NGL, one of the few boat drinks that you could order at my bar in the middle of an absolutely insane shift, and I wouldn't want to kill you for ordering it. Even cranked out with cheap ingredients, it's good and it takes about twelve seconds to pour.
Congratulations on making it through a night for the memory books. I hope your day is restful and renewing.
I have never made one of your cocktails, and I’m unlikely to do so. And yet I read your columns almost ceremonially, and appreciate so much what you bring to this community. Seeing you post was at times a visceral punch, in a good way, a celebration at the end of some really grueling weeks. OMG it’s Hooperday, we made it!! I remember one week posting sadly, whar Hooper? And someone had to give me the shattering news that it was only Thursday. I really needed it to be Friday.
In a weird confluence, today is Independence Day, Friday, and what feels like the first official day of my retirement. The long weekend begins. It’s also, you know, the end of the world as we knew it, but [shrug] can’t have everything. Salut, and thank you.
I think you’ll laugh at me for this. Last night I was hanging out with Alice while she was running on the cat wheel, and it suddenly hit me that I didn’t have to do anything work related again. And I decided, “well, that’s it. I’ve had enough of this retirement thing.” It just came completely out of left field. I had to tell myself it doesn’t work that way.
My surgeon told me to avoid 3 things to extend the life of my knee implants. Don't run, jump up and down, or kneel. I could sprint more than distance run when younger, but those sorts of events weren't for me. I do, however, appreciate the benefit of the doubt.
The Arlington Hotel and Bar (The ‘R’) in Potsdam, NY, had $1 tequila sunrise night while I went to college there (not Clarkson, the other one). Somehow I doubt they used Suaza (or Patron), or any other what would now be termed Tequila. I don’t remember how many I had that night, but I do recall they did go down smooth.
By some miracle, I also don’t remember having a nasty hangover. My guess is that they were watered down a lot.
my dad was an army engineer chasing the krauts out of italy and came home with a love for the anise/herbal liqueurs, strega, galliano, chatreuse and such. sweet and strong!
When I was either an old yute or a youg old, some localish radio DJ's from Fresno put out an album of parodies. The cover photo was a takeoff of "Born To Run" with the Clarence Clemons figure sipping a straw put into a bottle of Galliano instead of a sax.
lord, back in the 70's my parents fell in love with harvey wallbangers, yech. although given that brown leisure suit my dad wore, i guess the wallbangers were inevitable.
haven't seen one since then (the drink NOR the suit, come to think about it), thank goodness.
The hotel I worked at had huge promotions for those and got a giant bottle of Galliano to place behind the bar just around the time the fad ended. I visited twenty years later and that same bottle was still there, pretty dusty and 2/3 full.
I used to love that drink, it was what I knew how to order in my twenties, along with the "sloe gin fizz" that at the time I thought made me sound sophisticated on dates.
I was once in Arizona for a gig (the new cancer therapy lecture circuit) and the bartender at the hotel said that their bar actually invented the Tequila Sunrise.
Me too. And never wear a white skirt when drinking a sloe gin fizz. When your best friend manages to knock two of them over on your skirt, you can never get that stain out. At the time, I lived in a state where the drinking age was 21, but a neighboring state had a drinking age of 18. We could drive there in an hour or less, but no way I could get the skirt into a cold water soak before it dried. I loved that skirt. (If you're a male, make it don't wear white pants.)
I always thought sloe gin fizz sounded like the most glamorous thing, especially with stars like Myrna Loy being called “sloe eyed”, but I never had one and nobody compliments my eyes.
I have no idea what sloes taste like, but I bet I'd like them!
And, by the way, rhubarb gin would be lovely, I think. Like Hendrick's, probably. If we could get a gin/rose/rhubarb cocktail together, that would be my forever drink!
Used to make my own when we lived there. Sloes are in the plum family but hard AF so getting flavor (or flavour) out is problematical. Best was if you could wait for a good hard frost before picking them so they softened when thawed. Alternatively toss in the freezer overnight before infusing. Always with a cinnamon stick and a few cloves in the infusion. And minimum 3 months or more steeping; none of this “one week” BS you see in recipes. A year isn’t too long; make it one year and drink it the next. Lovely served warm on a cold rainy Cornwall evening in February.
When I was researching this drink, I did see a suggestion to swap Aperol for the grenadine. A bit too challenging for day drinking, in my opinion, but worth considering if you don’t want to turn on the stove.
