Wasting away again in Margarita-ville.
Hey guys. Apologies for not posting. Just been busy with life I guess. I’ll try and do this once a month?
Anyway. Today’s Monday, and Mondays are infamous for being the first day back in school or at work after a weekend of fun and games. (Or nights of drunk slobbery messes if that’s what you’re into. )
It’s hard to get back into the swing of things when you had an amazing weekend full of fun, and that’s exactly what the Margarita Mondays are for! Margaritas are the perfect way to relax after you’ve had a stressful day readjusting to the ebb and flow of daily life.
But even more than that, they’re perfect for the time of year right now! When you take a sip of your Margarita, don’t you automatically think of sitting on the beach somewhere like Cancun? Margaritas are a perfect summer drink! Their light colors and refreshing tangy taste really put you in a mood to have fun and take it easy. Plus, with all of variations that are available, you’ll never get bored.
Margaritas are an IBA cocktail of the Before Dinner variety for Dry/Medium Cocktails. It was invented in October 1941 in Ensenada Mexico. Don Carlos Orozco of Hussong’s Cantina experimented around with new drinks, and the daughter of a German ambassador, Margarita Henkel, was the first to try his latest creation. In honor of her being the first to try his drink, it was named after her. Using Tequila, lime, and Damiana (a triple-sec like liquer), and served over ice in a glass that was salt rimmed, the Margarita was born, and has gained quite the reputation.
But enough about history. Margaritas get boring after a while, right? WRONG. Tired of the regular greenish color? There are reds, blues, and all other colors available, and with each of these, a distinctively different taste.
Stawberry Margaritas are red in color, and use Strawberry puree, and sometimes Strawberry liquers like Fragoli in order to truly make a sweet yet tangy drink. Blue Caracao is used to give the Margarita an electrifying blue color, with a strong hint of orange. Other cocktails use Midori to make it a much stronger green, while Chambord gives it a raspberry taste. There are so many different Margaritas to try that you can’t get bored!
Margaritas come in stirred, shaken, and blended varieties. The ones that are stirred are very traditional, and often use Mexican key limes. These are much more bitter and tart than the ones most people are used to, but are greatly complimented by the triple sec flavor. Shaken Margaritas are classy, and are usually served in a salt rimmed cocktail glass, and look absolutely beautiful when made correctly. Throw in some chipped ice, and you have a winner. They usually use American limes for these because of the milder flavor. Blended Margaritas are perfect for the summer because they are like frosted treats that look fluffy and delicious. Plus, they are perfect for the Margarita glass that we have all come to know and love. Sometimes they even use lemon in these to give it a tart yet sweet flavor that truly shines as it gets put in the blender. A dash of orange juice is also a great way to balance out the color, and give it a sweeter taste if the customer desires.
But remember, the juice HAS to be fresh to truly be appreciated. Old lime juice gives the Margarita a very off-putting flavor, and the tequila does not mix well and tastes abnormally strong.
Margarita; a drink full of history, that has changed and evolved as the years have followed. It’s certainly a drink that can make or break your night, so drink responsibly!
Wow. Really haven’t posted in a while. A friend of mine actually got me interested in starting this up again. Introducing a new drink of mine.
It’s called the ‘Soviet Spy’. What are you talking about, you might ask? It’s got red white and blue! It’s American! This is true. At first glance, you may feel an upsurge of patriotism, and you may feel like a real American looking at this drink. However. If you take another look at it, you might notice that the order is all reversed!!! There is red on the bottom, blue in the middle, and white on the top! WHICH, if you all didn’t know, is the same as the RUSSIAN FLAG. dun dun dun!!!! (insert dramatic music!) Yeah, didn’t expect that, now did you?
Now that you know that little bit of knowledge about the Russian Flag, it should make all the more sense why this drink is called the Soviet Spy. Completely Russian in nature, but deceptively American.
Now for the make up of the drink.
Of course, the picture didn’t come out so amazing, and some of the proportions are off. They were done really quickly without much care. My apologies.
