Inside the Mind of the Monkey

There are more than just bananas in there...

Tag: maple

Don Lockwood

February 7, 2023 / / 0 Comments

There is something about a bold booze forward cocktail slowly diluting over one big cube in a rocks glass. It has a gravitas that anything served with a straw in a highball or up in a coupe just can’t match. Of course, that’s all image, there are a ton of drinks served on a rock that go down smooth and even more frilly and silly tropical drinks that will knock you on your butt, but somehow that perception persists. They are the serious drinks, for serious drinkers. Taking that glass in hand, swirling it slowly by the fire while contemplating the unasked question, practically begs for a leather armchair and an impeccably tailored suit. “Dignity, always dignity” he’d answer, looking off into the distance before taking a slow measured sip and returning to his thoughts. That’s my kind of moment, but not always my kind of drink. So, with a nod toward the little tales we tell ourselves, won’t you join me now as we stand and make, the Don Lockwood.

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Color in Your Cheeks

December 14, 2021 / / 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.

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The Patriot

August 4, 2021 / / 0 Comments

We are always in transition. It’s the nature of the game, but we don’t always realize it. Sure, we get the graduations and marriages and all of those big days, but lots of life changing moments pass us by without fanfare, only recognizable in hindsight. For most folks, you don’t know when it happen and that’s, mostly, a good thing. As a kid, how long would you hold on if you knew it was the last time your mom was going to pick you up? How tight would you hold your own child if you realized how soon they were going to grow too large for you to carry them in from the car. We wouldn’t be able to function. How would you ever be able to say goodbye and walk away if you knew that this was the last cup of coffee you were ever going to share with a friend? Sometimes, we are blessed by ignorance. We know that all of those things are going to happen, eventually, but that’s off in the future and nothing to worry about today. So, with a nod toward those little moments, the firsts and the lasts that sweep us by, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make The Patriot.

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Morning Man

June 27, 2021 / / 0 Comments

They say that if you remain open, life provides. I don’t know if that is true on a large scale, but that’s how things have gone for me, generally. You know how it goes, all hope is lost and suddenly, the thing you need drops in your lap all deus ex machina-y. Or you are sitting thinking about things, all lost in your head when the phone rings and it’s the person you need to hear from, even if you did not know it. Some folks call it kismet, I call it a slingblade. No, that’s wrong. I call it life providing. Anyway, the thing is, it worked out for me today, so please join me now as we stand and make the Morning Man.

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Old Vermont Cocktail

January 24, 2021 / / 0 Comments

It looks like Bernie Sanders mittens are all the rage this week. I get it and I don’t. Sure, it appeared to be a little unusual for him to show up dressed sensibly for the event, but I am not sure why folks are surprised by that. His whole hook is sort of doing his own thing with a certain yankee practicality that suffers no fools. Sure it was adorable and all, but a heavy coat and warm mittens made a lot more sense for the near freezing day than what most folks were wearing and it’s not like the fashion columnists were all waiting on the red carpet to see what the Senator from Vermont was gong to wear anyway. So, in the spirit of practicality, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make the Old Vermont Cocktail.

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The Unvanquished

January 8, 2021 / / 0 Comments

“Be always sure you are right, then go ahead.” That’s a damned fine quote that has been stuck in my head all day. You’ve probably heard it before, Davy Crockett’s words, immortalized on film by Fess Parker. He was on to something though, some times it is hard to know what right is, other times, well, the correct path is pretty clear. To be fair, it can be tricky to find the right path, but you can see the wrong road from a mile away. So, let’s do our best to get it right as we stand and make The Unvanquished.

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Kaieteur Swizzle

August 5, 2020 / / 3 Comments

Learning new things. That is what it’s all about, isn’t it? Travis McGee said “Every day, no matter how you fight it, you learn a little more about yourself, and all most of it does is teach humility.” That sounds about right. Man, I wish I knew now all the things I knew when I was young. I have had plenty of opportunity to learn humility along the way, some of the lessons took, some didn’t. I am still working on that. It’s not so much the years, but the mileage, as they say. Keeping with our teachable moments theme this week we are going to do a drink tonight with a totally new to me, as yet unexplored, preparation and bar tool. We will see how things go as we stand and make the Kaieteur Swizzle.

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