We visit Palm Springs every March. With all the fresh grapefruit just a pluck away, we’d be fools not to make whiskey cocktails with them. We call this one a Palms Springs Whiskey Sour.
We call this whiskey cocktail a Cucumber Mint Mash. With cucumber and mint from our garden, it’s hard to imagine a more crisp and refreshing adult beverage.
Being June, and having a garden brimming with early arrivals, we decided to incorporate ripe strawberries and fresh mint into our Friday night cocktail. The result? Great success! We’ve dubbed it “Early June.”
As children, we collected baseball cards. That was a fun, little hobby. We still have albums of them stashed in the basement. Who knows? Maybe, we’re sitting on a goldmine. That Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card might be worth a fortune. Probably not, though. As adults, we found a far superior hobby. Oh, we still collect. Not coins or gemstones or stamps or antiques. We collect spirits. Liquor, that is. We feel such pride in our collection. We even built a bar to showcase it. Would you look at all of those glorious bottles?! Over the years, our collection has swelled. We’ve added some statement pieces. Bourbon has its own shelf. Of course, there’s an inherent problem with collecting spirits. They get drank, especially when our friends visit, especially because our friends are no-good degenerates. A home bar that isn't...
You love America, right? We suspected so. You admire the Founding Fathers? Of course. But do you really understand the Founding Fathers—you know—as people? For example, were you aware that John Adams had a dog named “Satan”? Or that Ben Franklin took air baths by hanging out naked? Or that Thomas Jefferson was the preeminent distiller of fine bourbon in the Thirteen Colonies? Oh, wait. Something doesn’t compute. Jefferson was a Virginian. Bourbon comes from Kentucky. Kentucky wasn’t even a colony. Huh? Sorry, we were momentarily befuddled. We saw this bottle of Jefferson’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It carries Tom’s name and likeness. We assumed that he made it—well, not this bottle but other bottles that came before this bottle, this bottle’s ancestors. We did a little research, though. It turns out the bourbon is simply named after Thomas Jefferson....
Change permeates life. That’s mostly good. Humans must evolve. We need to test our limits and refresh our surroundings. The world will never be conquered by the sedentary and complacent. So, we welcome change, but it can be bittersweet. Next week, a close friend packs up his newly purchased Jeep and departs for the Rocky Mountains. Happy for him, we are. No decision in the history of decisions was more right than his. He gets to chase a new adventure in an awe-inspiring place—one replete with skiing, hiking, fresh air and stunning vistas. We’ll miss seeing him every day, which is the unfortunate part. We also envy him. It’s a deed requiring real courage. Above all, we wish him well. We got him this bottle of Stranahan's Small Batch Colorado Whiskey. We figured it’d provide a taste of where he’s...
We at G@H pride ourselves on being excellent sons to our fathers. Well, okay, not the best. We did crash the family car that one time. And, we did lose his favorite cooler. And, who knew that you can’t microwave a fork? Or let it go down the garbage disposal? But we’ve got to rank at least as above-average sons. After all, we never spent even a night in jail. We never lit the house on fire. And, we’ve grown up to get jobs. Real adult jobs. Most importantly, we show gratitude. We repay our father for his love, time, wisdom and patience with fine Scotch whiskey. Every Christmas, we buy him a bottle. We repeat the gesture for birthdays and Father’s Day. The effect is two-fold. First, he has built an impressive Scotch bar. Second, he knows that we...
Allow us to issue with a brief disclaimer. You shouldn’t start every morning with whiskey in your coffee. It’s just not responsible. Some mornings, though, it’s perfect. Weekends, for example. And when it’s really, really cold outside. Awaking to a frigid Saturday, we recently indulged. We uncorked a bottle of Rieger’s Kansas City Whiskey that we’d received for Christmas. (BTW, whiskey makes the best gifts.) We poured a shot—approximately—in our cup of Joe. Boy did it elevate the day. It warmed our bodies and souls. More importantly, it delivered the requisite bravery to go outside and shovel the driveway. The real test for whiskey, though, lies in how it tastes straight. Rieger’s Kansas City Whiskey is perilously smooth. It goes down so easy but be warned: it packs such a punch. Enjoy it enthusiastically and mindfully.
We’re not into selfies. It’s not our thing. We don’t get SnapChat. But, we do like to trade a certain genre of texts with our buddies. We call them “bourbon pics.” You know. “Check out what I uncorked!” “A great pour!” “It tastes like butterscotch!” “I can’t feel my feet!” All exclamation points all the time. Recently, our good friend Ben sent us a shot of the most gorgeous bottle. It had a lovely globe shape. Handwriting on its slender, beige label noted the whisky’s dump date, its barrel number and even the alcohol proof. And, the cork. Mounted atop the cork was a jockey on horseback. “Nice, but can she dance?” we questioned. “My favorite bourbon. Hands down,” he responded Ben knows whisky. Ask his wallet: he really knows good bourbon. So, when he recommended Blanton’s, we had to...
According to the eHarmony guy, romantic compatibility comes down to science. He could be right. Nevertheless, we’d rather not hand over $59.99 per month to that guy and his wacky algorithms. Instead, we subscribe to a more straightforward philosophy: date someone who enjoys good whiskey. We look for many traits in a potential mate. Never have we treated any one attribute as mandatory. But, we have learned this lesson: we mesh well with whiskey-loving women. That rings especially true in long-term relationships because each party already knows the perfect gift for one another. All that we must do is match the class of whiskey to the occasion. Celebrating a six-month dating anniversary? A recent job promotion? Friday? Let us suggest a bottle of Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Rated 88 by Whiskey Advocate, we’d challenge you to find a...
Life is all about taking chances. On Sunday, we undertook a new experiment--infusing bourbon with strawberries fresh from our backyard garden. We will report the results in three to four weeks. YOLO.
