I have studied the art of drinking under many dedicated
tutors. Each has imparted their
preferences and rituals as time, money, and life stage allowed. After my adolescent encounters with cheap
beer, or homemade moonshine in the woods, I found my first drinking tutor in Bloomsburg
who showed me how to effectively conceal cheap booze in soda. After college I learned the art of the after
work happy hour and had some excellent tutoring in the bars of DC. Then as my
career progressed, more tutoring on drinking at the business lunch, business
meal, and others, learning to know when to order the beer and when the martini was
appropriate. My last tutor did me the favor of refining my
palate a bit. I knew the rules, but he
helped me work on points for style. Some
of those points are pretentious or simply hogwash, but the process of refining
a style was great and I learned a lot, but mostly the importance of having an
opinion on the booze in your drink.
Now I
find myself in a slightly more remote chunk of the world and to some extent
have become the tutor for those around me.
I firmly believe that drinking should be taken seriously, and done well. It can be an art.
With that background, I gave my peers a bottle of Bacardi 8
for the holidays, and with it, the Invocation below. I thought it might stir
some thoughts or perhaps make you thirsty…..And while this isn't a prayer, I feel
it earns the title “Invocation” just the same.
Gents,
There has been lots of Bourbon talk around the floor
recently. Just for the record, that’s
not a bad thing. I have had opportunity
to try many derivations of the fine amber spirit and find it is suitable for
sippin year round here in Albuquerque, provided proper care is taken in
selecting the right bottle.
It’s for certain I’m the loudest among us, and I will
venture that I take my drinking a bit more seriously than most as well. So it
shouldn't surprise you that I have a few drinking rules. For example: no Gin after thanksgiving, until
the leaves bloom again in the spring.
Perhaps my favorite rule has to do with drinking alone. Generally
drinking alone has its place; there are times when the couch and a beer are perfect.
There are also the times when drinking should be social. It is with those times in mind, that I give
you this bottle.
I’m a fan of what I like to refer to as the Modified Russian
Rule, or MR’s rule. Eastern European
friends of mine taught be about the Russian Rule over a few bottles of
vodka. Essentially, as far as they were
concerned, this is how men drink. The Russian Rule:
1.
Place bottle on table
2.
Provide glass to each person
3.
Host fills each glass then his own
4.
Host proposes a toast
5.
Drink!
6.
Never fill your glass first, always pour for
everyone
7.
You must leave the table rather than refuse the
toast.
8.
The toast rotates around the table
In this method there is lots of chest pounding and singing,
and since I don’t sing, modifications are necessary. The Modified Russian Rule:
1.
Place bottle on table
2.
Provide glass to each person
3.
Host fills each glass then his own
4.
Drinking commences
5.
Conversation
6.
Guest/ host refill glass as they like
The MR’s a bit less robust but there is a hitch. Since guests fill their own glass as they
like. There is less peer pressure to
keep drinking. So if you provide bad
booze, chances are someone will quit too soon because they don’t like the
drink. Vodka has almost no taste so it
suits the Russian Method well. But since
we aren't singing, vodka is out, which in my opinion is generally a good
rule. The aforementioned bourbon is a
fine choice for this type of drinking if you are with serious bourbon
drinkers. Eventually its heavy palate
will wear out even the most dedicated, and the sips from the glass will get
further apart. Scotch will do the same,
only faster. Tequila has its own rules so it’s out of the running, as do wine
and beer.
That leaves us with Rum.
Rum is perfect for the MR’s drinking rule. Rum can be mixed with almost anything and
taste good, which is useful if you have a woman in your vicinity. Rum is also not a “shot glass” type of drink.
I don’t think I have ever seen someone ask a bartender for a round of rum
shots. Rum is unexpected, so your guests will be surprised. Rum is social, just look at Jonny Dep. Rum is
good on ice.
This rum is exceptionally smooth and slides down very nicely
when sipped over ice. You can mix it,
but why would you want too? So for your next card game, or the next time you
strap on your drinking shoes, pull out this bottle, give everyone a glass, and
settle in for a brief trip to the other side.
If necessary you can add a dash of bitters, or a cherry, even an orange
slice if you need to get fancy. I
however recommend it on the rocks two fingers worth at a time…..careful it
disappears quickly!