I made two mojitos tonight, one with fresh lime and one with bottled (glass, not plastic at least) supposedly organic lime juice. Like night and day. It was a useful comparison.
Celebrate Independence Day with learning about the time the govt implanted you with secret magic technology. Not for the irony impaired or media illiterate. Which I don't think will be a problem with this crowd, but you never know.
Greetings, beloved Wonketteers. Earlier this afternoon, I soaked some maitake (foraged last September and dehydrated) and sun-dried tomatoes, sliced a big shallot, and cut up watercress. Cooked together (in stages according to cook time), it and vegan mozzarella shreds became the filling of a lovely vegan omelette, served with Yukon Gold home fries from the air fryer, and MyBacon (made from mycelium as the name implies). I'll tell you more on the movie thread.
Took Mother Monster out for dinner this evening for her birthday. Mrs Monster and Sister Monster were there. Sister Monster requested a “no talking politics” rule which we were all happy to abide by since it’s all too goddamn depressing right now. A good time was had by all.
“We could not anticipate this, despite flood warnings, despite everything going on, there were some things that happened very fast,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said Friday.
Well you can't predict things if the people who predict things have all been sacked. And/or ignored.
No idea who will be blamed when this is over but jeez, there were flash flood warnings yesterday afternoon.
They sure led with their defense of “whoda thunkit” before even announcing the missing kids. Not sure if NOAA cuts had an impact…thinking about the triple tornadoes in my hood last year…we literally had a 15-20 minute window where the storm situation went from a vague threat of normal mild flooding to life or death wind event. Clearly, TX needs weather alarms and sirens like the Midwest.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter once said: “A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity.”
We had 1000 guests at the bar last night. The need for coffee is real. Questions about the drink go here.
I can't find orange blossom water locally. Any suggestions for a substitute?
NGL, one of the few boat drinks that you could order at my bar in the middle of an absolutely insane shift, and I wouldn't want to kill you for ordering it. Even cranked out with cheap ingredients, it's good and it takes about twelve seconds to pour.
A dental hygienist stated "Well, coffee is life."
You're still coming by to help me move though, right?
Hey there- I’m coming to Portland at the end of the month and I will give you a shout…
good luck in the new place! and goodbye ghastly landlord.
I have to be at work at 2.
So a leisurely day for you then 🤣
Hang in there
*pours just a bit of Baileys in your coffee* You managed to stay on your feet all night through THAT insanity? Impressive!
Congratulations on making it through a night for the memory books. I hope your day is restful and renewing.
I have never made one of your cocktails, and I’m unlikely to do so. And yet I read your columns almost ceremonially, and appreciate so much what you bring to this community. Seeing you post was at times a visceral punch, in a good way, a celebration at the end of some really grueling weeks. OMG it’s Hooperday, we made it!! I remember one week posting sadly, whar Hooper? And someone had to give me the shattering news that it was only Thursday. I really needed it to be Friday.
In a weird confluence, today is Independence Day, Friday, and what feels like the first official day of my retirement. The long weekend begins. It’s also, you know, the end of the world as we knew it, but [shrug] can’t have everything. Salut, and thank you.
Enjoy your retirement! please dog, i'm right behind you. :)
Please enjoy your retirement, despite (waves hand at everything) all of it.
I think you’ll laugh at me for this. Last night I was hanging out with Alice while she was running on the cat wheel, and it suddenly hit me that I didn’t have to do anything work related again. And I decided, “well, that’s it. I’ve had enough of this retirement thing.” It just came completely out of left field. I had to tell myself it doesn’t work that way.
Retirement can be glorious. Give it a chance!
I love the Hooper posts, though I also don't make them--but they're so nice to read!
My darling friend--I am so excited for this next chapter in your life. I really am!
I developed an appreciation for navy strength rum.
I misread that as “navy strength run,” and I was very impressed.
My surgeon told me to avoid 3 things to extend the life of my knee implants. Don't run, jump up and down, or kneel. I could sprint more than distance run when younger, but those sorts of events weren't for me. I do, however, appreciate the benefit of the doubt.
It sounds like the pool is your friend.
The Arlington Hotel and Bar (The ‘R’) in Potsdam, NY, had $1 tequila sunrise night while I went to college there (not Clarkson, the other one). Somehow I doubt they used Suaza (or Patron), or any other what would now be termed Tequila. I don’t remember how many I had that night, but I do recall they did go down smooth.
