Plants Like Vodka, Too: A GAP Guide on Alternative Ways to Use Your Booze

Have you ever wondered what else you can do with your favorite alcoholic beverages? 
Of course drinking these brews and spirits is the ideal form of enjoyment, but there are many other uses for these wonderful liquids. Below, the GAP team has compiled our top alternative uses for beer, wine, gin, vodka, and rum. Are you brave enough to venture into this unknown territory of liquor?

BEER

1. Shampoo Hair: Boil a cup of beer in a saucepan over medium heat, until it is reduced to ¼ cup. Now that the alcohol has been removed, let it cool and mix with a cup of shampoo. Wash and rinse per usual to give your hair that hoppy shine.

2. Stain Removal: Spill a little wine on your carpet? Try some beer instead of a chemical cleaner! Pour a little beer on the stain, let it sit for a bit, and then dab with a cloth. Clean thoroughly with soap and water to get rid of the stain.

3. Spruce up Wooden Furniture: Using a soft cloth, massage flat beer into wooden furniture to restore its original color and luster.

BONUS

4. Firefighter: Put out fires…small fires.

 WINE

1. Fruit Fly Trap: Finally, a use for that half-drank glass of wine from the previous night’s soiree. Toss it in a cup, cover with some plastic wrap, and poke some holes in the top for entry. Flies will check in, but they won’t check out.

2. Clean Your Veggies: Spraying wine onto fruits and veggies can remove unwanted bacteria better than water can. Just put in a handy spray bottle for easy E. coli extermination.

3. Grease Lightning: White wine can help rid you of those grease stains in your driveway or garage. (You know, from working on your 1948 Ford De Luxe Special). Mixed with some baking soda, it can be a cleaning staple in your shop.

BONUS

4. Seeing Red: Use wine to dye your favorite white shirt pink, your brand new white rug maroon, and your friend’s annoying white Shih tzu red.

GIN

 

1. Mouthwash: If you are sick of the peppermint burn in your current mouthwash, try gargling a bit of gin in the morning. The alcohol will kill the bacteria in your mouth from last night’s cocktail party. Gin, mixed with some flavored oil, can add some flavor and kick to your morning. Just don’t swallow.

2. Arthritis Cure: Soak some golden raisins in a bowl of gin for up to a week. Eating 10 of these a day is said to rid some of the pain associated with arthritis. Although it may be an old wives’ tale, it is thought that the relief is attributed to the juniper berries’ anti-inflammatory characteristics and the sulfur dioxide in golden raisins.

3. Foot Wash: If you have any gin lying around, combine with some thyme oil for a foot odor remover. Soak for a few minutes to give your feet an herbal cleanse.

BONUS

4. Brine Time: Add gin to a jar of pickles to let everyone know you mean business.

VODKA

 

1. Poison Ivy: If you are itching to use some of that 100 proof vodka you’ve been saving, use it to get rid of that uncomfortable poison ivy. Pour the 100 proof vodka on the affected area to wash away the itchy oil.

2. Preserve Flowers: Mary Poppins® forgot to tell you that a spoon full of sugar and a few drops of vodka help the flowers stay fresh. Change daily for best results.

3. Shine Your Fixtures: To achieve that brand-new look, use a soft cloth with some vodka to polish your chrome, porcelain, and glass.

BONUS

4. Stain Remover: Spray vodka on vomit stains, scrub with a brush, and then blot dry.

RUM

 

1. Cooking: Rum Balls.

2. Helping with Upset Stomach: A little rum is said to help ease stomach pain & nausea.

BONUS

 3. Where Has All the Rum Gone?: If you are a pirate, and you suffer a parrot or snakebite, use rum to clean out the wound.





[NetworkX.com]

[Men's Health]

[SheKnows.com]

[Esquire]

[FoodNetwork.com]

GAP TEAM TOP 5: Last Hurrah for Summer Beer

Earlier and earlier every year, it seems that Fall seasonal beers are finding their way on to liquor store shelves and tap lists everywhere. And while we love the brews that come with the changing of the season, we hate to see the Summer offerings go so soon. 

To celebrate the Summer, since it’s still here until September 22, we decided to have a Summer beer tasting on a gorgeous Friday afternoon. From shandies to IPAs, the GAP team tried 12 different Summer beers and gave each one a score between 0 and 5. Our panel consisted of 11 GAP employees, each bringing their experienced palate and preferences to the table in our very own Blackburn Tavern. 

Here are the results:

1. Otter Creek Fresh Slice: The most enjoyed beer of the afternoon was the Otter Creek Fresh Slice, an unfiltered white IPA. It had a crisp, fresh, citrus taste, and a hazy-orange color. It had the perfect balance that appealed to both beer aficionados and non-beer-drinkers alike.

2. Narragansett Del’s Shandy and Harpoon UFO Big Squeeze: Tying for second place, both shandies seemed perfect for a day at the beach, playing games in the backyard, or any outdoor adventure.

The iconic beer from Jaws (Narragansett) teamed up with Rhode Island’s summertime frozen lemonade staple (Del’s) by combining their beer with lemon concentrate to create the perfect concoction of malty sweetness and citrus tartness. While Del’s Shandy is said to only be available this Summer, we have a feeling it will make another appearance next year, as it flew off the shelves all season.

