Drinking Soundtrack of The Week

Polina Kourakina performs "Liquor and Wine"

In Connecticut, fall is truly upon us.  The leaves turn colors in the crisp air and the smell of woodsmoke follows you to the bar at night.  Forsaking the vodka tonics till the spring, I'm looking for something smoother, something aged in a barrel, something with soft notes.

The audio was recorded in a bar, not the best, but I like the simplicity and starkness of her sound here.


For the fully orchestrated jazz version off Paulina's new album - (stream or free download)
http://www.facebook.com/PolinaKMusic/app_178091127385

For more songs:
http://www.reverbnation.com/polinakourakina

Click Here to view all the Drinking Soundtracks of The Week.  Hope you enjoy!

The Historical Inebriant: The San Francisco Cocktail
(a mixture of Liquor and Wine)

http://cocktails.about.com/od/cocktailrecipes/r/San-Francisco-Cocktail.htm

Ingredients:

1 ounce sloe gin
1 ounce dry vermouth
1 ounce sweet vermouth
dash of orange bitters
dash of aromatic bitters
cherry for garnish

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Have a great and safe weekend!

The First Mackintosh, The Conscientious Objector and the Medal of Honor, My Life of Exercise and The Perfect Raincoat Cocktail

On this day in 1823, Scottish inventor Charles Macintosh sells the first rubberized raincoat called Mackintosh.

First employed as a clerk, Macintosh devoted his spare time to the study of chemistry, and at age twenty he resigned his clerkship to take up the manufacture of chemicals.

Searching for uses of the waste products of gasworks, Macintosh discovered that coal-tar naphtha would dissolve India rubber. He took a wool cloth and treated one side with the dissolved rubber liquid and placed another piece of wool cloth on top. The result was a fabric that was flexible and waterproof.

 

For a brief history of other famous Macintosh's (the Architect , the Audio Component Maker, The Earl, and of course, the computer) see here:

http://www.creativepro.com/article/macintosh-any-other-name-still-sweet

The Historical Inebriant: The Perfect Raincoat

http://lushwine.wordpress.com/2008/04/24/the-perfect-raincoat/

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. bourbon
3/4 oz. Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur
1 teaspoon almond syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir all ingredients over a few ice cubes. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, if so desired.

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On this day in 1945, Desmond Doss, (a Seventh-day Adventist and a conscientious objector in World War II), receives the U.S. Medal of Honor. Doss kept to his beliefs by refusing to kill, or even to carry a weapon into combat during his service in the Army as a medic. He did, however, choose to remain in the line of fire and minister aid to the casualties on the battlefield even though he himself had been struck by enemy bullets.

It's a short Wiki read if you click on the link and is worth the read.

If you have time, check out the 3 minute trailer of the documentary made on Doss's life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xq_ERtyr6w 

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Yes, it's true.  I missed this!

But I am a firm believer that a healthy lifestyle should be practised year round, not just for a month.  I believe in 30 - 45 minutes of exercise each and every day!

http://yogibarra.com/asanas.htm

Bar Love Joule in Japan: Drinks with a vibe - literally

We're all used to seeing those blackboard signs outside of bars, often with the days drink specials written out in colorful chalk.  They let you know instantly what kind of bar it is and some of their specialty (and special priced) drinks that wait behind their doors.  This is what the sign outside the Bar Love Joule in Japan looks like.

What you might not get from the blackboard is that Love Joule, located in the Shibuya district Tokyo, is the first “love and sex bar dedicated to women," according to the online magazine Tokyo Reporter.

Yes, it's a women only bar (men are allowed only if they accompany a woman) that seeks to provide a comfortable, yet very trendy, place where women can talk about all aspects of sexuality.  To drive the point home, the bar openly displays dozens of vibrators, right next to the bottles of Veuve Clicquot Champagne.

Akiko Teishi, who writes for Bikyamasr.com, visited the bar and talked to one of its patrons.
“I go because it is a safe place and I don’t have to worry about trying to brush off men all the time," said a customer going by the name Sayama. "Add in that it is also a great place to drink and talk about what we women love to talk about, sex and guys, that’s also a big pull."

I'm not sure what the name Joule means in Japan, but I know it to mean a unit of measure of both energy and heat.  Given the context of the bar, I think it's a great name.  I don't know if they make a good French 75 with their Clicquot...but chances are I'll never find out unless a girl wants to take me for a quick drink.

You can visit Love Joule on facebook (where all the photos were obtained):
http://www.facebook.com/lovejoule

You can visit their webpage (if you use Chrome - translate it) here:
http://lovejoule.jp/


As a side note:
October is LGBT History Month
it is also National Bullying Prevention Month