This post isn’t about Rock & Rye. Nope. It’s (mainly) about Black Friday charitable giving. Just a little seasonal bait and switch from yours truly.
I’m one of those holier than thou people like your Great Aunt Frannie who refuses to fill the Amazon cart on Black Friday. We’ve all donated to the Bezos cause for years, which is why he’s swanking out on a $500M superyacht in the Balearic Sea while we’re scrounging for superdeals on beat-up sofas from the laptops he sold us.
When I play the “which famous people would I invite to a dinner party” game, Bezos isn’t in my top 14,000,000. (To be fair, he falls at 14,000,001. So close, Jeff Bezos! Maybe 2023 will be your year!)
But I digress. May I make a suggestion? Do as your Great Aunt Frannie and I both do and make Black Friday donations to your favorite charities.
Black Friday Charitable Giving
Black Friday charitable giving sounds lovely! You and Frannie also sound lovely! What charities do you support? (I’m the “you” in question. I’m channeling your inner voice here.)
So glad you asked! UNICEF, Mercy Corps, Kiva, Doctors Without Borders, Grameen Foundation, St. Jude, Denver Rescue Mission, American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood, and NPR.
Nifty idea #1: Give to a worthy organization instead of the Waltons. I’m not talking about John-Boy and his 42 siblings who lived in rural Virginia during the Great Depression. They could use the cash. No, I’m talking about the family with a net worth of $200 billion. Those Waltons are lounging on a gigayacht in the Adriatic Sea, and they’ll do just fine without your Black Friday donations.
For starters, Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Corps, and UNICEF provide food, water, shelter, medical care, and other humane support to people around the world who no longer have a place to call home. Your local food bank can also surely use some cold hard cash.
If you must shop on Black Friday, why not get some beer or gear from Atrevida Beer Company? The owners, Rich and Jess Fierro, were present during the Club Q shooting rampage in Colorado Springs on November 19, which resulted in the deaths of 5 people and injuries to many more. Rich, a U.S. Army combat veteran, is one of two people who stopped the gunman. Show him some love.
But What’s a Rock & Rye …
I know what you’re thinking. All that charitable giving info is all kinds of awesome and edifying, but you’re dying to know what a rock & rye is and how you can get your hands on it.
Rock & Rye is a straight rye whiskey infused with a blend of warming spices, dried fruits, citrus peels, roots, bark, and a dollop of rock candy syrup. It’s sold by Family Jones, a swell Denver distillery run by even sweller people. (Is “sweller” a word? Let’s just run with it.)
My cocktail of choice used to be Manhattans. To make one, you need bourbon, bitters, vermouth, and an orange peel. (Ditch the bright-red maraschino cherry. It will kill you.) However, these days, my go-to is a Rock & Rye. To make one, you pull the cork and pour it into a glass. Easy. Peasy.
Nifty idea #2: Buy some of that Rock & Rye you now have your eye on, give the money you earmarked for Jeff Bezos to your fave charity instead, and pour your family some cocktails.
See? Everybody wins.
