Valentine’s Day – Silk & Lace Embrace

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There are a few holidays that might pop up in one’s subconscious as definitive drinking holidays, such as Saint Patrick’s Day or Thanksgiving when Uncle Ted is sitting around the living room talking about the final three minutes of his high school football championship game and how if it weren’t for his trick knee he could have gone pro… oh for the love of all that is holy is that a day to grab a stiff cocktail.  However, where the other holidays might be equally celebrated with any pedestrian “drink”, Valentine’s Day stands above all others as the day in which an elegant cocktail must be delicately sipped, passionately savored and ever so caressed gently by candlelight.  It is a night in which seduction and indulgence is encouraged, if not demanded… and what better way to embody that romantic mood than to drink a sultry cocktail?! (yeah, alright, perhaps there might be another activity that comes to mind as well) Continue reading →

Behold, the Nog!

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When the Winter holidays approach, there is one cocktail that stands above all others as THE cocktail to celebrate the season’s festivities… Egg Nog!  Sure, one can argue a nice Hot Toddy or Hot Buttered Rum may be worthy of the pedestal as well, but I submit the Nog symbolizes the very nature of the American spirit of the holidays: artery hardening indulgence with a slow and painful regret that lingers into the new year.

I tweeted out, as I am want to do from time to time, asking for people’s favorite egg nog recipes.  Surprisingly, most relayed a recipe that started with commercial egg nog.  Now I understand we are all busy and grabbing a carton of nog and adding in your favorite booze is the kind of low effort one might engage in when the family has assembled and Uncle Ned is snorring on the couch as Aunt Erma is telling you about her latest battle with bunions.  I get it.  But, as cocktail enthusiasts we need to roll up our sleeves and get geeky with these classic cocktails turned commercial.  Before the mega mart had a forrest of cartons assaulting the shelves during the Winter season, the simple folk of the land made batches of egg nog from scratch.  Seriously, they didn’t even have Food Network on TV… how hard can it be? Continue reading →

Holiday Call To Action – Make a Difference

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Most of my posts are lighthearted and fun, related to the enjoyment of life.  During the holidays, especially, it’s a time to gather that magical and mystical “holiday cheer” and celebrate life, love and family. However, life is not always fair and will sometimes hit people completely undeserving at exactly the wrong moment. I’ve had my fair share of sorrow and difficulty, but sometimes I come across a situation that hits me straight to the heart.  I drop my own minor issues and look upon the gifts of my life and see more blessing than I had been previously witness to. No matter how bad my life may be at times (going through difficulty with my mortgage and very close to foreclosure and losing my house), I want to help others who clearly need more help than I could ever need.  Please humor me for a minute and read about some one who could use a little holiday miracle.   Continue reading →

There once was a man named TikiGeeki

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I know this will be hard for some of you to read, and please know that this Spirited Geek fellow isn’t trying to replace the memories you have of your beloved TikiGeeki, but sometimes the events in life takes us to a place that is, in many ways, different than where we started that journey. Some times we need to stop and look around and see where we’ve ended up. Kids, mommy and daddy love you very much.  However, and I know this may take some time getting used to, but TikiGeeki will be leaving. He’ll always be in our hearts, and like a rash on the Internet, he won’t exactly be leaving very quickly, but the man that once was TikiGeeki is no more.   Continue reading →

The Business of Cocktails, Such a Pain

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The cocktail world has been abuzz lately over the recent news of a legal battle involving a very well known tiki bar in New York called Painkiller, now forced to change its name to PKNY, and the rum brand Pusser’s Rum.  Like Prince, “the artist formally known as”, Painkill… excuse me… PKNY was sued by Pusser’s to preserve their trademark of the Painkiller cocktail because the bar was not only named after their intellectual property, but also didn’t serve the cocktail using Pusser’s Rum.  As part of the settlement, the bar had to change its name and forfeit their domain name.  News of this broke rather subtly (let’s face it, no newspaper is going to cover this one page one), however, as the Internet is want to do, quickly exploded in a wildfire of bartenders banding together in outrage over Pusser’s actions and the concept of copyrighting cocktails in general. Continue reading →