We LOVE Hurricanes! (The Drink, not the Storm...)

One of the most popular drinks served in New Orleans is the hurricane, so of course, our Lake of the Ozarks Cajun restaurant offers that delicious drink on our menu. As a matter of fact, Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina has also created a few different variations of the classic cocktail so that you have more than one to choose from. 

Hurricane Cocktail Origins
A hurricane, in general, is a sweet drink made with rum, fruit juices, and syrup or grenadine. One reason that hurricanes are so very popular in New Orleans is that they were invented there.  

In the 1940's, New Orleans tavern owner Pat O'Brien was looking for a way to get rid of some of the less popular rums on his shelf. Local distributors had forced him to include these in his order before he was able to get a few cases of the more popular liquors his customers preferred.    

Once O'Brien came up with a mixture of the rums that he was happy with, he poured the new cocktail into a glass shaped similar to a hurricane lamp and gave it away to the sailors that came into his bar. The drink was a hit, and it has been a mainstay in the French Quarter ever since. 

The name hurricane possibly came from the shape of the glass used to serve it. O'Brien's bar allegedly started out as a speakeasy, and the password to get in was "storm's  brewin'." That fact also makes naming his drink after a storm very fitting! 

Hurricanes are also incredibly popular in the Bahamas, but those are not made the same way as the New Orleans version. If you order a hurricane in the islands, expect a much different flavor. Their drink is made with coffee liqueur, 151 rum, Irish cream, and Grand Marnier.    

Shorty Pants Hurricanes
As we mentioned above, in addition to the classic hurricane that you might be familiar with, we've come up with some recipes of our own. These still contain rum and fruit juices, but a few more ingredients give each one a tasty twist. 

New Orleans Hurricane
Cruzan Dark Rum, Cruzan Light Rum, DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps, orange juice, pineapple juice, sour, and Shorty Pants Punch. 

Rainbow Sherbert Hurricane
Cruzan Coconut Rum, DeKuyper Peachtree Schnapps, DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker, all mixed with orange juice, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice. 

Spring Hurricane
Cruzan Dark Rum, Light Rum, Coconut Rum, Chambord, orange juice, and pineapple juice. 

Freedom Hurricane
Light Rum, DeKuyper Blue Curacao, Korbel Brandy, sour, orange juice, and Shorty Pants Punch. 

The next time you stop by for a plate full of the best Cajun food at the Lake of the Ozarks, consider trying this classic Cajun drink to go along with it. We're happy to mix one up for you fresh here at Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina, and we're willing to bet it will be one of your favorite new drinks!  

The Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant, where you can expect a luxury, laid-back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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Our Incredibly Refreshing Freshly Muddled Mojitos

An extremely refreshing summertime drink to sit on the deck of our Lake of the Ozarks waterfront bar & restaurant and enjoy is the delicious Mojito. They are hand-mixed and made to order at Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina, and they pair beautifully with the tasty dishes on our Cajun-inspired menu.

A mojito is a rum-based cocktail traditionally made with white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and fresh mint. It's the fresh mint that makes this drink unavailable at most bars and restaurants, but we keep plenty on hand to mix a mojito anytime that you're thirsty for one. July 11 happens to be National Mojito Day, so in honor of this delicious drink, today's blog features a few interesting facts about its history. 

Mojito Origins
Havana, Cuba is said to be the birthplace of the mojito. We discovered two possible origins about how this drink came to be. 

Story #1
Many believe that it is fashioned after a drink from the 16th century originally called "El Draque." It was named after Sir Francis Drake who led a successful raid at Cartagena de Indias in 1586. As his ships were sailing toward Havana, an epidemic of dysentery and scurvy broke out on board. A small group from the ship went ashore on Cuba to retrieve the ingredients for a remedy that the local South American Indians were said to possess. 

These ingredients included aguardiente de caña, which translates to mean "burning water." This was a crude form of the rum we know today made from sugar cane. This was mixed with other local ingredients of lime, sugar cane juice, and mint. The extra ingredients helped to hide the harsh taste of the liquor. Apparently, the lime alone probably would have helped to prevent the epidemic, but this route gave us the beginnings of the mojito of today. 

