Today it’s time to put away the motor boat and enjoy sailing. Motor boats are direct. You simply point the bow, give it some throttle, and off you go from here to there. 

Sailboats are indirect. Sailers work with the wind that is available. This makes sailing a more mindful experience than a motor boat.

A Problem with Wind Shift

The Beach Bar in Cincinnati is at the northeast end of the lake. The winds normally blow from the opposite, southwest, end of the lake. This means that after launching, I tack the boat back and forth up the lake then turn to fun downwind and begin again. 

Because the winds are from the southwest most of the time, I designed the dock to make it easy to launch and return to dock under sail (the boat in Cincinnati doesn’t have a motor).  

This worked great until the wind turned for about a week recently to blowing from the northwest. This made landing and launching the boat difficult but not impossible.

A Memory Sparked an Idea for My Docking Challenge

On the second day of northwest winds, I was reminded of an event five plus years ago. When my Great Uncle John Ferris and my friend John Karp spent a weekend teaching me how to sail the Winnijean, my first “big sailboat”. It’s usually docked in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.    

Even though the Winnijean had a motor, John & John were insistent that I learn to dock the boat under sail because, “motors don’t always work” they said. They insisted that I practice sailing up to a floating buoy and stop the boat under sail alone.  

When they felt I was ready, they had me sail into the marina and dock. I was TERRIFIED.  Fortunately, the teaching they gave me stuck and I sailed in without incident.

Last summer around this time, I was returning from a wonderful sail on the Winnijean and UGH the engine wouldn’t start to bring me into the marina. 

Worst of all, the winds were strong and I had a number of people on the boat who were nervous being on a sailboat. They asked, “Do you know what you’re doing? Shouldn’t we call on the radio for someone to tow us in?”

I gulped thinking that I have never sailed into the dock on PEI. I had however seen a number of really bad crashes by others who had tried.

Suddenly, I remembered John & John. I said,  “Of course I can, because motors don’t always work. I just use the sail as my throttle.” 

Ok so I was bluffing a little.  

To increase my odds of success, I let the sail in and out a number of times to get a feel for the speed I got in different positions.   

The tricky part of this maneuver was I had to do two 90 degree turns to get to my dock. With a number deep breaths, I sailed into the marina and remarkably sailed the Winnijean gently came into my dock. I sent John & John text messages with a photo of me toasting / thanking them with Paddle Wheel. 

Back to Cincinnati – My Problem with Wind Shift

Remembering John & John, I started to experiment with different landing approaches. I used buoys off the shore to replicate the docks.  

After an hour or so, I realized that if I adjusted the dock to create two landing areas instead of one, it would be painless to sail into the dock. The next day I made the adjustments with the help of Bruce Forsee – and VOILA – easy to launch and land no matter what direction mother nature desires to blow the wind. 

Lesson

And that my friends is the adaptive way of sailers. It’s how we all need to live life today. We need to take the winds that mother nature gives us, adapting and adjusting as necessary.  

When we get good at adapting and adjusting to what life sends our way, we will all have less stress. 

Cheers

Doug

Deckhand Rye Kabobs – Beef and or Chicken

Mix Up Marinade

1/4 cup of Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Canola Oil

1/4 cup of Soy Sauce

1/4 cup of Worcester sauce  

1/4 cup of Bourbon or Rye – Suggest Deckhand Rye (94 score) or Paddle Wheel (95 Score)

3 Garlic Cloves minced

3 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup of Mixed Fresh Herbs  – Heavy on the Basil  or 3 tablespoons of Dried

1/2 teaspoon of Pepper 

Meats

Pierce chicken with a fork (we like thighs) and or steak and place in a plastic bag with marinade for about an hour. 

When we make kabobs we also marinade in the same bag as the meats pieces of red onion, green pepper, mushrooms, zucchini and new or fingerling potatoes (I boil the potatoes for one hour in water to accelerate cooking. 

Brush the kabobs with oil and cook on medium heat on a grill flipping every four minutes.   

I cook steak to 135°F and cook chicken to 165°F.  If you want to be super safe, cook to higher temperatures. 

As I sipped coffee on the dock as the sun came up, my mind was bouncing through the latest news of the day and my reality.    

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find solutions to the cascading issues, uncertainties, and unknowns. I snapped the attached photo as the lake lit up in beauty. 

After another sip, I laughed to myself as I was reminded of the first few weekends of our hand sanitizer donation program. As people expressed their thanks and wonder that we were giving it away, my response was, “just staying human”. Followed sometimes with, “we’re just doing what you would do if you had the resources that we have.”

