alcohol

What Is California Sober – The Fresh Toast

Published

1 year ago

August 28, 2023

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Some buzz terms pop up on the radar frequently, while others have been floating around for a while. But “California Sober” was a new one for us. It is more than just Demi Lovato’s hot song from 2021. Some people call themselves California sober because they use marijuana in place of alcohol and other addictive substances. Others define it as using alcohol and marijuana in moderation while avoiding other drugs.

Cannabis and sobriety have had a fraught relationship that now seems to be changing, and possibly even growing into a new concept altogether. Not everyone’s reasons for sobriety are health related, and not all of them are due to an aversion to intoxication—some people just prefer no intoxicants.

We spotted the term in a piece by cannabis author and rave queen Michelle Lhooq for Broadly about taking a breather from one type of hard partying. Says Lhooq:

“The truth is that I will always love drugs and raving—and a future without either would be spiritually unfulfilling. Being Cali sober allows me to keep my feet in both subcultures, while its parameters make it easier not to cave to temptation. I am able to take from these experiences what I’m looking for—mind-expansion, self-exploration, empathetic connection, sensorial amplification—without the addiction and selfishness, and other types of ugliness that I associate with many non-psychedelic drugs.”

As natural as it came across in her description, Reddit users couldn’t come to agreement on the term; this seemed more like a beef over the use of the term “sobriety” rather than the idea that someone can abstain from hard drugs and have a word for it.

Sobriety used to mean one thing: a hardline abstention from all substances. But considering it often doesn’t apply to caffeine and nicotine, it’s starting to make sense to some people that cannabis may fall under the umbrella of sobriety, being that it is only a mild intoxicant when taken in moderation.

It’s true that some may develop an addiction to cannabis, but research is also showing that cannabis might help dramatically reduce side effects and aid withdrawal to opioids and other drugs.

Regardless of motivation and result, it makes sense that someone would label a mostly sober sitch that involves cannabis after the weediest weed friendly state: California.

No matter what someone is “using”, compassion, non-judgement, and care are the much more important ways to approach addictions of all kinds. Humans are imperfect and lowering the stigma of substance reliance, addiction, or assistance is a huge deal— society needs to shift if we’re going to heal the pains of the more damaging addictions. If cannabis is a ‘softer’ way to come down from something, more power to those who use it in such a way.

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The Best Easy Super Bowl Cocktails

Published

6 days ago

February 7, 2025

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Ready to get your game on with these Super Bowl cocktails?

It is the finale to the football season and a good chunk of the population tunes in to watch the Super Bowl. Alone, with a few friends or a full on party…it is a festive occasions (at least until the 4th quarter in a tight game) and people enjoy a beverage. The Super Bowl is a drinking day for most viewers. As you settle into the 59th annual game, try the best Super Bowl cocktails.

RELATED: Beer Sales Flatten Thanks To Marijuana

Creole Bloody Mary

In a nod to the host city New Orleans, a Creole Bloody Mary is the best to pre-func and get right to start watching the game! This is a flavorful way to start the day.

Ingredients

3/4 cup vodka
4-1/2 cups chilled tomato juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4-6 dashes Tabasco hot sauce
Salt and black pepper
Celery for garnish

Create

Fill shaker with ice
Combine vodka, juices, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and hot sauce in shaker
Strain and pour in a tall glass with ice
Garnish with celery stick

Super Bowl Julep

The nice thing about the Super Bowl is you can enjoy day drinking. While a Mint Julep is the drink of the Kentucky Derby, it is refreshing enough for morning football drinking. Plus it is good for the throat after all the cheering.

Ingredients

4 sprigs of mint
1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of water
2 oz. bourbon
Fresh mint sprig, for garnish

Create

Muddle the mint, the sugar and the water in a cup
Add the bourbon and stir gently
Fill a glass to the top with finely crushed ice, add the julep mix and garnish with mint

FYI, an ounce of mint simple syrup can be substituted for the mint/sugar/water mixture

Perfect Stormy

Why not combine the classic beer with the cocktail. Mix it up and enjoy this drink…rich in flavor and filling enough you don’t have too many over the course of the game.

2 oz amber rum

1 oz egg white

1 oz fresh lime juice

¾ oz ginger simple syrup

3 dashes Scrappy’s lime bitters

4 oz light beer

Glass: Highball tumbler/Collins glas

Create

Dry shake all ingredients except the beer
Add ice and shake
Double strain into a collins glass with ice
Top up with beer

RELATED: Rainy Weather Cocktails

Gatorade Margarita

Everyone knows hydration is important when plays sports. It is also important for fans, especially if they are celebrating. Gatorade is part of the football culture, dive in with this take on a classic cocktail.

Ingredients

1/4 cup blue sanding sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
One 20-ounce bottle blue sports drink, such as Cool Blue Gatorade ®, chilled
1 cup thawed frozen limeade concentrate
1 cup silver tequila
1/3 cup blue curacao
Fresh orange slices, for serving

Create

Mix the sugar and salt in a shallow dish
Wet the rims of 4 to 6 rocks glasses with water and then dip in the sugar-salt mixture to coat
Combine the sports drink, limeade concentrate, tequila and blue curacao in a large pitcher and stir
Fill the rocks glasses with ice
Pour the margarita into the glass
Garnish each with an orange slice

Fourth Quarter Rum Countdown

When the fourth quarter hits, it can be a focus time, keep it simple with this classic drink. Quick to prepare, refreshing to drink and the soda is a little caffeine boost after tailgating.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Bacardi Superior rum
3 oz cola
Lime for garnish

Create

Fill a highball glass with ice
Pour in a good rum
Add the chilled cola, stir
Garnish with lime

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New Orleans and Marijuana – The Fresh Toast

Published

7 days ago

February 6, 2025

admin

The Super Bowl followed by Mardi Gras – New Orleans is definitely the city of the moment – but will marijuana be in the mix?

They have the Super Bowl followed by the weeks long celebration of Mardi Gras. Folks are everywhere with open alcohol containers and you might catch a whiff of a green plant. As the party city of the country, what about New Orleans and marijuana? The commitment to imbibe is so strong, it took the threat of losing federal highways funds before they raised the minimum drinking age to 21. Securing the position of the last state to pass the legalization. While cannabis will definitely be at both marquee events this month, the city and state have a complicated with the plant.

While recreational cannabis is illegal, New Orleans still hosts various cannabis-related events, such as the Big Easy Vibe Fest, which highlights the growing interest in cannabis culture and industry. Medical marijuana is legal and the city and state have embraced it. Also, being the Big Easy, there are illegal “cannabis” trucks which really sell heavy CBD. Scratch the surface, and you will find it all over.

person riding on tractor surrounded by peoples

In the early 20th century, New Orleans was at the forefront of marijuana prohibition in the United States. The city’s first ordinance banning marijuana was enacted in 1923, following a wave of public concern over its perceived dangers. This period, often referred to as the “marijuana menace,” was marked by police raids and arrests of users and sellers, with those caught being dubbed “muggleheads” by the press and law enforcement24. The state of Louisiana soon followed with its own prohibition laws, solidifying marijuana’s illegal status.

Fast-forward to 2016, when New Orleans took a significant step towards decriminalizing marijuana possession. Ordinance 31,148, signed into law by Mayor Mitch Landrieu, allowed for the issuance of summonses instead of arrests for marijuana possession, reducing penalties to modest fines1. This move was part of a broader trend across the U.S. to reevaluate marijuana laws, reflecting changing public attitudes towards the drug.

Currently, the only legal way to purchase and consume marijuana in New Orleans is through the state’s medical marijuana program. Patients must obtain a recommendation from a licensed healthcare provider to access cannabis products from approved dispensaries3. Louisiana also offers reciprocity for out-of-state medical marijuana patients, allowing them to purchase cannabis while visiting the city

The current political environment in the state doesn’t seem to eager to legalize something already used by a significant portion of the public. But for now, everyone in town for party will have plenty of access.

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The Best Cocktails To Feel Warm And Sunny

Published

3 weeks ago

January 24, 2025

admin

January is the darkest month and there has been some crazy weather. Escape it all with these sunny, refreshing drinks!

January tends to second darkest month of the year. December makes up for being the darkness with the holiday season. But no, it is back to work, crazy snow in the Deep South, bone chilling temperature and short days. If you are looking for a mental escape, here are the best cocktails to feel warm and sunny. Hey, it is happy hour somewhere.

Iced Tea Lemon Vodka Cocktail

Nothing says hot weather like cool ice tea, a squeeze of lemony sun and an extra kick and you have a sip on summer in a glass. This easy cocktail can be made at home or made at a bar. Perfect for a wet, cold, dark day!

Ingredients

12 ounces sweet iced tea
2 ounces Citrus Vodka
1 Teaspoon of lemon juice
Lemon slice

Create

Put ice in a tall glass
Pour tea, vodka and juice into glass and stir well
Garnish with lemon slice

Skinny Margarita

What better way to feel like summer than imbibing in some tequila while watching your weight for bathing suit season.

Ingredients

1 ½ ounces silver tequila
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon light agave nectar (2 if you prefer it sweeter)
Kosher salt & lime wedge, to rim the glass

Create

Pour a thin layer of salt onto a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the top edge of your glass to moisten it, then dip the glass into the salt so that it sticks, tapping all the way around.
Fill the glass with ice and set aside.
Fill a small cocktail shaker with additional ice.
Add tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and agave
Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds
Strain into the rimmed glass over the ice

Gold Rush Cocktail

The Gold Rush is like a whiskey sour but without the fuss of the egg. This bourbon cocktail is a great way to escape the chill. Delicious, light and refreshing – it makes you feel like you are sitting on the deck of a boat enjoying a sunset.

Ingredients

2 ounces bourbon
3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 ounce simple syrup
Lemon twist for garnish

Create

Add the bourbon, honey syrup, and lemon juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled
Strain into a chilled rocks glass over one large ice cube
Garnish with a lemon twist

RELATED: Rainy Weather Cocktails

Painkiller

Back to work and in the office? Enduring some long meaningless meetings? Why not enjoy a painkiller and think of a tropical location? While in the meeting, think about being a tiki hut with a creamy drink and hearing the sound of the beach. This refreshing mixture originated in the 1970s at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands.

Ingredients