Author: Monkeybrad (Page 7 of 56)

Happy Huladays

December 13, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

The Twelve Drinks of Christmas: Volume 2, Drink 1

The lights twinkle on our tree, the mistletoe hangs in the kitchen doorway inviting mischief and our stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Monkey soon will be there. That is right, Christmas time is here, or at least it is in our house. Of course, that is mostly a function of geography and genealogy, that’s how traditions work. We tend to do and celebrate the things our parents did, like their parents before them and so on. That doesn’t make us right, but it does make us consistent. Of course, lots of other folks celebrate different holidays during this time of the year with their own traditions and that is awesome. It takes different strokes to move the world and there you have the facts of life. So, in celebration of this time of year and the wonderful diversity of celebrations, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Happy Huladays.

Dominicana

December 7, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

The season is upon us and since we are not stuck at home for the holidays this year I have been out enjoying one of my favorite pastimes, buying local. Seriously, I love getting stuff directly from the people who make it. We do the same thing with our business, buying as many supplies from local producers as we can. There are a ton of great reasons, like keeping money in your community, supporting the folks who support you and all that, but one of my favorite parts is making connections with other makers. So, with a nod toward being a better neighbor, won’t you join me now as we stand and make, the Dominicana.

Brandy Crusta

December 3, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

This is an unusual one. I did not decide to make this drink. Sure, that’s my kitchen, my glass, my alcohol, but not my handiwork. Some of you may have noticed that I have taken more and more days off from writing lately. I knew it was going to happen as the world has opened up. What can I say, I have been busier. That, and, well, sometimes it is hard to find the words or something valuable to say. That is where family comes in. Noticing that I had not been up to my usual hijinks, they stepped in and made a drink for me. A complicated classic that I had avoided, so, won’t you join us now as we stand and make, the Brandy Crusta.

Pumpkin Pie Martini

November 25, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

It’s Thanksgiving here in the old U.S. of A and I’m thankful for far more than I could list here, partially because I am blessed in ways I don’t even realize but mostly because I’m full of turkey and feeling a bit nappish. So, in the interest of tryptophan induced brevity, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Pumpkin Pie Martini.

Mull Again

November 23, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I said I was gone for the holidays, but clearly, I lied. It happens. I don’t mean to but I get things wrong from time to time. I mean it may not even be a lie, maybe I was just mistaken? I figured I’d be super busy today and not have time to do anything before we headed over the river and through the woods to visit the in-laws for Thanksgiving, but then time to kill happened. Which is how we find ourselves here again, gathered virtually for a drink and the requisite words. So, in the spirit of unexpected moments of leisure and the occasional need for a do over, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the excellent Mull Again.

Mulled Wine

November 22, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

The holidays are upon us again, thank goodness. I am really looking forward to them, especially after all the unprecedentedness of last year. Sure, things are still challenging, but we have more tools to work with and most folks are taking advantages of the wonders of modern science. We’ve done everything we can to protect ourselves and those we love and I am hopeful of a less distanced, more social holiday season. So, with a nod toward the hugs to come, won’t you join me now as we make a traditional classic of the season, Mulled Wine.

Haberdasher

November 4, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

It is amazing what we think we know. I don’t mean things we have opinions about, statistically speaking at least half of those are wrong anyway. I am not talking about misinformation or folks who just don’t want to hear the truth or that surprisingly attractive brand of willful ignorance, though those are bigger problems than ever. Nope, I am looking squarely in the mirror and contemplating things I know to be true, only they aren’t. So, with a nod toward lifetime learning and doing better when we know better, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Haberdasher.

Curveball

November 2, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

It seems strange that we are here deep into the fall with a freeze warning tonight, but all the talk is of the boys of summer. Apparently, the major league baseball World Series is going on this week pitting the Houston Astros against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves lead the series 3-2 and one more win will give them their first title since 1995. I don’t follow professional ball that much, but my dad sent me this recipe with a request that I make it, and well, this seems like a pretty good time for it. So, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make the Curveball.

Angel’s Tit

November 1, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

Having survived the terror of All Hallow’s Eve once again, All Saint’s Day is now upon us. That’s never really meant much to me, beyond being time to take down the skeletons and turning the jack o’lanterns around to just be pumpkins as we pass from the Halloween season on our way to turkey day. I miss the spookiness already. Frankly, I am better equipped for ghost stories by the campfire than this general celebration of Autumn which feels more like Thanksgiving’s waiting room than an actual season. Still, the tide rises and the tide falls and we are all called to the next step on this one way trip into the future, so eyes forward. Since we have spent the last week exploring the hellish side of cocktails, so today we are going for a little taste of heaven, if you will join me now as we stand and make the Angel’s Tit.

Headless Horseman

October 31, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Childhood fears are funny things. I am not sure we ever get over them, not completely. I’m a reasonably grown man, closing in on half a century of wanderings and I have faced and overcome many fears in my time. That’s part of growing up. The more we learn, the more we realize that the truly scary things in the world rarely go bump in the night and as a buddy likes to remind me when we are hiking in moonlit woods, “If anything out here really means you harm, you’ll probably never hear it coming.” Still, when those cold winds begin to blow rattling the dry leaves in the trees and the fire dances in the jack o’lanterns eyes, it’s funny how those old haunts can rise from their graves. So won’t you join me now as we listen to the distant clatter of hooves in the distance and we stand and make the Headless Horseman.