bonafidepotents - Tumblr blog

[bonafidepotents]

Twice As Nice For Twice the Price

This Friday, November 24th is the second annual Reverend Al’s Bona Fide Anti-Black Friday Sale. That’s right folks, I will be taking Internet orders to raise money to keep fighting the good fight. Last year we raised just over $1000. Every product will be priced at double the normal sale price with proceeds going to these fine organizations:

The Southern Poverty Law Center to fight hate because there weren’t good people behind Charlotsville.

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project to protect our newest or most vulnerable citizens and those looking for a path to citizenship

Feed253 to feed food insecure families in the 253.

Oasis Youth Center to provide a safe space for gay teens.

Everytown to end gun violence.

Remember: Friday, November 25th from midnight to 11:59 at bonafidepotents.com/shop and buy some delicious Potents for yourself, your family and friends and help some great causes.

[bonafidepotents]

Purple Margarita

Take yourself on a funky ride. The Purple One will sex up your average margarita you'll almost want to give it some privacy. Use this with white or repasado tequila or leave out the lime and double the Purple to mix it up a bit.

1½ oz. Tequila

½ - ¾ oz. The Purple One (to taste)

½ oz fresh lime juice

½ - ¾ oz triple sec

ice

salt for the rim

Salt the rim of an old fashioned glass and fill with ice cubes. Set aside. Mix tequila, The Purple One, lime and triple sec in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain into glass and garnish with lime wedge

[bonafidepotents]

The Hot Charlotte (modified)

Local legend and bartender MURRAY STENSON created the THE HOT CHARLOTTE at Zig Zag Café below Pike Place Market. Sometimes Seattle gets it right.

1½ oz. Hendrick’s Gin

1 oz. English Cucumber & Meyer Lemon Elixir

½ oz Elderflower Liqueur

½ oz lemon juice

Tabasco sauce (to taste)

1 cucumber wheel (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients with 4–6 dashes (or more, to taste) of Tabasco sauce in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over ice in bucket glass, garnish with a cucumber wheel.

[bonafidepotents]

La Paloma Morado

Sit back and breath. Picture a beach and a Purlple Paloma in your hand. Smell the berries and grapefruit. Taste the salt rim. Sip and relax. Indulge in the knowledge that life is beautiful without walls.

2 oz. silver tequila or mezcal, my friend

½ - ¾ oz. the purple one

2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice

club soda

sea salt

grapefruit wedge (garnish)

Salt the rim of a tall collins glass and fill with ice. In a shaker with ice, combine tequila or mezcal, the purple one and grapefruit juice. Shake and strain into salt rimmed glass. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.

[bonafidepotents]

Serving suggestions for The Purple One, English Cucumber Cooler (Meyer Lemon and Sekanjabin,) and the Apple Cardamom shrub.

[bonafidepotents]

The Bona Fide Potents Punch Post

Tacoma! Who wants a good punch recipe for their Festivus parties and get togethers? I do! Here are a a few that I worked on and Potent-ified for your festive drinking pleasure.

First, some notes on making punch:

Oleo-saccharum, besides being a great steampunk era word, is citrus oil extracted with sugar. You peel a lemon or orange with a sharp vegetable peeler with as little pith as possible. Place the zest in a bowl and muddle with about two ounces of sugar per peel– so, six lemons = 12 ounces of sugar. Let it sit for about an hour. The sugar will draw a rich syrup of the citrus oils out. Muddle again and then the peels are ready to use.

Chill all your liquid ingredients. Keep your punch as cold as possible for as long as possible. This keeps everything potent and reduces dilution.

Ice - You will need a big block of ice for each bowl. This may seem like something you can substitute but don’t. Small cubes will melt and dilute your punch leaving you with something thin and tart. You can find ice blocks at Metropolitan Market and, I think, Fred Meyer. You can also fill a few quart-sized Ziplock bags or plastic containers with water and freeze them at least 24 hours.

The order is fairly important, mostly because you want the sugar to dissolve properly. Sugar doesn’t dissolve well in alcohol. First add sugar and any citrus juice then add about half the amount of hot water. Then add the spirits, sparkling wine and/or water.

This is an old tip for making sure your punch is well balanced - one of sour, one of sweet, four of strong and six of weak.

