posted Aug-03-2006 02:35 PM            

Then, on one of my nights off, which happened to be my birthday, I arranged to meet a friend at the bar. She was a whole year older than me, and she drank bourbon. I decided to mark the latest milestone of my existence by acquiring an appreciation for this mysterious beverage.

“Teach me how to drink whiskey!” I demanded, practically bouncing up and down on my barstool with girlish glee.
After my friend finished laughing, she agreed to instruct me. Her method was simple but effective: Go outside and smoke a joint. Return to bar and order a shot of bourbon. Sip. Enjoy.
I couldn’t believe how easy it was! The bourbon seemed to melt into my tongue, and instead of feeling harsh and solvent-like, it tasted all warm and malty.

Today, as an older and more sophisticated adult, I still like to drink whiskey. Occasionally, I’ll sip a single-malt Scotch or small-batch bourbon neat, but I’ve found that the way I really like whiskey these days is in cocktails.

Now, there’s a tendency for the malt advocate to defend the purity of any barley-based spirit against mixers. I simply remind such sticklers that the Manhattan (rye, sweet vermouth, and bitters) has been around for 150 years — long before the prevalence of boutique bourbons, single-malt Scotches, and made-for-sipping ryes.

If you walk into a bar and order one of the following classic whiskey cocktails, chances are you’ll get a blank look from the bartender. Most drink menus are still awash in (yawn) vodka-based, candy-flavored mixtures. Luckily, however, classic cocktails are being revived in some places, like the Pegu Club in Manhattan and Eastern Standard in Boston. If you happen upon a bartender in your town who knows these drinks, tip him fatly and spread his name around like you would that of a good chef.

The Frisco (adapted from the B-Side Lounge recipe)

1 1/2 oz rye
3/4 oz Benedictine
3/4 oz lemon juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a stemmed glass.

This was my first love, the drink that sparked all my subsequent affairs with whiskey cocktails. Its prominent citrus and herbal-liqueur flavors tame the rye into submission, making the Frisco the perfect drink for the whiskey-curious. The Frisco is in the “whiskey base” section of the B-Side Lounge’s comprehensive cocktail menu. The professionals behind the bar at this popular Cambridge joint shake-shake-shake the Frisco with crushed ice, then strain it into a chilled cocktail glass the cool way — by forgoing the strainer and simply cracking apart the pair of shakers with a loud “pop!”

The Red Hook (Eastern Standard recipe, based on the
original created at the Manhattan bar Milk and Honey)

2 oz Michter’s rye
1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz Punt e Mes

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a stemmed glass.

Eastern Standard, a brasserie-style restaurant with a long, well stocked bar, is part of the swanky new Hotel Commonwealth complex in Boston’s Kenmore Square. It sits on the spot once occupied by the Rat (no one called it the Ratskeller), where if you ordered anything but a beer and a shot, you got the hairy eyeball. Like a lot of Bostonians, I mourn the death of the city’s dive bars — there should be places where you can drink a longneck Carling in the dark. But I’m also glad that there’s now a bar in town where I can order a Red Hook, and I’m not talking beer. Based on an older cocktail called the Brooklyn and named after one of that borough’s neighborhoods, the Red Hook is a Real Drink, meaning it would challenge the tastebuds of the Cosmo devotee. It’s not just rye, but rye mixed with Punt e Mes — a bitter, quinine-spiked Italian fortified wine — and maraschino liqueur, which is not red and sweet like the cherries but clear and palate-cleansing. Think of the Red Hook as the cocktail equivalent of a hoppy, Belgian pale ale like Orval or De Ranke XX Bitter.

The Seelbach (from Gary and Mardee Regan’s New Classic Cocktails)

1 oz bourbon
1/2 oz Cointreau
7 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
7 dashes Angostura bitters
5 oz Champagne

Pour the liquor and bitters into a Champagne flute and stir. Add Champagne and stir again. Garnish with an orange twist.

After a kindly bartender at Eastern Standard sent me home with a bottle of hard-to-find Peychaud’s bitters, I mixed my first Seelbach, a drink born in 1917 at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, KY. Oh my god, was it good. I assumed I would never encounter this rare drink outside my own living room. Then one night I met Scott Holliday, bartender at the Cambridge restaurant Chez Henri. When he took my order, I simply told him that I liked whiskey drinks. A few minutes later, he placed a bubbly, reddish cocktail on my bar napkin — a Seelbach! I wanted to marry the guy. I’m a sucker for drinks that top spirits off with Champagne. Mysteriously, the bubbles both accentuate and mellow the bourbon and bitters, and as a whole the Seelbach conjures up dueling memories of wedding toasts and camping trips.

