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Tailgating and Crockpotting

Tailgating and Crockpotting:

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Spirit Of The Week: Pisco

Spirit Of The Week: Pisco:

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A History of The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

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The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

After two of those babies, the dullest, most by-the-book Vogon will be up on the bar in stilettos, yodeling mountain shanties and swearing he’s the king of the Gray Binding Fiefdoms of Saxaquine – A note on the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster’s effects.

Yes, it’s May 25 and that means its time for “Towel Day“! But, don’t panic, this is not some bizarre high-school locker room hazing ritual, it’s the annual tribute to the late Douglas Adams (1952-2001), author of (among many other things) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. On that day, fans, around the universe proudly carry a towel in his honor.

To celebrate Towel Day in proper style, there is no substitute for science fiction’s most infamous of cocktails: The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster!

A History of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster:

As far as cocktails for this occasion, none could be more appropriate than the infamous Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the fictional drink whose primary liquor is the equally fictional Janx Spirit. What does it taste like? Who knows, but the effects have been described as:

“having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon, wrapped ’round a large gold brick”
“the alcoholic equivalent to a mugging”
“expensive and bad for the head”

image credit: Hitchhiker Wiki

The Pangalactic Gargle Blaster

Created by by ex-President of the Universe Zaphod Beeblebrox, adapted from Hitchhiker Wiki.

Take the juice from one bottle of Ol’ Janx Spirit.
Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V — Oh, that Santraginean seawater! Oh, those Santraginean fish!
Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture (it must be properly iced or the benzene is lost).
Allow four litres of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it, in memory of all those happy hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia.
Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract, redolent of all the heady odours of the dark Qualactin Zones, subtle, sweet and mystic.
Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian Suns deep into the heart of the drink.
Sprinkle Zamphuor.
Add an olive.
Drink… but… very carefully…

Pan Galactic Gargleblaster “Terran” Recipes:

Douglas Adams explained the lack of authentic terrestrial versions on the fact that there are a number of environmental and weapons treaties, as well as laws of physics, which prevent the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster from being mixed on Earth. That really hasn’t stopped anyone from trying though…

http://j.mp/1qJh2n4 –hg2g bbc site
http://j.mp/1qJh5zb – a collection of many different recipes here.
http://j.mp/1NMFC1I
http://j.mp/1qJhy4B
http://j.mp/1qJhjXg
http://j.mp/1NMFKyc
http://j.mp/1qJhFNm

What is Towel Day?

So what’s up with the whole towel business? This quote should help out:

A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value – you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to- hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you – daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have “lost”. What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

Hence a phrase that has passed into hitchhiking slang, as in “Hey, you sass that hoopy Ford Prefect? There’s a frood who really knows where his towel is.” (Sass: know, be aware of, meet, have sex with; hoopy: really together guy; frood: really amazingly together guy.)

Check out the official Towel Day website for the happenings in your neck of the woods.

And for your viewing pleasure – The Towel Day 2011 official trailer:

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What Makes A Good Tailgate?

What Makes A Good Tailgate?:

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Inside Tailgating 29: Horse Racing, NBA Playoffs and Cornhole

Inside Tailgating 29: Horse Racing, NBA Playoffs and Cornhole:

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newyorker:

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A History of The Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail

A History of the Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail

Take vodka, rum, whiskey, bourbon, peach schnapps, orange juice, pineapple juice, sour mix, orange-flavored liqueur, elderflower-flavored liqueur, shake, pour into a souvenir glass and garnish with an orange slice, cherry and mint sprig.

Then dump it on the infield grass and get a real drink. – Richard Gorelick, Baltimore Sun May 12, 2014

Name origin:

The 2016 Black-Eyed Susan

Named after the Black-eyed Susan, the state flower of Maryland.

Where is The Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail found?

Maryland, particularly Baltimore City and during the Preakness race. The Preakness, the second leg of the thoroughbred racing series, will takes place on the third Saturday in May at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course, where it’s been held since the race’s inception in 1873. The Black-eyed Susan cocktail has been the official drink since 1973.

Who created it?

The history of the Black-eyed Susan cocktail is relatively brief. In 1973, to mark the centennial of The Preakness, Pimilco caterers Harry M. Stevens Co. contracted the Heulbein Company — a giant in the ready to drink home cocktail market — to help them create a quick and ready pre-mix to serve the expected crowds, and some expected thousands. What they came up with, the website Retro Baltimore describes as “…a base of rum and vodka, splashed with orange and pineapple juices”.

When introduced, the print advertisements, filled with sophisticates in Edwardian attire, weaved a tall-tale, claiming that the cocktail hearkened back to the early days of the Maryland Jockey club. The reality proved to be “a mixture more Madison Avenue than a bartender”. The wording from the ad was as follows:

Said to be the invention of a daring horse-owning notable in the early days of the Maryland Jockey club, the Black Eyed Susan, the official drink of the famed Preakness Stakes, is a tradition at Pimlico.

