The Eight of Clubs -The Boxcar

I went into the office this week and will be going in next week as well.   I don't really understand why.   I can do my job from my desk at home and most of the building is closed.    I'm not going to argue though, I have a job.



The Boxcar

This recipe calls for 2 oz of Gin, 1/2 oz of orange liqueur, 1/2 oz lime juice and an egg white.  Shake with cracked ice and serve in a cocktail glass rimmed with sugar.


I'm beginning the think the guy wrote these drink recipes never tried them.    The shaking makes the drink much too cold and dulls the taste of the ingredients.   After it warmed up to was more favorable but I couldn't taste much flavor.     I might also need to upgrade my ingredients from bottom self to mid level at least.



Next time- The Boomerang. 
(It has nothing to do with New Jersey)

The Seven of Hearts or Gin Ricky

The drink for today was the Gin Ricky.   

1 1/4 oz of Gin

1/4 oz of Lime Juice

Club Soda

Pour the Gin and Lime over ice in a highball glass and fill with club soda.  It's ok. The  gin and lime are very diluted, making the flavor much more subtle then I want in a cocktail.   Maybe I need an actual highball glass for measurement or a Gin with a bolder flavor.

I don't know if I try it again.

The Six of Hearts-The Dry Martini

The Dry Martini, the classic drink.  Simple and elegant yet misunderstood.

The original was the Martinez cocktail from 1887 that evolved in to the three note drink of today.   I prefer them bone dry, that is little to no vermouth, and stirred because if its too cold you don't get the full favor.

But today I used the recipe on the card.   1 1/3 oz of gin and 1/3 oz of vermouth.   Shaken and garnished with an olive or lemon twist.   It's not my thing, the vermouth overwhelms the gin and I am not able to make a lemon twist.   I'll finish it but I won't use these ratios for my next cocktail

Variations: To make a sweet martini substitute sweet vermouth for the dry  To make a vodka martini substitute vodka for the gin. To make a Gibson substitute a cocktail onion for the olive


Oh and while we're on the subject of martinis, just because its served in a cocktail glass does not mean its a martini or -tini.    You're drinking a cocktail be it apple, ginger, or mint chocolates.  There are not in anyway related to the martini.

Cocktail Project-5 of Hearts, New Orleans Buck

The last week has rocked the US with strife.  Protests across the nation, some turning into riots and looting. As a white male, I will never fully understand what African Americans are going through.

Black lives matter.  Don't let anyone dilute this with all lives matter, or anything like that.

I can understand is their anger and thirst for justice.  Most of the protests are peaceful but some valid reports of agitators disturb me.  I pray for everyone to stay safe, and for a peace and justice to come out of this. 

Enough about that, on the the cocktail.

5 of Hearts- New Orleans Buck

A buck is the same family as the trendy Moscow Mule. This one is made with light rum, orange juice,  lime juice and bitters.  It's shaken and served over ice and mixed with ginger ale.

This is a good looking and tasty drink.    My only criticism is I would like more of a ginger flavor.   I can easily correct that with another brand of ginger ale. I will drink this again.

The exact recipe that I used is available by request.

The 4 of hearts: the Jockey club cocktail and the coming of TROGDOR!!!

This week has been interesting, I've had a recruiter call me and I have to go into work on Monday. Like physically into an office...how bizarre.

I'm waiting for the recruiter to call me back but I'm also not holding my breath. It's another call center job oh, this time in Jersey but with higher pay.  It has something to do with mortgages, so my work at the Title Agency is a plus. 

(BTW- Shout out to the folks at Sterling Title Agency  They are good folks that will do you right.)

Yesterday, I was left a voice mail by my manager asking for a call back.  In this economy this worried me.   She advised me that the email group had to be in the office.   I haven't been there since the third week in March.  I need to get conformable wearing a mask for hours.  I'm making that into  a weekend chore.




Today's cocktail is the Jockey Club

Made with gin, triple sec, bitters, lemon juice and amaretto.   This version is shaken and served with an old fashioned glass with cracked ice. 

It tasted, how should I put it?  It tastes dated, like something old timey but not retro. Maybe i'll try it again at a bar but I won't  make it again,

As for the origins, I'm guessing that this one is either English or French.  Both have Jockey Clubs but the French one is also a club for gentlemen.   If I was to bet on it, I'd bet for France








You read all of that for Trogdor, didn't you?    Well, I am now the proud owner of Trogdor the Boardgame. Yes, Trogdor comes in the mail! (Really it was FedEx but that doesn't matter)

Two of Hearts-Blackeye Martini

Things seem to be opening up here in the Delaware Valley region, with New Jersey permitting small gatherings and Bucks County set to go into the yellow phase of reopening.    It gives me a little hope that we can start to return to some state of normal, but I am also aware of the possibility of a second wave of the virus hitting the US harder then before.

As I was cleaning my barware today, I noticed the water was not hot. Then, I went to look at the heater and found was on a 85 degree angle.   So we called our HVAC company who declared it DOA. The bottom line, no hot water til Tuesday.  Anyway, on to the drink!



Two of Hearts-Blackeye Martini

Made with vodka, dry vermouth, and a black olive; stirred and served in a chilled glass.  It's a Vodka Martini with a black olive.  If that's your thing great, for me it was just meh.

I also don't understand why it was stirred.  You stir a martini because if it gets too cold the gin looses flavor but a vodka martini doesn't have that problem.   I also have a problem with drinks with a '-tini'
suffix but I will save that for another post.

Cocktail Project - Three of Hearts- Planter's Punch

About a month ago I found out how bad my company is.    The CEO did an interview saying things are "Brutal" and out of 700 or so employees only 110 are left.  I'm lucky to have a job and privileged to work from home.

