Tips for Healing Mentally and Physically from an Injury

yoga on the beach

If you’re a man who relies on your strength, endurance and mobility to make a living, getting injured can be more than just a blow to your physical well-being, but your mental state as well. In fact, it’s a nightmare. The more severe an injury is, the more work has to be done to get back to your old self. Depending on the extent of the injuries, this could also mean time off from work and limited activity. And, of course, no one wants that.

Ultimately, the best thing you can do is allow yourself enough time to really heal. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Many men try and mask the emotion of dealing with an injury and instead begin to rely on things like alcohol and prescribed medications to get past it.

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Drink of the Week: La Paloma (Revisited)

La Paloma.This Thursday is Cinco de Mayo, and that’s as good an excuse as any to revisit what I’m guessing is the world’s second most popular tequila cocktail. Indeed, this year I’ve got an additional excuse, which is to give a plug to some work by a DOTW Manor resident and frequent cocktail tester. Seems this enterprising young director was a finalist in a contest being sponsored by one of your classier tequila manufacturers, Avion. Moreover, I found out not long after writing the original draft of this post that he actually won a Grand Prize. Good things can sometimes come to those who imbibe (with moderation) and work (to excess).

As luck would have it, I myself can be seen in one of Joseph Lao’s two spine-tingling faux trailers, this one demonstrating the construction of a high-end La Paloma. Moreover, the last time we dealt with that drink — some four years ago and, it seems, a lifetime away — I offered the more popular, but arguably less refined, take on the beverage. This time, we’re setting aside the Jarritos grapefruit soda, and very definitely the Squirt, and going for a somewhat healthier and arguably more satisfying version of a cocktail that deserves its place alongside many better-known drinks.

La Paloma

2 ounces white tequila (Avion Silver, if you’ve got it, I guess)
1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup or about 2 1/2 teaspoons of superfine sugar
1 splash or two of club soda
1 lime web (desirable garnish)

This is one you build in a Tom Collins-type glass, though it might be good idea to pre-chill it as well in this case. Anyhow, just add all the liquid ingredients over ice and stir, and then add the lime wedge, which really does seem to improve the overall flavor.

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Coming Soon: A Moviegoer’s Guide to March

march

Let’s not beat around the bush: the big draw this month is undoubtedly the long-awaited match-up between superhero heavy hitters Batman and Superman. Although it’ll be interesting to see whether Warner Bros. and DC Comics are finally able to jumpstart their own shared cinematic universe à la Marvel with this very expensive Hail Mary, there are far more interesting movies that deserve your attention, including a pair of adult-minded sci-fi flicks from the makers of “Cloverfield” and “Take Shelter.”

“London Has Fallen”

Who: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett
What: While in London for the Prime Minister’s funeral, Mike Banning discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.
When: March 4th
Why: “Olympus Has Fallen” may have been the better of the dueling “‘Die Hard’ in the White House” movies (though just barely), but the premise behind the sequel is almost as lame as its title, a moronic play on the famous children’s song. Not only does it seem ridiculous that Aaron Eckhart’s president and Gerard Butler’s secret service agent would find themselves in yet another hostage situation, but the very thing that made the first film enjoyable – the close quarters, single-location setting – has been discarded in favor of a more sprawling, city-wide adventure. Granted, it worked for “Die Hard,” but those movies also had John McClane.

“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”

Who: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton
What: A journalist recounts her wartime coverage in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
When: March 4th
Why: War comedies are a tough proposition, especially those set in real-life warzones, because it’s a tricky balancing act of trying to earn laughs while still being respectful of the people at the butt of the joke. Though “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” sounds like a slam dunk on paper – in addition to Tina Fey reteaming with frequent collaborator Robert Carlock, it boasts a talented cast and a pair of directors (Glenn Ficarra and John Requa) with a solid track record – the trailers aren’t very encouraging. Moviegoers could use a good political satire after recent flops like “Our Brand is Crisis” and “Rock the Kasbah,” but sadly, this doesn’t seem to be it.

