It’s On Tap

I recently started a new job, my first out of college, which means I also started getting paychecks. Pay day is always a good day, but the first pay day of my first job out of college was a little more special than the rest. In my opinion, it deserved a little celebration. So, in my true fashion, I celebrated this “milestone” by going to the local liquor store and getting a decent bottle of whiskey. That whiskey was Gentleman Jack.

Being a whiskey lover (of only 22), I had never tried Gentleman Jack, so this seemed like a better time than any. I’ve had plenty of experiences with JD in my day, believe me. I’ve even had a run in with Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel (thanks to Ryan for the Christmas present). So I consider myself a pretty good judge of this brand of whiskey. However, those didn’t quite prepare me for the Gentleman.

Gentleman Jack is the dapper brother of Jack Daniels, and it differs in one pretty obvious way: it’s charcoal mellowed twice (once before the barrel and once after), meaning it’s very smooth. If you’re expecting the burn of the original, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with its purity and richness. It resembles a scotch to an untrained palate like mine, but that may not be very far off.

It’s a long lost concoction that Mr. Jack Daniel himself experimented with way back when. He tried double charcoal mellowing in the beginning, but it didn’t make the cut. However, he saved the recipe, and now it’s alive today.

It’s a little more expensive than original JD, but really, it’s not the price that differentiates it, it’s the style. Jack’s original Tennessee whiskey, what we all know as Jack Daniel’s, has it’s place, no doubt about it. It tastes great as a shot, with Coke, or in any other case that calls for whiskey. It’s versatile. But to enjoy the Gentleman, you have to like a nice glass of scotch every once an a while. It’s that smooth and that aromatic. In a sense, it’s like Scotch of the Americas, as Scotch must be distilled in Scotland to actually be deemed “Scotch”. That’s what I think makes it special, and what makes it worth the extra dime. Especially if you’re celebrating an occasion.

Gentleman Jack is a very easy liquor, which I recommend be served straight. After all, why ruin a good thing?

The White Russian is a classic and iconic drink. It is usually thought of as a sweet after dinner drink, but has been reinvented thanks to ‘The Dude’ in The Big Lebowski. So today, we’re going to teach you how to make a White Russian, or “Caucasian”, The Dude would be proud of.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Old fashioned glass
• Ice
• Vodka
• Kahlua
• Half & half

Here’s how you do it: The Dude had no hard and fast rules about his drink. Never any measurements; he just eyeballed it. But he did have some general guidelines that we’re going to follow.

First, start with an old fashioned glass, and fill about two-thirds of it with ice. Next, fill the glass about halfway with vodka. Due to the large amount in this drink, the better the vodka, the better the drink will turn out. Then add a little Kahlua, enough to color the vodka. Finally, slowly pour half & half into the glass until it’s about 3/4 full. The idea is to float the half & half so that it slowly mixes into the drink.

You’ve just made The Dude’s White Russian, or as he calls it, a Caucasian. It’s a little stiff, so be careful, but the Dude wouldn’t have it any other way. Especially since that half and half is so expensive… Enjoy!

The word cocktail has many meanings now-a-days. Originally, it meant any spirit mixed with sugar, bitters, and water, and was specific to certain types of spirits. But today, it has taken on a much broader definition: essentially any mixed drink containing alcohol. It applies to all spirits and basically all mixers. What this means to us is that there is a lot more to know about “cocktails” than there used to be. Today, we’re going to explain which glasses to use with certain cocktails and why.

Collins Glass
The Collins glass is a tall tumbler glass usually holding 12-16oz. and resembling a highball glass. It was originally made for use with the line of Collins gin drinks, such as its namesake, the Tom Collins.

Ideally: The Collins glass is designed for cocktails that contain soda or fruit juice. Most of these drinks are prepared on the rocks, so this glass allows plenty of room for ice.

Highball glass
The highball glass is a tall and straight tumbler resembling the Collins glass, only smaller. It generally holds 8-12oz. It is easily replaceable with a Collins glass, and vice versa.

Ideally: The highball glass is perfect for mixed drinks, especially those with high ratios of mixer to spirit, such as a gin and tonic or scotch and soda. It is often used with drinks prepared on the rocks.