The Scoff Law (from Ted “Dr. Cocktail” Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails)

1 1/2 oz rye
1 oz dry vermouth
3/4 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz real pomegranate grenadine

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a stemmed glass.

One of the best places to get a classic cocktail in Boston is at a tiny bar in one of the city’s most renowned restaurants, No. 9 Park. There, bartender John Gertsen will mix you a Prohibition-era drink called the Scoff Law. According to Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, the cocktail was invented at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris and cheekily named after the term for “a frequenter of speakeasies and general flouter of the National Prohibition Act.”

The key to this cocktail is real grenadine, which is made from pomegranate juice and is a world apart from the sickly sweet, artificially colored stuff found in most bars. Gertsen makes his own, and you can too. Here’s a recipe courtesy of Gertsen’s friend Jackson Cannon, bar manager at Eastern Standard:

2 parts pomegranate juice
1 part sugar

Heat to a roiling boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add a dash of orange flower water.

------------------
Life is Short ... Make Fun of It.

400 Beers

IP: Logged

posted Aug-03-2006 03:44 PM            

Gone are the days when the ox fall down
Take up the yoke and plough the fields around
Gone are the days when the ladies said "please
Gentle Jack Jones won't you come to me"

Chorus
Brown-eyed women and red grenadine
The bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean
Sound of the thunder with the rain pouring down
And it looks like the old man's getting on

Nineteen twenty when he stepped to the bar
Drank to the dregs of the whiskey jar
Nineteen thirty when the wall caved in
He made his way selling red-eyed gin

[chorus]

Delilah Jones was the mother of twins
Two times over and the rest were sins
Raised eight boys, only I turned bad
Didn't get the lickings that the other ones had

[chorus]

Tumble-down shack in Big Foot County
Snowed so hard that the roof caved in
Delilah Jones went to meet her God
And the old man never was the same again

Daddy made whiskey and he made it well
Cost two dollars and it burned like hell
I cut hickory just to fire the still
Drink down a bottle and you're ready to kill

[chorus]

And it looks like the old man's getting on

IP: Logged

posted Aug-04-2006 01:04 PM               

IP: Logged

posted Aug-04-2006 01:13 PM               

Don't step on the lizards. Once, I stepped on what I thought was a lava rock and turned out to be a toad.

IP: Logged

posted Aug-04-2006 04:06 PM            

I would have brought it home, but it's bad juju to bring lava home from Hawai'i.

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 08:11 AM               

There's to be a Beer Festival here this fall.Gotta find out details!

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 09:34 AM            

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 09:57 AM            

1) Plain sauerkraut

2) Sauerkraut with potatoes

3) Sauerkraut with apples

4) Sauerkraut with onions

... that's all I got.

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 11:49 AM               

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 11:55 AM               

My toothbrushing/whitening thing is definitely one. I also count things ,and "dwell".

What say,all? "Fess up yer OCD sins- it's good for the soul (and entertaining to others)...

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 01:57 PM            

This week I managed to eat something that could be the worst food-product ever invented. To start with, I am not squeamish, in fact I will eat anything. My basic food-life philosophy is that if someone took the time to prepare it, I will eat it. In fact it was just that mind set that landed me in the ER after eating an unidentifiable item from Chinatown. My official diagnosis was “victim of a riceball”.

This week, I discovered hotdogs in my fridge – but they weren’t – they were …

VEGETARIAN HOTDOGS

Have you all ever had these before? I would like to clarify my statement from above as I was not actually able to ingest them. What are they? Why are they so bad? Most importantly – why?

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 02:17 PM               

Man, in the ER because of a rice ball? Hope your meal was free. Did you choke? They are a pasty thing,right? I can just see one lodged in the windpipe......oh.....

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 02:45 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by La Tortuga:
My official diagnosis was “victim of a riceball”.

---

HEY!!! That "riceball" could be family someday.

Oh, you meant like a "ball" of "rice."

Sorry.

If you refer back to the "Rules of Thumb" thread you will see:
"Young Cat, Old Dog."

... That's more than enough info to keep me out of any restaurant in Chinatown ... Ironically, Chinatown is exactly where we got fingerprinted Saturday.

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 04:08 PM            

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 04:22 PM            

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 04:25 PM               

http://www.lockergnome.com/diy/how-to-open-a-beer-bottle-with-a-piece-of-paper/

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 04:26 PM               

I am now afeared of rice balls but would love to bring a huge batch into the office and watch people choke.I am malevolent here today. Have a project that is impossible to pull off, that came with dire warnings of professional doom. Even if I can make it work, it is only temporary as they want to shift this work to the main office.
I live for the diversions on this site,and for my "real" life,now that I actually have one this year.

Question: I must bring a chinese auction "prize" to the neighborhood picnic this week. Should I make a Beer Basket?

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 04:39 PM               

IP: Logged

posted Aug-07-2006 05:21 PM            

What is a chinese auction prize?

IP: Logged

posted Aug-08-2006 07:16 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by La Tortuga:

VEGETARIAN HOTDOGS

Have you all ever had these before? I would like to clarify my statement from above as I was not actually able to ingest them. What are they? Why are they so bad? Most importantly – why?

---

I think because they're mainly produced through the miracle of chemistry. Yves aren't so bad, but they do all have a weird aftertaste best handled through a generous application of mustard.

I do eat those things: and veggie burgers, and 'chik patties' (the best of the fake meat family.) I do also eat steak, chicken, eggs, etc. but I keep fake meat around.

IP: Logged

posted Aug-08-2006 08:03 AM               

Chinese Auction is a weird "Buffalo" thing: they have tables of baskets that have a theme of sorts. Entrants purchase numbered sheets that have 25 stubs with one number printed on each, to identify "their" number. You place one numbered stub in a container attached to the basket. They later pull one stub and the holder of that number wins the basket. They also call these "theme tray auctions". You can put all of your numbers in one container, or spread them into as many as you can. This is a huge thing locally- very popular. Themes can be holiday related, summer related, ethnic foods,etc.

LT,so sorry about your food poisoning. It is scary and can be lingering. Hope all is better now!

Mud Run rocked last night! About 230 men and women romping through 4 miles of deep,stinking mud, rocks,roots,ruts, creeks,hills and running bedlam. Some "swim" in the deep,thick mud. I did not and always regret that I am "too clean" when I finish.

RM: I also eat the veggie meats, as well as real meats. I feel it may be healthier somehow. Condiments are a necessity. The Morningstar Farms pizza patties are a nice alt to real pizza when I am trying to cut calories and fat.

And yes, I have self-diagnosed OCD, and "fears".I am afeared of bees to the point of terror.

IP: Logged

posted Aug-08-2006 08:08 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by La Tortuga:
What is a chinese auction prize?

---

As a life-long Catholic, I am no stranger to Chinese Auction. If fact we're having one at our Annual Assumption Church Chicken BBQ this Saturday.

quote:

---

from wikipedia.org - have I told you that I love wikipedia???

A Chinese auction is a type of auction (actually a combination of auction and raffle) that is typically featured at charity or other fundraising events.

In a Chinese auction, bidders are not prospective buyers (as in the conventional English auction). Instead, they buy tickets, which are essentially chances to win items. Bidders may buy as many tickets as they like, and bid them on any item(s) they want by placing them in a basket or other container in front of the item(s) they are trying to win. At the conclusion of bidding, the winning ticket is drawn from the tickets bid on each item, and the item is given to the owner of that ticket.

A bidder may increase their chance of winning by buying and bidding more tickets on a specific item. Although there is generally no limit to the number of tickets a given individual may bid on a specific item, the chance of winning depends on the total number of tickets bid by all individuals.

It is unclear whether this type of auction actually originates in China; it is much more likely that the term derives from "chance auction," which is also another name for this type of auction.

---

I usually go for the "Basket of Cheer" and anything featuring the Flyers.

IP: Logged

posted Aug-08-2006 08:16 AM            

Latrobe’s Fizzle Is Newark’s Fizz
By JOHN HOLL

NEWARK, Aug. 8 — One small town in western Pennsylvania has long provided trivia buffs with two obscure questions that share an answer: Where was the golf legend Arnold Palmer born and raised? And where did those seven-ounce pony bottles of Rolling Rock beer — actually extra-pale lager — come from?

