Twelve Drinks of Christmas

August 10, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Cocktail Recipes


www.twincities.metromix.com | Metromix’s Chris Kallal gets behind the bar with La Belle Vie mixologist Johnny Michaels and learns how to make Michaels’ famous “12 Drinks of Christmas”.

Downloadable Game Review: Fitness Frenzy by Game Agents

February 25, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Drinking Games

Fitness Frenzy by Game Agents is one of those simple games that are easy to play, easy to learn but deceptively hard to master. Although the game play itself is simple enough to understand, things can get aggravatingly hard as you play on. You play as Vicky, a new addition to the world of sports who decides to bring health and fitness into the world by investing in a gym. Each day, Vicky goes to work to complete a series of goals in order to earn money, tips and an increase in rank which all work together to get Vicky one step further to a larger gym and of course increased profits. Your gym is visited by a number of characters each seeking a different level of fitness. Some may want to bulk up or work on their arm strength while others would prefer to slim down all of which require the use of different equipment. You must create the perfect schedule for these clients who trust you to compose a workout plan specifically for their needs. Along the way, you will need to show some customers how to use the equipment and provide some support and a push to those who are struggling. It all sounds so simple until you have a number of impatient customers all waiting to use the same piece of equipment!

At first you must deal with all aspects of the gym including cleaning but as you progress and earn more money you can employ some helpers who will take some of the work off your hands. It’s possible to upgrade your equipment and you can even buy special items such as a water dispenser enabling you to serve drinks to your customers. Dividing your time correctly is important because customers lose enthusiasm in your gym if you are slow to react to them or if you organise an inappropriate training session for them. The goal is to impress them, make them happy, keep things running smoothly and earn lots and lots of cash! Although there is something slightly familiar about Fitness Frenzy, the idea behind it is quite original and if the perky music doesn’t keep you upbeat, nothing will. The game itself is fun to play but playing it for an extended period of time would probably become quite tedious. A nice break from work perhaps but I’m not sure if it is worth a purchase. It is an enjoyable game as a short term option so if pushed I would award it a 4/5 rating. I doubt it would attract the attention of the public at large (although a small proportion of the population would more than likely find it addictive) so a fairer rating would probably be 3/5.

Never Play Gambling by Consuming Drinks

January 18, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Drinking Games

The places where people play gambling games are called Casinos. The word casino was originated from an Italian word casini which means a small room in the country house. In ancient times in the country of Italy people used to conduct games in order to entertain the guests. The game was done in a room, thus a game room eventually developed into a public game room known as a casino. Many People still go to casino to play gambling games since they love to play the games. Every one find casino gaming as a relaxing and enjoyable one, otherwise they wouldn’t waste their time and risk their hard earned money in gaming.Many casinos provide different gambling games that are included in machine games or table games. Nearly all gambling games involve some strategy or playing skill. For every game there will be a way of playing that let the player to lower the house advantage and enhance his chances of winning the game. The machine games are generally considered to have the higher house advantage. Slots are easy to play without having any prior awareness of game play or the rules.  He will only have to deposits his money and push the spin button of the slot machine. New players will normally choose to play the machine games rather than the table games as they require no gaming skill, often called games of chance. Table games that are generally called as games of skill have the lower house advantage. The table games involve knowledge of the rules and betting practices of the different games. This means that a player who wishes to play table games must know the rules and method of the respected games.  The player can play roulette and bet on the Even Money bets without knowing much about the game, but he has to experience enough about the game that to lay Even Money bets. In Black jack which is a table game, the player following the basic strategy can easily attain wins as the game has lower house advantage.  The player plays all these games since he enjoys the games in casino.For all these casino games to play at the best, players need to have a clear head which means that they should be capable to think clearly and quickly in order to respond in a proper way. Almost all casinos serve the players alcohol while playing their game. Drinking while gambling will not blend together and it is not a helpful method.  Casinos are offering drinks in order to have profits. So Players should avoid alcohol when playing, particularly when involving with games of strategy or skill. Casinos will do many things to disturb the player like threatening or other things, so player should be well prepared to handle the situation that needs reasonable and consistent thinking.  When a player drinks alcohol this thinking ability is gets obstructed and so player will find difficulty in tackling the situation that arise during gaming. This damage the player’s bankroll as it is easy to throw down chips and to keep buying chips after a few drinks. So avoid drinking while gambling in order to control lose in gaming.