The Bottom layer MUST be the heaviest, so I used half grenadine, half vodka and mixed them together. Pour about a third of a shot of this mixture into a double-shot glass.
The Middle layer must be less dense than the bottom layer, so, I used Rose’s Blue-Raspberry mix and vodka in a 2/5 to 3/5 ratio, shaken to get a nice consistency. This makes the raspberry mix, (which is lighter than Grenadine), and the vodka, (which is in higher ratio than the vodka in the first layer) , to be less dense than the bottom layer. Float this over a barspoon over the bottom layer for another third of the shot glass.
The Top Layer, is a mixture of vodka, and triple sec for flavor. This gets mixed together with both hard and crushed ice.
Now comes the hard part. This has to be floated as well, but you want pieces of the crushed ice to float on top of this. The pieces of crushed ice represent the cold Siberian blizzards of Russia, and are an essential part of this shooter. They make the whole drink absurdly cold, and when you take it, you get a hint of what a Russian winter tastes like. Cold and harsh, but somewhat sweet, and not so unbearable as one might think.
Go on! Make your own, and maybe you’ll feel the chill~!
—Chrischinanity
Living life in a bubble.
For those of you who followed by 8 posts or so: Thanks. I haven’t been on in very long. VERY long. And honestly, it’s because I’ve been living in a haze. The days kinda ju
I guess this is my second post about Alcohol. Yet again! I have to stress HOW much I do not endorse drinking alcohol, and especially ABUSING it. Once again, I am just relaying my thoughts on different types of alcohol, bringing new information to the amateur connoisseur. I’m merely showing what I find interesting, and my new finds as one who works behind the bar. Each alcohol has a story worth listening to, and the one I’ve created today has a great line behind it.
SO. without further to do. I Unveil my NEWEST invention! The Mangoberry Daiquiri Shooter! Or Strawberry Mango Daiquiri Shooter. Or Mango Strawberry Daiquiri Shooter. One of those three. Actually. Drop me a line. Post what you think would be a good name for this. I’d greatly appreciate it.
For those of you who don’t know, a great popular drink for the summer and for the Carribeans is the Strawberry Colada. It’s a blended drink goes WAYYYY back.
It all started with the Pina Colada, which was created in San Juan, Puerto Rico (it’s actually their national drink).
Then came the Daiquiri. This was named after the beach near Santiago, Cuba. Then after this, famed book writer, Ernest Hemmingway, during his stay in Cuba, completely changed the drinking world by asking for his Daiquri frozen. This lead to a whole new revolution of the Daiquiri, of which the Strawberry Daiquiri was one.
Then, The Lava Flow was created, which was a blend of pina colada and Strawberry Daiquiri at the same time. After this, The Miami Vice was created, which was half blended pina colada, half Strawberry Daiquiri, and layered with each other, whether in multiple layers, two vertical layers, or 2 horizontal layers.
WOW. Quite a history, huh? that’s just half my invention. Next comes the shooter.
The Shooter is a modern variation of the Pousse cafe drink, which (if you can’t tell by the name) originated in France. The Pousse cafe means to ‘push the coffee’ and was a drink used as a digestif, or a drink to aid in digestion. In this case, it was a drink used to help coffee work in the body better. (think of a Jagerbomb, which is alcohol + Energy drink). The Pousse Cafe is the amazingly beautiful layered drink that has to be made with painstaking care, because if not layered correctly, the multicolored gem becomes a pile of brown sludge in a shot glass.
Once the world caught on that you could layer alcohols, the shooter craze came about, where magical looking drinks were made through the magic of liquid tension and density. HOORAY.
And that is where he have come to MY drink. When seeing the Miami vice, which is layered, yet frozen, and a pousse cafe, which is layered, yet liquid, I came to a magic conclusion. During the winter time, why not have a drink like the Miami Vice, but without the chill of the ice? Drink it as a shooter!
So I went about creating my drink.
First you need the materials.
Pina Colada- Pina Colada Mix, pineapple juice, coconut rum. check.
