grasp. Call it impostor syndrome if you wish, but no matter what I do, I never quite feel like I have made enough of a difference in the world. Even with the good stuff, there is always a way we could have done it better or helped more people. It’s ok, I am used to it, even when the story runs above the fold with a headline and color picture, there has to be something we could do better. So, with a nod toward making a difference, even when it doesn’t quite feel like it, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the reader submitted, That’s Hot.

The Waiting Room

July 12, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

It’s all about patience. Sometimes it has to be. I get excited about things. I really look forward to them. That is pretty much how I get through life. I always have something coming up, some goal I am working toward. That’s been sort of problematic over the last year. Let’s be honest, this has been problematic on so many different levels for most of my life, but this last year has ben harder. Having nothing on the schedule, no concrete goals I am working toward, nothing to look forward to has left me adrift at times. I end up falling back to my perpetual side quests like, reading books I have had sitting on the shelf for too long, making art and building things or waiting for the basil to get big enough to harvest. So, in the interest of being productive while we are killing time won’t you join me now as we stand and make The Waiting Room.

Flor de PB Jerez Swizzle

July 8, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

Some days, you’ve got to phone it in. With an opening like that, you may have surmised that it is one of those days. I’m not going to disagree with you. It’s been a long day already and I have miles to go before I sleep. Besides, I should probably save my strength as there may be debauchery. You just never can tell. So, with your kind permission, I would like to beg your indulgence, a bit of sympathy and some taste as we stand and make the Flor de PB Jerez Swizzle.

Baie Du Galion

July 7, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I was stung by a bee today. Twice. It’s been quite awhile since that happened and I do not care for it, not one bit. I know that this does not affect your life directly, but I just felt like it is a thing that should be known. My hand is all swollen and itching, my shoulder has a big painful bump on it and my mood is, well…did I mention I was stung by a bee? I suppose these things happen, but that got me to thinking, how a moment can change the entire trajectory of your day. How one careless decision can change the path of a life. So, with an eye toward making better mistakes tomorrow and dulling the pain of today, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Baie Du Galion.

Caipirinha

July 6, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 2 Comments

I’ve been building this week. It’s kind of a strange throwback to a former life, but I am enjoying it. The kid has been working by my side and I have loved that. Teaching him how to use various tools, solve construction problems on paper before we start using up lumber, why we use different techniques, fasteners and materials, you know, the basics. In addition to getting to work with the boy, I have really enjoyed the pure simplicity of construction. Sure, there are issues to work out and problems to solve, but they are fairly straightforward. If I make a mistake here, no one gets sued or gets sick or loses their job, we just fix it. So, with an eye toward the joys of a simpler existence and a job well done, won’t you join me now as we stand and make, the classic Caipirinha.

Hotel Nacional Special

July 6, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I have had Havana on my mind lately. Riding around in those amazing vintage American cars, often with Russian engines. Hanging out with the artists at El Ojo del Ciclon. Just walking the streets listening to music or having a drink in one of the legendary bars the city offers. Lots of great memories there, I guess that’s why it has been on my mind so much lately. I’ve also been craving a daiquiri and this seems like a great opportunity to kill a couple of birds with one stone, or at least scare them anyway. So, in the spirit of indulging small desires, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Hotel Nacional Special.

Menthattan

July 2, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Restraint. There is a lot to be said for it. It’s not necessarily one of my strong suits, but I am trying. This is one of the very few areas where I am getting better with age. The older you get that easier it is to let things slide. To be fair, I am way more likely to pull hard on the reins now, when I take them in hand. Of course, that’s just the other side of the same coin, someone has to hold them after all. So, grab some leather and hold on as we stand and make the Menthattan.

Flor de Jerez

July 1, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

In an unlikely move, I am getting ahead of the game. Laying the groundwork for things to come. I don’t always do that. You see, I never really had a plan here. I just started making drinks and writing words. If this were some great endeavor, carefully organized from the beginning, we would not have this trouble. I would have begun with the early cocktails and worked my way down through time, showing how one cocktail builds upon another in a great evolutionary tree of drink. That is what I would have done, if I had a plan. So, in recognition of our collective nearly perfect hindsight, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Flor de Jerez.

The Flying Nutsman

June 30, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I’ve made a ton of bad decisions in my life, that’s how you get experience, which they say leads to wisdom, but I’m not sure that is guaranteed. I’d love to believe it, but I know too many folks who messed up at nearly every step and never learned a damned thing along the way. I guess that’s the way it goes sometimes. It’s hard to learn from a mistake if you don’t own it and that’s a shame. I figure the only half decent reason for there to be pain in the world is to help us learn to not inflict any more of it than we can help, but what do I know? So, in the spirit of learning from our mistakes, won’t you join me now as we stand and make The Flying Nutsman.

Clandestine

June 29, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Everyone has secrets, this is known, Khaleesi. We all keep things buried inside that we do not share with the world, sometimes we do not even share them with ourselves. I try to be pretty open with everyone about most things. I like to say I have no secrets, but that is a lie. My mind is filled with little bits I choose not to share about myself, but more often the thoughts remain secret because they are not mine to share. As much as I try to be open about myself, I will straight lie to your face in order to protect someone else’s secret. Is that right? I don’t know. I did not make the rules. Hell, I wasn’t even here when the game started, but I play my hand the way I was taught. So, in honor of the secrets kept and those spilled along the way, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make the Clandestine.

Inside the Mind of the Monkey