We all have been good, not a hangover in sight. When our daughter was young we would pack up the cross country skis and head for the hills. Fresh air and hopefully sunshine would start the year off right and put the holiday season in our rear view mirrors.
When cross country skiing it is always important to be equipped in case you run into a snow snake. Anti-venom must be carried!
Anti-venom #1: Hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps – yum!
Anti-venom #2: B&B – doesn’t take much
Post adventure celebratory anti-venom: Hot mulled wine or cider
There you have it, call if you need medical attention.
New Year’s Eve. It’s time to splurge so break out the caviar and let’s celebrate in anticipation of a better 2021.
Option #1 Champagne – what else! Not any Champagne, it must be French.
Option #2 Vodka shots – straight from the freezer. It doesn’t need to be Grey Goose but get something good, not Relska.
A bit of a complaint: My bank account would be much healthier if François-Paul hadn’t introduced my daughter to Champagne. Not swill, but the good stuff. Now she rapidly passes by the Cook’s display and heads to the French section.
A fact about François-Paul Briand: By now you are aware he wants to be a Barman. His real skill in this realm is with Champagne. He can open a bottle with his bare hands and pour a tray full of glasses so that they are all perfectly equal. When portioning out the remainder of the bottle, again every glass gets filled equally. Simply amazing!
Option #3 Pisco Sour– consumed in large quantities by the Briand’s, Pascale and the Herman’s in Quito, Ecuador on December 31, 2000.
Champagne or Vodka? Vodka
Champagne pairs well with? Pretty much everything.
Vodka pairs well with? See above.
What is FP’s favorite Vodka? Grey Goose- it’s French of course!
Does a Pisco Sour go with caviar? No Way!
Did I hear someone ask for an encore? This was supposed to end with today’s posting but it seems fitting to have a hangover edition tomorrow.
The last birthday of the month belongs to Jim Brose. Cocktail hour is a ritual at the Brose household. First he has to get all the offerings out and standing at attention. It must be all that training the Army gave him prior to deployment in Vietnam. Each bottle in its place, perfectly aligned and then one can proceed. What is Jim’s adult beverage of choice?
Bourbon – just add a glass
OK, I didn’t get them aligned to Jim’s standards and unlike at his house, these are all unopened.
Jim also likes gadgets. Maybe these would make a good birthday present?
This photo is imported from New Zealand
Do I like Bourbon? #1 on my list.
What does Bourbon pair well with? Ice!
Give me more! Brisket done on Jim’s smoker
Is all Bourbon whiskey? Yup
Is all whiskey Bourbon? Nope
For other birthdays there has been a second offering so in honor of the “Dead at 27” club-
Southern Comfort – You might think this a strange choice and I don’t know anyone who drinks it, but Janis Joplin sort of brings us back to the Vietnam era.
30 days to the start of the Seattle Boat Show! What used to be an ordeal is now fading into the back portions of my mind. However the boat show does bring back one memory from a company who had their booth next to ours for several years. Intellian provides those dome shaped antennas for vessels to get either satellite TV or communications. The company is based in Korea and every once in a while we were able to sample some of the food that came back from business trips. Sorry to say that Paul Comyns never provided adult beverages to go along with the food but we did get to hear about one of his favorites.
Soju a Korean beverage best described by reading a LA Times article.
Locally Uwajimaya carries it and it is inexpensive.
Have I ever tried Soju? No, but this bottle is waiting!
What does Soju pair well with? Korean food and beer.
What does Paul have to say about Soju? One tends to consume copious quantities when in Korea.
Why didn’t Paul ever bring some to his booth? The Rug Patrol was always on the lookout for food or booze not purchased at the show.
What about at the 2021 show? Since it will be virtual I am sure that there will be plenty of Soju in the Intellian booth.
We have gone all month without thanking those who have helped us through this pandemic. I am only aware of one in our midst who qualifies as a front line worker, Ryan Cummings. While he appears to be a fan of nice Italian Red Wines, it seemed appropriate to look back to 1918 to find out what he would have been drinking then.
