u/TraderShan

My wife is in CVG today headed home and I asked her to check in the Sky Club in Concourse B there for a big painting that was on the wall. I think the first time I saw it there would have been in 1997. Unfortunately, it’s been removed during one of the renovations but I don’t know when that happened because I’ve not been to CVG in I believe 7 years now and I honestly don’t remember if it was there then or not. I liked the painting so much I took a picture (not the picture in the post here) of it years ago and my grandmother did an oil painting (that is the picture is this post) that was similar but not totally identical. I’m just curious if any of the CVG folks might know who painted it or where it went to since it’s no longer in the club. Any ideas?

Edit: the painting in the picture is not the original. It is the one my grandmother painted back in 2002.

I made a slight riff on a Jungle Bird tonight. I’m sure I’m not the first to make but yet here we are. The glass doesn’t show up that great but it’s Walt’s Enchanted Tropical Hideaway…where the birds sing words and the flowers croon. 🦜🍹

* ½ oz Lime juice
* ½ oz Simple syrup
* ¾ oz Coconut oil fat washed Campari
* 1½ oz Unsweetened pineapple juice
* 1 oz Cruzan Blackstrap rum
* ½ oz Smith & Cross navy strength rum

Shake all ingredients with ice then strain over fresh pebble ice in a Mai Tai glass. Garnish with Luxardo cherries and some pineapple fronds.

If I’m being honest the rum and the pineapple kind of drown out the coconut Campari. I’ve used it, as well as a Strawberry infused Campari in a Negroni and those flavors come through there. I’m not mad at this one but it’s not totally what I was hoping to have.

It’s National Mai Tai Day so of course I’m making them for my wife and the neighbors!

Trader Vic’s 1944 Mai Tai
* 2 oz. Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum
* .5 oz. Dry Orange Curaçao
* .75 oz. Lime juice
* .25 oz. Demerara syrup
* .25 oz. Orgeat
Shake with ice then dirty dump into a Double Rocks/Mai Tai glass. Add fresh pebble ice and garnish with mint, spent lime shell, and Luxardo cherries.

Monkeypod Mai Tai
* 2 oz. Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum
* .5 oz. Dry Orange Curaçao
* .67 oz. Lime juice
* .25 oz. Orgeat
* .25 oz. Macadamia Nut liqueur
* Top with Passionfruit foam
Shake with ice then dirty dump into a Double Rocks/Mai Tai glass. Add fresh pebble ice then top with Passionfruit foam.

Passionfruit Foam (use an ISI whipper)
* 1 oz. Passion Fruit syrup
* .5 oz. Honey syrup (equal parts honey and water)
* 1 oz. Simple syrup
* 1.5 oz. Cold water
* 1 oz. Pasteurized egg whites
* 2 N2O cream chargers
Add all ingredients into an ISI foamer and shake well to combine. Charge with two NO2 cartridges and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

It’s National Mai Tai Day so of course I’m making them for my wife and the neighbors!

Trader Vic’s 1944 Mai Tai
* 2 oz. Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum
* .5 oz. Dry Orange Curaçao
* .75 oz. Lime juice
* .25 oz. Demerara syrup
* .25 oz. Orgeat
Shake with ice then dirty dump into a Double Rocks/Mai Tai glass. Add fresh pebble ice and garnish with mint, spent lime shell, and Luxardo cherries.

Monkeypod Mai Tai
* 2 oz. Denizen Merchant’s Reserve Rum
* .5 oz. Dry Orange Curaçao
* .67 oz. Lime juice
* .25 oz. Orgeat
* .25 oz. Macadamia Nut liqueur
* Top with Passionfruit foam
Shake with ice then dirty dump into a Double Rocks/Mai Tai glass. Add fresh pebble ice then top with Passionfruit foam.

Passionfruit Foam (use an ISI whipper)
* 1 oz. Passion Fruit syrup
* .5 oz. Honey syrup (equal parts honey and water)
* 1 oz. Simple syrup
* 1.5 oz. Cold water
* 1 oz. Pasteurized egg whites
* 2 N2O cream chargers
Add all ingredients into an ISI foamer and shake well to combine. Charge with two NO2 cartridges and keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Wanted to get the Hive Mind thoughts on this deal. It's a white hybrid limited with grey interior that my wife wanted. I was able to find this one in progress and not yet spoken for around 100 miles from home. We checked a few places on selling her 2023 Hybrid Highlander (had they introduced the GH in 2023 we would have gotten it then) and the dealer had the best offer by a small amount. Starting price was $61,290. Initially the discount was the same as the dealer installed options so the two cancelled each other out. They lowered the discount and removed the cost for the DIO stuff. The dealer prep fee is pretty much in line with others here in Florida outside of a few outliers that were double. Totally know they are making profit off of that and the ELT fee but is it worth losing what I believe to be a decent deal for an in-demand vehicle that is very tough to find with a grey interior because the wife refuses to have a black interior in Florida.

Edit: That last sentence is a really bad run-on but I’m leaving it. 🤣

I have one that is basically brown all over and the Damascus steel look is not there. It was something that my dad had on display for years. I believe it was used by my grandfather but at this point it has to be well over 100 years old and has had nothing done with it other than being displayed in probably 70 years.

I doubt I’ll ever shoot it (definitely know I can’t use modern ammunition with it) but wondering if getting it restored somehow to show off the layering in the steel is even worth the trouble.

I don’t know why but I always want to name cocktails I come up with after song titles. Given that this is really just a Manhattan riff why not name it after something New York related thus Strawberry Fields Forever.

* 2 oz. Sazerac 100 proof Rye whiskey
* 1 oz. Strawberry infused Sweet Vermouth
* 2 dashes Rhubarb bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with cocktail cherries.