Somewhere along many weeks and months, I’d forgotten that simple solution to the chaos of today: STAY HUMAN. By this, I mean connect to the here and now. Be present and authentic at this moment

I can’t say for sure but the phrase may have come from my subconscious connecting to the Stay Human band led by Jon Batiste – that is the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. According to the internet, Batiste named the band based on his belief that human interaction during a live musical performance can uplift humanity in the midst of the “plug-in/tune out” nature of modern society.

So too – I believe that if we can release our egos, give our anxiety a rest, release ourselves from thinking about tomorrow – and just BE HUMAN – then we can help uplift humanity. 

In the spirit of coming together and being human, I think this weekend it’s time to make SANGRIA. After about 50 experiments, here’s the official Beach Bar Sangria Recipe: 

• 1 Bottle of Pinot Noir Red Wine
• 1/2 cup of Brandy
• 1/2 cup of Cointreau
• 1/2 cup of Limoncello
• 1/2 cup of Orange Juice
• 1/2 cup of Sugar

This is best made the day before and allowed to chill in the fridge. When ready to serve add the following ingredients and serve over ice:

• 1 can of Regular or Diet 7UP
• Add various fruits: Strawberries, Apple, Orange slices, Lemon Slices, etc.

If you are in a rush, just go for it mix and enjoy!

Cheers,

Doug

As whole fish cooked on the fire at the Beach Bar in Ohio a few nights ago, the conversation, as it’s prone to do this summer, turned to COVID-19. 

Earlier in the day, a Doctor who is part of national efforts to address COVID-19 told me that the group he is a part of is assuming that Covid-19 will be with us for two more years! 

I related what I’d heard and the reaction was YIKES!  Actually it was a bigger reaction, but let’s keep the blog clean :). 

Before the debate on if it was going to be two years or not, I challenged the group to think IF – THEN – in an optimistic way. 

IF it is true, THEN what would you do differently RIGHT NOW! It was an interesting provocation. 

After a few sips of our cocktails and a flipping of the fish, an optimistic idea emerged from the group.  

Someone said, “If it is going to be two years, I’d focus on reinventing my business/career to make it profitable and sustainable in a digital world. As in not simply do digital as a way to make do while waiting but rather make it REALLY WORK. That way – when COVID-19 is gone I’d have two profit centers – a DIGITAL profit center and my CLASSIC Businesses.”

One person then said, “If I could make digital really profitable I might never go back to the old business.”

Personally, I have a very hard time even thinking about two years of this! However, sitting and waiting for tomorrow isn’t very productive.  

I’m intrigued by the idea of setting aside the COVID world and thinking forward into what kind of a digital world we could create. It seems to me that instead of “waiting for a return to normal”, fully embracing today’s opportunities is much more fun and productive. 

What would YOU do if you knew that COVID-19 would be with us for two more years?

Final note, the whole fish was incredible! I used a variation of one of Francis Mallman’s recipes:

Branzino Whole Fish: Slice lemons and red onion very thin using a mandolin. Then, stuff the onion and lemon into slashes in the fish. Brush the whole fish with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook on one side over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Then, using two spatulas flip it over till the flesh is opaque in the thickest part. Enjoy!

Books Worth Reading – Summer of 2020 

I recently cleaned my book shelves in my office.  In the process I found some “gems” of books that I’d bought and never gotten around to reading.   Here’s some I strongly recommend reading this summer. 

Never have Your Dog Stuffed and Other Things by Alan Alda

The star of the tv series MASH – writes about his life and about living.  It’s incredibly well written.  It’s one of those rare biographies that makes you think.   I’ve also started watching the MASH series on HULU.  After reading the book I have a much greater appreciation for the TV series. 

The CEO’s Digital Marketing Playbook by Thomas J. Donohoe. 

I must admit up front that I am not a big fan of most books on “digital marketing.”   Most are one off stories, legends and lore.  This book is different.  It’s the first digital marketing book that makes sense to me.   To paraphrase my friends from Wyoming, “His SH#t Works.”   We have “test drove” his teachings during the pandemic with our whiskey business.  The results are nothing short of amazing. 

Bitter Brew – The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America’s Kings of Beer  by William Knoedelseeder.  

A fascinating book about an American icon.  The story is amazing.  The family and company come off both inspiring and crazy stupid.   It’s a story about a beer company – but it could be the story of many corporations.   Well written and highly entertaining. 

How to Eat  – All your food and diet questions answered by Mark Bittman and David L Katz MD.