Story #2
The other story that we came across is the account of some historians that believe the drink was invented by the African slaves who worked in the Cuban sugar cane fields in the 19th century. A popular drink among them was Guarapo, which is the sugar cane juice that is often used to make mojitos. The original mojito that arose from this version did not contain any lime juice.

Mojitos at Shorty Pants Lounge
We not only offer our own take on the original mojito recipe at our Cajun restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks, but we've also come up with a few flavorful variations we believe you will enjoy. 

Mojito
A refreshing concoction of light rum and freshly muddled lime, mint leaves, simple syrup, and club soda. For extra flavor, you can also substitute one of our flavored rums, like strawberry, key lime, passion fruit, black cherry, or raspberry.

Pineapple Mojito
Cruzan Pineapple Run mojito muddled with grilled pineapples.

Ginger Mojito
Our classic mojito with a ginger twist. 

Turbo Mojito
Cruzan Coconut Rum mojito with a floater of Cruzan 151.

Blackberry Mojito
Our classic mojito muddled with blackberries. 

The next time that you come in for a plate of the best Cajun food at the Lake of the Ozarks or a for a cocktail break, consider giving one of our freshly muddled mojitos a try. With all of the different choices we have for you at Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina, there's bound to be at least one that will hit the spot nicely. 

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The Intriguing History of New Beer's Eve

The obscure holiday of "New Beer's Eve" may be a new one to you, but when our Lake of the Ozarks waterfront bar heard about it, we simply had to know more. This sounds like the perfect excuse to sit on our deck overlooking the lake and enjoy a nice, cold, refreshing brew at Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina. 

Ending Prohibition
New Beer's Eve is categorized as an unofficial holiday which is celebrated every April 6. It marks the beginning of the end of prohibition in the United States. The 18th Amendment in 1920 banned the sale of both beer and alcohol for over a decade. This didn't really work out too well for the government, because the ban was widely ignored by most. They still found ways to get it, yet tons of money was lost in potential tax dollars. 

On March 23, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act into law, which made it legal to sell beer and alcohol in the U.S.A with a low alcohol content. After signing the document, President Roosevelt made his famous remark, "I think this would be a good time for a beer." 

The Wait Is Over
He, along with everyone else, had to wait a little while longer, because the law did not officially go into effect until April 7, 1933. People everywhere lined up outside of taverns, distilleries, and breweries on April 6, eagerly awaiting the chance to legally purchase beer at midnight. Someone cleverly referred to the gathering as "New Beer's Eve," and a new unofficial holiday was born! Actually, we've squeezed two holidays out of it, because April 7 is celebrated as "National Beer Day" too!   

Missouri's Famous Clydesdales Appear
A crowd of what is said to be around 25,000 gathered outside of St. Louis's own Anheuser-Busch Brewery for the first New Beer's Eve. At 12:01 am on April 7, sirens and steam whistles sounded while dozens of Anheuser-Busch trucks departed the brewery, all carrying their first beer shipments in 13 years. 

Wikipedia photo

This same day, the Budweiser Clydesdales made their first appearance. August A Busch, Jr. presented the hitch to his father, August, Sr. as a gift in honor of the important day. After carrying cases of beer in a special journey down St. Louis's Pestalozzi Street for the locals, Busch, Sr. sent the entire horse-drawn beer wagon, along with the horses, by train on a journey that eventually made its way to the White House with a delivery of beer especially for President Roosevelt. 

Beer at Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina
In this day and age, we have the freedom to enjoy a beer anytime we like. Our Lake of the Ozarks restaurant keeps a fully stocked bar to make sure you can always get your favorite drink, including the coldest, most refreshing beer at the lake. You can belly up to the bar and order one at the restaurant, or head down to Shorty Pants Marina and grab a few to take out on the boat with you. 

