Drinks

It's hard to believe that two months ago it was snowing in Southern California and I was out at the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show.  While there professional pool player Ewa Mataya Lawrence, the Striking Viking, showed me a pretty sweet trick shot.  If I could ever repeat it I would be amazed.

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She also shot a pool ball off of a guy's teeth into the corner pocket and despite the fact she's a good looking woman and was in a booth for "Freedom Tray", I wasn't about to volunteer for that job.  I like my teeth.

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If you're looking for something a little stronger to light your fire, try a Dr. Pepper Shot.

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Dr. Pepper Shot

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This drink is actually outlawed in a lot of bars. Some because of the fire and some for the 151.  I have no idea how but it really does taste like slamming glass of Dr. Pepper.

• Mug of Draft Beer
• 1 oz Amaretto Almond Liqueur
• 1/4 oz Bacardi 151 Rum

Pour the Amaretto into a shot glass. Float the 151 on top of the Amaretto and then light the glass on fire.  Carefully drop the shot glass into the beer to extinguish the flame and chug. This is one of the all-time great beer cocktails.

Last night I was going to pick up several bottles of egg nog for a taste test after dinner along with the Saturday Night Live Christmas Special.  In the end I stopped at Costco prior to the liquor store and they still have Pennsylvania Dutch Egg Nog on the shelves. At under $12 for 1.75 liters it's a steal and the alcohol is already mixed in.  This brand is thick and creamy and has a smooth flavor with brandy, rum, and whiskey providing a nice kick of about 30 proof. 

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That's great if you're drinking with family but if the holidays for you are more like the Griswolds and less like White Christmas, I recommend adding a little extra to the mix.  I don't have any brandy so I added a bit of Maker's Mark and Captain Morgan and topped off the whole concoction with a bit of nutmeg. 

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Only two things would have made this drink better...

1) Drinking it out of a moose mug like Clark's from Christmas Vacation, now available from CanadianMoose.com, but sadly not in time for Christmas this year.

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2) Drinking it with these girls... I don't think they are from Pennsylvania.

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The tree is up, the lights are hung, and it's time for a shot of Christmas cheer. Nothing says Santa and Season's Greetings like candy canes and these candy cane shots would definitely make my holidays happier. Finding this hottie in my stocking (ok her stockings) would be 100 times better than a partridge in a pear tree. For that matter anything on the 3wishes.com site would be a most welcome present. The Gift of the Magi indeed...

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Should I wake up to find this bit of holiday delight under my tree I know exactly what drink to whip up too. The candy cane shooter would be perfect.

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Candy Cane Shot

• 1/2 oz peppermint schnapps
• 1/2 oz Rumple Minze® peppermint liqueur
• 1/2 oz cream
• 1 dash grenadine syrup

Pour the schnapps and Rumple Minze into a cocktail shaker full of ice and top off with the cream.  Shake until frosty cold then swirl in a few drops of grenadine for color. For an added touch serve this shot in a festive shot glass made of candy cane, available at Amazon.com. 

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Hope your holiday season is off to a good start.

This is another SEMA edition of Sweet G's Shot of the Week with Courtney Hansen. You might remember her from Overhaulin and now she has a show on Spike called "Great Builds".  That's suits her well because she definitely has a great build.  She's kind of a staple at SEMA and I actually met her in a bar at the Las Vegas Hilton.  I think she was with her boyfriend so we only exchanged pleasantries but let me tell you, she is smokin hot in person.  She seems like the kind of girl you could hang out with but she would definitely blow your doors in a drag race. This girl knows cars.

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As for the shot...I chose the Flaming Lamborghini in honor off the dude that passed us on the way out to Vegas in a bright red Lamboghini Diablo. He was only going about 80, which was curious until we realized he had company and I don't think she was searching for her contacts so in honor of him...the Flaming Lamborghini.  This would be a sweet drink to make after a night game but probably not quite as awesome during the day.

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Flaming Lamborghini

• 1 1/2 oz. Galliano
• 1 1/2 oz. Sambuca
• 1 1/2 oz. Blue Curacao
• 1 1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
  

Pour Sambuca and Kahlua into a Martini Glass, layering so that the Sambuca is on top and give the drinker a straw. Pour Baileys and Blue Curacao into two separate shot glasses either side of the Martini glass. Light the Martini glass on fire and start drinking through the straw quickly so the straw doesn't melt. As the bottom of the glass is reached put out the fire by pouring the Baileys and Blue Curacao into the cocktail glass and keep drinking till it's all gone! As you can see from the video there are variations so it might take some work to find a bar that puts on this great of a show with it.

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Stay Hungry My Friends...

John Hughes died yesterday and everyone I know is talking about their favorite 80s movies.  Most people mention The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles and I'll admit I looked for a good photo of Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science but I couldn't find any and then I recalled that Hughes was responsible for National Lampoon's Vacation starring a 40 year old Chevy Chase as the bumbling father and Christie Brinkley as every dad's fantasy racing by the family road trip in a Ferarri and ultimately encouraging Clark Griswald to skinny dip with her.  Beverly D'Angelo was pretty milfy as Clark's wife too.

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Christie Brinkley

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Christie Brinkley was the first model to appear on 3 consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition covers and Elle Macpherson is the only other model to have done it. With shots like this you can see why she was so popular.  She just got divorced last year from her 4th husband so this is one milf that's available. Christie has aged well though I'm not so sure she tailgates very much. If she ever does make it out to a tailgate party, we've got a shot waiting for her.