This is a recent book by the famous NY Times Food Writer.   The book is 242 page of questions and answers that are clear and convincing with a touch of humor to them.   The lessons are familiar but the format is fresh.   Again – as is my preference for best books – it’s well written and highly entertaining. 

Seven Fires – Grilling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann with Peter Kaminsky

This is one of my all time favorite chefs and cook books.   After you get over the learning curve – cooking on a wood fire is FANTASTIC.  Francis is the master of wood cooking.  This book is full of ideas that will keep you busy by the fire all summer.  I must however provide a warning – his recipes are highly addictive.  Once you get the hang of wood cooking it’s hard to go back to a stove or a gas grill.  I’ve become so crazed about this approach I’ve had a welder make me a special wood fire grill.   The photo is of cooking Francis’s salt encrusted whole fish page 150.    

Beach Bar Cocktails – Summer 2020

A GREAT Cocktail is an escape from the world of same old same old.  It’s an exquisite sensation that stops time – sparks delight – and demands to be sipped not gulped.  

Here are the cocktails I’m making, serving and drinking at the Beach Bar during the summer of 2020. 

Returning Classic from Summer 2019

Hemingway Daiquiri: This drink by one of the greatest writers of all time has made this list for ten straight summers.  Fresh juice is CRITICAL.  Don’t even think about making it with bottled juices.  Shake together the following then serve in a martini or couple glass. 

2.0   ounces Brugal White Rum

1/4   ounce  Luxardo) (1.5 teaspoon or 1/2  tablespoon)

3/4    ounce sugar syrup  (1.5 tablespoons)

3/4    ounce fresh lime juice  (1.5 tablespoons)

1/2    ounce fresh grapefruit juice (3 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon) 

Phillip’s Whiskey Sour: This is a classic for the beach bar that everyone will love.  I make it by the pitcher and store the pitcher in a cooler with ice around to keep it cold.     Don’t BE SCARED of the number of ingredients – it’s worth the effort.  

Instead of the sticky sweet chemical soup sour mixes it’s 100% natural.   It was invented by Phillip Kurtz – one of our Master Whiskey Makers.   

To make the sour mix blend together:

1/2  cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice

1/4 cup fresh Lemon  Juice

1/4 cup of fresh Orange  juice

Add Zest from each Fruit…

To make a whiskey sour blend equal parts sour mix with whiskey – I use Old Dexter for smoothness.  Shake and strain – or simply serve over ice depending on your preference. 

Tall Stacks Painkiller: This is Tiki classic made awesome with smoked whiskey in stead of rum.  Like the sour – I often make these by the pitcher.   Yes making these with whiskey instead of rum is EPIC.   Try them side by side.   Great cocktail whiskies – like Tall Stacks and Old Dexter – add tons of depth and richness.   Just shake together: 

2 ounces Tall Stacks Smoked Bourbon (if you don’t like smoke use Old Dexter Whiskey)

1 ounce coconut cream

2 ounces pineapple juices  

1 ounce orange juice

Serve over ice with a sprinkle of NUTMEG on top

New This Summer

My Current “World’s Greatest”  Gin Martini:  At the Beach Bar my first drink is most commonly a Gin Martini – however it’s getting pressure from Dale Degroff’s Whiskey Smash listed next.    When it comes to martini I am a fanatic.  I view it as a never ending quest.  This latest recipe is inspired by the Grill House Martini as detailed in Robert Simonson’s book The Martini Cocktail.   Over the past 10 years no recipe has survived more than 6 months… as I am always looking for a 

Most important in making a martini is to use fresh vermouth.  I always buy small bottles and keep them in the fridge for no more than 2 months.   Yes Vermouth does go bad.    This is my latest version.   Shake the following for 12 seconds.  Yes 12 seconds that’s the perfect time for chilling but not diluting too much. 

1 ½ ounces Plymouth Gin (In memory of Winston Churchill)

1 ½ ounces Tanqueray Gin (in memory of my Dad) 

¼ ounce  (or 1.5 teaspoon)  Noilly Pray dry Vermouth

¼ ounce (or 1.5 teaspoon) Dolin Blanc Vermouth

Strain and serve in a chilled crystal Martini glass (ice and water having sat in glass for a few minutes). I serve mine with a twist of lemon peel and two olives. 

Dale Degroff’s Whiskey Smash:  This is a new cocktail to the list this summer.  It was inspired by a wonderful afternoon that I spent with Dale Degroff – the true King of Cocktails in the USA (look him up).   It’s an AMAZING Drink.  Start by muddling together

• Just a lemon into quarters and cut one quarter into two wedges to use
• 5 Mint leaves
• 3/4 ounce of simple syrup

Add  2 oz Old Dexter Whiskey and shake for 12 seconds.  Serve in an Old Fashioned Glass over fresh ice.   Garnish with a Mint Sprig.

