WELCOME BACK TO PREGAMIN’, HERE’S YOUR JAM OF THE WEEK
I’LL ADMIT, IT’S LESS OF A JAM AND MORE OF A VIBE, BUT IT STILL RIPS
Rock M-ixology
Guess what, there is no shortage of Odyssey-themed cocktails online these days. Who would’ve guessed?
My bar, being not as stocked these days, is short of Greek alcohols that would really make a specialty drink for this week’s game against Troy, but I still think something over-the-top is necessary. I mean, you’ve read the book right? Saw the movie? If you’re not going all out
for The Odyssey, what are you doing it for?
So for this week, we’re making Circe’s Concoction, an Old Fashioned riff that comes from Sippr, which I learned far too late seems to be an AI party-planning site? Lame. Maybe that’s why it didn’t recognize that this is more of a Sazerac riff than an Old Fashioned
Well, it’s too late now. Gotta drink it!
2 oz Mezcal, 0.25 oz demerara syrup, 2 dashes angostura bitters, 1 dash chocolate bitters, absinthe rinse
Rinse a chilled rocks glass with absinthe, swirling to coat the inside, then discard any excess. Combine mezcal, demerara syrup, Angostura bitters, and chocolate bitters in a mixing glass with a large ice cube. Stir well until perfectly chilled and diluted, about 30-40 seconds. Strain over a large, fresh ice cube in the prepared rocks glass.
I was attracted to this recipe partially because I love a good absinthe rinse. But I’ve also been more partial to mezcal drinks over the past year or so. I was curious to see what these two strong flavors would do together. And after a few sips, I… don’t hate it.
Look, it’s not one I’m going to make again. The mezcal completely overruns the anise flavor of the Absinthe, making the rinse altogether pointless. It’s just a waste of good liquor at that point. But the chocolate bitters add some nice balance and cut through the smoke. And the Demerara is a nice touch, bringing a sweetness on the back end that coats your tongue. If I had to make some adjustments, I’d probably add another dash or two of Chocolate bitters – my “pro” tip, I always double the bitters amount that a recipe calls for – drop the Absinthe altogether and maybe add a dash of Orange bitters in favor of the Angostura. That might make this concoction worth staying on an island for seven years.
- This is a completely useless, but fun, fact that I hope y’all enjoy getting from this section: Troy University was the first in Alabama to house a Confucius Institute. What’s that, you might ask? A public and cultural education site proliferated by the Chinese government. I guess the soil is rich for Chinese cultural enrichment in Troy, Alabama.
- On September 9, 2004, Troy beat Mizzou 24-14. A terrible day in program history, but you know what wasn’t terrible? The number one song in America that day, Terror Squad’s, “Lean Back.”
- I gotta be honest and say I didn’t know Troy was named after the town of Troy, Alabama, until I started this post. You know what else I didn’t know? That civil rights hero John Lewis is a native! R.I.P. John, owner of some of the hardest mugshots in U.S. history.
Mizzou put the beating on kansas last weekend, and Eli Drinkwitz got spicy in the postgame presser. How did you feel about the head ball coach’s comments?
Josh Matejka, Deputy Site Manager: Drinkwitz’s pearl-clutching turned tasteless sarcasm has been covered ad nauseum this week, and I agree that his “Bleeding kansas” comments are a bit rich from a guy who doesn’t want to address the very real history of who was right and who was wrong when it came to the Civil War conflict between the two sides.
Ultimately, though, this is just the state of college football – a sport for young adults run by children (thanks to whichever Reddit user I curbed that from.) I do appreciate how honest and open Drinkwitz has been during his time as Mizzou’s coach. He’s unfiltered in a way that belies a real honesty of character. He’s never been afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and put his thoughts in ink. But obviously not all of those thoughts are winners.
Matthew Gustafson, Beat Writer: I couldn’t help but shake my head at some of the comments on Twitter — by fans of both sides — in the week leading up to the game. Both sides of the rivalry have consistently drawn the roots of the rivalry back to Bleeding Kansas and invoked that history, and I wouldn’t expect the fanbases to suddenly go away from that any time soon. But it can get to a point where it’s simply taken too far, and goes past the point of jabs at a rival school.
