Texas Sweat (cocktail)
Texas Sweat is a cocktail that has a little of everything, including vodka, rum, gin, tequila and grenadine. The drink is cited in print since at least the early 2000s. The WebtenderTexas…
Texas Rattlesnake (cocktail)
The "Texas Rattlesnake" cocktail contains no rattlesnake, but it does have a bite. The usual ingredients are Yukon Jack Canadian whisky, cherry brandy, Southern Comfort, and sweet and…
Texas Kool-Aid or Texas Cool-Aid (cocktail & wine & Crown Royal nickname)
Kool-Aid is a popular artificially-flavored drink mix. What is a Texas Kool-Aid (also spelled "Texas Cool-Aid")? A Texas Kool-Aid cocktail consists of Creme de Noyaux, melon liqueur,…
Sunny San Leon (San Leon nickname)
San Leon in Galveston County has been called "Sunny San Leon" since at least 2003. San Leon has also been called "a small drinking village with a large fishing problem."…
Portocrat (bureaucrat from the Port Authority)
The New York Daily News has called bureaucrats from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey "portocrats" since at least 1996. The newspaper has been a stinging critic of the Port…
Greenhorn (green Texas Longhorn)
A "greenhorn" is a newcomer; the University of Texas athletic teams are called the "Longhorns." A freshman football player on the Texas Longhorns might be called a…
Small drinking village with a large fishing problem (San Leon & Flour Bluff unofficial slogan)
In the late 1990s, Chatham (MA) issued this bumper sticker slogan: "Chatham, a quaint drinking village with a fishing problem." The slogan has been used for United States coastal cities…
Big Mikan (summary)
"The Big Mikan" is Tokyo's answer to New York City's nickname, "the Big Apple." A mikan is a citrus fruit resembling an orange. The nickname 'Big Mikan"…
Chicken Cone (ACL Fest food from Hudson’s on the Bend)
The first Austin City Limits Music Festival began in 2002 -- in Austin, Texas, of course. The Austin restaurant Hudson's on the Bend began serving "chicken cones" -- a similar…
Stuckholder
The character Larry "the Liquidator" Garfinkle in the 1989 Jerry Sterner play Other People's Money used the term "stuckholders" to refer to "stockholders." People…
Ruthville (Yankee Stadium right field bleachers)
Yankee Stadium (1923-2008) in the Bronx had a short right field porch that made it easy for left-handers to hit home runs. In December 1919, the New York Yankees acquired Babe Ruth (1895-1948), one…
Stubway (shortened version of a longer proposed subway line)
Manhattan's Second Avenue Subway project has been talked about and delayed for over half a century. By the late 1990s, it was proposed to build a Second Avenue "Stubway" -- a…
“Wall Street got drunk” (George W. Bush)
President George W. Bush attended a July 2008 fundraiser in Houston, Texas for Republican congressional candidate Pete Olson. TV cameras were requested to be turned off, but at least one person…
“When Wall Street sneezes, the rest of the world catches pneumonia” (“When America sneezes…”)
Wall Street influences Main Street and even the rest of the world. "When Wall Street sneezes," the saying goes, "the rest of the world catches pneumonia." The phrase has several…
XIT City (Dalhart nickname)
The incredibly large XIT Ranch was 3,000,000 acres and was traded to its owners so that Texas could pay for the construction of just one building -- the state capitol in Austin. The XIT Ranch (the…
Texas Celery (cardoon)
Cardoon (from the Latin word for thistle) is a plant from the globe artichoke family. Cardoon is native to the Mediterranean region, but it grows in Texas from the fall through the spring.…
God’s Gravy (natural juices)
Some Texans prefer not to add gravy or sauces to cooked meat. The meat is cooked in "God's gravy" -- the natural juices. The term "God's gravy" dates back to at least…
Cowboy Roux (Water Roux)
A "roux" is an essential part of Cajun cooking (Louisiana and East Texas) and usually involves wheat flour and fat (such as vegetable oil). When water is substituted for the fat, the roux…
“First, you make a roux…”
Many Cajun country (Loisiana and East Texas) recipes require a roux (wheat flour and fat, such as butter, lard or vegetable oil). "First, you make a roux..." (or, "First, make a…
Boudain or Boudin (Boudain Balls or Boudin Balls)
"Boudain" is the frequently used Texas spelling for "boudin," a spicy Cajun sausage popular in Louisiana. Boudin noir consists of pork, pig blood, rice and spices. Boudin blanc…