Time and Oak Test

Whiskey is _______. I'll let you fill in the blank. For me its an acquired tasted. Bourbon. Scotch. Sour Mash. Irish. Blended. Single Malt. They all have so many subtleties. I could write about them forever and never finish. Sometimes though, you want that 10 or 12 year old scotch but you only have the scratch for a bottle of Johnny Red. What to do? Well some fellows out in Portland decided to figure it out. Using science and their own taste buds they figured it out. You can check it it their Kickstarter project here.

So once they got their funding they setup and started producing thier "whiskey elements." Somewhere along the line I found their website and ordered the Multi-elements pack. 2 Maple or Signature elements, 2 Smoke and Oak, and 2 Wine cask elements. If you want you can order yours here

They came in today's mail and I just had to give them a try. I bought a bottle of Wild Turkey 81 proof and set the elements to work.

Then as I sat here listening to Jamey Johnson and, well "testing" the Wild Turkey "gobble, gobble," (I needed a good baseline to work off of...) I thought "What if I tried these elements in some gin?"

I keep a bottle of relatively inexpensive gin in the house... I do have the Tanqueray for martinis, but a good gin is no use in a gin n tonic. New Amsterdam is a relatively inexpensive gin however not cheap like Seagram's. It has a decent enough juniper flavor and some nice enough citrus flavors that it works with tonic.

In a couple of days I'll have an answer to my "What if..."

I'll keep you posted...

The Alibi

This is pretty good. If you ever wanted to be a reporter this is the kind of story you want.





The Alibi:



'via Blog this'

Monday!

This is about the long and short of things...

Thankfully this is a short week.

Stories We Tell...

The documentary Stories We Tell written and directed by Sarah Polley was intriguing. It really had me thinking about the stories we tell...

Each of us has our own stories, some we are afraid to tell and we have others that everyone knows. I think I am the latter. I have my stories and I am proud to tell them, not because I'm part of the story, it's more that I look back at the stories and I share a lesson, a laugh, or a tear with the person that is listening. A good friend that reads my blog mentioned that a lot of my posts are stories are about my parents. At first I denied it, but then I realized that it was true. I can't help but talk about them, or my grandparents, or the things I did as a kid. I look back and think I had a good childhood. But I also had my share of fights inside and outside the home, I didn't do as well in school as I should have or as well as my parents expected, but I did have all of the things I needed in life, I had parents and grandparents, I never went without a meal, I had support most of the time when I needed it. Now as I look around I see that so many people never had that...

Now I look back and I realize that I had so much more. This is why when I look at my life I know I need to be the best person I can be, I need to be there for my family and friends and for their kids. If I didn't have good people in my life I would not have turned out the way I am, I try to be conscientious, I try to be nice, sometimes I just try to be a sweet person. That is who I was raised to be, but that wasn't just my parents, friends like Bill, Billy and Jeff, taught me to be conscientious. Doreen, Nancy and Debbie, all taught me to be nice and sweet, and so many others made sure to tell me when I was sweet. That positive reinforcement helped me in so many ways. Those days when my dad decided to leave and do drugs were the darkest days for me, and all those folks were a ray of sunshine that I so desperately needed. Looking back at them and what they did for me I see why I try so hard, when it comes to my friends and their kids. Especially when I see both parents and kids try so hard to be good people. Even with all of the support I had, I had to try hard.

On to the stories we tell...

"Dinner & Drinks" or "Drinks & Dinner"?

Sometimes I have a drink with dinner and sometimes I have dinner with my drink...

It might sound a little funny but what we drink has an influence on what we are eating... and vice versa! The textures and flavors of our food have so much to do with the experience of eating why not the aromas and sweetness of a drink, floral spiciness and aromatic brightness of gin or the oaky mellowness of a good rye or bourbon?

Sometimes the medicinal tangy-ness (is that a word?) of a gin and tonic while refreshing on a warm summer day is also the perfect foil for a well seasoned skewer of shrimp, or just right to cut through the fatty aftertaste of a grilled halibut steak.

A good friend of mine an Irishman (bless his heart) thinks Bushmills is perfect with everything. Is that because he likes Bushmills? Or because he just has a diet that pairs well with Bushmills? I'm not sure but I do know (thanks to him) I'm more of a Power's man myself...

Cherry lime caipirinhas

Recently my summer cocktail has become a variation on the Caipirinha. As I enjoyed these before with the grilled meats of Brazil & Argentina known as churrascaria I automatically associate caipirinhas with grilled meats and even barbecue. When you think about it, that makes sense. Consider the smoky flavors of the oak grilled barbeque of Texas or the mesquite flavor imparted to the sirloin the Brazilians call Picanha. Here in California we can get passable examples of both, but the caipirinha is the cocktail that bridges the gap in my mind. There is a slight smokiness that the liquor Cachaça imparts to the drink, then there is the fruitiness of the drink no matter the variation makes it a great set of flavors to enjoy with any kind of grilled meat.

