Random Weekend Alcohol Check!

Hello Drink Dummy fans! Time for another installment of the Random Weekend Alcohol Check. What have I been drinking this weekend? Let's find out!

I was out at the bar on Friday night and they had a $2 shot special of Rumple Minze Lime. Now, I'm kind of a sucker for a $2 shot and Rumple Minze isn't the worst shot ever, so we decided to give it a shot (pun intended).



Now, for anyone not in the know, Rumple Minze is a 100 proof Peppermint Schnappes. Now to me, the "Lime" version pretty much tasted like regular Rumple Minze with a twinge of lime flavoring. I happen to like Peppermint so I thought it was tasty. Some of my friends were not singing the same tune. To each his (or her) own, right?

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Pyramid Apricot Ale - Now, I've had this particular beer quite a few times and overall, I'm a fan. My only complaint has always been the uneven settling of the contents in the bottle that can make for some uneven taste from one bottle to another.

Guess what I found this weekend? Pyramid Apricot Ale on TAP! Whaaat?? Yeah, you heard me. And it was REALLY good. Gone was the issue with settling and the draft version had a much cleaner and fresher Apricot flavor to it than the bottled version. Call around, and see if you can find someplace that has it. Here in Denver, the Mellow Mushroom is where I found it.

Now, I will re-iterate, the bottled version is also good, but just not AS good...


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I'm going to share something with everyone here. I am not a fan of mixing alcohol with dairy products, but some friends of mine and I were inspired by a recent viewing of "The Big Lebowski" and we decided to make some White Russians. This classic recipe is good for a drink or two, but I find that I can only take so much of milk-based drinks.



The White Russian (On the rocks)

2 oz. Vodka (make it decent vodka or your whole drink will taste like Skoal)
1 oz. Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur)
3 oz. Milk or Light Cream

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And now for some pics:








Adios my friends!

Wisdom of Norm from Cheers

I'm 33 and like most people my age, I grew up watching Cheers. As a child, I don't think I ever really understood the intricacies of the characters that populated everyone's favorite fictional watering hole, but I do now. Only in reruns can I now pick up on exactly how sad these people's lives really were. Honestly though, I think I can now look back on Norm as the wisest and funniest of the bunch. I've scoured the internet for some of his best one-liners (and 2 and 3 liners too) and have assembled his wisdom here for the Drink Dummy masses...

Coach: Can I draw you a beer, Norm?
Norm: No, I know what they look like. Just pour me one.

Woody: Hey, Mr. Peterson, what's the story?
Norm: Boy meets beer. Boy drinks beer. Boy gets another beer.

Sam: What's new, Normie?
Norm: Terrorists, Sam. They've taken over my stomach. They're demanding beer.

Woody: What's going down, Mr. Peterson?
Norm: My cheeks on this barstool.

Woody: How would a beer feel, Mr. Peterson?
Norm: Pretty nervous if I was in the room.

Woody: What's your pleasure, Mr. Peterson?
Norm: Boxer shorts and loose shoes. But I'll settle for a beer.

Sam: Hey, how's life treating you there, Norm?
Norm: Beats me. ... Then it kicks me and leaves me for dead.

Woody: What can I do for you, Mr. Peterson?
Norm: Elope with my wife.

Sam: Beer, Norm?
Norm: Have I gotten that predictable? Good.

Coach: How's a beer sound, Norm?
Norm: I dunno. I usually finish them before they get a word in.

Good stuff! Words to live by if you ask me. Anyway, since I'm already here posting this, I think I'll leave you with an awesome shot recipe:

Mind Eraser

Ingredients:

* 3-4 cubes Ice
* 1/2 shot Kahlua
* 1/2 shot Vodka
* 1 shot Sprite to taste

Place ice cubes in a small, narrow glass. Add the Kahlua, then the vodka and then the Sprite.

Do not stir or shake, drink through a straw all at once. Drink should be layered.

A Mexican Slut (Don't worry, it's a shot).

So, some friends and I were at a happy hour earlier this week at a local dive called Doc's here in Denver. This is not a fancy place or really the kind of place you would expect to find new things so it figured to be a nice relaxed happy hour with a couple of pitchers of Coors Light (on special) and maybe a standard shot or two of Jager with some good friends.

Imagine my surprise when I asked our waitress if they had any shot specials. She apparently misunderstood me and thought I was asking for "special shots" so she busted out with the Mexican Slut. According to her, a few customers had come into the bar a week or so ago and told her about a shot called a Mexican Slut that they claim is very popular in Chicago where they had just moved from.

