What are you drinking tonight, Spring '08

[Gillman]

A rematch is in order! I offer up my excellent bottle of HM Single Barrel for the retry (Gazebo upcoming?).

Gary

[CorvallisCracker]

Going over to a friend's birthday party tonight. BBQ and beer is on the menu. However, afterwards a cigar and bourbon would be nice.

I have this cool little leather case (gift from my stepdaughter) that has two tubular stainless steel containers. One is a mini-flask that holds about 100ml of liquid, the other holds a cigar. It has a loop for belt carry.

Just loaded it up with a Fuente Hemingway and some Hirsch 16 BW.

[jburlowski]

Killed a new bottle of ETL with friends while watching the Belmeont Stakes... what the hell just happened?

[SBOmarc]

To the bottle, or to Big Brown?

Looked to me like there was no energy and that he did not want to run.

[OscarV]

Killed a new bottle of ETL with friends while watching the Belmeont Stakes... what the hell just happened?

To the bottle, or to Big Brown?

Looked to me like there was no energy and that he did not want to run.

I was wondering before the race if Big Brown should have run at all.

How common is a split hoof?

I am no race expert and know nothing about it.

But was there a chance of injury to the horse and if there was then that means possible injury to the other horses and jockeys?

He got a bad start, coming out of the No. 1 slot he should have lunged to the lead from the beginning and had the inside easily.

He must have felt that hoof from the beginning and lost the inside lane and got pushed out to 3rd from the rail but he did come back inside but there was no space to take the lead.

[chilidawg7]

While watching the Belmont, my wife enjoyed a Maker's and Diet Coke and I nursed a Wild Turkey 101 on the rocks.

[RWBadley]

He got a bad start, coming out of the No. 1 slot he should have lunged to the lead from the beginning and had the inside easily.

He must have felt that hoof from the beginning and lost the inside lane and got pushed out to 3rd from the rail but he did come back inside but there was no space to take the lead.

I think you nailed it, his distance on the outside drained him, and he may have been feeling 'sick' from the attention to his hoof. At this level of competition, 100% is just enough, anything less and you're an also ran. Sorry to see it.

Toasting tonight with Handy Sazarac Rye. Tasty stuff

Cheers,

RW

[barturtle]

Ummm...let's see if I can recall it all..

WTKS

FR120th

Weller Cent

FR Platinum

Original Barrel Brand

Sam Houston

Knob Creek

ER101

and a few others...damn...

[HighTower]

WT 8 101

Blanton's SFTB 130.9 - enjoying this, though I still prefer the Gold.

Scott

[HighTower]

Ummm...let's see if I can recall it all..

WTKS

FR120th

Weller Cent

FR Platinum

Original Barrel Brand

Sam Houston

Knob Creek

ER101

and a few others...damn...

Nice lineup, Timothy!

What's the FR Platinum like?

Scott

[cigarnv]

I've long been a fan of the HM BIB, believing it to be underrated. However, we did a blind tasting at cigarnv's and among 5 BIBs (HHVOR 10yo, HH NAS, Old Bourbon Hollow, VOB, and then Old Fitz from S-W juice) the HM came in last. I cannot personally vouch for the results as by the time we got to that stage I had stopped drinking as I needed to drive.

I want a rematch.

I think a rematch is in order...Let's do it

[cigarnv]

A few fingers of 1792 while I watched the race. The 1792 is one of those bourbons that is very good yet does never seems to get the attention it deserves...

[barturtle]

Oh, yeah...I also had Rathskeller Rye...a private bottling done by KBD for The Seelbach...barrel proof and highly aged...not too bad.

[TNbourbon]

...his distance on the outside drained him, and he may have been feeling 'sick' from the attention to his hoof...

...AND, he was running for the first time in his racing career without his monthly (trainer admitted every 15th, he got it, legal in all the Triple Crown race states) steroid injection. He skipped it in May in order to 'prove' it wasn't a factor. Not proved, I'd say.

As someone with some (granted, catabolic vs. anabolic) steroid treatment experience, for auto-immune disease, I can attest you don't simply stop after taking them long-term, and not 'fall off a cliff', as they say.

