Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 119

Housecleaning: Be Featured in The 4-Hour Chef, Random Links, and Contest Updates

Hanoi toddler and b-boy, from a trip Ma.tt and I took in 2009. (Photo: Matt Mullenweg)

The next post will be an interview on writing process with the inimitable Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist and Aleph, among many others. His work been translated into 71 languages.

In the meantime, I'd like make a few offers and provide a few updates, as well as a few reading links:

1) Would you like to be in The 4-Hour Chef? I'd love for you to be.

Amazingly, it hit both #1 and #2 (for Kindle version) in cookbooks on Amazon when it was announced, and I think it could be bigger than the last two books. If you've had success on The Slow-Carb Diet™, have any before/after pics, and would like to be featured in the book, please click here!

2) Random articles from around the web that readers of this blog might enjoy (or find amusing):

- IBM Worker Email-Free for 4 Years: How to Live without Email

- Interview on travel for the BBC – Tim Ferriss: Forms of Identification

- SF Chronicle interview – Tim Ferriss has strong likes: knives, kettlebells

- Volkswagen turns off Blackberry email after work hours

3) The winner of the free roundtrip anywhere in the world, a prize from the Christmas Countdown experiment (intermittent fasting, plus training), is Daniel Kislyuk! There were some fantastic self-trackers, but Daniel gave constant status updates and then wrapped up with a summary post. Daniel, please keep an eye on your e-mail for a note from Amy.

4) For the trip to SF for all-day training with Chip Conley, I'll let Chip deliver the message himself:

Surprise + Joy = Elation. That's my new Emotional Equation of the day. Wow, I'm elated by the response to my guest blog and how many insightful entries were submitted. Thank you so much for diving into the deep end of the emotional swimming hole with me. It seems like this book is made for these times. The more externally chaotic the world, the more we yearn for some kind of internal logic.

There were 7 entries (of the first 100 submitted, although I did read every single one of the almost 500) that deserved extra recognition. I will give an Honorable Mention to Divya (1/19 at 7:03 am), Eric Sigfried (1/19 at 8:52 am), Marcus (1/19 at 9:18 am), Susan Dupre (1/19 at 10:19 am) and Ryan (1/19 at 10:50 am).

We have a runner-up whose dissection and use of the Anxiety Balance Sheet impressed me, and that's Ryan Riegner (1/19 at 9:22 am). Ryan, I believe you live in the NYC area and I'll be there from Feb 19-25 for a book launch party and media tour. I would like to invite you out to a meal with me while I'm in town. This wasn't planned to be an extra prize, but your response deserves it. And, our winner is Diego Velasquez (1/19 at 7:54 am) who will be flying out to SF to stay at our luxurious Hotel Vitale for a couple of nights and spend a day learning what it means to be a Chief Emotions Officer. For those who'd like to continue to learn more about Emotional Equations, check out our DIY contest on the Emotional Equations Facebook page, as it gives you another shot at a trip to SF and dinner with me.

Thanks once again for the phenomenal efforts and I hope you enjoy the book if you read it!

How to Become an Effective CEO: Chief Emotions Officer

Chip Conley, founder of Joie de Vivre Hotels

Chip Conley is the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, which he began at age 26 and built to more than 30 properties in California alone. In 2010, Joie de Vivre was awarded the #1 customer service award in the U.S. by Market Metrix (Upper Upscale hotel category).

Conley has also been named the "Most Innovative CEO" in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times, and I'm proud to call him a friend.

We've shared many glasses of wine together. He doesn't know what I'm about to tell you, but it's true (Hi, Chip!). When we first met, and after reading his first book on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I wondered "Is this Chip dude for real? Implementing self-actualization in a company?!?" My curiosity drove me to visit a few of his hotels, including Hotel Vitale, where I eventually concluded: these are the happiest employees I've ever met.

He has figured out what makes people tick.

The following post is a guest post by Chip and based on his new book, Emotional Equations. Be sure to read to the end, as there is a chance to win an expense-paid trip to SF to spend an entire day training with him.

Deal-making? Empire building? Self-fulfillment? He's your guy.

Enjoy…

Enter Chip Conley

I graduated from Stanford Business School at age 23 with Seth Godin.

I remember talking with him and others about my aspirations as an entrepreneur and my desire to become a CEO some day. Back then, I thought in order to become a successful CEO, I would need to become superhuman, leaping tall buildings in a single bound. But, after 24 years of being a CEO (I founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality, what's become the 2nd largest boutique hotelier in the world, and sold a majority interest to a billionaire in 2010), I've come to realize that the best business leaders aren't superhuman, they're simply super humans as they've learned how to become Chief Emotions Officers.

Chief Emotional Officer?

Leaders are the "emotional thermostats" of the groups they lead. If you want to dig into the support for this, read this compelling piece by Daniel Goleman, the man who popularized the idea of "emotional intelligence" in the 90s and proved that 2/3 of the effectiveness of business leaders comes from their EQ rather than their IQ or level of work experience.

There are multiple metaphors I use to describe how emotions work in our lives. One that feels very familiar to me is baggage. Our luggage in life is an apt metaphor for me – a guy who's been a hotelier for a quarter century. Countless times I've seen people show up at our hotel front desks with all kinds of baggage, and only some of it the physical kind. Most of us have emotional baggage that may seem invisible to the untrained eye or invisible to the person carrying the baggage. But the results of lugging that baggage around for years is noticeable in how that person shows up at the metaphorical front desk of life. If you are a Chief Emotions Officer, you are more aware of all the bags you're carrying and how to open your luggage up and make sense of what's inside.

Opening up a bag, you may find a truly messy interior with things in complete disarray. But, these emotional equations create a certain logic to how you pack and unpack your bags and, in fact, being a little more conscious of what's in your bag may allow you to discard a few heavy items that have been weighing you down. Creating your own internal logic regarding your emotional baggage will allow you to carry a lighter bag…one that's eminently easier to unpack.

4 Emotions to Unpack

We're going to focus on four emotions that you can start unpacking (i.e. mastering).