Intrigued, I leaned in and asked "So, what's in it and how much will it cost me?" She responded back with the following: "A Mexican Slut is a shot of pickle juice followed immediately by a shot of Tequila.

Unsure if this sounded even remotely palatable, I turned to my friend Sommer and raised my eyebrow. Sommer loves pickles, so she quickly responds that we should give it a try. No one else at the table would agree so I ordered two and waited uneasily...

So, sure enough, it arrives as a two piece shot, a shot glass of pickle juice and a shot glass of well tequila garnished with a lemon. A minute or so of curious study and trepidation followed it's arrival. Finally, a "Cheers!", the clanking of shot glasses and down goes the pickle juice followed by the tequila followed in turn by the lemon...

Wow. It was actually really good. I like tequila but can have a lot of problems with well. The pickle juice really helped take the edge off of a very unsmooth well tequila and the lemon was a perfect compliment to the overall flavor profile of the shot. Ultimately, for the price ($3) this was a decent shot with some incredible flavors and was surprisingly smooth and easy to drink. I ended up getting two...

In summary, give it a try the next time you're out. It may not be your thing, but it may end up joining your shot repertoire.

Shot Repertoires

Everyone has their "shot repertoire" as I like to call it. This is the (usually short) list of shots that any given person immediately thinks of when someone at the bar says "let's do shots!" Think about it. When it's your turn to pick the shots, you know you run through 3 to 5 shots that your comfortable with and that spring to mind first. that's your "shot repertoire". It's not like you object to shots outside of these, but these are your comfort shots, your bread and butter, your peeps.

I have a repertoire myself and that's what I would like to share with you today.

#1 Jager Bomb
Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 oz Jägermeister
* 1/2 can Red Bull energy drink

Preparation:

1. Fill a shot glass with Jägermeister.
2. Drop the shot glass into an highball glass, or other tall glass, filled with a half of a can of Red Bull. Drink like a madman!

#2 Irish Car Bomb
Ingredients:

* 3/4 pint Guinness
* 1/2 shot Irish cream liqueur
* 1/2 shot Irish whiskey

Preparation:

1. Pour the Irish cream liqueur into a shot glass.
2. Pour the Irish whiskey on top.
3. Pour the Guinness into a pint glass or beer mug 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full and let settle.
4. Drop the shot glass into the Guinness and chug.

#3 The Jameson Bomb (Ok, my friends and I made this one up but it rocks)
Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
* 1/2 can Red Bull energy drink

Preparation:

1. Fill a shot glass with Jameson.
2. Drop the shot glass into a glass filled with a half of a can of Red Bull. Slam. Finish with a Cherry.

#4 Red-Headed Slut
Ingredients:

* 1 oz Jagermeister
* 1 oz peach schnapps
* 2 oz cranberry juice

Preparation:

1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake well.
3. Strain into a shot or old-fashioned glass.

#5 Tuaca Bomb
Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 oz Tuaca
* 1/2 can Red Bull energy drink

Preparation:

1. Fill a shot glass with tuaca.
2. Drop the shot glass into a glass filled with a half of a can of Red Bull. Slam it back.



That is my repertoire. You can draw a few conclusions from it like: I like Jager, I like "bomb shots", I like Red Bull. All true. I for one am always on the lookout for more shots to expand my repertoire, but it's tough to get away from your favorites. Make an effort and I will too.

A Black 8-Ball

Every once in awhile, friends can surprise you. You think you've seen all their alcoholic tricks a hundred times and then they spring one on you. That happened to me yesterday while watching the NFL Playoffs.

A quick run to the LQ resulted in the acquisition of several 40 oz. of Old English (always an old school/cost effective maneuver) and a 24 oz of Guinness. To my surprise, my friend quickly drank half of his Old English (OE from here on out) and proceeded to fill the rest of his bottle with Guinness. Now, I'm a lover of Black and Tans to be sure, but The OE and the Guinness did not layer like that. Rather they mixed into an obsidian liquid unlike any I'd ever witnessed. So I asked what he was doing there and he replied "It's a Black 8-Ball". Appalled (but also curious) I asked for a taste. It was wonderful! I love Guinness above all beers and am normally dumb-founded and outraged when it is diluted or combined with something that takes away from it's true beauty, but this Black 8-Ball was something different. It was different in a good way. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Shots

I have recently stumbled upon the following article via Modern Drunkard Magazine and I had to share it with anyone and everyone who will listen. The Art of the Shot is a masterpiece of shot etiquette. It should be read and shared by all who would even entertain the notion of possibly ever partaking in the social ritual of the shot. It contains the fundamental rules and faux pas of the shot and it's closest relation, the toast. Read it, read it again and commit it to memory.