Another drink that has been one of my favorites is the Negroni. Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, it truly is one of the simplest drinks to make yet it has some of the most complex flavors. I recently had this at Fishbar in Manhattan Beach, while it was a little disconcerting that I had to explain what was in it to the waiter, as I said it is simple enough to make, and easy to remember. I made this choice of a drink with my choice from the menu already in mind. As an appetizer I ordered the fried calamari, and for my entree, the grilled scallop skewer with garlic fries and sauteed spinach. Basically everything I ordered would taste good with my drink. The spice from the gin and the bitter of the Campari would offset the slight greasiness that comes anytime you have fried food, but the underlying layers of flavors in the drink, spice, bitter, and sweet, pair so well with fish that this is my go to drink when I'm having a dinner down by the bay or the beach.

Manhattan made with Knob Creek Bourbon

One of my all time favorite drinks is the Manhattan. This is another simple drink, bourbon or rye, sweet vermouth and just a splash of bitters. This drink goes so well with beef, but why? For me it's a memory, having dinner at Val's Steak House in Daly City or Joe's of Westlake was a short-lived tradition for me and some of my close friends. At the time Val's had one of the best bartenders, I never got his name but he knew mine and he knew my drink was a Manhattan. At the same time a rib eye was and still is my steak of choice, along again with some french fries and some steamed broccoli. The steaks at Val's were fire grilled, this grilling was a little different from the outdoor grilling that I talked about earlier, Brazilian and Argentinian grilling is often done on a spit, where this was hot direct heat with just the grill between the meat and the heat. Because it was cooked perfectly medium-rare this steak went so well with my drink, the smokiness of the oak of the bourbon and the spice in the vermouth went right along with the simply seasoned, perfectly seared steak. My mouth is watering just thinking back to those days. Around the same time I would regularly go out to Joe's of Westlake and have a Manhattan there with the Veal Parmigiana! Even if we were there for lunch we ordered the dinner portion with ravioli, or spaghetti! With the crusty French bread it was a wonderful carb on top of carb experience. But the Manhattan with the veal! To his day when I think of pairing food and cocktails, this is what I think back to. The ice cold, sweet, yet bracing bourbon, along with the breaded veal, and the barely acidic marinara... the creamy mozzarella... One set of flavors to sip and enjoy and the other to chew over and savor!

The last pairing I would think about is dessert and a cocktail. I'm talking more than adult chocolate milk here! About 10 years ago when I worked for Bevmo (back then it was Beverages & More) I was sent to a seminar at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, the seminar was on pairing food and cocktails. This seminar opened my eyes to the idea that food and cocktails could be paired. At the beginning the pairing of a gin and tonic with some pan seared salmon and sea beans got my attention, but the clincher was the dessert. A warm rum toddy, paired with the most perfect creme brûlée I had ever had. The rum toddy was warmed just to around 110 degrees and a stick of Ceylon cinnamon was used as a stirrer, the creme brûlée had the perfect balance of sweet and cream, along with a generous amount of vanilla that could clearly be seen as I took each bite, on top of it all the brûlée, the crust of melted and slightly scorched sugar. The rum, a spiced rum was the perfect partner and palate cleanser. As soon as I finished off the creme brûlée I realized that I had had the presence of mind to ration the toddy so that I had just enough to sip right through to the last bite of dessert. For me that was the most successful pairing of food and drink possible, one that brought out the nuances of each part and made it a whole and wonderful dessert.

So that is it, the pairing of food and drink might not be your priority, if you're a Bushmills type that eats meat and potatoes for every meal this doesn't matter! But if you want to try and pair the perfect cocktail with your meal think about why mimosas are so good with brunch, or why margaritas taste so good with that Mexican food. Or even why that light crisp lager tastes so good with Thai food? It's because the flavors were meant to go together!

So the next time you decide to have cocktail, ask first should I have dinner with my drink or should it be the other way around?

Why I write?

I have found myself asking this question... Is it because it's cathartic? Is it because I think my opinion is so important? Is it because I think people don't really listen? Probably all of the above... But I think the biggest reason I write is because of my mother.

My dad has been a subject of many of my posts on this blog, because he is gone I ponder over what he has left me, the legacy of hard-headedness, pride in myself, being a protector, and the 'nothing can hold me down' attitude. While those were all qualities tied up within my dad, they were not exclusive to him. My mom has all of those qualities... I sometimes forget, that part of the gene pool is pretty deep. What I'm saying is I get those qualities from both my parents. While my Dad showed us kids what those qualities were, my mom showed us how we could make the most out of those qualities in us, and not let them get us into too much trouble. That she has those qualities too is something, but I can honestly say she has truly mellowed over the years... But if you confront her or tomorrow you threaten one her kids you take a chance that it will all come back to the surface!

You might ask "What does all this have to do with 'Why I write?'"

Well, me personally I know I am always one wearing my feelings on my sleeve for everyone to see, but I have often figured if people knew why I felt the way I do they might understand me better. I learned that from my mom, if people can understand you and why you feel a certain way about things it is easier for them to accept you. She has always known how she has felt about things and she has always stood her ground. That came about because she wrote what she felt, I remember reading her poetry about what she felt and why. I think for her it was an exercise in self-examination and a means to reinforce what she knew to be true. And for me my writing has become just that. It has become a way for me to share with people what I feel and why, but also reminds me why I feel that way about things.

