Halloween Themed Cocktails

Hello everyone, and welcome to my special Halloween themed bar! I hope you guys are ready for a ton of spooky concoctions. Now. let me fix you up something special!

• Mr Hyde Cocktail

Ingredients

• 8 oz vodka
• 4 oz parfait amour liqueur
• 1 oz blackberry liqueur
• 2 oz tarragon simple syrup
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz lavender syrup
• 4 lavender sprigs
• 8 blackberries

Directions: Prepare the tarragon simple syrup by placing 1 cup and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until it reaches a low boil. Add two sprigs of fresh tarragon and reduce heat to low. Heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove tarragon and allow syrup to cool. Place 2 blackberries on each lavender sprig and set aside. Cut and juice lemon. Strain to remove pulp, if desired. Add sprits, syrups and juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until very cold (about 20 seconds). Pour drinks into beakers and add a lavender blackberry skewer.

 

 

• Drunk Zombie Eyes Cocktail

Ingredients

For The Red Layer:

• Cranberry Liqueur
•  Strawberry Liqueur
• Triple Sec
• Strawberry Brezzer 

For The White Layer:

• Coconut Rum
• Coconut Cream
• Whipping Cream

Directions: Create the White Layer first by combing the Coconut Rum, Coconut Cream, and Whipping Cream in a cocktail mixer. Add the Red Layer next, and garnish with a Mini Jaggermiester bottle and Jelly Eyes.

 

 

Advertisements

Asher’s Art Gallery (Scary October Edition) (Every Other Monday)

* Some of these pieces are pretty creepy!

Hello fellow art lovers! It’s Monday, and my Gallery is open once again! I hope you guys are ready for some awesome pieces. Now, have fun exploring my Gallery!

•  The Smiling Spider by Odilon Redon Lithograph 1888 

This is a grotesquely awesome work by “French Symbolist” Redon. The titular spider is atramentous with 8 very long legs. The most surreal part of the piece is the spider’s face. It has human-like features and short, fang-like teeth. It’s also missing one eye, and almost absorbs the background. While, it’s not the most colorful piece, I believe that this adds to the creepiness factor. Tell me what you think of this piece in the comments’ section below.

 

• Necronom IV by H.R. Giger 1976 Airbrush on paper

This is an incredibly awesome work by the genius of Aliens, H.R. Giger. This is a painting of a fierce-looking Necromorph with multiple tentacles. The face reminds me of a dragonfish, and the long head is like a giant spine. The use of dark colors really brings this work to life. I adore the incredibly intricate design, and creepy visuals. Tell me what you think of this horror masterpiece in the comments’ section below.

 

Asher’s Favorite Beers (Every Other Thursday)

Information about beers found on BeerAdvocate.com

Hello everyone! I have decided to spice things up a bit, and create a more personal Thursday post. Recently, I have been training to become a Cicerone. A Cicerone is like a sommelier for beer. They have the tasks of keeping and serving beer, knowing about the various beer styles, evaluating and describing beer flavor, knowing about beer’s ingredients and how to brew them, and how to pair various beers with foods. Yesterday, I took a beer bootcamp on the basics of being a Cicerone, and boy was it amazing! I have finally found out what I would like to do with my life, and it feels great! In order to celebrate this epiphany, I have decided to share with you my favorite beers. I hope you guys will enjoy this post as much as I enjoy writing it. Now, let’s dive into the amazing and delicious world of beer!

•  Wells Banana Bread Beer 

Brewed by: Wells & Young’s Ltd England, United Kingdom

Style: Fruit/ Vegetable Beer

ABV: 5.20%

Availability: Year-Round

This incredibly unique beer first caught my attention when I saw it in the liquor isle of my local grocery store. It stood out among the rest, and I immediately decided to buy it. Upon opening the beer, I was met with a wonderful smell of Bananas. The beer was bright yellow, and reminded me of Cola Champagne. I took a sip, and was immediately engulfed in a banana paradise. The sweetness of the bananas combined with the bitterness of the hops was absolutely perfect. I cannot recommend this beer enough, and I highly suggest that you go buy it if you can find it in your area.

 

• Dragon’s Milk Stout

Brewed In: New Holland Brewing Company Michigan, United States

Style: American Double/ Imperial Stout

ABV: 11.00%

 Availability :Year-Round

I first discovered this gem of a beer when I was vacationing in Ojai. I was at a Tapas Bar, and I found this beer on the menu. I absolutely adore the bottle’s art, which depicts a black dragon on a beer barrel. This beer is aged in a whiskey barrel, and has an extremely dark color. The beer smells very chocolaty, and the contents look like root beer. It has a very unique taste, that reminds me of a bitter Bailey’s Irish Creme with hints of vanilla and coffee. It is a pretty strong beer, so it is not for everyone, but if you are interested, by all means, try it out. 