While we are on the subject of shots, I would like to share with you one of my favorites. It appears to be an original (I haven't seen it anywhere else) of a bar near my house in Arvada, CO. It is a bomb shot (kind of) and you will need a 12 oz beer mug (or glass) and a standard shot glass. I will do my best with the description but I don't know about the actual quantities. Without further ado:

The Jacob's Ladder

You will need:
Cranberry juice
Pineapple juice
Raspberry vodka
Triple Sec
Light Beer

Pour about a half inch or so of cranberry juice in the mug. Then place the shot glass into the bottom of the mug (in the cranberry juice). Then fill the shot glass with raspberry vodka. Then add a layer of pineapple juice into the glass. Next, pour about a half oz of Triple Sec over the shot glass. You should be pretty close to the top of the glass by now (three quarters of an inch to an inch from the top). Lastly, finish the shot off with a light beer up to the top of the glass.

Now, I realize this seems awfully big for a shot (it really is intimidating) but it goes down very smoothly. Go try it and you can thank me later!

The Gator Bomb *revised* (The Day After)

My Gators did their part last night and I did mine. We did a Gator Bomb every time the Gators scored (and one before the game and one after as well). We revised it from the previous post because I am currently riding a 3 month+ streak of no soda (Pepsi and Coke are reeling) by dropping the UV Raspberry Vodka into a glass of Crystal Light Mango that we whipped up pre-game. The result was undeniably wonderful. The UV Raspberry Vodka was surprisingly smooth and finished well. I had never tried UV Vodka before and I was very impressed (will buy again). Warning on the Gator Bombs though: they sneak up on you. The Vodka is so smooth and the Crystal Light did a great job of covering the alcohol taste so it was very easy to lose track of how many we had (5 by my count). Some of my friends tried the traditional Gator Bomb as described previously and their reactions were also quite positive.

Congrats Gators!

The Gator Bomb

So, I'm a huge Florida Gators fan and tonight is the big game against Oklahoma. Of course, I begin my search in earnest for an appropriate gator-related shot to down every time we score and I come across "The Gator Bomb". I'm intrigued to say the least. A Gator Bomb is:

A Shot of UV Raspberry Vodka (nice blue color) dropped into a cup of Sunkist Orange soda. According to the instructions, you should pour the Sunkist from cup to cup a few times to get rid of some of the fizz.

I for one am going to rush out and buy the necessary ingredients and drink my gator tail off tonight. My prediction: Gators 48, Sooners 32. Mark it down my friends, I'll be back to gloat in the morning (but not too early).

Jager, Jager, I love Jager

I love Jager. Not in the same way I love my children or my girlfriend, but still passionately. The thing most people don't get about Jager is it's versatility. Some of my personal favorite shots are Jager based:

The Red-headed Slut
* 1 oz. Jägermeister
* 1 oz. Schnapps, peach
* 3 oz. Cranberry Juice

Tropical Depression
* 1 oz. Jägermeister
* 1 oz. Rum, coconut
* 4 oz. Pineapple Juice

The Sodomizer (This is only if you hate yourself)
* 1 part Gin (Beefeater)
* 2 parts Jägermeister
* 1 part Southern Comfort

Surfer on Acid
* 1/4 oz. Jägermeister
* 1/3 oz. Rum, coconut
* 1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice

A Sourmeister
* 1 part Jägermeister
* 1 part Sour Apple Pucker

Sex With an Alligator
* 3/4 oz. Chambord
* 3/4 oz. Jägermeister
* 3/4 oz. Midori

Liquid Heroin
* 1/2 shot Jägermeister
* 1/2 shot Schnapps, peppermint

Jager Bomb
* 1 shot Jägermeister
* 1/2 can Red Bull

The As Yet Unamed (currently taking suggestions for a name)
* 1/2 shot Jagermeister
* 1/2 shot Tequila

I could go on and on. Go down to the LQ today and grab some Jager. Tell them Baron Bill sent you. They'll have no idea what the hell you're talking about, but give it a try.