It’s a bold and racy kind of drink with a clean start and an unflagging finish.

As exhilarating as a golden day at the track.

What is the recipe?

Pimlico soon parted ways with Heublein, who upon departure refused to divulge the actual recipe for the drink’s base mixture (legend states that it was later repackaged as the infamous Brass Monkey) and though the “Susan” itself was never popular, people did buy it every year in order to score one of the limited edition glasses it came in. So Pimlico came up with their own formula. How close it was to the 1973 original? We will never know, but drinks writer Ted Haigh was able to dig up an early version of Pimlico’s recipe:

Black-Eyed Susan (original)

Recipe adapted from Ted Haigh

1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Mount Gay Eclipse rum
3/4 oz. Cointreau
1 1/2 oz. fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 oz. pineapple juice

Build in a Collins glass filled with crushed ice. Add a Maraschino cherry, an orange wheel, a pineapple cube, and a lime wedge for garnishes. Note: it’s imperative to squeeze the juice from the lime wedge into the drink.

Variant recipes:

Like any good marketing venture, the Black-eyed Susan recipe served trackside morphed over time to suit the evolving tastes of the increasingly younger and less sophisticated crowd drawn to the Preakness as well as the changing corporate liquor sponsorships. Bourbon and rum came and went over the years and at times it appeared that the only constant in the cocktail was the inclusion of vodka and pineapple juice. Most bizarrely, the recipes of the early 2000s contained white crème de menthe and Brandy.

1988 “New Susan”

Recipe adapted from Rob Kasper, The Baltimore Sun

½ oz. Vodka
½ oz. Rum (light or dark was not specified)
½ oz. Peach Schnapps
6 oz. Orange juice
1 oz. Pink Grapefruit juice
1 oz. Pineapple juice

Shake with ice and serve in an ice-filled commemorative Preakness glass, if unavailable, use a highball or Collins.

2016 Black-Eyed Susan

Recipe adapted from Pimlico Race course.

1 ½ ounces of Effen vodka
1 ounce of Makers Mark bourbon
2 ounces of orange juice
2 ounces sour mix

Mix ingredients and pour into a glass with crushed ice; garnish with an orange and cherry

Sources:

Priebe & Priebe (2015). Forgotten Maryland Cocktails: A History of Drinking in the Free State. Charleston, SC: The History Press.

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Preakness Part 3

Preakness Part 3:

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Preakness Part 2

Preakness Part 2:

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Photo

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Preakness Part 1

Preakness Part 1:

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Cider at Your Tailgate

Cider at Your Tailgate:

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Friday the 13th Cocktails

Inside Tailgating 28: NHL Playoffs and Magic The Gathering

Inside Tailgating 28: NHL Playoffs and Magic The Gathering:

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Baseball Tailgating / Tequila Baybreeze

Baseball Tailgating / Tequila Baybreeze:

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Soup

Soup:

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Joseph Stalin’s Drinking Habits

6 May 1941: Seventy-five years ago today, Joseph Stalin became the Premier of the Soviet Union, relieving Vyacheslav M. Molotov who had engineered the ultimately doomed non-aggression pact with Hitler’s Germany. Prior to taking the post as Premier, Stalin had Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, a post he has held since 1922. Regardless of his actual title, Stalin had essentially ruled the Soviet Union since the late 1920s.

There is some inconsistency in the accounts regarding the degree of Stalin’s drinking, with some ranking him at Churchillian magnitudes while others have him secretly drinking water in the place of vodka. While no stranger to vodka — legend has it that he was given a vodka-drenched rag as a baby to dull teething pains — Stalin was not a heavy day-to-day drinker. Ever calculating, he was known to get his Kremlin ministers falling down drunk and then use the information gained against them.

In spite of his cautious sobriety, Stalin could display an impressive tolerance for alcohol, drinking Dirty Martinis with Franklin Roosevelt and matching Winston Churchill glass-for-glass at the 1943 Tehran Conference.

So what did he drink?

Stalin, a native Georgian, preferred Kinzmarauli, Hvanchkara, Tsinandali and Telianilight, wines indigenous to his home region. The Soviet dictator also known to be fond of Russia’s sweet, syrupy brandies and a pommace-based spirit, similar to grappa, known as Kizlyar.

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Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby:

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Cinco de Mayo 2016

cinco de mayo banner

14 Cocktail Recipes for Cinco de Mayo 2016

Well, it’s that day again: Americans all around will turn any vaguely Mexican/Latin themed establishment into complete, abject amateur hour all in the name of an historical event that any of them would be at a loss to recall.

