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by snebbu

Movember Eating: Top 10 “Manly Mo Foods”

Happy Movember! Don’t get me wrong—I’m excited for Thanksgiving, but this is important too. The Movember campaign raises awareness of men’s health issues (particularly prostate cancer and testicular cancer). Ladies have pink—us men have something a bit more permanent and…natural. That’s right, a mustache. Hopefully you’re noticing more men fashioning a stash recently; raising awareness and “changing the face of men’s health.” So next time you see someone with one, please say “Happy Movember.” In honor of Movember and supporting the cause to raise awareness of men’s health issues, I bring you the top ten manly “mo foods” to feed men or to enjoy with men. Onward…

10. Deep Fried…Anything?

Really—what isn’t good deep fried? Pickles, Twinkies, hostess cupcakes (so sad, I know), snickers bars, even butter. I really don’t think there is much that is not better when battered and fried. Men enjoy fried foods—we all do. But more than that, odds are you are eating it on a stick and getting messy.

(Photo: BS)

9, Meatloaf

Elf has his main food groups, while us men typically enjoy our own three: meat, beef, and beer. Don’t ask about the logic, just trust me that it’s there. I love meatloaf. What’s better than tossing meet together, baking it in the oven, and slathering ketchup over it? Well…maybe Katt’s recent turducken of meatloaf concoction (which I’m pretty sure includes at least two of the three men’s food groups). (Note from ML: MAAAAAAM! THE MEATLOAF!)

(Photo: Katt Kasper)

An ‘Ordinary’ Test

I recently discovered that in terms of my own personal liquor tastes, I am a ‘connoisseur of the ordinary.’

When I walk into a bar, my personal liquor preference list is this: bourbon, scotch, rye, vodka, red wine, white wine, beer. And although I could drink bourbon with every meal, I traditionally pair certain foods with certain liquors. Red wines with steaks and Italian food, white wines with fish and chicken, rye or bourbon with sandwiches and burgers, and beer with pizza. Scotch I usually drink by itself, with a cigar or as a dessert.

But whatever the drink, when it comes to my liquors of choice, I’m not usually a top shelf kind’a guy. My taste palette favors blends over single barrel drinks. I can appreciate a good single-malt scotch or one-barrel whiskey, but I always revert back to my ‘everyman’ blends. It appears that my taste buds are about as sophisticated as reality TV. In the immortal words of Popeye, “I yam what I yam!” I’ve long ago given up trying to appease the upscale opinions of those who love looking down on us poor, working class stiffs—with our common-place tastes and our bargain basement choices. You can enjoy your French Champagne pinky-up with the rest of the guests, and I’ll have my shot and a beer with the bar staff and servers.

Recently, I decided to run a personal taste test, to see if I really do prefer cheap liquor over “the good stuff.”

Wine Enemas…They’ll Get You in the End

Oh those crazy college kids! What will they do next? Being that I’m a fan of most things alcohol related, I recently came across an article about a college student that was partaking in a little nontraditional wine tasting. That is, he decided that chugging it would take too much time to create a buzz, so he somehow reasoned that it would be better to go in through the out door. This way of introducing alcohol into the bloodstream is faster and consequently more dangerous than sipping it the old fashioned way. He was in fact, brought into the hospital with a 0.40 blood alcohol limit, which is lethal in most cases.

There have been times in the past where I’ve wanted to get a little ‘loose,’ and I’ve partaken in the time-honored method of consuming shots of alcohol in various formats: Jell-o shots, body shots, flaming shots…but never have I thought of applying this technique through my rectum. Call me old fashioned, but I rather like the taste of most liquors, so it seems that bypassing the tongue while introducing it into the bloodstream is cheating me out of a great deal of pleasure.

I’m hoping that this is an isolated incident and that the trend doesn’t catch on, particularly with wine. Wine tastings could become very messy, and the rating categories would change dramatically. ‘Back taste’ would take on a whole other meaning and the serving temperature would have to be a major consideration. Some champagnes and sparkling wine would take your breath away upon introduction and certainly wouldn’t appeal to the ticklish.

I know I’m showing my age here, but shot-gunning a beer or pouring it through a funnel seemed a pretty quick way of creating a buzz when I was in college. Maybe I’m lame but getting drunk by pouring junk-in-your-trunk seems a bit extreme. Food and drink should be pleasurable, relaxed experiences shared amongst family and friends. I hate to hurry through a great steak or rush a lightly iced scotch, so the appeal of getting super blitzed in less time makes as much sense as wanting to get full after one bite.

A word of caution to all my back-door buzz seekers; the main technique used to create a great wine is the same one used to create a great time, and that is control.

Lose it, and it could bite you in the ass.

in Drinks / Personal / Rants & Raves / Trends 5 comments

by BS

Cocktail O’Clock: Never Wake a Sleeping Dragon

It’s Friday. It’s been a long week. It’s ten billion degrees out.

Yep, it’s damn well time for Cocktail O’Clock. A nice, strong, spicy Cocktail O’Clock. Here’s a guest recipe from mixologist Hal Wolin of A Muddled Thought.

Never Wake a Sleeping Dragon

2 oz Ron Abuelo 12-year-old rum
1/2 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
1/2 oz Scotch (preferably 10 year old)
2 dashes Bittermens Hellfire Habanero Shrub
2 Dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir gently and strain into coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with half a habanero pepper.

More creative drink ideas in Endless Cocktails.

in Drinks / Endless Cocktails / Recipe 0 comments

by BS

Cocktail O’Clock: The New Blood and Sand

Drinking recently at Highlands, a Scottish gastrobub in NYC, I discovered the Blood and Sand, a classic cocktail made from Glenlivet scotch, orange juice, sweet vermouth and cherry liqueur.

I’ve had a couple bottles of scotch sitting around lately (yeah, I’m fancy like that), so I’ve been on the market for some whiskey cocktails that can be made at home. I decided to give this one a whirl, albeit with a few modifications, subbing POM pomegranate-cherry juice for the cherry liqueur (I’m not fancy enough to have that lying around), and summering it down with some club soda.

The original Blood and Sand is a heavy drink that’s perfect for sipping in a dark, winter-y cocktail den. This one can more likely be downed in plastic cups at a picnic.

Summer Blood and Sand

Mix:
– 1 part Glenlivet scotch
– 1 part orange juice
– 2 parts club soda

Add:
– About a tablespoon of pomegranate-cherry juice

Looks: Pretty, right?

Find more cocktail recipes in Endless Cocktails

in Drinks / Endless Cocktails / Recipe 1 comments