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Exploring CES to Stimulus Mine for Disruptive Ideas

by with No Comment Innovation News

Doug is traveling this week to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to stimulus mine for disruptive “idea starters”.  

What he will not be looking for is WHAT companies are offering.  Rather, he will be focused on the WHY & HOW of exhibitor thinking as he walks the 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space, across 12 official venues with over 140,000 attendees.   

The WHAT that is being offered is limiting.  It’s a product, software, service, etc.. What’s more valuable to me is to look for ideas and insights that go beyond the WHAT of the specific offering.  Doug will be looking to understand WHY they are creating the offering.   He will also seek to understand HOW they are thinking about delivering to and supporting customers.  Understanding the WHY and HOW has been a key to my ability to create meaningfully unique ideas for my companies and our clients.

To get to the WHY and HOW, Doug will do three things: 

  1. Look at each offering as a “system” of interconnected parts – software, hardware, databases, etc.  With the development of all innovations there are tradeoffs that have to be made.  A system focus opens my mind to new ways of thinking. 

  2. Dig for “enabling parts” that make the overall system especially effective.  For example, using Raspberry Pi processor in a product we are building adds a little to our cost but enables benefits that 10X the value of our product. 

  3. Talk to the founder, creator or tech geek at the booth.  The people that actually designed the offering have a depth of understanding that is invaluable when seeking to understand WHY and HOW.

To maximize the value of the idea starters he gathers they will be summarized in a library of Spark Deck Slides.  Spark Decks are a Eureka! Ranch tool for helping increase the effectiveness of Create Sessions with clients.  Each slide contains images, words, audio and or video that are both DISRUPTIVE and DIVERGENT.   Basically, Spark Deck slides are thought experiments that ignite the lateral thinking of Dr. Edward de Bono.  

In our classes and when leading projects we call this overall approach “Borrowing Brilliance”  It’s a process that opens you to applying the thinking of others to solve your problems or challenges.

We will share some examples of Spark Deck slides from his CES adventure in future posts.

Experiments with the constraint that they MUST include Dexter Bourbon

Constraints Ignite Creativity

by with No Comment Uncategorized

Over the thanksgiving holiday in the USA I was in a creative mood 

Instead of doing our families classic recipes i set out to create new traditions.   

In doing this set the constraint that the new recipes had to feature our flagship Dexter three wood bourbon.

Some were easy such as Dexter Bourbon cranberry sauce, gravy and and sweet potatoes.   Some were more adventurous like Dexter bourbon bananas foster and Dexter breakfast Strada using left over stuffing.

Being honest – I almost pulled the Dexter out of a couple recipes when my wife did a couple tastings.  However – honoring the constraint of it must use Dexter – I modified some and reworked others.   In the end all ended up in her words “excellent” 

The one recipe I spent the most time fiddling with was creating an outstanding 1800’s Wassail.  The drink was made famous by Charles Dickens in his book A Christmas Carol.   I’m thinking a lot about Dickens because of our Charles Dickens Holiday Cocktail Experience. 

Here’s the winning recipe

Charles Dickens – Holiday Wassail 

ROSEMARY SYRUP

Heat 1 cup of dark maple syrup with two 4 inch stalks of rosemary

(Either saucepan for 20 minutes on low – or microwave for 4 minutes watching for bubbling over)

INDIVIDUAL COCKTAIL

1 oz of rosemary syrup

3 oz of apple cider

2 oz of Paddle Wheel bourbon

1/2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

Serve over ice with rosemary & cherry and/ or apple garnish or Hot

PUNCH BOWL for 6 to 8 servings

Mix together 1 cup of rosemary syrup

3 cups apple cider

2 cups Paddle Wheel bourbon

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Serve over ice with rosemary & cherry and/ or apple garnish or Hot

Cheers

Doug

Do-new

Things worth the writing

by with No Comment The Beach Bar Blog Post

If you wou’d not be forgotten

As soon as you are dead and rotten,

Either write things worth reading,

or do things worth the writing.

Ben Franklin

After a year of adventures – I have some things that I hope you find “worth the writing”

This week my mind is on managing the “DO” and the “NEW”.    

In life and in business there are the things we need to DO right now.

AND, 

NEW things that we should be investing our time and energy in. 

Balancing the DO and the NEW is a challenge. 

Most people tell themselves they will work on the NEW when they are done with the DO.  However, the DO never ends so they never get to the NEW. 

Our Brain Brew Distillery and Eureka! Ranch are examples of companies where DO & NEW are both of high priority.   We’ve learned that when you stop one or the other – you are setting yourself up to fail. 

Without DOING what needs to be done now – a chain reaction of negatives occur.  Small problems grow into big ones. 

Without working the NEW you look up and realize that competitors and frankly LIFE has passed you by.

Some ways that we balance DO and NEW include….

  1. A Written Pipeline for the NEW – This includes: 1)  Ideas for Systemic improvement of Fundamentals, 2) Experiments to develop and validate new CORE Innovations and 3) LEAP innovations that can transform the business.   Great leaders invest the precious time balancing the three – fundamentals, experiments and ventures.  
  1. CEO active engagement in the NEW – The NEW is  the company’s future.  And only the CEO has the ability to point the organization to where she or he wants it to go.
  1. A Culture Committed to SYSTEMS – “Working harder” is not sustainable.  Rather, we must develop reliable systems for delivering the DO…. And for enabling the NEW.  As Dr. Deming said – 94% of problems are due to the system – 6% due to worker error.”  

