Wed 4/12 – 7-9 PM – Guest poets, Kelli Allen and Nicole Farmer read from their latest books. Kelli Allen awards include The Best Small Fictions 2022. Nicole Farmer is a teacher and reading tutor living in Asheville, NC. Her poems are published in over forty literary magazines. She was awarded First Prize in Prose Poetry from the Bacopa Literary Review in 2020. Her chapbook ‘Wet Underbelly Wind’ was published in 2022. Her book ‘Honest Sonnets: memories from an unorthodox upbringing in verse’ will be published by Kelsay Books in 2023. The guest author speaks from 7-8 PM with open mic from 8 -9 PM. The Chicago blues music of Mr. Jimmy welcomes you, continues during intermission, and closes the evening. Sign-ups for the open mic visit: https://thebrandybar.com/writers-open-mic/
ALSO Wed – 4-9:00 PM – $5 white sangria specials – Sauvignon blanc, brandy, muddled pear-apple-kiwi and fruit juices apple-pear-pineapple – simple ingredients but full of flavor – remember we usually sell out of this special!
Thurs 4/13 – 4-9:00 PM – Birthday Cocktails – Have you ever thought about the history of birthdays? They started around 3,000 years before the common era by our good old friends the Egyptians. The Egyptians did not actually celebrate your birthday but the birth of someone as a god. When the pharaohs were crowned, it was considered that they had become a god, and to be fair, the day anyone becomes a god is waaaaay up there above being actually physically born! So what about those birthday candles and birthday cake? In the very early days, the Greeks adopted the ancient Egyptian birthdays, celebrating the birth of a god, and as we know Greek culture was big on gods and goddesses. The Greeks were big on offering sacrifices to the gods and as a tribute to Artemis, the lunar goddess, the Greeks would offer her moon-shaped cakes that were adorned with lit candles. The two-part symbolism of the re-created beauty of the moon and the candles signifying the sending of prayers.
But the Romans were among the first people to celebrate birthdays as we know them because they celebrated the birth of the common man (woman). They threw lavish parties where they would shower the birthday boy (girl) with gifts, thus starting the history of birthday presents.
Why celebrate birthdays without cake? Although the Egyptians had their moon-shaped cakes, it was not really a birthday cake as we know and love it today. Credit for the growth and progression of the history of the birthday cake goes to German bakers who turned the cake into an icing-topped colorful glory that we celebrate with today. These German birthday parties were held for children from the late 18th century and called “Kinderfeste”. Each child would be given a cake with a candle on the top for each year of their life so far, as well as one extra for hope.
America’s own period of industrialization in the 19th century was when the rituals and trappings of birthday parties went mainstream. The way we celebrate today is a mishmash of the Egyptian/Greek/Roman/German holiday rites, but the expectation of wrapped gifts is a product of good old Western consumerism.
Birthday cocktails: Birthday martini- vanilla cognac, white chocolate liqueur, amaretto, half/half; French 75 – Courvoisier, lemon juice, simple syrup, topped with champagne; Brandy Alexander – Courvoisier, chocolate liqueur, your choice ice cream or heavy cream; Raspberry martini – CB Frost, raspberry syrup, cranberry, lemon juice; 1/2 price fruit or infused flight