Yes, indeed we are talking about the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, where the Mexican army, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, were strangely victorious over their French adversaries. You might be further surprised to hear that in Mexico, May 5, isn’t even a recognized holiday, and that our celebration stems back to the time of the American Civil War, when the Latino/Mexican population in California celebrated the end of French rule/designs to supply the Confederacy and destabilize the U.S. Anyhoo, enough history, let’s get to the drinking:

Abuela’s Old Fashioned

The sweet buñuelo syrup, made with cinnamon and vanilla, pairs deliciously with Tequila Don Julio Reposado’s intense cooked agave finish.

Created by Eddie Fuentes. Recipe and image courtesy of Tequila Don Julio.

1 1/2 oz Tequila Don Julio Reposado
1/3 oz Buñuelo Syrup*
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 dash Chocolate Mole Bitters
Orange and Lemon Twist for Garnish

Combine ingredients into an Old Fashioned glass with ice and stir. Garnish with orange and lemon twist.

*Buñuelo Syrup

4 cups Sugar
2 cups Water
1/4 teaspoon Lemon Juice
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Vanilla Stick
2 Star Anise

Bring cracked cinnamon and vanilla sticks and star anise to a boil in 2 cups of water on high heat. Let boil for 10 minutes, Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Lower heat and let simmer for 1 minute. Strain into a large container. Add lemon juice and let cool.

Battle at Puebla

A customary palette cleanser meant to be paired with tequila, this fresh yet spicy take on the classic highlights Tequila Don Julio Blanco beautifully.

Created by Eddie Fuentes. Recipe and image courtesy of Tequila Don Julio.

1 oz Tequila Don Julio Blanco
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Watermelon Juice
3/4 oz Gunpowder Mexican Chilies Infused with Agave Nectar*
1/2 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Micro Thai Basil, Viola Flowers, Lemon Zest and Watermelon Slice for Garnish
*Gunpowder Mexican Chilies Infused with Agave Nectar

Combine lime juice, watermelon juice, gunpowder Mexican chilies infused with agave nectar and fresh squeezed orange juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain contents into a tequila shot glass. Garnish with micro thai basil, viola flowers, lemon zest and watermelon slice wrapped around inside of glass. Pour Tequila Don Julio Blanco into a tequila shot glass. Serve sangrita mix and Tequila Don Julio Blanco side by side. Ideal Serve: Caballito Glass (shot glass)

*Gunpowder Mexican Chilies Infused with Agave Nectar

2 Jalapeños
10 Ancho Chile Peppers
10 Chipotle Peppers
4 qt Gunpowder Tea
6 qt Agave Syrup

Chop peppers and add to pot with gunpowder tea. Bring to boil and let boil for 10 minutes. Add agave syrup and stir until dissolved. Let cool and strain out peppers. Makes 10 quarts, can be stored in refrigerator.

Blockheads Flavored Frozen Margarita

Recipe courtesy of Blockheads, NYC.

2 oz your favorite Tequila
4 oz fresh squeezed lemon lime juice
1 oz Cranberry Purée **or any flavoring of your choosing!!
Squeeze of Agave Syrup

Blend and garnish

Blockheads Infamous Bulldog Margarita

Recipe courtesy of Blockheads, NYC.

2 oz Silver Tequila
4 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice
1 oz Strawberry Puree or any flavor of your choice, if flavoring
Squeeze of Agave syrup

Blend with ice, add a mini beer and a shot of your favorite tequila

**To make it a Frenchy, add a split of champagne

Jalisco Julep

Recipe and image courtesy of Casamigos Tequila. cinco de mayo - Jalisco Julep

2 oz. Casamigos anejo Tequila
25 oz. Simple syrup
8-10 Mint leaves
Garnish with mint sprig

Add ingredients into julep glass or tumbler. Muddle mint. Add Casamigos. Fill glass with crushed ice. Add metal swizzle spoon / straw. Stir. Add more ice to give a cone shaped top. Garnish with mint sprig.

Los Lagos Chilero

Recipe and image courtesy of Lagos Liqueur.
cinco de mayo - chilero

2-oz Los Lagos Liqueur
1-oz Mezcal Marca Negra
Marca Negra Sal de Gusano (for rim)
Sparkling water

Mix Los Lagos Liqueur and Mezcal with ice and strain into glass rimmed with Sal de Gusano. Top with sparkling water to taste.

Maple Basil Ciderita

Recipe courtesy of Mezcal Marca Negra.

5 Fresh Basil leaves
1-oz Mezcal Marca Negra
1/2-oz Freshly pressed lime juice
1/2-oz Grade A maple syrup
5-oz Sonoma Cider’s The Hatchet (apple)

Garnish – basil sprig

In a pint glass, add basil, spirits, and mixers and hand press with a muddler. Fill highball glass with ice and garnish with basil sprig.

