This is very pretty and I bet the frangrance is lovely. We will be using this tonight : https://vosselections.com/product/myer-farm-kinderspiel-banana-bourbon-liqueur/ and attempt to replicate a drink we had near where it's distilled, adding rum, blackberry brandy and fresh lime juice. To sip while watching the UCONN women. Cheers!
Can you recommend a good champagne in the $30-40 range? I have been thinking I need to have a bottle on hand for when the big event happens. But I have not bought wine or champagne in many, many years.
Thanks Hooper and that is a gorgeous drink, I am loving the colors.
I generally think that real champagne is usually a ripoff and youβre better off with, say, a bottle of decent Italian prosecco. Same pop, same bubbles.
Cremant dβAlsace is a lovely French bubbly that is not made in Champagne and is much more affordable than Champagne. If you are going for the real thing, I agree with all the recommendations for Veuve Clicqout. Letβs hope we have something to toast soon! π₯
I like the crement, but its mouth-feel is a little different from champagne. More creamy, maybe a little heavier? Veuve Cliquot is also a good choice and available everywhere. French sparkling wines are not a bad choice by any means, after all they invented it, but as a native Californian I am biased toward the Napa/Carneros sparkling wines.
Domaine Chandon, Domaine Carneros, Mumms, and Schramsberg all have very respectable sparkling whites and bronze wines at a variety of price points.
Domaine Chandon Etoile is especially good, and right at your price point at $35.
I have several five year old bottles in the fridge waiting for a propititious occasion like the one Zig refers to.
My recommendation is to try a less expensive version of a vintage you're interested in, and see how you like it. If it grabs you, you can invest in a more expensive version of that ilk, and you'll have had a good time in the process.
Veuve was served in the finest brothels in the D.C. area, during the time of the American Civil War. I worked for a real estate brokerage in a Midwestern state at the turn of the century; the broker in charge of the office I worked at hung with a group that called themselves the Champagne Cult. Veuve was sacramental (to them). I was given a bottle for Christmas one year. It is really good.
That cocktail is a thing of beauty and if I am ever down Medina way, I will go to your cocktail bar and order it! This cocktail is one for your book, for sure (IMHO).
I'll never make this and I'll never be able to enjoy your making any cocktail for me. But I adore you and the Friday afternoon smiles you bring. Thank you Master Hooper.
Oooh! I'm having my wedding for my family on May 1st, and I think I'll have this very cool drink as my signature drink! I just put a frother, sucrose esters, and an air stone bubbler into my Amazon (yeah, I know...) cart, and everything else seems doable in our hotel suite. We can make the honey syrup at home in advance.
Thanks so much for the timely drink suggestion! Any more pointers?
Earlier, EyeQueue was asking about AI - well, I went one step into the rabbit hole, and kind of spent 10 minutes falling deeper into the AI universe. I had a document with my job responsibilities I was cleaning up and I thought - what if I ask AI to clean it up, but do it in a Cockney accent? Results - HIGH-larious. Even funnier - full Cockney Pub Rant. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and I'm sending the results to my boss. So play with AI, experiment, but please don't take it too seriously :)
I'm going to see the Project Hail Mary movie this weekend!
...this is stupid but...it's the truth. I'm kind of afraid to see the movie. This has become a comfort book for me in the past year. It's supposed to be about a man saving mankind, but it's really about a man realizing why mankind is worth saving to begin with. As a surgeon, an intern...as awful as it is, sometimes that's hard to remember. I didn't even want to see the movie without a trusted recommendation. It's stupid, but this is the kind of movie that could make or break my faith in humanity. I am trying SO HARD, but after hours and hours of being yelled at, and castigated, and shouted it, it's....hard. I am trying. I need a story about why we do any of this.
I'm lucky enough that the school where I did my residency has a beautiful art gallery with a gorgeous (if ehtically dubious) collection on display. I wander through there at least every couple of weeks as a lost soul. Humanity can be so beautiful.
