Reverend Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy, a rookie defenseman who's familiar to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fans, had himself an interesting game against the Florida Panthers last night. He got into his first NHL fight, scored his first NHL goal, and received his first NHL stitches after inadvertently blocking a shot with his face. The 5-2 win might have happened without him, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. That deserves some recognition.

I was in love with variations on the caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil, last season. It's fruit crushed with cachuaca or clear rum, basically. But recently, I wanted to try something a bit different. No fruit, just spices. It doesn't look pretty, but it came out awesome.

Reverend Lovejoy

2 1/2 ounces cachuaca or white rum
1/2 inch of peeled, fresh ginger root, cut into slices
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 teaspoons sugar
crushed ice

After you prepare the ginger root and cinnamon stick, place at the bottom of a wide-mouthed glass. Add sugar. Pour in cachuaca or rum. Muddle spices. (A wooden spoon works best for this.) When the spices are blended in, fill the glass with crushed ice.

Letestu Limeade

Yes, yes, we all know Sidney Crosby is brilliant and blossoming into the hockey god potential people have known he had since he was a kid. The write-ups of last night's game included his name in the headlines. The 11-game win streak wouldn't have happened without his amazing 17-game point streak.

But, you know, Mark Letestu also scored two goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. Along with Chris Conner, he's the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton call-up who I want to have a permanent place on the roster. He's worked hard on a small yet very feisty line with Conner and Tyler Kennedy.

I chose to name this after him because the alliteration was just plain irresistable. I loved Captain Morgan Lime Bite since I tried it this summer. Essentially, this is a spiked Sonic limeade, so if you live by a Sonic, you can just buy one and stir Lime Bite into it. But this is easy.

Letestu Limeade

1 can (12 ounces) lemon-lime soda
Half of a lime
2 1/2 ounces Captain Morgan Lime Bite
crushed ice

Fill a large tumbler halfway with crushed ice. Squeeze the lime over the ice, taking care not to let too many seeds get into the glass. (Pulp's fine.) Pour in the Lime Bite, then the lemon-lime soda. Stir gently.