Incredibly fanciful stories with even more beautiful players and those happy accidents that occurred out of necessity and by sheer happenstance.
The Suffering Bastard, unarguably, is one of those cocktail creations that encompasses both, merging a great story, a true genius, and a whole lot of care for people and what they imbibe…
Simple answer - Travel!
More complex answer - Adventure someplace badass!
Easy, right?
Traveling ambassadors are nothing new to us but having an official program setup to enlist the help of cocktail drinkers across the globe is.
So without further ado, here goes nothing.
Think about The Leisuremann's Travel Ambassador Program as simply a Golden Ticket. You remember the look on poor Charlie Bucket's face when he found that golden ticket...
Pure, unadulterated, MOTHER FUCKING JOY!!
So harness that feeling and get excited.
As a travel ambassador your golden ticket are cocktail mixes and cocktail mixes are essentially your key to a large more diverse kingdom.
Let us recap for a second, as a travel ambassador you are given free cocktail mixes. Yes you heard us correctly, FREE COCKTAIL MIX!!!
Now, pause for a minute and take it all in.
Though free, the mixes come with a catch. Just like everything in life. Just ask Harold Ramis from Ghostbusters.
The catch is simple - We give you mix - You send us or post on social media pictures of your travels, adventures, cocktails, drinks, whatnots, food, dogs, pretty much how you live your adventure is what we want to see.
So Cliff, How do we get involved? Great Question!
Go to our Traveling Ambassador page > HERE < fill out the form, and one of our reps will reach back out to you soon.
We're not vetting you,..wait yes we are.
So be yourself, be honest, and cocktail on dudes!
Cheers // Cliff
Let us set the scene for you… It’s Sunday morning, you are hung over from one hell of an amazing Saturday night, your buddies are coming over for brunch and what do you reach for…
Well logically one would say some water but @ Leisuremann’s that’s not how we roll. We reach for the hair of the dog, the morning after drink, the hangover eliminator or as well like to call it Flavor 8.
Without any formal introduction and too long of a time coming we would like to introduce everyone to…drum roll please
The Bloody Mary for us has been a long time coming.
To be frank it has taken us over 6 months to perfect the recipe, design the packaging, develop the marketing and find the right scoop. Yes there is an actual f$$king scoop in this one. #hellyeah #yesplease
The process has taken us back to recipes from the early 1930s Paris and as recent as studying the effects of specific spices in specific Bloody Mary recipes to determine the correct balance between acid, salt, sweet, and the most important ratio item…BOOZE!
To keep it short, a Leisuremann’s Bloody Mary embodies the true spirt of this brunch staple, harking back through history as well as giving it a slight modern twist.
So raise a glass with us to Flavor 8, The Bloody Mary, and help kick this weekend’s hangover together!
Cheers // Cliff & Mic
When Teddy Rosevelt sat down to theorize and implement the idea of a National Park he knew it was going to be a hard fought road. One split down the middle. Preservation on one side and progress on the other.
Thankfully in the end Old Teddy won out, birthing a new era of land, designed and specifically set aside to be so wondrous, stupendous, aw inspiring, magnanimous, and worthy of our time, that we as humans couldn’t comprehend.
These lands we call America's greatest treasures or simply put our National Parks.
For those who have been to one or even all of the National Parks you can completely understand where we are coming from.
Mountains, rainforests, glaciers, forests, rolling hills, waterfalls, animal life, adventure, climbers, hikers, trails, and cocktails. Wait,,,cocktails?
See Leisuremann's was founded in a National Park, (Didn't know this? Read our founding history story - here) The Great Smoky Mountains National Park to be more specific, and our love for the outdoors runs exceptionally deep.
So deep in fact that when positioned with the opportunity to go to a New National Park and enjoy a cocktail there, we inevitably drop everything and go.
So when we sat down to talk through the idea about this blog we wanted it to be special showcasing various National Park terrain as well as giving insight on where to go that would provide the most cocktail drinking bang for your National Park buck.
Without further ado, here are the top five National Parks to enjoy a cocktail at, in no particular order of course.
Washington State - 3hrs from Seattle, WA - 1,422 mi²
DESCRIPTION: Olympic is like no other national park in the United States. It boasts a diverse eco system showcasing temperate rainforest, mountains, old growth forest, glacial mountains, and coastal beach climates. This diversity makes it ideal for climbers, hikers, back packers, and the outdoor cocktail aficionado in you.
IDEAL COCKTAIL SPOT: Hike to the coastline beach and enjoy a stroll while sipping a Cosmopolitan or be brave and explore the temperate rainforests with a double Margarita.
SUMMARY: With it's diverse ecosystem, Olympic is not the National Park for the faint of heart but the ideal national park for those who like to differentiate their adventure from the ordinary.