Mexican Martini Recipe

The Mexican martini was born in the late 70’s when a bartender at Cedar Door Restaurant in Austin, was served a margarita in a martini glass on a trip to Mexico. She returned to Texas raving about the drink, and Cedar Door created its own version, adding in olives.

The Mexican martini has since become a Tex-Mex staple and the signature drink of Austin. It comes in many forms: some bartenders are certain it should be served in a shaker, while others serve the drink as a classic martini, but with tequila instead of gin or vodka. Some don’t make the drink without adding olive brine or muddling olives and peppers.

This cocktail is hard to find outside of Austin, but is featured at the newly opened authentic Tex-Mex cantina El Original in New York City. If you’d like to make this drink at home, the recipe is below.

Developed by Garrett Flanagan for El Original

1.5 oz. Lime Juice
1.5 oz. Simple Syrup
3 oz. Tequila
0.5 oz. Olive Juice

Shake with ice, pour into martini glass, garnish with olives and enjoy!

Mexican Sun

Like Mexican cuisine, this drink is vibrant in color, a little spicy, and deeply satisfying. I wanted to create a sensory experience, and bringing the smoke into the cocktail allows all the senses to be activated while highlighting the versatility of the Tequila Don Julio Añejo. The fresh ingredients, smoke, and cooked agave expressions of the tequila remind me of a hot night in Mexico right before the sun starts to set.

Created by Eddie Fuentes. Recipe and image courtesy of Tequila Don Julio.

1 1/2 oz Tequila Don Julio Añejo
1/2 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pink Peppercorn Syrup*
1/3 oz Carrot Juice with Fresh Turmeric
Mezcal Spray
Candied Ginger, Marigold Petals, Fresh Pink Peppercorn and Lemon Verbena for Garnish
*Pink Peppercorn Syrup

Ideal Serve: Collins Glass

Combine Tequila Don Julio Añejo, fresh squeezed lime juice, pink peppercorn syrup and carrot juice with fresh turmeric into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Pour contents into a Collins glass. Spray with a mescal top. Garnish with lemon verbena, candied ginger, marigold petals, and top with fresh ground pink peppercorn.

*Pink Peppercorn Syrup

32 oz Sugar
16 oz Ginger Root Juice
2 1/2 oz Crushed Pink Peppercorn
Pinch of Salt

Grind pink peppercorn to fine powder and add to medium saucepan over high heat until lightly roasted. Add ginger root juice and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool and double-strain through cheesecloth and fine strainer. Bottle and store in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Midori® Margarita

Recipe and image courtesy of Midori. cinco de m,ayo - midori margarita

1 part Midori® Melon Liqueur
1 1/2 parts Sauza® Signature Blue Silver Tequila
2/3 part Fresh Lime Juice
Salt
Lime Wheel, for garnish

Pour Sauza® tequila, Midori® and fresh lime juice into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake well. Rim a chilled cocktail/tumbler/rocks glass with salt. Strain the shaken cocktail into the glass, top with ice and garnish with a lime wheel.

Midori® Pina Punch

Recipe and image courtesy of Midori. cinco de mayo - pina punch

Serves 4-5

4 parts Midori® Melon Liqueur
4 parts Pinnacle® Pineapple Vodka
12 parts Pineapple Juice
4 part Mango Juice
Mango Slices
Pineapple Slices

Pour all ingredients into a punch bowl over ice. Stir well and garnish with pineapple and mango slices.

“Rosa Picante” Margarita

Created by Jordan Corney, Bohanan’s (San Antonio). Recipe and image courtesy of Patrón.

2 oz. Patrón Silver
.5 oz. Patrón Citrónge Lime Liqueur
1 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
.5 oz. Ginger Syrup
Bar Spoon of Jalapeño Oil
Dash Rosewater
Rose Petal Sea Salt

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice to chill. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe that has been half-rimmed with rose sea salt, and top with a dash of rose water. Garnish with a rose petal, if available

Traveling Bandito

Recipe and image courtesy of Traveler Beer.

1 shot reposado tequila
a half shot of grapefruit juice
1 tsp. simple syrup
3 dashes of hot sauce
a pinch of salt.

Fill a shaker glass halfway with ice. Shake and strain into pint glass with ice and fill to the top with Grapefruit Traveler. Garnish with lime.

Traveler Paloma

Recipe and image courtesy of Traveler Beer.

1.5 shots mescal
1tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. simple syrup.

Fill a shaker glass halfway with ice. Shake and strain in a glass with ice and fill to the top with Grapefruit Traveler.

Standard Disclosure: The “A History of Drinking” team received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, we only recommend products or services that we either personally like or believe to be of interest to our readers. If a product sucks, we will tell you in no uncertain terms. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”