Some of the beer choices may change during the season, but most of the time you will find: 

Bud Light

Miller Lite

Budweiser

Bud Select

Coors Light

Busch Light

Bud Select 55

Corona

Blue Moon

Stella Artois

Michelob Ultra

Abita Turbodog

Bud Light Lime

Angry Orchard Cider

Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat

Featured IPAs: 

Goose Island IPA

Sam Adams Rebel IPA

Featured Pale Ale:

SBC Paul's Pale Ale (Local Beer)

So join us at the best waterfront bar at the Lake of the Ozarks for New Beer's Eve, National Beer Day, or just any old day that you feel like enjoying a refreshing beer or other cocktail. While you're here, you might as well order some of our incredible Cajun dishes to help you work up an even bigger thirst! Cheers to all of you from all of us right here at Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina. 

The Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant, where you can expect a luxury, laid back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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10 Easter Food Fun Facts

Easter popped up on the calendar early this year. It seems like we were just celebrating St. Patrick's Day, and now it's time to put away the green beer and start hiding eggs! Our Lake of the Ozarks waterfront restaurant is open 7 days a week now, so we will be here for you on Easter Sunday, along with our all-day-Sunday Happy Hour! 

Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina has decided to treat you to a few fun Easter facts about the yummy foods that we love to consume on this holiday. Get ready, because most of these are going to make that sweet tooth of yours start acting up!


1. Candy seems to be the star when it comes to food at Easter. The only holiday where more candy is consumed is Halloween. It's a good thing those two holidays are so far apart. Plenty of time to come down off of that sugar rush!

2. Over two million dollars is spent annually on Easter candy alone. 

3. About 700 million marshmallow Peeps are created for the holiday. They are the most popular non-chocolate candy eaten at Easter.

4. Over 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced every Easter. How do you tackle your chocolate bunny? The vast majority bites off the ears first. A very small percentage prefer to begin with the "lucky" rabbit's feet.

5. You could circle the earth three times with the 16 billion jelly beans produced for Easter each year. 

6. Do you have a favorite jelly bean flavor? In surveys, cherry gets the most votes.

7. Did you know that pretzels are associated with Lent? The twist is said to resemble a person's arms crossed over their chest in prayer. 

8. Before those colored tablets, Easter eggs were dyed with natural items. These sound a little strange, but you can supposedly use the following ingredients to get these colors:

• red onion = violet
• cherry juice = red
• purple cabbage = blue
• yellow onion skins = orange
• carrots = yellow
• shredded beets = pink

9. Over half of the United States felt it was necessary to ban the dyeing of chicks on Easter. You'd be wise to stick to only coloring the eggs.

10. It is said that you will have good luck coming your way if you find a double-yolked egg on Easter Sunday.

What is your favorite food to eat for Easter? Our poll showed that Cajun dishes were voted #1, but that poll was taken on site with our kitchen doors wide open and the scent of the best Cajun food at the Lake of the Ozarks wafting by, so that survey may have been a bit biased. 

However you end up spending your holiday weekend, we hope that you will stop by and spend at least a little bit of it here at Shorty Pants Lounge & Marina. We are open daily at 11 am, and our exciting 2016 is still just getting started! 

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3 Incredible Scenic Rides for the Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest

Shorty Pants Lounge is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a laid-back Lake experience. Our lake view restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks is the best place to hang out when you are ready for a break this Bikefest weekend.  After you are rested and ready to hop back on your bike, the Lake of the Ozarks is one of the most scenic places in the country to ride.  Here are 3 of the most beautiful rides for you to experience while you're in town.  

photo courtesy of www.funlake.com 

Around the Lake

This 95.7 mile ride will take you around the giant "Magic Dragon" known as the Lake of the Ozarks.  The community toll bridge was built so that we could get to all of these areas much faster, but on a gorgeous weekend made for riding, you're going to want to skip the shortcut!  This ride takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes, plus any stops you want to make along the way.  

map from www.lakebikefest.com

Ha Ha Tonka

83.7 miles make up this ride, taking just under 2 hours.  It connects two incredible state parks that are well worth the time to stop and explore.  Bennett Spring State Park and Ha Ha Tonka State Park are two very popular attractions on their own, but add in the thrill of the journey between them and it gets even better.  

map from www.lakebikefest.com 

Devil's Elbow

Quite possibly one of the prettiest spots on old Route 66, this 115.6 mile ride is a favorite.  It was named for a particularly bad spot in the Big Piney River known as a "devil of an elbow."  You'll see a lot of history along this road.  The ride takes a little over 3 hours.    

map from www.lakebikefest.com

These unbelievable scenic rides are only a part of the enormous amount of fun planned for the 2015 Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest.  You will find vendor villages, concerts, contests, and more all over the Lake this weekend.  Our sister restaurant, Dog Days Bar & Grill, will have a tent set up at the Lake of the Ozarks Harley Davidson dealership in Osage Beach serving up delicious food, ice cold drinks, and featuring some incredible live music.  