[PhilsFan]

Enjoying ORVW 10/107 and watching the Phils take on the Braves on TBS.

-Joe

[PhilsFan]

I agree with you, I too prefer the Centennial & Antique over the 12yr. But if you ever run across one of the older bottles of Weller 12 (the old style bottle with the white, gray, and black label), you should give it a try. I recently found a couple of those older bottles with 00 & 01 imprinted on the bottom of the bottle, and I thought it was a lot better than a newer bottle that I had awhile back (not to badmouth the current Weller 12 which is still a very good whiskey).

Gus, I do like the current 12yr and I'll keep an eye out for the 00 & 01 version. Thanks for the tip!

-Joe

[mozilla]

Finished off a bottle of Colonel Lee Bib, it was very tasty and I am already missing it.

Decided to follow it up with one on my favorite HH pours....Dowling Deluxe 8yr Bib. This is a full flavored bourbon in all ways. Absolutely great!

[Gillman]

I tried another variation on the Sazerac. I used a blend of bourbons again, but different than the last time (all good stuff though). Traditionally the drink is made with rye but you can substitute bourbon with no difficulty.

For the sweet element I used a level teaspoon brown sugar.

For the anise, I washed the glass with a superb 1970's Pernod (a gift from Randy Goode, our BOTY 2008 - Randy always expresses surprise that I still have it but I use it just for whiskey cocktails and it will last a long time).

For the bitters, I used Angostura only, one shake and a bit. I find the sweeter the drink is, the more bitters you need to balance it. I like it sweet sometimes but this time made it quite dry.

I stirred it well and added only one cube. Once again, a well-mixed Sazerac proves it is one of the best whiskey cocktails. This one has a complex taste where you can taste everything and yet the sum is greater than its parts. It really surprises me that the drink isn't better known because it is easy to make and versatile. It is the subtle hint of anise that "makes" the drink.

Gary

[Gillman]

For those who'd like to try it (Sazerac), if you have any Beam Black in stock that would I think work well, or any Beam bourbon. Some of the licorice is already built in, in other words, and Beam bourbon can lean in a rye direction, so it all makes sense.

For the licorice element, as I've often said, use anything you have that has that flavor (e.g., arak, absinthe, Sambucca, ouzo, anisette). But if you don't, just dissolve a black licorice (not red) candy in it and it will work fine.

Gary

[JamesW]

Starting with a solid pour of Lot B tonight.

[callmeox]

I mixed up a Russels Reserve Rye Old Fashioned for the wife and I. She's muddling her orange for flavor, but I'm leaving it sit as a garnish.

Two thumbs up so far.

[CorvallisCracker]

Spent six hours today on the Great Patio Expansion Project. Although it was only in the high sixties, it was sunny and those stones weigh 38lbs apiece (that's 17.2kg for you metric types).

So it's JB BL with Coke and ice. Lots of ice.

[callmeox]

Well, the old fashioned was a flop with my wife, so mine ended up as a double. :grin:

You're paving with 2.71 stone stones, CC? How big is the patio?

[CorvallisCracker]

Well, the old fashioned was a flop with my wife, so mine ended up as a double. :grin:

You're paving with 2.71 stone stones, CC? How big is the patio?

The existing patio is plenty large, but L shaped, wrapping around the side and back of the house. It's not possible to set up the firepit and have seats all the way around it.

The expansion uses 69 16" square paving stones, which works out to 122.8 square feet, and is being done at the corner of the L to create a large square area, solving the firepit problem.

[TNbourbon]

Finished an OC12 black-label 750ml with diet cola. Very good.

Nearing the bottom of a bottle of Stagg '07 (I have one more), with diet ginger ale. Also very good.

For those purists among you, I DID taste each neat before adding the soft drink (and thus broaching Pappy Van Winkle disclaimer to alway 'improve' a drink by adding the bourbon last -- not a thing I take lightly:blush:). But, I've tasted enough bourbon by now that there are plenty of nights when I just want it the way I want it, ya know?! I'm doing no formal tasting tonight.

Anyway, regarding the OC12, consider this also an 'empty bottles' post.