Tennessee/North Carolina - 4hrs from Nashville, TN - 800 mi²
DESCRIPTION: The Smokies, as most hikers refer to them, boast something for everyone all four seasons of the year. The vast landscape of dense wooded forrest, switch back trails, hidden creeks, moonscape caves, and beautiful vegetation in the Spring & Summer months, provide the casual or even expert hiker with a sense of nature induced euphoria. Stay till the evenings and see why the Smokies got their name.
IDEAL COCKTAIL SPOT: Hike the Alum Cave trail up to the Le Conte lodge, where Leisuremann’s was conceived, and then take the side trail to either Myrtle Point or Cliff Tops. Both are positioned with a vantage point that only a stiff Old Fashioned could compliment.
SUMMARY: With it’s lush forrest landscape and something for everyone style of atmosphere, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the perfect place to relax, take it easy, and go to sleep at mountain midnight!
California - 2hrs from Sacramento, CA - 1,169 mi²
DESCRIPTION: Iconic, surreal, majestic, orgasmic are words used to describe the feelings, places, and surroundings of one of our nations greatest national treasures. Sporting ancient Sequoia trees, cliff faces taller than modern sky scrappers, and views of mother nature that no one can comprehend, Yosemite is a true spectacle for those who want to see mother nature in here full beauty.
IDEAL COCKTAIL SPOT: With over 800 miles of trail, you won’t be left without any room for a great hike or view for that matter. First things first, check out the iconic valley view. Then find yourself wandering through Cooks Meadow enjoying a Bee’s Knees while listening to the breeze blow by.
SUMMARY: No matter who you are, Yosemite National Park brings you back to your natural roots, instilling back in you a sense of just how small we are in the universe.
Utah - 3hrs from Las Vegas, NV - 230 mi²
DESCRIPTION: Described as one of America’s smaller national parks, Zion sure as hell doesn’t disappoint. Picture a sunset painting, beautiful, majestic, grand. Now picture that same painting in real life. This is Zion. Boasting red rock formations that are uniquely their own to a trail so dangerous people have died trying, Zion is something special and truly in a class all to itself.
IDEAL COCKTAIL SPOT: Cocktailing at Zion is unique and due to it’s small stature recommending a specific place would be difficult but if we did we would probably recommend Watchman Trail, taxing at times, this trail is worth it. Rounding off the hike with a Margarita or a Cosmopolitan and a view of Watchman Peak surly doesn’t disappoint!
SUMMARY: Zion is a quick park but a park that on the flip side one could get lost in for days, months, and years. With trails that seems to defy gravity and picturesque lookout locations, Zion is truly a gem among stones.
California - 6hrs from Sacramento, CA - 280 mi²
DESCRIPTION: Words cannot describe the true majesty of Redwood National. Words can only describe how you cannot describe it with words. If that makes any sense. Soaring 300’ into the sky and boasting diameters exceeding 15’ these gentle giants take every breath and word from your mouth. As you walk you experience a humbled feeling for being amongst the giants has made you feel small.
IDEAL COCKTAIL SPOT: ALL SPOTS. Emerge into Redwood National with an Old Fashioned in hand and by all means get lost. Lost in the beauty of these giants and the shear silent world they tower over.
SUMMARY: If you think you seen all the trees and majesty there is to offer think no further than visiting Redwood National. With an ample trail system and sprawling woods, make sure to run, jump, hide, nap and cocktail your way through!
“All that glitters isn’t gold”…whoever said this sure as hell didn't know this was coming.
Drum roll please…
Introducing, our seventh mix flavor, RS#1 The Gold Rush, with real 24k edible gold flake. Yes, you heard us correctly, we put 24k gold in a cocktail mix that you can take with you on an airplane or into the mighty wilderness.
Are we crazy, maybe. Are we innovative, hell yes! Are we doing things no-one else is trying to do, ABSOLUTELY!
The Gold Rush is our inaugural mix to be release under a new line of mixes we call our Release Series.
Think of our Release Series Mixes as limited edition mixes. Flavors are produced in small batch quantities utilizing unique ingredients and flavor profiles to provide a one of a kind cocktail experience. Simply put we are taking the classics, modern and historical, and making them EPIC!
Starting today, the Gold Rush is available to order, but act soon as it is only made in quantities of 24 meaning it’s going to go quick.
Overall, we are excited to bring this modern cocktail to life and show the world that we think beyond the mix.
So, share, like, tweet, repost, we don’t care what you do just let’s try to get this bad boy featured on the news, Ellen, the Today show, 2 Chainz Most Expenzsivest Shit (never heard of it - it’s amazing!) send them an email for us.
