The Pennington Family Cocktail

Sorry it has been so long since our last post. Our next topic will be our "Top 10 Funniest Persons," and should be up in a few days. In the mean time, I wanted to share a cocktail recipe that I created and get your thoughts. Katie and I call it "The Pennington Family Cocktail" and it is a variation on an "Old Fashioned" and a "Manhattan."

- 4 Parts Whiskey (We like to use Jack Daniels or Maker's Mark)

- 1 Part Triple Sec (or Cointreau if you are rich)

- 2-3 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Directions: Combine the above ingredients in a shaker, add ice, and shake. Pour into a chilled martini glass, garnish with two maraschino cherries, and enjoy!

Try it out and let me know what you think...

New playlists!

Gib had a great idea: to add playlists of our favorite songs/bands of the week. One of our favorite things to do together is listen to music - usually Pandora. So, we thought we'd share our favs.

This is really a compromise: Gib wants to do a "Top Ten Favorite Bands/Musicians" list, and I CANNOT do it. I can't commit. I have different favorites all the time. A weekly list works for me.

So.

Enjoy the playlists. Or, you can press mute.

Katie's Top Ten Favorite Beers

1.) St. Bernardus Christmas Ale – It makes me sad that a seasonal beer is top on my list, but alas: this beer is awesome. It is really rich – tastes like cinnamon, caramel, and plum. It is darker than the beers I usually go for, but the brewers got enough carbonation in there to make it taste kind of light but creamy.2.) Kasteel Donker – I’ll leave the description of this one to Gib. Like he mentioned, I like that is a little bitter, giving it a complexity that a lot of Belgian style beers are lacking.

3.) Delirium Tremens – One of the first high gravity beers I tried (thanks, Thom!), and still one of my favorites. It is fruity and light, and really carbonated. It is a perfect summer beer.

4.) Avery Reverend – This is a go-to favorite. It is reddish in color and tastes like caramel. It is slightly sweet and slightly bitter, and really easy to drink.5.) Chimay Blue – This one is a classic Belgian beer in my opinion – fruity, somewhat spicy, and really easy to drink. It is complex enough to make it interesting.

6.) Hoegaarden Original White Ale – A long-time favorite. It’s a wheat beer that tastes like orange and coriander – definitely refreshing.

7.) Sam Adams White Ale – Another seasonal beer – this one’s only available during the spring. It is one of the easiest beers to drink, in my opinion. All of the Sam Adams beers are great, but this is the best.8.) Unibroue La Fin du Monde – Gib has a good description on this one. If you haven’t caught on by now, I tend toward Belgian style, citrus-y beers, and this is a great one.

9.) Unibroue Trois Pistoles – Darker than I normally like, but I love it. I tried to avoid thinking about value when making my list, but it can’t be ignored in the case of the Unibroue beers – it’s a great deal.10.) Kasteel Tripel – Kind of similar to the Delirium Tremens, this one is light, sweet, and fruity.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Blue Moon

Lost Abbey Cable Car

LA 31 Grenade

Franziskaner

Shocktop

Gib's Top Ten Favorite Beers

1.) Avery The Reverend - A high-gravity Belgian quad that is my personal model for what a beer should taste like. I will shed many tears of joy on the day they start selling this in bottles where I live. Right now you can only get it on draught at select locations. This is the most delicious beer I have ever tasted and if I am honest, the others on my list can’t hold a candle to this one. I would like to meet the creator(s)of this fine drink and give them a big smooch.2.) Kasteel Tripel Blonde – While a distant second behind “The Reverend,” this is still a freaking awesome beer. It is a delicious, high-gravity, Belgian style blonde abbey ale that is mildly sweet with an incredibly smooth finish. I stock up on this and #3 on my list every time I return home to Birmingham because I can’t find them anywhere in Mobile, AL.

3.) Kasteel Donker – This is the darker version of #2. It is a delicious, high-gravity Belgian style brown ale that has just a touch of bitterness that is absent in the Kasteel Tripel. I find the deep, chestnut color it has when poured to be quite beautiful, making it one of the more aesthetically pleasing beers on this list.

4.) Unibroue Trois Pistoles – This beer holds a special place in my heart because it was the first “high-gravity” beer that I fell in love with. It is a spicy, caramelly, delicious Belgian style dark ale that I think is the best beer produced by one of my favorite breweries (Unibroue). Like the Kasteel Donker it is also quite pleasing to the eyes when poured.