Think of emotions as existing on a color wheel. Isaac Newton created the color wheel long ago and helped us understand that red plus blue equals purple, for instance. I learned in my research for Emotional Equations – which allowed me to spend a couple of years with some of the world's psychology luminaries – that there's an emotional wheel with primary and secondary emotions: the Plutchik wheel. In my book, I evolve this wheel further so you can imagine that Disappointment + a Sense of Responsibility = Regret. And, once you understand the emotional building blocks of Regret, you can turn it from a downer into a lesson. Regret teaches. Fear protects. Sadness releases. Joy uplifts. Empathy unites. Think of your emotions as messages that give you the freedom, rather than the obligation, to respond. One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from Viktor Frankl, author of Man's Search for Meaning:

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

Now, let's unpack and master the emotions of Despair, Happiness, Anxiety, and Curiosity.

DESPAIR = SUFFERING – MEANING

I am very proud of this equation.

It's the one that started my exploration of emotions through the lens of equations. I took Viktor Frankl's book and distilled it down to this useful mantra at a time in my life in 2008, when I had a series of friends commit suicide, had a flatline experience myself while giving a speech in St. Louis (literally: my heart stopped, and I dropped), and the rest of my life felt in disarray. If you consider the words "despair" and "meaning" to be abstract or off-putting, consider "sadness" as a tamer version of despair or "learning" as a more concrete version of meaning.

First off, in order for the math to work, "suffering" has to be a constant. This is the first Noble Truth of Buddhism, but it's also true, and not just in a recession. You can always find the suffering if you want to look for it. I had no idea when I started writing this book that this decade would come to resemble the 1930s in that our near Depression-like economic conditions would persist as long as they have. But while the Depression was a very difficult time for so many people, interview-based research studies show that it indirectly prepared young women for losing their husbands later in life. These women learned self-reliance, independence, and courage early in life, which served them (and perhaps saved their families) when their husbands passed.

So, consider "meaning" in the following way: many of us go to the gym to exercise our physical muscles to ensure that our physical body doesn't bloat or atrophy. If you're going through a difficult time right now, maybe – unwittingly – you've signed up for emotional boot camp and you're being asked to exercise emotional muscles that haven't had this kind of workout for years. But, this isn't meant to be just agony. It's meant to prepare you for later in life. The emotions you may be mastering today – humility, resilience, persistence, a sense of humor – will serve you well at some later point in your life, maybe in the not too distant future.

For me, having my long-term relationship end in the midst of my train wreck of a life in 2009 was the last thing I was looking for. Suffering felt ever-present, like the fog during a San Francisco summer. The foghorn that cut through this opaque time was the question I asked myself on my most sad, self-pitying days, "How is this experience going to serve me in my next relationship? How is this going to make me a better partner when I find my true soul mate?"

These weren't easy questions to ask when I felt radioactive and couldn't imagine anyone loving me again. But I kept the exercise metaphor in mind. The fact that I could joke with friends about my emotional boot camp helped me realize that great rewards – or meaning – could arise as a result of this painful experience. So, just know that there are fruits to gather in the valley of Despair.

HAPPINESS = WANTING WHAT YOU HAVE / HAVING WHAT YOU WANT

People often have a love-hate relationship with this equation. The proper definitions of the numerator and denominator are what create the magic. "Wanting what you have" can be translated into "practicing gratitude," having a reverence for what is working in your life. The more tricky definition is in the bottom of this equation. To "have what you want" is an act of "pursuing gratification." I want something and it's my job to go out and pursue it or "have" it in order to satisfy that want.

Don't get me wrong. The act of pursuing something can bring us a sense of accomplishment and take us into that focused "flow" state. But, the risk is that "chasing something with hostility" (some dictionaries' definition of "pursuit") or even with just focused attention can completely distract you from what's in the numerator, what you already have. Socrates said it best, "He who is not contented with what he has would not be contented with what he would like to have."

As a type-A guy who's spent more than my share of time on the hedonic treadmill, I can tell you that it's very difficult to simultaneously practice gratitude while also pursuing gratification. Some mystics are able to take the bottom of this equation down to zero, which may give them infinite happiness. But, for the rest of us mere mortals, the risk is not in lack of pursuit, as this is part of what modern society demands of us. The risk is that we completely diminish the power of gratitude.

So, the true power of this equation is in keeping your attention on the numerator.

Someone once said to me that feeling gratitude without sharing it with someone is like wrapping a present without giving it to the intended recipient. So, what are the ways you can show your gratitude in such a fashion that it becomes a habit or practice for you that's ingrained in your everyday life? For me, I needed to start by having it on my conscious "to-do" list each day. I had a rule that I had to give two face-to-face expressions of gratitude each day at work, preferably to someone who found the thank you unexpected. In fact, I wrote about this in the Huffington Post after one of my recent trips to Bali. What if you thought of your expressions of gratitude like a devotional daily offering?

Let me give you a suggestion about a Gratitude Journal as well. They're not for everyone, just like personal journals resonate with some while repelling others. The purpose of a Gratitude Journal is to help you be conscious about "wanting what you have." An alternative means of accomplishing this purpose is to have a Gratitude Buddy. Make it a point to meet with your Buddy once a month (or more frequently if you wish) in a location where there are no distractions and ask each other, "What gifts do you have in your life that are easy to take for granted?" and "What was a recent gift that may have been wrapped up as a pain or punishment?"

For those of you who'd like to explore this equation a little further, I have two suggestions.

1. Check out a research article by Jeff T. Larsen and Amie R. McKibban where they literally put this equation to the test (with inconclusive results, but really interesting findings).

2. Watch my 2010 TED talk, in which I share my key learning from my trip to Bhutan to study their Gross National Happiness Index.

ANXIETY = UNCERTAINTY x POWERLESSNESS

After reading more than a dozen books and 50 research studies on anxiety, I was struck by the fact that 95% of the causes of anxiety seemed to be distilled down to what we don't know and what we can't control. You may have heard of the study that demonstrated most people would prefer receiving an electric shock now that's twice as painful as receiving some random shock in the next 24 hours. This is why, as leaders, we need to recognize that hiding the truth, especially when it's going to come out at some point in the near future, is a futile mistake that can often just increase the amount of anxiety your employees are feeling.

If we know that the combustible product of uncertainty and powerlessness creates anxiety, we can create what I call an Anxiety Balance Sheet to turn this around. Take out a piece of paper and create four columns. Then, think of something that is currently making you anxious. Regarding that subject, the first column is "What Do I Know" about this issue. The second column is "What Don't I Know." The third column is "What Can I Influence." The fourth column is "What Can't I Influence." Spend enough time doing this so that you have at least one item per column but you may find that you have a half-dozen items in some columns.

