Tag: Monkeybrad Original (Page 1 of 2)

Yabba Dabba Daiquiri

July 29, 2022 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

A big part of the enjoyment of drinking is the opportunity to indulge in questionable ideas. Call it the allure of the lowered inhibition or Poe’s masterfully described “imp of the perverse”, but there is something wonderfully seductive about giving in to an idea that you know is bad and just going with your self destructive tendencies. Honestly, I rarely drink to excess, but when I do, I try to make it count and indulge as many of those whims as possible. This drink was inspired by one such evening, when I did not drink to excess, but I definitely enabled many others to dance with that imp. So, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make, the Yabba Dabba Daiquiri.

Spicy Schatzi-Rita

July 14, 2022 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

When you start out contemplating Newton’s First Law of Motion, you know you are in trouble already. Still, inertia is a thing. A thing that can be terribly difficult to overcome. It’s that first part about an object at rest wanting to stay in bed that gets me. Every time. That’s how it goes, I get all fired up mixing and writing and thinking and being generally excited about the world, then I decide to coast, just a little. Take it easy for a day or two, because I deserve it and all that. Next thing you know I am decidedly at rest and it’s gonna take an unbalanced force to get me moving again. So with a nod toward Sisyphean tasks, won’t you join me now as we stand and make, the Spicy Schatzi-Rita.

Hot Irish Toddy

March 17, 2022 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I must have looked like I needed help. Perhaps, I did; most of us usually do. We’d been out walking the hills of County Waterford through the more than mist but less than rain and, perhaps, looked a bit worse for the wear. So when she looked at me kindly and said, “Sit down, while I make you a nice cup of tea.” I sort of shook my head to politely say no. You know that apologetic head shake you give when it sounds nice, but you don’t want to be any trouble? That was the one I used, which she promptly ignored. A few minutes later she returned, a cup of hot Irish Breakfast tea in hand, with lemon and honey. “Take this,” she said, “for the comfort that’s in it.” So, with a nod to the kindness of strangers, many years ago on a foggy day in Ireland, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Hot Irish Toddy.

That’s Hot

July 13, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I am never quite sure how you measure success. I am pretty sure it is something other people achieve, it always just escapes my grasp. Call it impostor syndrome if you wish, but no matter what I do, I never quite feel like I have made enough of a difference in the world. Even with the good stuff, there is always a way we could have done it better or helped more people. It’s ok, I am used to it, even when the story runs above the fold with a headline and color picture, there has to be something we could do better. So, with a nod toward making a difference, even when it doesn’t quite feel like it, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the reader submitted, That’s Hot.

Eloté Cocktail

June 28, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I am all about side quests. Seriously, I always have several low level goals running in the background. Whether it’s getting the chance to drive a train, seeking out a vintage Corgi Jr. Batmobile or playing pool with a person of note, I have this whole list of stuff that is on my radar, just not a priority. Well, not a priority unless good fortune suddenly opens a door and moves something to the top of the list. One of those perpetual side quests is the never ending search for new ingredients. Whether for our home kitchen, the test kitchen at work or our cocktail bar, I have a whole list of stuff that I am quietly searching for and I recently received a bottle I have been chasing for quite some time. So, in the spirit of those goals that keep us chasing the horizon, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Eloté Cocktail.

Lively Gus

May 27, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

As Captain Augustus McRae once said, “What’s good for me might not be good for the weak minded.” I always liked that idea. I have enjoyed a great many distractions over the years that I would not recommend for the weaker of heart or constitution or for myself, really, in retrospect. That said, I am glad I’ve been afforded the opportunity to be pretty foolish over the years, without serious repercussions. One downside of good fortune is a healthy dose of belief in yourself, whether warranted or not. So, with a nod to both Dunning and Kruger, and in the spirit of taking a swing when you don’t even deserve to be in the game, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Lively Gus.

Dumpster Fire

December 31, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 4 Comments

New Year’s Eve 2020

I’d like to say we made it, but there are still a few hours of 2020 left and if I have learned nothing else this year, it is to take nothing for granted. So, I am not gonna make any assumptions, but do hope that we will all make it till midnight and to see the sun rise on a new day. I have had a lot of thoughts about how to end this year and begin the next. It makes sense to look back on what was and celebrate the wins, mourn the losses, but I am not sure I can even remember who we were when this interminable year began. I am just gonna make a drink and see where that takes us. So, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make an old Uncle Monkey original, the Dumpster Fire.

Purple

November 3, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Election Day 2020 – Special Edition

It is Election Day. I suppose it is all over but the crying, now, or at least it will be in a few hours. This election has been hard on everyone. Way too much division. Too many friends fighting over things that really don’t affect their everyday lives. No one knows how things are going to shake out yet, but I hope that every vote cast by eligible voters is counted, without a bunch of divisive infighting. We may disagree on a lot of things, but having an election decided by actually counting the votes should not be one of them. More than anything, I hope that whoever comes up short at the end of the count accepts their loss with dignity and that whoever comes out on top accepts their win with humility. We have been divided on many fronts, but we are one people and neither side can afford to lose the other. Honestly, it is the political parties that are so solidly divided in their visions for our country. When you get down to it, most folks don’t live at the far edges of the spectrum. We are mostly a mix of red values and blue ideas. So, please, won’t you join me now as we stand and make Purple.

Tuaca na Nog

August 22, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I am straight up tired y’all. I mean I want to do this drink justice, I want to rail against the dying of the light, but it’s been a seriously long day and my bed is calling. So, let’s skip the foreplay and jump straight into this one. I’ll make it up to you later, promise. Join me now as we stand and make the Tuaca na Nog.

Dead Men of Whiskey Sour

July 27, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

You know what it’s like, you find something cool and you want to make sure other folks get to check it out. I am pretty sure we are at our best, when we are sharing. The Dalai Lama said to “Share your knowledge, it is a way to achieve immortality.” So, we’ve got that going for us. The way I see things, if you are on social media and you aren’t creating your own content or showing me what you were wearing, eating drinking, etc. you better be sharing something of value. It doesn’t have to appeal to everyone, but it shouldn’t be mean either. That’s my opinion, you are free to go find your own, naturally. So, there’s your whole “sharing is caring” lead-in. Won’t you join me now as we stand and make the never-to-be-classic, Dead Men of Whiskey Sour