On this day in 2012, my very dear friend Benoit was buried.

We drink Budweiser today, since that was his favorite drink.

He will be missed by many friends, his devoted wife, his wonderful parents and
and a beautiful cat named SweetPea.

                             Benoit Delmotte April 2nd, 1967 - July 14th 2012

Rome Burns, The Peace Day Riots, Dude - where's my car and the Mayhem Martini

On this day in 64, a fire begins in merchant area of Rome that would continue to burn
for 6 days, destroying much of the city. Legend has it that Nero, in full stage costume,
sang "Sack of Ilium" and fiddled as the city burned.

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On this day in 1919, at what should have been joyous Peace Day celebration marking the
end of World War I, ex-servicemen protesting a lack of jobs begin a riot and burn down
the town hall in Luton, England.

For more information on the riots:
http://libcom.org/history/1919-the-luton-riots

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July is Vehicle Theft Awareness Month
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_Theft_Protection_Program

The Historical Inebriant:  The Mayhem Martini

http://www.barnonedrinks.com/drinks/m/mayhem-martini-14773.html

Ingredients:

2 oz. Cockspur Fine Rum
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass
and garnish with an orange twist.

I don't know, I don't know... I don't know where I'm a gonna go - When the volcano blow...

On this day in 1995, The Soufrière Hills volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, erupts.

A British overseas territory located in the West Indies, Montserrat is only 10 miles long. The small, lush tropical island became a haven for musicians in 1979 when Beatle's manager George Martin opened a recording studio on the island so artists could record their music in seculed and peaceful surroundings. The island also became a popular tourist destination.

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo, struck Montserrat and damaged over 90 percent of the structures on the island, but by 1995 much of the island had been rebuilt.

However, on July 18th 1995 The Soufrière Hills volcano, which had lay dormant for centuries, would erupt sending lava and mud flows out and down the side of the volcano heading towards the capital of Plymouth. Over the course of the next few weeks the capital would be buried under almost 40 feet of lava and debris, the airport and seaport destroyed and most of the islands houses lost to the lava flow. Most of the islands inhabitants were evacuated and today only about 5,000 people still live on the island but in an area far away from the volcano which remains active.

In May of 1979, Jimmy Buffett recorded the album Volcano at Martin's AIR Studios in Montserrat.

Now I don't know
I don't know
I don't know where I'm a gonna go
When the volcano blow

Well let me hear ya now
I don't know
I don't know
I don't know where I'm a gonna go
When the volcano blow

Ground she's movin' under me
Got ya tidal waves out on the sea
Sulphur smoke up in the sky
Pretty soon we learn to fly  

                           Not the best sound quality, but cool to see Buffett back in '79

The Historical Inebriant:  The Volcano

http://www.drinknation.com/drink/volcano

Ingredients:


3/4 oz. Blue Curacao
3/4 oz. Raspberry Liqueur
Champagne
1 twist of peel Oranges

Pour liqueurs into a champagne flute. Fill with ice-cold champagne.
Twist an orange peel over the rim of the flute.


For detailed information on the current state of The Soufrière Hills Volcano:
http://www.mvo.ms/

It's good to be King, Wrong Way Corrigan, Yellow Pigs Day and The Bacon-Infused Old Fashioned Cocktail

On this day in 1717, King George I of Great Britain sails down the River Thames with his close friends the Duchess of Bolton, the Duchess of Newcastle, the Countess of Darlington, the Countess of Godolphin, and the Earl of Orkney. Alongside, a barge of 50 musicians including George Frideric Handel premier "Water Music" a work that the king requested Handel compose for the occasion.

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On this day in 1938 – Douglas Corrigan filed a flight plan to fly to Long Beach, California before taking off from Brooklyn airport. Corrigan then proceeded to fly the "wrong way" and claiming low light conditions made it difficult to read his compass, he would land 28 hours later at at Baldonnel Aerodrome, Ireland. Becoming only the second man to make a solo transatlantic flight at that time, he would be forever known as
Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan.

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Today is Yellow Pigs Day, a celebration observed by mathematicians at Hampshire College, it is a day is marked by exchanging gifts relating to yellow pigs.  Who am I to judge.
I will, however, celebrate the day slightly differently.

