Bringing the bar home

~ns

To set the stage, fairly drunk (preemptive apologies for the upcoming ramble) and listening to Caramelldansen through some 1980's Mordaunt-Short passive speakers that I picked up off the sidewalk in my neighborhood. I bought an amp just to use these. The things I pick up off the sidewalk are worth their own story. The volume is cranked pretty high; the downstairs neighbors aren't home. I'm also 5 drinks in after about 3 hours, and keeping the buzz by starting on my sixth. Anyway----

Last month my girlfriend and I finally moved in together. She's a bartender-turned-engineer, so my access to liquors has dramatically increased. I count 16 different bottles of liquors and liqueurs on our countertop above the washer and dryer. The amount of variety in flavor is astonishing! When I was a kid, my brother and I would make "potions" out of random spices, condiments, and other fluids found in our pantry. Cocktails are potion-making for adults.

First conclusion: why is vodka so popular? There's almost no situation in which I'd prefer vodka to a neutral gin. Even a gin with some boosted florals like Bombay Sapphire is so much more interesting, especially in a Honey Bee or a Bee's Knee's. In my experience, even good vodka is just...vodka. I write this while drinking a lemon drop, just fyi. The good part of the lemon drop is not the vodka.

Secondly, absinthe. Its reputation precedes it, and for good reason. I had a bit of St. George neat and was tasting it in my mouth for over an hours afterwards. I don't even like black licorice but I'm already thinking I might be a convert. Tongue-numbingly wonderful. Even when mixed in a Corpse Reviver #2, or a Death in the Afternoon (popularized by Hemingway. "What is it with writers and alcohol?" I ask, while scribbling down some intoxicated thoughts at the Midnight), absinthe is probably my absolutely favorite liqour. If you haven't had absinthe before, I do strongly recommend going out of your way to get some.

Third: why the hell are martinis so popular? Like, sure, I enjoy gin neat, but a martini is an excuse to simply drink straight gin without actually saying it out loud. I had a few sips and the girlfriend agreed to turn it into a gin sling. That was good.

Fourth, an amaretto sour is probably the best cocktail I've ever had. That is all.

I've got rock climbing early tomorrow morning. Cheers to not having a hangover!