Indy Digest: Feb. 27, 2025
When I told a Manhattan-cocktail-loving friend of mine I was experimenting with making a nonalcoholic version of the drink, he looked at me like I’d just told him I was taking up paint-huffing.
“Why?!” he asked.
I explained that I was curious, because I’ve been reading a lot of stories about the advancements in the manufacturing of non-alcoholic spirits. Less alcohol and fewer calories in one’s diet can only lead to better outcomes—plus I’d told the world, in this space two weeks ago, that I was going to be doing this experiment, promising to share the results on another day in which I just couldn’t with the news of the day.
Since that missive two weeks ago, I researched non-alcoholic spirits, and then made a trip to Total Wine and More in Palm Desert to get a few things. Here’s what I got:
• Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon, which was $35.99 for a 700-milliliter bottle. In other words, it’s one of the more expensive bottles I have in my bar right now.
• Blutul Non-Alcoholic Rosso Vermouth, which was $14.99 for a 750 mil bottle.
• Fee brothers old-fashioned bitters, which was $9.99 for a 5-ounce bottle.
A day or two later, I got out the shaker, put in a bunch of ice, added appropriate amounts of the aforementioned three ingredients, stirred until everything was nice and cold. I then strained the contents into a glass—and took a sip.
“Why?!” I asked.
I am getting a little ahead of myself. Before I made the Manhattan, I tried a small bit of the Spiritless Kentucky 74 on the rocks. It tasted like … well, the closest comparison I can think of is iced tea that had been sitting in the fridge for too long.
It was at this point when I discovered that alcohol is truly an important part of the taste of alcoholic beverages. Even though Spiritless Kentucky 74 has won awards, and is made using many of the same ingredients and processes as bourbon, it did not taste right to me.
As for the Manhattan: It tasted like iced tea that had been sitting in the fridge for too long, with some slightly astringent fruitiness. It was not good, I am sorry to say.
That said … I am not giving up. I am going to futz with the Spiritless Kentucky 74 and see if it has some other application in which it would work for me. I’ll also do more research and perhaps try more non-alcoholic spirits—because I truly do love the idea of these products.
If I discover anything worth sharing, I’ll definitely do so here—because we’re going to all be in need of some good drinks, alcoholic or sans alcohol, in the coming weeks and months.
—Jimmy Boegle
From the Independent
Often Overlooked: Palm Springs Black History Tours Tell the Stories of the City’s Talented Black Pioneers
By Haleemon Anderson
February 25th, 2025
The mission of the tours is to present the greater Palm Springs area through the lens of Black residents whose contributions are an enduring part of the culture.
Know Your Neighbors: Meet Jane Treacy, a Theater Producer, Author, Philanthropist and Dog-Sitter, Going Strong at 85
By Bonnie Gilgallon
February 27th, 2025
Treacy began working in theater as a teen. An older cousin who worked for legendary Broadway producer David Merrick hired her to run a little off-Broadway theater called the 41st Street Theatre.
11 Days a Week: Feb. 27-March 9, 2025
By Staff
February 24th, 2025
Coming up in the next 11 days: the rhythms of Ghana; a production of the musical Oliver! under the stars; and more!
The Indy Endorsement: The Tamales and Eggs at Bit of Country
By Jimmy Boegle
February 27th, 2025
It comes with two tamales, either chicken or pork, as well as rice, beans and two eggs prepared to your liking. This is a LOT of food, spread over two plates.
The Weekly Independent Comics Page for Jan. 27, 2025!
By Staff
February 27th, 2025
Topics touched upon this week include Germans, lead paint, artificial sugars, commuting—and more!
More News
• Time magazine reports on ways in which President Trump’s anti-DEI and anti-environment efforts are harming a lot of his voters: “Clarksburg, West Virginia has lead service lines scattered throughout the city, which has caused elevated levels of lead in some children’s blood, resulting in health issues like developmental delays. In 2023, the environmental-justice division of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced a new program designed to increase lead testing for local children and families so that officials could catch elevated lead levels early and prevent long-term health complications. … The future of the program is now uncertain, due to the Trump Administration’s focus on rooting out efforts to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and environmental-justice initiatives. A proposed expansion of the lead-testing program to states like Ohio is threatened as well. An EPA staffer connected to the initiative was put on administrative leave in early February as part of the Trump Administration’s purge of federal government workers. The person told TIME they were pulled into a meeting and told they had 15 minutes to log out of their work email and settle their affairs.”
