A Few of My Favorite Things
Last night was one of those typical mid-week evenings when you have nothing planned except for an easy dinner, walk the dog, watch a show and then off to bed. But then after a brief text exchange at 5:07pm, the night quickly turned into something special.
Honest-to-Goodness Real Life Text Chain
One of my oldest friends in Colorado (going on 25 years) had an opening in his schedule to come over to the house, and I said, “Yeah, tonight works.” With less than an hour to rally some food & drinks, I put on my Martha Stewart hat and quickly went to work.
I popped down to the kitchen, and with Brian and I both being classic jazz fans, the first thing I did is throw on one my favorite mixtapes that includes: Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Dave Brubeck, Ella & Louis, Peggy Lee, Hugh Masekela, Ramsey Lewis, etc. The jazz was sounding particularly “live & energetic” with the addition of a pair of $24.99 ECHO FLEX’s I had hooked up to both the Heinsenfolg Cathedral 1.0 in my kitchen, and the Heinsenfolg Flatiron 2.1 out in my adjacent dining room. With plug & play ease, a standard audio cord connects the Flex to the Heinsenfolg speakers via 3.5mm aux jacks on both units— perfectly playing synched music in both rooms. OK, thanks for baring with me, that’s the last self-serving pitch for our products here. And now that the music was in full swing, I chopped up a quick Crudités, and got my simple, yet super tasty chicken sandwiches going.
Amazon Echo Flex w/ Alexa
Start with chicken thighs seasoned with garlic salt, minced onion & Herbes de Provence (and please, don’t be stingy on the non-salty seasonings). Fry them up in a well-coated amount of butter & olive oil in a cast iron skillet on medium until well-browned on both sides. In the meantime, golden brown a couple of brioche buns in butter on a second skillet. Buns, chicken, mayo, lettuce and/or your favorite pickles, and that’s a quick & yummy sandwich!
Next up, and as promised in the text, how about a Bees Knees Old Fashioned, but with a twist— introducing BASIL HAYDEN'S DARK RYE with just a touch of port. Yes, port… ridiculous, right? How about some blueberry bourbon? Or radish-flavored rye? Or scallion scotch? Honesty, while I’m not a rigid purest when it comes to my whisky, I usually don’t care for any trendy flavors infused in my spirits, period. Isn’t that what cocktails are for? But I must say, this is some of the most addicting whisky I have ever had. It lures you in with its luscious tawny color, then seduces as notes of oak & dark berries dance on the nose. Obviously not for everyone, but if you’re a port AND bourbon fan (like I am), then it’s worth a try. For me, the complex notes added by the port made our old fashioned cocktails all the more interesting & delicious. And the “ice”-ing on the cake… Brian brought a box of gorgeous 2” cubes from COLORADO ICE WORKS. These cubes (as seen in the iPhone photo I took last night on my kitchen island) are beautifully crystal clear with zero impurities or bubble imperfections. Not exactly cheap, but what wonderful treat as each sip transports you to a shi-shi metropolitan cocktail bar.
Finally for a backyard nightcap on what was a fairly mild March evening in Colorado, Brian also treated us with a couple of cigars from ESTEBAN CARRERAS. The style was called “Chupa Cabra”, and they were exquisite. Starting with an inviting rich & deep leathery smell on the nose, you immediately notice the wonderfully rich oil on your lips as you take your first draw. This Robusto Grande was favorable in size for my taste at 5 1/2” long and with a semi-thick ring gauge of 54. It was the perfect way to cap off an impromptu evening for two good friends to simply hang out and shoot the shit.
Basil Hayden Dark Rye + Colorado Iceworks 2” Cubes on my Kitchen Island
Esteban Carreras Chupa Cabra Cigars