P.S. If you know of any influencers, celebrities, bartenders, rich people, gold diggers, sugar daddies, sugar mommas, or just anyone who would love this mix - LET US KNOW & SHARE SHARE SHARE.
Cheers and we will let Kanye West sum it up…GOLDDIGGER!
The French Seventy what?
Exactly. LOL!
The French 75, for lack of more descriptive terms, is the best champagne cocktail you've never heard of.
Wait a darn minute...You might be asking yourself, "What about the Mimosa?" And you aren’t far off but trust us on this one!
Not only has the French 75 been one of the worlds greatest champagne cocktails, it has also transcended its "brunch" origins, now popular on most cocktail menus all day, everyday, rain or shine, day or night.
Originating in the 1920s as the widely available "Champagne Cup", the French 75 quickly picked up steam and was popularized throughout the 1940s appearing in film, bar menus, and restaurants across America and most of the world.
Combining flavors of lemon, sugar, honey, and gin (TID BIT - Gin wasn't originally used in the French 75. It sort of came after the fact. Cognac was the original spirit used) with champagne (#bubblesnob) to form a blend so copacetic that you find yourself ordering them in bottomless fashion.
Now with the history lesson aside, here's how you make one of these delicious champagne concoctions.
1 oz Gin
2 dashes simple syrup
1.5 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz Champagne
————————————————————————————————————
2 oz Gin
1 oz Lemon Juice
1-2 teaspoon Simple Syrup
Champagne (Fill Glass)
————————————————————————————————————
1 oz H2O
6-7 Scoops Leisuremann's Bee's Knees Mix
2 oz Gin
Top Glass with Champagne
————————————————————————————————————
No matter if you follow our recipes or create your own rendition, the French 75 sure as hell will make for an AWESOME cocktail experience no matter if you're at your house or on a trail.
Cheers // Cliff
This past year has been a whirlwind of work, laughter, tears, progress, regress, cocktails, adventures, and most of all, FUN!!
Never in our wildest dreams did we think that in just 2 short years we would have taken our small cocktail mix company to the places we have. Frankly, our minds are blown every time we think about it.
From releasing 3 new flavors this year, yes three, to getting our mixes on the shelves of local and national retailers, to countless adventures and then finding out our mixes have been to 5 of the 7 continents (Europe, South America, North America, Asia, Australia), we could not be more proud and honestly, more humble.
THE REAL QUESTION STILL LOOMS…What can you expect in 2019?
Well, let’s just say things are going to get FUCKING EPIC!! Pardon the profanity, LOL!
Cheers to a Happy & Safe New Year!
//Leisuremann’s Crew (Cliff & Mic)
About six months ago, we began a pretty exciting adventure.
Not a physical, hiking down a trail adventure, but more of a “growthventure”, geared towards bringing our mixes into the hands of our target users - YOU!
After months and months of paperwork, hustling, more paperwork, regulations, red tape, new labels, hardship, laughter, even more paperwork, and copious amounts of cocktails…we are proud to announce the “BIG THING” we’ve been alluding to in so many of our social media posts.
So here it goes…drum roll please…
Hooray! - Cheers! - Applause! - Bravo!
Someone said “Speech” - Thank you to everyone who has supported us thus far. We appreciate each and everyone of you and hope you keep drinking cocktails with us for years to come.
Back @ it.
You may be asking yourself now, “As a loyal patron of Leisuremann’s, what does this actually mean?”
Outstanding question.
For starters, effective today, you can order our mixes directly from REI.com, allowing you to reap the benefits of their awesome dividend program and members coupon codes from every jar purchased.
Secondly and probably most important, our mixes will be in an REI store near you. Seriously, you can actually buy a jar of Leisuremann’s Cocktail Mix at an REI brick and mortar location. Wow, right?!
Forecasted to be in the major flagship locations (Denver, Seattle, Washington D.C., Bloomington, & SoHo) starting 10/15 through the end of 2018, we are excited to see what adventures you take with a jar of our mix. By purchasing from your local REI or REI Co-Op online you don’t just support local businesses, you also support outdoor adventure culture.
If you don’t live near one of the flagship stores, no worries, simply go to your local REI and request our mixes for your location. This is a simple way to help REI know what you guys are into, want, and would like to see on the shelves.
If you do live by a flagship location, stop in, buy a jar or four, take some selfies, and post those bad boys to social media, showing the world how much you love cocktails!
Lastly, give us a review on REI.com - find your favorite flavor and tell the other adventurers out there why you love a good Leisuremann’s cocktail.
Overall, getting our mixes into your hands so you can use it for your next trip, adventure, tailgate, backyard party, or just a Netflix and chill night, is and will always be our #1 priority.
So…pretty big news right?
Cheers // Cliff
