Travel, Tailgating and the Mighty Flask
So it was OU / Tx weekend and while I am a proud native Texan I am a Sooner and a loyal one at that so needless to say I have had a good weekend. The weekend got me to thinking it is starting to turn to flask season. I personally keep a flask on me about this time of year to warm my self up and to loosen some of that stress as tasks and projects start to pile up.
The big thing about a flask is to choose the right beverage to enjoy though out your day or week. As we all know I am a huge fan of whiskey. Here is the thing you have to choose your whiskey well. There are a few do’s and don’ts to do to choose the best whiskey to have with you at all times.
Don’t:
Choose a cheap or bad tasting whiskey, because it is there to help you get through. The day and also you are not going to mix it regularly. You will get the full flavor of the whiskey as you take that swig.
Choose something that you don’t like the taste of your flask is who you are and it is your personal choice. It can be what you like don’t worry about status no one knows what you put in there and no one can truly tell what is on there.
Do:
Pick something that you’ll want to have a lot over and over again. Remember you don’t have the liberty of swithcing it up aft a few shots. You’ll need to finish it or pour perfectly good whiskey down the drain.. DON’T pour good whiskey down the drain it would be a bad luck situation and we just can’t have that or condone wasting of perfectly good alcohol.
Try and pick something mellow, unles you like the hard stuff you’ll want to savor and enjoy it not give your self a numb throat or heartburn on the go that just doesn’t work.
Personally I love Tyrconnell or Red Breast for my flask. They’re both mellow and smooth. The bottles are pretty economical so you’ll not go broke filling that flas up often. Finally they’re both Irish whiskeys that will keep you warm on these cool fall evenings.
So now that you’ve helped me fill up my flask; what is in yours? Do you prefer Rum Whiskey, Vodka, or something else. Why that?
One last thing what does your flask look like? we’d love to see pictures posted below.
See you at the bar, or out and about with one.
To keep you at the grind…
Fall is now upon us and we’re now feeling the chills of the random cold or two. One of our favourite remedies here at SpritsWWB headquarters is the Hot Toddy. It’s an old drink that has now taken different variations. One of our favourites has a Texas twist. Featured here is the old and the new recipe for the best Hot Toddy to get you going on that cold gloomy day when the sniffles have you slowing down.
Texas Hot Toddy (Thanks to Mary)
1 oz. room temprature \ warmed whiskey (not hot just warm)
1 bottle of old cane sugar Dr. Pepper (warmed, yes warmed or room temprature)
1 bag of tea (preferably black or chamomile DON’T use green tea)
½ cup of warm\ hot water (for the tea)
1 tbsp. Honey
Though I'm not so sure this was a hot toddy this works as a good example of what one may look like
In a cup prepare the tea as you would normally and then add in the dr pepper and the shot of whiskey. Finally stir in the Honey and enjoy. Careful not to burn your tongue. This will get that slow achy body back to normal in no time.
As for the Original Hot Toddy
1 oz. room temprature \ warmed whiskey (not hot just warm)
1 bag of tea (preferably black or chamomile DON’T use green tea)
3/4 cup of warm\ hot water (for the tea)
1 tbsp. Honey
In a cup prepare the tea as you would normally and then add in the shot of whiskey. Finally stir in the Honey and enjoy. Careful not to burn your tongue. This will get that slow achy body back to normal in no time.
If you have any other remedies that get you going or have a better recipe for the Hot Toddy we’re all ears. Also stay tuned our next episode is coming soon!
See you at the bar!
Festivals for the Weekend
So this weekend is going to be a fun one for all of us. We’ve got Grape Fest and Oktober Fest (Addison). The perfect weekend for anyone who enjoys our blog and would rather be at the bar like us.
So what is Grape Fest? It’s Texas’ largest wine festival in Grapevine,Texas. More info can be found on their site: GrapeFest
Then there is Oktober Fest in Addison, which is beer, more beer a few pretzels and debauchery thrown in with some more beer for good measure.
We personally are heading to Oktober Fest and are looking forward to some of our friends reports and reviews from Grape Fest. As soon as we get that info we’ll post a cross link or two here.
That’s about all for now See you at the Bar
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Hangover Cure
So we’ve rolled out of bed a bit late from all of the awesomeness from the long weekend. Well, okay, some awesomeness we’re tired and a bit hungover. How do we fix this so the week is not a total loss in productivity?
Well, there are a lots of “sure fire” ways to fix all of it. To us thought, the biggest thing (and this comes as no surprise to veteran bar enthusiasts) is to drink lots water. By a lot of water I mean gallons. Did I mention we drink a lot of water?
Water Jug by markhillary
The main reason the body is hungover is because as much as we may enjoy it and as much as most of it is turned into sugar our body still has to process all that fun alcohol. All this processing leaves the body lacking of nutrients of sorts. So the best thing, drink water while having fun. Then that night and the next day down some Gatorade or some other sort of sports drink with electrolytes. It’ll help with the processing your body and head will feel much, much better in the morning.
So that was a ton of science at once and I’m sure you’ve got a better way to handle your hangover. What’s your favorite method of handling a hangover the day after that amazing party?
One last note, yes we’ve all seen Cocktail with Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown and think about that raw egg carefully it may have salmonella we don’t want to to get sick now.
See you at the bar!
Tequiila and Open Ca.mp
Part 1
First off I must say this, Jennifer Conley, Cali Lewis, Jon P., Mark Ramsey and an army of great people put together an amazing weekend in Addison and I hope you were there to enjoy it.
Part 2
So the conversation started with a friend saying “Tequila makes babies,” and then it hit is all (over a good laugh) that everyone has a good tequila story.