By some miracle, I also don’t remember having a nasty hangover. My guess is that they were watered down a lot.
I went to college in Potsdam and I remember the "R". I was not a drinker then but they had bands and whatnot on weekends.
Were you a Crane kid?
I wasn't.
I went to Clarkson, not the other one. I liked going over to the SUNY campus because, at the time, that's where the female type people were.
That was definitely the case when I was there.
Did you ever find Raspberry oranges?
Can I make this with The Devil's Panty Squeezings?
Do you like terrible hangovers?
But they have that "je ne sais quoi?' - FUNK!
Whew! I'm exhausted just hearing that
Aaaah. Perfection. I would drink that from sunrise to sunset (or vice versa).
I've never had a Harvey Wallbanger, but I love the name.
Fictional character invented by a marketing campaign for Galliano.
I was just pondering yesterday if Galliano still exists.
It does, but it’s not easy to get.
my dad was an army engineer chasing the krauts out of italy and came home with a love for the anise/herbal liqueurs, strega, galliano, chatreuse and such. sweet and strong!
When I was either an old yute or a youg old, some localish radio DJ's from Fresno put out an album of parodies. The cover photo was a takeoff of "Born To Run" with the Clarence Clemons figure sipping a straw put into a bottle of Galliano instead of a sax.
lord, back in the 70's my parents fell in love with harvey wallbangers, yech. although given that brown leisure suit my dad wore, i guess the wallbangers were inevitable.
haven't seen one since then (the drink NOR the suit, come to think about it), thank goodness.
The hotel I worked at had huge promotions for those and got a giant bottle of Galliano to place behind the bar just around the time the fad ended. I visited twenty years later and that same bottle was still there, pretty dusty and 2/3 full.
1/3 of it was actually gone? angel's share, or was my dad there?
What was that yellow shit that formed the base of HWs? Galliano, right?
Yep. I’m pondering using Licor 43 as a modern take, but orange juice and vanilla together…
I used to love that drink, it was what I knew how to order in my twenties, along with the "sloe gin fizz" that at the time I thought made me sound sophisticated on dates.
I was once in Arizona for a gig (the new cancer therapy lecture circuit) and the bartender at the hotel said that their bar actually invented the Tequila Sunrise.
They might have invented it, but the Eagles made it famous.
ok, this is my own dirty sin from the 70's, sloe gin fizzes. guess i shouldn't make fun of my parents.
Me too. And never wear a white skirt when drinking a sloe gin fizz. When your best friend manages to knock two of them over on your skirt, you can never get that stain out. At the time, I lived in a state where the drinking age was 21, but a neighboring state had a drinking age of 18. We could drive there in an hour or less, but no way I could get the skirt into a cold water soak before it dried. I loved that skirt. (If you're a male, make it don't wear white pants.)
i don't believe i have ever worn a white skirt. but i will bear your advice in mind. :)
I always thought sloe gin fizz sounded like the most glamorous thing, especially with stars like Myrna Loy being called “sloe eyed”, but I never had one and nobody compliments my eyes.
You have beautiful eyes…
You have beautiful eyes.
I’ve always thought you had beautiful eyes.
I used to wonder what "slow gin" was
When I heard ladies as having "slow (sic) eyes" I just assumed it meant they were sultry!
“Sloe”, not slow. A rhubarb infused gin.
I have no idea what sloes taste like, but I bet I'd like them!
And, by the way, rhubarb gin would be lovely, I think. Like Hendrick's, probably. If we could get a gin/rose/rhubarb cocktail together, that would be my forever drink!
Sure, I learned that long ago - but it still doesn't change that I once thought that.
Um, I'd hate to contradict the expert, but surely sloe gin is infused with sloe berries (which are a dark purple), rather than rhubarb?
Used to make my own when we lived there. Sloes are in the plum family but hard AF so getting flavor (or flavour) out is problematical. Best was if you could wait for a good hard frost before picking them so they softened when thawed. Alternatively toss in the freezer overnight before infusing. Always with a cinnamon stick and a few cloves in the infusion. And minimum 3 months or more steeping; none of this “one week” BS you see in recipes. A year isn’t too long; make it one year and drink it the next. Lovely served warm on a cold rainy Cornwall evening in February.
Whoops, you’re right. I see it so rarely I forgot.
Actually infused with "sloes" a plum like fruit.,
disadvantaged.
