People Love Our Brisk Balls

Dear friends,

If you are a regular reader, then you probably already know that I'm a big believer in volunteering in one's community. And as my regular readers probably already know, I'm an officer with our local American Legion Post 376 here in tiny Glencoe.

We have a number of wonderful volunteers at our small post. Some volunteer to take a Friday and cook for those in our community who venture in for a hamburger, hot dog, or one of our "specials." And in a community that's 17 miles from the nearest restaurants and grocery stores in much bigger Jackson, we do get quite a few people in on Friday nights.

How many are quite a few? Well, since Glencoe has a population of 189 and we at the Legion get in any where from 60 to 70 people in to eat on a Friday night in the 2 hours that we serve, I'd say that's quite a few.

And yes, we try to keep the prices down. For example, we serve a hamburger or a cheeseburger for $5. We serve double-hamburgers and double-cheeseburgers for $6. We sell hot dogs for $3. Along with your order, we provide chili, chips, a green salad, and all of the fix'ns. And yes, sometimes when we remember or someone brings something in to share, we have cakes and cookies and such. We think it's a pretty good deal.

That's especially true for our bar. Inexpensive drinks are our stock and trade. We have domestic beers for $2, Mexican beers for $3. Well drinks for $2, and out top shelf drinks are only $3.

As the 2nd Vice Commander of our post, my job is sort of like saloon keeper, kitchen manager, event coordinator, and so on. Besides me cooking one Friday a month, and show up if a volunteer can't make it, I also volunteer to tend bar once a week.

About a year ago, during one of my shifts behind the bar, a few of us talked about what goes with the latest graze of drinking Fireball Cinnamon Whisky?

We came up with a few different ways of using Fireball with other mixes, but the one that stood out is what we now call our "Brisk Balls!"

Take a 10 ounce glass, pour a 1.5 ounce shot of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky over ice, then fill with sweetened lemon flavored Brisk Iced Tea.

I looked up mixing Fireball Whisky with Ice Tea. While some call their drinks "Fire and Ice" because they use Fireball and plain unsweetened Ice Tea, we use only sweetened lemon flavored Brisk. And of course for more balls, you can add a cherry or two. Either way, with or without cherries, people love our "Brisk Balls!"

They are really good and you ought to try them. And while they are tasty in the summer, they are pretty good as a Christmas cocktail.

Tom Correa