May 2011
19 posts
4 tags
Cocktail Drawing Board
Back on my poor, neglected theatre & dramaturgy blog, the last post was about a theatre-inspired cocktail. Not being an expert mixologist, I always consider my concoctions to be works-in-progress. Thus, they’re always at the drawing board. Lately, I’ve been playing with aquavit in my cocktails. This evening was playing around with gin & aquavit, and finished up with a...
May 26th
22 notes
5 tags
Locavoric Imbibing
During a recent discussion with a co-worker about drinks, she asked if I preferred imbibing local spirits. (‘cause it really doesn’t take much to get me talking about it.) While I don’t necessarily prefer it, I do feel rather lucky to be living in a city & region where the locally-crafted libations are pretty damn quality. I’m not the only one to notcie. A Chicago TV...
May 22nd
6 notes
3 tags
May 20th
1 note
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Review: Koval Apple Brandy
As I mentioned in a previous post, I have an affinity for apple brandy. Thing is, it’s not something I often drink, but it is a spirit I always love to try and have on hand. Whether you call it applejack, apple brandy, or calvados, I’ve got a soft spot for it. Which is why I was excited to find out, on a tour of their distillery in February, that Koval was releasing an apple brandy...
May 17th
3 notes
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I'd be envious, too...
After work on Friday, I went out with a few friends for burgers & drinks. We ended up at Beckett’s, in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. I knew the restaurant had added a new burger menu, alongside a new & ridiculously huge beer and spirits selection. Seriously, they had a 50-page booklet describing all the choices. It was great reading. While studying their whiskey selection,...
May 15th
2 notes
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May 14th
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May 12th
3 notes
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“When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons...”
– Cave Johnson, founder & CEO of Aperture Science
May 12th
4 notes
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the Alligator's tale
Amidst the grand cluster of events that was April was the Chicago WhiskyFest. Unfortunately, April was unkind, and I was unable to attend the Fest and most of the events around it. The one exception was the Ardbeg Committee celebration, which I attended alongside my good friend JVL (the fellow who got me into single malts). The event was a helluva good time, and the star of the show was an...
May 10th
May 8th
2 notes
4 tags
Leftover Lemons
One of the many downsides of my wife and I being on different schedules is when it comes to food. I like to cook, but rarely have the opportunity to make a meal for more than one. And that’s before we even get into the differences in our palates. Part of the problem when cooking for one is trying to use fresh ingredients, but realizing that doing so leaves leftover produce that will...
May 8th
2 tags
Wheat - it's what's for (after) dinner
I love whiskey made with rye, be it a straight-up rye (like Templeton) or a bourbon that utilizes rye (Bulleit, Four Roses). But this weekend reminded me how much I also love sipping some wheated bourbon. Looks like someone’s pantry needs a bottle of Maker’s Mark…
May 8th
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May 6th
1 note
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updating the Devil's Dictionary
please advise (pleez ad-VAIZ), phrase 1. Passive-aggressive corporate speak indicating that one is “passing the buck.” 2. (archaic) Phrase indicating that one is looking for input from others. Rarely used. “I do not see the language you reference in this document, due to my head being firmly inside my ass. Please advise.”
May 5th
2 tags
May 5th
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May 4th
1 note
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The Science of the Barrel →
Jason Wilson describes the early results of Buffalo Trace’s search for the Holy Grail of bourbon.
May 4th
2 notes
9 tags
Top 5 - May
The top 5 bottles that are not on my shelves as of today, but golly I wish they were.* *(…within reality. It’d be nice to have a bottle of Black Bowmore, or some impossible-to-find Old Van Winkle bottling, but I’m limiting it to bottles that I could reasonably procure within my ways & means.) In no particular order… Lagavulin 16-year. For a standard bottling, this...
May 3rd
Drink more whisky. Save the earth. →
emmmilyk: When Scotch whisky is distilled, it leaves behind two main waste products — a liquid called pot ale and draff, the remains of the grains used in the distilling method. These two waste products are being used by researchers at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland to create a new biofuel.  According to the Guardian, the Scottish have a £4 billion ($6.2 billion) a year whisky habit,...
May 2nd
9 notes