We check in on the progress of our 2022 predictions. How much have we advanced and what is still left to go? The fundamentals of the Metaverse are being bolstered through big businesses investments in departments dedicated to the understanding and development of Metaverse technology. McKinsey predicts $5 trillion in value by 2030. This weeks cocktail is a mojito called, Minting the Metaverse. A light and fun summer spritzer. ::Minting the Metaverse:: - 2 oz white rum - 2 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice - 1/2 oz tablespoon simple syrup - 1/3 cup Vinho Verde (I don’t recommend champagne or sparkling wine) - Handful of mint leaves to muddle and to garnish - Lime wedges to muddle and garnish Start by adding about 10-12 mint leaves to a cocktail shake. Using a muddler (or back of a wood spoon) mash the mint leaves into the mixer a few times to break them up. Then add one or two lime wedges and muddle the wedges to extract the juice and release the lime oils. Add the sugar syrup and the rum and stir and pour into a highball glass, don’t strain it. Fill the glass with ice and slowly add the Vinho Verde. Garnish with a lime wedge and some whole mint leaves. ::Music:: Take It by Electronic Senses https://soundcloud.com/electronicsenses

Welcome to 2022. With the new year brings a flurry of Metaverse news, some useful some not. Let's get started in 2022 and see how it will end up at the years end. Things are going to change a lot in the next year - including how we define the term metaverse. This episode is a reset to kick off the year - Metaverse to be redefined yet again. This weeks cocktail is the Sazerac. A classic and trademarked cocktail recipe dating back 100 years. If you're into Old Fashioneds or Manhattans you'll love the Sazerac. ::Sazerac:: Recipe from the Sazerac company. - 1.5 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey - 1 sugar cube - 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters - .25 oz Herbsaint (or other absinthe substitute like Pernod) - Lemon twist   Pack an Old-Fashioned glass with ice. In a second Old-Fashioned glass, place a sugar cube and add three dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters to it. Crush the sugar cube. Add 1.5 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey to the glass with the Peychaud’s Bitters and sugar. Add ice and stir. Empty the ice from the first glass and coat the glass with .25 oz Herbsaint and Discard. Strain the whiskey / bitters / sugar mixture from the glass into the Herbsaint coated glass and garnish with a lemon peel.   ::Music:: Take It by Electronic Senses https://soundcloud.com/electronicsenses

On this last day of 2021, we look at some of the top ten trends and predictions for the Metaverse in 2022. While we won't have a true Metaverse in 2022, we will see a lot of new technology releases, entertainment roll outs, cheaper hardware options, and more. I'll be glad to see 2021 go and look forward to seeing what 2022 brings.   We start with the news from this week and end with our Meta Hour cocktail, the LV75 - a metaverse New Year Eve's take on the classic French 75 champagne cocktail, the LV75.   ::LV75:: - 1 ounce gin - 1/2 ounce Chambord - 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice - 2 ounces Champagne - An almost frozen fresh raspberry for garnish   Start by mixing the gin, Chambord, and lemon juice together in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake the mixture for a solid 20 seconds and then strain into a champaign flute. Add the chilled raspberry to the glass. Then slowly pour the champagne into the glass, careful not to agitate the bubbles. Serve immediately.   ::Music:: Take It by Electronic Senses https://soundcloud.com/electronicsenses

Today we have a short episode and start to theorize on how traditional entertainment can be consumed in the Metaverse. Currently a lot of energy is being put into the gaming aspects, but as people spend more time vested accessing the Metaverse they'll be a need to provide passive entertainment much like we have with film and TV currently.   We start with the news from this week and end with our Meta Hour cocktail, the Metanog - a booze heavy eggnog on fire!   ::Links:: Odeon Theatrical   ::Metanog:: To start you'll need a prepared or your own Eggnog - I like this recipe from Alton Brown - 2 oz of cold prepared eggnog - 1.5 oz of brandy, plus extra for prep - ¼ oz of cream sherry - 1 star anise (to be soaked in brandy) - Ground nutmeg. - Matches   Start by saturating your star anise in brandy while yo prepare the drink. Combine the eggnog, the brandy, and the sherry and lightly stir. Pour into a martini glass or coup glass. Using a spoon pour a small amount of brandy in the center of the glass. Sprinkle some ground nutmeg on top and place your star anise on the floated brandy. Then carefully light the star anise on fire. Serve and wait for the brandy to burn off.   The Flaming Metanog   ::Music:: Take It by Electronic Senses https://soundcloud.com/electronicsenses

