Bando Bevs

It's getting juicy on Episode 49! This episode discusses the "6 signs you are in a secure friendship" and Natasha & Paris take an inventory of how they are showing up in friendships. If you've always wondered what a good friendship/relationship looked like, this will sure give you some insight. Whether you're in a secure relationship or you are making your way there, remember, you got the juice now!

You Got the Juice recipe:
Materials: **A juicer**

4 Celery sticks
2 Honeycrisp apples
1" Ginger root
Gin (optional)

Wash produce. Core apples and peel ginger root (best to use a spoon).  Use a juicer to juice celery, apples and ginger.  Pour juice into a cup (optional- add gin). Enjoy!

Burnout is real and it's ok to do what is best for you if that time comes. On Episode 48, Paris and Natasha discuss some victories and some challenges, but overall grateful for the many things that occurred this year. Fall has been a reflective season and as we lead up to Thanksgiving, we wanted to have a drink that would give us the crispness of the leaves and comfort us like grandma's apple pies. Our drink this episode is made with Honeycrisp apples (the best apples of all time) and ginger beer base.  The drink is called G.L.A.D. which is an exercise introduced to us that we enjoy sharing. Each person shares something they are Grateful for, something they have Learned, an Accomplishment, and something that brings them Delight! Check out the recipe below!

G.L.A.D. Recipe:
1 oz Honeycrisp Apple Syrup - recipe below

• 2 Honeycrisp Apples
• Brown Sugar

1 oz Vodka (optional)
Ginger Beer
Cinnamon Stick

Combine all ingredients over ice and stir. Garnish with thin apple slice and cinnamon stick.

Honeycrisp Apple Syrup: Peel, core and dice two Honeycrisp apples. Add to saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Cook until apples are soft. Press soft apples in mesh sieve to extract juice into measuring cup.  Add equal parts of extracted apple juice and brown sugar to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved.  Allow to cool entirely. Keeps in refrigerator for approximately 2 weeks.  

Life is about getting from one place to another - full of constant change and growth. We might know exactly where we want to go, but at times lack direction. We might have direction but don't know if we really want to go to our selected destination.  If you've ever used a GPS to navigate, you know that there is a start and an end. You also know that if you get off track on your route, the GPS won't yell at you for making mistakes. The GPS politely redirects your route for you and you learn from your mistakes. Your arrival time might be later than you anticipated, but you still get there. This week's episode focuses on navigating life through love and the destinations we have arrived at by loving. Please join us on the journey of Episode 47 as we drink our latest drink, GPS.

GPS Recipe:
1 cup fresh diced papaya
1/2 cup fresh sliced cucumber
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
Ginger beer
2 oz Tequila

Combine papaya, cucumber, and lime juice in blender/food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Add 3oz of mixture to glass, over ice. Add tequila (optional) and top with ginger beer.  Stir and enjoy!

2020 continues to offer opportunities to reflect, rebound, and grow.  On episode 46, Natasha and Paris talk about the duality that exists in our day to day spaces. Most notably however, social media, news outlets, and our very own bubbles. There is duality in the name of drink for this episode also... VR = Vanilla Rose and Virtual Reality. Make a glass of VR, press play, and think about your realities.

VR Recipe:
2 oz Vanilla Rose simple syrup
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz ginger juice
2 oz gin (optional)
Club Soda

Combine simple syrup, lemon juice, and ginger juice (and gin) over ice and stir. Top with club soda. Garnish with a thin slice of lemon and edible flowers.

Vanilla Rose Simple Syrup: 
2 cups brown sugar 
2 cups water 
1/2 tsp rose powder
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup  corn syrup

Combine brown sugar, water, rose powder and corn syrup in saucepan.  Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Add vanilla extract and remove from heat.  Allow to cool and store in an air tight container.  Keeps in refrigerator for approximately 1-2 months. 

Natasha and Paris kick off the conversation discussing their first impressions of one another and progress into discovering their new life callings. Kick off your fall with a little mango, because who said mango wasn't an October fruit? Join us for Episode 45 and we hope to make an impression on you!

Impressions Recipe
4-5 slices of cucumber (peeled)
2-3 mint leaves
1 oz honey
1.5 oz mango puree
1.5 oz fresh lime juice
Ginger beer
Ice

Muddle cucumber, mint leaves and honey in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the mango puree (blended fresh mango) and lime juice. Shake with ice. Strain over ice into a copper mug. Top with ginger beer and stir.