Are Sports Drinks Appropriate For You?

January 17, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Popular Drinks

It is undisputed that fluid and carbohydrate replacement is critical for optimal sports performance. Sports drinks manufacturers promote that the consumption of their products is necessary way to achieve this aim. However, long term dependence on sports drinks for fluid and carbohydrate replacement may not be the most suitable approach for many athletes.

There is an ever-increasing supply of research that implies that appropriate fluid intake is needed for optimal sporting performance. It is often suggested that a sportsperson may experience thirst only after a 2% weight loss ascribed to water but this amount of dehydration can diminish sporting performance by up to 30%.

   

For this reason, the sports drinks containing both carbohydrates and minerals have become ubiquitous. Studies show that water is most swiftly absorbed from the stomach when it contains around the same level of components as that of blood when it is referred to as isotonic. Normally sports drinks consist of around 5-8% of carbohydrate, which is considered to be around the optimal level for fastest rate for replacement of fluids. Drinking an isotonic sports drink will replace the lost fluid more rapidly than plain water but will also provide carbohydrate energy and necessary minerals (depending on the make up of the sports drink).

Drinks that with a concentration of more than 8% carbohydrate are often claimed to be more likely to result in upset stomachs.

Regardless that sports drinks have been around for quite a few years there is still some disagreement about how beneficial the use of the drinks is. Some of those who are against the regular use of them observe that some of the more favourable research is supported by those making and selling the sports drinks. However, it is probably valid to conclude that following the normal guidelines for consumption of the drinks may lessen the likelihood of underperforming. Yet during long distance sporting events (or training) in warm or humid weather simply drinking sports drinks with no consideration of the amount of carbohydrates consumed may actually lead to problems.

Some researchers have argued that consumption of sports drinks may decrease the secretion of the human growth hormone response related to activity as higher levels of blood sugar can reduce the secretion of the human growth hormone. Studies show that human growth hormone may favour the use of fat as an energy source and also the hormone may facilitate protein/muscle synthesis.

The scientists argue that the carbohydrate drinks raise blood sugar, which suppresses the growth hormone, which is required for optimising adaptation to training. Thus regular consumption may not produce the maximal adaptation of the muscles and body to training.

For someone who is exercising for more than 10 minutes an increase in the secretion of the growth hormone can be measured if the exercise intensity is greater than the lactate threshold.

Hence if an athletes aim is to optimise adaptation to training then only water (with or without suitable electrolytes) should be consumed during and immediately after training at or greater than the threshold for lactate production.

If the objective for using these drinks to only to maximise performance during a particular sporting event (which can be before, during or after competition) then carbohydrate rich drinks may well be suitable.

When choosing a particular brand of sports drink then it is important to be aware of the electrolytes added. For example most of the most popular drinks do not contain magnesium which many experts consider to be a significant supplement particularly for sports people. A suitable drink should contain around 6g of carbohydrate per 100 mls, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. The type of carbohydrate is also considered to be significant and simple sugars such as glucose, sucrose and fructose are less desirable than long chain sugars such as glucose polymers.

 



 