A Riff on Jimmy B’s Margarita: This is crazy good new Margarita recipe.  It is inspired by Jimmy Buffett’s Perfect Margarita from Margaritaville The Cookbook.   It uses more lime juice (sour) than normal and a splash of simple syrup – the result is a more three dimensional margarita that is delicious without being too sweet. 

Shake together with ice or shaved ice for 12 seconds: 

2 ounces of white tequila 

1 ounce of Cointreau (orange liquor)

1 1/2 ounces of Lime Juice

1 ounce of Simple syrup

Serve in a margarita glass with salt on the rim. 

Late Night Cocktails  

As the Sun Comes Down and the Evening is ending these are the three top choices at the Beach Bar. 

Big City™ Manhattan:  This is fresh and clean version “Beach Bar” version of the classic Manhattan.  It swaps out Dry Vermouth for Sweet Vermouth – and Grand Marnier for the orange peel, bitters and cherries. Shake together the following and strain into a martini or coupe glass.

• 2 oz of Deckhand Rye. 
• 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth  (I use Dolin Brand)
• 1/2 oz Grand Marnier

My Current “World’s Greatest” Sazerac:  In my opinion, the world’s best “Whiskey forward” cocktail is the Sazerac.  Like with the Martini – I am a bit compulsive in my search for the world’s best Sazerac.  This recipe blends Dale Degroff’s core recipe with an Absinthe Bitters invited by the wizards at the Employees Only Bar in NYC and detailed in their book Speakeasy. 

Before you begin –  you need to make the Employees Only Absinthe bitters.  I make it up in volume then put it in a collection of small spray bottles.  I end up giving them away to guests who fall in love with this amazing drink.  Mix together and bottle in 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

To make the “World’s Greatest” Sazarac add to a glass with ice (ideally one big cube)

1 teaspoon of simple syrup

1 ounce of Deck Hand Rye (or Tall Stacks Smoked Bourbon)

1 ounce of Pierre Ferrand Cognac

1 spritz of Employees Only Absinthe Bitters

Stir and taste.  Add more Absinthe Bitters to taste

Last Drink: The last drink is often simply Paddle Wheel 200 Year Wood Bourbon or Tall Stacks Smoked Bourbon over a large ice cube.   Often served with a piece or two of dark chocolate.  

Over the past 3 months an urge has grown within me to take a fresh direction with my writing.   That’s another way to say “an urge has grown within me to take a fresh direction with my thinking.”  

You see, for me – writing is how I do my deepest thinking.   My 7 books are simply me trying to makes sense of a part of the world around me. 

Until recently, I couldn’t find the proper “voice” for my next writing effort.   Over the past four weeks I’ve been working with Bruce Forsee to build a Beach Bar on the deck above the lake behind our Brain Brew Distillery at the Eureka! Ranch.  The idea was to build a replica of the one on Prince Edward Island where we spend summers (except for this year). 

As Bruce and I “Bull Crapped” as he calls it – the idea for this Blog was born.  

My goal is to replicate the Beach Bar conversations.   The conversations that are informal – insightful, occasionally wise and sometimes foolish.  

For example – recently a guy stopped by the distillery to buy some bourbon.  

“You don’t recognize me do you? He said to me. 

Ken’s Screen Mobile

He looked familiar but I couldn’t place him.   He introduced himself as Ken Eilers the Screen Man. 

I remembered instantly. I’d written about him many years ago in one of my books. 

Ken was an inspiration in focus.  He drove the Screen Mobile.  He specialized in fixing screens.  Just screens.  Not windows, not doors – just screens.   

My co-writer on a book at the time, David Wecker, tried very hard to get Ken to break… to see if he could get him to do anything other than screens.  He offered money, food, women and other bribes of increasing ridiculousness. 

Ken didn’t budge.  He told us “I don’t want to compare myself to a brain surgeon but if you only do one thing you tend to get good.” 

Back now to the present – I asked if he was still doing screens. 

“No – as I’ve gotten older I gave them up”, Ken said. 

I asked why?

“They take too much work.” Ken said with a smile and with total clarity  “Today I ONLY repair broken windows. It’s easier work.”

I broke into laughter – my face mask vibrating.   Ken was just as focused as before.   

Later at the Beach Bar, I related this story.  It sparked a conversation on what joy there must be in doing just one thing very, very well.  And, how that seems impossible in today’s multi-tasking world.