It’s a pretty drink that deserves its due. I can make a sunrise, but have never succeeded with a Bloody Brain.
Halloween's coming up...
come on over!
Familial shakes. Even my doctor avoids looking at my hands.
I've been doing a variation of this lately, subbing Aperol for the pineapple juice.
When I was researching this drink, I did see a suggestion to swap Aperol for the grenadine. A bit too challenging for day drinking, in my opinion, but worth considering if you don’t want to turn on the stove.
will it sink to the bottom?
Yes.
yay! i'm in business!
WPLJ or GTFO
“Trump says he wasn't aware term used at rally viewed as antisemitic”
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5385535-donald-trump-iowa-speech-shylock-comment/amp/
Sounds like someone could have used some DEI training
As long as he kills at Israel's insistence, all will be well.
I made two mojitos tonight, one with fresh lime and one with bottled (glass, not plastic at least) supposedly organic lime juice. Like night and day. It was a useful comparison.
Celebrate Independence Day with learning about the time the govt implanted you with secret magic technology. Not for the irony impaired or media illiterate. Which I don't think will be a problem with this crowd, but you never know.
Hey! Have You Heard About The MACHINE?
https://youtu.be/5tEleMm3e1U?si=3uH8A43cShdUKcqr
That hotdog eating contest makes me want to vomit forever.
Greetings, beloved Wonketteers. Earlier this afternoon, I soaked some maitake (foraged last September and dehydrated) and sun-dried tomatoes, sliced a big shallot, and cut up watercress. Cooked together (in stages according to cook time), it and vegan mozzarella shreds became the filling of a lovely vegan omelette, served with Yukon Gold home fries from the air fryer, and MyBacon (made from mycelium as the name implies). I'll tell you more on the movie thread.
Trump Pleads Ignorance After Using Antisemitic Slur at His Rally...that's it, that's the joke.
Nope. No pool, I was able to return to my job, and I do plenty of lifting but have dialed back the carrying.
Accused rapist will fight in UFC match hosted by accused rapist.
https://bloodyelbow.com/2025/07/04/dana-white-sends-three-word-message-to-conor-mcgregor-after-donald-trumps-white-house-fight-offer/
Took Mother Monster out for dinner this evening for her birthday. Mrs Monster and Sister Monster were there. Sister Monster requested a “no talking politics” rule which we were all happy to abide by since it’s all too goddamn depressing right now. A good time was had by all.
The movie is over if you would like to join us there for OT.
A thamke.
Looks like 20 girls are missing from a camp in the TX flood. Seems like it will be a bigger story than the media is treating it right now.
“We could not anticipate this, despite flood warnings, despite everything going on, there were some things that happened very fast,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said Friday.
Well you can't predict things if the people who predict things have all been sacked. And/or ignored.
No idea who will be blamed when this is over but jeez, there were flash flood warnings yesterday afternoon.
They sure led with their defense of “whoda thunkit” before even announcing the missing kids. Not sure if NOAA cuts had an impact…thinking about the triple tornadoes in my hood last year…we literally had a 15-20 minute window where the storm situation went from a vague threat of normal mild flooding to life or death wind event. Clearly, TX needs weather alarms and sirens like the Midwest.
Governor Satan's habit is to tell people to evacuate the day before the storm hits.
This will not be helped at all by the removal of NOAA.
Betcha PAB does jackshit.
‘No regulations’ Texas allowed a camp right on the river? In ‘hill country’, they couldn’t be on higher ground?
Flooding of this magnitude isn't remotely a regular event out there.
More likely than on the hills.
You can't swim or canoe on a hill.
It's the top story on the WaPo main page.
Art of the deal.
𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/us/politics/trump-ukraine-weapons.html
𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 ‘𝗻𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀’ 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5384600-trump-said-he-made-no-progress-in-latest-call-with-putin/
Everything is a lie. He made progress. Putin told him exactly what to do. Hold up shipments for Ukraine.
Has 24hrs gone by yet? He better hurry.
According to NBC & Yahoo reporting, military leaders say supplying Ukraine with US weapons shipments will not jeopardize US military readiness.
Trump is just being an asshole puppet for Putin.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter once said: “A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity.”
That, fellow American, is what a real Christian sounds like.
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:2b2gav45qwiqptgmhnksznmv/bafkreie5ydlokicned2trooygs5t5ayi45jkoomppblqethi5ijwjknwfq@jpeg