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Sweet G's Shot of the Week - Warm Blonde Shooter

• 1 oz. Southern Comfort
• 1 oz. Amaretto

No ice necessary for this one. Just mix both ingredients in a tall, slim shot glass and toast away.  This one's for you Christie. And thank you John Hughes for putting Christie in National Lampoon's Vacation, one of the funniest road trip movies ever.

Everyone knows the Tailgating Legends love cans.  Sweet G's Shot of the week has featured many spectacular cans over the years. 

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When it comes to beer though I have always been a bottle kind of guy.  Just last week when Dave over at Tailgating Ideas posted his article "8 Ways Tailgaters Ruin Their Beers" I took issue with # 4 because he said cans are the best choice for tailgating.  That post inspired me to "do a little research" and to my surprise and enlightenment I have found that there are in fact many good beers that come in cans so I stand corrected. (actually I sit corrected because I'm typing and enjoying a can right now)

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I'm not talking about 30 packs of Natural Light or Old Milwaukee. If that's what you like, more power to you. I have pretty much always been a beer snob so I like my beer with lots of hops, lots of malt, and lots of flavor.  In my quest for high quality canned beer I headed to Beverages and More and also to the local Vons/Safeway grocery store.  BevMo obviously had a much larger selection and Vons had the usuals.

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Grocery Store Premium Cans

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Boddingtons Pub Ale Draught Can (4 pack)

Guiness Pub Draught (4 pack)

Corona Extra (6 pack or 12 pack)

Fosters Lager (25.4 oz can)

Heineken Minikeg Cans (6 pack)

Modelo Especial (6 pack or 12 pack)

Sapporo Reserve (22 oz can)

Sapporo Silver (22 oz can)

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Beverages & More Selection

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BevMo had easily 3 times as many canned beers as the grocery store. I should point out that Albertsons had cans of New Belgium's Fat Tire in 12 packs. I couldn't taste every beer on the list because it would have cost me a fortune. A lot of these are $10 a 6 pack so you get what you pay for.  I did try the Maui Brewing Company Big Swell IPA and the Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale. Both of these brewers tout recycling and keeping the light out of the beer as advantages to cans along with chilling faster. I expected the beer to have a metallic taste and I was very skeptical but they were both really good beers.  Dale's Pale Ale was even better than some bottled beers I've had.

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Some of these beers might be regional so not all of them will be available in every market but here's the list:

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21st Amendment Live Free or Die IPA

Heineken Minikeg

Bass

Boddingtons Pub Draught

Belhaven Pub Draught

Bavik Premium Pilsner

Beamish Irish Stout

Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale

Big Sky Trout Slayer Ale

Carlsberg Elephant Malt

Corona Extra

Fosters Lager

Fuller's London Pride

Hinano Tahitian Premium

Kirin Ichiban

Maui Big Swell IPA

Maui Bikini Blonde Lager

Maui Coconut Porter

Modelo Especial

Murphy's Stout

New Belgium Fat Tire

Newscastle Nut Brown Ale

Old Speckled Hen

Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale

Oskar Blues Gordon Beer

Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yellow Pilsner

Oskar Blues Old Chub Scottish Ale

Oskar Blues Ten Fiddy

Ranier Ale

Red Stripe

Sapporo Reserve

Sapporo Silver

Strongbow Cider

Tetley's English Ale

Wexford Irish Cream Wittkerke Belgian Ale

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

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I was very surprised that this list turned out to be so long and very pleasantly surprised to see microbrews on the list.  Given that I'm not allowed to bring glass to my pool it's nice to find some good canned beers. The price is about the same as for bottles but they are easier to carry out and I'm happy to say they taste just as good.  I've had most of the more popular beers on this list but if anyone's tasted the craft brews from Maui, Oskar Blues, or Big Sky shoot me an email or comment below and let me know what you thought.

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Stay Hungry My Friends!

It's Independence Day and a special shout out to Freedom Grill celebrating another year as the "Official Grill of Tailgating." For this week's shot of the week I bring you not one but two beautiful ladies, both of whom are symbols of America the Beautiful. 

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Lady Liberty, reminding us of the freedoms and opportunity we have in this country, standing tall for all of us...

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"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

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And of course, Miss America 2009 Katie Stram reminding us that American women are strong, smart, and hot!

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It's Independence Day and this is the Land of The Free so drink whatever you want today. Have fun, be safe, and thank a soldier today. Happy July 4th.  Oh yeah, and don't forget to grill something tasty.

Transformers II opens tomorrow in IMAX and that can only mean one thing...Megan Fox projected on a screen 2 stories tall.  She is the hottest thing in Hollywood right now.  Who can forget this image from the first movie?

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Since a lot of people's favorite Transformer is Bumblebee and because I couldn't find a single cocktail called the Optimus, this week's drink is the Bumblebee Shooter.  It's a layered drink so grab a spoon and a large shot glass.

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Bumblebee Shooter

• 1/2 oz. Bailey's
• 1/2 oz. Kahlua
• 1/2 oz. Sambuca

Pour the Bailey's Irish Cream into the shot glass and then carefully layer the Kahlua on top by pouring very slowly over the back of a spoon or down the side of the glass. Finally layer the Sambuca on the very top and you should have a drink that resembles a bumblebee.  Enjoy!

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Megan Fox Shot of the Week (What you really came here for.)

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As a bonus, here's another shot to get you through the week.

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With a woman this ridiculously hot there's not a whole lot of need for commentary.  Have a great week and Stay Hungry My Friends.