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Through four seasons of "Booze Traveler," host Jack Maxwell has traveled the world to places as varied as Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Iceland, New Zealand and South Africa to meet the locals and try whatever the popular drink is. But one episode this season of the Monday Travel Channel series holds special meaning for the South Boston native – and it took him right back to his old stomping grounds. On Sept. 8, 2017, Maxwell lived a childhood dream when the lifelong Red Sox fan got to throw out the first pitch of a game at Fenway Park against the Tampa Bay Rays to retired Sox closer Ryan Dempster, an experience he says was the thrill of a lifetime – and a little unsettling. "I was just nervous," Maxwell admits. "You know, so many fans there and I know it was live. It's not like a TV show where you can redo takes. This was it, man. And he gave me great tips: Don't overdo it. People try to throw it too fast. Don't sail it. Because a couple of weeks before that, a guy was there and he hit a cameraman right in the groin. ... And he said people get up there and it's just nerves. And it's different than being on camera. That's one thing. But the physical nerves of having to throw at pitch under that pressure. So it was about the baseball and the drink." And the drink on that day was the mojito, made with mint actually grown at the ballpark. Unbeknownst to many Boston fans, Fenway Farms, a 5,000-square-foot rooftop garden on the third base side of the stadium, has been producing lettuce, carrots, mint, peas, spinach, radishes, chard and other assorted vegetables since the spring of 2015 to be used in foods served to fans during games and special functions. The kinds of vegetables grown vary with the time of year, and so in September mint was in season for Maxwell's visit. "It just made great mojitos," he says, "and of course, mojitos happen to be one of my favorite drinks. It's so refreshing and I had, I guess, an authentic one if you want to call it that, in Cuba. But being at Fenway and having a cocktail with a real live World Series champion who's just a great guy, and then getting up there and throwing out the pitch, I just don't want to overdo it but it was really, really wonderful." Other stops in the 16-episode fourth season include England, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Taiwan, Norway, Michigan, Arizona, the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains and Costa Rica, where Maxwell got to take in the Central American nation's biodiversity, the culture's pura vida (or "pure life") philosophy of living and the cocktail of choice, the chicha. "We drank with locals, the villagers," he reports, "and they made chicha made from bacteria. And so you take a chance and say, 'Well, they've been doing it for years and years. Let's do it.' And there's a woman who's 103 years old celebrating her birthday that day and says she had to stop drinking it, but that's what helped her live so long." BY GEORGE DICKIE Maxwell livin' the dream in Season 4 of 'Booze Traveler' Jack Maxwell Page 8 December 25 - 31, 2017 On or Off-Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday PICK UP y o u r c o p y a t : t h e h A R T Your source for arts, entertainment and culture news in Elkhart County On or Off-Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday PICK UP y o u r c o p y a t : t h e h A R T Your source for arts, entertainment and culture news in Elkhart County

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