aroraborealis

From a 1952 speech by Noah S. Sweat, Jr., a lawmaker from Mississippi, on the subject of whether Mississippi should continue to prohibit (which it did until 1966) or finally legalize alcoholic beverages:

My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey:

If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.

But, if when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.

This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise.

We're in that shoulder season now, where summer isn't totally over, but we're into late summer and early fall. Yesterday, walking with eestiplika, we smelled wood smoke and felt the cool in the air despite the sun, but we also admired squash blossoms. Today, early fall is full-on, and tonight, especially, the air is crisp and almost tastes of apple.

For dinner, comfort foods and comfort people and music that makes feelings bigger without changing them. I made a drink with bourbon, allspice, and orange, and it was perfect. We drank it in cut crystal cocktail glasses inherited from my mom's family, fancier than I usually use.

I feel peaceful and nostalgic and replete and lonely, all in the best way. I long for summer and I long for autumn, one wistful and one anticipatory, both a delight. Life is so full.

Ever since eestiplika and I made The Scofflaw as one of the signature drinks for her bday party, I've been on a rye kick, which recently expanded to include bourbon. These are delicious, warm spirits that make heady drinks that are perfect for the cold weather.

Last week, I was about to sweeten a glass of rye with a bit of grenadine when I realized that I had more interesting options, like maple syrup! But then I remembered that I had an even more interesting option: amber_phoenix's vanilla plum jam, which is delicious and juicy. She's not happy with how it set up, but I'm delighted with the idea it gave me, so I call it a win.

I poured about a teaspoon of it into the bottom of the glass, swirled it with bourbon and a dash of orange bitters, and then stirred an ice cube into that after all the jam was dissolved into the beverage. It was delicious. I've made this and variations on it several times in the last week, and I've enjoyed all of them.

(Current contenders for names for this drink, btw, are Muddled Wit, Dark Harvest, and Sultry Midnight. Other suggestions welcome!)

And this has opened up a whole new world of mixology for me: jams, jellies and preserves! There are so many good ones! Why is this news to me? Heck if I know. But what I do know is this:

Marmalade is much better in irish whiskey than it is in vodka. It's actually terrible in vodka, surprisingly so. But it was totally enjoyable in bourbon, tequila, spiced rum, and scotch. spike and I named the winner of the taste tests (marmalade + irish whiskey) The Paddington.

I'm thinking a crepe+drink party may be the best setting in which to explore the various applications of jams, jellies, and preserves to best advantage.

What is the best booze to keep in your desk drawer at the office?

Last night, moominmolly and I went to Sunset Cantina, which she had heard contains a veritable city of tequilas, and with my super bad mood yesterday, clearly, tequila was the answer. And, indeed, it was.

They offered flights, but none of them looked interesting to us, so we decided to build our own flight. We settled on reposados, kind of arbitrarily:

Oro Azul: This is your bad uncle who drinks too much. He shows up at family holidays unshaven with his shirt untucked and hair uncombed. He kind of creeps you out and stands too close. We didn't like it, though we did finish it, because, hey, tequila.

Tierra: I have never had an organic tequila before this, but it's exactly what you would expect if you were imagining it. It had a clean, simple, straightforward taste, not smooth, not rough. This tequila doesn't lie to you and does wear rag wool socks with Berkenstocks on the back porch of the cabin in the woods.

Purasangre: How could we not try a tequila called "pure blood"? It was smoky like scotch and is the macho guy at the party who wears a lot of gold and puts on an attitude and an accent and struts around. Deep down, he's a good guy, and he would never hurt you, but he would definitely lie to you, and you know he's fooling around behind your back. But you don't really mind.

Lapis: This was among my favorites of the evening, smooth, caramelly, and incredibly cultured. This tequila sounds like Sade when it sings.

Casa Noble: Textured and prickly on the tongue, this tequila pushes you around a little bit, and you like it.

Chaya: Sweet, carmelly, and a little bit pokey, this tequila is the friend you go to when you need to have some sense talked into you, but nicely.

Tenoch: This is George Clooney in Ocean's Eleven, or Pierce Brosnan in The Thomas Crown Affair. It's smooth, stealthy, and incredibly smart. Stay on its good side and it will treat you extraordinarily well. Piss it off, and it will rob you blind with incredible panache.

Asombroso: I did not know that tequila could be pink! This tequila is pink. It is the gum-snapping, ditzy-seeming valley girl who tosses her hair and is secretly way smarter than you. This tequila is Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, until you pair it with sangrita, when it also develops Buffy's fighting skills. It's gonna kick your ass, and you'll come back for more and love every minute of it, even though (or maybe because) it's so disorienting.

Highly recommended: If you're making a large wine purchase, Ball Square Fine Wines is awesome. This month, wine is 20% off. And if you buy 2 cases, they'll be super nice to you.

Actually, they'll be super nice to you even if you're buying one bottle for $7.99, but they'll spend more time being nice to you if you make them help you pick out 20 different bottles.

What are your five favorite drinks?

What's the best instant coffee out there? Why?

The drink's name is "Storming the Castle". What's in it and what are the proportions?

razil, blivious and I will be testing the winning submissions the next time I visit them, perhaps in August. Those we test and the favorite(s) of those will be announced here.