Volume 10, Issue 121 - June 19, 2006

Greetings ,

The Daily Cocktail, 365 Intoxicating Drinks and the Outrageous Events that Inspired Them is the name of the book we will be learning from this week.

First, a bit about this week's authors:

Dalyn A. Miller began his drinking in the Southwestern state of New Mexico where he was broken-in early on wine coolers, tequila and cheap Mexican beer. Once he had moved to the Northeast and regained his taste buds, he refined his drinking habits and expanded his repertoire to include cocktails from all over the world (except Norwegian Aquavit which he still can't stomach following an unsavory crab fishing trip in the North Sea in the late 80s). Like James Bond, he likes his martinis shaken and not stirred, but is the first to admit that the similarities come to a screeching halt there. His liver is alive and well and resides in Boston.

Larry Donovan drank as an amateur early in his 20s and then professionally from the moment he could get through the entire night and still remember it the next day. Though a resident of the Boston area and a lifelong New Englander, he has taken his drinking to over 20 states, Washington, D.C. and countries in North America, Europe and Africa. Like a parent with his children, he cannot choose his favorite drink - but it knows! As stated in The Daily Cocktail, he hopes to be able to manage his alcoholic intake carefully so that he may continue to drink for the rest of his life. Cheers!

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March 15:

If you are anything like us, you are good-looking, well read, and want to know what the hell an "Ides" is. We did some digging: In Roman times, the Ides were the fifteenth of March, May, July, and October. (To be more confusing, the Ides fall on the thirteenth of the other months. What the heck, Romans!?!?)

The Romans used the Ides to help tell the date: Dates were told in reference to how far they fell from the Ides. Next question - but this one you probably know the answer to - why did they become famous? It seems that a soothsayer warned Julius Caesar that something bad would befall him on the Ides of March. Here's a hint: If you live with ancient Romans, listen to a soothsayer. On this date in 44 b.c.e., Julius Caesar was assassinated. Et tu, soothsayer? The Bloody Caesar below should be drunk carefully: Keep your back to the wall, and beware if some of your "friends" come knocking.

Bloody Caesar

This is a Roman take on the Bloody Mary.

Ingredients:

celery salt
1 ounce vodka
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Tabasco sauce
6 ounces Clamato juice
salt and pepper
1 celery stalk

Preparation:

Rim a Collins glass with celery salt, fill with ice and add remaining ingredients, fill with Clamato juice. Don't forget the celery stalk!

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March 17:

Interestingly, St. Patrick's Day, the holiday considered the most Irish in America, isn't celebrated with nearly as much vim and vigor in the home country.

It seems that St. Patrick's feats, including the removal of snakes from the Emerald Isle, are only commemorated as a time for indulging in green beer, green hats, and green gills (the next day, anyhow) on this side of the Atlantic.

The Irish drink the more sophisticated Black and Tan, described below, which is a combination of two of their famous beers, on this, the anniversary of St. Patrick's death in the fifth century, and the date of the religious feast designated in his honor.

Black and Tan

Ingredients:

Guinness beer
Bass ale

Preparation:

There are different ways to serve a Black and Tan. In some cases (in the United States, for example), the beers are "Layered" on one another, with the Guinness on top. In Ireland, it is typical to pour both beers into a pint glass at the same time. It is also common to serve Harp's Lager in place of the Bass, or another light-colored beer, preferably a lager or an ale.

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March 19:

We just love the thought of this drink, let alone the actual taste of it. It just screams, "I grew up in a trailer but I still want the good things in life!"

Anyway, here's the skinny: On this date in 1931, Nevada legalized gambling. Since then, rich and poor alike have been drawn to the purported money-making meccas of Las Vegas and other Nevada towns. Most, however, leave with nothing but lint in their pockets. (Like they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas - especially when it comes to your money.)

Please, oh, please, try the Poor Man's Mimosa described below. And don't try to make it fancy-schmancy by using good beer - stick to American beer in a can and OJ from concentrate. A few of these and you'll be heading to the Elvis chapel!

Poor Man's Mimosa

Ingredients:

4 ounces beer
4 ounces orange juice

Preparation:

Pour half a can of beer into a highball glass, then add orange juice to taste. (Taste?!?)

Photo Courtesy of The Daily Cocktail - 365 Intoxicating Drinks