Author: Glib Staff

Cocktail of the Week by Riven 

So, my prelimary internet research tells me that this cocktail goes by a few different names: Ruby Red Mule, Austin Mule, Grapefruit Mule, etc. They’re all fitting since it’s basically a Moscow Mule made with a flavored vodka instead of your standard, boring vodka that aspires to taste like nothing.

This is the brand of flavored vodka I recently discovered at the liquor store (where they greet me by name almost every Saturday) and subsequently fell in love with. I’ve only tried two flavors–the lemon and the grapefruit–but they’re excellent. I’ve found they go well with the mixers I tend to have on hand–various bubbly flavored waters–but other folks reviewing them online say they’re also tasty just diluted with a bit of water over ice. I prefer my mixed drinks to sparkle, but that’s just my preference. The company is Austin-based, so you can buy them knowing you’re supporting the good, ol’ U.S. of A.

Anyway, here it is. I mix this directly into a copper mug on a kitchen scale because I’m precise AF like that.

2 ounces / 60 grams of Deep Eddy Ruby Red

4 – 6 ounces / 120 – 180 grams of your favorite ginger beer

All the juice from one quarter of a ripe lime, and I ain’t kidding about all the juice, neither.

Give it just a short stir so you don’t lose all of the bubbles, and that’s pretty much it. You can’t tell if you serve it in a copper mug, but it is really quite pretty if you serve it in a glass mason jar like some kind of redneck or hipster. Of course, being self-respecting menfolk, I’m sure most of you would prefer not to showcase to the world that you’re drinking some kind of pink, girly drink, but this really is very tasty. I’m going to be drinking plenty of these on my deck this summer; well, these and other Deep Eddy concoctions, anyway!

 

Spot the Not by Derpetologist – famous women on Clinton breaking the glass ceiling

1. Now, it’s up to us to elect Hillary Clinton, perhaps the most experienced presidential candidate in history, to the White House where we need her to be.

2. There’s so much more women need to accomplish to feel like we have arrived in American culture. Hillary Clinton’s nomination is hopefully the beginning.

3. She’s strong, smart, bold, and kind. She’ll be an amazing president. It’s time for a Mrs. President, and I can’t think of anyone better than Hillary Clinton.

4. I feel a tremendous rush of pride because this is a woman who is more than qualified to be president. Isn’t it interesting how a barrier seems insurmountable — until it comes down? I hope girls across the country are thinking, “That could be me.”

5. I won’t say that I never thought I’d see the day when a woman would be nominated for president, because as a feminist, a mom and a leader of a national women’s organization, I knew this day would come. But I’m particularly proud that it is Hillary Clinton who is making history today.

6. When Clinton graciously committed herself to campaigning for Obama and unifying the party, I was sad yet proud. When she made her 18-million-cracks-in-the-glass-ceiling speech, I wept. She will be a great president who will do her best to unite the country. I wish her the goddesses’ speed.

Cocktail of the Week by SugarFree – The South Side

The sublime South Side is as easy drinkin’ as it gets and a crowd-pleaser; interesting enough for the fussy mixologist and tasty enough for the “but I don’t like gin” twits. I prefer Hayman’s Old Tom gin for this application, but any gin will do. Or vodka for the sorority girl in you.

South Side

2 oz gin
.75 oz lemon juice
.75 oz lime juice
1 oz mint simple syrup
1 oz club soda
1 mint leaf

Lightly bruise the mint with a muddler, mix everything together and serve over ice. Or omit the soda water and shake with ice and serve up.

Mint Simple Syrup: 

Small batch: combine 7 grams of mint leaves, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup water, bring to a boil and then strain when cooled. Yields 3 oz of syrup.

Large batch: combine 42 grams mint leaves, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 water, bring to a boil and then strain when cooled. Yields 18 oz syrup.

I include the large batch of the syrup because the real magic of the South Side its ease of scalability. For large parties where you need to not be chained to the bar mixing drinks or small parties where you are looking to get everyone extra hammered, the South Side is well-suited for mason jar cocktails.

South Side – Mason Jar

One 1/5 of gin
9 oz lemon juice
9 oz lime juice
12 oz mint simple syrup
10 oz club soda
10 mint leaves
10 8oz Mason jars

Mix and split between the mason jars, placing a mint leaf in each. Store in a cooler with clean ice and encourage guests to top off the jar they take with ice.

 

Spot the Not by Derpetologist – Quirky Sci-Fi Writers

1. He never brushed his teeth, and they were literally green. Deeply embarrassed by this, he developed the habit of holding his hand in front of his mouth when speaking.

2. He was gaunt with dark eyes set in a very pale face (he rarely went out before nightfall). For five years after leaving school, he lived an isolated existence with his mother, writing primarily poetry without seeking employment or new social contacts.

3. He wrote over 117 novels and over 2000 short stories, but his works were used only as filler material in pornographic magazines. He committed suicide by drinking Drano.

4. He hated flying and only flew twice in his life. He rarely traveled long distances.

5. His mother was warm but changeable of character and had an identical twin who visited them often and who disliked him. He was unable to tell them apart and was frequently coldly rebuffed by the person he took to be his mother.

6. He has a reputation for being abrasive and argumentative. He has generally agreed with this assessment, and a dust jacket from one of his books described him as “possibly the most contentious person on Earth”. He has filed grievances and attempted lawsuits; as part of a dispute about fulfillment of a contract, he once sent 213 bricks to a publisher postage due, followed by a dead gopher via fourth-class mail.