There are so many things I know for a fact. Cheeseburgers are one of the single best food inventions in the history of the world. I enjoy cocktails. Cocktails are better when made with fresh ingredients. The cocktail is meant to be enjoyed outdoors and with friends. Mojitos the best cocktail ever invented.

I could continue to wax poetic about cocktails and how many beautiful ways to enjoy them there are. Homemade ingredients are the best. Fresh grown herbs and fruits, and veggies make them extra special.

Taking the time to make simple syrups, sweet and sour mix, and shrubs can elevate your home cocktail game. I have written about all of those homemade ingredients before; follow the links for inspiration.

I have also tried to grow everything from Basil to Mint. At that, I have failed miserably. There is no green thumb on my hand. But there is a friend in my life that has a beautiful mint patch in her backyard. A scissors and a little humility, and I end up with a handful of fresh mint.

What I did not realize going into the weekend was that Sunday was national Mojito Day! I headed out for some stealth mint grabbing and home to make a perfect cocktail for a hot, muggy evening with my current ability to acquire mint; the mojito was next level!

The mojito, created in Cuba’s hot, humid tropical climate anywhere from the 1500s to the 1940s and ’50s, said Ernest Heminway enjoyed the mojito as his favorite cocktail. When you taste the cocktail, it is made clear from the first sip—cool, sweet, and refreshing.

The following is my favorite recipe for the mojito. I also love to vary the drink from season to season with fruit. I have in the past used Strawberries, blackberries, mulberries, pineapple, and mango. When you muddle the mint, add your favorite ripe fruit and muddle that too!
Yesterdays was simply a traditional mojito with mint from a friend’s garden; it was perfect!

Amazon Store

Follow this link to the items I use to create cocktails. This is my Amazon Page know that if you purchase I could make a little scratch. I thank you and happy cocktail creation.

... I think you all know I am trying to make a living one day at this so if you click a link on this blog there is always a chance I will make a little cash. All opinions are mine and mine alone. now that business is done on to You Can Be Food Insecure: And Enjoy A Cocktail...
Tripping Vittles

Try to think of a positive character in film or television that is not a muppet who is food insecure. From the cartoons we saw as kids — “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a burger today” — to the subtle images of Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games getting a loaf of bread from Peta. Somehow at the root of food insecurity is the idea that you must be a con artist like Wimpy, or have mental illness and not care for your kids properly like Katniss’ mother. How many other images have we been bombarded with that tell us there is some defect at the heart of why someone is food insecure?

How do we see food insecurity

I am just talking entertainment images, not even taking into account what the politicians have bombarded us with about those that are hungry and need food.  For so many, they lost their job, don’t get paid enough for their work, hours have been cut.  This last year it has become glaringly obvious that we do not value the most essential workers in this society enough to pay them a living wage. 

And yet we still want to make the hungry in this country have something else wrong with them: drug addicts, prostitutes, gang members, “welfare queens” scamming the system.  We tell ourselves that food insecurity comes from a lack of financial planning, scamming the system, wasting their money on cars and phones and sneakers, so they do not have the money for food. Not ever acknowledging that you need all those things just to survive in society today. Could you do your job without a car? Phone? Shoes? If your job did not pay a living wage, what would you cut to keep your car payment or the roof over your head?  

It’s Not Us Against Them Its A We Issue

The biggest issue with what I just wrote is that I used the word “they” a lot.  Well, it’s me, it’s you, and it’s us. It’s our neighbors and our relatives. There are nearly 60 million people in this country who are food insecure. Nearly 12 million of them are kids. Almost 40% of us in this country are one paycheck away from poverty. 

We do not think people on “welfare,” “assistance,” or the government dime should have the same things we have. We limit the foods and drinks they can buy—no boozy cocktails for you. You are poor!
We have a society based on Loverboy, “Working for the Weekend,” Jimmy Buffet and Alan Jackson telling us, “It’s 5o’clock somewhere”. Advertisers tell us that after a hard day’s work, it’s “Miller Time.” 

But if you need help getting food or rent assistance, you are not supposed to use the food you get to make fancy cocktails or mixers for those cocktails. We have this idea you should toil away in your jobs and go home like you are in punishment. Or If you are not employed, you have no right to any fun like those of us that do work can have. 

Bullshit…You can be food insecure and enjoy a cocktail

Well, I say BULLSHIT to that!!  We will make cocktail mixers, and from those, we will make cocktails, and we will toast each other. 

Let’s start with the blueberries I got at Mid-Ohio Food Bank. They gave me a whole flat!  It was over 15 pounds of berries.  I ate them raw and prepared a few other items that you will see in recipes. In this blog post, the idea I wanted to share is that everyone deserves to “Pour a Little Cherry Wine.”  and relax as Nas sings.

Two Recipes One for the Syrup One for the Cocktail

One of my favorite things about making simple syrups is: first, it is simple! Second, it is sweet! (Yep, I like a sugary cocktail.) And third, they are versatile.  This one added to lemonade is amazing! But the following is a cocktail made entirely from ingredients that came from the food pantry.  (With the exception of the tequila: that came from George Clooney.) As I stated above you can be food insecure and still enjoy a fancy cocktail.

This is a how-to post! How to Make Blackberry Simple Syrup. I thought it a great time to re-share this recipe as Blackberrys arrived at the Westerville Farmers Market last Saturday. A very easy recipe to enhance all your summer drinks. Add it to Iced Teas for a different berry flavor.

How do you use Blackberry Simple Syrup?

Blackberry Simple Syrup Pairs well with Vodka, Bourbon, Gin, and Tequila. My favorite flavor combo with the blackberry syrup is lemonade, ginger beer, pineapple juice, sprite, and orange juice any of these flavors pair well with the syrup.

Try making a margarita and instead of adding Orange juice add the berry syrup to the tequila and lime juice. 1 part tequila, 2 parts lime juice, 1 part blackberry syrup. Shake in a cocktail shaker and serve in a chilled martini glass I highlighted these two items because if you do not have a bartending set at home you should get yourself one.

At-home cocktail making is fun and it will save you a ton of money in the long run. We used to call it pre-gaming I’m sure the youngsters have a cooler term for it than we did. But for me, a good pre-game is the best part of entertaining.

More than one kind of Simple Syrup

Follow this link for an easy-to-make Plain Simple Syrup. Simple Syrups are a way for bartenders to sweeten cocktails. Syrups are an easy concentrated way to add a bit of sweetness without the granules of a spoonful of sugar.

The following are what I used in the kitchen to make the Blackberry Simple Syrup. You can follow the links to purchase these helpful tools. All-Clad Sauce Pan, Measuring Cups, Fine Mesh Strainer, Mason Jar

Tag me in the drinks you create with this syrup at #trippingvittles