The Brandy Bar + Cocktails

Wed. 12/7 – 4-9 PM – $5 brandy pours: Wild Cherry – Notes of rich cherry, marzipan, crushed almonds and a floral edge complemented by nutmeg and cinnamon spiciness with a finish that is unctuous and thick with that allspice and damson alongside dark cherries and fresh tanic grip. OR Do Ferreiro Orujo De Galicia Brandy from Portugal -Notes of flowers, fennel & black pepper, dry and light-bodied with smooth fresh, mentholated fruit flavors on the palate and a long finish. Come on in and learn a little about brandy – you might be surprised!

Thurs 12/8 – 4-9 PM NASA (National Aeronautics & Space Administration) cocktails:   “World’s smallest photon achieved in dielectric nanocavity”…producing oil from duckweed…. These technologies sound sci-fi but are in fact the product of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration’s (NASA) technology labs. NASA is required by its charter to report to industry any new, commercially significant technologies developed during its research & development. Since the early 1960s, this has been accomplished primarily through the publication of NASA Tech Briefs. Many of us have subscribed to this magazine since the 1960s. I, for one, do not have a clue what I am reading, but if you have a curious mind, you will be intrigued by these amazing advances in science & technology. Maybe I think I will absorb it through osmosis, don’t know, but the stuff sounds futuristic & something we should know at least a tad about. One of NASA/s latest projects delves into that equally high-tech world of “biomimicry” that popped up out of nowhere years ago. Biomimicry learns from & mimics the strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges. It is about valuing nature for what we can learn, not what we can extract, harvest, or domesticate. In the process, we learn about ourselves, our purpose, & our connection to each other & our home on earth. Biomimicry believes that the widespread adoption of nature-inspired solutions will catalyze a new era in design & business that benefits both people & the planet. Evidently NASA agrees since one of its last projects is inspired by the Pacific Mole Crab in which they created a unique robot inspired by this burrowing crustacean that may someday help evaluate the soil of agricultural sites, collect marine data and study soil & rock conditions at construction sites.

   “Generative design” offers a solution to patient specific knee implants…. additive manufacturing…. creating the next generation of orthopedic implants…. These and more research papers are being developed by the sister organization & magazine to the Tech Briefs of NASA and appropriately named NASA’s Medical Design Briefs. These papers feature exclusive coverage of the latest medical & bio medical innovations from NASA, its industry partners, and other major players in medical research and development worldwide. From heart pumps and defibrillators to surgical robots, NASA has developed thousands of medical breakthroughs on the way to space.  A latest example is a wearable vest system designed to monitor heart failure patients in their home & detect when their condition is worsening. Such early detection of acute decompensated heart failure could lead to treatment changes & other interventions that prevent hospitalizations. These publications are free to those interested. WOW!

We live in such an amazing time in technological advances so how does “Brandy” play out in the wild scheme of things? Some famous quotes on consumption “Electricity is actually made up of extremely tiny particles called electrons, that you cannot see with the naked eye unless you have been drinking.” ~ Dave Barry: “I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning that’s as good as they going to feel all day.” – Frank Sinatra. “The problem with some people is that when they aren’t drunk, they’re sober.” ~ William Butler Yeats. “What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch?” ~ W.C. Fields. 

Animal inspired cocktails: Barking Spider – CB Frost, Cointreau, rum, sour mix, fresh squeezed orange juice; Bees Knees – Douglas Fir, honey, fresh squeezed lemon juice;  The Crow – Korbel Brandy, fresh squeezed lemon juice, grenadine; Grasshopper – CB Frost Brandy, Crème de menthe, white crème de cacao, light cream;  Monkey Gland – CB Frost Brandy, gin, fresh orange juice, absinthe, grenadine, simple syrup; 1/2 price flight on US Flight 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Wed. 12/ 14 – 7 – 9  PM NC Writers Network presents new authors 

Wed 12/21 – 7-9 PM Songwriters Sessions presents new songwriters 

 

Wed. 11/30 – 4-9 PM $5 specials: Plum brandy from Oregon – Viewed as the gold standard for slivovitz (plum brandy) in the world. The eau-de-vie is pure and transparent with the ripe fruit and ends with a slight bitter orange taste and Christian Brothers Honey brandy – Strong honey flavor, but also citrus flavor on the front. Smooth without much bite. Long citrus after taste, almost like orange juice. Great drinks for these cooler evenings!

Thurs 12/1 – 4-9 PM – American Football Specials -What do you call 20 Vikings’ fans in a basement? A whine cellar.  (photo – World’s First Football team – Sheffield Football Club 1890 (est. 1857)Why do ducks fly over Ford field upside down? There’s nothing worth crapping on.  That’s all I know about football, my apologies. But who invented football, that iconoclastic macho game that glues over 100 million Americans to their TV screens each year?  When/where did the game of football begin? Several versions of ballgames similar to football evolved with versions appearing as early as 1400 BC by the pre-Columbian people of Ancient Mesoamerica; and in Ancient Greek with painting references as early as 400-375 BC. A Song dynasty painting in 1130-1160 BC depicts Chinese children playing a form of football and Australian football can be traced back to 1858 in Yara Park, Melbourne. But the very first football game with rules goes to the English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, founded in 1857.  It is the oldest existing club now playing football in the world and still continuing to compete. However, the first American football match was played on November 6, 1869,between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton, using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp, the “Father of American Football,” that established the snap, the line of scrimmage, eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs. Later rule changes legalized the forward pass, created the neutral zone and specified the size and shape of the football. The sport is closely related to Canadian football, which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game (although their rules were developed independently (from that of Camp’s). Most of the features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football. The two sports are considered the primary variants of gridiron football.

Red Zone – Brandy, Peach brandy, cranberry juice & sour mix; Sideline Sipper – Brandy, sour apple brandy, & Sprite; Black and Gold – Hennessey Black, peach brandy, sour mix, & ginger ale; Touchdown – Brandy, lemonade, unsweetened iced tea; Incomplete Pass – Brandy, pineapple juice (with or without ice); 1/2 price fruit or infused brandy flight 

We will be closed Fri. 12/2 from 4 until 7:00 PM for a private party.  

Don’t forget to order on line or come in- in person for those gift certificates for special friends.