The fountain of youth

The Beverly Hillbillies loved their moonshine.  Miss Jane was the first to state that moonshine is the fountain of youth, and granny called her shine a cure all.   Since then there have been numerous accounts of “moonshine medicine” helping folks stay healthy and limber, such as, South Carolina farmer Perry or some of the Moonshiners’ forum writers.

Moonshine isn’t the only thing with infamous health benefits.  I think almost everyone knows the phrase an apple a day keeps the doctor away.  So, I got a brilliant idea to combine the fountain of youth with apples to keep the doctor away.  I have two recipes to stay healthy, limber, and young while still catching a buzz.

Moonshiner

1 ½ oz moonshine (nothing too smoky or flavored)

½ oz vanilla simple syrup

¼ oz all spice dram

Apple juice

Splash cranberry juice

To make the vanilla simple syrup you will need a vanilla bean, vanilla extract, sugar, and water.  One vanilla bean will make up to one cup of simple syrup.  Add equal parts water and sugar (no more than one cup) to a pot over medium high heat.  Once the sugar is dissolved and the vanilla extract and the vanilla bean cut in half lengthwise.  Let it simmer for about five minutes and then remove from heat.  Once it is cooled remove the bean and scrap all the vanilla from the inside.  If it gets clumped in the syrup just shake well in a sealed container.

Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice.  Use more apple juice than, almost a 3:1 ratio.  Pour into a glass and enjoy.  If you would like to garnish this, I recommend an apple slice.

Apples a la mode

1 ½ oz moonshine (nothing too smoky or flavored)

½ oz vanilla simple syrup

¼ oz all spice dram

Slice of leftover apple pie

A la mode is a French phrase that translates to “of the world.” So, although this recipe doesn’t include ice cream it is most definitely going to be a favorite way to consume your leftover apple pie.

Put all the ingredients into a blender.  Once smooth pour into a glass and enjoy.  I like to serve this with a wedge of cheddar cheese on the rim.  The salty cheese is a nice contrast to the sweet drink, and in some parts of America apple pie is served with cheddar cheese.

By Krystle Turkington for Happy Hour Pal

@KrystleBar

Happy Hour Pal is available for Android and iPhone and support Hawaii, Portland, and The Hamptons!

Six Strategies to Score Bargains in Hawaii

English: View of Kailua (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

USA TODAY April 5, 2012

Hawaii: Get your lei without laying down a fortune

While Hawaii tourism may have taken it in the board shorts during the Great Recession, these days, the Aloha State is riding a new wave of popularity.

Nearly 8 million travelers arrived here last year, shattering the previous high-water mark set in 2006, and prices for everything from convertible rentals to luaus are rising in their wake.

According to industry tracker STR, the average cost of a Hawaii hotel room jumped to $233.30 a night in February — the highest rate in the country, up 13.1% from a year ago. Even at those prices, 85.6% of hotel rooms were occupied — a full 10 percentage points higher than rival Florida.

But you can still score bargains on a vacation in paradise if you plan carefully. Six strategies:

1. Don’t book your trip over the Christmas holidays or midsummer.

After a brief spate of price-cutting on new Mainland routes, “Hawaii airfares are generally on the rise, and seasonal variations are extreme,” notes BeatofHawaii.com‘s Jeff Tucker. “Best pricing and availability is based on pukas (holes), when airlines have small numbers of discounted seats,” particularly on weekdays during the spring and fall. But “even if you can only travel in summer, you can significantly reduce all of your Hawaii vacation costs simply by delaying until mid- to late August,” Tucker says. Case in point: Through June 6, fares from the West Coast to Honolulu start at about $230 round-trip ($420 from the East Coast), but zoom up to around $700 and $900, respectively, for peak summer travel (June 7-Aug. 11).

3. Avoid a herd mentality.

Each island has popular resort areas where affordable accommodations are challenging to find, but you don’t have to stray too far to find cheaper lodging prices. “On Kauai, look for accommodations in the Lihue and Kapaa areas, where you can easily save $100 or more per night compared to the more popular Poipu or Princeville resorts,” Beal says. On Maui, you can can save hundreds a night by picking a condo in centrally located Kihei vs. more upscale Kaanapali Beach.

6. Tap into happy hour specials.
“If you want a beer at 4 p.m. and you’re staying in Kailua, there’s an app for that,” Toth says. HappyHourHawaii.com, a searchable website and free GPS-based mobile app expanding to Mainland locales next month, lists happy hour menus and discounts for more than 200 restaurants and bars across the state.

Full Article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/04/05/get-your-lei-without- laying-down-a-fortune/2055357/

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