A Wee Dram o’ Whisky

Posted by The Bon-Vivant on September 1, 2010 | 2 Comments

Oddly, there are certain liquors I have no desire to drink, no matter how tasty they might be.

James Gilpin is a designer and researcher who works on the implementation of new biomedical technologies. He’s also got type 1 diabetes, where his body doesn’t produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.

Gilpin Family Whisky

Gilpin Family Whisky, Full of Piss and No Vinegar.


So he’s started a project called Gilpin Family Whisky, which turns the sugar-rich urine of elderly diabetics into a high-end single malt whisky, suitable for export.

The source material is acquired from elderly volunteers, including Gilpin’s own grandmother, Patricia. The urine is purified in the same way as mains water is purified, with the sugar molecules removed and added to the mash stock to accelerate the whisky’s fermentation process. Traditionally, that sugar would be made from the starches in the mash.

Once fermented into a clear alcohol spirit, whisky blends are added to give colour, taste and viscosity, and the product is bottled with the name and age of the contributor.

Alrighty then.

I reckon it’s one of those awareness-raising “art” projects various “artists” insist on producing in their ateliers, although even Andres Sarrano’s infamous “Piss Christ” did not invite you to have a sip of the installation.

And, call me narrow minded, but I don’t care if the finished product has been triple purified and tastes like Zeus’s Own Ambrosia, unless I’m adrift on a life raft in the Gulf of Mexico, I’m not drinking someone else’s urine.

Comments: 2 Comments
Category: General, Unlikely Drinks

Science!

Posted by The Bon-Vivant on August 30, 2010 | No Comments

Finally, human knowledge catches up to our fondest desires…

[A] new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that – for reasons that aren’t entirely clear – abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one’s risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers’ mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.

Dr. Granny's Spring Tonic, Good for What Ails Ya!

Science Vindicates Dr. Granny!


Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated don’t have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.

(…)

But even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables – socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on – the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who had never been drinkers, second-highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.

Suck on teetotalers!

And now, it’s time for my medicine…

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Category: General, Why I drink.

Cocktail Ninja

Posted by TheEnabler on August 18, 2010 | No Comments

Our friends at Boozeblogger have posted a cool video. Cocktail Ninja.

Check it out.

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Category: General

The Delmonico Martini

Posted by TheEnabler on August 15, 2010 | No Comments

Now, I have to say that first off, the title is a misnomer.  The Delmonico, an excellent cocktail, is not a martini.  A variation, I would think, but not a martini.

My father, a schooled drinker, uses the ordering of a martini as a litmus test, as it were.  He will order a martini in a restaurant or bar, and wait for the almost invariable response of “vodka or gin?”, or the even more reprehensible presumption that it is vodka.  My father, in his own inimitable way, will proceed to point out that “if it is made with vodka, it is not a martini.”  If they presume to make it with vodka without asking, back it goes.  A proper question might be as to the proportions of dry vermouth, or how many olives, or perhaps “Would the gentlemen like a Gibson?” if he projects that aura. Never mentioning vodka, though.  Perhaps even the pretentious “shaken or stirred?” (Curse you, Bond!  although, in an aside, Bond, weak-kneed limey that he is, drank a vodka martini).

But I digress. And let me digress a bit more. Another reprehensible thing is the constant use of the suffix, as it were, tini. Use some kind of apple crap and it is “appletini”. Or use no hard alcohol and have some kind of “winetini”. Monkey flavored liqueur? “Monkeytini”. Garnish with a sock, use Japanese whiskey, no vermouth, float of motor oil – Dry Jasockpenzoilotini with a twist. STOP USING THE STUPID TINI THING! JUST GIVE IT A DAMN NAME.

An outstanding thing about the Delmonico is it has a name. It is not a Delmotini.

I was pondering summer drinks, as it is very hot.  That led me to Gin and Tonics, a classic cocktail.  Which led me to think about classics.  Which then I started thinking about toys I had when I was a kid, which was pretty much a dead end, although enjoyable.  Then I got back on track thinking about martinis, and then variations which made me think of my favorite, which I have not had in some time, the Delmonico.

You can find this all over if you google it. They have various variations in ratio’s of ingredients, and some of the recipes leave out one or the other of them. Some say that the drink was invented at the famous Delmonico Restaurant, but this seems to be apocryphal. I can’t find anything definitive about that and Delmonico’s itself does not seem to try and claim that.

So, the Delmonico. The variation here I found in The Perfect Martini Book, by Robert Herzbrun (I think it is out of print, but a nice little book if you can find a copy). I find this to be the best.

