Wal-Mart and Appletinis

Much has been said about Wal-Mart’s effects on local business. Here’s another effect of Wal-Mart’s tremendous influence on local governments which we might not have expected. It is also another example of how the interests of Main Street Republicans conflict with those of the religious right:

While much of America put Prohibition to rest 73 years ago, large parts of the South have remained strictly off-limits to alcohol sales.

But local and national business interests that stand to profit from the sale of alcohol, including real estate developers, grocery chains, restaurant groups and Wal-Mart, are combining their political and financial muscle to try to persuade hundreds of dry towns and counties to go wet. In the process, they are changing the face of the once staunchly prohibitionist Bible Belt.

Since 2002, business groups have spent upwards of $15 million on campaigns, including professional lobbyists, to persuade voters in some 200 dry towns and 25 dry counties in six Southern states to legalize alcohol sales in stores and restaurants.

Wal-Mart has financed dozens of local elections, contributing from $5,000 to $20,000 a campaign, said Tim Reeves of Beverage Election Specialists, which supports local alcohol referendums.

All I can say about this is, how abut an Appletini? It seems as good a time as any to look back at the old Appletini Blogging from The Democratic Daily, under the fold.

Taste Of Their Own Medicine

Posted by Ron Chusid
July 29th, 2005 @ 2:36 pm

Sometimes people are forced to take a taste of their own medicine:

Doctor Frist’s flip flop on stem cell research hasn’t been received well by the far right. Tom Delay offered the opinion that “a candidate that, that-umm-believes in the destruction of life would have a very hard time appealing to the vast majority of the republicans in this party.” Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, warned that “Senator Frist cannot have it both ways. He cannot be pro-life and pro-embryonic stem cell funding. Nor can he turn around and expect widespread endorsement from the pro-life community if he should decide to run for president in 2008.”

I miss the days when Republicans at least pretended to support individual liberty and keeping the government off our backs.

Justices Breyer is also getting a taste of his own medicine. AP reports, “Libertarians upset about a Supreme Court ruling on land taking have proposed seizing a justice’s vacation home and turning it into a park, echoing efforts aimed at another justice who lives in the state. Organizers are trying to collect enough signatures to go before the town next spring to ask to use Justice Stephen G. Breyer’s 167-acre Plainfield property for a ‘Constitution Park’ with stone monuments to commemorate the U.S. and New Hampshire constitutions.”

Personally I avoid tasting all those medications I prescribe as much as possible. This week, rather than tasting medicine, I’m working on Appletini recipes in anticipation of guests next weekend. My experimentation so far suggests either equal portions of Grey Goose to Apple Pucker Schnapps, or perhaps the using the vodka in a 2:1 ratio. I’ve tried adding a splash of either Rose’s Lime Juice or Sour Mix. The Sour Mix tasted a bit better but makes the drink slightly cloudy. I’m thinking of trying regular lime juice as opposed to the more concentrated Rose’s next time.

Anyone happen to know the perfect Appletini recipe? This is even more fun that Friday Cat Blogging.

Live Appletini Blogging

Posted by Ron Chusid
August 6th, 2005 @ 2:52 pm

Last week we started the search for the perfect Appletini recipe. After lots of hard work taste testing every combination, here’s what is tasting the best:

Grey Goose Vodka 1 shot
Apple Pucker Schnapps 1 shot
Splash of Midori
Splash of lime juice
Place in shaker and shake well with crushed ice

The above makes one drink, which was served in a Martini glass as recommended by Casey, with a sugared rim.

I’ve also obtained exclusive photographs demonstrating how the United States will guarantee military victory (obtained before we were under the influence of Appletini’s) which will be posted later.

Served with double chocolate brownies with M&M’s mixed in the chocolate frosting.

Sunday Cocktail Blogging

Posted by Ron Chusid
September 11th, 2005 @ 7:01 pm

Having previously investigated the question of how to make the perfect Appletini, we now have the answer to another question–the date of the first cocktail:

The first cocktail ever was made in Mesopotamia 5,000 years ago, using wine, beer, apple juice and honey. Patrick McGovern defined the mix as “grog”, an archaic drink in the United States is sold as the “Midas Touch”. McGovern, a University Professor at Pennsylvania, one of the most important authorities in chemistry applied in archaeology, presented the results of a research on the banks of the Tigris between Iran and Iraq.

Grey Goose and Vodka Gimlets

Posted by Ron Chusid
June 21st, 2006 @ 9:53 pm

Checking the stat counter often shows that people have found old posts here by a number of interesting searches. For example tonight one Google search was for “which vodka give the same taste of grey goose.

If drinking vodka straight the only acceptable alternatives are likely to be equally expensive, which likely isn’t the goal of the person searching. When I checked on this Google search myself, the first site to come up was a post elsewhere saying, “The Perfect Vodka Gimlet – With Grey Goose, Of Course.

A Vodka gimlet and straight vodka are two entirely different situations, as the lime juice covers up differences in taste. By coincidence I happened to test this question just last weekend. We made two vodka gimlets, one with Grey Goose and one with Smirnoff. On the first sip the Grey Goose was the clear winner. However, after a few more sips the difference no longer seemed to matter. I’m not sure if it was due to the ice melting, further blurring the differences, or an effect of the drinks. In any event, while the one with Grey Goose would have a better claim at being considered perfect, I’d be happy with a vodka gimlet made with either vodka.

4 Comments

  1. 1
    Ron Chusid says:

    I had a request for Appletini’s just last weekend and couldn’t recall the winning recipe, so I had to wing it. I didn’t bother with the lime juice but I put two shots of Grey Goose and two shots of the Apple Pucker Schnapps in each drink. They filled those fancy Martini glasses better, and nobody complained about this variation from my old recipe.

  2. 2
    Donnie McDaniel says:

    LOL Ron, sounds like they want to turn all the dry areas into my hometown. We can buy booze 27/7 here. You can actually walk into any store after 2 in the morn and buy what you want. Stop off and get gas and beer on the way home. 😉

  3. 3
    Ron Chusid says:

    You have 27 hour days? Damn, I could really use that.

  4. 4
    Donnie McDaniel says:

    OOOpppsssss!! 24/7. Would be nice though.

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