After Her Meds Kicked In, originally uploaded by Valerie Morrison.

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Valerie was able to enjoy a wonderful afternoon with the kids after her meds kicked in. Double Stuf Oreos are on the way!

Now THAT'S a big bird!

At around noontime today, I popped over to the local grocery store to buy some eggs, thinking that it would be a total nightmare to do so, but I really need them for my Thanksgiving assignments. Well I waltzed right in and out with no fuss or muss, but the traffic was really backed up on the main road. Was Raytheon letting their employees out early? No. Was there a major accident? No. Were the cast members of Twilight visiting the CVS? Nope. The traffic in and out of the liquor store was jamming up traffic in all directions. All of this family together time really inspires Americans to stock up on the booze. Whatever it takes to get through the weekend, people. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

In Heaven there is no beer
That’s why we drink it here
And when we’re all gone from here
Our friends will be drinking all the beer.
- “In Heaven There Is No Beer”, Ernst Neubach and Ralph Maria Siegel (translated from the original German)

FRANKIE YANKOVIC and his Polka Kings once had a hit with the song, In Heaven There is No Beer, but he might have changed his tune had he known about the new microbrew on the market in Oita.

Showa-en, a Beppu, Oita-based company that operates ryokan (Japanese inns), is also involved in microbrewing. They’ve announced the sale of two new beers made with brown rice using a manufacturing method that attempts to utilize the yeast bouquet to the fullest extent possible. The method involves putting the yeast into a state of suspended animation through a three-step, low-temperature pasteurization process for which the brewer has received a patent. Company President Mochinaga (given name not confirmable) says, “Nowadays, everybody’s talking about costs, costs, and that’s why I wanted to make something authentic. I want to take this product nationwide.”

This is actually only one new beer brand with two varieties. The brand name is Namban Okoku Mugishu, which translates to “Barbarian Kingdom Beer”. In this case, however, namban means Christian—namban bungaku, or barbarian literature, was the term used for Christian literature centuries ago. The Christian appellation fits, as we’ll see in a second, but it’s not because Belgian monks are involved. Mugishu is what the Japanese used to call beer. The same Chinese characters for that word were used to create the Korean term mekju when the Japanese introduced Koreans to the delights of the beverage early last century. The word mugishu means “barley alcoholic beverage”, and yes, that is an odd name for a beer made with brown rice.

The first variety of the Namban Okoku Mugishi is named Don Otomo Sorin after a 16th Christian warlord who was the daimyo of the Bungo domain in what is now Oita. His original name was Otomo Yoshishige. Sorin was the name he took in 1562 when he became a Buddhist monk, which was after he met the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier in 1551 and before he converted to Christianity in 1578.

During his days as daimyo, Sorin controlled most of Kyushu and was referred to as the King of Bungo in Jesuit records. His wife rather disliked Christianity, and they divorced. She is known in the same Jesuit records as Jezebel, which will come as no surprise. To grab this post by the collar and get it back on track, platinum powder is added to the beer during the finishing process. It sells for JPY 670 (about $US 7.55) for a 330-milliliter bottle (0.7 pint) and JPY 870 for a 500-milliliter bottle.

The second variety is a dark beer named Don Xavier—after Francis, of course—to which gold powder is added during the finishing process. The two sizes cost JPY 650 and JPY 860 respectively.

President Mochinaga said he devised the suspended animation yeast method five years ago after taking over the operation of the Yamaga Kirara microbrewery, which, by the way, is a public-private sector partnership. In Japan, these are called third sector companies, and they were quite the rage among local governments for a time. Nationwide, roughly 70% of the third sector companies are in the red, which will also come as no surprise, but there I go digressing again.

Most beers are pasteurized at a temperature of 60º C (140º F) for 20 minutes, but that kills the yeast. If the yeast is kept alive, however, its aroma constantly changes, and it’s difficult to maintain that for long periods of time. Mr. Mochinaga’s idea was to divide the pasteurization into three periods: two minutes at 55º C, one minute at 40º C, and two minutes at 40º C again. When the beer is shipped, the yeast is in a state of suspended animation, but after it is opened and drunk, it is resurrected, as Francis Xavier might say, inside the consumer’s body. The brewer claims this provides the drinker with amino acids. How many other beverages do you know of that build you up and tear you down at the same time?

Brewmaster Fukuda Rikiya thinks this is the first time anyone anywhere has tried to brew a beer using this method, and I’m inclined to believe him. He added there were many failures before they got the production line operating the way they wanted. Said President Mochinaga, “There are countless microbrews around the world, but few are commercially successful. I didn’t want to imitate the big brewers. I thought it was essential to create a new method of brewing from scratch,” and you can say that again. He is willing to talk about technology-sharing deals if other companies in Oita want to make a similar beer.