Old Fashioned glass
The Old Fashioned glass is a short and straight tumbler, also called a lowball glass because it resembles a highball, only shorter. It is also called a “rocks” glass because it is often used to serve spirits on the rocks. Contemporary Old Fashioned glasses hold 8-12oz.

Ideally: The Old Fashioned glass is perfect for spirits served on the rocks, as well as mixed drinks with few ingredients, such as a White Russian or an Old Fashioned, hence the name.

Cocktail/Martini glass
The traditional cocktail glass, also called a martini glass, is a long stemmed glass with a triangle-bowl design. The stem is designed to allow the drinker to hold the glass without warming the drink.

Ideally: This glass is used for cocktails prepared without ice, or straight up, such as a martini or Manhattan.

Margarita glass
The margarita glass is a long stemmed glass resembling the cocktail glass, only larger and thicker. This glass generally holds 12-16oz. and has a broader rim for holding salt.

Ideally: the margarita glass is designed for margaritas, daiquiris, and other fruit drinks.

Shot glass
The shot glass is a small glass that was originally used to measure alcohol, and while it still is, this glass has since found many other uses. In America, a shot glass generally holds 1.5oz.

Ideally: The shot glass is essential for measuring alcohol for mixed drinks, but it is also used for shots, mixed shots, and drop shots.

I’ve been down in Texas for almost 3 weeks now, which has given me plenty of time to check out a few restaurants, bars, and beer aisles. As you might suspect, there’s not much here to choose from. You have the big 3 and all their various bastard offspring (I’m looking at you Bud Light Lime), and then a few other national import brands like Heineken and Guinness. Nothing special. Coming from the Northwest, I’m used to entire aisles of delicious, local micro brews, restaurants with dozens of beers on tap, and bars with even more. Unfortunately, Texas isn’t the beer town that my beloved Portland is. However, it’s not all bad. As it turns out, at the opposite end of the spectrum, I struck gold.

Lone Star is the self-proclaimed “National Beer of Texas”, and boy is it proud. First brewed in 1845, back when Texas was the Republic of Texas, this American Cream Lager blends hops from the Pacific Northwest with grains from the Midwest to provide a surprisingly refreshing beer. I mean, for what it is.

The current box features the likes of Stephen F. Austin (the “Father of Texas”), William B. Travis (Republic of Texas Army Commander slain defending the Alamo), and the facade of the ever-iconic Alamo.

Lone Star is to Texas what Pabst Blue Ribbon is to Portland, so if you can relate to that, you pretty much know Lone Star. Funny thing too, because Lone Star is currently owned by the Pabst Brewing Co., which is located in Milwaukee, WI, but don’t tell anyone from Texas I told you that. Just like Portland drinks more Pabst per capita than anywhere else in the country, I’m sure that’s the case for Texas and Lone Star.

To be honest though, Lone Star, in my opinion, is much better than Pabst. It’s the same price (about $14 / 24pk), has the same initial taste, but has a much crisper taste and cleaner finish. It’s a great beer for drinking with your buddies on a Saturday while floating the river, but also isn’t too bad just to drink. So if you want a taste of Texas, give Lone Star a try, and don’t be afraid if you like it.

Fighting Cock is Bourbon whiskey made in the heart of Kentucky’s bourbon country. It’s aged 6 years in white oak barrels, and weighs in at a scorching 103 proof. It claims to be a “Bourbon man’s Bourbon,” but that just means it burns like hell.

It’s relatively cheap ($18), so if you don’t have the extra $5 to throw down for Wild Turkey, Fighting Cock will do. I mean, it’s 103 proof, so if you’re looking to get bit just as fast as possible, you really won’t mind, and this is probably a solid choice. Plus, it does say cock on the bottle, so that’s got to be worth something right?

Bottom Line: Fighting Cock is a poor man’s Wild Turkey. It’s relatively cheap, and it burns like devil’s piss. If you’re going to drink it, don’t drink it straight. Take it from a guy who found that out the hard way, make sure you’ve got plenty of Coke. And even then, drink with caution.