So I can see why the Tigers and Drinkwitz took some of the things done and said (i.e., the hype video released the day before the game and played again pregame) a bit personally, and didn’t shy away from saying so in the postgame press conference. While I took the “we left Kansas bleeding again” comment as Drinkwitz emphasizing how the language surrounding the game had gotten out of control and then turning that on Jayhawks fans, I also think it’s fair to say it may have undercut the rest of his message a little bit. At the end of the day, though, that rhetoric and that video opened up the window for Drinkwitz to say what he said when KU couldn’t take care of business on its own field.
Nate Edwards, Football Analyst: I already made my commentary on this in the Beyond The Box Score for this week. To recap: it’s fine to either embrace the Civil War lore or eschew it, but if you’re going to wag your finger at one side, you then can’t turn around and do the same thing.
Austin Simmons passed his first big test last weekend, going on the road in a hostile environment and coming out unscathed. How are we feeling about the QB1 two games in?
Josh Matejka: I’m going to give Austin Simmons the benefit of the doubt until he gives me reason not to. I felt really good about Pribula a few games into last season, and its easy to see some of the cracks of his game showing in hindsight. Simmons, however, has been near perfect. Looking back at the trip to Lawrence, you could easily envision a world where a few of his receivers hold onto their drops and he ends up with an extra score and 50-75 extra yards passing. He’s only put one ball in danger all season, and that was a dot into double coverage that was nearly caught by Donovan Olugbode. He’s very, very good; now it’s about maintaining that level over the course of a season.
Matthew Gustafson: Hindsight is always far clearer, but I think it’s fair to say that people maybe should have put more weight on the fact that Simmons beat Trinidad Chambliss in a QB battle last fall and was thought of highly by Lane Kiffin. He’s certainly shown why over the first two weeks. It’s still too early to say (remember the Beau Pribula Heisman hype last year?), but Austin Simmons has shown enough to make me believe he could be the best quarterback of the Eli Drinkwitz era.
Nate Edwards: it’s been awesome to see the talent on display but let’s remember it has been demonstrated against an FCS defense and a bad kansas secondary. I feel good about Austin Simmons’ powers but I’ll feel better once I see him replicated the success so far against Mississippi State.
This is Mizzou’s last perceived gimme game on the schedule before SEC play starts next week. If you could guarantee the team irons out one issue against Troy, it would be…
Josh Matejka: Run blocking. I’m not as worried about the pass rush, as my eyes are telling me the pressure is building with no one quite getting home. That’s an issue that can be cleaned up over the course of a few weeks while being masked over by strong play in the back seven, which Mizzou has. The run blocking, however, seems like it might be a legitimate problem. If they can’t get anything going through three games against three bad defenses, we’re going to have to hope the staff pull out a miracle… or that Austin Simmons is able to carry the offense.
Matthew Gustafson: The pass rush. The Tigers have been getting solid pressure on the QB over the first two weeks, but haven’t gotten home enough — that is, until the final minutes of the Border War, when they tallied up four sacks in quick succession. Daeden Hopkins looks like a serious threat from the edge and Donta Simpson also had a standout performance against the Jayhawks, giving the edge rusher position for MU more depth than some initially projected. I think Mizzou is going to build on those ‘close but no cigar’ performances off the edge and record multiple sacks before the fourth quarter, and for the team’s sake, they need to do just that before reaching conference play.
Nate Edwards: Run blocking. Missouri had a 22% success rate running the ball against kansas. That has to be better, especially against the 95th-ranked defense this week.
PICK ‘EM! Mizzou is such a big favorite that they won’t let us put money on it. Cowards. How does this one shake out?
Josh Matejka: Mizzou wins by a lot of points, Austin Simmons throws a few more touchdowns, Jamal Roberts has 100+ yards rushing. Seems pretty cut-and-dry.
Matthew Gustafson: I’ll leave my specific prediction for our pick ‘ems article, but I think Mizzou is going to put a lot of points on the board and pass the projected margin of victory.
Nate Edwards: 38-13, we don’t see a starter take a snap after half. No injuries please!