Namban Okoku Mugishu is sold at department stores, ryokan, and the prefecture’s airport. In combination with its other four brands—I don’t want to know—the company expects to produce 300,000 bottles a year.

Now tell the truth: Did you ever expect to read some of these words, expressions, and concepts in the same place at the same time?

So, who’s up for a beer run to Oita?

Afterwords: I dare you to click on that link to the song title!

Great news for wine lovers in (or visiting) Vancouver!  Vancouver City Council has revised the new proposed bylaw to state that establishments under a restaurant license must offer their full menu while alcohol is being served.  This is a much more lenient limit to the original 50/50 ratio that was proposed.

Here are links to articles posted by the Vancouver Sun and News 1130 for more information.

See my original post here.

Thank you, hair, for behaving today, which happens to be my birthday.* You are now forgiven for the other 364 days of the year.**

The league is full of Ovechkins, Khabibulins, Rafalskis, and Frolovs, and I get Johnson and Brown

On Saturday, the beau drove me to Los Angeles to see the Kings play the Calgary Flames. He surprised me with seats directly behind the Kings bench. We couldn’t really see either end of the ice, but I got a front-row view of what NHL players do when they’re not on the ice, which apparently involves chewing on their mouth guards and staring into the middle distance. The Kings ended up losing 5-2, but it didn’t matter, because OMG. Erik Ersberg looked at me! And Drew Doughty did, too. I was glanced at by professional hockey players FOR MY BIRTHDAY.***

After the game was over, we walked around downtown L.A. for a while, gawking. We ended up at Cole’s, where we sat at the bar and were each served a delicious Ginger Rogers. This got us talking about signature wedding drinks, and whether we should have them.****

One of our criteria for selecting a venue was that they permit liquor on the premises, so we’ve got that straightened out. Now we just need to figure out the drinks. Will we have a full bar, or a couple of select mixed drink options?

The beau is interested in liquor infusions, and I support this wholeheartedly, especially if my contribution involves sitting on the couch while the beau brings me delicious, delicious samples. He’s already done bacon-infused vodka (so good in bloody marys), so he’s looking for something new. Something like… ginger-infused gin? Ohhh, I would be happy if the Ginger Rogers was one of our signatures. We have some friends that aren’t into gin, it’s true. But if we had a basic bar to go along with it (whiskey and coke, vodka and tonic), no one would miss anything, right? Right?

Can we have signature drinks and a bar? Can we have both? Is this too much booze? Is that a dumb question? Are you having signature drinks? Is it to save money, or are you just interested in maintaining a unified theme?

* I secretly love the fact that my birthday falls on the same day as the fictitious, ill-timed wedding of Roger Sterling’s daughter Margaret on the show Mad Men. Yes, I am one of those crazy Mad Men people. Please carry on about your business.

** No, you’re not.

*** Have I mentioned the beau is awesome? For he is awesome.

**** I love how anything and everything in regular life gets turned into wedding fodder, these days.

You know, friends — sometimes we just need a little “jump-start,” if you will, to enhance our lives by adopting healthy habits.  Take drinking, for example; you’d think it would come naturally to everyone, yet there are still some folks who don’t know how to do it.  They’d like to tie one on big-time, but they’re ashamed to ask for help.  Well, there’s a proven system that will get you boozin’ in no time flat.  Recommended for people all of all ages — from infants to the super-geriatric — “START DRINKIN’ NOW” can help YOU learn how to imbibe.  I know what you’re asking — will it work for me?  YES!  This fool-proof approach, developed by a world-famous M.D. in Ireland, has helped MILLIONS of alcohol-deprived people –  including countless Mormons and Moslems — to discover the wonderful world of drinking.  ISN’T IT TIME YOU JOINED THEM?

http://www.keef.org/drink/getdrunk/drink1.html

In Tiziano Scarpa’s lovely little paean to Venice (Venice is a Fish), he makes the point that the true flavour of his city is not sweetness. To taste its full character, the visitor should repair herself to a bácaro, a kind of inn. There are fewer and fewer of these remaining these days, so go and grab and table while you can.

The windows of the bácari offer you halved boiled eggs, rolled anchovies, crabs’ claws, olives all’Ascolana, rice arancini, polpettini, stewed saltimbocca, nervetti (pork or beef tendon), fried sardines, masanete (small crabs), folpi (small octopus), creamed cod, onions, coppa di toro (bull salami), wild boar ham, squares of mortadella, cubes of dressed mozzarella, parallelepipeds of gorgonzola. These are all, of course, washed down with an ombra, a glass of wine that was once tapped straight from the barrel behind the bar.