The Historical Inebriant:  

PDT's Bacon-Infused Old Fashioned
http://nymag.com/restaurants/recipes/inseason/45776/

FOR THE BOURBON- BACON INFUSION:
3 or 4 slices bacon, or enough to render 1 ounce of fat
(PDT uses Benton’s, but any extra-smoky variety will do)
1 750-ml. bottle of bourbon such as Four Roses Yellow Label

FOR THE OLD FASHIONED:
2 ounces bacon-infused bourbon
1/4 ounce Grade B maple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Twist of orange

FOR THE BACON-INFUSED BOURBON: Cook bacon in pan and reserve rendered fat. (1)When bacon fat has cooled a bit, pour off one ounce from pan. (2) Pour bourbon into a non-porous container. (3) Strain the bacon fat into the container and infuse for 4 to 6 hours at room temperature. Place mixture in freezer until all the fat is solidified. With a slotted spoon, remove fat and strain mixture back into bottle.

FOR THE COCKTAIL: In mixing glass, stir 2 ounces bacon-infused bourbon, maple syrup, and bitters with ice. Strain into chilled rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange twist.

To see the video: http://videos.nymag.com/video/In-Season-PDTs-Old-fashioned#c=HGRYL1W4ZQ1CXCC7&t=In Season: PDT's Old-fashioned


For more information: http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/pigday.htm

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Rest in Peace Kitty 

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Rest in Peace Sharkey

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 "And that's the way it is..." 

Don't follow leaders - watch the parking meters, If a body meets a body, and The Scotch and Soda

Apparently Oklahoma once had a huge street parking problem because on this date in 1935, the world's very first parking meter is installed in Oklahoma City.

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On this day in 1951, J. D. Salinger's great work, The Catcher in the Rye is published. The tale of then 16 year old Holden Caulfield being expelled from yet another boarding school and deciding to spend the weekend in New York City before returning home to tell his parents, is as relevant today as it was in 1951 - when it also banned from many schools and libraries.  In it - Holden smokes cigarettes, drinks scotch and sodas and tries to have sex with a prostitute, giving us insight into the confused state of affairs known as coming of age.

The Historical Inebriant:  The Scotch and Soda

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. They're quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father. They're nice and all, I'm not saying that—but they're also touchy as hell. Besides, I'm not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy.

The Catcher in the Rye (1951), J. D. Salinger

He was singing that song, "If a body catch a body coming through the rye." He had a pretty little voice too. He was just singing for the hell of it, you could tell. The cars zoomed by, the brakes screeched all over the place, his parents paid no attention to him, and he kept on walking next to the kerb and singing "If a body catch a body coming through the rye." It made me feel better. It made me feel not so depressed anymore.

Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.

The Catcher in the Rye (1951), J. D. Salinger

Blame it on Matisyahu, or Connecticut Cigar Company, or The Mad Things ...no post today

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Ok, that was this morning.

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Some blood flow has returned to my brain (though this is the worst I've felt since the May 4th post "Rum, rum...got drunk on Rum, or, Why was there no post this morning") and as some of the occurrences of last night are returning to me, I thought I might as well put them on paper.

I blame it on Matisyahu, even though I like him. I enjoy an artists that writes songs about things other than body parts and/or various movements of body parts. I enjoy songs about the spirit of humanity. He put on a great show last night (even if the sound had a little too much bass for my taste, it was still enjoyable). But the drinking started way before that...

I blame The Connecticut Cigar Lounge, where I am currently writing this. Happy Birthday Peter! It was a great party last night that I thoroughly enjoyed!  Thank Jonas for the Margaritas and Paulina for...well, just being Paulina! But the drinking started way before that...

The Action Outside

Inside - Everything is better with bellydancers

The Action Inside

Keith and Paulina

I blame it on The Mad Things and how they seem to get better each and every time I see them.  Last night's performance was excellent and they played many songs I had never heard them do before.  Great Pink Floyd covers.  I think Joey was inspired by having seen Roger Waters over the weekend. But the drinking had started way before that...

