Makers Mark Ambassador

It was that time of year again.  Time for my annual present from Markers Mark.  For about the last 6 X-masses they have sent me gifts, ranging from swizzle sticks, wrapping paper to a stick of wax and with a Makers Mark stamp to seal my documents.  There was a time when makers was my bourbon of choice.  I even have my name inscribed on a barrel somewhere in their distillery I believe it reads "Sweeney the Great"

This year they sent my a Maker's Mark Ice tray that makes giant spheres of ice.  Back in the day i used to drink my bourbon on the rocks or mixed with water.  But the only reason I do such things is too make my drink last longer at the bar.  I no way to I advocate such actions if your goal is inebriation.  One of the best gifts I received this X-mas was a 1.75 Bottle of Maker's my sister gave me and since they sent me the gift I thought I might as well give it a try at least once.

Well I thought it looked kind of cool but when I went to drink it my bourbon tasted watered down.  My palate likes strong bourbon over 100 proof. Girlie bourbon like Jack Danial's at 80 proof taste like water and cowboy pee.  Makers is a step up at 90 proof but it is no Wild Turkey 101.  Even before I finished my first glass I took the ice out cupping my hands around the glass in a pitiful attempt to warm it up.  I appreciate the gift but I shall not be using these balls of ice in my drink.  I have much more devious plans in store.

The perfect crime leaves no evidence, it this case it just melts away.
Look out crystal cathedral
 J/k

The Sound of Vitality

Drink of the day Cass Lager  from Korea

If you spill half your beer it will take you twice as much to get drunk.  

Interesting marketing ploy

$3.99 a six pack

Motto

"The Sound of Vitality"

Does the beer make the sound or does or does the drinker? 

It's perfect for drinking while you taste some good music, feeling the color of happiness as you smell the the light.

I totally want to be just like these guys when I grow up.

Cass lager taste good enough for the price.  It is my favorite Korean beer of choice I prefer it over both "Hite and "OB".  The bottle was not twist off and felt like it was made of a thicker gauge glass than domestic beers.  

This week in Drink

I really have not  been drinking that much as of late.  The last two weeks I only spent $4 on a bottle of sake so that meant I had $26 to spent on alcohol at the store.  My wine supply had just run out and thier was no beer in the fridge.  Bourbon wise I  still have about 3/4 of a bottle of Old grand Dad.

It was time to pic up a 12 pack of my favorite twist off Australian wine "the Big Kahuna" for $20 and an 18 pack of my favorite El Salvadorian beer "Taurino" $6.99 .  Total it put me a few bucks over but I can take that out of next week s fund. 

I rarely drink light beer (only during competition or if it's free) I am a strong believer that beer should be treated as both food and fuel.  I want those extra calories I'm paying for them and if I by light beer I feel like I am getting jipped. I enjoy beer after a hard work out and consider it a great recovery drink.  Taurino is a good cheap Mexican style beer.  Tastes good with a spicy meal and quenches my thirst on a hot day

The Big Kahuna at $1.66 a bottle can not be beat and the fact that it's twist off makes it 10 times more Awesome.  

I like my beer during the day, My wine at night and my bourbon after hours.

How to drink fewer glasses of wine.

I am not here to tell you how to live your life.  I personally have arrived at a point in my life where I feel I should be drinking fewer glasses of wine.  I'm sick and tired of having to get up to pour another glass.  There was only one possible solution to this dilemma 

Buy a bigger glass

They also make one for beer that holds 60oz but you can just use a large vase for that. (a trick I learned during high school keg parties when everyone else had their puny red cups)

Myself being an extremely classy dude I only drink the finest of twist off wine's. 

"The Big Kahuna"  a fine Merlot\Shiraz Australian wine Purchased  for $19.99  a 12 pack from Fresh and Easy.  I buy my beers by the bottle and my wine by the 12 pack.  I have 2 glasses so if your thirsty come on by and I'll pour you a bottle.

"Cheers

The shirt says it all.

Stunning Cinematography

If you invite me over for glass of Vino be warned I may bring my own vessel

Double Arrogant Bastard

A few weeks ago I went down to the Stone Brewery.  I have been a big fan of their Ales for years now.  The Arrogant Bastard is there flag ship, it is near perfect Ale, lots of hops and weighs in a 7.2 % alcohol. The stronger the ale the better.  At the brewery I drank about 8 types of Stone Ales but some how I missed out on this years Double Bastard  which my friend bought a few bottles of.  Dissaopointed in my negligence I headed to the store to get me a bottle. 