The answer, until last week, was Latrobe, Pa., a town of about 9,000 snuggled in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

But the glass-lined tanks of Latrobe have given way to the red-brick Anheuser-Busch factory on Routes 1 and 9 in the shadow of Newark Liberty International Airport.

Anheuser-Busch — the maker of Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob and other beers — bought the Rolling Rock brand, the recipe for its mountain-brewed extra-pale lager and the entire Latrobe Brewing Company from the Belgium-based InBev SA company in May for $82 million. After weighing several options, said David A. Peacock, vice president for business and finance for Anheuser-Busch, the company decided to move operations to Newark.

“It made sense because Newark is close by, it’s a very good brewery and we can produce the same great packaging and beer there,” Mr. Peacock said.

But in Latrobe, the decision is not going down smoothly.

“No offense to New Jersey, but I didn’t think it had any mountain springs,” Clint Shaffer, 39, a resident of Latrobe, said in a telephone interview. “Rolling Rock is a source of pride around here, and moving it someplace else is like hearing that Chevys will now be made in Japan.”

The move has become such a visceral issue that Mr. Palmer, Latrobe’s favorite son, will not discuss it.

“There are a lot of people with a lot of strong feelings,” said Mr. Palmer’s longtime assistant, Doc Giffin. “He doesn’t want to weigh in right now.”

But others are only too happy to fill the vacuum. Beer drinkers like Richard Lott of Grenada, Miss., plan to stock up on as much of the Latrobe-made brew as possible, and when it is all consumed, it will be time to find a new brand.

“I’ll try the new batch once, but I don’t think I’m going to like it,” said Mr. Lott, 33, who works in an auto parts factory and, like many others, lamented the loss of Rolling Rock from Latrobe on an Internet message board devoted to beer (mylifeisbeer.com). “There is something about the mystique of the beer that will be missed.”

Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, a national nonprofit organization devoted to professional brewers, says the truth is that beer drinkers will not be able to tell the difference.

“The brewer can take water from anywhere and add or subtract minerals to make it mimic water from other places,” Mr. Gatza said in a telephone interview from association headquarters in Colorado. “They can make it to exact specifications. That’s why a Budweiser brewed in Newark tastes exactly like the ones made in St. Louis.”

Taste aside, Mr. Gatza conceded that loyalty does account for something. “I’m sure there will be a dip in sales in the immediate Latrobe area and around Pittsburgh, where it is extremely popular,” he said.

Over time, however, Mr. Gatza said the merger would probably improve the bottom line for Rolling Rock, which will benefit from Anheuser-Busch’s vast distribution system.

“In terms of customer appeal,” he said, “well, there is an emotional concept that a lot of people will have with it and they will make the decision to keep buying it or not.”

Latrobe Brewing began making Rolling Rock in 1939, and although it is most popular in the eastern United States, it has enjoyed a loyal following in the brewing world, its seven-ounce pony bottles a staple at summer cookouts and picnics.

“This has been a lot of fun, a challenge for us to brew,” said Douglas J. Muhleman, group vice president for brewing at Anheuser-Busch. “We set out on a mission to make Rolling Rock exactly the same way. That proved to be an interesting endeavor.”

The flight of Rolling Rock and Rock Green Light, a lighter version, does not mean the end for the Latrobe brewery. City Brewing, a Wisconsin company, recently signed a letter of intent that would use the Rolling Rock plant, along with many of its 200 employees.

But the mystery of Rolling Rock — in the Kelly green bottle with horses and a mysterious “33” on the label — will live on in Newark. Some say the “33” was a misprint, others say it was for the year prohibition was repealed and still others say it is for the number of words in the beer’s famous pledge. Rolling Rock executives have never said.

As for Anheuser-Busch, it says it will keep the pledge on the bottle “to honor the tradition of this great brand.”

It reads: “Rolling Rock. From the glass-lined tanks of old Latrobe, we tender this premium beer for your enjoyment, as a tribute to your good taste. It comes from the mountain springs to you.”

It will not include this caveat, however: The water now comes from the Wanaque Reservoir in Passaic County.

IP: Logged

posted Aug-08-2006 09:44 AM            

Vegghie dawgs... yuk! Maybe if you wrap a slice or three of baloney around it.....

Rolling Rock.....evil stuff.

my OCD; checking that I have my plane tickets a dozen times before each trip.

IP: Logged

posted Aug-08-2006 10:07 AM               

IP: Logged