Are Sports Drinks Appropriate

January 16, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Popular Drinks

It is undisputed that fluid and carbohydrate replacement is critical for optimal sports performance. Sports drinks manufacturers promote that the consumption of their products is necessary way to achieve this aim. However, long term dependence on sports drinks for fluid and carbohydrate replacement may not be the most suitable approach for many athletes.
There is an ever-increasing supply of research that implies that appropriate fluid intake is needed for optimal sporting performance. It is often suggested that a sportsperson may experience thirst only after a 2% weight loss ascribed to water but this amount of dehydration can diminish sporting performance by up to 30%.
For this reason, the sports drinks containing both carbohydrates and minerals have become ubiquitous. Studies show that water is most swiftly absorbed from the stomach when it contains around the same level of components as that of blood when it is referred to as isotonic. Normally sports drinks consist of around 5-8% of carbohydrate, which is considered to be around the optimal level for fastest rate for replacement of fluids. Drinking an isotonic sports drink will replace the lost fluid more rapidly than plain water but will also provide carbohydrate energy and necessary minerals (depending on the make up of the sports drink).
Drinks that with a concentration of more than 8% carbohydrate are often claimed to be more likely to result in upset stomachs.
Regardless that sports drinks have been around for quite a few years there is still some disagreement about how beneficial the use of the drinks is. Some of those who are against the regular use of them observe that some of the more favourable research is supported by those making and selling the sports drinks. However, it is probably valid to conclude that following the normal guidelines for consumption of the drinks may lessen the likelihood of underperforming. Yet during long distance sporting events (or training) in warm or humid weather simply drinking sports drinks with no consideration of the amount of carbohydrates consumed may actually lead to problems.
Some researchers have argued that consumption of sports drinks may decrease the secretion of the human growth hormone response related to activity as higher levels of blood sugar can reduce the secretion of the human growth hormone. Studies show that human growth hormone may favour the use of fat as an energy source and also the hormone may facilitate protein/muscle synthesis.
The scientists argue that the carbohydrate drinks raise blood sugar, which suppresses the growth hormone, which is required for optimising adaptation to training. Thus regular consumption may not produce the maximal adaptation of the muscles and body to training.
For someone who is exercising for more than 10 minutes an increase in the secretion of the growth hormone can be measured if the exercise intensity is greater than the lactate threshold.
Hence if an athletes aim is to optimise adaptation to training then only water (with or without suitable electrolytes) should be consumed during and immediately after training at or greater than the threshold for lactate production.
If the objective for using these drinks to only to maximise performance during a particular sporting event (which can be before, during or after competition) then carbohydrate rich drinks may well be suitable.
When choosing a particular brand of sports drink then it is important to be aware of the electrolytes added. For example most of the most popular drinks do not contain magnesium which many experts consider to be a significant supplement particularly for sports people. A suitable drink should contain around 6g of carbohydrate per 100 mls, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. The type of carbohydrate is also considered to be significant and simple sugars such as glucose, sucrose and fructose are less desirable than long chain sugars such as glucose polymers.

5 Manly Alcoholic Drinks

January 16, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Alcohol Shots

When it comes to alcoholic beverages, there are just some tastes that men prefer. Is it the taste, or is quick transition from sober to plastered? Either way, men tend to drink some pretty hefty drinks nowadays. Here are five extremely manly alcoholic drinks, or in their words, five of the coolest ways to get drunk.

1. Boilermaker- This is simply beer with a shot of whiskey or rum dropped in it. It seems too easy but enough of these will get you tipsy real fast. Even a heavy weight male will be tripping over his feet and falling off bar stools with this mix.

2. Buffalo Sweat- This is three parts bourbon and one part Tabasco. For all those men who like a little kick in their mixers the added hotness from Tabasco sauce can cause the head to get hot in no time. To say the least, they’ll get super drunk.

3. Black Sunday- This is one ounce Everclear, one ounce Wild Turkey 101 Proof Bourbon, and black cheery soda. Of course the soda is just for taste but two different liquors with a 100% plus alcohol level? Um, can you say hammered?

4. Spicy Sandstorm- This one ounce scotch, one ounce gin, ground black pepper, and a splash or two of Tabasco sauce. A little more repulsive than the Buffalo Sweat this spicy mixer gives you the ultimate head rush, a body full of alcohol, and a night of outrageous, drunken behavior.

5. Enpinyo and cow blood- That is, distilled African liquor washed down with pure cow blood, no lie. An indigenous group in Kenya and Tanzania known as the Maasai drink super concentrated enpinyo which is tastefully washed down with some fresh cow blood. Supposedly the blood of the cow works wonders for preventing any type of hangover. With this hardcore ingredient, the enpinyo and cow blood remains at the top of the list for the manliest, albeit most disgusting way to get drunk.

So, what are you waiting for? Try one of these manly drinks out and get drunker faster.

Caffeine in our drinks

January 14, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Popular Drinks


A short comparison of quantities of caffeine in different popular drinks (Sorry for poor focus on camera)

Boat Drinks at the International Boat Show

January 12, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Popular Drinks


We’re at the city by the sea where the International Boat Show is going on, and Shawn Tempesta gets the scoop on what popular drinks are good for the sea.

