International Women’s Day Celebration

Today marks the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day.  A day to both celebrate the achievements of women over the past 100 years, and to educate young women in the opportunities of female empowerment and gender equality worldwide.

To find events in your are as well as the background of IWD visit their website at:
http://internationalwomensday.com/about.asp
To follow the conversations on twitter use #WomensDay or #IWD.

"I do solemnly swear..."

Whether you are Red, or Blue or White (meaning anything not Red or Blue),
whether you participate or not, whether you agree or not, one thing is

certain...on this date one year from today someone will say "I do solemnly swear
that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to
the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

That being said - Inauguration day falls on a Sunday* in 2013
(assume here that the world does not end on December 21st 2012) so
whether to cheer or jeer - I can think of no better reason to drink than that.
The true pomp and circumstance will probably take place on the following Monday,
but Hell, the fact that it's only a year away is a reason for me to drink today!

Inaugural drinking games abound on the net, but they all boil down to this. Gather friends,

(hopefully like minded so the cheers or jeers will be in unison for greater effect)
open up the booze, sit in front of the flat screen and -

Drink Every Time Someone Says:

• “Historic”
• “Monumental”
• “Kennedy”
• “Lincoln”
• “Change” (as a noun)
• How unusually warm/cold it is.
• The name of a celebrity who thinks their opinion matters.

By about 3pm, your living room should pretty much look like this.

The Historical Inebriant:  Inaugural Orange Punch

3 parts fresh orange juice
1 part fresh lemon juice
1 part mulled orange syrup
1 part dark rum
1 part cognac
2 parts soda water

Combine in a punch bowl with a large block of ice.
Serve in punch cups with a little crushed ice,
and give each glass a dash of Angostura bitters.

Want to know more:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123215760361192597.html


*  THI does not publish on weekends.  If you need a reason to drink on
    a weekend, you are definately doing it wrong.  

Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allen Poe, the American poet and short story writer was born on this day in 1809. A visionary who invented the detective story and mastered the art of the macabre died at age 40.  The story goes it was an overdose of Laudanum, a popular drink of its time as was its younger sister Absinthe, that caused his early death.

Laudanum’s recipe is simple:  take one part Opium, dissolve into ten parts
alcohol and add sugar to taste.  It’s the type of drink to have when you want a bit of a kick, but don’t plan on having more than one.

Typically Laudanum would be THI’s choice as drink of the day, but we realize how hard it is to get good Laudanum in 2012.  Instead, lets toast with a drink that is normally left on Poe’s grave on this day.  Remember to light a candle and sip slowly.

The Historical Inebriant:  Cognac

Want to know more:

http://19thcentury.wordpress.com/2008/03/02/laudanum/

http://www.portitude.org/literature/poe/index.php