Winter Meetings Review

Wait, Jeff Kent is a Hall of Famer? Our snowbirds discuss the rather lackluster winter meetings including the draft lottery, Rule 5 draft, and the size of Buster's suite. Later they break down the Giants approach to improving the roster and why Ben won't be able to dress up as the Black Power Ranger. Also, Jeff Kent makes the Hall of Fame and Marco Luciano is a Pirate.On the cocktail side of things, today Ben is drinking a Calamansi Margarita while Matthew is drinking a Holiday Old Fashioned. Recipes below.Calamansi Margarita2 oz Blanco Tequila1 oz Cointreau1 oz Calamansi Lime JuicePrepare a rocks glass with a salted rim, if desired. Combine the tequila, Cointreau and Calamansi lim juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice.Holiday Old Fashioned2 oz Bourbon or Rye1/4 oz - 1/2 oz Spiced Demerara Syrup2 Dashes Angostura Bitters2 Dashes Orange Bitters1 Dash Chocolate BittersAdd all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with a large cube. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and an orange peel.

Buster is a spender but Johnson says long pitching contracts are risky. The brothers debate this conflict and discuss who the Giants will target after Buster inevitably wins. Also how will the looming lock out of 2027 impact this off-season? And yes, the lockout is most certainly coming.On the cocktails side of things, today Matthew is drinking a Winter Daiquiri while Ben is drinking a Whinter Sour. Recipes below.Winter Daiquiri2 oz White Rum1 oz Lime Juice1/2 oz Rich Demerara Spiced Syrup1/2 oz Allspice DramShake all ingredients with ice until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.Whinter Sour2 oz Spiced Bourbon (Ben spiced his with 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and 5 allspice berries in a 750 ml bottle for 24 hours, you should experiment with your preferred spices.)3/4 oz fresh lime juice3/4 oz simple syrup1 dash Angostura bitters (optional)Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass with no garnish, though a floating lime slice would not be remiss.

They boys are back after two weeks so they talk about pretty much everything that's happened since they last recorded. They discuss coaches coming and going, including new hitting coach Hunter Pence Mense, how the roster churn has begun, and a little Free Agency.On the cocktail side of things Ben is drinking an Off-Season Sludge while Matthew is drinking Manzana Reposada. Recipes below.Off-Season Sludge2 oz Bourbon3-4 oz Cherry Coca-ColaAdd bourbon to a highball glass with ice. Top with cherry cola. Have 2 more.Manzana Reposada2 oz Reposado Tequila3/4 oz Tuaca1 oz Reduced Spiced Apple Cider1/4 oz Demerara SyrupAdd all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with a large chunk of ice. Garnish with a dried apple slice.

One signing down, 50 to go. The brothers react to the Tony Vitello introductory press conference and give their first impressions of Vitello's personality. Then they turn their attention to the holes (of various sizes) in the current roster. By the way, can you pitch?Also, we are moving to an every other week schedule this month, so our next episode will be in two weeks. I know, it sucks and you'll miss us, but we will be on with emergency podcasts if any major news occurs. So don't worry, you'll still get our outstanding insights when they're ... needed wanted available. You weren't worried, were you?On the cocktail side of things, today Matthew is drinking a mocktail called Orchard Spritz while Ben is drinking a Flying Blueberry. Recipes below.Orchard Spritz 2 oz Pear Juice2 oz Apple Cider1/2 oz Lemon Juice1/2 oz Spiced Simple SyrupSparkling Apple Cider to top offShake all ingredients except the Sparkling Cider with ice. Strain into a rocks glass with ice. Top off with 2-3 oz Sparkling Apple Cider.Flying Blueberry1 1/2 oz Gin1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (or Cherry Heering for a completely different cocktail)1/4 oz Blueberry Liqueur3/4 oz Lime juice1/2 oz Simple SyrupCombine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake until chilled and strain into a stemmed cocktail glass.

[We had a major audio issue with this episode so we expired it and republished with corrected audio; this is the only way we can ensure all listeners get the updated file. Our apologies for the inconvenience. It's Ben's fault. No, wait ... it's Bob's fault. Yeah. Bob did it.]We have orange smoke. The ever faithful brothers discuss the closing of the deal with new manager Tony Vitello and then discuss his first moves as he drinks from the fire hose of information coming at him about the San Francisco Giants. Also, Matthew does a book review.We reference our dormant cocktail podcast The Perfect Sip a few times in this episode. If you haven't listened to it yet, you can check it out here: https://the-perfect-sip.captivate.fm/listenSpeaking of cocktails, today Ben is drinking a Bennessee Iced Tea while Matthew is drinking Golden Orchard. Recipes below.Bennessee Iced Tea2 oz Bourbon1/2 oz Cointreau3/4 oz Lemon juice1/2 oz Rich simple syrup1 “splash” of Coca-ColaCombine the bourbon, Cointreau, lemon juice and rich simple syrup into a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Double strain into a prepared highball glass with ice and top with the Coca-Cola. DO NOT SHAKE THE COLA IN THE SHAKER! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.Golden Orchard2 oz Pear Vodka1 1/2 oz Apple Cider1 oz Pear Juice3/4 oz Lemon Juice3/4 oz Spiced Syrup2 oz Hard Cider to floatAdd all ingredients except the Hard Cider to a Collins glass with ice. Stir to combine. Top off with Hard Cider and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a dehydrated apple slice.