Don't forget about the Passport Ride too!  Shorty Pants Lounge is proud to be one of the 24 Official Passport stops along the route.  You have all weekend to collect your passport stamps and then turn it in at the Harley Davidson dealership for a chance to win a 2014 FXSB Softail Breakout!

The best Cajun restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks is a great place to spend some of your Bikefest weekend.  We'll stamp your passport and entertain and feed you while you rest between all of the exciting things going on September 17-20 at the Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest.            

Shorty Pants Lounge, the Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant where you can expect a luxury, laid back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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10 Reasons Shorty Pants Lounge Has Lasted 10 Years

Shorty Pants Lounge turns 10 this year!  Can you believe it?  Time sure does fly when you're having fun.  We thought it would be a great time to take a look at the reasons we have become the best waterfront Cajun restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks.  Here are our top 10 reasons, one for each amazing year, that we have been and will remain your favorite place to hang out.  

1.  The Authentic Creole Cuisine

Shorty Pants Lounge brings the French Quarter to central Missouri.  Our menu features our World Famous Crab Cakes, Gumbo, and Crawfish Etouffee, and that's just the beginning of the amazing flavors that you will find on our extensive waterfront restaurant menu.  You will find the Cajun influence throughout the menu, but it also features more traditional fare.  We offer mouthwatering steaks, award winning baby back ribs, salads, sandwiches, burgers and more, plus a yummy menu just for the kids.  

2.  The Legendary Cocktails

The Creole connections carry over to our cocktails, too.  We have bars conveniently located both inside and out mixing up muddled Mojitos, Cajun Bloody Marys, and the New Orleans favorite Hurricanes.  There are the Lake of the Ozarks classics too.  We can mix up amazing Rum Runners, Pina Coladas, Pain in the A**, and many more frozen concoctions to cool you off on a hot summer day.  The bars are fully stocked, the beers are ice cold, and our bartenders are masters of their craft.   

3.  The Lake's Best Gas Dock

Our gas dock has been voted the "Lake's Best Gas Dock" 6 years in a row in Lake Lifestyles annual poll.  Obviously we have figured out how to do it just the way you like it.  Gas up your boat, then buy some snacks and beverages to take back out with you, and we've got the ice to fill up those coolers too.  You can also pick up a new pair of sunglasses and some pretty fancy Shorty Pants clothing to show your pride in the best waterfront restaurant at the Lake of the Ozarks.  We've got plenty of comfortable rocking chairs in front of the C-store for you to relax for a few minutes before jumping back on your boat or PWC.   
     

4.  The Amazing Entertainment

Shorty Pants Lounge has the best live music at the Lake of the Ozarks on our stage every weekend all season long, and also on Tuesday nights most of the summer.  The talented entertainers aren't the only entertainment that we offer here.  There are plenty of tvs both inside and out for you to cheer on all of your favorite sports teams.    

5.  The Birthplace of the White Party

The now infamous White Party originated right here.  Everyone decked themselves out in white from head to toe, and we even turned most of the restaurant white.  It quickly became a favorite annual event for all of our customers, so much so that it outgrew us! This year we passed along this awesome party to our sister restaurant, Dog Days Bar and Grill.  We have complete confidence that they will continue to bring the excitement to this party that we always did.  Now we just have to dream up the next big annual sensation!  

6.  The Outdoor Seating

Our customers have the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks to gaze at while they enjoy a meal or a few drinks.  We have lots of tables overlooking the water.  There is also our amazing tiki bar and outdoor bar area.  Another great feature is the comfortable seating around our fireplace.  This is especially nice in the Fall when there is a slight chill in the air and the game is playing on the tv over the fireplace.   

