Tag: vodka (Page 3 of 4)

Black Widow

October 19, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

The Thirteen Drinks of Halloween 2020 – One

Since we began this journey, I have avoided themes. So, we haven’t had Tiki Tuesdays or Midori Mondays or anything of that sort. It’s not that I don’t approve of themes, I love them, it is just that I am remarkably inconsistent and hate feeling like I “have ” to do anything. With that said, I am going to try something new and finish out the month with a series of themed cocktails, so won’t you please join me now as make the Black Widow.

Out of the Chaos

October 16, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

This is going to be a disaster. Let’s just get that out of the way, right up front. This drink is by request of my dear friend, Leanne, who celebrates another trip around the sun on this day. She’s getting up in years, but still has a great outlook on life. It should be crystal clear, though, that this drink is entirely her fault. She sent me the recipe, supplied the ginger mead, asked me to make it and had a birthday to provide inspiration and guilt in equal measures, something she excels at. So without further delay, please join me as we stand and make, Out of the Chaos.

Gypsy Queen

September 23, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

One of the hardest things to do in life is to sustain anything. We’ve been going on for a while now and it is sometimes tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hard to keep on keeping on, but what are you going to do, give up? That’s not really an option. The world doesn’t change because we are tired of it and wishing just burns up stars. So let’s make a drink and forget for a few moments that things are pretty weird right now and not the fun kind of weird. Won’t you please join me now as we stand and make the Gypsy Queen.

Dude, Sweet Chocolate Martini

September 20, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Today we celebrated my wife’s 40th birthday, so something sweet and complex was in order. I know a little bit about sweet and complex things, since she and I have been married for nearly 18 years. This one is super simple to make but, oh so interesting. So, please join me now as we stand and make the Dude, Sweet Chocolate Martini.

Spicy 50

September 10, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

We use milestones to measure time, that would otherwise slip past unremarkably. This is why we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and mourn past tragedies when the dates arise. We mark beginnings and endings, like the first day of school and the eventual graduation, and so many little milestones along the day. First steps, lost teeth, learning to ride a bike, these little accomplishments that remind us of just how much has changed while time was marching inexorably onward. It is funny, you don’t realize how quickly things change, if you aren’t keeping up. Today, the death toll from this virus that started me writing again crossed over 191,000. If there is a silver lining, it is that death’s have slowed recently, as case counts have continued to climb. Today also marks 150 cocktails from quarantine. Hard to believe, but I guess we better keep it going, so please, won’t you join me now as we stand and make, the Spicy 50.

One Love

September 1, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Maya Angelou spoke of “Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.” That’s a pretty good way to go through life. Well, maybe not the part about being unsurprised, that sounds a bit jaded, which I have been trying to avoid, but it happens. I am all for hoping for the best,but too much of a realist to not prepare for setbacks and disappointment. I figure we’ve had enough of those lately. So let’s look forward, toward better days to come. The pendulum swings from unity to division, hopefully it will swing back sooner rather than later and we can once again work toward a world where we focus on what we have in common and not our differences, which are mostly imagined anyway. So, let’s get together and feel alright, as we stand and make, One Love.

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.

Vesper Martini

July 9, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 2 Comments

This one is a weird choice, for certain. First off, I don’t particularly care for this entire class of drinks and this version breaks the rules of bartending, so I feel a bit weird about it. It has been on my list for a while, a thing to try, but way down that list. I did not know what to make today till a random memory from eighth grade chose for me. So, join me as we stand and make, the Vesper Martini.

Long Island Iced Tea

June 10, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Well, mostly. My early forays into drinking were far from sophisticated. There are some drinks from those days that I have not revisited, many with good reason, but maybe it is time, being National Iced Tea Day, and all. I guess it is only fitting that we make a Long Island Iced Tea.

Cosmopolitan

May 29, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

I can admit it, I make mistakes all the time. I make assumptions from incomplete datasets. I fall victim to confirmation bias. It happens, but I’m trying to be better. I have hated on this drink for many a year, for no real reason. When I was considering cocktails I kinda scoffed as I skipped over this one. But, it is a classic and when I thought about it, I didn’t know why I hated it, I just did. Probably, from it’s 90’s reputation as the go to drink for fashionable ladies about town, I never was a fan of Sex in the City. Today, in the interest of open mindedness I am tossing out my preconceptions and making a Cosmopolitan.