We have orange smoke. The ever faithful brothers discuss the closing of the deal with new manager Tony Vitello and then discuss his first moves as he drinks from the fire hose of information coming at him about the San Francisco Giants. Also, Matthew does a book review.We reference our dormant cocktail podcast The Perfect Sip a few times in this episode. If you haven't listened to it yet, you can check it out here: https://the-perfect-sip.captivate.fm/listenSpeaking of cocktails, today Ben is drinking a Bennessee Iced Tea while Matthew is drinking Golden Orchard. Recipes below.Bennessee Iced Tea2 oz Bourbon1/2 oz Cointreau3/4 oz Lemon juice1/2 oz Rich simple syrup1 “splash” of Coca-ColaCombine the bourbon, Cointreau, lemon juice and rich simple syrup into a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Double strain into a prepared highball glass with ice and top with the Coca-Cola. DO NOT SHAKE THE COLA IN THE SHAKER! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.Golden Orchard2 oz Pear Vodka1 1/2 oz Apple Cider1 oz Pear Juice3/4 oz Lemon Juice3/4 oz Spiced Syrup2 oz Hard Cider to floatAdd all ingredients except the Hard Cider to a Collins glass with ice. Stir to combine. Top off with Hard Cider and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a dehydrated apple slice.

Habeus procurator? Our failed Catholics ponder the possibility of the Giants hiring Tony Vitello as the next San Francisco Giants manager. Is a college coach qualified? What does Buster Posey see in Vitello? Can Buster close the deal?On the cocktails side of things, Matthew is drinking while Ben is drinking Gimletarita Recipes below.Gotham Grog1 oz Planteray 3 Stars1/2 oz Appleton Estate Signature1/4 oz Planteray Xayamaca1/2 Lime Juice1 oz Spiced Demerara Syrup (cinnamon & cloves)1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice1 oz Pomegranate Juice1 oz Hibiscus Tea (Strong)2-3 Dashes Peychaud’s BittersAdd all ingredients to a large rocks glass. Add ice. Stir for 10-20 seconds to chill. Garnish with a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. Gimletarita1 1/2 oz London Dry Gin1/2 oz Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)3/4 oz Fresh squeezed lime juice from limes picked by Greg from his tree3/4 oz Simple syrupAdd all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

Seriously. We're asking. Our philosophers ponder the role of the manager: what qualities are the most important? Why have Kaplar and Melvin both failed to get this team over the mediocrity hump? Are they just filling out the the lineup card incorrectly?On the cocktail side of things Ben is drinking a Proto-Punch while Matthew is drinking a Pink Flamingo. Recipes below.Proto-Punch1 1/2 oz Congac1 1/2 oz Bourbon1 oz Lemon juice2 oz of Oleo Saccharum syrup (or less, try less)4 oz of club sodaCombine the congac, bourbon, lemon juice and oleo saccharum syrup in a highball with no ice. Stir well to combine. Add ice and top with the club soda. You can also scale this up to larger quantities by keeping the ratios the same, but in that case you should combine and pre-chill the first four ingredients. When you’re ready to serve have guests or your future self add the club soda themselves.Pink Flamingo1 1/2 oz White Rum1/2 oz Dark Rum1 oz Grapefruit Juice1/2 oz Lime Juice1/2 oz Plum Syrup (or Grenadine)1/4 oz Demerara Syrup (if plum syrup is too tart)Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Our new cocktail podcast, The Perfect Sip, is on hiatus but new episodes are in production. (Yeah, it's taking a long time ... life, you know?) If you haven't listened yet, you can catch up here: https://the-perfect-sip.captivate.fm/listenSpeaking of cocktails, today Matthew is drinking an Apple of My Eye while Ben is drinking ... It's Just Lemonade ... Surprise! . Recipes below. Apple of My Eye1 1/2 oz Apple Brandy1 oz Bourbon or Rye3/4 oz Apple Spiced Demerara Syrup1/4 oz Lemon Juice3/4 oz Unsweetened Cranberry JuiceShake all ingredients with ice until well-chilled. Double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon. It's Just Lemonade ... Surprise!2 oz Gin1 1/2 oz - 2 oz Lemon juice syrup (50/50 lemon juice and water)1 dash Lemon bitters (optional)4-6 oz Club sodaAdd gin and lemon juice syrup, and lemon bitters to a highball glass and stir to combine. Fill the glass with ice and top with club soda. Garnish with floating brandied cherries and lemon wedge if desired.

There can be only one ... Bob. The brothers break down the dismissal of manage Bob Melvin. Were they surprised? Do they agree? What kind of manager do they want to replace him?They took a minute or two to make simple cocktails, Matthew is drinking and Old Fashioned while Ben is drinking a Gin & Ginger Beer. Recipes below.Matthew's Simplified Old Fashioned2 oz bourbon¾ oz demerara gum syrup2 dashes Angostura bittersOrange peel (for garnish)Luxardo cherry (for garnish)Combine bourbon, demerara gum syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Express the oil from an orange peel over the drink. Garnish with the orange peel and a Luxardo cherry.Gin & Ginger Beer2 oz London dry gin3-4 oz Ginger beer7 Brandied cherries for garnishAdd gin a four cherries to an empty high ball glass. Fill glass with ice. Top with ginger beer and remaining cherries.#ripgin #youcrankyoldbattleaxe