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Drink of the Week: The Imperfect Persimmon Flip

the Imperfect Persimmon Flip.If you don’t know a persimmon from a papaya, don’t feel too bad. I had not the vaguest idea of what the darn things tasted like until our in-house guinea pig here at Drink of the Week Manor brought in a gigantic box of the somewhat obscure fruit freshly picked by relatives.

Persimmons look a bit like the offspring of a tomato and a pumpkin, and taste something like an apple-pumpkin-mango hybrid; they’re pretty delicious. As they become over-ripe, they eventually develop an almost jam-like consistency and sweetness without actually rotting.

Of course, blessed with so much of this highly underrated fruit, my mind turned to cocktails. The few recipes I found online called for making persimmon purees, which flies in the face of my often stated goal of making all of these drinks something you can throw together in less than 10 minutes.

So, it was time me to get creative and whip up something simple of my own. The good news is that you don’t have to wait until your persimmon turns to jelly, all you need is a strong arm and a decent muddler, an egg, and a few basic cocktail ingredients to make yourself a really hearty, holiday season appropriate, dessert cocktail.

The Imperfect Persimmon Flip

1 1/2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 small persimmon (i.e., a slice of about 1″ x 2″)
1 whole large egg
1/4 ounce agave syrup
2 dashes aromatic bitters

Thoroughly muddle the persimmon half/slice in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Unless your persimmon is super-duper ripe, you’ll need an actual muddler and some substantial elbow grease to make sure you get it sufficiently juicy and mushy. Add the other ingredients and then dry shake it all without ice to make sure the whole egg emulsifies properly, giving the drink the milky-noggy consistency you want, not the slimy consistency people who have never had drinks with egg or egg white frequently fear. Make sure you keep a tight seal on the lid because the albumin in egg white can make the top of a shaker want to fly off.

Then, add plenty of ice and shake again, this time very vigorously and for no less than 10-15 seconds. Strain into a well chilled cocktail glass or, as pictured, a smallish rocks/old fashioned glass as shown above. You’ll want to use a Hawthorn strainer that will let some chunks of persimmon through. Although flips are traditionally topped with nutmeg, I think cinnamon works better on this drink.

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If you’re wondering about why I’m calling this the Imperfect Persimmon Flip, that’s easy. It’s a flip because it has a whole egg in it. It’s imperfect because I actually started out calling this the Perfect Persimmon Flip in that, like last week’s Perfect Cocktail, it originally featured both sweet and dry vermouth. When the dry/floral flavors clashed with the sweetness of the rest of the drink, I doubled down on the sweet vermouth and found myself with a much better drink, imperfect though it is.

Now for the brands, which can make a real difference here. As you can see in the picture, I started out with Maker’s Mark, one of the sweeter, gentler premium bourbons, and Martini, pretty much the default brand for vermouth. My aromatic bitters were Angostura, another default choice.

That earlier version was not one bit bad, nor was one using Martini and 100 proof Rittenhouse Rye. I have to admit, however, that this drink only really hit the stratosphere when I went with another line-up entirely: my freebie bottle of the notably less sweet and notably stronger Wild Turkey 101 bourbon, cocktailian-approved Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, and Fee Brothers’ friendlier aromatic. The almost chocolatey bitterness of Antica and the more astringent, assertive Wild Turkey emphasized the sweeter flavors and made for a holiday-time treat that, as my generous human guinea pig put it, looked and tasted something like a drinkable, cold, pumpkin pie.

  

Staying Healthy on Your Night Out on the Town

girl in nightclub

Bars and clubs are a lot different than they used to be, in some areas anyway. A lot of places no longer allow smoking and you can usually find light beer on tap.

Sometimes a guy just needs a night out on the town, even if he does everything he can all week to stay fit and healthy. Going out for drinks with the guys doesn’t have to be an unhealthy adventure, as long as you keep a few things in mind.

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