Category: The 12 Drinks of Christmas (Page 2 of 3)

An exploration of the spirits of the season, complete with reminisces, requisite joy and a cup of cheer.

Color in Your Cheeks

December 14, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

The Twelve Drinks of Christmas: Volume 2, Drink 2

You never know what you are going to get when it comes to the holidays in the South. Winter in Tennessee is a bit of a mixed bag. I’ve seen a few White Christmases and I have worn shorts and linen sweating through last minute shopping on Christmas Eve. Sometimes we even get both ends of the spectrum in one day. I woke this morning to frost on the ground and bundled up in a nice cardigan before heading off to work. By mid afternoon the high was in the 70’s and I had to shed that light sweater. A few hours in the breeze and that afternoon sun and I could feel my face burning ever so slightly. So, with a nod toward our ever changeable weather, won’t you join me now as we stand and make Color in Your Cheeks.

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.

Yule Love Amaro

December 25, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

The 12 Drinks of Christmas – Twelfth Drink

We made it to Christmas, but this is not the holiday we were expecting. I had planned a very different post today, but with the events of this morning, I just can’t. Life goes on and we are making a drink, but like so much in 2020, we are going to make some accommodations and not pretend for a moment that any of this is remotely normal. So in that spirit, please join me for this last of our The 12 Drinks of Christmas. Sing along at home, if you like, because, “For the twelfth drink of Christmas, Uncle Monkey made for me, Yule Love Amaro.

Horwich Hall

December 24, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

The 12 Drinks of Christmas – Eleventh Drink

Here we are on Christmas Eve with the penultimate drink on our list for this penultimate day of the Christmas season. I am pretty sure that the only reason people ever work through lists like this is for the opportunity to use penultimate correctly and I am contractual obligated to do so. I hope you will forgive the repetitiveness. I have a lot rituals that go with this day, most of which did not quite work out in Covid world. It is kind of hard to do some good for random strangers while actively avoiding contact with people as much as possible, but we were able to do some good and now it is time to relax and reflect a bit. So in that spirit, please join me for this eleventh of The 12 Drinks of Christmas. Sing along at home, if you like, because, “For the eleventh drink of Christmas, Uncle Monkey made for me, the Horwich Hall”.

Pom-Pimm’s Fizz

December 23, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

The 12 Drinks of Christmas – Tenth Drink

We are almost there. It can be tough sometimes, the holidays take a toll in the best of times. Even just going through the motions can be a challenge. Especially this year, with so many losses, so many things that did not work out as planned and honestly, just so many differences from our usual traditions. Getting in the holiday spirit has been hard, if not impossible, and that’s ok. As the man said, it is what it is. All the worrying in the world won’t suddenly make our hearts grow three sizes this day, so don’t beat yourself up. If you have found your good cheer, congratulations; if not, don’t worry about it. Like the song says, we will muddle through somehow. So in that spirit, please join me for this tenth of The 12 Drinks of Christmas. Sing along at home, if you like, because, “For the tenth drink of Christmas, Uncle Monkey made for me, a Pom-Pimm’s Fizz.”

Holiday Margarita

December 22, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

The 12 Drinks of Christmas – Ninth Drink

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is to roll with the punches and appreciate the things you have. I had planned a different drink for this evening, a complicated punch from the 18th century that is honestly too troublesome to attempt, but I wanted to go over the top. Things fell through and rather than being upset, I just went with an alternate and that is just fine. It’s kind of like this year, things turned out differently than I had hoped, but it’s gonna be alright, eventually. So in that spirit, please join me for this ninth of The 12 Drinks of Christmas. Sing along at home, if you like, because, “For the ninth drink of Christmas, Uncle Monkey made for me, a Holiday Margarita.”

Frosted Sugar Plum

December 21, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

The 12 Drinks of Christmas – Eighth Drink

Christmas is a time to reflect on our lives. To look at the year nearly past and how things have changed. For me, even more than New Year’s, this is a time for reflection, to think about what we’ve gained, what we have lost. It’s been a hard year for all of us. So many losses and they just keep coming, as today we found out that yet another friend has passed from Covid. It makes it hard to find the spirit of the season with so many people hurting. We take many things for granted, especially our beliefs. We have to to try to stay positive, though. To look on the brighter side and count the blessings we have, even on this Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, or the last night before things begin to get brighter, depending on your point of view. So in that spirit, please join me for the eighth of The 12 Drinks of Christmas. Sing along at home, if you like, because, “For the eighth drink of Christmas, Uncle Monkey made for me, a Frosted Sugar Plum”.

Boozy Orange Hot Chocolate

December 20, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

The 12 Drinks of Christmas – Seventh Drink

There are all kinds of treats that we only enjoy during the holiday season. We rarely have candy canes, those awesome chocolate oranges that break apart into wedges or snickerdoodles in May. Then there are those treats we enjoy more often, but are extra special this time of year. What would Christmas be without a big creamy mug of Hot Chocolate? Well, we aren’t going to find out, but we are going to sexy it up a bit and make a more adult version of this decadent treat with a nod to those chocolate oranges. So in that spirit, please join me for the seventh of The 12 Drinks of Christmas. Sing along at home, if you like, because, “For the seventh drink of Christmas, Uncle Monkey made for me, Orange Hot Chocolate”.

Coquito

December 19, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

The 12 Drinks of Christmas – Sixth Drink

We have been talking a lot about the signs of the season and the things we love. We don’t all love the same things though, and that is ok. My wife despises the popcorn Santa in this picture. I love, love, love, him. He is met each year with the traditional rolling of her eyes as I find somewhere I can see him and experience the joy he brings. Different strokes for different folks move the world, as they say. We should embrace our differences, celebrate how diversity keeps things from getting boring and most of all, learn to appreciate those things that others love. So in that spirit, please join me for the sixth of The 12 Drinks of Christmas. Sing along at home, if you like, because, “For the sixth drink of Christmas, Uncle Monkey made for me, a Coquito.”

Hot Buttered Rum

December 18, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 3 Comments

The 12 Drinks of Christmas – Fifth Drink

Decadence is the order of the day, as it almost always is during the holidays. It seems like we play by slightly different rules during this time of year. We are a little more free with our budgets. Whether, this means extra gifts for people and charitable giving, which is always a good thing or going a little heavier on the sweets. The holidays are a time for indulgence. I am not casting stones here, I had a red velvet cupcake for breakfast, so I am in no position to judge. I am, however in a position to enable and this evening’s drink is seriously decadent. So in that spirit, please join me for the fifth of The 12 Drinks of Christmas. Sing along at home, if you like, because, “For the fifth drink of Christmas, Uncle Monkey made for me, a Hot Buttered Rum.”