After you feel complete, what do you notice with respect to the four columns? About 80% of the people I've worked this through with are surprised that they have more items listed in columns one and three (the "good" columns) than they do in columns two and four. The reality is that when something is making us anxious, we tend to fixate on those elements of the problem that feel mysterious (what we don't know) or uncontrollable (what we can't influence). So, there's some liberation in just outlining what's making you crazy and realizing that there may be many balancing positives to those issues that are vexing you.

Now, spend some time reviewing the items in column two (what you don't know). Is there someone you can ask – your boss, your boyfriend, your doctor – who can help you with some needed information that will move this item from column two to column one? Maybe it's just doing a Google search? I know it's scary to ask your boss whether your job is in jeopardy, but remember the electric shock example I mentioned earlier. Anxiety can be more painful and debilitating than bad news. Now look at column four and truly ask yourself, "Are you completely powerless about the items on this list?" I've found that having a smart friend sit with me can sometimes help me uncover ways to move items from column four to column three.

In sum, just the act of unpacking your anxiety bag and knowing what's inside can have a profound effect on reducing your fear of the future.

CURIOSITY = WONDER + AWE

We've had a subtraction, a division, and a multiplication equation so far. Now, we'll finish with an addition equation around the experience of curiosity. Recent studies have shown that curiosity is one of the most valuable emotional qualities people can leverage during periods of crisis. Fear and most negative emotions train us to narrow our scope. "Fight or flight" reactions are evolution's means of helping us avert danger. But, oftentimes, we need to move from narrowing our attention to the "broaden and build" way of thinking that Barbara Fredrickson talks about in her book on Positivity. Getting through your own emotional recession may require bigger thinking rather than narrow execution.

When you're living in a place of fear, it is hard to be curious. But, I've found that so much of it comes back to defusing my natural tendency toward reactivity. In other words, it's learning to pause. Curiosity is not a reactive emotion. It's one that takes a certain amount of reflection and a willingness to admit what you don't know. So, ask yourself, "What habitats allow me to be more curious?" I first had to make a list of which habitats made be less curious: the office, any conference room, investor meetings, and spending time with people who I wanted to impress.

So, I knew that these were not places that were going to help me stoke up bigger thinking. Ironically, when I made my list of curious habitats, I found my list to be longer than I expected: anywhere in nature but especially near a beach with crashing surf; hanging out with kids; museums or other experimental spaces with art; zoos; places with a big night sky and lots of stars; my backyard cottage; and any place where I felt comfortable laughing from my gut (it's hard to be full of humor and full of fear at the same time).

As I've gotten older, I've found that seeking the sacred in life opens up my sense of awe and my ability to connect with curiosity.

I've recently made a decision to seek out a sacred festival somewhere in the world each quarter as a means of committing to finding habitats for curiosity. As Tim F. knows (he was a fellow citizen of my camp Maslowtopia), I've been an aficionado of Burning Man for many years and some of my best business ideas have come out of my time in the desert marveling at transcendent art and having non-linear conversations.

So, if you're feeling "on empty" creatively, know that curiosity is the fuel you need to seek. In author Liz Gilbert's 2009 TED talk (TED is another habitat for curiosity), she shares the fact that the genesis of the word "genius" comes from "genie" and that the most creative people in the world are able to become vessels for the genie to inhabit them. My experience is that these genies prefer inhabiting curious places in the world and that's where they're most likely to tap you on your shoulder and give you the gift of inspiration that may change your life.

In sum, the more the external world becomes chaotic, the more we rely upon internal logic. This was true in the 1930s when Nazism and political and religious fundamentalism rose. But, that decade also sprouted new thinking from people like Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, Viktor Frankl, and Reinhold Niebuhr (who created the Serenity Prayer).

I hope that you find these emotional equations help you to think differently, live better, and truly become the Chief Emotions Officer of your own life. It's worth the introspection.

—

TIM:

Chip is offering an exclusive to readers of this blog: the chance to spend a full day with him in San Francisco.

He'll cover economy airfare from anywhere in the US (if you're international, you'll need to get yourself to the US), and he'll also cover two nights at Hotel Vitale on the water, or the best alternative if they're sold out. The usual legal stuff applies: must be older than 18, void where prohibited, no purchase required to enter, etc.

No later than this Friday (1/20/12) at 5pm PST, leave a comment below and answer the following, in order, and in no more than 300 words:

1. What is your favorite inspirational or philosophical quote?

2. How could you apply one of the equations in this post to your life for maximum benefit?

3. What would you like to change or build after a day with Chip in SF?

Only the first 100 entrants are eligible, so the earlier the better!

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Odds and Ends: The Crunchies, Winners, and More



The Crunchies, something like the tech Oscars, are currently in the finals, and quite a few of my start-ups have made the cut (I'm honored to be involved with all of them). If you like these products or people, please click through to give them a vote! All of the candidates, many of them friends, are outstanding.

CEO of the Year – Phil Libin (Evernote) and Dick Costolo (Twitter)

Angel of the Year – these folks are all incredible, but I have to vote for my man, Kevin Rose.

Founder of the Year – Leah Busque (TaskRabbit) For the story of how Leah and I met, as well as how she got me to be an advisor, see this article: "How to Turn $750 into $1,000,000″

Best Tablet App – StumbleUpon

Best Mobile App – Evernote and Taskrabbit

Best Location App – Uber (check out the San Francisco grid)

For all of the categories and finalists, go here.

Tim Ferriss Getting His Ass Kicked + How to Survive a Physical Attack (Video Series)

This post might seem odd, as it starts with a random sequence from a random skill. There are three reasons for this:

1) I like to expose readers to things they've never explored.

2) The best long-term policy for keeping a blog fun to read (and write) is to cover things that subsets of your readers love, not things that everyone merely likes.

3) I think all of you should know how to respond to a real physical attack.

Keeping these in mind, I hope you enjoy a lil' taste of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, often nicknamed "human chess."

If it's not your thing, I still suggest you skip to the end, where you can see the free (and short) video series I did with Dave Camarillo on defending against real-world attacks of various types. I had these videos up at one time in 2007, but the code became corrupted, so I'm updating them here.

One of the last videos is of me getting thrown on my head, or heels-over-head, repeatedly.

