Of Unusual Girls and Blueberry Muffins

Joelle said at some point on June 5, 2007 while listening to Fountains of Wayne - This Better Be Good

I was thinking about my aforementioned friend last night while out at my favorite karaoke dive. And when I got home, I noticed that Deltus hit the nail on the head in my comments when he suggested that perhaps my friend’s need to speak to me was greater than I realized.  In hindsight, I think I was too hard on him.  I’m a very forthcoming person as just about anyone can tell you.  I don’t think to the point of abrasiveness, but if I feel something, I usually say it (provided it’s not rude or would hurt someone’s feelings).  So, I forget sometimes that not everyone is like that and maybe I should have been taking notice of the nuances.  I called him this morning and apologized for not paying closer attention and we had a great 45-minute talk.  It’s not all about me… sometimes, you just have to suck it up and admit that.

Anyway, as I said, I went to my local karaoke bar last night to meet up with chickrawker for some girl talk and cocktails. I sang a few songs, mostly the usuals, including my favorite cheese: Captain & Tennille.  I don’t sing a lot of music written past 1970 and tend to stick with swingin’ songs like Nat King Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky” or torchy tunes like “Lover Man”. It’s not often I see other people my age singing that stuff, but last night there was a girl in there that was ahead of me in the line-up with songs like “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”. 

Every time I’d come off-stage she’d ask me what I was going to sing next. I rarely know what I’m going to sing next. I get overwhelmed by the amount of songs in that book and can never make a decision.  She informed me that she was going to do Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”, but I could do “I Fall to Pieces” if I wanted.  Well, thank you for the hall pass!  She was very sweet, though I sensed as if she wanted to make sure I didn’t tread on her turf. I assured her that Patsy was a lovely choice (though, in honesty, I love Patsy Cline, but would rather eat a stranger’s socks than listen to a karaoke version of “Crazy” one more time — nothing against her) and that I was going to try my hand at something different.

That bar used to be my stomping grounds, but I’ve long since outgrown the bar scene.  I can appreciate she doesn’t want some girl coming in singing her repertoire. I remember thinking that back in the day and she had nice voice, so I made sure to applaud loudly and let her know I wasn’t there to steal her thunder.  Because I’m just a big Thunder Stealer like that.  heh.  That’s my Native American name, by the way. Perhaps you’ve met my friend, Shops with a Fist.

Speaking of, Kathy and I have been working on a cocktail for a while we’ve called the Moxie Muffin.  Yes, I know, I know.  Get your mind out of the gutters, people. Or don’t — whatever blows your dress up. It tastes just like a blueberry muffin, I kid you not. It would make an incredible brunch cocktail… if you feel like getting loaded at noon on a Sunday, of course.  We’ve been tinkering with it and tinkering with it, trying to get it just right so it’s easily drinkable and smooth, so last night I asked the bartender if he could help us out.  I think we’ve worked it out on two levels:  as a shot (for you party animals) and as a martini.

Moxie Mini-Muffin

• 1 part blueberry vodka
• 1/2 part Cuarenta Y Tres
• splash of Frangelico (or Amaretto)
• splash of cream or a dollop of whipped cream

Shake well with ice, strain into shot glasses.  Ooo. Ahh. Have another.  We’re not “creamy drink” types, but this was delicious.

Moxie Muffin

• 2 parts blueberry vodka
• 1 part Cuarenta Y Tres
• splash Frangelico or Amaretto

Shake well with ice, serve straight up in a chilled martini glass rimmed with finely crushed graham cracker crumbs. Mmm.  (It should be a light almond-y color and not too heavy.)

We also came up with another blueberry creation that is so divine, I want to drink them all day. We sipped some “over brunch” one weekend and both came away feeling warm n’ fuzzy.  We’ve dubbed it a Blue Note.

Blue Note

• 1 tablespoon of frozen blueberry puree
• Almond Champagne
• fresh blueberries to garnish

Drop a dollop of the frozen blueberry puree into the bottom of your champagne flute. Top with well-chilled almond champagne and garnish with the fresh berries.  You can mix it together to get a lovely blue-violet color or, as the puree warms, it releases tendrils of puree into the champagne creating a really pretty presentation.

If you decide to try any of these drinks, please drop us a note or leave a comment to let us know how you liked it.  Consider it Beverage Beta Testing.