Drinks to Lose Weight – 4 Popular Drinkss to Lose Weight!

January 10, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Popular Drinks

Looking for Drinks to Lose Weight? These 4 popular Drinks to Lose Weight can be easily incorporated into your diet to assist greatly with flushing fat! I’ve used them all to lose weight, however the 2 things that helped me the most to Lose OVER 150 lbs you can read about and start using immediately at my website http://www.ChandrasDietSuccess.com.

Drinking Water to Lose Weight. Drinking more water, not coke, pop, juice or other sugary substances, will help your body to burn fat more effectively and lose weight fast. Water is essential to all the basic processes of your body including weight loss. Make sure your body is continually hydrated. When your body is dehydrated, especially at night, a feeling of hunger will develop in your body. By constantly staying hydrated, you will ensure that your body feels as full as possible. Drinking water to lose weight is definitely one of the easiest ways to burn fat fast.

Drinking Green Tea to Lose Weight: Studies have shown that consumption of green tea increased thermogenesis as well as energy expenditure and fat loss in healthy men. Thermogenesis simply put is the process whereby the body generates heat and increases metabolism.  This suggests that green tea can be an effective way to help the body burn fat fast.

Drinking Soy to Lose Weight. Soy is may also lower cholesterol, and is also an incredibly rich source of lean protein which is why so many vegetarians rely on this food as a staple in their diets. As it is also so rich in protein, it will easily create the feeling of being full during meals. Soy milk is a great addition to a bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal. Do watch the amount of sugar and salt that has been added into your soy milk. Buy plain whenever possible and sweeten it yourself at home with honey or agave nectar.

Drinking Acai Juice to Lose Weight: Jam packed with antioxidants and nutrients, no wonder this super food was #1 on Dr. Perricone’s list. More and more people are drinking Acai Juice to lose weight. Acai also has lots of fibre in it, so it can work to gently cleanse your colon of any toxins while nourishing your body. Acai juice can be quite pricey, so the easiest way to take it is definitely in a capsule form.

Click to get a FREE Acai & Colon Cleanse trial (just pay shipping and handling) for a limited time only.

The Best Thing About Energy Drinks

January 9, 2010 by The Cocktail Lounge  
Filed under Popular Drinks

Copyright (c) 2009 Michael Atma

It’s not always easy to muster up the energy you need to do all the things that need to be done each day. Especially if you’ve don’t get a good night’s sleep or you’ve been overworking yourself. That’s why many people look for that extra energy boost that they get from energy drinks.

It seems the main reason people of all ages are flocking to these re-energizing drinks is not so much to quench their thirst but more for the boost of energy that they provide. In fact, the latest statistics also reveal that the favorite beverage of choice for office and warehouse workers is now energy drinks.

The interesting thing about them is that they differ radically in taste, strength and nutritional value. Most of this information you can find on the packaging of the drink itself.

While they are used by some for helping to increase their stamina and performance at sport or for the long day or night ahead at work, others find that they help to rejuvenate spent energy.

For anyone looking for more energy then drinks like Redbull and Rockstar are a great substitute to coffee or other caffeinated beverages.  Some people even consider energy drinks their main source of vitality during a hectic day and helps them to stay focused and attentive to the demands upon their time, body and energy.

Some of the other notable benefits include less drowsiness, increased productivity and improved concentration for longer stints.

You may get a little confused as to which drinks are the most effective but like most things it’s really up to your personal taste and how they affect your energy levels.

While we all have slightly different metabolisms, diets and sleep patterns, so too do energy drinks have slightly different ingredients. There are various ingredients used such as B vitamins and natural things like Guarana, while others use mostly Taurine and caffeine. One of the most popular energy drinks by far is Redbull. 

Dietrich Mateschitz developed Redbull based on a Thai drink called Krating Daeng, a popular drink in Thailand. The key ingredient in the Thai energy drink was taurine, an amino acid that was first discovered in bulls.

These days however, there is a much wider range of energy drinks to choose from including Rockstar Drink, V, Gatorade, Thorpedo, Redeye and many more. So if you’re looking for something to help re-charge dwindling energy levels during the day or night then try them out for yourself and see if it’s something that keeps you going when you need it most.

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