That bacon martini isn't kosher with me

NYC has a recreation of a Vegas dive bar Double Down Saloon, which serves a bacon-infused vodka Martini, a bacon Bloody Mary, and a secret drink called "Ass Juice." Umm, yuck?

I love whisky more than my own children

Yesterday I went to the first part of the Whiskies of the World Expo. Day one was lectures and smaller tastings by whisky writers, master distillers, and others. I attended talks by two different young master distillers who left to form their own companies, each with his own philosophy on what was missing in the industry.

The thing that makes whisky culture great isn't "ooh this is 50 years old" and how much you spend on a bottle, but geeking out on the minutiae of whisky flavor profiles and coming to understand what components you like in one versus another, mixed in with a whole lot of ancient lore and high-falutin' philosophy. Also, good whisky gives you the most mellow, even-keeled buzz so everyone you talk to is smiling and nice all the time.

Tonight I go for the big 5-hour drinking event with hundreds of whiskies on hand to sample. Remembering the state I was in for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's 2-hour event, this one should really be a doozy. If I don't write anything for a few days, assume I'm still in a blackout.

Sourpuss

I finally tried a Pisco Sour tonight. I know it's the "it" South American cocktail post-caipirhinia so I had to learn to mix one up. My web research revealed two different ways to make one. One involved egg whites (like so many classic drinks) so I decided to go with the other option. (You know, bird flu and all.)

I used this recipe instead:

Pisco Sour
3 oz Pisco
1.5 oz lemon juice
2 tblsp simple sugar
Shake with ice and serve in a cocktail glass.

It was interesting and not as sickly sweet as you might think.

Then I realized that I hadn't tasted the Pisco alone first. Pisco is, according to Wikipedia:

Pisco (from Quechua: pisqu, little bird) is a liquor distilled from grapes (a brandy) made in wine-producing regions of South America. It is the most widely consumed spirit in Peru and Chile. The iconic cocktail in these countries is the pisco sour.

You know how gin has a weird aftertaste that's not initially pleasing but makes sense once you touch it to vermouth? Pisco is kind of like that. It tastes like a too-sweet or spoiled hard wine, but makes a lot more sense with the lemon juice and sugar.

That's tonight's lesson. I'm going back to mixing it with sour.

Sake to me

I'm learning a lot about sake for a couple different story assignments. Though I'm drinking some entry level stuff tonight (at a cold temperature, of course- hot is bad so I've come to know) but I'm going to drink enough of it to test the "it doesn't have congeners so you don't get a hangover from it" theory.

Remind me to tell you in the morning how it went...

Secret Project Update

My secret drinking project has been a success, and now I get to take a break from it. My liver will be happy to get a break. Then I can get back to sampling cocktail menus about the city.

Domo Arigato, Bartender Roboto

Here is a thing I wrote in the Guardian about how much my life would be bettered if only I had a robot bartender named Milo.