Enter Dave Camarillo

Since the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) came to prominence in 2005, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has been the most sought-after skill-set in the marital arts world. There are many world-class athletes, but there are only a few world-class teachers. Dave Camarillo, who's coached UFC fighters like Cain Velasquez, is one of them…

I've known Dave for nearly a decade and trained with him at AKA in San Jose, CA. I also had the chance to be a crash-test dummy for his new book, Submit Everyone, which is the book I always wanted him to write. It is (finally) a principle-based system for learning submissions and game strategy, as opposed to a hodge-podge of random techniques. Dave, though he'd never admit it, used to teach chess in addition to BJJ. It comes through and, as of this writing, his book has 100% 5-star reviews on Amazon.

For grappling fans, the below pass will give you a submission to try at your next practice. This scenario comes up a lot on the mats.

PASSING: NEGATIVE SIT-UP PASS TO ARMBAR

PHOTO 1: SUBJECT CAMARILLO is approaching the open guard of CONTACT FERRISS, TIMOTHY. As always, Camarillo does not delay in establishing control of Ferriss's heels. At this point, Ferriss is focused solely on defending these grips and has been momentarily taken out of his previous mindset.

PHOTOS 2-4: Without delay, Camarillo pushes Ferriss's legs overhead and waits for him to rock back in defense. As Ferriss falls into the first trap, Camarillo steps inside of his seated guard. Ferriss does not wait and grabs the single-leg to gain advantage and attack.

PHOTO 5: However, Camarillo realizes that the single-leg is the most common reaction and is already cross-stepping backward with his left leg before Ferriss can execute a sweep or takedown. Due to his perfect timing, Camarillo does not have to wait for Ferriss to establish a stronger defense of the backward cross-step.

PHOTO 6: Having reached Ferriss's left side, Camarillo now focuses on the arm by securing a figure-four kimura lock on Ferriss's exposed (from holding the single-leg) left arm. [TIM: See third pic here for hand position] Camarillo's right leg is still technically inside of the guard, but Camarillo has little concern for it; he is completely focused on the finish.

PHOTO 7: To break Ferriss's posture and initiate the final sequence, Camarillo jumps his left foot to Ferriss's left hip and sits down onto Ferriss's left shoulder. This collapses Ferriss toward the mat and sets him up for the submission.

PHOTO 8: As Camarillo falls to his back, he slides a belt line hook with his left leg and uses his right foot as a hook to steer Ferriss away from his trapped arm. This keeps Ferriss planted to his back where it is far more difficult to defend.

PHOTO 9: Ferriss locks the triangle on Camarillo's right leg, but it does not matter. Camarillo's right leg blocks Ferriss's right arm from making a proper defense and his triangle makes it impossible to roll to either side to escape.

Camarillo stretches Ferriss's arm for the finish.

The Videos

First, before the instructionals, here is me getting thrown over and over again. I did this video to illustrate the importance knowing how to fall (ukemi) without getting injured. The music is a bit loud:

The instructionals follow. If you want to skip around, they cover, in order: punch defense, choke defense, bottom defense, and bottom defense/offense. Women should focus on the latter three, especially the last two.

Originally filmed in 2007, most take place at AKA in San Jose, where Dave coached at the time:

No Brown M&M's! David Lee Roth and the Power of Checklists

Article 126: No brown M&M's! (Photo: Mr. T in DC)

Happy New Year, all! I'll be putting up a "Lessons learned in 2011″ post soon. In the meantime, here is a taste of things to come.

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I can come across as anal retentive, even severely Monk-ish. One reason for the madness: with rare exceptions, I've come to believe that how we do anything is how we do everything.

I'm not alone.

The following is a short excerpt from The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande, also reprinted by Tehelka magazine in India. In it, we learn the logic of David Lee Roth's famous obsession with brown M&M's:

Listening to the radio, I heard the story behind rocker David Lee Roth's notorious insistence that Van Halen's contracts with concert promoters contain a clause specifying that a bowl of M&M's has to be provided backstage, but with every single brown candy removed, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation to the band. And at least once, Van Halen followed through, peremptorily cancelling a show in Colorado when Roth found some brown M&M's in his dressing room. This turned out to be, however, not another example of the insane demands of power-mad celebrities but an ingenious ruse.

As Roth explained in his memoir, Crazy from the Heat, "Van Halen was the first band to take huge productions into tertiary, thirdlevel markets.

We'd pull up with nine 18-wheeler trucks, full of gear, where the standard was three trucks, max. And there were many, many technical errors — whether it was the girders couldn't support the weight, or the flooring would sink in, or the doors weren't big enough to move thegear through. The contract rider read like a version of the Chinese Yellow Pages because there was so much equipment, and so many human beings to make it function." So just as a little test, buried somewhere in the middle of the rider, would be article 126, the no-brown-M&M's clause. "When I would walk backstage, if I saw a brown M&M in that bowl," he wrote, "well, we'd line-check the entire production. Guaranteed you're going to arrive at a technical error… Guaranteed you'd run into a problem." These weren't trifles, the radio story pointed out. The mistakes could be lifethreatening. In Colorado, the band found the local promoters had failed to read the weight requirements and the staging would have fallen through the arena

Do you have any similar tests that you've found helpful in business, hiring, life, or love?

Christmas Deals from Start-ups

(Photo: Kevin Dooley)

Just for fun, I asked my start-ups (and a few friends) if they'd like to offer y'all a little something special from the holidays. Here's an incomplete list.

Many are working on top-secret stuff and couldn't jump in, but a few were game on last-minute notice, so here you go!

They are listed in alphabetical order by company/name:

Stop being a Wantrepreneur; start taking action. Free vids! Get here: http://appsumo.com/wantrepreneurs-videos/ via @AppSumo

Everything you need to transform. Free trainers, complete nutrition plans, & top-selling supplements. Save 10%! www.Bodybuilding.com/Save10

Photo + Film + Design + Software. Use coupon "tim2011″ for 25% off ANY single @creativeLIVE course til 1/1/12 http://creativelive.com

Email joseph-at-crowdflower.com and we'll give you free CrowdFlower credits and a free crowdsourcing consultation to get you started on our self-service platform.

Foodzie's Tasting Club delivers a monthly selection of artisan food products. Gift it and receive a FREE month on your own subscription. Valid through 12/24.

Ed Cooke trained Josh Foer to be US memory champ in 1 yr. He'll train you if you can learn 500+ words in a week on http://www.memrise.com

Create a free and private website for your family photos this holiday season on Posterous Spaces.