There is a reason the blog is titled The Historical Inebriant.

Leaving for Liechtenstein, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and the Traffic Light Shot

On this day in 1806, the country of Liechtenstein was given full sovereignty after its accession to the Confederation of the Rhine - a formation of 16 German states formed by Napoleon after he defeated Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. While the Confederation only lasted from 1806 to 1813, the 1814 Treaty of Paris made the German states independent.

Okay, enough history. Let's talk about Liechtenstein, the country of just over 160 square kilometers (by comparison Washington, DC is 176 sq km) and an estimated population of 35,000 now. Granted, the low population is one of the reasons for its low unemployment rate (1.5%), and its high gross domestic product per person (2nd in the world).

Liechtenstein has almost no natural resources, but it also boasts almost no debt, and the fact it has more registered companies than citizens. With a maximum corporate tax rate of 20% the country has both a highly industrialized free-enterprise economy and a large financial service sector.

The personal maximum income tax rate about 29%, even with the costs of generous social programs. One of the reasons they can do that is - Liechtenstein does not have an army - none, no one, nada. In lieu of an army, Liechtenstein's National Police, (125 members - all equipped with small arms ) is responsible for keeping order within the country and repelling any invasion from neighboring Austria or Swizerland.

View of Liechtenstein's Border

By the way, Liechtenstein has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. A reason for this perhaps may be the 1.5% employment rate... or maybe it's the 100% literacy rate!

Sound too good to be true, do you wish to move to Liechtenstein?  I would suggest you rent out  the country before you move there...its only $70,000 per night and if you really like it, you may be able to negotiate a favorable purchase price.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/15/liechtenstein-hire-rental-scheme


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On this day in 1983, Traffic’s saxophone player Chris Wood dies of pneumonia at 39 years old.

The Historical Inebriant:  Traffic Light Shot

http://www.in-the-spirit.co.uk/cocktails/view_cocktail.php?id=261

Ingredients:

half measure Midori

half measure Disaronno Amaretto

full measure De Kuyper Cranberry Liqueur

Layer the ingredients into a shot glass in the order listed.

One Day...

For those who live in and around Stamford, Matisyahu will be performing at Alive at Five

this Thursday July 12th.

See our 5/25 post to find out more about him, his music and to listen to his song "One Day"

Hope to see you there!

They can't take that away...and The Summer Breeze Cocktail

On this day in 1937, the American composer George Gershwin passed away from complications of a brain tumor.

At only 17 years of age Gershwin published his first song titled "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em." It earned him $5.00.

He scored his first big hit in 1919 with his song "Swanee" on which he collaborated with Irving Caesar. Al Jolson recorded in 1920 and made it one of the biggest songs of the year.
In 1924, Gershwin would switch gears and produce a classical work, Rhapsody in Blue and follow it up with another orchestral work An American in Paris in 1928. Both are classical standards now.

Probably most know for his (as Gershwin would describe it - folk opera) musical Porgy and Bess which featured what are by now his most performed songs; "Summertime", "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" It also featured his most complex and sophisticated music. Unfortunately, when the work was first performed in 1935, the critics had a hard time classifying it. Was it a new genre as Gershwin descibed, was it opera, a broadway musical. Whatever the classification, Porgy and Bess failed at the box office.

Amazingly, with such an incredible body of work behind him, Gershwin received his only Academy Award nomination, at the 1937 Oscars, for "They Can't Take That Away from Me" co-written with his brother Ira, but the nomination was given posthumously, as Gerswin passed away in July.

The Historical Inebriant:  Summer Breeze Cocktail

http://cocktails.about.com/od/whiskeyrecipes/r/summer-breeze-cocktail.htm

Ingredients:

• 1 part Maker’s Mark
• 1 part Ginger ale
• A splash of Cointreau
• 1 orange slice

1. Muddle an orange slice in an old-fashioned glass with a splash of Cointreau.
2. Add in equal parts Maker's Mark Bourbon and ginger ale.
3. Stir gently.
4. Top off with ice and serve

Summertime


Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high

Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry

One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky

But till that morning
There's a'nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by

Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high

Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry