Tag: whiskey (Page 3 of 14)

Scotch Violets

July 14, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

“Sometimes, you can almost smell her perfume on the wind. Almost.” he said, to no one in particular. That faraway look told me he wasn’t really with us in that moment and I did not want to intrude, wherever he had wandered. I got it, though. It’s usually the other way around for me. A passing scent suddenly evoking a memory of a time, place or face long gone. They say that smell is more connected to memory than the other senses combined and I believe it. Still, I knew what he was feeling. It wasn’t quite pain and not quite joy, just a recognition of loss. So, in the spirit of people, places and things long gone, but still alive in our memories, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Scotch Violets.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jubilee Punch

June 19, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I’m a big fan of the song “A Change is Gonna Come”, whether you go with the Sam Cooke original, Great Van Fleet or one of the other many covers, the words ring true, perhaps now more than ever. We know this. We hear it all the time “The only constant is change.” For all our talk of change, it sure does seem like those wheels turn slowly sometimes. I am reminded of the old proverb, “Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceedingly fine.” Maybe that is as things must be, as long as we continue on that moral arc we will eventually find justice. I just wish the road to true equity and equality ran a smoother path. So, in honor of that struggle and the need for change, won’t you join me now as we stand and make Jubilee Juice.

Bananas Foster Manhattan

June 17, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

It’s all about change. A lot of folks talk about “survival of the fittest” but what Darwin was really getting at was the ability to change. Those who are most “fit”
to adapt are the ones who not only survive but excel and prosper when conditions around them change. Think of the world you were born into. How much our ideas of what is right, fair and equitable have changed. How technology has created a new universe of jobs and opportunities while leaving entire industries and mindsets obsolete in its wake. Time is a river and it keeps moving. The truth is, either we adapt to the place and time we live in or we find ourselves stagnating, losing relevance, contact and context, stuck in a backwater as that river moves on without us. Change can be painful, but it is the key that unlocks our future selves. Won’t you please join me now and pass through the crucible as we stand and make the Bananas Foster Manhattan.

Monte Carlo

June 16, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 2 Comments

“You can’t just jump in to the middle,” she said, the exasperation palatable in the air. “These things take time, you have to build a world before you can live in it.” I knew she was right, of course. It was careless of me to have let this happen in the first place. I should have stopped right then, but I figured I would get away with it. No one was getting hurt after all. That’s what I told myself, but with every incident I found myself falling further down the well of denial. I knew what had to happen. I had to fix things, but how could I do that now? I could always go back and pretend it never happened in the first place, create evidence, obscure the trail, but that did not seem right. Better to just own up to the facts and make things as right as I could. So, in the spirit of correcting dead ends and restoring the sacred narrative throughline, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Monte Carlo.

The Eternal Optimist

June 11, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

I’ve got to admit, I don’t have high hopes for this one. Funny that I would approach this drink with such pessimism. It must be my natural contrarian streak. I like to think of myself as a pragmatist, which, to be fair, often presents as pessimism. I tend to approach things first from a “what obstacles are in our way” viewpoint. Which is also ironic, don’t you think? You see, I am also, paradoxically, usually the one out front trying to get people excited. Reminding them that we can do anything we set our minds to, if we only believe in ourselves and each other. What can I say? It’s complicated being me, just like it is complicated being you. That’s alright, as Walt Whitman said, “Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes.” So, in the spirit of keeping your chin up even when you know you are going to fail, won’t you join me now as we stand and make The Eternal Optimist.