It might seem simple that you believe what you believe. And that should never change. But there is something about time and where you are in the stream of your life that changes what you believe and why you believe it, and that viewpoint can change. That undeniable shift in our paradigm, our viewpoint, is most often responsible for a change in our beliefs. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I write to convince myself of what I believe. That you all get to read it is just gravy

But more about my Mom. My Mom is an awesome individual. Irma Arias Hood, is the second of five children, she was born at home in the Santa Julia neighborhood of Mexico City, the family emigrated to the US when she was about 6. The family settled in San Francisco and as a family of 7 they had no choice but to be poor. But you would never know any of that from looking and listening to her today. English is her second language, she skipped 2 grades when she got here from Mexico, while she was never a 'chola' people didn't mess with her, and she was stubborn. All of that you wouldn't know today. My Mom and Dad met and married in the span of three weeks, they met at Thanksgiving 1974 and were married before Christmas.

I write all of this down so you understand where I come from, too many times people look at me and go, "What does this white guy know?" They look at me and laugh, "Oh you're Mexican American, I would have never known!" Or without thinking they dismiss or disparage the Mexican culture, that's a little insulting not because I think that Mexican culture is more valuable than another, but because I know for me being multi-cultural has value. All of that comes from my parents, my mom and my dad equally. All of this is why my mom is cool! Of course that's what I am going to say! Right! It's my mom! But one of the things I had to remember as I wrote about my Dad was that I shouldn't regret anything that I didn't say, regret over the things left unsaid is almost poisonous. And that is why I want to tell you why my Mom is the coolest. I never want to regret NOT saying these things about her, if she should ever read this I want her to know that I am proud of who I am because she is one of the people that has helped me be the man I am. I am proud of her and I will never regret that!

She has always been the strong one in the family, as it should be, Mom is the glue that has always held the family together. Seriously though Mom is cool, It's the combination of little things and the big things that make her cool. I talked about the big things how and where she grew up. But the fact is my Mom is always growing, her favorite song from Linkin Park is "Faint", c'mon does your mom even listen to Linkin Park... In the last few years she became a vegan, even though she is a vegan, she will still have a taste of something with meat in it and she knows when something is good. Speaking of which, give the LoCali Conscious Convenience on Lincoln Blvd a try... But I digress, why is Mom cool? She has been the one with the even keel, she has been the one that knew us all as kids and knew what could make us happy. When I was ten and I wanted to try something different when it came to religion my mom didn't discourage me. She knew even then I did need and would need God in my life, and I thank my God everyday that she had the courage and insight to let me make my own choices. Today she is the one that knows when each of her kids is doing okay or when they are not. Mom is cool cause she can do that with a look. She could always read us like a book, and then tell us how the story should end.

And even as I write this I know my Mom will deny most if not all of this. That is the other thing about my Mom that makes her cool, she will never make a big deal about it. But there is one last reason why my Mom is so cool. Over time I have made sacrifices in my life and tried to help her take care of the family, and when the time came for me to start my own family she never held me back, she knew when those sacrifices were done. Now when I go through issues and problems I think back on how my Dad would have thought to do things and then I think about how my Mom even now encourages me to do things, and then I find the balance that makes me happy and because I follow my parents advice I know it's the right thing.

Through everything in life Mom's goal was for me and my sister and my brother to be happy. Whatever we were doing, she wants us to be happy. That is why I write. I makes me happy, it reminds me of those who are no longer with us, it reminds me why I feel the way I do about everything, and it makes me think of my Mother, who taught me that there is more to writing than just words and facts, it is the what, when, where, and why of how we feel and who we are. And that is one of the most important things we can preserve.

It's Been A While

This coming weekend, Saturday as a matter of fact would have marked my Dad's 64th birthday. Not that we would have celebrated or anything but it would have been out there on the calendar. I usually look back and think of him every year around the time he died in early December and miss him!  This year for some reason this crept up on me and I didn't realize what was bringing me down. I miss my dad!

I am unique because of him and my mom! Somewhere in the mix of those two personalities I came out just right! I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I am saying that more than I am now and I would probably not be happy, less than I am and would likely be sad, other than I am, I would not be me. And I am content with who I am! 

So who am I? 

I am the the person...

You go to, because I won't hesitate to smile.

That can't stand a bully or a jerk, mostly cause I have to fight the urge to beat them up!

Takes pride in knowing just a little about everything. I try to be "a jack of all trades, and a master of none!"

Who won't be shy about admitting "I don't know!"

If I make a mistake, I own it, and in that ownership, I beat myself up for it!

While I might not like you, I'll still smile, I'm not being fake, I just know my maturity outweighs any dislike I may have for you.

While I might seem serious, I try to be a goofball!

And finally I am the person that if you have the good fortune to call a friend you know "I am your man forever!"

Oh and I'm the person who will not stop speaking the dialogue of the movie we are watching!

So now the question is who are you?