Inspired in many ways by the ever-fascinating danah boyd.

The point of this diatribe isn’t the weather but rather what to drink. While you’re probably spending this month drinking bourbon (you don’t hate freedom, do you?), fall is also a great time to become reacquainted with that delight of delights: scotch. To help that process out, here are two good links to start the process off.

1. First off, Robert Hess at The Spirit World has written an article all about scotch whisky. If you have the time, look around the other articles on The Spirit World especially Hess’ recent series of articles each covering a different whisk[e]y.
2. The other link is a video, a really enjoyable presentation by Charlotte Voisey called From Glen to Glen – Scotch in the Shaker. It’s a 10 minute video about how single malt scotches are made and it’s worth your time (although I still don’t get the “in the Shaker” bit of the title).

   This video is hosted on the Small Screen Network which hosts a series called “The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess.” I am a total Robert Hess fanboy. His other videos are great, usually showing just Hess creating a cocktail. Be warned, however, the theme music that plays at the beginning and end is much louder than his voice, which results in me being blasted out of my chair at the end of every episode.

Looking for a way to celebrate this fine month? Personally, I recommend drinking some fine bourbon straight up. I prefer to reach for Four Roses Single Barrel or the George T. Stagg, but there are many wonderful options.

Of course, mixing bourbon in a cocktail is also a fine, patriotic maneuver. The default is a manhattan, although I tend to prefer them with rye. Try adding a dash of the maraschino juice for something a bit different! If you want a slew of cocktail options, perhaps start at last February’s Mixology Monday XII: Whisk[e]y. Sure it’s not just bourbon, but there are a number in there. Finally, there’s Straight Bourbon’s list of Bourbon drinks.

On the off chance you are operating under the misunderstanding that you don’t enjoy bourbon, but still want to celebrate all that’s right with America, it’s worth giving bourbon buttered pecan ice cream a shot. It just might make a believer out of you!

I’m off to celebrate some of America’s finest accomplishments! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Campari Smash (from Forbes):

4 lemon wedges, seeds removed if possible
1 1/4 ounces Campari
3/4 ounces limoncello

Muddle the lemons in a shaker. Add Campari and limoncello. Shake lightly. Serve in a rocks glass.

Bonus link! (after the jump)

Ladies and gentlemen, here it is. Proof that there is a female who enjoys the wonderful, wonderful taste of a fine negroni. Without further ado, The Liquid Muse’s Just Say No to the “Cosmo” article. Now, I’m actually ok with cosmopolitans, I don’t drink them but I do make one that’s generally well received. It has more lime juice and is less saccharinely sweet than those found in most bars. I’ll post the recipe one of these days. However, the important part here is documented evidence of someone of the female persuasion (and one with good taste in cocktails, her blog is worth perusing) enjoying one of the finest cocktails around.

Finally, those of you in, say, the LA area should check out Bar Keeper and let me know how it is. Apparently they carry a lot of great bar paraphenalia as well as hosting mixology lessons and other zaniness. Road trip potential?

• Plymouth – They’re right to love it. It’s a great gin.
• Junipero – What they call assertive I maintain is downright undignified. I have a bottle, and have tried it a few times, and it’s just too aggressive for my tastes.
• Old Raj – Huzzah! Someone else in the world has tried this stuff! It’s a strange gin, and you should totally try it out in a bar. But it’s also the most expensive gin I’ve ever seen, and having bought a bottle back in the days of full employment, it’s tough to recommend someone else doing so unless you’re also a collector of such things.
• Hendricks – It’s a fun gin and it comes in a delightful bottle. I’m a sucker for packaging. Not my favorite but close to it and there are lots of my lovely friends who adore the stuff. It is a little different, but in this case different is good.
• Bombay Sapphire – I like their review on this. Sapphire tends to be a little harsh for my tastes these days, but it’s ubiquitous and not bad.
• Quintessential – Ugh. Enjoy it in a gin and Fresca but it’s really a terrible base for a martini.
• Martin Millers – I always think of this gin as a little bubbly, but I recall enjoying it. It was the favorite of one of my friends, and I think he was on to something. It’s one I’m looking forward to returning to at some point, and if you’re touring gins I’d say it’s worth a stop.

Keep in mind that my “go to” gins are Magellan and Van Gogh, both of which are somewhat soft and floral. As such, my tastes are a bit different than the NYT folks and probably my dear readers. Hrm, perhaps I need to host another Tour of Gin soon!

It is interesting to watch ye olde blogosphere move towards audio and video posts, and away from purely text means as communicating online. In part, it seems this might be related trying to increase the richness of the communications channels, which makes a lot of sense in context of Watzlawick’s comments on metacommunication. Comments on blogs as an attempt to regain some of the cyclic nature of conversation: there’s a reason we at least desire the illusion that we’re not just speaking into a vacuum. Keeping an eye on webstats perhaps serves the same kind of purpose, although to a lesser extent.

And now I need to do some homework…