By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I recently came across a new entry to the world of spirits. It was Strawberry Goldschlager. 

Huh?

Strawberry?

For those not familiar, Goldschlager is a Swiss cinnamon schnapps, 43.5 percent alcohol by volume or 87 proof.  Originally it was 53.5% alcohol or 107 proof and that proof has been brought back recently.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I went on a baking tear the other day. I had a bunch of blueberries and chicken I had to use before they went bad.

I thought about making a pie but that would mean the end product would have a lot of sugar and I am trying to steer clear of eating a lot of that sweet stuff.

I settled on blueberry cornbread and blueberry muffins.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

By Dana Davis

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

The Thanksgiving feast might be a memory, but for many households, the turkey lives on. Leftovers are a tradition in their own right, but by week two, the excitement can wear off. Fear not, with a sprinkle of creativity and a pinch of culinary adventure, your turkey can shine once again.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I have been really fortunate in my time working with the liquor world, that I have ended up employed in some really classic venues.

I especially like working in places that have a real history.

Currently being in charge of the bar at the Virginian Hotel in Medicine Bow, a bar that is definitely historical in Wyoming, if not the West, definitely fits the bill.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I make really good soups. 

I know I can cook well enough where people paid for the food in my restaurants, but I am not even close to cooking what a good chef can. However I cannot deny I make good soups. 

This talent definitely came late.

Honestly before I moved over to Taiwan, I had never ever, ever attempted to make a soup from scratch.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

Thanksgiving is the time of the pumpkin.

Many Thanksgiving dinners will be served with pumpkin pie for dessert.

I can eat pumpkin pie, but give me a pecan or blueberry pie and I will be much happier. In truth, my family always had two pies for Thanksgiving growing up, one pumpkin, and another of some type my sister and I liked better. 

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

The first time I ate cranberry relish, I was in Noosa, Australia, at a friend’s house for Boxing Day.

This is the day after Christmas when friends get together and exchange presents and have parties.

Boxing Day is a British tradition and practiced in many of the Commonwealth Nations such as Australia and Canada.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

The first sort of depth charge drink I came across was in the marina bar in Washington D.C. 

A depth charge drink is the type of cocktail where a shot glass of some liquor is dropped in a glass of beer or an energy drink like Red Bull.

By Dana Davis

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

Last week, my co-worker at the Saratoga Museum, Cindy Kessler, brought me a nice treat for lunch. She made some very tasty tater-tot casserole and shared it with me. It reminded me that I haven’t had tater-tot casserole in over 20 years due to an incident when my daughters were still very young.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

Triple Sec is valuable in the world of bartending. 

I know this because I learned tons about this spirit because I worked with a Spanish company that had one of the best triple secs I had ever tasted. It was so good, that I got the company to change the name from Rives Triple Sec to Rives Seville Orange liqueur.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

I really enjoy soups with coconut milk. When I first went to Asia, I tried a lot of curries from all over. Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian have their own take on curries.

They are great, but usually a little thick, which is fine by me, but not quite a soup.

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

When I was learning to bartend and was making myself familiar with all sorts of liquors and liqueurs, I heard of Applejack, but most bars I worked in didn’t carry it. The few that did, usually it was in a hot apple cider drink.

Once I left the East Coast, Applejack was nowhere to be found.

By K.J. Schricker   

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

By Mike Armstrong

Reporter, Carbon County Comet

There are not a lot of Scotch cocktails that are famous.

And only a few that are really worth drinking in my opinion.

But there is one.

The Rusty Nail.

Although it is not ordered anywhere near as much as it was from the 1940s to 1970s, a good bartender who has a decent grasp of cocktails, is going to know the drink.