From bucket lists to a "F*ck It lists" -  Natasha and Paris reflect on the things they've accomplished and how important it is to not put off your desires and goals. Natasha also helps Paris realize that she is already a millionaire! They're putting out fires with Episode 44's drink. Check out Smoke and Mirrors - our smoky twist on the classic lemonade

Smoke and Mirrors Recipe:

• Wood chips for smoking
• 5 lemons, sliced in half
• 1 cup of smoked lemon juice
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 quart of club soda
• 1 oz Mezcal (Cocktail)

1. Prepare your stovetop smoker by finding a non-coated 2-quart pot with a lid. Sprinkle enough wood chips on the bottom of the pot to cover. Place a steam basket in the bottom and line with foil. Add half'd lemons to the foil lined steam basket and cover. Smoke for 5-10 minutes.  Note: It will get smokey, so open windows and turn on fans if indoors. 
2. Once smoked, juice all lemon into pitcher, add sugar - stir
3. Add club soda - stir
4. Optional for Cocktail: Add 1 oz Mezcal to 3/4 cup lemonade

Serve over ice!

So much has happened since the last episode. Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion blessed us with a new hit and Kamala Harris was announced as the 2020 Vice Presidential Candidate for the Democratic Party. We're full of excitement, so we touch various topics with drinks in hand. Our drink, What A Peach, takes us on a journey through picking peaches, grace, self-care, and forgiveness. Join us for Episode 43 where we discuss evolving through your life experiences.

WAP Recipe:
Mocktail
1 oz Peach Juice
1/2 Peach (diced)
3-4 Large Mint Leaves
1 oz Lemon Juice
Muddle all ingredients and strain over tonic water ice cubes.  Top with tonic water.  Garnish with peach and mint. 

Cocktail: 
1/2 Peach (diced)
3-4 Large Mint Leaves
1 oz Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
1 oz Uncle Nearest Whiskey (or Whiskey/Bourbon of choice)
Muddle all ingredients (except whiskey) and strain over tonic water ice cubes. Add whiskey and top with tonic water. Garnish with peach and mint. 

Jelani Curtis, a Detroit native, was inspired to create a platform that makes it easy for citizens to contact the Louisville & Kentucky government to fight for justice for Breonna Taylor.  On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was wrongfully murdered by the Louisville, KY police department while issuing a "no-knock" warrant.  Breonna's life was taken after being shot eight times and left for dead by the same police officers. To this day, those police officers Brett Hankison, Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove have not been arrested or charged with murder. Each day since March 13th there have been many efforts to bring awareness to the case and to demand justice for Breonna.  ForBreonna.com is a seamless, one-tap experience that allows you call, email, or tweet local officials to demand the arrest and charge each officer involved in Breonna's murder. This week, Paris and Natasha speak with Jelani and discuss his creation of @forBreonna and other action we can take to demand justice for the lives of Black people in America. Given the heaviness of the world today, we are choosing a light and refreshing drink called, Better Than Ever.

Better Than Ever Recipe:
3/4 cup Green Tea
1 tsp Mint Simple Syrup
1/2 tsp Lime Juice
1 oz Vodka (Cocktail)
1/4 cup Ginger Beer
Garnish with Mint

Brew green tea and allow to cool. Add all ingredients. Stir. Add ice. Smack mint leaves - add as garnish.

Mint Simple Syrup:
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
Muddle mint leaves with sugar in small saucepan. Add water. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Cool for 15-20 minutes. Strain to remove mint. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Back from their respective breaks from work, Paris and Natasha are excited to get back to chatting about their experiences on Holiday. The good and not so good. This week's episode the two sip a lovely watermelon treat that is perfect for a summer day.

Water Break Recipe:

8 cups of diced seedless watermelon (1 pound)
2 oz lime juice
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup packed mint sprigs
1 1/4 cup
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 oz Tequila
1 oz Seedlip 

Blend the watermelon until smooth. Use mesh strainer over bowl to strain watermelon juice. Discard the pulp.

Combine the simple syrup, line juice, blue berries and mint leaves. Using a wooden spoon or middle, lightly middle the blueberries and mint. Add the watermelon juice and spirit. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Pour cocktail over ice. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve. 

It's episode 40 and the ladies not only keep it 100, they keep it KIWI! That's right, it's the first time Natasha and Paris use kiwi in a drink and it is so delicious. Listen as the two discuss delegating at work, reconnecting with their bodies, mental wealth, and much more...

Keep it Kiwi Recipe:
1/2 peeled kiwi
1 oz premium gin
0.5 oz lime juice
1 oz rosemary simple syrup
Soda water
Kiwi slice, for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, muddle kiwi until broken down. Add gin, lime juice, and rosemary simple syrup. Shake over ice. Top with soda water and garnish with a kiwi slice.

For Mocktail:
Remove gin
Add 1 oz  lime juice
Top with soda water

Rosemary Simple Syrup:
Equal parts fresh rosemary leaves, sugar and water.  Place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until sugar is fully dissolved.  Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Strain to remove rosemary leaves. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.