Tag: chartreuse (Page 3 of 3)

The Mean Fiddler

October 15, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I was thinking about the devil tonight and his gambling habit. Seemed like the right thing to do, don’t ask me why. I recalled the lyric “Now, you play a pretty mean fiddle boy…” and thought to myself, what constitutes a “mean fiddle”? Does it bite? Refuse the rosin? Whisper insults in your ear while you play? It would make more sense for the devil to be the one playing the mean fiddle, then I would understand it better. A mean fiddle is one that refuses to sound like a violin and goes with a funky bass thing. You’d be surprised just how long I went down this path, before I came up for air. It was definitely long enough to get a thirst, so won’t you join me now as we stand and make The Mean Fiddler.

The Racketeer

October 4, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

We all knew it was coming. Well, a couple of thousand of my closest friends did, anyway. I should be in Rome this weekend, laughing with friends, eating at Jamwich every other meal, setting new records in their escape rooms, grabbing drink at The Forge and generally having a great time. We couldn’t get together for our long weekend of foolishness and adventure this year, but we’ve still got our memories. So, in honor of the fun we’ve had and the fun yet to come, won’t you join me now as we stand and make The Racketeer.

The Final Ward

September 28, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

It’s rainy and yucky and full of ennui today with more of the same in the forecast, but that is no reason to not have a drink. It does make choosing a little more challenging. Part of me wants to go tropical or tiki, part of me wants to do something scotch heavy and autumnal and part of me wants to skip the whole thing and curl up with a good book. However, duty calls, so I am going for a riff on an old friend adapted for a dreary fall day. Won’t you please join me now as we stand and make, The Final Ward.

Piña Verde

August 15, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 2 Comments

Starting is the hard part. That goes for most anything. Overcoming inertia. Once you get started things just roll right along, for the most part. Then it is sometimes hard to stop. Inertia gets you coming and going, that’s life. That’s what all the people say, anyway. That’s also why we are having this drink. Won’t you please join me now as we stand and make, the Piña Verde.

The Written Word

August 2, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

It is Sunday afternoon again, what Douglas Adams called the “long, dark teatime of the soul”. I really should be mowing the lawn, being productive, working on that novel, etc. but my heart just isn’t in it. Let’s make a drink instead! Please, join me now as we stand and make, The Written Word.

Last of the Oaxacans

August 1, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

This morning we went to the farmer’s market, as we do most Saturdays. It is nice to see folks, get some great stuff and support our local economy. Plus the dog gets to go, so it is wins all the way around. This time of the summer is great because of all the fresh produce and our weekly menu is always influenced by what we can find. Today, there were lots of tomatoes and peppers. Such good peppers. I bought several types and could not wait to get home and make something with them. So, join me now as we stand and make the Last of the Oaxacans.

Dublin Minstrel

July 31, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I dreamt last night of the past. Of people I haven’t seen in years. Of watching the world go by, sipping a glass of whiskey or a pint of the black stuff from my customary table in the corner of an Irish pub, a cigarette burning lazily in the ashtray. Wandering into a bar where your drink was sitting at your table by the time you got there. That got me thinking about old friends and Irish whiskey and a drink I have wanted to try, so join me now, as we stand and make, the Dublin Minstrel.

Rubicon

June 2, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

It is Heidi’s birthday, so I wanted to make something northwesty in her honor. Even though I have had my fair share of drinks up that way I couldn’t think of anything that embodied Seattle, except for Raiiiiinnnnnneeeeerrrrr Beeeeeeerrrrr. Well, that and an amazing gin and tonic I once had in a bar under Pioneer Square where they made their own spruce and lavender infused liqueur as a float. Since I couldn’t infuse my own liqueur or resurrect a 30 year old beer commercial, I turned to the internet. That delivered lots of places to drink and definitely gave me a thirst for travel. “Perdition take thee, thou all-destroying but unconquering 2020; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee” he said with a hearty nod and a bit of paraphrasery to Starbuck’s boss. Sorry, where was I, oh yes, the drink. Over and over, I found references to an intriguing drink, with a flambé middle step, from Jamie Boudreau at the amazing looking Canon. So grab your tins as we make the Rubicon.

The Verdant Lady

May 20, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

There are days when it is clear things aren’t going to work out the way you expected, when things are cancelled, those disappointing rainy days. I’m bad about taking them to heart, getting bummed about what might have been and overlooking how things can still be. Today’s cocktail is kinda like one of those days. I came home all fired up to make something kind of original, something I thought of today in a challenging moment, only to find I lack one crucial ingredient. Granted, that’s not a big loss, but when thrown on top of the rest of the day, it felt like a thing. Part of me just wanted to skip it and go for a walk, in the rain, petulantly. At that moment, I heard my buddy Robert’s disembodied voice in my head, like Yoda or crazy old Ben Kenobi, reminding me of that TOM Creative Group adage that, “Not every job is worth doing, is worth doing well.” So, I decided to phone it in, which is ironic for posts created entirely on my phone. Anyway, I looked at the ingredients that were already out and handy, remembered another drink that looked “ok” that used them and decided to go low effort with The Verdant Lady.

The Last Word

May 19, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 19 Comments

Sometimes, things fall off your radar. I had completely forgotten about this drink until a friend shared it with me last week and I have looked forward to making it ever since. The problem was, I didn’t have one of the ingredients, so I had to exhibit patience, which is not a thing I am known for. I mean, I can be patient…if I have to, but instant gratification is so much more fun. That said, having something to look forward to is definitely a thing. I’m a long time pleasure delayer and a strong believer that desire is often more satisfying than possession. That has been messing with me during “whatever it is we are calling this chapter of life” this week. With so many plans cancelled and the usual rituals with friends on indefinite hold, I’m kinda drifting with the tide with no clear destination in sight. Not saying it’s all been bad, it’s just different. I miss things to look forward to, but I ain’t special, we are all there, always. That’s really the thing isn’t it? We are all being pulled between desires and needs and responsibilities, all the time. But maybe, that is what makes a life. That’s a lot of words, huh? Probably too many. So, with a look to brighter days a-coming, I present The Last Word.