What is yours? (Post in the comments below)
The Second part, of course we have to add in more alcohol that is why we’re all here I’m guessing. So after the laughter subsided the phrase came out TequilaMockingbird or To Kill a Mockingbird. The drink recipe is still being finalized but in the mean time we have the title and we know it involves tequila beyond that we’ll release the rest very very soon!
If you are here at OpenCa.mp please come find us and say hi we’d love to talk to you and hear your feedback on the blog and our videos. Where or what would you like us to cover? Post this on the comments or follow us on twitter.
See you at the Ca.mp!
Tequila Pancakes
Sitting at Lochrann’s (one of our favorite places) one morning the thought struck. Coffee tequila and pancakes a perfect match.
Bailey pouring a pint at Lochrann's Irish Pub and Eatery
The XO Cafe (by Patrón) is a coffee based tequila that has a very sweet flavor that leads itself perfectly for mixing with maple syrup. A perfect ratio is still needed, however, to get the right kick and not have an overpowering bite from the traditional shooter.
The best way to make it at home is to ready make the mix of syrup and tequila whisking the two together. The XO Café must be chilled (preferably from the freezer) and the syrup must be a little heated. The reason for setting each at their respective temperatures allows for both to have the same consistency and warm maple syrup just tastes better.
So for now at Lochrann’s just order the Jason and Adam special if you’re near by or just try mixing a batch up for your self. This will work for waffles and french toast as well.
That’s all for now, see you at the pub!
Spirits Season 2 Ep. #1 – The Asian Film Festival of Dallas
Here we go kids, the second season of Spirits is a go. This time we are talking with Crystal-Decker Norwood and Alicia Chang, the lead programmer and marketing director of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, which will be July 23rd-29th.
We are meeting back at the Uptown Pub which is right around from the Magnolia Theater where the festival is being held. So if you need a place to stop by after or in-between the movies, stop there.
P.S. Also, if your needing a fix of more Asian films, be sure to check out Premier Video, Dallas’s awesome video rental with the largest selection of foreign films in town.
The Holy Trinity
Being a Minnesota native, summer was always an elusive notion. The eight months of winter would drag on and so one would just accept it and learn to love things like hockey. Nevertheless, summer, no matter your age, has that appeal of freedom. It’s a time of sun, pool, staying up way too late and having too much fun – at least until you grow up. Then you ache for these things and well, burn your vacation time pursuing them. Or you just drink too much after work on a Friday.
Ah patio drinks on a Friday afternoon. This is adult version of summer. Well, that and day drinking, which always feels a tad decadent. But this is what summer is, and to enjoy this to its fullest one must be aware of the summer drink hierarchy.
The reason for this is that you only have a limited amount of time (a weekend) to enjoy the summer before you have to change a diaper or check your work email or whatever gainfully employed adults do with their lives (you’re one right?). Nevertheless, summer drinks have to be refreshing, light, tasty and pack a punch.
Ice "Picks" Photo taken by: iwona_kellie
This brings us to the first of the Holy Trinity of summer drinks:
The Ice Pick
This is a take off of an Arnold Palmer, which is iced tea and lemonade.
To make a proper Ice Pick only requires four items:
iced tea,
lemon infused vodka (absolute citron is an excellent standard)
ice
lemon wedges
Fill the glass with ice, add the lemon flavored vodka (no more than half way; really the amount depends on much you need to relax), and then top off with the iced tea. Garnish with one or two lemon wedges and presto, lounging has never been so good. Or has it?
“Mary Drink”
The next in the holy trinity (or maybe it should be a trifecta?) is the little known “Mary Drink”. This is a simple twist on a cocktail classic of boozehounds. Created in Norman, Oklahoma at the Library Bar & Grill by legendary bartender Mary (who has sadly gotten married and left bartending for tending to elementary pupils – lucky students…).
So the traditional recipe is quite simply:
a pint glass filled with ice followed by one to two shots of Grey Goose and topped off with club soda. Garnish with three lime wedges. Gizam!
This has to be one of the lightest and most refreshing drinks. While one might think, oh that’s silly, it’s just an extra tall vodka soda, they would be wrong. Because of the change in ratios of ingredients, the drink takes on an entirely different persona. It’s like a Volkswagen Beetle compared to a Porsche 911. Although, you need to be careful… if consumed while lounging by a pool you might not be able to stand up. Drink responsibly. Or not…
The final member of the holy trinity comes from the Caribbean. Puerto Rico specifically. The Mojito is, first, the best cocktail ever created. It is also perfect for summer, much in the same way that a trip to San Juan or really anywhere in the Caribbean is epitome of how one should spend the summer. It’s about the sun, the w
Mojito Photo Taken By: lanier67
armth, swimsuits and getting a little wild. There is only one draw back to the Mojito. Due to ridiculous advertising and terrible American taste they are consistently butchered. Mojitos seem to range from the too sweet to the too lime-ly. Really the best ones are from the Caribbean. Nevertheless, they are truly beautifully simple to create.
The Mojito
Muddle a small bunch of fresh mint leaves with a wedge of lime and around 2 tablespoons of simple syrup.
Add about 1.5 oz. of white rum and mix thoroughly
Pour over a tall glass with ice and top off with club soda.
So simple and so good you’ll soon forget the syrupy sweet frozen margaritas from your collegiate past.
By the by, who would have thought the greatest summer drinks were so simple yet so sophisticated?
See you at the Bar!
Spirits Ep. #4 w/ Sarah Jane Semrad
Shot #4
It’s that time again I have another shot for you out there only this time it’s not one I can truly take credit for.
This one is a bit different you’ll only find this one in Ireland.
Photo Provided by: etrepum
Celtic Kiss
1 pt Celtic Crossing
1 pt Bailey’s or Other Equivalent Irish Cream
pour in glass together and serve chilled.
Enjoy Mates!