As the spouse of an ICU nurse, I can relate. Those days during COVID and all the ignorant people involved (patients & leadership) really were trying. In the end, however, the doctors and nurses decided, through their actions, to do what needed to be done to save as many lives as they could. Front line medicine is not for the faint of heart. There's a level of courage there that few can imagine.
so, the (fuck the ) NYT is reporting that Dumb Corleone wants $152 million to reopen Alcatraz.
I say we go for it and then put as many of this administration as possible there and forget to make regular supply runs unless they are willing to pay for them.
JD Vance, veep to Trump himself, says this, without any sense of awareness or irony: βone of the devilβs great tricks is to convince people he never existed.β
What does a guy have to do to get impeached in this country? I think t-ball set the bar way too fucking low. Or high. I'm hungry and don't know where the damned bar is.
Been in and out of the kitchen, but just walked back into the teevee room....and pretty sure that MSNBC just said that there is Polymarket betting on whether the downed and missing airman will be found/survives...
"When you go to a great cocktail bar like Hemingwayβs, and you see βcocktail airβ on the bar menu, you can explain it to your date with a knowledgeable smirk on your face."
and then they call you an insufferable twat and walk out
Sometimes around noon I think to myself I think I need to overhear someone muttering who the fuck does that prick think he is. Just to know I still have the range.
Questions and complaints here.
{tries to come up with something to complain about, momentarily stumped}
ETA: {remembers} Had trouble falling asleep, then Serendipity woke me up crying in the night! {sputters}
I'm having lunch at Rick's in Casablanca this Fall -- what is a good WWII nostalgic drink to order (and not too heavy)? Thanks!
French. 75, hurt like they used to make at Harryβs New York Bar in Paris.
Hooper taking sexy cocktail photos like a friggin' cocktail influencer at this point.
This is very pretty and I bet the frangrance is lovely. We will be using this tonight : https://vosselections.com/product/myer-farm-kinderspiel-banana-bourbon-liqueur/ and attempt to replicate a drink we had near where it's distilled, adding rum, blackberry brandy and fresh lime juice. To sip while watching the UCONN women. Cheers!
Hot damn, this drink is sexii.
Even the shape of the glass is gettin me a little het up.
Of course, I just wrapped an increibly stressful & exhausting week, and came home sans adult beverages. Oof.
Now we're talkin'!
LOVE Empress Indigo. So fun.
Campo Viejo! Haven't seen that for a while, we used to get that stuff for $8 bottle at our neighborhood grocery. Totally decent Cava.
What a lovely drink! But I will leave it to you, Mr. Hooper, to make it for me. It would be the perfect drink for a lazy evening.
I mean, Iβm a professional.
πππ
http://wonkzoom.com ... Tech Talk right now, standard WonkZoom at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT
Tech? I am scurred.
Can you recommend a good champagne in the $30-40 range? I have been thinking I need to have a bottle on hand for when the big event happens. But I have not bought wine or champagne in many, many years.
Thanks Hooper and that is a gorgeous drink, I am loving the colors.
I generally think that real champagne is usually a ripoff and youβre better off with, say, a bottle of decent Italian prosecco. Same pop, same bubbles.
Cremant dβAlsace is a lovely French bubbly that is not made in Champagne and is much more affordable than Champagne. If you are going for the real thing, I agree with all the recommendations for Veuve Clicqout. Letβs hope we have something to toast soon! π₯
I like the crement, but its mouth-feel is a little different from champagne. More creamy, maybe a little heavier? Veuve Cliquot is also a good choice and available everywhere. French sparkling wines are not a bad choice by any means, after all they invented it, but as a native Californian I am biased toward the Napa/Carneros sparkling wines.
Domaine Chandon, Domaine Carneros, Mumms, and Schramsberg all have very respectable sparkling whites and bronze wines at a variety of price points.
Domaine Chandon Etoile is especially good, and right at your price point at $35.
I have several five year old bottles in the fridge waiting for a propititious occasion like the one Zig refers to.
My recommendation is to try a less expensive version of a vintage you're interested in, and see how you like it. If it grabs you, you can invest in a more expensive version of that ilk, and you'll have had a good time in the process.