Harpoon’s UFO Big Squeeze is a shandy of a different color. Rather than the usual lemonade and beer combination, Harpoon crafted a shandy that mixed beer with grapefruit juice. The orange coloring has a hint of pink and has sweet, grapefruit flavoring with a hint of tartness.

4. Harpoon Summer Beer: A classic seasonal offering from Harpoon, this beer is light and refreshing, which pairs fantastically with a hot, Summer day.

5. Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy: Like much of America, the GAP team took a particular liking to shandies during our beer tasting. Leinenkugel’s put shandies on the map over the past few years with their Summer Shandy, which features natural lemonade flavor and crisp wheat beer taste.

Since we enjoyed our Summer beer tasting so much, we will be bringing you the GAP Team Top Five every season! Our favorite beers will be placed in our Beer Hall of Fame and featured on our social networking pages. Stay tuned, our Fall seasonal beer tasting is right around the corner!

WBENC Conference Recap: Highlights from GAP's First Time Exhibiting!

The GAP Team had a whirlwind week at the 2014 WBENC National Conference & Business Fair in Philadelphia. As a first time exhibitor, GAP shared the floor with companies both large and small, such as Disney, UPS, Dell, Coca-Cola, Walmart, and IBM. Our booth demonstrated some of our most successful items in the field, as well as corporate gifts and incentives from our “Made in America” program. Many attendees of the event will remember our 4th of July sunglasses we handed out to prepare for the Fourth, as they were a huge hit!

GAP kicked the week off at the “WBEs Who Rock” cocktail party, where GAP’s President, Gayle Piraino, was a finalist for the “WBEs Who Rock” award. The GAP Team celebrated this honor and took in the beautiful views from the top floor of the Loews Hotel.

The following day, the Business Fair was in full gear. Eager conference-goers flooded GAP’s booth and the excitement could be felt in the air. Our team chatted with attendees and fellow exhibitors and met many new faces throughout the course of the day. The GAP Team identified many new potential business opportunities, which we are excited to start exploring!

The conference mainly focused on the importance of diversity suppliers, and how being a women-owned business can leverage our company to working with companies who are interested in partnering with minority businesses. The conference also offered many great workshops and well-known speakers, such as the Governor of Pennsylvania, joined by his wife, who lead a great speech about the importance of women-owned businesses.

GAP continued their journey in Philly by attending a party at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, sponsored by none other than long-time GAP client MillerCoors. With live music, dancing, and great company, the event was a huge success. 

Take a look at some highlights from the trip:

For additional pictures from the event, please check out our social media accounts: @gappromo on Instagram, @GAP_Promotions on Twitter, and our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

Thank You For Making Business After Hours A Huge Success!

GAP held a Business After Hours event this past Wednesday night for the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. It was a huge success; over 75 people were in attendance. 

Members of the Cape Ann Big Band played while guests enjoyed food and drinks from local companies, such as: Virgilio’s, Cape Ann Brewing Company, Sticky Fingers, Giuseppe’s, La Trattoria, The Common Crow, Willow Rest, The Cave, Cape Ann Coffees and Seabreeze Liquors.  

GAP worked with Seaside Graphics to provide T-shirts to promote the new Cape Ann license plate, which showcased the winning design as decided by the Cape Ann community.

To purchase a license plate please visit: http://capeannchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/APPLICATION.pdf

Check out some highlights from the night!

Get to Know GAP: What's on Netflix?

At GAP Promotions, we pride ourselves on having a fun and creative work environment and an amazing team. We want to share a little of that with you. Starting today, we have a new feature called "Get to Know GAP" where we will be giving you an inside look at the interests and lives of the members of the GAP team. To kick things off, we started simple and asked a few members of the team what they are currently watching on Netflix. Some of their answers may surprise you!

Erin Murray – Associate Account Executive

Scandal – "It's super addicting and I am obsessed with Olivia Pope and her clothes."

Friday Night Lights – "I didn't watch it when it was on TV, so I binge watched it recently and loved every second of it."

Andrew Buonfiglio – Senior Graphic Designer

Star Trek: The Next Generation – "I want to be Patrick Stewart when I grow up."

Sherlock – "The BBC show, not the movie with Robert Downey, Jr. Not that I have anything against RDJ, but this show is better than the movie."

Allison Muccini – Associate Account Executive

Twin Peaks – "Suggested by a friend and I love murder mysteries. Takes place in the 70s. Corny, but intriguing."

Orange is the New Black – "I heard great things about the writer, Jenji Kohan. It's unique and unlike any other shows I've watched. I'm excited for Season 2!"

Pat Vaughn – Senior Graphic Designer

LOST – "I'm not currently watching it, but I will always recommend this show to anyone and everyone. Be warned: you will be sucked into a black hole of binge watching after you watch just the first four episodes. Best show ever."

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – "My girlfriend loves this show and I never thought I'd like it, but it started getting pretty enjoyable around Season 3. If you're thinking about watching it, just stick with it. It gets a lot better."