Wedding season is in the air!  

Even though this Chicago Spring has been lackluster, and really just down and out crappy weather-wise, the season of love is upon us.

So get out there, mingle, and enjoy life.

I'm personally fond of dancing, and completed a swing class over at Big City Swing.  I have taken a few dance classes, and can say with some experience that this one was one of the best.  Knowledgeable instructors(Jenna), good time of the day for working folk(7:30 on a Wednesday), and good fun.

I decided to take the class partially for personal fulfillment, but I'm excited that  it also will help me work with any couples out there who are interested in dance instruction as part of their wedding plans. 

I've also gained a deeper appreciation for different sub-genres of "swing" and will be exploring this a little deeper in my free-time.

Let me know if you're interested in any specialty styles of dance for your event, we'll be happy to help you out.

Thanks,

~Josh~

You may not have read it right the first time, try it one more time, lol.

Mama Juana is traditional fair in the Dominican Republic, a unique libation indeed.

In a nutshell we're talking about rum(generally dark -spiced- rum), red wine, honey, tree bark, and herbs aged in a large squat bottle with a short and narrow neck.  The term "Mama Juana" refers to the bottle.

Now, as the native Dominicans would tell you(and believe me, they told a great story!), the drink has many medicinal benefits.

*Flu Remedy
*Digestive Aid
*Arthritis
*Toothaches
*Blood Cleanser
*Circulation Aid
*Headaches
*Kidney and Liver Tonic
*Aphrodisiac

That last one may have thrown you for a loop, me too!  But more than one Dominican exclaimed to me as I was handed a cup of the juice - 

"From the waist down, you are 18 again!"

I'll not be divulging any personal information here, but that was a pretty bold statement, and I couldn't help but purchase a bottle.  If not just for the conversation piece!

One unique thing about purchasing the bottle, is that the maceration(the softening or breaking up of solid food using a liquid) is renewable.  Once the liquid is drank from the bottle, you refill the same bottle(which still contains the herbs and bark) with new rum, wine, and honey.  You let it sit and age for a time again, and you have another bottle of the unique beverage!

The recommended aging a refill for a week, although I also heard the concoction is ready to drink overnight.

Details on serving Mama Juana:

Store and serve at room temperature
Present in a shot glass
Enjoy!

Should you find yourself in a Dominican restaurant or bar(hey, it could happen - this is Chicago!),  see if they don't have a bottle of this stuff in the rail.  You'll be glad you tried it!

Thanks for reading - Cheers,

~Josh~

p.s. - Chicago Movers and Shakers is undergoing some growth as we speak, stay tuned for more info: bargains on wedding DJs, first-class bartenders, and public events that we're a part of!

And if you haven't already, please go 'like' us on Facebook.

St. Paddy's Day, a great holiday celebrating the life of a man who spent most of his days setting up churches and other institutions in Ireland... And a great excuse to drink!

March 17th, actually is his death date.

You can find an extended version here at wikipedia.

Let's give him the CM&S treatment.

Since we're celebrating on the day he died, we'll use Death's Door as our base alcohol.  They make a great Vodka, but we're actually going to use the whisky.  Note that it is spelt whisky, not whiskey.  Death's Door is American made.  

We've got to make it green like Chicago's River, but we don't want to use food coloring.  Lets use another Chicago favorite that is seasonal, McDonald's Shamrock Shake.

Man, this is starting to sound really good.

We don't want you to get to full, because tradition says, when you celebrate St. Paddy's, you must celebrate from morning 'till night.  So let's actually get down with the kid's sized version, which is is 12oz. and 420(!) calories.  You can see the Shamrock Shake's Nutrition here.

Let's get it started.  We need a good name.

"Paddy's Shakedown"

2oz. Death's Door Whisky
1 Kid Sized Shamrock Shake

Start by ordering a Shamrock Shake from one of the locations in Chicago that offer it, then drink enough of the green concoction so you can fit in your Death's Door.  Add whisky.  Make sure to mix it very well, as the thick shake will not easily blend with your alcohol.  

Drink and enjoy a safe St. Patrick's Day!

~Josh~

p.s. if you've got another awesome name for this drink, please leave it in the comments below!