Want a virtual assistant? Get one, FREE, for a year. (From Ramit Sethi of iwillteachyoutoberich.) http://bit.ly/uVjY3M

45% off a year of Reputation.com's MyPrivacy service ($55 for a year) to protect your digital personal information. You can use this link http://www.reputation.com?code=4HOUR to get the discount automatically or enter the code 4HOUR in the gift code section on our site when buying.

Have a Productive New Year for 50% off – Sign up for @RescueTime for $36/year! – http://bit.ly/RT36Y

3 months free – Shopify Unlimited Plan, first 100 to use the promo code '4HOUR' [value $537]

Happy holidays!

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Odds and Ends: The 4-Hour Chef is now up on Amazon.co.uk

Foundation: Kevin Rose and Tim Ferriss

Kevin Rose and I go deep on a few subjects in this longer-format episode of "Foundation," on which he's interviewed many of my favorite entrepreneurs and investors, including Jack Dorsey (Twitter, Square) and Chris Sacca (Lowercase Capital), among others.

I had a great time, as should be clear from the wine and laughter. It's quite different from The Random Show and more of a Larry King-like format… but with more cursing.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas, everyone!

How to "Age" Your Wine 5 Years in 20 Seconds: Hyperdecanting

(Photo credit: Oandu)

Wine tends to attract a lot of snobs who use bad French to ruin things.

Done at the dinner table, a brutal technique called "hyperdecanting" will appall that muppet with the popped collar on his polo shirt. It will also make your wine delicious, and make you a hero to everyone who wants to punch him in his smug little face. [cue 0:24]

On a practical level, you can outgun most faux-sommeliers (see what I did there?) with a little brute force. To do this, you first need to understand a bit about aeration.

When in Rome

Generally speaking, letting your wine "breathe" makes it taste better. Just like in our gluten-free kitten pancakes (see pg. 147*), a little air goes a long way…

Letting wine "breathe" equals increasing the surface area of the wine exposed to air for a set period of time. In wine-speak, this "opens the bouquet" (releases aroma compounds) and "softens" the flavor. In simple terms, it usually makes it taste better. Though the mechanism is debated, it appears to reduce the cotton-mouth effects of tannins, which makes aeration perfectly suited to "big" red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux. In another context, tannins are what make your mouth feel puckered and chalky if you drink overbrewed black tea. Aeration may also minimize wine defects like mercaptins, not to be confused with midichlorians.

Enough with the details, Ferriss. How do I aerate?

We'll look at four methods: swirling and swishing, decanting, using a Vinturi, and beating the sh*t out of it. I'll explain how to use them first, and there is a demo video at the end.

Method 1: Swirling and Swishing

This is the standard tabletop move. To avoid making an ass of yourself: Hold the glass by the stem, keeping the glass base on the table, and move it in fast but small circles. Take a small sip, hold the wine in your mouth as you tilt your head forward, and suck in a thin stream of air, almost as if you're gargling upside down. Swallow and make a mmm-like sound to indicate deep thought.

Slap yourself if you do this while your friends are drinking Coronas.

Method 2: Decanting

Decanting is, strictly speaking, transferring liquid from one container to another. The Romans pioneered the use of glass decanters, which they used to remove sediment, leaving the gunk in the original storage vessel.

Decanters with wide bases are now used to expose wine to air, often for 1–2 hours or more.

Method 3: The Vinturi and Wordplay

The Vinturi® wine aerator is a handheld plastic device that capitalizes on Bernoulli's Principle. Mr. B's rule dictates—in simple terms—that as you increase the speed of a fluid's movement, you decrease its pressure. Decrease the pressure of wine and it becomes easier to infuse more air in less time.

If you pour wine from the bottle, through the Vinturi, and directly into a friend's wineglass, you will hear the accelerated siphoning of air into the stream, which also has a nice party-trick effect. Bingo: Mr. Science–style aeration and a nice shortcut.

The difference is subtle, but it makes for less waiting and less cleanup than traditional decanting.

Method 4: Beat the Sh*t Out of It

This method is not subtle. It's a scientifically well-founded middle finger pointed at people who give a wonderful beverage a bad name.

I owe a hat tip to the brilliant Nathan Myhrvold, former CTO of Microsoft, master French chef, and creator of the iconic, never-to-be-outdone, $600 (or $450 here) cooking encyclopedia, Modernist Cuisine.

If aeration is exposing more liquid surface area to air, how can we take this to its logical extreme?

Blend it into a fury, of course. Nathan has done this with vintage wine gifted to him by Spanish royalty, but I'd suggest a practice run on something from Trader Joe's first. Here's how I do it:

- Pour 1–2 glasses of the wine into a large mixing bowl or—my favorite—a large Bomex beaker. If you're using the latter, 600 ml of wine is perfect for the next step; just leave plenty of room at the top (I fill to around 400 ml). Take a sip for a good sense of "before."

- Lower an immersion blender, also called a "stick" blender, into the glass, then blend for 20–30 seconds. Tip your container (or tilt the blender best you can) to enhance the foaming effect. If you have a standing blender like a Vitamix, feel free to go nuts.

The wine should now have a nice heady froth on it, like a proper Guinness. Pour into a serving cup—I favor a 250-ml Bomex, which is exactly one-third of a standard bottle of wine—and enjoy. It should taste markedly different. And, ladies and gents, that is how you achieve 3 hours of decanting, sans fancy descriptors, in 20–30 seconds. Wink at your most offended guest and ask them if they arm wrestle.

Thank you, Mr. Myhrvold.

(*P.S. The gluten-free kitten pancakes are a joke.)

—

The above is one of hundreds of shortcuts from The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life, available here at 50-80% off before the holidays.

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Odds and Ends: Kindle Fire Winners!

The following 50 people shall receive the free Kindle Fire devices, unless they didn't send us their mailing addresses. All of the below have received emails about the giveaway, so if you didn't get an email and are reading this… not to worry. We'll have more fun coming. Happy holidays!