It isn’t clear where the ‘technical term’ ombra (shadow) comes from: and that’s as it should be, even its etymology should remain in darkness. At the most banal level, ombra might designate the misty translucency of the wine. But it’s more likely that it refers to the open-air wine stalls in the summer, in the shade of the campanili, where people sheltered from the heat by drinking a glass of chilled wine. ‘Andiamo a prendere un’ombra – Let’s go and take the shade,’ was a kind of wink, implying: ‘Let’s go where the drinking’s done.’

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like sweets.  That is kind of a given.  But over the years I have noticed that my love of extremely sweet things has started to shift.  Things that used to satisfy my sweet tooth now just make it hurt, literally.  Maybe my palette is growing up.

That is how I felt after trying the Burnt Sugar Cake from Nancie McDermott’s Southern Cakes, this month’s Cake Slice Bakers selection.

I like the concept of burning sugar to create uniform flavor throughout the cake.  It was mesmerizing to watch the pile of sugar turn into a rich amber syrup.  Once cooled, the syrup is added both to the cake and the frosting, infusing a richer caramel-y flavor in every bite.

My cake turned out a little on the dry side.  It didn’t bake in the specified 20-25 minutes that the recipe stated, so I left them in a little longer, which probably contributed to their dryness.

For me, I got more burnt sugar taste from the frosting than the cake itself.  But, as with any frostings made with confectioners’ sugar, it was tooth-achingly sweet.  Yet I almost wanted just a little more frosting, just to get more of the burnt sugar flavor.

The one other thing that bothered me about this cake (and this is just being vain) is that my layer of frosting disappeared once I cut into it.  I can never seem to get that thick beautiful frosting layer in my cakes.  I’m guessing the dryness played a contributing factor.   I guess I’ll just have to keep at it.  But not with this cake.  I don’t think my dentist would be too happy with that.

If you have time, wander over to The Cake Slice Bakers and check out everyone else’s creations.  And here is a printable link to the recipe.

During a recent business trip to Germany a group of my counterparts that work all over Europe were able to head out to the quaint village of Reichenbach to visit a well-known schnapps distillery to get liquored up and eat some tasty German food also known as schnitzel. The distillery is called Brennerei Mischler & Raudonat which can be found here.

What is Wodka and is it even safe for human consumption?

When I walked in I was surprised at how many different kinds of liquors they had for sale. I was expecting to find a very extensive distillery in the basement somewhere, but this was actually all they needed to get the job done, and I mean they made every kind of schnapps you could think of such as jalapeño schnapps, so this must be one impressive machine!

The food was extremely good as well. Stop by if you are ever in the Rheinland-Pfalz area! And like that, I am off to Thailand for 2 weeks in about 1 hour!

There are multiple ways to destroy your liver. There’s Tylenol, liver punches and stabbings, to name a few. The primary focus of this blog has been, and will remain to be, beer, but not everybody is a fan of consuming massive quantities of carbs in order to get their alcohol fixins. They call it a beer belly for a reason, and while the portlier among us tend to be jovial and funny,Carlos Mencia is still a dick.

Not funny.

So, I’ve decided to expand my horizons a bit and branch out to liquor on occasion. Now, my spirit of choice is whisk(e)y, particularly bourbon, neat. But, studly as that is, it’s not very interesting. So I’ve decided to go with one of my favorite drinks: the rusty nail.

Now, the rusty nail is somewhat special to me. Whenever I go back home to Cincinnati, my dad will make rusty nails and we’ll watch old film noir. So, in the stress of exam week, I got the hankering for a rusty nail and went questing for a bar that could make me one.

The rusty nail, with it's signature liqueur, Drambuie.

You’d think with the proliferation of bars in Athens that it would be no problem to sidle up to a bar and get a drink. But not every bar is equipped to make a rusty nail, and that’s because of it’s ingredients: Scotch whisky and Drambuie.

The rusty nail is a quintessentially Scottish cocktail (yes, the Brownfields have a little Scottish in them, via Clan MacDonald). It’s made with 1.5 oz Scotch whisky and .5 oz Drambuie, a honey- and herb- flavored golden Scotch whisky liqueur. The problem with finding it in Athens bars is that a great majority of them don’t stock Drambuie. So I went questing on Wednesday night, looking for a bar that had “the drink that satisfies.”

View Larger Map

Well, so far as my decidedly unscientific search could determine (I pretty much stopped searching once I found it), the only two bars you can get a rusty nail in are Casa Nueva  and Tony’s Tavern (Casa had a cover that night). Ironically, they’re across the street from each other.