Strawberry Daiquiri- Strawberry Schnapps and Puree, Rum. Check.
Here’s where the magic begins. So first, I had to experiment a little with the densities of course. But at long last, the drink’s layers are:
Pina Colada Mix (for that coconut-pineapple taste)
1pt Pineapple juice + 3 pts Mango Syrup (for that slightly tangy, yet tropical sweetness to it) (shaken to get a good blended consistency)
Strawberry Daiquiri Mix (to get the well loved Strawberry Taste)
(here’s where you might not see it because of the bad picture)
Coconut rum with a HINT of mango syrup.
And you float Bacardi 151 at the top. (Just a TINY bit). and rub around the rim around the shot glass.
At this point, you could drink it.
ORRRRRR you could light it on fire, watch it look nice and have it caramelize the 151, put it out, and then drink it. Really warms you up in those cold winter nights. (or if you’re in a cold bar and the owner’s too stubborn to push up the heat)
There you have it. My Mangoberry Daiquiri Shooter!
MOCHI. MOCHI MOCHI MOCHI.
SOOOOO YUMMY. The funny thing is that there’s a million types.
I was making it for the first time the other day, and to my surprise, it is INCREDIBLY easy to make, and it tastes amazing.
Basically all you need is some glutinous rice flour (or if you’re legit like we were, sweet mochiko rice and a mortar/pestle), sugar,& water (or coconut juice or coconut milk, depending on what consistency you want).
That’s IT. WHAT THE FREAK. YOU CAN MAKE A DELECTABLE DELICACY in like 30 minutes. it’s effing crazy.
Just heat up the mochi in the oven (or if you’re lazy or bad at cooking, a microwave), and then cover it in corn starch so it’s not TOO sticky. (apparently, ancient Asians used to use Mochi to stick stuff together instead of glue, and even more crazy, some of the stuff is still holding today) Roll flat, or shape into patties, and fill with your favorite filling (ice cream, red bean, etc) and then shape into a ball. it’s THAT EASY.
mochi mochi mochi mochi.
so good yummy yummy
Fills up my tummy.
“How Can ANYONE Even Say That They Know The Truth?”
Alright. I’ve been gone from this thing for a while. But now I’m back with a new post on Christianity. Yet again, if you feel offended or anything, I’m not MAKING you read this. You can spend your time watching Youtube Videos or something.
Like this one! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE&playnext_from=TL&videos=y_Ml13_4qXY
However, I digress. Today, I’m going to be writing about something that has bothered me a bit for a while. While taking my theory of knowledge class in high school, a constant question that came up was ‘how can anyone say they know the truth?’. This conversation came up at every topic we came across, whether it was the purpose of government, the purpose of man, levels of existence, etc. Most of these conversations ended with stalemates that left us more confused than ever. When it comes to religion however, I feel that there is NO room for debate.
People who say that no one can know the truth assume this:
“Truth is relative. No one can know which religion is true and false, and therefore Christians cannot say they know what is and what is not true, and therefore should not tell anyone else differently. “
In essence, this is the idea of relativism. Relativism is this belief that states that we cannot know what is true, both because the truth can be clouded, and we are also incapable as humans of knowing the truth. Relativism sounds nice. It’s got this nice wrapping that looks as though it makes logical sense. However. It’s pretty flawed if you think about it.
Take the statement ‘We Can’t know what is true’ for example. If relativism is correct, then this statement would HAVE to be true. However, the definition of relativism states that we cannot know if something is true or false. GASP!!! CONTRADICTION! it’s like a starburst! If relativism states that we cannot know if anything is true or false, then we can’t even know if their own grounding is true as well.
RELATIVISM IS SELF-REFUTING. It screws itself over. It’s like that kid who talks for an hour only to say something that proves himself wrong and realizing it. (aka me) okay that was a LITTLE too wordy to be a good example. But hopefully you get my point. Relativism contradicts itself. Enough Said.