Dane Davenport

James Proud

Paul Pichugin

Andrew Acker

Jeff Mcdowell

Alex Rosenblum

Colton Day

Carol Nicola

Jared M Johnson

Frank Smith

Tamara Regan

Erik Svensson

Pius Uzamere II

David Ngan

Murray Hoggett

Peter Alicea

Jeni Friedland

Josh Webb

Jeffrey Gray

Luis Congdon

Joseph Haddon

Jason Jacobs

Nathan Crenshaw

Peter Bienkowski

Elizabeth Deuermeyer

Chris Roemmich

Damon Harlan

Brian Valentin

Alex Goetz

Jonathan Heston

Anthony Tanjoco

Rob LaBonne

Josh Cooper

Eric Barry

Matt McGuffin

Kevin Goulet

Alex Smith

Duane Elgan

Katie Spears

Aaron Relph

Christopher Tysh

Justine Hanlon

Andrea Magee

William Hertling

Erik Svensson

Erik Emsley

Steven MacCormack

Tom Harvey

Ship times may vary, but I'm doing my best to get all of them to you by X-mas. Best not to count on it, but I'm double-checking again tomorrow.

The 4-Hour Chef iPad App: iOS from Amazon Publishing? (Plus: Free Roundtrip Anywhere in the World)

Screenshot from The 4-Hour Chef iPad app

The 4-Hour Chef app, first available only on Kindle Fire, is now available for the Appleverse (iPad)! Check it out here.

It's rated 12+ for "Mild alcohol, tobacco, or drug use or references" and "mild profanity or crude humor." Fun stuff, in other words. Let me know in the comments what you think of things, and don't miss the exploding cow. The Android version is coming soon.

Two related notes, one for the book, the other for a free round-trip ticket:

- The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life is 50-80% off for a limited time to encourage pre-orders. You can cancel anytime up to ship date, so there is no downside, only a locked-in discount. Click here for the full book details.

- To spice things up, I'm offering a X-mas present: a free roundtrip anywhere in the world that Star Alliance flies. Here's how you get it…

- Download the app for free. iPad here or Kindle Fire here.

- Take before measurements (detailed below) and before pictures — front, side, and back — now.

- Follow the "Christmas Countdown" in the app from 12/18 – 12/25. For bonus points, let us know how you're doing in the comments here.

- Take after photos and measurements after 12/25.

- Post your before-and-afters in the comments here no later than 10pm PST, 12/28/11. Requirement for eligibility: indicate in the first sentence the most valuable thing you learned during the experiment.

- Then we'll pick a winner, based on the results and reporting.

The usual legalese applies: Void where prohibited, minors not eligible, etc., etc…

For measurements:

1) Weight

2) Take your "before" circumference measurements. Get a simple tape measure and measure four locations: both upper arms (mid- bicep), waist (horizontal at navel), hips (at widest point below waist), and both legs (mid-thigh). Total these numbers to arrive at your Total Inches (TI).

3) If possible, body-fat percentage.

More on The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life

Intended to be "the cookbook for people who don't buy cookbooks," The 4-Hour Chef will use food as a vehicle to teach the art and science of meta-learning–the skill of learning skills. Whether you want to learn a new instrument or a new sport (or anything in between), you'll have a field-tested and research-backed blueprint. In addition to insight from world-class chefs, we'll have an unreal cast of characters helping you to multiply your learning potential.

For a limited time, to celebrate the announcement, you can pre-order The 4-Hour Chef for 50-80% off. Instead of $30 for print, you can reserve a copy for $15. Instead of $22 for Kindle, you can get it for $5.99.

Sidenote…

Why might you buy the physical book, even in addition to the Kindle? Three reasons:

1) It will be gorgeous, a wonderful tactile experience, and truly unlike any cookbook you've ever seen.

2) I'll be thinking up bonuses for people who buy the print edition early.

3) It would really help me out. Inexplicably, The New York Times excludes all advice/how-to books from their e-book bestseller list, so only the print edition counts towards the bestseller list. Silly, but there you have it!

See the full book description, sneak-peek photos, and more here.

The Painless Path to Endurance (Plus: Breville Winner and More)

"Victor" running an ultramarathon.

Pavel Tsatsouline is a former Soviet Special Forces physical training instructor, currently a subject matter expert to the US Navy SEALs and the US Secret Service. In 2001, Pavel's and John Du Cane introduced the Russian kettlebell to the West.

Dan John is a former nationally-ranked discus thrower and Olympic lifter–as well as Fulbright Scholar–with more than four decades in the iron game.

T-shirt: Lance Armstrong to Pavel.

Enter Dan and Pavel

Years ago, my friend Dr. Jim Wright said something that got burned into my brain:

"Consistency and moderation over intensity."

Not nearly as sexy as "Do or Die!" or some other juvenile T-shirt slogan, but you could not think of a better set of directions for durable performance.

You are about to meet a man who embodies this maxim. He is a US military special operator whose name I shall withhold due to the nature of his duty.

Let us call him "Victor."

I met this quiet professional at one of our RKC military kettlebell courses. He was capable of a strict pullup with 160 pounds of extra weight, at a bodyweight of 195 pounds (and one-arm chins, naturally). He could close Iron Mind's iconic #2.5 Captains of Crush hand gripper, 237.5 pounds strong, for three reps. And he had run over ten ultramarathons, from 50 to 100 miles!…

Any of the above is an accomplishment, but combining either the first or second feat with the third is unheard of. Especially if one considers that this man is not a pampered professional athlete, but a warrior with many combat deployments under his belt. I had to know more.

Victor graciously described his training:

Low mileage. I only ran 30 miles per week in preparation for the 100 miler. The most important training event for ultramarathons is the weekly long run. I kept my heart rate low and breathed through my nose during training runs, and I think that this helped to minimize muscle damage. I can run 20 miles on a Sunday, and still perform strength exercises on Monday. The key is having the LOW INTENSITY. I use a heart rate monitor, and I stay at 60-65% of my MHR. This means that I am often walking on the hills. If I ran 20 miles at 70-75% MHR, my recovery time would be much longer. I would do high intensity track or hill intervals on one day during the week, but the interval workout never lasted longer than 30 minutes. I keep the intervals pretty intense, though.

Fueling. I am religious about using proper fueling for all long distance events, and I swear by Hammer Nutrition. I consumed exactly 270 calories/hour for the entire 100 mile race (7:1 carbs/protein) and this gave me all the calories that I needed. The protein in my race nutrition (Hammer Perpetuem) helps to prevent muscle cannibalization during the race. Post-race/run, I drink Hammer Recoverite immediately after finishing, and try to get a good meal within an hour of the race.