Delmonico

2 parts Dry Gin
1 part sweet vermouth
1 part dry vermouth
1 part cognac
1 dash of Angostura Bitters (generous)
Twist of orange peel

Mix the liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with a very generous amount of cracked ice. Shake, strain into a martini glass or other beautiful piece of glassware that has been chilled in the freezer. Twist orange peel directly onto surface of drink to spray the orange oil on surface. Enjoy.

This drink should be served very cold. This gives it a wonderful viscosity that can be both observed felt. The mouth feel is excellent if served right. It also has a nice color so a clear glass that will show the drink well is also nice. Not incredibly hard to make, you can impress people by ordering it in a bar and the having to guide him on how to make it correctly. A bit of one upmanship and show-offiness that is fun in the right mood. Also, plan your calls in advance, and not having them ready makes you look a bit the fool. Do not be afraid to call something they do not have, though. You can then have a brief, interesting discussion with the barkeep as to what he thinks would work well. A drink of this caliber does not deserve well liquor unless you are drinking in a very good bar. It is a great drink to make at home because it is both simple, yet elegant and unusual. I find the taste ecstatic.

You can use brandy instead of cognac if it is a good one. Perhaps an alambic of some type, an Armagnac if you want a bit of spice. But something decent and not too sweet. A bit dry.

I think you will like this drink.

Comments: No Comments
Category: Cocktails, Gin, Historical Drinking

The Girl, the gold watch and everything

Posted by TheEnabler on August 14, 2010 | No Comments

This is why I drink. To forget that I do not have the gold watch.

I have the girl. I am doing okay on everything. But the gold watch – it eludes me. And sings a siren song that makes me think that it is the one that I need. Lovely, yet unattainable. I yearn.

In the meantime, I drink to forget. Tonight I forget in the sweet embrace of:

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Category: Why I drink.

Drinking in History

Posted by TheEnabler on August 12, 2010 | No Comments

Time Magazine has a good list of the top 10 Long Forgotten Liquors, starting with King Louis XVI’s Champagne (232 years old) brought up by divers (picture below). The list is pretty cool, check it out.

Comments: No Comments
Category: General, Historical Drinking

SHARK WEEK! AIIEEEE!!!!

Posted by TheEnabler on August 5, 2010 | No Comments

Yes, it is that happiest time of the year, Shark Week on Discovery Channel.  Blood, sweat and tears.  Well, mostly blood and seawater.  So, in honor of Sharkweek, which is totally cool, we bring to you/remind  you/Tell you to forget about it, unless you are just trying to get drunk:

The Blue Shark Cocktail:

3/4 oz. vodka (any will do)

1/2 oz Tequila (A nice reposado) (The Palate highly recommends Patron, her favorite drink of catharsis)

1/2 oz. blue cuaracao (I have no recommendations for this but I am willing to take bribes)

Combine vodka and Tequila in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Add several dashes of blue curacao, and shake well. Strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass, and serve.

This drink will strip you to the bone in 5 minutes……. NO damn, that was not a Tahoe joke! Well, carry on:

(author’s note:  I have no idea what I meant when I typed this Tahoe reference.  This is either a credit to the strength of the Shark Cocktail or a serious indication that I need to drink less, or both)

And, I can’t think about sharks or Shark Week without the following, with which I leave you:

Comments: No Comments
Category: Cocktails, General

How much does it take to get you drunk?

Posted by TheEnabler on August 4, 2010 | No Comments

“It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can’t remember if it’s the thirteenth or the fourteenth.”
George Burns

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Category: General, Quotes

The Yin and the Yang

Posted by TheEnabler on July 29, 2010 | 1 Comment

In the eternal war of good versus evil, many battles are waged. Some are won, some are lost. The fight goes on.

Today, we have examples of both.

Evil has claimed a victory, as reported here by the KUSI NEWS. “Floatopias” were an awesome end-around to get past a previous violation of our constitutional right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (emphasis added, although I think the Founding Fathers meant precisely that). San Diego had previously banned alcohol on the beaches, so Floatopias were a mass of tubes, rafts and what have you that floated, and drank, about 20 feet offshore. Totally legal. Sadly, the forces of evil have now pushed the ban out to 3 miles. Curse you, Satan!

On the side of Good, the forces of righteousness have proclaimed that drinking is allowed 24 hours a day in Chicago Airports! Anyone who has taken a redeye across the country and had to lay over at Midway at 3:00 a.m. knows that you really needed a drink. Especially those of us on West Coast time. Now, thankfully, we can have one.

The forces of Good and Evil remain balanced for another day.