7.  The Indoor Seating

Sometimes the weather doesn't feel like cooperating and the outdoor seating doesn't work for everyone.  Not to worry, because we have plenty of room inside too.  Lots of tables for both large parties and small, another amazing bar, and plenty of New Orleans style decor that just might make you forget that you are at the Lake of the Ozarks.   

8.  The Convenient Location

Our restaurant is easy to get to by both land and water.  No matter where you are coming from, you will be able to reach our happy restaurant and enjoy everything that you have been reading about so far.  

9.  The Amazing Catering

Shorty Pants is a part of the Barrett Restaurant Group, which offers 3 wonderful locations to host your gathering, or we can cook up the food and bring the party to you. Our on-premise facilities include Shorty Pants Lounge, Dog Days Bar and Grill, including the Dog Pound, and Wobbly Boots Roadhouse.  We can custom design menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, receptions, or seminar breaks.  

10. The Customers

Last but definitely not least, our incredible customers make running this restaurant a pleasure.  You wonderful people are the reason we strive to offer the very best Lake of the Ozarks waterfront restaurant experience that we can possibly provide.  Thank you for making the past ten years amazing.  We are looking forward to many, many more!    

Shorty Pants Lounge, the Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant where you can expect a luxury, laid back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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Memorial Day Weekend at Shorty Pants Lounge and Marina

The unofficial start to the Summer season, Memorial Day weekend, is nearly here!  The Lake of the Ozarks best Cajun restaurant, Shorty Pants Lounge, would love for you to spend it right here with us.  We've got a variety of taste-tempting dishes on our menu, ice cold beverages to beat the heat, and some of the very best entertainment at the Lake of the Ozarks for this holiday weekend.

The Lake of the Ozarks is preparing itself for all of the wonderful visitors that we get to welcome every Summer.  It's a always a very exciting time to live and work here.  The Shorty Pants staff is all set to help you enjoy your holiday weekend to the fullest.  

THE FOOD:

Shorty Pants Lounge offers the Lake of the Ozarks a taste of New Orleans.  Our kitchen whips up the best authentic creole cuisine outside of Louisiana.  You can start your meal with our world famous Crab Cakes or a Creole Quesadilla.  For one of our main courses, we've got a New Orleans Medley featuring tastes of four of our delicious Cajun choices: Crawfish Etouffee, Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice, and half a link of our Andouille Sausage.  The perfect pick if you just can't decide! 

We've also got Big Easy Shrimp, Lobster Tails, Black Angus Burgers, Salads, Po' Boys... and soooooo much more.  There are also some really great choices on our kid's menu for the little ones.   This blog doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of our amazing menu. You might want to take a peek at it before you come in, because it's all so good, it takes a while to decide!  

         

THE DRINKS:

There is even a li'l bit of New Orleans in our legendary cocktails here at Shorty Pants. You can't go wrong with one of our muddled Mojitos, a Cajun Bloody Mary, or one of our wonderful frozen concoctions.  If those aren't your drinks of choice, don't worry.  We have a full bar to choose from and some amazingly talented bartenders here to mix up whatever you are in the mood for.  There are plenty of non-alcoholic options too, so everyone can have something extra special to drink along with their meal.        

THE MUSIC:

This Memorial Day Weekend we have some of the Lake of the Ozarks favorite musicians here to entertain you every night from 7 pm - 11 pm. 

           Friday, May 22:           Boomchux

           Saturday, May 23:      Art Bentley

           Sunday, May 24:         Squigglefish

THE MARINA: 

Our gas dock has been voted "The Best Gas Dock at the Lake of the Ozarks" for 6 years in a row!  Not only can we gas up your boat, but we also have a full c-store that carries all of the supplies that you need to party all day on the water.

       

Spend your Memorial Day Weekend with us on the water's edge.  Shorty Pants has everything you need for the very best Memorial Day Weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks.  See you soon, and have a happy and safe holiday!

Shorty Pants Lounge, the Lake's #1 Creole Cuisine Restaurant where you can expect a luxury, laid back experience at Lake of the Ozarks!!

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