According to History.com, Bootleg Whiskey was the ticket. Not only as an adult beverage, but also as a “respectable medicine”. On November 3, 1914 Washington State passed prohibition, five years before the country as a whole. By 1918 Ryan would have been pretty thirsty and most likely had an illegal still somewhere.
Option #1: Corpse Reviver – Cognac, Calvados and Sweet Vermouth stirred over ice and strained in to a chilled glass. Consumption recommended before 11 AM or “whenever steam or energy is needed”.
Option #2: “One brave soul from Nova Scotia recommended 14 straight gins in quick succession as a cure for the Spanish Flu”.
Option #3: Bovril Tea – meat paste in a jar made in to beef tea. Florence Nightingale said (?) in 1860 that “the tea had great nutrient power in sickness”.
But Bovril Tea doesn’t contain alcohol? Yup, but the story is too good.
Do any of these work? According to the advertising, 100% effective. Effective for what I don’t know.
Do I plan on trying any of these? Well I have consumed Cognac, Calvados, Sweet Vermouth and Gin at some point in my life but not Bovril. Doubtful it will be added to the list.
Ryan says you can’t go wrong with this one!
Let us all raise our glasses and thank those who are on the front lines during this pandemic. THANK YOU!
Louis Pasteur was born on this day in 1822. Why do we care? Quoting from Wikipedia, “He is best known to the general public for his invention of the technique of treating milk and wine to stop bacterial contamination, a process now called pasteurization”. Let’s raise a glass to Pasteur, thankful that we don’t have to deal with bacterial contamination.
Option #1: Wine – of course
Option #2: Brandy Milk Punch – just in case you are still looking for a morning libation.
Quoting from late night TV, but wait, there’s more! We need something to go with that wine, how about cheese? In the US that is what we get, pasteurized cheese but in France you can still get it unpasteurized which is said to enhance the flavor. I think a road trip is in order.
And seeing that today is Constitution Day in North Korea we could celebrate that. On second thought, what fun is a celebration with no food or beverages?
Boxing Day for all Canadians and those with British ancestors. This is the day when we recognize our servants should anyone have servants. Three choices today… but please no boxing,
Option #1: Warm Beer, British style. No Budweiser today please.
Option #2: Scotch straight from the bottle to the glass.
Option #3: Anything left over from yesterday.
Which option do I prefer? Option #1 but you have to be in the UK.
What pairs well with these options? Haggis?
What else can you do with Haggis? Absolutely nothing!
A massive day. Not only is it Ed Davis’ birthday, it’s also Christmas Day. I feel that you are going to have to choose one or the other, somehow the beverage choices don’t blend well together.
Whiskey is Ed’s choice. You can see the gleam in his eyes when he announces possession of an unopened bottle.
Beaujolais goes well with turkey.
Bordeaux and prime rib, yum.
What can I tell you about Ed and whiskey? In the words of Pascale Meuiner, “Dangerous, very Dangerous!”
Beaujolais or Bordeaux? Both have their place, tonight probably Bordeaux.
What about after dinner? How about something different, Pineau des Charentes. Before or after dinner, learn more and you can find it at Champion Wine Cellars in Seattle.
Christmas Eve and for some time to start opening presents. Others will be having a calm evening with a light meal getting ready for tomorrow’s ordeal. Or you could do both.
Even better would be to experiment using Cheetos and alcohol. Cheetos? Am I nuts, no, Cheetos are not nuts and there are really drink recipes using them.
Option #1: Flaming Hot Cheetos Bloody Mary
Option #2: Cheetos Infused Tequila
Option #3: A good long talk with a shrink after even thinking about this
On every other day the drink options are shown in bold text, why not today? Because I don’t consider them drinks.
Cheetle? defined as “that orange and red dust symbolic of true Cheetos fandom,” according to a news release from Frito Lay and spokesman Chester Cheetah and yes it makes a mess!
Are there Cheetos in my house? Yes, but they have never been used in a cocktail.
Seriously, there are plenty of great options for tonight depending on your plans and none of them include Cheetos.