Prior experience. I did my first 50-mile race 11 years ago, and I have completed over 10 ultramarathons since then. I know how my body will react after long distances, and this experience helps with the mental side of the sport. I have also completed many similar types of endurance events in my military training. Having this experience is very beneficial. I know that I can walk out the door anytime/anywhere and run a marathon pretty easily.

The hand strength and gripper stuff is just fun to do. I train them "Grease the Groove" style [easy sets throughout the day, every day—Ed.]. Of course it helps that I have been doing literally 100s of pull-ups per week (on average) for the last 14 years. I also have done a lot of rock climbing in my past, which really helps with grip strength.

Variety. I have enough variety in my training (yoga, running, biking, kettlebells, clubs, calisthenics) help keep me injury free. I try to get 1-2 days of yoga per week. Sometimes I go to a class, and sometimes on my own. I work the basic poses and focus on releasing some of the tension that comes from lots of running and strength training. The yoga has been great for injury prevention. I also do not lift any other weights besides my single 53lb. kettlebell, and my two 25lb. clubs. The only 1RM training that I do is with the gripper. I used to do presses and deadlifts after reading Power to the People!, but I felt my ego pushing me harder and faster than my body wanted to go. So I decided to limit myself to one kettlebell and two clubs and just focus on adding repetitions and intensity. Staying injury free has helped me to maintain consistent progress for the last 10 years.

I rarely train for more than 30 minutes per day. The only exception to this would be a weekly long run (3+ hours) and a weekly trail run (50-min). I have always done lots of trail running and I find that the trails are much easier on the legs. The steep trails keep things fun and help to prevent overuse injuries. I also keep my exercise selection pretty minimal: pushups, pull-ups, kettlebell swings, get-ups, windmills, goblet squats, and club mills/swipes. That is pretty much it.

I attribute most of my success to consistency. I have been training almost daily since I was 14 years old, and I am also fortunate to have a job that requires me to stay in shape. I also don't think that there is any reason why strength and endurance have to be mutually exclusive…

 

Process vs. Outcome

In the mid-nineties, a curious book came out in the States: Body, Mind, and Sport by John Douillard. Given its focus on endurance sports, an apparent dislike of hard training and beef, and heavy doses of New Age discussions of Ayurveda, it is unlikely that it was read by many of our intense weightlifting friends. At least one did, though: Victor.

The book was dedicated to improving one's performance by reducing the effort to 50%, enjoying the process, and not focusing on the result. The author cited a University of Texas in Austin study of goal-oriented and process-oriented people in the workplace. Unexpectedly, it was not the hypercompetitive Type "A" people who were doing more for the company, making more money, getting more raises and promotions. It was the folks who were enjoying their job.

Ironically, not getting wrapped up in the result may deliver higher gains. I had heard that before. One of the best pistol shooters in the Russian armed forces made a breakthrough in his accuracy when a coach told him, "You know, you have the right to miss."

One of Douillard's techniques was practicing a competitive sport without keeping score. "Focusing on the score attaches you to the result. Focusing on the process lets you access your greatest skill and increases your fun." That rang true.

When I was working on my running in preparation for my military service, at least once a week I would leave my watch at home and go as far as I could while staying totally relaxed. I would draw out my breaths as far as possible comfortably, taking a series of partial inhalations (one per step), and then partial exhalations (one per step again). It took several steps, say six, to complete one breathing cycle. I scanned my body regularly for hidden tension and would release it by "breathing out" through the tight muscles and by shaking them off. I would keep my mouth closed, but not tightly, as relaxed jaws are essential to effortless running. Even after weeks when I did no other kind of running—no hard runs, no hills, no intervals, no running with weight—I could race any distance up to 10K very fast if I chose to. All I had to do was add some "gas" to the relaxation, and I flew.

Nose-only breathing was later stressed in my unit. They sometimes had us run with a mouthful of water—a brilliant self-limiting exercise in the best Gray Cook tradition. Some Russian marathoners hold a handkerchief in their teeth for the same purpose of preventing panicky and inefficient mouth breathing.

Not surprisingly, nose-only breathing and keeping the heart rate low were key components of the Body, Mind, and Sport program. The inventive author figured out a way to "make it a competitive endeavor. For example… run around the track and the winner will be the one who not only finishes first, but has the slowest breath rate and heart rate."

Here is how he scored the winners:

Finish Time + Heart Rate + (Breath Rate x 3)

The lowest score wins, and he multiplies the breath rate by 3 to emphasize its importance.

Victor stresses, "The low HR and nose breathing are essential. After a few months of consistent practice, nose-breathing should be used for the tempo run as well. Nose breathing teaches breath control, and also acts as a "governor" that helps to prevent overtraining." This is especially important to an athlete for whom running endurance is not the number one priority.

Endurance or strength, Dr. Anatoly Bondarchuk (Olympic hammer throw champion and coach of champions) makes a stunning revelation that the harder you push the body, the more stubbornly it refuses change:

"In our practice, with each year we have become more convinced that the stronger our desires to significantly increase the level of achievement… the less the effect… This is explained by the fact that the stronger the complex of training effects, then the more harmony there is in the defense functions in the body… This in every way possible creates barriers or prevents a new level of adaptation, where in the process of restructuring it is necessary to expend a significant amount of energy resources.

…the defense function of the body systems in high level athletes is more "trained" than in low level athletes. From here a very "bold" conclusion follows, that the process of increasing sports mastery takes place at the same level as the process of developing defense functions. In the end result, the defense functions prevail over most of the time of sports development… Up to this time, all of this is a "superbold" hypothesis, giving food for very "fantastic" propositions, but there is something in all of this… Today it is only sufficiently clear that in the process of sports improvement, the body always defends itself against the irritants acting upon it."

The ability to differentiate between "laziness" and "doing just the right amount to get the job done" is a mark of a winner. Recalls AAU American bench press record holder Jack Reape:

"I spent the first half of my training career learning to work harder and never miss workouts, and the second half learning when to sometimes go easier and when to back off."

The above is excerpted from Pavel and Dan's new book, Easy Strength. Learn more about it here.

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ODDS AND ENDS: Breville winner and Angel Investor of the Year?



Jan Winklmann is the winner of the Random Show Breville competition. Please check your email. I need your final OK to ship. Danke sehr!

Angel Investor of the Year?

Reader Cody Candee nominated me as "Best Angel Investor of the Year" for the TechCrunch Crunchies. Thanks, Cody! If you've followed my investing or like what I've written on the subject (samples here), I'd very much appreciate your support.