For the Vermouth I filled a 16 oz. Mason jar with strawberries (I used frozen ones from Publix for uniformity) and then top off the jar with the Sweet Vermouth of your choice. I used Cocchi Vermouth di Torino. Store in a cool dark place for a week then strain and rebottle. Store in the fridge afterwards.

Cleaning out our storage unit this weekend and came across an old “Limp Widget” blanket from the BusinessElite days of Delta. I’m sure the statute of limitations is up on this one for taking it so I can safely post it 20+ years later.

I found these two bottles packed away in my storage unit this weekend. I just need to find someone I don’t like to give them to as a gift. Not even Jobu approves of this swill. Why in the world did I buy it so many years ago and tote it across the Pacific? We may never know.

What happens when a child of the US Space Program wants to make a possibly patriotic cocktail for the USA-Belgium World Cup game tonight? Well you break out your space related mugs and make a Chimp in Orbit.

A previously “lost” Hilton Hawaiian Village recipe by Harry Yee. The Chimp in Orbit likely dates from 1961, when Ham the Astrochimp was launched into space as part of NASA’s Project Mercury; Ham’s 16 minute suborbital flight paved the way for the first American homo sapiens to enter space later the same year. The drink itself is a stripped-down version of Trader Vic’s Tortuga.

* 1½ oz Light Rum
* ½ oz Orange Curaçao
* ½ oz Crème de Cacao
* 3 oz Lemon juice
* 3 oz Orange juice
* 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
* ¼ oz Grenadine (or in this case Fassionola syrup)

Combine all ingredients and shake with ice then strain into a tiki mug and fill with pebble ice. Unfortunately no garnish because I had to get back to the game since I took the whole damn halftime to squeeze lemons and oranges for this drink.

Our pool is a little over three years old. Everything has been fine with the build except I’ve noticed this waste spigot is leaking. I’d much rather have a ball valve here than this multi-turn gate valve.

I’m thinking the only way to fix this one would be to cut down through that pipe and then fit a coupling over the open pipe and then glue in an extension with the ball valve on it. Am I missing something obvious here or is what I’m thinking the only way to go?

Taking an idea straight off of Sother Teague’s Instagram posts it’s time to roll some dice to pick the cocktail ingredients for a 2:1:1:2 format cocktail. We rolled and got the following choices…

* 2 oz. Base Spirit: Bourbon
* 1 oz. Vermouth/Fortified Wine: Cocci Americano Rosa
* 1 oz. Amaro: Brucato Woodlands
* 2 dashes Bitters: 18.21 Tart Cherry and Saffron
* Twist: Grapefruit
* Rinse: No rinse

Combine all the ingredients except that potential garnish and rinse in a mixing glass and stir with ice to chill. If you rolled a rinse then mist/rinse a Rocks glass before adding a large ice cube and straining the drink into the glass. Garnish with a twist and enjoy.

For this one I didn’t realize until I went to the fridge that I was out of Cocci Americano so we subbed in the Rosa version and I think that was a happy little accident.

The Bourbon we used was Shortbarrel “The Bee’s Knees” which is a toasted barrel and honey barrel finish so that added a little sweetness. The Cocci Rosa and the Brucato brought fruity notes but also some bitterness. The bitters seemed to get a little lost in this one because I never got saffron. The grapefruit twist added a bit of fresh citrus to the aroma but added nothing to the taste.

All in all I’ve not had a bad combination when choosing ingredients this way. Maybe not always amazing but never something undrinkable. #diceycocktails #showyourwork

I was finally able to get to Sother Teague’s bar, Amor y Amargo, in the East Village this week. Spirit forward and bitter? Yes please!

First drink was the Saviour Breath. It is described as molé, barbecued pineapple, and cola. That’s exactly what it was as well as delicious.

Second drink was the Heavy Eyes. It is described as wormwood, resin, bong water, and lemon balm. Basically Malört with extra steps but also delicious. Yes, I realize I’m weird for liking Malört but it is what it is.

If you find yourself in the East Village and want a great cocktail drop in here and you won’t be disappointed.

I'm calling this one a Swamp Magnolia. Basically a Gin Sour but with a homemade Magnolia syrup.

* 2 oz. Barrel Rested Gin
* 1 oz. Lemon juice
* 1 oz. Magnolia syrup
* 2 dashes Lavender bitters
* 5 drops Wonderfoam

Add all ingredients to a shaker and dry shake. Then add ice and wet shake. Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass.

The syrup is a 2:1 simple syrup as its base. I used 6 cups sugar to 3 cups water. After the sugar was dissolved I soaked/simmered 200 grams of cleaned Magnolia flower petals for 20 minutes. I strained the flowers out and bottled with an ounce of Everclear 151 as a preservative.

#ShowYourWork

A cocktail for today’s USA-Australia World Cup game…just trust me and go along for the ride. I split the Rum base between the usual Rhum Agricole with an unaged funky Australian rum. The guava soda is Australian as well and then it all got served up in a glass from Inside Passage in Seattle.

* 1 oz. Rhum Agricole Blanc
* 1 oz. Dead Reckoning Killik
* 3/4 oz. Licor 43
* 3/4 oz. lime juice
* 2 oz. Bundaberg guava soda
* 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Add all the ingredients minus the guava soda to a cocktail mixer tin and flash blend for 3 seconds, open pour into a highball glass, top with guava soda, and some more crushed ice. Garnish with a dried lime wheel and drape your World Cup 2026 pimp chain on the table for the picture. Enjoy.

Edit: I should say this one is not original but comes from Martin Cate and Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco.

Why? Just why? At least we were watching the classic John Candy movie, Summer Rental. I’ll just go to the beach afterwards and not hurt my neck anymore.