Happy Hour: Candyland, Red Light District

Martinis (and a shooter) that would make Willy Wonka proud:

Jolly Rancher
Shaken on Ice and Served in a Chilled Stemmed Glass
1 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Watermelon Pucker
1 oz. Sweet & Sour
Splash of 7-Up



Green Candy Apple Martini
Shaken on Ice and Served in a Chilled Stemmed Glass
1 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Midori
1/2 oz. Sour Apple Pucker
1 oz. Sweet & Sour

Caramel Apple Martini
Shaken on Ice and Served in a Chilled Stemmed Glass
1 1/2 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps
1 1/2 oz. Sour Apple Pucker
1/2 oz. Triple Sec

Oatmeal Cookie
Shaken on Ice and Served in a Shooter Glass
1/2 oz. Goldshlager
1/2 oz. Kahlua
1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream


Mmmmm....I want candy now!

LeisureTech: NetGen Disney Everything Wristbands

It has been a frustrating time to be a Disney Parks fan with so much construction going on at the parks and the promise of next generation technology just out of reach, but one super exciting bit of tech that DizFanatic has just reported on are RFID wristbands. Apparently, Disney is in the early stages of testing these colorful accessories, but once these babies get put in to action, we will have a whole new way of experiencing theme parks. The possibilities of the RFID wristbands are endless: it will serve as your ticket, your hotel room key, enhanced Fastpass, enhanced Photopass, meal plan, credit card, interact with things in the park, and even offer personalized theme park experiences based on your profile. See pictures and read all about the possibilities here. Despite some Big Brother-esque undertones, I cannot wait! Disney's technological innovations are one of the main things that keep me coming back year after year, and I'm looking forward to when Mickey customizes my visit to my stats! We can hopefully look forward to new information about this tech released tomorrow at the Disny Parks panel at the D23 Disney Expo.

Happy Hour: Cocktails for Real Americans

Today we begin a continuing series of posts in which I present to you recipes for non-traditional alcoholic beverages, linked thematically of course. Appropriately, today I completed phase I of my self-constructed leisure education, I graduated from the National Bartending School. I've got drinks on the brain! To celebrate the completion of my extensive two-week cocktail academics (and America), here are a few America-themed mixes for you to try next time you visit your local watering hole (test your bartender's mixological knowledge) or try making them your self!

Boston Tea Party
Serve in a Collins Glass
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1 1/2 oz. Sweet & Sour
Fill with Cranberry Juice
Splash with 7-up
Float 1/2 Bicardi 151 on top
Garnish with a Lemon Wedge

The Boston Tea Party is a member of the "Ice Tea" Family and a variation of a Long Beach Ice Tea, by adding the Bicardi 151 on top it becomes a Boston Tea Party. All "Ice Teas" are served in collins glasses and garnished with a lemon wedge.

G.I. Joe
Served in a Collins Glass
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Midori
1 1/2 oz. Sweet & Sour
Fill with 7-Up
Top with Coke
Garnish with a Lemon Wedge

By adding the Coke, this "Ice Tea" evolves from a "Tokyo Tea" ( or "Nuclear Ice Tea") to a G.I. Joe. The Midori makes the drink green and the brown-colored Coke on top trickles down creating an aesthetically pleasing and novel camouflaged colored drink.

L.A. River
Served in a Collins Glass
1/2 oz. Vodka
1/2 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Rum
1/2 oz. Blue Curacao
1 1/2 oz. Sweet & Sour
Fill with 7-Up
Top with a Cherry Liqueur
Garnish with a Lemon Wedge

Another member of the "Ice Tea" Family, the L.A. River starts as a blue drink (due to the Blue Curacao), which then turns brown when the Cherry Liqueur is poured on top. You can substitute Coke if you do not have any Cherry Liqueur on hand, or top with Baileys Irish Cream to make is especially L.A. River-like!

There ya go! Have a drink this weekend and check back next week for a new set of delicious mixes, perhaps we will depart from the "Ice Tea" Family. ...but they are so fun to make (and mess you up)!

Restart of the King!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce the triumphant return of The Leisure King! Welcome to Leisure King V. 2.0!! It’s good to be back.

Last you heard from me was a little over a year ago when I was complaining about not being able to attend Comic-Con all 4 days because of my demanding TV job. So allow me to get you up to speed. Firstly, I didn’t get to go to Comic-Con at all this year because of how impossible they made it to get tickets (No reward for 10 year member loyalty eh?), but that’s ok. I don’t want them, if they don’t want me. Secondly, after working a couple years in the stressful and frustrating Hollywood world, I decided that it was not how I wanted to spend my life. Besides, I worked with the greatest crew in TV history anyway (Smallville Season 10, WHAT WHAT!!), so where can you go from there? As the TV season came to an end, I applied for grad school and here I am, 2 weeks from starting a 2 year academic adventure with a Master’s of Science of Recreation and Tourism Management the goal. Turns out I am not as passionate about making TV as I am watching it. What I AM passionate about though is improving quality of life for all by promoting the importance of leisure, recreation, play, and travel! And one of the easiest ways I can do that is by blogging about all things leisure related for whoever is interested. My hope is that Leisure King 2.0 improves on its original incarnation with more frequent and diverse posts to create a true Internet leisure kingdom. Here you will find reviews of attractions, lodgings, and restaurants, musings on the leisure world, the latest leisure news, travel deals, and a cornucopia of anything else that I decree worthy of posting in my leisure realm. I have started by creating a brand spanking new "Links" section full of fantastic resources for enhancing your leisure experience. Check it out on the right hand side of the page. If you have any suggestions for great links that I have not listed yet, please let me know. New posts and updates coming soon!! Please, enjoy my blog...but only at your leisure.

**“Restart of the King” is the title of the final episode of the hilarious web series The Legend of Neil (a parody of The Legend of Zelda) created by Sandeep Parikh. I don’t want to take credit for that title, but I do want to support awesome people making cool things off the mainstream grid. You should watch it. …also I worked on it, pre-Smallville.