But it’s kinda funny that people ascribe to Relativism at all in the first place. People make decisions about what is true and false every single day. Every time you make a decision, you’re pretty much telling yourself what is true based on what is around you. Say you’re trying to call your best friend, but the call doesn’t go through. The Truth is based off available evidence. Maybe you’re in a dead zone with no reception. Maybe you dropped your phone in a toilet so it doesn’t work correctly. Maybe you have T-Mobile. Either way, People all over the world, including you and me, make decisions about what to believe to be true and untrue based off what makes the most sense from the evidence we have.
This is no different when it comes to our beliefs either. Christians believe in the evidence provided to us in many forms, but namely, the Bible. The Bible teaches us all we need to know about GOD, humanity, history, nature, and out own lives. It has a fullness and richness of information and gives us so much insight into who we are, and our identities in Christ.
Just because you don’t know 100% that your crappy T-mobile phone is causing the lack of connection, doesn’t stop you from believing it and ‘knowing’ it to be true. Analogously, just because we as humans do not have 100% proof that every teaching of the Bible is correct, it doesn’t and SHOULD not stop you from knowing and believing in it. You don’t have to prove every teaching beyond a shadow of a doubt before you can believe it to be true.
Heck. If you don’t ascribe to the Bible. Look at the world. Get away from the city for just ONE day, and spend your time in nature. The beauty you find in a field of grass, the shadows of a forest, the cooling waters of a stream all give reason to show how magnificent our Creator is. NOT because these things are beautiful and useful, mind you. (although this is a major benefit)
The most amazing thing about nature and all life on earth is that it’s so incredibly perfect and balanced, and COMPLEX. Everything in this world is made out of basically the same, alike ingredients. However, when you mix them altogether, you have this plethora of results from the same parts. If you mix flour, eggs, water, and yeast, most likely, you’re going to get bread or something like bread as the end result. However, our Creator is not limited like this. He takes the greatest ingredients and makes whatever he wants with them. And I’m not just talking about animals and plants and whatnot.
Take a look at a snowflake. Did you know that ‘no two are alike’? You’ve probably heard that a million times before. Think about it. Every time snow falls, there’s like 163686235635 GAJILLION snowflakes that fall. And how many times has snow fallen? 163686235635 GAJILLION times. WE HAD AN ICE AGE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. and NO TWO SNOWFLAKES ARE ALIKE??? what the heck, right? BUT. The scariest thing is that snowflakes can be broken into ‘nano-snowflakes’ and these can be the same as other nano-snowflakes. God takes the same things, and makes infinitely many combinations out of them.
STILL NOT CONVINCED? sigh. Let’s keep going with this snowflake nature train. Look at fractals. Now Fractals are scary. Honestly the scariest things in the world. Fractals are things that no matter how far you break them down. Take a piece of a snowflake, magnify it, and you will see it looks like the original snowflake. Take a piece off that smaller piece, magnify that, and THAT looks like the original snowflake. It’s like the craziest matryoshka doll you’ve ever seen, and it nearly NEVER ends. What’s with that?! Really, in the world, in the form of snowflakes, and the romanesco broccoli (which has fractals as well), there is no advantage of having it. Evolution wouldn’t really account for a snowflake, and the broccoli doesn’t really have any structural or defensive advantages from having a fractal pattern. Then WHY do they exist? God, our Creator, has created something beautiful and has left us hints that show us he’s done all of this.
STILL NOT CONVINCED??? Fine. Let’s go with morals. Morals are pretty much the same for just about everyone. Don’t kill, steal, etc. as outlined in the 10 Commandments. Just about everyone has these, and they’re pretty much ingrained. Nobody even really questions them. People from about every culture and background ascribe to these values. Even Non-Christian people. Did you know that in a group of even just 10 people, it is hard for them to agree on ANY one decision? How strange is it then, that BILLIONS of people ascribe to the same core values? It points at there being a higher being than us humans who DETERMINES right and wrong. There HAS to be a higher power if it can get a race that can’t agree on anything to agree on something.
