It pays to follow Smokes and Booze

Awhile back, I posted about a contest with Cigar Obsession.

Thanks to everyone on Facebook who I suggested joining for doing so.  We definitely need to promote these things and show our support for other websites and Vendors.  Last time I checked, over 30 of my friends have since joined.  Great Job guys.

Anyway, today I went out and looked……and Randy from MySideoftheBar won 1st place.   He didn’t even know!

Of course I called him up, and now I am looking forward to my finders fee ;)

Seriously though, congrats to Randy and Thank You to both Cigar Obsession and Reyes Family Cigars for the contest.

It’s Tax Day

Just though you would like to know how your tax dollars are being spent.

• U.S. Embassy in Germany- spent $555 in December on gratuities that included 15 bottles of Jim Beam bourbon and three dozen coffee mugs.
• U.S. Embassy in Belgium paid more than $5,000 by opting for "red and white wine for Christmas gratuities,"
• The U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg spent $7,160 on alcoholic beverages for "gratuities for local contacts,"
• U.S. Embassy in Greece last year spent more than $20,000 for "representational liquors for Christmas gratuities."
• US Embassy in India in September of 2008 spent $7,554 for a "supply of alcoholic beverages for gratuities."
• U.S. Embassy in Slovenia last year for "Gratuities: Whiskey Jack Daniel's." – Grand total $3,814
• U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York bought 106 bottles of Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc wine at $27.99 per bottle for official events.
• And finally…..$41.98, also by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, for "purchase of two one-liter bottles of Jose Cuervo Clasico Silver Tequila for official events at the U.S. representative's residence."

In total, since 2004, records show alcohol purchases at the State Department a little more than $1 million.  At $200K a year (average), that would have employed matched the average income for an American Home for 4 Families a year.

Happy Tax Day everyone.

10 Things the Internet Has Killed or Ruined

Really, I just want to focus on item number 2 in THIS List, Barroom Arguments.

Now Randy over at MySideoftheBar goes out considerably more than I do, so I would love to here his feedback on this….but for the most part, I think this article hits it right on the head.

It used to be you could kill many hours and even more brain cells drinking beer and arguing over arcane trivia. Who was a more fearsome slugger, Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron? Who'd win a one-on-one match between Kobe Bryant and Doctor J? (Sorry Kobe--we love ya man, but in 1972 the Doc was unstoppable.) Now whenever there's a question of fact, somebody just whips out a smartphone and does a search on Google or dials up Wolfram Alpha and runs a statistical analysis. Where's the fun in that?

I can think of countless hours in bars arguing over songs, singers, movies, women, beer……all of which could have been turned into just sitting there in boredom…..turning me into an alcoholic.

Damn you Al Gore for inventing the Internet.

Right or Wrong

I apologize for the lack of updates these past few weeks.  I have been busy with work and really haven’t had time to provide any updates.  That doesn’t mean I haven't been taking notes, so there are lots of things coming up in the near future.

Today just happens to be a great story, right in my own backyard.

From the AP -

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Two sanitation workers in Columbia, Mo., are in hot water after allegedly using a city truck to fetch beer that was going to be destroyed at the city landfill.

N.H. Scheppers Distributing Co. took 1,500 cases of expired beer to the landfill on April 1. It was delivered in two shipments. The first was destroyed immediately, but the second wasn't, leaving 700 cases of Budweiser and Michelob Ultra awaiting a similar fate.

City officials say two Solid Waste workers decided not to let the beer go down the drain and loaded about 50 cases into a city pickup. A week later, city officials found video from the landfill showing them in the act.

The Columbia Tribune reports that one worker resigned and the other could face disciplinary action.

Police are trying to decide whether any laws were broken.

I don’t know how to feel about this one.  In a way, I am proud of the guys who went to rescue approx 50 cases…..but on the other hand, it’s BUD. 

I also wonder, is there a regulation within the Waste Department that everything has to be left there?  If they would have found a wallet on the ground with $500 in it, picked it up and drove off in a city vehicle….would they have suffered the same fate? 

Finally, where is the uproar of N.H. Scheppers just dumping the beer in a landfill.  What does that do to the environment?  What about recycling all those bottles?  Think of the children!!!

Oh well, since it was BUD…..at least they would have never known it was skunky or not.  :)

Here’s to you Mr. Columbia MO Sanitation Worker.

Interesting Vid on Cocktail ingredients

 

Thanks to Rex for forwarding over this video. In it, the bartender discusses the legalities of using Raw Egg in drinks and customer infused liquors and bitters.

Personally, I have more faith in a bartender than most cooks in a kitchen….I watch Kitchen Nightmares ;)

Enjoy and post your thoughts below.

Life imitates Hollywood

 

Ok, you know when a story can almost be lifted from the movie “Strange Brew”, you are in trouble……but here we go:

After a hard day's work on his Crystal Beach home, Everett Johnston just wanted a cold beer.

He grabbed a Tecate Light out of his fridge and began to sip. But, Johnston said, something didn't taste quite right. He said his wife looked in the bottle and noticed a rat's head floating inside.

The remainder of the article can be found HERE

No compare that to this clip……..

Cthulhu and Rangtang – A Deadly Combo

 

After a shitty day at work, I invited Mike over for a few drinks and to watch The Call of Cthulhu.

First, I just can’t say enough regarding how GREAT the movie was.  It was my second time watching it and it was still awesome second time around.  Here is a trailer:

To start off the night, I had picked up a bottle of RangTang.  You might recall, I reviewed the marketing of this product awhile ago (you can read about it HERE) and finally found it at my local.

Here was Mike’s Reaction - “It looks like Tang.  It smells like Tang.  It tastes like Tang.

To me, it reminded me of something I tried in my youth…..where I took some orange chewable aspirin, crushed them up and tried to mix with water like Kool Aide.  Not a great plan.

It does mix well with 7-Up/Sprite and I haven’t tried any other cocktails, but I would have to be hard up to dig into this bottle again.  It was just to TANGY.

Overall, the drink was OK.  Not to be sexist, but it is kinda Girly and was probably designed to hit that market.  It would make good “Foo-Foo” drinks, so maybe if you get someone to drink enough…then you can pull a RANGTANG…..but I got a feeling it will be sitting on my shelf for some time (or at least until Tom comes over).  It didn’t make me show my “O-Face” and aside from the name, I wouldn’t buy it.

Of course, we switched to Beer (St. Patrick’s Best and Legbiter Ale from Strangford Lough Brewing Company) and Laphroiag.  Needless to say, the night improved immediately.