SUGAR TAX: Seattle collected at least $4,082,015 from its new tax on sweetened beverages in its first three months of implementation. The tax is 1.75 cents per fluid ounce.
Tag Archives: BEVERAGES
Cheerios & Scotch
An acquaintance of mine once said he only eats Cheerios for breakfast. I replied that I like Cheerios but I usually buy the generic versions. His response was, “Oh, I can’t eat those they don’t taste the same.” Yeah, they don’t taste the same but they both taste good. The nutritional and content labels read the same, they both taste good, they are both good for you, and one costs 33% less than the other. I taught consumer finance for several years and remain a firm believer in receiving value for the buck.
Okay, that takes care of the Cheerio part of the title, now let’s talk about the Scotch part. Scotch is a lot like wine, there are the connoisseurs who make all kinds of snobbish claims and would never admit to drinking and enjoying an inexpensive table wine from an Ohio vineyard.
Rye Whiskey I Cry!
Someplace way back in my youth I thought I should like rye whisky. It may have had something to do with hearing the cowboy movie star, Tex Ritter, sing, “Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry. If I can’t get rye whiskey I surly will die.”
Doug McLaughlin may have played a part. I have this vague memory of the two of us sitting in his kitchen eating crackers, Swiss cheese, and drinking rye whiskey.
Whey my ship was in the Boston Navy Yards in 1962-63 I remember hanging out at a couple of jazz clubs and drinking Old Overholt over ice.
Rye whiskey is so named because 51% of the grain used is rye. At one time it was the most popular of American whiskeys and even George Washington distilled rye whiskey at Mount Vernon. Sometime following prohibition it lost out to bourbon and almost disappeared from liquor store shelves.
Talk, Talk, Talk!
Just noticed a Facebook friend say they were tired of all this political talk. Others agreed and implied they wished we all would just keep our opinions to ourselves and vote in silence. Well that’s not going to 
happen, it’s never happened, and as long as people breathe free, it won’t happen. Mankind will never tire of talking sports, religion, politics, and the weather.
Speaking of religion. Do you think it’s possible that God gave man beer just to help get the conversation started?
You’re so unsophisticated!
Man, can I relate to the article referenced below. On our last cruise I attended a Scotch tasting session at which I scorned by the presenter when mentioning that I drank my Scotch over ice. It was like an old maid schoolmarm cracking you on the wrist with a ruler and scolding you for picking your nose in polite company. I experienced the same thing when I mentioned enjoying Reunite Lambrusco on ice!
The Right Way to Drink Scotch.
Just Sayin’, Iced Coffee
I never been a big fan of iced coffee but that may be changing. For several weeks now I’ve been fixing my morning cup of Kuerig and 
only taking a few sips before getting involved in some necessary or unnecessary activity.
Later in the afternoon I rediscover my almost full mug of coffee and and instead of tossing it I’ve been throwing in a handful of ice and cooling down with it while I mess on the Internet. Today’s flavor is a strong Cuban espresso made by Cafe Bustelo. I like it, I like it a lot!
Gonna’ Be Alright
It struck me while watching this Playing for Change video that many of the people involved in this project are probably Muslim. Yet I found zero reason to feel frightful. Why is it we assume so much that’s not founded in reality.
Breweries
FACTOID: Today, independent breweries, “represent about eight percent of total U.S. beer sales, and the number of breweries in this country just topped 3,000, a level not seen since the 1870s.”
Open Mic Night
You may know that Greenfield has a new sports bar in the downtown area, Catch 22 Sports Bar. Mark Clyburn is one of the owners and besides a menu of sandwiches and snacks they’re serving a full bar including a selection of bottled and draught beers.
Apparently they are wanting to become a venue for the area music scene and have announced an open mic night on Wednesdays. So, tune up your fiddle and go have some good times.
Just Sayin’, Cocktails
Ironic that in two of the most remote, landlocked, and coldest states in America, the Dakotas, the cocktails of choice are the Long Island Iced Tea and Sex on the Beach. Wonder if Jimmy Buffett songs get lots of play time on Radio Fargo?
Drinking laws update
At least twice in the past I’ve written blogs about the great diversity of laws in America regarding the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. It’s an interesting subject and the particulars are often changing. Today I came across an article about what states permit the sale of various alcoholic beverages in grocery stores. Instead of copy and pasting the whole thing I’ll simply provide a link. I’ll also provide a link to a similar article I wrote in 2012. Grab yourself a cold one and take a break.
Huffington Post article about grocery store sales. Click HERE.
2012 CGS blog about drinking laws around America. Click HERE.
Four roses too many
I was fifteen years of age the first time I got trashed on booze. A good friend had gotten married and at the reception I discovered a fifth of Four Roses Bourbon in the kitchen. The only glass I could find was a 
sixteen ounce iced tea glass. So, not knowing much about drinking I filled it up to an inch from the top and added some grape juice. I really don’t recall how much I actually consumed but when my buddies dropped me off in front of my house I was trashed.
I managed to get into the house and crawl up the stairs to my bedroom without waking up my parents. I do remember laying down and the room doing non-stop three sixties. There was a small balcony outside my room and knowing I was getting sick I tried to make it to the balcony door but failed. I tried cleaning up the mess with laundry from the clothes hamper and I pretty much failed at that as well.
Booze
FACTOID: The CDC reports that alcohol is responsible for 1 out of every 10 deaths in the United States. Men account for 71% and the majority of deaths are related to excessive consumption or binge drinking.
Craft brew update
I read an article about the huge popularity of craft brews in America and the growing number of craft breweries. The whole thing seems to center on quality, variety, and proximity. People today want a choice of locally brewed beers of a higher quality. It was said there are now 2800 breweries in the United States and it is the small craft breweries that are showing the most growth, not the big name brewers.
That same article discussed three Cincinnati craft breweries who within their first six to eight months in business had seen sales climb to what they had thought would take at least several years to reach.
I was discussing this with the owner of an area bar and restaurant who had said he was planning on replacing his big name draft selections with craft brews. He mentioned a craft brewer, Yellow Springs Brewery, in Yellow Springs, Ohio as being the nearest thing to a local brewer he knew of. They too had experienced growth much faster than expected. In the beginning they had planned to sell most of their product wholesale to area bars and restaurants. They have a small bar at the brewery and the business has been so good there is little left over for wholesale.
I mention all this because it is even more apparent that someone is missing the boat by not getting into the craft beer business here in Greenfield or Highland County. Plus, there is a growing demand for and shortage of premium hops. I have researched this before and found that our area is capable of supporting hops production. Tired of looking at soybeans and corn? Hop on the beer wagon!
We ate, we drank, we made merry!
The 2nd Annual G3 Blues, Brews and Stews Winter Festival on February 22 was a total success. For most of the evening it was standing room only with a crowd hovering around 200. The Greenfield Eagles Lodge, who co-hosted the event, put together a great assortment of brews, Two Roasting Joes was on hand with a large assortment of locally roasted gourmet coffees, the Hannah Losey Scholarship Fund took care of everyone’s sweet tooth, we had a record-breaking 20 entries in the chili-stew cook off. In fact we had way too many crock pots