Comments: 1 Comment
Category: General, Neo-Prohibition

America – Land of Opportunity?

Posted by TheEnabler on July 24, 2010 | 2 Comments

In a story worthy of Horatio Alger, a young man, Travis Kevie of Penyryn, California, started out with a six-pack of beer and built up to a fully stocked bar and a pocketful of cash – all in four days.

Locals were very excited to find the Valencia Bar in Penryn re-opened after being closed up on Memorial Day Weekend. As reported on July 19 in the Auburn Journal, Mr. Kevie was excited and working hard to bring back the bar to its former prominence in town:

Proud owner of the newly re-opened Valencia, Travis Kevie.

Roseville’s Deborah Goodwill craned her neck as she was driving along Taylor Road, saw an open door at the Valencia Club and slowed to ask a question.

“Are they ever going to open?” Goodwill asked.

“We’re open right now,” was the answer. “Come on in.”

Goodwill was soon at the bar and when owner Travis Kevie – the man who answered her question – found out that she was a Corona drinker and none was in stock, he scooted over to the store across English Colony Road to buy a case….

…Kevie said that paperwork on the bar sale hasn’t been finalized but that he has moved into living quarters at the bar and will be keeping it open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.

“It’s a dream come true,” Kevie said.

Kevie’s dreams also involve professional rodeo. He said he’s put that side of his life on hold while getting the bar going and finding trusted people to work there.

Sadly, his dream was to come to a sudden end. Even though, in only four days time, he had gone from one six-pack of beer to a stocked bar and $1300.00 in cash, government bureaucracy would not let Travis pursue his dream. Due to a technicality, Travis was arrested and put out of business.

The technicality? He had broken into the closed bar and opened it on his own! This is just awesome. This man had worked on a cleanup crew shutting the place down. Homeless, he had known that it was closed and no one was doing anything with it. With his 5 bucks or whatever he had, he broke open the bar and walked across the street and bought a sixpack. Following the path of all entrepeneurs, he plowed his money back into the business. Working from dawn to 2:00 a.m., serving hundreds of customers over his four day run, Travis busted his back and kept expanding. By the time of his arrest he had stocked the bar with several cases on beer, 12-13 bottles of hard liquor, and was providing the town with a badly needed watering hole and social spot.

Sadly, Travis might be a successful business man even now if not for the busybody Auburn Journal. A cop noticed Travis in the newspaper, and knew that he was homeless and had had several “contacts” with the police. He went and had him arrested.


As reported in the Auburn Journal on July 20th :

The landmark Valencia Club is closed again and the man who claimed to own it is behind bars today facing charges of selling liquor without a license.

Travis Kevie’s four-day career as proprietor of the historic bar came to a crashing end after the Valencia Club’s property manager and then the Placer County Sheriff’s Department learned through an Auburn Journal report that the establishment had re-opened.

A few short hours later, Kevie, a 29-year-old rodeo bull rider who grew up in Newcastle, was being led away from the Taylor Road bar in handcuffs.

Reno’s Len Travis, property manager for the owner, said he had no idea Kevie was continuing to perpetuate what turned out to be a well-structured hoax inside the Valencia Club.

And here in the Auburn Journal on July 21st with a followup.

One of the great stories. I love this man. Let us only hope that they are not too hard on him. People like Congressman Charles Rangel can bribe, lie, cheat and steal from the people of the United States for decades and the worst that will happen to him is a harshly worded statement followed by a giant government pension and his tens of millions of ill-gotten bribes and graft, while a poor guy like Travis will probably get a big jail sentence, just for trying to earn a living and give something back to the community. Good luck, Travis.

Comments: 2 Comments
Category: Drinking Establishments, General
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Liquor Locusts


The harsh, useful things of the world, from pulling teeth to digging potatoes, are best done by men who are as starkly sober as so many convicts in the death-house, but the lovely and useless things, the charming and exhilarating things, are best done by men with, as the phrase is, a few sheets in the wind.
~H.L. Mencken

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The Dangers of Thirst

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.
~Jerome K. Jerome


Demon Rum

“Let us candidly admit that there are shameful blemishes on the American past, of which the worst by far is rum. Nevertheless, we have improved man's lot and enriched his civilization with rye, bourbon and the Martini cocktail. In all history has any other nation done so much?”
~Bernard De Voto


The Jug of Empire!


How solemn and beautiful is the thought that the earliest pioneer of civilization, the van-leader of civilization, is never the steamboat, never the railroad, never the newspaper, never the Sabbath-school, never the missionary -- but always whiskey!
~Mark Twain

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