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, everywhere

Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales Cocktail

by with No Comment The Beach Bar Blog Post

We are really proud to introduce our new Dexter Straight Bourbon.  It’s the best bourbon we’ve ever made – named one of only 12 bourbons on the Ultimate Spirits list of the top 100 spirits. 

It’s named after Edmund Dexter one of the most famous pre-prohibition whiskey makers in America. 

It is most often drank neat or over ice. 

However, it also makes for luxurious cocktails each with a great story…

PRINCE OF WALES COCKTAIL

In 1860 the Prince of Wales (Future King Edward VII) stayed with the world famous Whiskey Barrel Blender – Edmund Dexter at his home in Cincinnati on fourth street.  The Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) is credited with this cocktail in a book written by a member of the royal household. We’ve modernized it to the tastes of today. 

  • 2 oz of Dexter
  • 1 tsp. of Simple Syrup 
  • 1 tsp. of Pineapple Juice
  • Dash of Angostura or Brain Brew 1862 bitters
  • 1 oz Sparkling Water or Champagne

Combine Dexter, simple syrup, pineapple juice and bitters in a shaker. Shake with ice for 12 seconds. Serve in a chilled coupe glass or in an old fashioned glass with fresh ice.  Finish with 1 oz of sparkling wine or champagne.

To paraphrase what the future King might have said to Edmund during his visit. 

“Bourbon is not only a drinking: it is sniffing, observing, tasting, sipping at and… talking about.”

Cheers,

Doug

p.s. We sold out the first edition in January in 57 minutes.  This time we have much more – but it’s selling 5 times faster :).  If you want it – I suggest you get it sooner rather than later.  

Charles Dickens Smash

Charles Dickens Smash Cocktail

by with No Comment The Beach Bar Blog Post

We are really proud to introduce our new Dexter Straight Bourbon.  It’s the best bourbon we’ve ever made – named one of only 12 bourbons on the Ultimate Spirits list of the Top 100 Spirits. 

It’s named after Edmund Dexter one of the most famous pre-prohibition whiskey makers in America.

It is most often drank neat or over ice. 

However, it also makes for luxurious cocktails each with a great story…

CHARLES DICKENS BOURBON SMASH

In 1842, Charles Dickens stayed with world famous Whiskey Barrel Blender Edmund Dexter at his home in Cincinnati on fourth street. Dickens was a fan of mint juleps. The recipe below is a modernized version of a recipe he shared with fellow writer Washington Irving. The drink is a cross between a mint julep and a sour (using orange instead of the classic lemon).

  • 1 Orange Wedge 
  • 5 Mint Leaves
  • 1/2 oz of Simple Syrup
  • 2 oz of Dexter

Combine the orange, mint leaves and simple syrup in a shaker and muddle firmly. Add 2 oz of Dexter Bourbon and shake with ice for 12 seconds. Serve in a chilled coupe glass or in an old fashioned glass with fresh ice.

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” 

― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Cheers,

Doug

p.s. We sold out the first edition in January in 57 minutes.  This time we have much more – but it’s selling 5 times faster :).  If you want it – I suggest you get it sooner rather than later.  

Bourbon Cocktails

My Favorite Craft Cocktails for Summer 2021

by with No Comment The Beach Bar Blog Post

Here’s my three favorite cocktails for summer 2021. Each with a “Craft” twist. 

BOURBON SMASH our #1 Requested Cocktail

Ingredients

  • 1/2 oz of Simple Syrup
  • 5 to 8 Mint Leaves – depending on size of leaves
  • 1/4 of a large lemon cut into wedges or 1/2 a small lemon
  • 2 oz of Paddle Wheel Bourbon

Directions

First, combine and muddle the simple syrup, mint leaves and lemon in a shaker. Next, add Paddle Wheel and shake with a lot of ice for 12 seconds. Strain into a glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a wedge of lemon & mint. An optional addition is to add some Ginger Ale.

BOURBON SOUR – A craft version everyone will love

Ingredients

  • 1/2 oz of FRESH Orange Juice
  • 1/2 oz of FRESH Lemon Juice
  • 1 oz simple syrup
  • 2 oz of Paddle Wheel Bourbon

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a shaker ands shake with a lot of ice for 12 seconds. Next, strain into a glass with fresh ice. Optional addition is to add some zest from lemon and orange.

BOURBON SAZERAC – My Personal Favorite

Ingredients

  • 2 oz of Paddle Wheel Bourbon
  • 1 tsp. of simple syrup
  • 3 Drops of Brain Brew 1862 Bitters – optional
  • 4 sprays of Absinthe Bitters*

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake with a lot of ice for 12 seconds. Strain into a glass with fresh ice and enjoy.

ABSINTHE BITTERS (Employees Only Bar recipe*)

Mix together and bottle in small spray bottles:

  • 3 cups of Pernod
  • 1/2 cup of Green Chartreuse
  • 1 teaspoon of Peychaurd’s bitters
  • 1 teaspoon of Angostura bitters
  • 2 tablespoons of Fee Brothers mint bitters

Enjoy,

Doug