5.) Unibroue La Fin Du Monde – Another great beer by Unibroue, this is a high-gravity Belgian style tripel that is spicy, citrus, and smooth all rolled into one. At 9% alcohol by volume, $11 for a four pack of these guys is an awesome deal.

6.) St. Bernardus Christmas Ale – A high-gravity seasonal beer that tastes like cinnamon, plum, and caramel. I wish you could get this sucker year round.

7.) Blue Moon – This is a Belgian style wheat ale that tastes like orange and coriander. One of our favorite things to do here in Mobile is to go to a local hamburger joint and get a $6 pitcher of this stuff and two-for-one hot wings. A slice of orange in the glass is a must…

8.) LA 31 Grenade – I don’t know who thought of brewing a beer with passion fruit, but after tasting this beer I am sure glad they did.

9.) Sweetwater Blue – Again, I don’t know who thought of brewing beer with blueberries, but I am sure glad they did…

10.) Ommegang Three Philosophers Quadrupel – A high-gravity Belgian style Quad that tastes like cherries, bourbon, and vanilla. It is delicious and refreshing.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Budweiser

St. Bernardus Tripel

Abita Andy Gator

Yuengling

Sam Adam’s White Ale

Katie's Top Ten Favorite Candies

1.) Butterfinger - Don't lay a finger. Seriously, I love Butterfinger. By itself or crumbled on top of White Chocolate Mousse frozen yogurt (right, Izzy?), this is the best candy ever.
2.) Peanut Butter M&M's - I love the chocolate/peanut butter combination, and this is the best form of it in my opinion. The peanut butter is way more sugary than real peanut butter - just the way I like it.
3.) Swedish Fish - I could eat these all day long. BUT I only like the red ones, so don't give me that lame "assorted colors" bag.

4.) Cadburry Mini Eggs - I think this is the only candy that appears on both Gib's and my list. These are SOOO good, and probably better because they play hard-to-get and are available only around Easter time.

5.) Plain M&M's - This might be a pretty boring pick, but I prefer to think of it as a "classic" pick. Melting M&M's in the microwave makes them even better. (But it also causes them to melt in your hands AS WELL AS your mouth...catch-22.)

6.) Hot Tamales - Lots of people think these are gross, but I think they are great. I love cinnamon flavor.
7.) Dove Caramel Promises - Dove chocolate filled with caramel. I can't decide if I like peanut butter or caramel better as an accompaniment to chocolate. Both are fantastic.

8.) Dark Chocolate Nonpareils - These remind me of going to the movies, but I prefer the real ones over the Snow Caps version. I feel like this choice makes me an old person...thoughts?
9.) Jelly Belly - First of all, shouldn't it be Jelly Bellies? I have always pluralized it, but no: google told me it's singular. Anyway, I think these are the most fun candies to eat, because you never know what you're going to get (similar to a box of chocolates in that respect).
10.) Twix - Caramel and chocolate gets another shout-out on my list. Getting two bars instead of one is also a perk.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Rolo (incidentally, another one I've always pluralized: Rolos. This blog is also educational.)
Milky Way
Sour Patch Kids
Werther's Caramel
Hershey's Kisses

Gib's Top Ten Favorite Candies

1.) Cadburry Creme Eggs - Delicious Milk Chocolate on the outside, gooey goodness on the inside. When I got Easter Baskets as a child, the other candy I received might languish in its plastic egg for months to years, but these suckers were gone within a couple of days.

2.) Cadburry Mini Eggs - I describe these as “M&M’s on steroids.” Thin candy shell covering probably the most delicious milk chocolate I have ever tasted. I bought three bags of these the last time I was at Wal-Mart.3.) Nerds - Love ‘em. One of the loudest candies to eat, but the little crunchies are strangely gratifying to chew. I like Strawberry the best.

4.) Reese's Pieces - At one time these were an everyday purchase at my school’s cafeteria. Shout out to Mr. Reece for inventing them.

5.) Gummi Bears - The white ones are my favorites. I also used to enjoy biting the heads off of one color and transferring them to the body of another color.6.) Almond Joy - I prefer nuts. Apologies to my wife if she was unaware of this.

7.) Sour Skittles - I can’t decide if I like the taste or the face that they cause me to make. Maybe both?

8.) Sour Patch Kids - Same story, as number 7, different texture.
9.) Peanut M&M's - I really really prefer nuts. Sorry Katie…10.) Jolly Ranchers - I would gladly get tooth decay in honor of these candies…

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

Atomic War Heads

Snickers

Dum-dums

Raisinets

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups