I'd still go in...

just for the chance that one of them isn't true.

Best Superbowl Appetizer Award Goes to...

Buffalo Chicken Wing Cup Cakes!

The perfect combination of pre- and post- meal delicatessen. First, you dip the drummie in the cupcake's blue cheese buttermilk whipped frosting, and then you devour the spicy goodness of the cupcake cakeness. Truly amazing... my compliments to Chef Cromie! Next year - some type of bacon cupcake.

Dear Supermarket, Really?

I love beer and meats as much as the next guy, but really? I'm not sure this is appetizing. And why only one beer? SUPERMARKET FAIL.

Now this guy has a head for building beer pyramids

I asked & I received... Beer-nog Whiskey Recipe

Thanks to our friends who make the Big O (their website), I now have a holiday drink concoction that's sure to blow the doors off your taste bud hot rod.

It's called Egg Flip, it's served hot, and it should be consumed immediately (so, the longer you're separated from it, the more time it has to separate - so don't expect there to be any leftovers)!

I stole the fancy drink image from drinksecrets.com. And they present a completely different Egg Flip recipe. So if you follow the following, it may not look just like the picture... unless you have a set of this glassware.

To the recipe! ... And to getting your holiday drinking off to a great start!

Egg Flip Recipe

Makes  enough for about 4 small glasses to the 1863 recipe and suggested ratios, a small glass or goblet per person is perfect. H. Porter in 1863 also recommends Gin (as well as Rum) for his Egg Flip, but most recipes use a Dark Rum. Rum and ale go well together, gin and ale goes less successfully. Use a good quality ‘real-ale’ for this recipe, also known as a cask conditioned ale or beer.

Note: Unlike the chilled Egg Nog, Egg Flip does not keep well – because it is heated it should be drunk soon after making, the egg will start to separate in the drink if left to go cold.

Ingredients For Egg Flip:

900ml of real-ale

100ml of Dark Rum

85g brown sugar (Demerara)

Grated Nutmeg (10 shavings)

1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

3 eggs (beaten)

Recipe Method:

In a larger, heavy based saucepan put onto a medium heat 300ml of the real ale. In a mixing bowl beat the eggs and sugar into a creamy paste – when the ale is simmering just under the boil, turn down the heat and whisk in the beaten eggs and sugar.

Making The Egg Flip - Heating The Ale And Whisking In The Beaten Eggs And Sugar

Whisk thoroughly and continuously as the eggs might scramble in the ale. When the ale has thickened and the beaten eggs and sugar have mixed and dissolved thoroughly add in the Rum and whisk. Grate in the nutmeg and add the ground ginger. Whisk thoroughly then add in the remaining 600ml of ale.

Mulling The Completed Egg Flip Over A Gentle Heat

Leave on a very gentle heat for 10 minutes until the Egg Flip is heated right through.

Frothing Up The Egg Flip By Pouring It Between Two Serving Jugs

Turn off the heat and either pour the Egg Flip between two saucepans or jugs to excite the drink, and make it frothy, or whisk it continuously for two minutes. Pour the Egg Flip into heat proof mugs or tankards and drink while still warm.

Recommended Ales For Egg Flip

If outside of the UK and getting the following ales proves difficult, then get a good local ‘real ale’ brewed in the traditional way from your country, (referred to as ‘cask conditioned ale/beer’). Do not use a lager, even those brewed in the UK, lager and ale are two different beverages – in Britain beer and ale are interchangeable names for roughly the same thing (although it is slightly more complicated than that).

1) ‘Bishops Finger’ from Shepherd Neame Brewery. 2) ‘London Pride’ from Fuller’s Brewery. 3) ‘Old Peculiar’ from Theakston’s Brewery. There are many other good makes, but these three are some of the best. If bottled beer is not widely available then cans of ‘Old Speckled Hen’ from Greene King brewery are also recommended.

Time to hit the liquor store...

Yum... Ice Cream Makes Me Hoppy

Well, I don't think they've figured out how to create a 6.6% bowl of ice cream, but they seem to have wrangled some of our favorite mini keg flavors to be served with a spoon. Frozen Pints is taking the best of beer and serving it in a bowl. Yum.

I, for one, can't wait to explore the flavor infusion of a beers-cream float. One part Guinness, two scoops of Malted Milk Chocolate Stout... three cheers for deliciousness.

But this isn't the first exploration of beer on the freezer frontier. The Beer Bistro in Toronto has been experimenting with beer-flavored ice cream for a while. Maybe Frozen Pints will put this micro-category on the map... actually, forget the map, put that stuff in my deep freeze.

Check out some of their flavors. And don't forget to pick up a pint for that next 21st Birthday celebration.

Cheers!

Finally! An iPhone Accessory That Makes Sense ... for beer drinkers.

They've done it with paint can openers and sandals, necklaces and belt buckles. But now, a couple of Aussies have taken bottle opening to new, technological heights. Introducing, the Opena (pre-order now for only $39.99) for your iPhone 4! 

I'm pretty sure this has happened to all of us at some point: You've grabbed a beer out of the cooler, and you go to twist off the cap only to discover it needs a bottle opener. You frantically search your jean pockets, only to find a crinkled dollar bill, $.26 in change, a paperclip, some lint and your iPhone. How embarrassing?!! 

Don't ever let this happen to you again. Own one of the world's most expensive church keys, and put your iPhone to some really good use. Practicality has never tasted so good...

In Honor of My Future Baby

In Honor of My Wife

Ladies, I feel for you. Being pregnant, abstaining from beer and wine, growing a baby inside of you... it doesn't look easy.

And even though this image is promoting a non-acoholic brewski, it does look strange to me. Last week at a pool party, I had my prego-wife hold my beer while I ran to the bathroom. She said it was a strange feeling for her, holding the beer being pregnant, catching glances from others there, silently being judged. She felt like she had to explain, "I'm just holding it" to those around her. 

Of course, I just laughed and said, "if you want a beer, have one." Lucky for me (and my future baby-to-be), she's doing this pregnancy thing "by the book." Everything in moderation; that's my stance. One taste, one beer, one glass of wine... or whatever, it can't be that bad. Women have been drinking, smoking, doing crack (well, I've read about it anyway) and their babies have been adding to our population since the invention of alcohol, tobacco and crack. 

So I'm not advocating or denouncing a woman's choice one way or the other. Who am I to say you can't have a taste of the golden nectar we call beer? This is America. Worse decisions have been made in the past, and I think we're just fine. 

So, cheers to the ladies out there growing the next generation inside their bellies. Whether or not you imbibe, you deserve our appreciation and thanks. Salud!