When I was in the midst of a divorce I decided to sample high end champagnes (ex was cheap cheap cheap) . Dom PΓ©rignon-meh. You can't go wrong with Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne and my fave, Taittinger Brut RΓ©serve Champagne. Too expensive now in Canada, but perhaps not in the US. The safe bet is Veuve Clicquot.
Veuve is wonderful. And I love that this was available during the time of Lincolnβs term in the White House.
Itβs what Rick and Ilsa drank when they were in Paris.
Wow. That is very cool and fitting.
Veuve was served in the finest brothels in the D.C. area, during the time of the American Civil War. I worked for a real estate brokerage in a Midwestern state at the turn of the century; the broker in charge of the office I worked at hung with a group that called themselves the Champagne Cult. Veuve was sacramental (to them). I was given a bottle for Christmas one year. It is really good.
What fabulous stories. Fascinating. Thank you.
π― agreed. Dom isnβt worth the price. I like Veuve Clicquot and itβs right in that price range.
Thanks. Perfect.
That cocktail is a thing of beauty and if I am ever down Medina way, I will go to your cocktail bar and order it! This cocktail is one for your book, for sure (IMHO).
Hooper now heads into molecular gastronomy territory.
Guilty.
I'll never make this and I'll never be able to enjoy your making any cocktail for me. But I adore you and the Friday afternoon smiles you bring. Thank you Master Hooper.
Both and neither.
I await.
Edible flowers? Lotus? Lead on Odysseus!
Oooh! I'm having my wedding for my family on May 1st, and I think I'll have this very cool drink as my signature drink! I just put a frother, sucrose esters, and an air stone bubbler into my Amazon (yeah, I know...) cart, and everything else seems doable in our hotel suite. We can make the honey syrup at home in advance.
Thanks so much for the timely drink suggestion! Any more pointers?
So exciting! Mazel tov!
Practice layering the gin on top of the drink. I use a bar spoon and pour slowly, with the spoon close to the cocktail.
It should work better than my College days of layering Tequila on top of beers and tacos
"a $30 battery powered aquarium bubbler with a stone tip to generate the bubbles"
But does it impart that "fish tank taste"?
A used one, yes, if thatβs what youβre after.
Bubbler? I hardly know 'er.
Thankfully, said bubbler has never been used for itβs intended purpose.
Damn! You should consider including a drop of aquarium water for that hard to replicate taste!
No.
I have a mental image of you holding a rolled up newspaper as you say that.
secret ingredient?
In my book yes! Indispensable!
Hooper, you outdid yourself with this one. The presentation has the aethereal, dreamy quality of a David Lynch movie. Stunning!
Earlier, EyeQueue was asking about AI - well, I went one step into the rabbit hole, and kind of spent 10 minutes falling deeper into the AI universe. I had a document with my job responsibilities I was cleaning up and I thought - what if I ask AI to clean it up, but do it in a Cockney accent? Results - HIGH-larious. Even funnier - full Cockney Pub Rant. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and I'm sending the results to my boss. So play with AI, experiment, but please don't take it too seriously :)
Machine Pun Kellyβ¬
How come the people who (wrongly) say we are the only country that has birthright citizenship don't apply the same logic to universal healthcare?
Richard Thompson is 77 years old today. Here's a live version of "Shoot Out The Lights":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGWZGTrjabQ
Here's a solo version of his achingly beautiful song, "Devonside":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AeIsU2686Y
And just for fun, here's Richard performing "Oops, I Did It Again" on his 1000 Years Of Popular Music show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4WGsMplGxU
I'm going to see the Project Hail Mary movie this weekend!
...this is stupid but...it's the truth. I'm kind of afraid to see the movie. This has become a comfort book for me in the past year. It's supposed to be about a man saving mankind, but it's really about a man realizing why mankind is worth saving to begin with. As a surgeon, an intern...as awful as it is, sometimes that's hard to remember. I didn't even want to see the movie without a trusted recommendation. It's stupid, but this is the kind of movie that could make or break my faith in humanity. I am trying SO HARD, but after hours and hours of being yelled at, and castigated, and shouted it, it's....hard. I am trying. I need a story about why we do any of this.