This week we start off with some news headlines. We then jump straight into looking at what opportunities exist and might exist in the future for brand marketing and advertising. Later, I redefine again the difference between THE Metaverse and a meteverse platform. We conclude with our Meta Hour cocktail.   This week's Meta Hour cocktail is the Irish Meta Coffee. A warm and inviting winter drink enjoyable morning, noon, or night!   ::Links:: Meta's Horizon Worlds Beta NFT Plazas A live view of a Decentraland virtual billboard from NFT Plazas   ::Irish Meta Coffee:: - 4 oz good quality comfort coffee - 2 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey - 1 tbsp brown sugar - Heavy whipping cream - Brandy   Prep your mug or Irish Coffee glass by warming it with hot water. In a separate glass mix the sugar and the whiskey together with a whisk. Making sure the sugar 100% dissolved, simply keep mixing. Add a splash of brandy to whipping cream in a bowl. Using an electic mixer beat until the cream is very thick but still slightly runny. The key is to not create stiff peaks. Brew your coffee and pour into mug. Add whiskey. Top with Brandy cream. Serve.   ::Music:: Take It by Electronic Senses https://soundcloud.com/electronicsenses

This week there was some big news from the Metaverse. We look at the alpha launch of The Sandbox, which is a four-year in the making Metaverse that is geared towards building gaming worlds and land development for brands. There were also two big virtual land buys, one last week and one this week, each breaking the record for the largest single virtual land purchase. The first record breaking deal was last week for $2.43M by the Metaverse Group and was for 116 parcels of land in Decentraland. Then this week the Republic Realm purchased $4.3M of land in The Sandbox from video game developer Atari. We wrap up with responding to Bill Maher's closing comments on his show Real Time, where he downplays and says we need to avoid building Metaverses.   This week's Meta Hour cocktail is the Jalapeño Mezcal Metarita, a super spicy and smokey margarita that will make your mouth water.   ::Links:: The Sandbox (https://www.sandbox.game/) Metaverse Group (https://metaversegroup.io/) Republic Realm (https://www.republicrealm.com/)   ::Metarita:: - 2oz of jalapeño infused mezcal - 1oz of Fresh squeezed lime juice - .75oz Cointreau - .25oz Simple syrup - Lime wedges for garnish and glass rim - Tajin - Optional – non-spiced mezcal for cutting   Prep your glass by running lime wedge around rim of cocktail glass and dreading in the Tajin In a ice filled metal cocktail shaker, add the mezcal, lime juice, Cointreau, and simple syrup. Stir briefly. Strain into your ice filled cocktail glass. Garnish with a few thin slices of jalapeños and a wedge of lime.   ::Music:: Take It by Electronic Senses https://soundcloud.com/electronicsenses

This is a short bonus episode covering the Meta 'n Tonic that was the episode two Meta Hour cocktail. As we didn't spend much time on the Meta 'n Tonic (aka Gin and Tonic) and because it has such an interesting history, we're dedicating a short episode to Gin and the origins of the Gin and Tonic, a cocktail which spans a 200 year history. No news from the Metaverse today, only a deep dive into one of my favorite year round drinks. ::Meta n' Tonic:: - 2oz freezer temp Gin - 4oz chilled tonic water - One wedge of lime - Ice Pour gin into chilled highball or cut crystal glass. Slowly add the tonic water making sure not to agitate the carbonation too much. Squeeze lime and add to glass. Then finish with adding the ice slowly, again making sure not to cause the tonic to fizz. ::Gins from most juniper to least:: Bombay Sapphire Tanqueray Beefeater Hendricks ::Tonics:: Schweppes Fever Tree ::Music:: Take It by Electronic Senses

What is the Metaverse and how will it start? Will it be central- or decentralized? The idea of the Metaverse is still very undefined. Full virtual reality? Augmented reality? A new company gets 300M to build an AR version, will that disrupt Meta's plans or is Meta's Metaverse so undefined it puts them at a clear disadvantage? ::Links from today's episode:: Decentraland: https://decentraland.org/ Niantic: https://nianticlabs.com/ Techcrunch Niantic article: https://tinyurl.com/2k55wp8m ::Meta Tonic:: - 2oz Gin (very cold) - 4oz High quality tonic - Ice - Lime Wedge Add gin to chilled glass. Slowly add tonic to gin reducing agitation. Squeeze in lime. Serve. ::Music:: Take It by Electronic Senses https://soundcloud.com/electronicsenses

Introducing the Meta Hour podcast. News bites and our favorite Metaverse Meta Hour(tm) cocktail recipe, the Metahattan. :: Metahattan Recipe 2oz Rye .75-1oz Sweet Vermouth (Carpano is best) 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Stir with ice until liquid is just below freezing. Strain into chilled Martini or Coupe glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.