Spirits - everything listed can be found at Liquor n Liquor on 2627 N Pearl St. Tacoma, WA. If you can’t make it there, Metropolitan Market and Stadium Thriftway have good selections. It looks like a lot but it's not. Making punch is a blast, especially if you start early and drink– er, uh– sample and test along the way. WARNING: These recipes were developed for a customer hosting a party for 40-50 guests. Adjust accordingly. Now the recipes:

Pimm's Punch This is a classic English cocktail. It is going to be pretty cucumber forward and refreshing. It also looks great because the Pimm’s is this deep cranberry color.

2 large orange, cut into rounds, seeded 2 lemon, cut and seeded 2 large apple, cored and cut into wedges 3-4 ounces of fresh mint sprigs 1 bottle of Pimm’s No. 1 Cup 1 cup fresh lemon juice 24 oz Bona Fide Potents English Cucumber Potents 40 oz ginger ale, chilled 24 oz sparkling water ice block ice cubes

Combine all fruits and mint into a large container and muddle with a muddler or large wooden spoon a few times- just enough to get the juices flowing. Add the Pimm’s, lemon juice and Bona Fides. Refrigerate for an hour.

Place block of ice into a large punch-bowl. Pour everything into the bowl and give a good stir. If it’s too sweet or pungent add more ginger ale or sparkling water.

Serve in tumblers with ice cubes. Makes about 32-40 3 oz servings.

Garden Tom Collins Punch A modified Tom Collins made into a punch 1 bottle of Plymouth, Bombay or even New Amsterdam gin 16-24 oz Bona Fide Potents English Cucumber Potents 2 cups lemon juice 6 oz sugar 1 pint of raspberries 2 cups water 1 cup boiling water 1 lemon sliced into rounds, seeded handful of raspberries for garnish 16-32 oz of club soda, chilled

Combine hot water and sugar until sugar is dissolved in a bowl or pot. In a large container muddle 1.5 cups of Raspberries in a container. Add lemon juice, Bona Fides and water. Chill for an hour. Add gin, lemon rounds, raspberries and mix well. Finally float your ice block and add club soda just before serving. Keeping the soda cold will preserve the fizz. Makes about 32 3 oz servings

House of Burgesses Punch

This punch dates back to Colonial times. It is strong and warming. Be careful with this one ;-) 16 oz strong, dark, Jamaican rum (Smith & Cross) 1 bottle mellow rum like Angostura 1919 or 10 Cane 16-24 oz Bona Fide Potents' The Purple One (to taste) OR The Goddess of Autumn 6 oz fresh lemon juice 6 oz sugar (I prefer cane sugar but refined can be used instead.) Peels of 8 lemons 8 cups ice cold water 1 whole nutmeg

Make oleo-saccarum from the lemon peels and the sugar. Wait an hour and add the lemon juice, Bona Fides and shake well to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture into a punch bowl and refrigerate for an hour.

Add rum and water. Add the ice block. Grate nutmeg over the top and serve in 3 oz servings. Makes about 32 3 oz servings.

Artillery Punch

This one is a little more complicated but tasty and strong and people will be buzzing about it.

1 bottle of rye whiskey 1 pint of dark rum ½ pint of gin ½ pint of brandy 1 bottle dry red wine 2 cups orange juice 8 oz Bona Fide Potents The Purple One OR The Goddess of Autumn 1 quart strong black tea ice block 8 oz sugar 8 oz hot water lemon peels

Zest lemons with a vegetable peeler before juicing. Dissolve sugar into hot water. Combine everything except for the sugar syrup into a punch bowl and stir. Twist lemon zests over the punch and add to the bowl. This will express the lemon oil into the punch. Add sugar syrup to taste. Float ice block. Enjoy!

[bonafidepotents]

Reverend Al's Bona Fide Anti-Black Friday Sale Update

Hello you beautiful people, you. I wanted to give you a quick update on how the sale went and shipping.

–1. The numbers: It appears that after fees and expenses, we will have raised a little over $1000 for our list:

The Southern Poverty Law Center to fight hate

The ACLU to defend our rights.

Planned Parenthood to keep our families healthy.

National Immigration Law Center to help our newest and future citizens.

Oasis Youth Center to provide a safe space for gay teens.

Everytown to end gun violence.

–2. I will begin shipping orders early next week. They'll arrive in plenty of time if you ordered the Potents as a gift. BTW- how generous are you? In case anyone asks, very. That's how generous.

More updates soon but thanks to everyone who shared, tweeted, reblogged or ordered during the sale. It exceeded my expectations both in sales but more importantly helped lift my mood. It's encouraging to see that there is an America that cares about civil liberties, ending racism and creating safe spaces for each other over baseless fear and selfish interests.

If you are still struggling with how you can help or what to do, check out Wall-of-Us. It issues four easy to do actions each week. For example, here's who to call and what to say at the Senate Judiciary Committee requesting that they reject the appointment of Sen. Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Easy.

https://www.wall-of-us.org/weekly-acts-of-resistance/2016/11/26/reject-sessions

Take care, all and let me know in the comments if there are other helpful resources out there.

Albert

[bonafidepotents]

Reverend Al’s Bona Fide Potents Anti-Black Friday Sale

This Friday, November 25th is the first ever Reverend Al's Bona Fide Potents Anti-Black Friday Sale. That's right folks, for the first time I will be taking Internet orders to raise money to fight what's turning out to be an aggressively regressive administration. Every product will be priced at double the normal sale price with proceeds going to these fine organizations:

The Southern Poverty Law Center to fight hate.

The ACLU to defend our rights.

Planned Parenthood to keep our families healthy.

National Immigration Law Center to help our newest and future citizens.

Oasis Youth Center to provide a safe space for gay teens.

Everytown to end gun violence.

Remember: Friday, November 25th at bonafidepotents.com/buy and buy some delicious Potents for yourself and donate to great causes for our future.

[bonafidepotents]

2 oz dry gin

1/2 oz Dolin Blanc vermouth

1/4 oz Cocchi Americano

1/2 - 3/4 oz English Cucumber Cooler

Mint

salt

citrus bitters

Gently muddle mint in a shaker, just pressing until bruised, add ice, gin, vermouth, americano, the Potents and a pinch of salt. Stir well and pour into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Add a few dashes of Bona Fide Potents Citrus Bitters.

You could substitute a dry vourmouth if you don't have the Dolin Blanc and Cocchi.

This beautiful drink was prepared by Mikey at The Bourbon Street Bar & Grill in Puyallup, WA.

[bonafidepotents]

On a brighter note: I’ve been drinking more… Whiskey Switzel 2oz Bonafide Potents’ Haymaker’s Punch 1.5oz whiskey Barspoon of Cynar* Shake Bona Fides and whiskey then strain over crushed ice. Add barspoon of Cynar. Garnish with aromatic herbs like thyme or rosemary. Enjoy. *If you don’t have Cynar you can use a half teaspoon of aromatic bitters and a half teaspoon of sweet vermouth to similar effect. But get Cynar.

[bonafidepotents]

Checking in

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted so I want to give you an update.

First, new products! Yay! Everyone loves new things, right? I know you do, Tacoma. Three weeks ago, I released my ninth Potent, an elixir I’m calling the “Goddess of Autumn.” It’s made with Granny Smith apples, a smoked tea called lapsong suchong, lemon zest and cedar tips, nettles and other spices. Think a brisk, clear day with woodsmoke in the air and that pretty much sums it up. It’s beautiful with light and dark rum, pisco, whiskey, especially Irish whiskey, AND it’s caffeinated.

The second new product is a refreshing ginger drink made with maple syrup and apple cider vinegar that’s great hot, cold, mixed with soda, tonic or on its own. It’s tangy, sweet and spicy and ready to drink. I’m excited about this one and it will serve as the base for a number of drinks to come so stay tuned.

Come by the booth for a sample of my new Potents at the Proctor Farmers’ Market Saturdays from 9AM to 2PM, rain or shine and everything in between.

Finally, when I started Bona Fide Potents, I put together a pretty simple list of what kind of company I would run.

First, I would never sacrifice quality. Quality will dictate how fast I grow.

Second, Bona Fide Potents will be a safe, diverse place for its (future) employees.

