Boo Berry is once again available at Target.  That is a clear indicator that Halloween is just around the corner.  I remember when I was a kid and you could find Boo Berry, Count Chocula and Frankenberry at any local grocery store.  It is a different story today.  Count Chocula is still available all year but Frankenberry and Boo Berry are available only in October.  I guess a strawberry monster and blueberry ghost just aren’t as popular as they used to be.  It is hard to compete with all those so called “healthy” cereals in today’s market.  Sometimes I miss those carefree days of being able to eat anything I wanted and not worry that it was going to give me diabetes or turn my colon an unnatural blue color.  I made sure I purchased a few boxes.  Count Chocula can go to hell.  I want my Boo Berry.   

I am a big fan of tropical drinks.  I like drinking them.  I like making them.  I like reading about the people who created them.  One ingredient you see in many old drink recipes is Falernum.  I have never seen Falernum sold anywhere and believe me I have looked.  If you ask the sales clerk if they carry it you usually get what I call the CBS (cold blank stare) as they clearly have no idea what you are talking about.  Now how am I supposed to make these drinks if I cannot get a key ingredient?  It would be like making a Mai Tai without the Orgeat Syrup.  The other day while doing some Falernum research on the web I stumbled across the Drinkboy website with a recipe to make your own Falernum.  There are actually two recipes one for a small batch and one that makes 30 gallons.  I don’t need 30 gallons of any beverage but the small batch looks easy enough to make.  I know what I will be cooking up this weekend.