• A move by the Trump administration has jeopardized the availability and/or efficacy of next season’s flu shots. Yes, really; that’s where we are at now. The New York Times reports: “A panel of scientific experts that advises the Food and Drug Administration on vaccine policy—and that has been the target of criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—learned on Wednesday that its upcoming meeting to discuss next year’s flu vaccines had been canceled. The FDA sent an email to members of the panel, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, on Monday afternoon informing them of the cancellation, according to a senior official familiar with the decision. There was no reason given. The panel was to meet on March 13. One committee member, Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, an outspoken critic of Mr. Kennedy, confirmed the cancellation and warned that it could interfere with or delay production of flu vaccines. ‘It’s a six-month production cycle,’ Dr. Offit said. ‘So one can only assume that we’re not picking flu strains this year.’”
• This story is a couple of days old, but it’s disconcerting and therefore worth mentioning here: The White House, not an independent journalism organization, will now decide which news outlets get access to the president. CNN says: “The White House is stripping the White House Correspondents’ Association of its role in managing the White House Press Pool, taking control of deciding who will be a part of the small rotating group of journalists and photographers who accompany the president. The press pool includes rotating representatives from television, print, radio, wire services and still photography outlets that travel with the president on Air Force One and in other small settings like the Oval Office or Roosevelt Room. They communicate information back to their counterparts at other outlets through what’s known as pool reports disseminated by email. Since the 1950s, the independent WHCA, made up of representatives from hundreds of different outlets, has managed who is part of the rotation (in coordination with the White House). That now will change, Leavitt said.”
• ProPublica reports that while Facebook is getting rid of fact-checkers, the platform is now incentivizing posts that go viral—accuracy be damned: “Hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as president, users spread a false claim on Facebook that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was paying a bounty for reports of undocumented people. ‘BREAKING—ICE is allegedly offering $750 per illegal immigrant that you turn in through their tip form.’ read a post on a page called NO Filter Seeking Truth, adding, ‘Cash in folks.’ Check Your Fact, Reuters and other fact-checkers debunked the claim, and Facebook added labels to posts warning that they contained false information or missing context. ICE has a tip line but said it does not offer cash bounties. This spring, Meta plans to stop working with fact-checkers in the U.S. to label false or misleading content, the company said on Jan. 7. And if a post like the one about ICE goes viral, the pages that spread it could earn a cash bonus.”
• Denny’s has followed in Waffle House’s footsteps by adding an egg surcharge. CBS News says: “The restaurant said the additional and temporary fee will vary by region and location. The move by the Spartanburg, South Carolina-based brand comes weeks after fellow breakfast chain Waffle House added an egg surcharge. The 70-year-old Denny’s brand involves 1,499 restaurants, most of them in the U.S. and run by franchisees, according to its website. The company said it attempts to plan ahead ‘to minimize the impact market volatility has on our costs and menu pricing,’ but still has to charge more given the nationwide egg shortage and increased cost of eggs, the company said in a statement.”
• And finally … stories like this creep me out. The CBS News headline is: “Congo mystery disease ‘investigation deepens’ as deadly, unidentified illness spreads, WHO says.” Yikes. Some details: “The WHO said in a statement Thursday that, along with Congo health officials, it was ‘carrying out further investigations to determine the cause of another cluster of illness and community deaths’ in the Equateur province, marking the third time this year disease surveillance teams have identified an increase in illness and deaths in the region. ‘The most recent cluster occurred in the Basankusu health zone, where last week 141 additional people fell ill, with no deaths reported,’ the United Nations’ global health agency said. ‘In the same health zone, 158 cases and 58 deaths were reported in the same health zone earlier in February. In January, Bolamba health zone reported 12 people who fell ill including 8 deaths.'” Just a reminder that the U.S. is leaving the World Health Organization, folks.
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