Casa by default makes theirs with Dewars Scotch for $5.50, or you can get Johnnie Walker Red for $7. The dude at Tony’s was kind of a dick; aloof, dismissive, and he had to ask one of the patrons how to make a rusty nail, and on top of that he charged $5.75 for the drink, so I didn’t bother finding out which kind of whisky he used. But, I’d grudgingly admit that the Tony’s one did taste a bit better.

A rusty nail is actually pretty sweet, despite being made with the smokey, earthy Scotch. You can taste the smokiness of the Scotch, but it is cut by the honey sweetness of the Drambuie. It’s a potent drink, as both Drambuie and Dewars are 80 proof.

What are your favorite mixed drinks, and where do you go to get them?

Don’t forget to vote for a name for my beer! The winner gets a free six-pack.

Here is my guide to Glassboro and Beyond. This is a great map to get aquatinted with some places that college students would find interesting. Definitely a must see for any new Rowan Student.

View Larger Map

Bringing back the Pillbox cap in 2009, New Era Japan welcome a new addition to its roster with a special collaboration piece alongside fellow Japanese company Liquor, woman&tears, one of the markets top retailers. The cap features a two-tone colorway with an “L” insignia and Navy Blue piping/bill amongst a White base. Available now through New Era Japan.

Thanks New Era Japan for finally releasing a style such as the old school Pittsburgh Pirates Pillbox Hat!!!! Thanks for opening the doors for us to actually shit on this simplistic design and color way….Game On as we would say!

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to ’schedule.’
9.Consuming Liquor.

Please click the photos for aditional information and higher resolution images.

Note: For more information about Madeira Island please check my first post about Madeira: HERE

The Dieline.com blog has recently posted its 50 favourite liquor packaging designs. Ranging from special editions of our favourite brands to unique and interesting packaging for niche producers this collection showcases some of the latest and provocative designs.

View the entire showcase over at The Dieline

On Dec 4th, Dry Fly Distilling will be releasing their second release of washington wheat whiskey. Bellingham’s location to pick up a bottle is the new holiday location at Bellis Fair Mall. Store opens at 10:00am. See dryflydistilling/blog for more locations.

I have never delved into the cooking side of booze, though I pride myself at being pretty good in “la cocina” (Kitchen).  But this recipe I cannot resist posting because it is simple, quick, and well DAMN tasty.  It’s a great little snack to serve at any upcoming festivity.

Bourbon Chile Pecans

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups pecan halves

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon Table salt ( yes, table salt.  Don’t be a hater!)

1 teaspoon New Mexico red chile powder or cayenne

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon Bourbon

Here’s what you do:  Heat the oil in a 10″ (or so) skillet.  Add the pecans and fold with heat-resistant spatula to coat, and toast for about 3-5 minutes.  Add the sugar and fold again coating all the pecans.  Let the sugar carmalize (liquify that is) then CAREFULLY add the bourbon and stir.  The pecans will take on a shiny luster.  Turn off the heat. and then pour pecans into an oversized metal or Pyrex mixing bowl.  Add salt, pepper and cinnamon and toss or stir until all the seasoning “gone”.  Let cool to room temp. Store Airtight at room temp for up to a month or freeze for 3 months.

These are great little munchies to put on your bar or have around at your next party. 

They’ll even impress your Mother-In-Law!!!

Happy Holidays!

Check out some of the latest Waiguoren’s Weblog discoveries. All listed websites are FREE (or come with a decent free account option). No trials or buy-to-use craplets. For more cool websites and web app reviews subscribe to Waiguoren’s Weblog Directory.

Geumbokju
Company, Beopju geumbokju and product information, geumbok Cultural Foundation, more jobs.
 http://www.kumbokju.co.kr/
 
 
  President Casting
Manufacturing specialist liquor, soju are cool, mainstream dictionaries, such as alcoholic provide self-diagnostics. 
http://www.c1soju.co.kr/

 Source:dcsportbikes.com

  Place barley midrib
Shenyang, Suzhou manufacturer brand, product, barley, efficacy and dietary usages, cultivation practices, such as providing information. 
http://www.borisojumac.co.kr/
 
 
  Bombom
President Casting Suzhou brand, product, events, photos, videos and more. 
http://www.bombomsoju.co.kr/
 
 
  Shenyang
Shochu, a professional manufacturer, maleulrin, saechan, including hwimori Products Export mainstream information. 
http://www.koreasoju.co.kr/
 
 

