June 2012
2 posts
Booze-Infused Gummy Bear Recipes [Serious Eats] →
Ridiculous…ly awesome.
3 tags
the Addison Recorder →
A few fellow Windy City writers and I started an online magazine (blogzine, reader, etc), wherein we string together a lot of words to talk popular culture. Naturally, my first few scheduled posts will be about alcohol & board games.
May 2012
5 posts
2 tags
Rhubarb Bitters Recipe [imbibe] →
If I had to pick a favorite for ‘hot new flavor of bitters’ this spring, I’m going to go with rhubarb. Here’s another recipe for rhubarb bitters, this time from Imbibe online. Technically, I think they’re closer to a tincture than a bitters (as there are no bittering agents in the recipe), but they still look rather tasty.
Compare them to the other rhubarb bitters...
thedoubleshadow:
The Double Shadow Episode #4:...
When I found out about BadHappy Poutine Shop
pancakesforone:
soyeahduh:
WHAT THERE IS POUTINE IN CHICAGO I AM CANADIAN THIS IS THE BEST NEWS OF ALL TIME!!!!!!!
Really need to check this place out…
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DIY Rhubarb Bitters [seriouseats.com] →
A friend sent me this link over Twitter, from the Serious Eats website. The recipe looks tasty, especially if one is a fan of floral gins. It also allows some nice flexibility for anyone looking to tailor it more to his or her own tastes.
(Were I to tweak it to my own nefarious ends, I might take out the juniper & fennel, add peppercorns & maybe lemongrass… change the bittering...
April 2012
3 posts
2 tags
Sipping the Spirit of the North [wsj.com] →
Nice little write-up on one of my favorite spirits, aquavit. It also gives a shout-out to North Shore’s damned fine aquavit.
March 2012
13 posts
1 tag
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World Whisky Day – How Hedonism And Opportunism... →
I made a small reference to the backstory of World Whisky Day in my post yesterday, and provided a link to the Dramming.com article discussing it. Today, the main man behind Dramming.com provided a very pointed and articulate take on the phenomenon.
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Pick 5 - World Whisky Day edition
Today is World Whisky Day! Huzzah!
Oops, almost forgot to add that ‘TM’ to World Whisky Day (TM). Eh, details.
Every so often, I reminisce about the ‘top 5’ drams I’ve had recently. For those celebrating WWD along with me, I thought I’d offer a few picks for anyone looking to try something they might not be familiar with. A few somethings that cover a broad...
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Whisky Myths Debunked #7 – Older Is Better... →
It’s hard to overstate how much I enjoy the articles on dramming.com. If someone was looking for a primer on whisky, whether because he or she wants to imbibe it or write about it, this is the site for that someone.
(I also respect the site’s approach to ratings/reviews, but that’s a whole ‘nother topic.)
Neil Gaiman: Reposted as something that can be... →
neil-gaiman:
I’ve seem to be hitting writer’s block far too often now. My grade in my creative writing class is suffering because i don’t turn in anything because i’m never really satisfied with anything i do. all my good ideas seem to turn into bad ones once i write it down. How do you get pass writers…
February 2012
17 posts
3 tags
Digital Speakeasy: Recipe: White Diamonds →
digitalspeakeasy:
We ran across White Diamonds in this SFist article; the cocktail was created by Rye’s Rhachel Shaw as a tribute to the late great Elizabeth Taylor. Here’s her recipe from the article:
White Diamonds
1 ½ oz. white whiskey (she uses Koval Rye Chicago) ¾ oz. Cocchi Americano ½…
3 tags
Neil Gaiman: ENO announces Mini Operas: A... →
neil-gaiman:
English National Opera announces Mini Operas, a world-wide, online search for composers, writers and film makers that will seek out emerging opera talent of the future from across the world. Three competitions to find future stars of all the components of creating an opera will be launched online…
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Cocktail: Ten Cent Pistol
Woo-hoo! It’s Fat Tuesday, which means… I’m knee-deep in papers at my cubicle. Like any other Tuesday, really, except for the paczki that someone brought into the office this morning.
For those of us who’re unable to venture southward for Mardi Gras, we can still raise a cocktail in celebration of the last day of excess before the traditional Lenten season. (And for those...
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Case Study | The Boulevardier (NYT Magazine) →
Great spotlight on one of my favorite cocktails (sometimes I switch up the Campari with Aperol). I once accidentally ordered this drink; my head said “Negroni,” but my fingers pointed to the bourbon behind the bar.
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How cocktails happen (WaPo) →
Within this link, Jason Wilson reveals the secret behind making cocktails… Which is, just make them. Start with existing recipes, tinker with ingredients, play with combinations, and experiment. That’s it.
Yeah, I know some folks who are mad scientists of mixology, equal parts brilliant & creative, dreaming up one amazing drink after another. But you don’t have to be a...
11 tags
Top 5 - January
Now that free time had started to appear, I think it’s time to bring back my list of the top libations i’ve been imbibing over the course of the month.
In no particular order…
Glenmorangie Lasanta. My holiday season felt very truncated, so having a dram of this Scotch whisky helps hold onto the holidays a wee bit longer. This is because (a) it was a gift from my parents, (b)...
January 2012
9 posts
4 tags
#BurnsNightSolo
Traditionally, on January 25th, kilted individuals gather together to celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns, the renowned Scottish poet. Haggis and cock-a-leekie soup are had alongside neeps & tatties in the traditional observance of Burns Night. These are accompanied by Scotch whisky and the reading of poetry.
I rarely do things so formal: usually raise a dram & read some poetry. This...
5 tags
Shots in the Dark (binnys.com) →
I spent New Year’s Eve blind-tasting vodka (more on that in a bit), but here’s a fun bit of blind tasting from the folks at Binny’s.
(For those outside of Illinois, Binny’s is like the Ikea of alcohol. Or the Toys ‘R’ Us of tipple. Or… well, you get the idea.)
3 tags
Tellin' Little White Lies by the Light of the Moon
“… and a moonshiner goes down.”
That phrase, said as the latest Discovery Channel hit went to commercial, bothers my wife. Really bothers her. She knows who the narrator is talking about, and it feels dishonest to her. After watching the run of the first (only?) season of Moonshiners, I think her feelings are dead on.
Moonshiners is engaging television. Discovery follows the...
December 2011
8 posts
HMS Resolute
The holidays this year have been… interesting. I’m channeling a bit of Granny Weatherwax, in that I’ve magically deferred the toll from these last few months until I had time for the exhaustion.
As I look back over this year, it’s shocking the cost of that exhaustion. There were so many ideas left un-penned, and so many works that never left the ‘draft’ stage....
