6 posts tagged “whiskey”
AdFreak brought this Kettel One ad to my attention earlier this week:
Oy, where to begin.
A bunch of guys in back suits and Frech cuff shirts playing some form of cards and drinking Kettle One on the rocks? Hmmm...you know why it needs the tagline "Gentelmen, this is vodka"? Beceause "real men" don't know what vodka is.
Real men drink one of three things: whiskey (preferably scotch or bourbon), gin or beer. The only time it is acceptable for a "real man" to drink vodka is for breakfast. And that is really out of necessity (nothing else goes with OJ, grapefruit juice or tomato juice).
There is one other acception: authentically distilled Polish or Russian potato vodka's are OK every once and a while.
But if you are drinking vodka on the rocks you better be having a really bad day and find yourself with nothing else in the liquor cabnet or be on Atkins. Wait, strike that last one, if you're on Atkins you are NOT a real man.
Vodka on the rocks?? You might as well be drinking rubbing alcohol.
I'm thinking that I need to lose a little weight. Not a lot, just like 5 to 10 pounds. Since going to the beach in South Africa I realized that my normal Winter pudge was a not so little this year.
I partly blame MLTU for not finishing her dinner most nights and leaving half a plate of food that I feel compelled to eat. Then there is the fact that I moved offices last year and now I only have to walk 100 feet for most meetings (instead of across the hall).
Since I already eat nothing but yogurt and coffee for breakfast and a salad with some grilled chicken for lunch (yes, that is breakfast and lunch almost every day). I have to look for other ways to attack this problem. So I've Identified three S's that I now must cut back on or avoid outright:
- Seconds
- Snacks
- Scotch
Forgive me if this shift in my internal body chemistry leads to more snarky posts. Also, please forgive the literal navel gazing of this post.
Whisky Tourism On The Rise In Scotland
It seems I am not the only one with this idea. Turns out a lot of people are now flocking to Scotland to check out the distilleries (including Sandor who's going this summer).
Those of us who can't make it that soon will have to gaze longingly at this excellent map and plan for the future. Not that I should complain. I did just get back from South Africa.
Thanks to A Mistake for emailing me this link.
About a year ago Eric (AKA "The Architect") introduced me to a rye whiskey distilled in the Catskills. Tuthilltown is located in Gardiner (just outside of New Paltz) and they make this excellent Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey:
Yesterday, after hearing no news about the pitch, and after enduring another day of inquiries from coworkers (I resorted to putting a sign on my office door that said "No news yet") I decided to pick up a bottle, enjoy a drink and try to relax.
I had never had rye before last year. Unlike its cousins, scotch and bourbon it has no peat and no sweet. It has a sharp taste, but this one is also smooth and has floral hints (which I really like). It was great with a little bit of water, but unfortunately I didn't have vermouth so I couldn't have a Manhattan (side note: apparently a "real" Manhattan is made with rye and not bourbon).
If you like whiskey and live in New York I highly recommend this. It's hand made in small batches and hand labeled (and numbered). For me it's an all local drink and I love that the bottle another example of good design. The only problem is that at $40 for a 375 ml bottle it's a little pricey. By no means is that extravagant, but it is just a little too much to be a "go-to" whiskey.
This post lead to a discussion about single malts with Alex Victory. This conversation lead to me doing a ton on searches which lead to looking at photos of Scotland on Wikipedia and a few other sites.
All this lead me to add a goal to "the list": spend a month (or more) in Scotland traveling the countryside, hitting as many small towns (and as many distilleries) as I can, ending in Edinburgh for The Festival.
Sounds like a good way to spend a summer. Who's in?
UPDATE: Em's on-board and thinks we should do this for my 40th birthday. I like that idea, but I feel like someone else had it first.
"Who drinks Canadian Club?""It's a Mad Men thing, I think." The blended whisky had been moving back up the ranks of acceptable drinks ever since Don Draper, the last style icon we'd had in a while, had sipped a few in an early episode. Or at least I thought that's what he did. It'd been a while since I'd watched Don boss his secretary around.
I'm going to have to go back and check the tape (or Hulu as it were), but I am fairly sure that Draper is drinking Jack Daniels. And while I don't really approve of that either, I'll take a faux-bourbon (look it up, JD is not technically bourbon) over a blend from America's Fifty-First Fifty-Second State (forgot Puerto Rico).
No doubt that 1960 was a different time. We all did things back then that we now regret. But why impune the character of the greatest living fictional Creative Director by using him as an excuse to drink a blend. Dude, if you want to go with the CC, go with the CC. Afterall, my Dad drinks it.Plus it comes in that nice velvet bag so you have someplace to put your pride when you are done drinking (there I said it).
Granted I have not consumed a 30-year Canadian Club, but just because its old, does not make it good. Wait, I forgot that cougars are all the rage now.
