Tag: whiskey (Page 10 of 14)

Amaretto Sour

September 14, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

We are going back to the basics today. There is a reason classics are classics. It is like a blue blazer, oxford cloth shirt and khakis, it is never the height of fashion, but it is never really out of style. It is easy to overlook them. I know I am guilty of that. I see something shiny and suddenly I am down a rabbit hole of liqueurs I had never heard of a year ago and bitters crafted my monks atop a mystical mountain using techniques whispered to them by the raven when the world was young. Not today though, today I am making one that your grandpa might have ordered as he bellied up to the bar in his seersucker suit and straw boater. So, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make the Amaretto Sour.

Mad Hatter

September 13, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Like it or not, we are all products of our environment. A big part of that comes from family. As I sip this drink from my mom’s China, I am reminded of all the things handed down from previous generations. The good and the bad, our strengths and our weaknesses all start at home. We carry them with us and, if we are not careful, we pass them along to the next generation. So with an eye to the future, please join me now as we stand and make, the Mad Hatter.

Banana Flip

August 31, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

This week I purchased something I generally advise other folks not to. I bought a flavored whiskey. I am not against the category, in general, but it is so easy to infuse your own, that I see little point in buying pre-flavored stuff. Same goes with rum, just make your own infusions using the real ingredients. If you want pineapple rum, soak some pineapple in rum for a day and strain. If you want Maple Bourbon, then pick your favorite bourbon and get some high quality maple syrup and go to town. I guess the point is, when you make your own you get to choose the ingredients and oversee the process and that generally works out better than grabbing something mass produced off the shelf. Unless there is marketing involved, then all bets are off. Which is why we gather here today. Won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Banana Flip.

New York Sour

August 25, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

It is National Whiskey Sour Day, allegedly. Honestly, I do not understand all of these days, weeks and years of recognition. I mean, I get it. I know politicians. I’ve been party to the odd proclamation here and there, but it seems we should have a little restraint. Still, the big wigs from the Whiskey Sour lobby have to do something to justify their salaries, so kudos to them. I am sure this accomplishment was quite the feather in their caps. The problem is I have done a couple of whiskey sours, already, and even though I love them, I am trying to keep it fresh here. Luckily, a little research turned up the perfect variation, so, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the New York Sour.

Revolver

August 23, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

It’s been a long weekend with the family, a lot of work yesterday, quite a bit of play today. So, we are going to keep the drink nice and simple. I have had this one in my sights for a while so please join me now as we stand and make the Revolver.

Recoil

August 21, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I did not sleep well last night. It happens some times. Last night I was worrying about some stuff I have no control over and probably shouldn’t let bother me anyway. The point is, I could not get to sleep. I tossed and turned. I read. I drank warm milk. Around 2 AM, I finally decided to watch tv for a while and since he was on my mind, I watched my grandpa’s late night favorite, Gunsmoke. So that makes tonight’s choice an easy one. Won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Recoil.

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 / 3 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.

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.

Fernet Sour

August 3, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Ok, I won’t make a variation in The Last Word today, but I’m still on that bitter liqueur kick. I guess it is a good thing, I have acquired this taste, since we have had many bitter pills to swallow recently. I’ve been at work since 5 this morning, I need a shower, I was also the lunch lady and bathroom monitor for our in office one room schoolhouse and I have to drive an hour and a half roundtrip to pick up ramen takeout for dinner because that’s how we are gonna get our t-shirt at the end of Otaku Ramen’s Kaiju Summer; so what do you say we cut the prologue short today? Cool. Then I ask you to please join me once again as we stand and make, the Fernet Sour.