I Like The Drink Gets Ink'ed!

If you're in Atlantic Canada, keep an eye out for the next issue of East Coast Living magazine. My old friend Trevor Adams is managing editor there, and he recently interviewed me for an article he's writing about coffee. We had a really interesting chat about everything from the quality of your water to the best way to spike a good cup of joe. I even submitted some photos of one of my creations-they may use them with the article. I'll post a link to the article when it's online, and look for the issue on newsstands in late November.

Spiced Scot

Here is a twist on the more traditional Rye and Ginger (which is one of my all time favourites), the Spiced Scot.

2 oz Scotch

Ginger Beer

Mix with ice in a Highball glass.

A simple refreshing drink with a bit of a bite. And for the love of Pete, don't use your best single malt for this one.

Vancouver Updates Liquor Laws In TIme For Olympics

The Winter Olympics are coming in February 2010 to Vancouver. This means thousands and thousands of tourist from all over the world, coming from places with varied, but mostly modern liquor laws. Until a recent decision by Vancouver city council, many of the bars and restaurants in the city were required to close by midnight. The new law will allow establishments to remain open to 1 am and 2 am on weekends.

The bar and restaurant owners seem to be in favour of this and so are many citizens, however there are others who say that it will lead to more trouble with public drunkenness.

What do you think? Does extending the times that bars can serve alcohol lead to more trouble with over drinking? Or will it prove to better the city and the Olympic experience?

School Yard Fun: Is University Binge Drinking a Right of Passage?

Recent news stories out of Nova Scotia, Canada have brought into the light the issues surrounding young people and drinking. Over the past weekend emergency crews were called to Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia when a young female student passed out from drinking too much. When crews arrived they examined six people for drinking and four where hospitalized over night due to alcohol poisoning. The partying at Acadia University is not an unusual activity for university students, but it highlights what seems to be a growing problem of binge drinking by young, inexperienced people in some universities.

In contrast, in a recent article form the McGill Daily (http://www.mcgilldaily.com/accounts/13/articles/20162) discusses the introduction of the alcohol culture of Montreal, Quebec where McGill university is located and legal drinking age is 18, to first year students. The artical makes the arguement that this benfits the students by teaching them about a society that includes alcohol - national surveys seems to back this up.

I too was once a young lad, fresh to a new town and barely the legal drinkning age (I admit nothing of drinking underage...) and yes, I did indulge in the drink more then one should, but I never ended up in a hospital or jail. I do think that each of us has to discover what it means to be independent and an adult, and in most societies around the world alcohol is part of the culture, but is this being taken to far? Is peer pressure form Frosh activities and other students having too much influence on some young people?

A Muddy Kentucky Breakfast

Now that summer is gone and it's (almost) officially fall and the air is turning cooler I thought it was time to start think warmer thoughts. I love coffee, and though it is non-alcoholic in itself it makes a great base for a drink.

Here is a drink that is a great fall afternoon drink, or a after diner dessert drink. It's warm and delicious. Try it and let me know what you think.

Muddy Kentucky Breakfast

1 oz Bourbon

1 oz Kahlua

2 oz Chocolate Milk

Brewed Coffee

Mix in a mug and enjoy!

You Say Limes, I Say Lawsuit

This year Anheuser-Busch, Inc. introduced Bud Light Lime, a twist on Bud Light that gives the beer a lime flavor. This beer has been a hit. I have tried it myself and it's not too bad, though I can't see drinking more then a couple at a time. This innovation does not seem to be a huge leap in the beer industry or anything that is unique enough to paten, however Anheuser-Busch and Labatt's (both owned by AB InBev) is suing a Waterloo, Ontario based craft beer brewer, Brick, for brewing a lime variety of their Red Baron beer. Anheuser-Busch is seeking a court injunction and compensation from Brick or a cut on their Red Baron Lime profits. The Ontario based brewer said that it wasn't a surprise and they plan to defend themselves in court.

I am not a legal expert, but I don't see how someone can sue for something they didn't invent - I have been putting lime in my beer for years (blonds like Corona or Sol) and this is how they have been marketing the beer and how it's should be drunk. This seems like a bully in the school yard looking for some lunch money and a way for Anheuser-Busch to eliminate competition. This is one of the reasons why it is so hard for smaller brewers to get a piece of the market and for the public to quality and variety we deserve.

This is the latest in an ongoing dispute between Labatt's and Brick. Labatt's had claimed that the Red Baron labels too closely resembled the Labatt's Brava labels (in fact some bottles were mistakenly returned to Labatt's by the Beer Store in Ontario). The matter was settled in June of this year.

Are the big producers in it for the money or the beer? Is big business preventing us, the devoted beer drinking public, from getting the best beers from the smaller craft brewers? What do you think

Ooh, Saucy!

Besides The Drink, I do enjoy The Food and I like to mix these to hobbies together. I have made a few good things (and a few less then great things). Here is a super simple recipe for a blueberry sauce that is great over ice cream, on pancakes, or on anything else you might think of.

Wild Blueberry Whiskey Sauce

1 cup wild blueberries

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 oz Whiskey

In a 2 quart sauce pan bring blueberries, water, and sugar to a simmer. Simmer until sugar dissolves and sauce thickens to a syrup consistency. Adjust taste by adding more sugar to desired sweetness. Add Whiskey and allow to heat then carefully light on fire - this will make a flash so be very careful. Burn until the flame is gone.

As an option, the syrup can be simmered until it thickens further and can be used like a jam and is great on toast.

Enjoy!