But why do we argue on any ethical standpoint in the first place? For one, MAYBE these problems aren’t even supposed to be around? For example, say you can’t decide what food to eat with your friends. If you had the perfect food that could be found in the Garden of Eden, you wouldn’t really need to have the argument in the first place, correct? Fashion wouldn’t have to be argued or obsessed over if we had no need to wear clothing as well, correct? The only reason that we have these problems is that we have problems blocking us from the real alternative.
Also, our God created us with free thoughts and the freedom to live as we please. He did not create us to be machines that obey him like automatons. We can only experience Happiness through understanding of Sorrow. He lets us experience true emotion by coming to him. We can see peoples’ lives changing for the better after SINCERELY following the teachings of Christ and receiving a new and AUTHENTIC life from God, and THAT is how we know the truth.
So Yesterday, I went to Panera, this really popular place to eat that makes their own bread. I honestly keep falling in love with their Tomato Basil bread. It’s this amazing bread that has a hint of Tomato every time you bite into it. Put some plain cream cheese or Jalapeno humus, and you’re good to go.
I’m planning on trying to bake some. Thinking that you have to use maybe a tomato sauce incorporated with the dough when you make it. Thinking about adding sundried tomatos as well and maybe some cheese to give it some kick. What do you guys think?
“Does it Even Matter What I Believe?”
This is the start of my Christian posts. If you don’t feel like reading it, I’m not forcing you to. It’s your choice of course. However, if you’ve ever had any questions, I do urge you to take a look. I’m not going to have the answers, because I’m just a simple man trying to find his way in this world. But it would be in your best interest to at least give this a look over.
Christianity isn’t a religion. It’s not even a way of life. It’s not a system of beliefs. It’s everything. Plain and simple. All questions are answered through the Lord.
Suppose you just got a new house at an auction. SUPER CHEAP. You just bought a multi-million dollar house for like 10 bucks. And from what you hear, it comes with a jacuzzi, a waterfall, a garden, and everything that you could ever want. You’d be INCREDIBLY happy, am I right? Wrong. When you try to move in, you find that the previous owners trashed the place. The place is in shambles. There’s holes in the walls. There’s broken windows. The jacuzzi and waterfall have dingy black water spewing from them. There are dead trees everywhere, and nothing but death grows in your garden. It’d literally a hell on earth. Not so happy now, huh? In fact, you should be outraged! YOU, my friend, are a victim of FRAUD. You’ve been had. You thought you were getting this great home, and that you’d be happy once you got it. However, you find that you are not in the least satisfied.
Changing the subject, I’ve talked to many of my friends lately who are non-believers. One of the biggest questions I get is “Does it Even Matter What I Believe?” They say things like ‘beliefs don’t matter. The only thing that matters is getting the things you want out of life, and that as long as you are happy, it really doesn’t matter what we believe.’
Let’s go back to the story about your dream house (which if you haven’t realized by now, is a metaphor for your spirituality and beliefs). You never thought to check if your house was indeed perfect, and now you have this crappy house that you couldn’t possibly be happy in.
Nobody wants to spend their life on something that sucks. You believed that this house was THE house for you, that it’d make your life enjoyable and worthwhile. However, being blinded by this ‘seemingly’ amazing house, you missed out on buying the PERFECT HOUSE of your dreams, that would have fulfilled all of your desires. It was sitting there all along, and you missed it. It was saying ‘buy me!’ but you were too blind to see it.
Now let’s drop this metaphor. Everyone wants this ‘perfect house’. Everyone wants something more out of life. We spend all of our time going after these dream houses and things in life that we want, whether it be love, money, etc. However, these things never make us really happy. They make us temporarily feel elated, just like when we buy a new house or car or computer. However, soon the happiness fades and we are left with a something that we never really wanted or needed in the first place. We are just as empty as before we got these things. Why do we feel this way? Why are we trying to fill in our hearts with drab everyday pleasures?
God has been there all along. He’s been sitting and waiting for you. He is that perfect house that you never realized was there. He wants to fill that hole in your heart. You followed your beliefs when you bought that other house. However, finding that your beliefs were false and that they lead you somewhere that didn’t want to go really hurts.
