If you are not doing brunch, you should be. I mean, assuming you don’t have other plans that require you to head out early. Actually, even if you have early plans you could always pop back by the house to eat, that is totally in bounds. In fact, some say that brunch was born of folks heading out early before coming back home to eat. If you believe the legends, the idea originated with English hunting parties, where a late breakfast would be prepared using the meats from that morning’s hunt. Whether that is true or not, I like the idea of it and I love sitting down to a mid morning repast with a glass of something bubbly. We are sticking with our sparkling wine theme and making a large format punch for brunch. So, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make Otho’s BrunchaPuncha.
I love how pop culture can be used to expose folks to ideas that they have not heard before. It is always interesting to hear classic psychology, ethics or logic problems suddenly enter the pop lexicon because someone took the time to write them into a script. A couple of years ago The Good Place introduced folks who had not taken sociology to the classic Trolley Problem and it clearly got them thinking about what really did constitute the greater good, and that is a net positive. Recently, Wandavision brought the conundrum of the Ship of Theseus to the forefront and that got me to thinking, not about this drink, but something near to it. So, in the spirit of not knowing where one thing begins and another ends, won’t you join me now as we stand and make, the Lady Washington.
My grandfather used to say “The only folks who don’t make mistakes are the one’s who don’t do anything.” I was mistaken about this drink, so, clearly, I do things. That is how post hoc fallacies work, right? Or was that a non sequitur? I get so confused. I’m sticking with that sparkling wine theme, so in the spirit of some honest bubbles won’t you join me as we stand and make the Death in Oaxaca.
“Sometimes, you just need a little pick me up, something quick, easy and tasty. Can’t you understand that?” he said, the exasperation clear in his voice. “Why has it always got to be a thing? It doesn’t have to be so complicated. Just make a drink, tell people how to do it. Throw in a little history,” at this his eyes met mine as he continued, “history about the drink. None of that other stuff. Just make drinks and stay in your lane.” I rankled at that last bit. Anyone can copy recipes from books or internet sites, but keen insights on the events of the day, hiding within cocktail posts? Thats kind of my thing. I tell stories, they aren’t always good ones, but I tell them, nonetheless. It was at that moment that I decided, fuck that guy, I am gone do it my way and let those chips fall where they may. Besides, with an attitude like that he’s hardly connoisseur, not worthy of what we have here. This is clearly the good stuff. So in the spirit of going your own way, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make the DTC Coffee Tonic.
Today we are casting fear aside and making a classic drink, that I have been avoiding for quite some time. The sun is shining and the day is fun of promise, so I am going to give this intimidating brunch classic a shot. Let the chips fall where they may and devil take the hindmost we are going for it. So, won’t you please join me now as we stand and shake the Ramos Gin Fizz.
We haven’t done a brunch drink in a while, so that’s where we are going today. The wife surprised us this morning with some avocado toast, yeah, we are kinda bougie like that sometimes. This one would have actually been more appropriate yesterday when the boy harangued her into French Toast, even though she’s not a fan. I guess she figured it was a step up from his usual Cinnamon Toast Crunch. So, if you are feeling a little extra and want to do something decadent, join me now as we stand and make the French Toast Flip.
We haven’t done a brunch drink in a while. To be fair, we haven’t done brunch in a while, but I felt like a bit of pre lunch day drinking, so here we are. I love the whole concept of brunch. You get to sleep in and then enjoy an extra decadent meal complete with drinks. Well, drinks from the approved list. You can’t have a martini or an old-fashioned without raising eyebrows, but a Mimosa or Gordon’s Breakfast Cup or Bellini or French 75? You can have five of those and no one will care. So, let’s add one to our approved brunch drink list as we stand and make the Mexican Breakfast Stout.
We did brunch with the family today and since I’m always running my mouth about cocktails, I was put in charge of the bar program. It is a great honor, they said, to be able to provide the drinks. So, I grabbed a couple of bottles of Prosecco and cleared my station to make all the bubbly things. I hope you’ll join me now as we stand and make the classic Mimosa.
When this all began, I thought it would be fun to make some drinks from home, since I wasn’t going out anymore. We had already been staying home, only going out for essential things and such, for about 6 weeks, I figured it would help to pass the time. Plus, I was getting low on our stash of “Is It Vinegar Yet?” fine wines and I was sort of enjoying writing my little shouts into the darkness. So, I started making a cocktail a day and sharing it with you. Part of it was to use up a bunch of alcohol that I had collected over the years, part of it was an excuse to be able to make jokes or social commentary in whatever we are calling “these uncertain times” this week. Part of it was to pass the time, learning new techniques, practicing things I had learned in classes, sharing the experience with the family. Mostly, it was to stay connected to the world. To reach out everyday and say something, to be heard, to hopefully entertain some folks and to feel that love coming back. Some times it has felt like a job, most days it has been one of the things I really look forward to, my little corner of happiness. The simplicity of the ritual. Laying out the tools and ingredients, mixing the drink, trying to capture a decent shot and then searching for the right words, typing them out on my phone’s keyboard. It has been a pleasure that I figured I would continue for a few weeks until the world seemed normal again. That was 75 cocktails ago and things are definitely not normal yet. I’m listening to Leonard Cohen today and reflecting on a lot of things, so if you came for the jokes, you might want to skip this one, it may get darker before the sun comes out. It may not, who knows? Honestly, this stuff is usually just sort of stream of consciousness and I may get all positive in the coming moments. Let’s find out together as we stand and make, the French 75.
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers and, if you believe the statistics, congratulations on a job well done to about 70% you mother f’ers out there. My wife is an excellent mother, which makes me an excellent…mother’s fella. So, when she mentioned that this was a good brunch drink sort of day, instead of whipping out my tried and true Bloody Mary I opted for something a little more esoteric, to give her a change of pace, to break up the monotony, as it were, so join us as we make the Gordon’s Breakfast Cup.