 

Carlson Mondays (Every Other Monday)

All works found on larrycarlson.bigcartel.com and larrycarlson.tumblr.com

Hello fellow art lovers! It’s Monday, and you know what that means! Yes, it’s time for us to take a look at some transcendent art pieces. Now, let’s dive into the amazing world of Larry Carlson!

•  Alone and Unafraid- Part Three by Larry Carlson 2012 Digital chromogenic print

This is a large and epic work by “Surrealist Guru”, Larry Carlson. The overall presentation of the piece is awe-inspiring, and Carlson’s fantastic genius leeks through. Carlson has always had a way with cosmic elegance, and this painting is no exception. The atramentous sky reminds me of one of those old rainbow papers we used as kids. He has multicolored stars across a black background, and also curved lines representing the eight planets. As we descend down the piece, we see a cosmic, satellite-like, entity with a woman’s head. A roller coaster is attached to it, and we see it emitting brilliant white lightning. Diving even deeper down, our eyes meet a robed figure with two faces. It appears to be holding some sort of spherical staff, which is radiating with a purple aura. Lastly, we see the ground of the work,which seems to be made out of melting saxophones. I absolutely adore this piece, and I would love to hear what you guys think of it in the comments’ section below.

  

 

• Colorized Afternoon by Larry Carlson Pigment print on metallic paper

Here we have a vibrantly brilliant work by “Computer Guru”, Larry Carlson. The colors of the piece really “pop out” at the viewer, and transport them into a surreal world of intense serenity. Everything about the painting incorporates the senses, whether it be the multicolored sky, or the floral-patterned grass. While not being one of Carlson’s biggest works, it still aims to blow the viewer’s mind. Tell me what you think of this piece in the comments’ section below.

 

More Tasty Foods From Around The World (Fridays)

Foods found on en.wikipedia.org

Hello fellow food lovers! It’s Friday, and you know what that means! Yes, it’s time to take a look at some more delicious foods. Now, let’s dig in!

• Ginanggang is a sweet snack that comes from the Philippines. It’s a skewered banana that’s covered with margarine and sugar. 

• Baeckeoffe is a casserole-based dish that comes from France. It’s made with sliced potatoes, sliced onions, cubed mutton marinated in wine, leeks, parsley, carrots, and marjoram. It’s eaten during Christmas.

Asher’s Pub (Thursdays)

Drinks found on various websites

Hello fellow Mixologists! It’s Thursday, and my Pub is open once again! I hope you guys are ready for some awesome drinks. Now, let me fix you up something special!

• Gerudo (Legend of Zelda cocktail) (Drink created by Mer)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz Scotch Whiskey
• 3/4 Blood orange juice
• 3/4 oz Cherry Herring
• 3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
• 1-2 tsp Espresso
• 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Directions: Brew espresso according to instructions, let cool. Shake all ingredients with ice.

 

• Ocean Breeze Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz Malibu® coconut rum
• 1 1/2 oz Stoli® Razberi vodka
• 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice
• 3-4 oz cranberry juice

Directions: Stir ingredients together in a Collins glass filled with ice cubes. Top with a cherry and serve.

Yokai Wednesdays (Every Other Wednesday)

Creatures found on yokai.com

Konichiwa, everyone! It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means! Yes, it’s time for us to take a look at some more fascinating yokai. Now, let’s go on a journey to the “Land of the Rising Sun”!

• Hone onna are macabre creatures of Japanese mythology. They’re depicted as  spirits with rotting faces. It’s said that they are the ghosts of beautiful women that died at a young age. They will visit their old lover’s homes, and try to seduce them. If successful, Hone onna will begin to drain their lover’s life force. When fully drained, the man will die, joining his former lover in the afterlife.

• *I have done this next yokai before, but I am going to update the entry just in time for Halloween.* Teke teke are incredibly violent creatures of Japanese folklore. They’re depicted as the animated upper bodies of bisected women. Their name comes from the sound that they make when they run on their arms. The origin story of these creatures is a bit difficult to depict, and there’re many speculations of how this yokai was created. Some tales depict the yokai as a victim of a horrific accident, or suicide. They will chase down victims with a sickle. Despite the lack of legs Teke Teke are extremely fast, and can even outrun cars. When they catch their victims, they slice them in half, and steal their legs. Teke Teke have only one weakness, and it depends of the story. Some legends say that magical charms can ward off the creature’s attacks. Others says that you’re “shit outta luck”, and will die almost instantly.