So back to the question. IT DOES MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE. The wrong choice ends in sadness, whilst the correct choice ends in happiness. The more important the issue, the more dangerous the consequences there is for believing in something that is false. Choosing the wrong major will screw your education. Choosing the wrong house will make you sad until you can buy another (if that opportunity even arises). Choosing the wrong spouse will make you unhappy until you die. And worst of all, choosing ANYTHING over God will make you unhappy for eternity. While you live on earth, you will experience a loneliness that one without God feels, and afterward, eternal suffering waits for you.
I really hope that each of you have chosen correctly, and that you are believing in what is right. ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you’ (Matthew 7:7)
Bartender
This song really gets me sometimes. It’s in Japanese though, so you guys most likely don’t understand it.The lyrics as translated into English are:
I don’t mind leaving my order up to you, you silent one.
Defeated in love, set upon at work, now is not the time for me to be crying.
Your long fingers I glimpse over the counter are beautiful.
I wonder how you will use your fingers tonight to get me drunk?
Don’t pretend, don’t hide, let my clairvoyance reveal everything about you!
You’re strong, but you carry a side that is about to break, don’t you?
How about a stimulating flavor that will set you aflame more than ever?
The awe that satisfies you wells up in my blushing skin…
Don’t, Tonight, I’m not in the mood.
What is it that I poured in a glass? Such that the chest is closing.
There is no reason in front of you for shedding tears.
I keep meddling with my company without deceiving or decorating them
Because you are strong I would like you to relax
I wonder if it becomes a dull pain or rather its manipulated?
Your hypocrisy pose wets this body.
Probably, I’ll not turn back tonight
Unaffected and without hiding
But I know that… you’re strong
Entrust to me… the strange feelings
What should I do with the flushing body? Heart burst seems to sleep
How about a stimulating flavor that will set you aflame more than ever?
The awe that satisfies you wells up in my blushing skin…
I wonder if it becomes a dull pain or rather its manipulated?
Your hypocrisy pose wets this body.
Probably, I’ll not turn back tonight
Tonight, I can’t turn back…
It’s quite amazing what someone like a TRUE bartender can do.
About my number 3
Hey, 20 minutes in, and I’m already getting warnings. haha. Yeah.
I just want to say that my blog IN NO WAY, endorses Alcohol, alcoholism, drinking alcohol, etc.
My blog will be more on the scholarly aspect of spirits and brews.
For example, did you know, (and you probably didn’t) that the internationally well-known spirit, Jagermeister is a German Spirit that is made from a blend of 56 different herbs and spices? 56! It is recognized in Europe to be a spirit based off the anise herb, and is categorized as ‘bitters’. However, this is more of a categorization of what its base consists of. In real life, Jagermeister is not bitter, like other true bitter herb liquors, but has a distinctively sweet taste.
Also, did you know on the back of bottles of Jagermeister, there is a poem written from the 1800s by a friar? It goes like this:
Das ist des Jägers Ehrenschild,
daß er beschützt und hegt sein Wild,
weidmännisch jagt, wie sich’s gehört,
den Schöpfer im Geschöpfe ehrt.
Loosely interpreted, keeping for the rhyme and rhythm of the original, the poem reads as follows:
This is the hunter’s badge of glory:
That he protects and tends his quarry,
Hunts with honour, as is due,
And through the beast to God is true.
Jagermeister means ‘master hunter’ with Jager meaning hunter and Meister meaning master. Thus, this poem is perfect for the bottle. You must be protective, and vigilant. You hunt, or ‘drink’ with honor, as is due. This means that we should ALWAYS drink responsibly, and that we must always do so with a sense of honor. NEVER over-indulge and become a stupid messed up drunken slob who can’t keep their sense of self or righteousness. With each bottle, or ‘the beast’ you must be true to your God. God gave us alcohol, and told us to be smart with it. Don’t go overboard guys, and just be smart!
