For Reference

This goes out to a friend of mine...

Between the Holidaze Update

So, first--and I think coolest--I found a way to embed songs!  For instance, one of my favorites, to listen to as you read:

Finally, my website, set to music...

Over at Wired, the 7 Best Capers of 2008, aka crime with an imagination.  I'm not excusing criminal activity by any stretch of the imagination, but some of these stories are brilliant.  Take comfort in the fact that the overwhelming majority of criminals are complete dumbasses.

A little punch follow-up: David Wondrich's Rum Punch was a complete hit.  In truth, I did throw some berries and pineapple in as a garnish, but other than that, the recipe stood as is.  

Next up, Eve, an apple-infused vermouth.  In general, I'm scrupulously against any infusion, but somehow, this one works.

Twas the Morning Before Christmas...

So, I'm not asking for sympathy here, but I was born--and did most of my growing up--without the benefit of television.  It was my parents spin on the Volstead Act, and about as effective ultimately.  All of this is to say that while I haven't seen all Seven of the Worst TV Christmas Specials, the Star Wars one is extra-special, which is--of course--why George Lucas denies its existence to this day.

In other news, punch is the drink of the year, apparently.  Recent articles in Saveur, New York Magazine, and the New York Times all offer great recipes--new and old--as well as a look at the history and current state of punches.   So, here's my take: make one!  They're a lot easier than they seem, and it's a great way to catch drinks when you're having a bunch of people over.  I've already made Tom & Jerrys (seriously though, omit the brandy if you want to drink more than one!) for a holiday party, and I think David Wondrich's Rum Punch might be my Christmas Day treat.  

Finally two quick ones:

The 20 Most Ridiculous Batman Comics Ever Released,

and...

good news for anyone born below the Mason-Dixon line...

Mom Told Me to Always Wear a Hat...and Bourdain

And, apparently, Mom (and every other adult that ever crossed my path as a child) was wrong! Hats don't mean shit in the winter...

Over at Serious Eats, there's the first of several mini-discussions between Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain.  First up: fatherhood.  I'd embed the video, but well, their program sucks and won't let me.  So, go see 'em.  It is one of my favorite sites.

On the subject of Bourdain, new episodes of No Reservations start Monday, January 5th @ 10PM!  This season: Mexico, Venice, D.C., Azores, Chicago, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.  As much as I love the far away places, Chicago and D.C. should be great.

Lastly, a piece by Bourdain over at World Hum on the intersections of music and travel.  Awesome site, by the way.  So saith the title, "Travel Dispatches from a Shrinking Planet." 

Just Another (Fill in the Blank) Monday

So, the Steelers are playing like a team on a mission (I refuse to use that "d-word").  And I'd refer any doubters to "Against the Grain's" explanation as to why it was--indeed--a touchdown:

Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes' game-winning catch against the Ravens was a touchdown. The most forward progress of the ball was in the Baltimore end zone. If that happened in the second quarter, no one would have questioned officials for overturning the call. People are just up in arms because it came so late in the game. The officials should be lauded for not being too scared to make a decisive ruling just because the clock was winding down.

In other news, well, all I'm saying is...reflexes like a cat:

Is it just me, or did this not seem to bother security much?  I mean, nobody was exactly diving in front of Bush, taking a shoe to the chest...

Finally, say what you want, but this looks pretty freakin' cool:

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD


P.S. Bullets suck and there's something awry with my font color...screw it.

Oh Good Evening, Mr. Duck (for my daughter)

Macho Duck - Mickey Mouse

Mini-Update

• I have a deep affection for the TSA and airport security in general. Imagine my joy in perusing, "The 7 Dumbest Things Ever Done by Airport Security." How they limited the list to only seven, I'll never know.
  
• In other news, Bourdain is back posting...this time, Christmas in Saigon, and (shudder) 100% less pig...
• And this is why nobody takes animal rights activists seriously.  Even dead ones.  (Thanks for the heads up, Carol!)

I Expected More

I like David Wondrich and I like rum.  Thus, when he offered a look at, "Three Serious Rums..." in the most recent issue of Esquire, I was particularly interested.  Then, I read the article.  The wheels start coming off almost immediately:

• "Rum has become a fundamentally unserious beverage."  Umm...David?  We're not talking vodka here.  We're talking rum, a cornerstone of American history, produced all around the world, with arguably more breadth of flavors and sense of terroir than any other spirit.
• "...a little goes a long way when it's naked in a glass."  This is David maintaining that molasses--the building block of most rum--is hard to work with and prone to excessive funk.  By the same token, there are plenty of single malts and bourbons that in the name of "cask strength" are more suited for running my car on than drinking.  Oh, and when is the last time anyone drank gin, "naked in a glass,"?  
• "Spirits interact with oak more violently under a Carib-bean sun than they do in, say, Scotland, which means that there's a good chance they'll get bitter before they get mellowed by age."  Sure, so rum ages quicker in barrels than scotch?  Okay, it can go awry, but doesn't that also mean that a 10yr old bottle of rum is--relatively--a lot older than a 10yr old bottle of scotch, in terms of evaporation, concentration, etc.?  And I rarely see an aged bottle of rum that's more expensive than a bottle of scotch aged for the same amount of time...
  