It's pretty funny that I'll rarely spend over 5 bucks on a bottle of wine but gladly shell out up to $10 for good bottle of ale.  Normal Arrogant Bastard sells for $3.99.  The Double Bastard cost me $6.99

The glass I bought for my late father. In his later years he was a very gentle man but if you called him an arrogant bastard  a certain Sweeney grin would come across his face.  (miss you pops)

They took something near perfect and made it better. After the first sip I was in love.  and after the bottle I felt like I had just made love.  LOL

My best Analogy

Picture yourself with the most beautiful person you can imagine.  Now picture an evil (maybe not evil let's say wild) version of this person along with good hearted couterpart and you get to make love to both of them at the same time.  That's what drinking this Ale is like.

Well done Stone

Sake it too me

It's freaking cold outside I just got home from the gym and I need to warm my body and my spirits.  What does that mean? it's Sake time.  I'm know no snob.  When I was small child my pops use to drink warm while having sushi.  That was how I was introduced to it and I still enjoy it warm to this day but most commonly drink at room temp. When I went to Japan in 2006 I started drinking it cold.  I found myself walking the streets of Tokyo buying 1 cup servings at the the local AM/Pm's (yes AM/PM's).  Drinking in public was not illegal just not something the locals do.  I wasn't going to pass this opportunity up

Splurging on a big bottle while in Japan my friend behind me is splurging on imaginary Sake.

I enjoy my Rice Beer (Sake) it's actually closer to beer than wine (made from grain not fruit) cold, hot and at room temp.  Right now I'm drinking hold on.... Ahh hot because it's about 60 degrees in my house.

Sake Set

I usually heat my Sake in a small ceramic container inside of a sauce pot full of water.  I take the sake out just as the outside water begind to boil.  In Japan they have a button on the microwave just for Sake (as we do for popcorn and pizza) but I try not use the microwave that much, if I do I heat at 50% for a few minutes and the ceramic gets extremely hot. 

I don't like the tiny sake shot glass sized cups it's normally drank out of instead I like to use tea cups. When drinking it cold I use a small Irish cream glass.

Gekkeikan

For the most part I drink Cheap Californian Sake. It taste good I know fresh (Sake you do not want to age) and it's cheap.  Tonights bottle cost $3.50 from Ralph's.  Some Japanese sake's add distilled alcohol to increase potency and decrease cost of the production.  In the United States I believe this practice is actually Illegal.   My bottle of Gekkieikan was produced in Folsom CA.  

Too much typing for now I got a bottle drink.

One of the Greatest Inventions of All time

So here's the situation you come home from a tough day at the beach,(or work but I prefer the beach) being the lazy drunkard that you are you find your fridge empty of beer.  The weather is freakin hot and your not sure if you can make it all the way to the store to replenish your stock. A last you remember that you have two cans of Milwaukee's Best rolling around in the trunk of your since the last ball game you tailgated at.  The problem is they are currently about 150 degrees almost too hot to pick up.  You could put them in the fridge or freezer but you don't have time that. You need your libations NOW.  If only their was some magical Wizard that could turn your beer almost instantly ice cold?

But wait there is

The Chill Wizard

It's no coincidence that the Chill Wizard stinkingly resembles Mr Einstein.  

Not only did Albert figure out how to put bubbles in beer using his theroy of relativity (as we learned in the critically acclaimed movie "Young Einstein") His theories were fundamental in the advancement of beer chilling technology

I believe as soon as the Manhattan Project project was finished scientists began hard at work on this marvel of modern technology.  If only they had started work on it  before the atom bomb, the joy of cold beer for all may have ended the war peacefully.  I could be wrong (Highly Unlikely) but I believe it was this invention created in 1957 (Perhaps) that spawned the United States Government to create an off shout for it's best Scientists (the designers of Chill Wizard) to get us on the moon and thus NASA was born.

Such a beautifully simple invention. It consists of a small motor powered by 2 AA batteries shelled in a plastic case.  At the end of the motor is a small suction cup that sticks to the bottom of your beer.  The motor slides in place on a plastic box w/lid.  Place a few ice cubes below your beer and few on top and your ready to flip the switch  and start spinning.  Because the the beer inside the can is spinning in a circle pressure does not build up. After about 1 minute (maybe 90 seconds)  your beer goes from room temperature to Ice cold.(colder than in the fridge)

I bought the chill Wizard about 15 years ago (I'm 31 now) I must of been using on Soda's back then that I didn't want mom to see in the fridge (yep that's my story and I'm sticking to it) It also came in handy about 3 years ago when I had this roommate who would drink all the beer from the fridge in the middle of night.

 The Chill Wizard is a great way to protect yourself from beer thievery.  

My chill Wizard is still going strong after all these years.  Judging by the box it came in (which I still have for some reason) it was packaged in 1992.  I think I paid about $15 dollars for this priceless gift of cold beer.  It's a hard item to find on the internet but can easily be replicated at home for a couple bucks.  If you got the cash you could try the Cooper Cooler which also does wine bottles. I have not tried it myself but have heard it works well.  Perhaps I'll ask Santa for it next time I see him at the mall.