When you view my astrophotography on Facebook and Instagram, have you ever wondered how the heck I’m doing this? Well, more than a few of you have asked, so I thought I’d write a short bit of background on the process. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out.
I dove headfirst into this hobby during the summer of 2017 when a total lunar eclipse cut across North Georgia. I picked up a used Celestron reflector telescope, one I’d lusted for as a preteen in all those gift catalogs. And almost 50 years later, and I finally owned one! And with that purchase, the descent into AAS (astronomy acquisition syndrome) began.
Sorry, but I couldn’t resist. I’m proud to let folks know that I’ve joined Google, leading ecosystem engagement as a Director in the Product Management team working on one of the most complicated (and some would say) controversial projects happening in digital advertising today.
I’ve long been focused on just how much data floats along aside the digital ads ecosystem, and just how important that data is to the companies with relationships to our visitors as well as to those users themselves.
The Privacy Sandbox seeks to create a more private open internet, while still providing targeted advertising tools that help keep the open internet free.
It’s finally here! The result of over 2 years of my adventures deep into the world of mixology is finally available! Click here to pick up your copy.
All proceeds from Quarantine Cocktails go to Giving Kitchen, a charity that provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of resources. This community was hard-hit by COVID-19, and this is my way of giving back.
Quarantine Cocktails celebrates drink & cocktail history over 84 full-color pages. The book features 110+ recipes, each with my color photos, from pre-Prohibition to modern classics, including ten originals. You’ll learn practical techniques, as well as guides to the tools, tricks, and ingredients to take your home bartending to the next level. The book explores the history and styles across six core spirits – Whiskey, Gin, Rum, Agave, and Liqueurs/Brandies. A comprehensive topical index and a cocktail finder, plus practical recommendations for sourcing tools and ingredients as well as valuable books, websites, and YouTubers to inform your cocktail journey.
Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina got it right: “Happy families are all alike;” and I’ll add “so are cocktails, at least until a global pandemic takes hold.” Therein lies the inspiration for this journey through the world of spirits and their myriad concoctions. After the lockdown began in March 2020, it took me a few months to realize that a daily cocktail might be an interesting way of distraction.
Mind you, I think I’d had the same few bottles on hand for years: a bottle of bourbon, another of rye, a nasty coconut rum, some vodka, a few tequilas from when Amy and I took a trip to Mexico’s Isla Mujeres before we were married along with 4 bottles of Kahlua. I have no idea why so many. I’d been introduced to the Aviation at some point, and thought I’d start there.
So I tracked down a bottle of Creme de Violette – there’s a long history to that liqueur I’ll save for another entry – as well as Luxardo maraschino cherry liqueur. After that, I needed to find more things to create. That led to picking up one modern cocktail book, then another and another. Pretty soon I’m Instagramming my way to a really nice collection of cocktail recipes and a few of my own musings about most of them.
Here in mid-January 2021, as the world continues to do that crazy thing we’ve been dealing with for almost a year (pandemic, civil unrest, attempted insurrection, the (blessed) election of Joe Biden & Kamal Harris, as well as Georgia turning blue in not one but TWO elections) I’ve made about 150 unique drinks. This blog will be an attempt at documenting these and letting my friends track their favorites down – something Instagram and Facebook don’t really facilitate all that well.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey. There is so much more to the cocktail than I ever realized. Let’s go!