  Sseonpeuraja
Information professional site liquor, sake, Japanese sake, Traditionalism, Japanese shochu manufacturing method for providing such information. 
http://www.sunplaza21.com/
 
 
  Andong Soju excellent
Suzhou manufacturing specialist, and product information are Andong soju. 
http://www.ilpoomsoju.com/

Ohturin
Shenyang, Suzhou brand, product, events, photos, videos and more. 
http://www.3021.co.kr/

Ipsaeju
Suzhou site ipsaeju bohaeyangjo Millennium leaf, maple sap, maple syrup, providing news events.
http://www.yipsejoo.co.kr/
 
 
  Good Day
Jiri natural ambansu, Suzhou introduced, advertising and event information, alcohol and health information. 
http://www.joeunday.co.kr/
 
 
  The two careers
Suzhou career brand, product, Wallpaper, events, videos and more.
Popularity http://www.jinroj.com/
 

Chamsoju
About chamsoju geumbokju site, Traditionalism, Andong Soju race Beopju Production Guide, available gallery. 
http://www.charmsoju.com/
 

  Chamisul fresh
Chamisul fresh career site, career Suzhou, Chamisul About Fresh, advertising and event information. 
http://www.chamisulfresh.com/
 
 
  Cool, like the first time
Cool site, like the first shochu liquor BG Lotte brand introduction, CF, advertising and event information. 
http://www.coolsoju.co.kr/
 

  Chungbuk Suzhou
Professional manufacturer of liquor, soju brands are cool, Chungbuk, sulyiyagi information, providing community. 
http://www.cbsoju.com/
 
  

Hite Soju
Iksan, Jeollabuk madong location, Hite casting, treasure, huiseoksik, such as Suzhou jeungryusik product. 
http://www.hitesoju.com/
 
  

Halla Suzhou
Liquor manufacturers, products, wine origin, class, knowledge, and shochu are fair, the press release more. 
http://www.hallasan.co.kr/

• Artisan Craft Distilling Workshops begin December 4th.
• There are only a few spot left.  Reserve yours today! 509.793.2374 or cbisinfo@bigbend.edu
• Moses Lake, WA
• Also available online!
• Brandy, Whiskey, Vodka, Gin… learn all about the business right here!
• Visit our website www.artisancraftdistilling.spruz.com

About this time last year, I devised a drink I called Manhattan in Autumn.  This cocktail is a variation on the traditional Manhattan with added autumn flavors.  I got a little publicity on this little tipple (thank you Chilled Magazine), and as its ‘Birthday” approaches I wanted to share the recipe.

Manhattan In Autumn

2 1/2 oz Knob Creek Bourbon

3/4 oz Nolly Pratt Sweet Vermouth

Candied Orange Peel

Stir with Ice and serve up into a Autumn Tincture coated cocktail glass.

Autumn Tincture:  in a small (4-5 oz) jar, combine 3 cinnamon sticks, 1 T nutmeg, 3/4 T Cloves and  seven drops of pure Vanilla.  Fill Jar with Booker’s Bourbon.  Shake jar once a day for minimum of 2 weeks.  Strain through coffee filter or cheese cloth into an atomizer or mist bottle.

Candied Orange Peel: With a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from and orange, then with a sharp knife slice the peels into 1/2 inch wide strips.  Place strips into a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil  then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until peels become translucent.  Remove from heat and strain.  Cover again with 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil then add 1 cup of sugar.  Once sugar is dissolved, lower the heat and simmer until liquid reduces by half (20-30 minutes).  Carefully strain off syrup and reserve.  Place warm orange peels into a bowl and toss with 1/4 cup (give or take) of sugar and completely coat the outside.  Place peels on a sheet pan to cool until hardened (3-4 hours).  Store in an airtight container.  These will keep for 6 weeks!!

Oh yeah, the orange syrup can be used in place of Curacao or simple syrup.  Possibilities are endless.

¡Salud!

Year: 1938
Season: Fall

I’m alone at the bar, drinking scotch — jazz is quiet in the background.

You walk in, looking ravishing.

I tip my hat to you from across the bar.

You walk over, I buy you a drink and tip the barkeep double.

Talk is light, you lean in. I whisper in your ear.

We leave together.

[end scene]

Outside is cold, we walk slow.

We never make it past the car.

I push you against the cold metal of the door frame. We kiss deeply.

Your lift your leg to engulf my body. The fire has been lit.

Lights in the distance. Cops. You blush. I tip my hat.

Officer nods knowingly. I smile. We laugh.

The lake is nearby. We walk towards it arm in arm.

[end scene]

We make our way through the woods.

A bear appears. It eats us.

[end scene]