July 29, 2008
Don't look now, but there's another booze-related book on the shelves, and this one's got a slightly different spin than a lot of the others we've read. We love to read about booze, and instead of dry paragraphs about how liquors are made, this one focuses on the cultural impact of fermented grain and grape.
From absinthe to Jay-Z's boycott of allegedly racist Cristal, from Mayan pulque to Pilsner Urquell, he covers the history and the culture of the medicinal and mind-altering product that since at least 8000 B.C. has been part of human civilization. The book's first chapters chronicle the history of fermentation and distillation from early civilization through the late Middle Ages, before the narrative's bulk gives over to alcohol's story since the colonization of the New World.
Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol
[via Washington Post]
May 21, 2008
We've been thinking a lot about DIY booze lately. We have friends big into homebrew beer, and we've even toyed with making our own wine, but what if we could make our own whiskey? It turns out, there's a big subculture of whiskey geeks who do just that, and OK, maybe it's still cheaper (and more legal) to buy a bottle of Jim off the shelf, but how freakin' cool would it be to say you have your own still?
There are all sorts of whiskey geeks out there who are doing just that, and they've been featured recently in an article in Wired.
Today's home distillers are more likely to build a small reflux still and hide it in the garage. Unlike a pot still, the vapors rise through a column packed with copper wool or another high-surface-area material before being directed into the condenser. A beer keg makes a good boiler, and a homemade column and condenser are within the reach of anyone with basic welding and soldering skills and access to copper pipe.
Awesome. For more information on how you could theoretically make your own still if you didn't fear blindness and/or incarceration, check out the links below.
at Instructables [via Drink of the Week]
May 16, 2008
Guys, I hate to say it...but a lot of you are letting me down. More importantly, you're letting yourselves and your gender down. Every time I go out to a bar and I see a guy with a purple or pink shot in their hand, a small part of Burt Reynolds's mustache dies. When I venture out to a restaurant and I see a man with a martini that is any other color than clear, I am forced to say a small weeping prayer for the future of mankind.
We couldn't agree more, fellas. Thou shalt read the hell out of these commandments before sallying forth to the local watering hole this weekend. And if you've got any more commandments fit for the list, please add them in the comments below.
Read all 10 drinking commandments at Drinkplanner
(Thanks for the tip, Travis)
April 23, 2008
We can't believe we've made it so long without ever mentioning this abomination of a movie. We're going to buy it and keep it in one of those "In case of emergency break glass" boxes, so we can pull it out if we ever need a reminder why flair bartending is irritating as hell. Or if we want to reinforce that Bryan Brown's career went down the shitter after F/X. Or if we want to bask in Tom Cruise in all his pre-Xenu glory.
Cocktail
April 22, 2008
If you're looking for a bartending advice and you don't have the time or inclination to like, actually read a book or something, look no further than your mp3 player. With iBar software for Mac and PC, you can transform your iPod into a mobile drink reference, complete with over 1,000 cocktail recipes plus "helpful tips, anecdotes, entertaining audio, toasts, and measurements." C'mon, you're only using the thing for music, photos, and Frisky Dingo episodes right now anyway...might as well make it useful too.
at iBar (PC & Mac)
April 16, 2008
We'd never heard of Holy Taco before we got an email with their list of 11 manly cocktails, and we can only say one thing to them - welcome to our daily diet. We've added them to our iGoogle, partially on the strength of the cocktail list, partially on the strength of their other stories, and mostly because of this interview. Well played, gentlemen. Well played.
Anyway, check out their list of drinks - we agree with most of 'em, and when you click through check out the picture of Keith Richards. Does he or does he not look just like Pumpkinhead?
at Holy Taco
March 31, 2008
Man, this book has been out for over a year, and we're just finding out about it now? That's nigh tragic, considering we take most of our advice from alcoholic cartoon dogs.
PS - did we really use the word "broads" in the title of our post?
From the mouth of the Griffin's bon vivant pooch come words of wisdom--in English mind you. More than just the family dog, Brian is the most learned and eloquent of the family, with insights as sharp as his speech is slurred, and a wit as dry as his martinis. Within this mighty tome he waxes philosophic on unrequited love, the relationship between master and dog, the adult film industry, and just how hard it is for a dog to get a bone.
Brian Griffin's Guide: to Booze, Broads, and the Lost Art of Being a Man
March 25, 2008
A while back, we told you about Boozer, an energy drink/hangover remedy hybrid that seemed like it had a pretty good chance of replacing Red Bull in our post-boozing arsenal. We've gotten our hands on some samples, and we'll get the review posted as soon as we can do some testing.
And by testing, we mean drinking a lot, abusing the interns, getting hung over, and seeing what happens when we hit the Boozer. We'll post the results as soon as we have them. Oh, the things we put ourselves through just for you, our faithful readers.
Boozer Website; our original Boozer post
March 17, 2008
A happy day to all of you drunken lads and lassies, on this, the worst drinking holiday of them all. Yes, we know we've said it before, but we can't stand this of all days, when everybody thinks they can drink like Shane MacGowan and ends up looking like...well, Shane MacGowan. If you insist on going out this McAmateur Night, we suggest you stick with the Guinness and avoid the green beer. Or, you can do what we're going to do - stay away from the crowded bars and make some green drinks of your own.
Whatever you do, just don't make the mistake we did a couple years ago and decide to go Shane on a few bottles of absinthe just because it's green. That was a lesson we learned the hard way.
March 14, 2008
Sorry for the radio silence yesterday, kids - chalk it up to wisdom teeth removal. We got a piece of news today that fills our hearts with mixed emotions - gladness because this holiday exists, sadness because we can't participate for numerous reasons...the biggest being the fact we can't eat steak unless we put it in a blender.
What the hell are we talking about, you ask? Oh - it's Steak & BJ Day - the Valentine's Day for men exactly one month after the one in February. It's not a new idea - we have friends who created a similar holiday that lands in August, six months after V-Day. Of course, the benefit of S&BJ Day is that it's today. Celebrate it, kids. Celebrate it.
Of course, none of this has anything to do with drinking, so we've done a little roundup of manly drinks you can enjoy whilst slinging your meat. First, we put together a nice little list of manly drinks last November, or if you're looking for tips with that Modern Drunkard spin, read on below.
Continue reading: "Manly Drinks for a Manly Holiday"
Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol
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