Summer is just zipping along.
Here we are in the middle of August.
In a couple of weeks the kids will be back in school.
Tonight the Perseids meteor shower will begin.
In a couple of days you’ll be able to see the Milky Way.
Time to create a few summer memories.
While the kids are oohing and aahing, you can sit back and relax with a nice drink.
The kids have been home for a couple of months.
You've earned it.
August 16 is National Rum Day.
In honour of that, you could go all pirate-like and knock back a few slugs, while singing Sixteen men on a dead man’s chest.
But maybe you should save that bit of fun for when the kids are in school.
You don’t want to give them any ammunition for when they do ‘Show and Tell’.
Long Island Iced Tea has rum in it.
Along with a few other things.
Think of it as a way of using leftovers.
You’ll have a bit more change to buy the kiddies’ school supplies.
Aren’t you being wonderful!!
Some Long Island Iced Tea history…
It may have started with a drink invented in the 1920s during Prohibition, by an "Old Man Bishop" in Long Island in Kingsport, Tennessee.
It was then perfected by Ransom Bishop, Old Man Bishop's son.
This drink included whiskey and maple syrup, and varied quantities of the five liquors.
The Long Island Iced Tea appears in literature as early as 1961.
It's also called Texas Iced Tea, Georgia Iced Tea, Tokyo Tea, and Three Mile Island.
Back to the meteor shower viewing with the kiddies…
Make some regular iced tea for them and they’ll never know.
Hints:
Some recipes call for 1/2 ounce sweet and sour mix instead of 1/2 ounce lemon juice and 1 teaspoon sugar.
Some replace the cola with actual iced tea, or add white crème de menthe.
Some restaurants substitute brandy for the tequila.
Long Island Iced Tea
Shake with ice
1/2 ounce light rum
1/2 ounce gin
1/2 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce tequila
1/2 ounce triple sec (or other orange-flavored liqueur)
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
Strain into a chilled highball glass filled with ice.
Top with cola (leaving 1/2 inch space at top of glass)
Gently stir and garnish with a lemon wedge or spiral.
Serve with a straw.
Long Island Iced Tea #2
Shake with ice
1/2 ounce rum
1/2 ounce gin
1/2 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce triple sec (or other orange-flavored liqueur)
1 ounce lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
Strain into a chilled highball glass filled with ice.
Top with cola (leaving 1/2 inch space at top of glass)
Gently stir and garnish with a lemon wedge or spiral.
Serve with a straw.
About the meteor shower and the moon…
According to the Farmers’ Almanac:
August is often regarded as “meteor month” with the appearance of The Perseids Meteor Shower. Viewing will be nearly ideal this year, as the Moon will be heading toward the New phase so it won’t be so bright.
The Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus, which is in the area of the sky where the shower appears. Look for the constellation Perseus in the northeast, near Cassiopeia, which looks like a large letter “W.” The shower’s peak occurs around August 12, and will be visible through August 22.
The meteors are created by the dusty trail left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle as it orbits the Sun. The particles burn up in our atmosphere, becoming meteors, also known as “falling” or “shooting” stars.
The meteors can be seen with the naked eye. The best time to observe any meteor shower is during the early morning hours, between 2 and 5 a.m., but meteors will be visible any time after dusk, with a sharp upturn in activity around 11 p.m. Observers can expect to see as many as 60 meteors per hour during this shower.
August 14 - New Moon - no moon to see.
Because the Moon is in its New phase, it will be dark, making it the best time for the kiddies to view the Milky Way.
Enjoy!!
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