To second Cody'd nomination, just click here and then click "share" next to my name. It takes just 5 seconds, literally.

I'm an advisor and/or investor with companies including Evernote (Just announced: Inc. Magazine's "Start-up of the Year" — congrats, boys!), Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Uber, Shopify, TaskRabbit, and many more. Thus far, no real fatalities in almost 4 years of doing this, and cost basis recouped 20x+.

The 4-Hour Chef – Cheat Day Sample: Tequila Hot Chocolate

For those of you waiting on the iOS version of the free 4-Hour Chef teaser app, and for anyone who'd like a cheat day experiment this weekend, I offer the following: Tobacco-infused Tequila Hot Chocolate.

It's absurd, decadent, and more delicious than you can imagine. Here's the kicker: I usually hate tequila, so this was a revelation.

PLEASE NOTE: This is intended as a really fun DIY project and a rocking cheat drink, not as a time-saving cocktail. There are times for efficiency, and there are times to explore and enjoy life unhurried.

This is the latter, and it's for FUN. Notice the last part of the subtitle for The 4-Hour Chef, which is "The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life."

"There is more to life than increasing its speed," as Mahatma Gandhi once said.

If you choose to tackle this challenge, share your experience in the comments!

Enter The Aviary

This spectacular drink was taught to me by Craig Schoettler, the executive chef at The Aviary in Chicago, without a doubt the most awe-inspiring "bar-less cocktail kitchen" in the world.

To set the scene: There are 30+ types of ice, and the customers are prevented from harassing the bartenders by a cage barricade. Perhaps you'd like an Old Fashioned served in an ice dinosaur egg? It's prepared with a syringe, and you drink it after shattering the bourbon-filled casing with a miniature slingshot attached to the glass. Or how about a botanical-infused whiskey that changes colors like a chameleon over the course of 30 minutes? They have that, too.

Of course, you'd expect nothing less from the owners, who also run Alinea, the highest-ranked restaurant in the United States. Bartending through the lens of world-class chefs is otherworldly…

This recipe has been modified to fit a few standard measurements. This takes it from super insanely awesome (The Aviary) to merely very insanely awesome.

Want to see what all this looks like before you get started?

Here's a video of my very first attempt, uncensored and unprofessional. It ain't pretty, and that's the point–even you, as a novice, can make something incredible if you're willing to fumble a little. Below the video, you'll find all the instructions you need:

As with all recipes, read through the entire thing before you get started or even go shopping! This will prevent hiccups and guarantee a better (and tastier) buzz.

Ingredients

FOR THE CIGAR MILK:

945 ml / 4 cups Whole milk

40 g / ¼ cup Sugar

1 big pinch / ¼ tsp. Salt

1 Cigar (something cheap is fine)

FOR THE HOT CHOCOLATE BASE:

475 ml / 2 cups Whole milk

40 g / ¼ cup Sugar

1 pinch Salt

100 g / 3½ oz. Bittersweet chocolate, such as Alpaco 66% cacao, chopped

FOR THE BOOZE:

90 ml/g / 3 fl. oz. Tequila, preferably Fortaleza Blanco

10 ml/g / 2 tsp. Fernet-Branca

MAKES: 2 drinks, plus enough cigar milk for more

HANDS-ON TIME: Approx. 20 mins.

TOTAL TIME: Approx. 1 hr. 30 mins., max (30-60 min. of letting the cigar smoke)

Equipment

FOR STANDARD HOME METHOD:

• A large baking pan or a roasting pan

• A smaller baking pan for the milk, sugar, and salt

FOR TIM'S GHETTO METHOD (seen in the above video):

• A largish cereal or soup bowl

• A large stock pot

• A candle lighter or butane/lighter torch

FOR BOTH:

• A cigar

• Aluminum foil

• A saucepan or skillet (or both, if you want to melt the chocolate separately)

• An immersion blender, ideally with a cream-whipping attachment or milk frother

• Ice trays (for freezing extra cigar milk for later)

Now, How to Make It

STEP 1:

Make the cigar milk foam. You have two choices: the standard home method or the Tim ghetto method.

Standard home method:

• In a baking pan, mix the milk, sugar, and salt.

• Set the pan inside a larger metal baking or roasting pan (choose a disposable one or something you don't mind smelling like cigars).

• Split the cigar in half lengthwise and place it on a piece of aluminum foil in the larger pan.

• Light the cigar with a candle lighter or a butane lighter/torch, then quickly cover both pans with a piece of aluminum foil. Let smoke for one hour.

Tim ghetto method:

• Mix the milk, sugar, and salt in a largish cereal or soup bowl.

• Put this bowl inside a stockpot. I prefer a large and cheap stockpot (don't forget to buy a lid!) that I use mostly for cooking sous-vide and lobsters.

• Split the cigar in half lengthwise and place it on a piece of aluminum foil at the bottom of the stockpot.

• Light the cigar with a candle lighter or a butane lighter/torch (remember canisters), cover the pot, and let smoke for 30–45 minutes. Thirty minutes is plenty, in my experience.

• Later, to de-stench your stockpot, just clean it out and leave a bowl of white wine vinegar mixed with peppermint oil inside, covered, for 1–2 hours.

Step 2

While the milk is smoking, make the hot chocolate base. In a saucepan or skillet, combine the milk, sugar, and salt and bring to a simmer.

Step 3

Remove from heat and slowly add the chocolate. I like to put the chips in a separate skillet and slide them in. Do NOT add them by hand, as scalding milk can splash upward and Phantom of the Opera your hands. Stir until chocolate is melted, then cover and set aside.

Step 4

Foam the cigar milk: Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it to just below a simmer or a light simmer. Use an immersion blender—ideally one fitted with the cream-whipping attachment or a milk frother—to blend until foamy. No attachment? Just blend for 45 seconds, then wait 2–3 minutes for the bubbles to surface.

Step 5

Combine the tequila and Fernet-Branca into one of your serving cups, then pour half of it into the other. You can use a scale, but I just eyeball it. Into each cup, pour about 7 fluid ounces (210 milliliters) of the hot chocolate base and top with some of the cigar milk foam.

Serve warm and love life.

If you don't finish the cigar milk, freeze it in ice trays to surprise future guests with unusual iced coffee.

Enjoy!

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The 4-Hour Chef is available for a limited time at 50-80% off list price. Read all the details of the book and learn more here (as well as download the free app for Kindle Fire).