I'm lucky enough that the school where I did my residency has a beautiful art gallery with a gorgeous (if ehtically dubious) collection on display. I wander through there at least every couple of weeks as a lost soul. Humanity can be so beautiful.
As the spouse of an ICU nurse, I can relate. Those days during COVID and all the ignorant people involved (patients & leadership) really were trying. In the end, however, the doctors and nurses decided, through their actions, to do what needed to be done to save as many lives as they could. Front line medicine is not for the faint of heart. There's a level of courage there that few can imagine.
so, the (fuck the ) NYT is reporting that Dumb Corleone wants $152 million to reopen Alcatraz.
I say we go for it and then put as many of this administration as possible there and forget to make regular supply runs unless they are willing to pay for them.
It's a National Park and has strong Native American ties, but whatever, Shitler.
I swear he is determined to repeat every mistake in history.
Never met a terrible idea he didn't adore.
To be sporting about it, we could leave them some raincoats, glue, and an accordion.
Good luck, people.
Elba.
We can rename it "American Spandau"!
Terrible location for ballet.
JD Vance, veep to Trump himself, says this, without any sense of awareness or irony: βone of the devilβs great tricks is to convince people he never existed.β
The real reason behind JD Vanceβs demon talk
https://www.salon.com/2026/04/01/jd-vances-demon-talk-is-lame-youth-outreach/
there is no dumber christian than a born again one.
Fuckin' Clive Staples Lewis.
Nice times:
Y'all want to see a few fascinators I've been making for the stylish ladies going to the track for Derby? OK!
https://substack.com/profile/41005794-cheers-yall/note/c-237894473?r=oew9u&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web
You are SO GOOD at this!
Sublime.
Those are awesome!
What does a guy have to do to get impeached in this country? I think t-ball set the bar way too fucking low. Or high. I'm hungry and don't know where the damned bar is.
Maybe if Trump got a beej in the Oval Office from an internβ¦
Would that be physically possible at this point?
down the street and across the road.
Third door on the left.
Is Bagdad Barbie next on the shit list?
https://bsky.app/profile/rayanselmo.bsky.social/post/3mimerdwuhc2l
DOOOOOO EEEEEEEEET!!!
When is her due date??
He'll fire her the week before.
Awwww, so sad to hear seeβ¦
Jim Acosta on How You Know Trump Think He's In Trouble
Fast Politics w/ Molly Jong-Fast
(18min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdEyWJSIhpo
Aye! Arriba Arriba ! Todas nos bailamos!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEISiCmjwH8
Been in and out of the kitchen, but just walked back into the teevee room....and pretty sure that MSNBC just said that there is Polymarket betting on whether the downed and missing airman will be found/survives...
Gross
People have no respect
of course there is.
....aaaand they just reported that Polymarket 'took the post down'.
Nuke them from orbit. Just to be sure.
@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$#$%^&*()_+
Overheard on bsky:
Every Cybertruck has one guy driving with no one else inside. No family in the back seat, no smiling partner.
I saw a blonde woman with a passel of kids get out of one here in Mesa, AZ.
I flipped one off just today!
I saw some guy bringing his Mom to Aldi in a Cybertruck.
That has a sorta Warren Zevon thing going really.
It is the perfect vehicle for performative masculinity.
"When you go to a great cocktail bar like Hemingwayβs, and you see βcocktail airβ on the bar menu, you can explain it to your date with a knowledgeable smirk on your face."
and then they call you an insufferable twat and walk out
Usually they call me that before there's ever a date...
Date nerds who like autistic guys. Itβs niche, but itβs a definite thing.
Hemingway Days in Key West was always a fun week.
Well....um.....there is that.
You know first hand, don't you?
Did you hear my North Korean spy story? The tables were turned.
I'm excellent at being insufferable, yes
Sometimes around noon I think to myself I think I need to overhear someone muttering who the fuck does that prick think he is. Just to know I still have the range.
"That fuck needs taking down a peg or two" also works
Time for the women's Final Four! UConn/South Carolina about to start, with Texas and UCLA in the nightcap.
Oh yeah! Go Huskies. :)
Hook 'em Horns.
I like their chances, but these are some tough matchups to be sure.