• I'm skipping the, "end up drowned in Coke," point, as the list of spirits abused by soft drinks is long, long, long...Wondrich's upshot: "few rums aspire to greatness, and fewer still reach it."  We can't all be Jose Cuervo, David...I mean, seriously, there are plenty of tequilas that don't aspire to greatness, as there are gins, whiskies, vodka as an entire category, etc., etc...That said, dollar for dollar, rums have impressed me more than any other spirit category, and I'm not alone in that assessment.
• Finally, Wondrich offers up three suggestions for rums that, I guess, aspire to greatness: Clement Cuvee Homere, Angostura 1824, and English Harbour 10-year-old Reserve, $90, $55, and $199/bottle, respectively.  A rhum agricole from a producer who produces a lower alcohol version of their spirit for the States, a rum from Angostura that pretty much everyone agrees isn't twice as good as its little brother, Angostura 1919 (which is half the price of the 1824), and a limited release, special bottling (thus the inflated price.)

Wondrich, I expected more...

My 100th Post

That's a little weird to write.  Maybe this blog thing is going to stick.  Thanks to everyone for tuning in and please keep passing it along to friends.  All right, enough of the mushy stuff.  First up:

• Today is the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, a dark time in American history that I'm not sorry to have missed.  That said, while history tends to focus on Prohibition as the birth of modern organized crime, Camper over at Alcademics provides a great look at some of Prohibition's positive contributions.  The point about setting the stage for the tiki movement via the re-introduction of rum is--obviously--my favorite!
• Ben Sandrof over at Drink makes great cocktails.  Even with that in mind, though, his 1919 was a revelation.  Make time; go see the man.  Oh and if you want to try it at home:

      3/4oz. Rittenhouse Rye

3/4oz. Old Monk Rum (Ben made mine with Pampero Anniversario)

 1oz. Punt e Mes

1/2oz. Benedictine

1 dash Bitterman's Xocolatl Mole Bitters (or Fee's Whiskey Aged)

- stir with ice and strain.

• A uber-geeky article in the NYTimes about bartending philosophies.
• And let's close things out with my new favorite cover all time: the Foo Fighters and Carly Simon's, "You're So Vain."
  

Mid-Week Stuff

• Top 10 Food Trends for 2009 is an intelligent discussion of where the world of food is going in the coming year.  In particular, I heartily agree with #s 1 ("Value" is the new "Sustainable), 8 (Portland (Maine) is the new Portland (Oregon)), and 9 (Rustic Food is the new Molecular Gastronomy).
  
• A slightly less serious--yet equally enlightening--view comes from The Feedbag.  In particular, I like: "The Farm-to-Table will be replaced by the Sysco-to-Table model, once everyone figures out that diners have no way of knowing where their string beans are coming from."  Truer words are rarely spoken.
• I love the Italians and I love Campari.  I also love how they choose to promote Campari.
• Things I like to remind people from New England: QB Ben Roethlisberger has 48 career victories as a starter, tying Dan Marino, Otto Graham and Tom Brady for the most by a starting quarterback in his first five seasons—and he has four games left.  (via Yahoo Sports)

mApple mOnday

• It's gratifying to see that in 20 seasons, The Simpsons hasn't lost it's cultural relevancy or the ability to skewer said culture:
  
  Now, the only question: how long will Fox let this clip stay up? Screw it, went with Hulu. It's the whole episode, but the best part is the first 3 minutes.
  
• Let's talk football for a second: for anyone who didn't get the effing memo, the Pittsburgh Steelers deserve a little more respect than they've been afforded to date this season.  Just ask Matt Cassel.
• On a related note, on behalf of all Steeler fans everywhere, I'd like to take a moment to thank Bill Cowher for letting Plaxico Burress go when he did.  Hey Plaxico, here's an idea: if you're going to walk around with a gun, first, get it licensed, and second buy a holster.  Alternatively, if you've going to tuck it in your waistband, please tuck it directly above your testicles.   Then, when you drop it and accidentally shoot yourself, at least we'll be sure you won't reproduce.
• Ehh...that's enough for today...