Third, value is associated with everyone’s contribution and that contribution is rewarded. This means recognition, great wages, profit sharing and continued professional development opportunities because work is supposed to enrich your life, not replace it.

Fourth, and finally, Bona Fide Potents has a responsibility to enrich, aid and support the very community that supports it. I’ve made donations to community and national organizations in recent months and I will continue to do so. This, I see, is the responsibility of business.

Why bring this up? I am not at all happy with the results of the election. I am in a daze. I am filled with dread that a bigoted, misogynistic, homophobic bully campaign succeeded. It feels like the ‘80s all over again, when I’d routinely see Confederate flags and swastikas worn in public right here in Washington.

I will not stand for a return to a climate where racism is normalized again. I will stand up for my LGBTQ and immigrant brothers and sisters and help find or provide the support, resources and security they need. I will help create a world where my six year old niece is allowed to develop and become the amazing badass that I see in her now.

I keep asking myself what I can do? I am still getting my thoughts together but over the next few weeks and months, I will begin rolling out my plans.

To start, I really am a reverend– a licensed officiant, if you will – it’s not just a catchy title. Any LGBTQ couples wanting to get married before the new administration tries to dismantle gay marriage, I offer my services free of charge.

To others out there still trying to find stability in this most bizarre timeline, be mad then get your mind clear and your body strong. Be ready to help. Be ready to fight.

Tacoma, I love you. You are beautiful and strong.

Albert

[bonafidepotents]

Ugh

RIP Gene Wilder

[bonafidepotents]

Hello, Tacoma!

I can't wait to see you all tomor– I mean later today. Mostly because you guys are amazing. I can barely keep up with production and, honestly, it's a bit overwhelming at times. Mostly though, it's humbling. I am so excited that you appreciate my products. I try my best to bring you the brightest local ingredients, the most interesting concoctions and surprising flavors. It's been my JOY (you don't even know) to watch you sample my Potents for the first time. Your reaction sets the standard - if you don't love it, I need to take another run at it. You are the ones who grant each flavor their Bona Fides. So thank you, Tacoma*. Thank you so very much. I will have 8&16oz bottles of The Purple One, Sweet Pepper Revival and the English Cucumber Cooler available as well as made-to-order ice cold sodas of each. (I hear it'll be busy tomorrow because of the Proctor Arts Festival. Thanks for your patience, and regulars, if you see someone who needs attention, flag me, or just talk to them. It'll be fine and it will help me a lot.) Much love, Albert *and surrounding areas, visiting friends, relatives and in-laws and the fine farmers, vendors and friends at the Proctor Farmers' Market.

[bonafidepotents]

“I’m a senior citizen on a fixed income. Can I just give you some money to donate?” She handed me a dollar.

Later, when I was telling my wife about my day at the market, I finally started to process just how compassionate and generous you are, Tacoma. And it brought me to tears. It was just so beautiful and I am thankful that I got to see it. I felt that web, that tangible connection between the local farmers and vendors I buy ingredients from, to my customers and something bigger than myself. That no matter how modest, I can make a change, so can you. It’s so easy to channel our resources, talents and relationships into making the world a little better for each other. Even if it is “just a buck.”

I put up a little note about my pledge to donate 100% of the profits from Saturday’s sales to Oasis Youth Center and Everytown and Tacoma responded.

“Can I write you a check for a donation?”

“You need to make your sign bigger and I’ll take one of each.”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks for doing this.”

No, no, Tacoma. Thank you. I’m so moved that I’m kicking in a little extra– plus my OCD made me make it a round number. Together we are a donating $200 each to Oasis Youth Center and Everytown.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Tacoma, you are so beautiful

[bonafidepotents]

Hello, all. Welcome to the future Internet-base of Reverend Al’s Bona Fide Potents™– a collection of all natural, nearly mystical, alchemetical ingredients lovingly formulated into bitters, elixers, tinctures, and shrubs.

I am Reverend Al, but you can call me "Albert" for short. There are still a number of buttons to push and base metals to transmute, so thank you for your patience. I’m very excited to let people know what I’ve created and can’t wait to share them with you.

Until then, here’s where to find me:

@bonafidepotents

Instagram

Proctor Farmers’ Market, Saturdays from 9AM-2PM

– Albert Albert@bonafiedpotents dot com