That being said, I am looking for a new job.   Its not just because of the layoffs. Before that we were furloughed one day every other week.  I can take PTO time to fill in the gaps but that should be for me.  But enough about that on to...

Today's drink, Planter's Punch. 

It's a traditional drink dating back to 1878.   This version has rum, orange juice, lemon juice, grenadine and sugar.  Shaken with and served with fine ice.  It's a bit more sour then sweet and tasty.
I think if it was a warmer day it would be even better.

It would be even better I didn't have to make it three times.   The first time my shaker fell into the sink.   The second, I poured it into a glass that had water in it, diluting by about 1/3.

Oh, and I didn't forget about the two of hearts.   I don't have one of the ingredients, so I'm keeping it up my sleeve until I get it.

Cocktail Project - Ace of Hearts- The Amsterdam

I've been working from home for nearly 60 days.   My standard pastimes of boardgames and RPGs
 are on mostly hiatus and the SCA events are canceled for the foreseeable future.  I getting bored and irritated.  More on the irritation for in another post.   

I thought to myself that I should try doing the cocktails thing again.   Unfortunately, the Boston Project was a bit too ambitious.  Too many drinks, the combinations were for a late 50's pallet and many of the ingredients were expensive or hard to come by.

Lucky for me, I have a caring wife.    In a trip to get provisions for our lockdown, she spotted Cocktail Party Bicycle Playing Cards.   Modern recipes with easy to get ingredients, this I can do.


Today's cocktail is the Amsterdam on the Ace of Hearts.

Made with gin, triple sec and orange juice. shaken over crushed ice but not strained and served in an Old Fashioned glass.  At first sip, the flavors were a bit off putting but after the ice melted a bit I came to like it.  I would drink it again.

Next up the Two of Hearts.

Campaign Document

Tone of the Campaign 

Heroic fantasy- That sweet spot between personal stories of Sword and Sorcery fiction and the world spanning adventures of Epic Fantasy

The World

The name of the planet is Televon.   It has 8 major continents, our adventures take place on the continent of Orea, where kingdoms have risen and fallen for thousands of years.

There is one sun, Solan and one moon, Lunea.

Time Line

During what we know now as the Age of Rebirth, the noted historian Publius Junius Dacien codified the system that we use for history today.   Ages have no set years, rather they evoke the major influences that happened.   Times mark the end of Ages.   The 4th Age ended when Emperor Maxen X sundered the runic sigils and brought about 100 years marked by fire, plague and famine.

The Age of Dreams

The Time of the Fall

The Age of the Ancients.

The Time of the Dawn War

The Age of Wyrms

The time of the Sons of Annam.

The 1st Age of Man, The Age of Glory

Time of Song

The 2nd Age of Man, The Age of Heroes

The Time of Testing

The 3rd Age of Man, The Age of Rebirth

The Time of Apotheosis

The 4th Age of Man, The Age of Turpitude

The Time of the Sundering

The 5th Age of Man, The present

The year is 1487 AS  (After the Sundering.)

God and Deities

The Young Gods

Kniha-commonly called Tome, God of Knowledge

Rueanna-Goddess of Harvest and Fertility.

Tal- God of the Sun

Actia-Goddess of the Moon

Grapthar,-God of Storms

Izara-Goddess of War

Alea-Goddess of Protection and Mercy

Lydian-commonly called Coin, God of Trade .

Bodros-God of Magic

Zehir,-God of Death and poison

Eton-God of the forge

Taxion-God of the grave

Druids worship nature itself and its personifications. Demihumans,  Humanoids, and Monsters worship their gods per the PHB. 

Known Warlock Patrons

Manos, the Hand of the Fated

Vecna, the Whispered One, the Undying King, and the Lord of the Rotted Tower

The Enchantress of the Willow Tower

Asmodeus, Ruler of the Nine Hells

The Blackrazor, Eater of Souls

Ramiel, Outcast of Mt. Celestia

Factions.

The Order of the Sundered Sigil- A loose assumption of of individuals that seek to maintain the balance of power by gathering information and intervening when necessary

The Wolves- An expansive alliance of trader and organized crime seeking to make profit.

The Imperial Council-The council of the lords of the Most Blessed Empire of Aelsthad.  Seeking to maitin the empre while in a period of interregnum and vie to become next emperor

The Templars of Mt. Modignano  - Named after the location of the Apotheosis, they seek to vanquish evil from the world by direct means.

Races

Dwarves

Hill dwarves live in independent clan-holds, lead by chiefs   There can be one or several clans in a hold

Mountian- All are ruled by the high king, Morgran Trueblood with Lairds owing him homage.


Elves
High Elves are civilized and powerful living in city-states each with their own government.  They are in a cold war with the Drow.   The city of Sylel Shaeras hosts a dark elf embassy. It is believed by many that some  residents have converted to her worship.

Dark eves are rare in the world. Most are some have emigrated to the surface, others have escaped and others are just spies.   They are treated with supsiscion.

Wood Elves come from the wilds, the largest of these is Chandwell Forest on the border of Most Blessed Empire of Aelsthad and the former kingdom of Elgad the west.

Halflings
Halflings are everywhere a demihuman population is.   They don't have a home land, nor rulers.

Dragonborn
Dragonborn appeared neat in the end of the Age of Reberth, some claiming to be worshipers of the dragon god Bahamut that were transformed by his power.   After the time of Apotheosis, others claimed they came from another world that melded for a time with our own.  Neither claim has been proven true but they still

Gnomes
Gnomes have been hunted by kobolds to near extinction.  They organize into groups of families keeping to themselves. 

Tieflings
Tieflings were created due to the infernal pacts that were not discouraged of the fourth age.  It is a supries to many a human family when their child is born with a tail, red skin and small horns.   However this is the exception, most are the children of other Tieflings or even trysts with a devil