Hangover Thursday: Brandy Alexander Day

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I know what you’re thinking. Just yesterday I posted that I was so busy that I wasn’t going to be updating for the rest of the week. Well this morning I had this awesome Brandy Alexander info-graphic waiting for me in my email. Apparently January 31st is Brandy Alexander day. So it’s Hangover Thursday and it’s Brandy Alexander day. I pretty much had to post this.

Now this info-graphic is made by hirethebarman.co.uk. I have no affiliation with the company. If you live in London and call the number on this image you can hire a bartender to come and work your parties. If you don’t live in London, you probably shouldn’t call them. They seem like a nice company, but since I’m too far away to use them, I can’t really say for sure. What I'm really saying is, we aren't getting paid to promote them; if you are in their area, use at your own risk.

Nerd Resolutions

It's my first post of the new year, therefor I am going to let you in on this years Nerd Resolutions. What's that I hear you say? Most resolutions don't even last a month? That sounds about right, however Nerd Resolutions are things that are supposed to be fun so one is more likely to stick to it. "How are we to know that they are supposed to be fun? You just made the term Nerd Resolutions up!" Damn you are quite vocal this post, invisible reader. Settle down.

Rambling conversations with my head voices aside I present thee with what I am going to try to do this year.

1) Get my Eldar army fully painted. 
      If you don't know I play Eldar in Warhammer 40k. I am also very lazy when it comes to painting. So I want to have my entire army painted by the end of the year.

2) Catch up with The Walking Dead.
     This includes both the comic (I have only read the first two trades) and the show (first few eps of season one). This almost feels like nerd blasphemy at this point, so I should get with the program.

3) Finish this damn stack of Video Games.
      I have a few games that I started and just have not picked up again. Included in this stack are - Space Marine, Crackdown, Assassin's Creed, and Mass Effect.

4) Try to find an I.P.A. that I can at least tolerate.
     I don't like Indian Pale Ales. Lots of people do. So I want to find one that does not make me want to throw across the room after the first sip. This may be impossible. 

I will update these from time to time so I stay honest and motivated. So you have that to look forward to for the rest of the year. "We don't care!". Why are you so negitive?
So what are some of your Nerd Resolutions for the year? Let us know in the comments, our Facebook page, or the Contact Us button and we will do our best to keep ya motivated.

Also we are looking to drop a Podcast on you ya ever two weeks or so. If you have a topic you want to hear us go on about let us know. Plus the booze Podcast needs rules for the drinking game we will be playing. Put on your thinking cap and shoot us some of those as well.

Hangover Thursday: Drunken Monkey Style

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? In the past week I’ve had a number of great drinks. For Christmas dinner I had a bottle of Southern Tier’s Krampus. At another party we drank a large amount of hot Dr. Pepper, poured into a cup of lemon and rum. It was during the later drink that we discovered the video below. The video is from the BBC and is actually 3 years old. It was new to me this weekend, so hopefully it is new to you too.

I hate the beach. Sunshine, salty air, and tropical heat are not my idea of a good time. But now I find myself planning an island vacation. Not really, but I could probably watch monkeys stealing people’s drinks all day long.

Hangover Thursday: How to Drink Scotch

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? Mine is currently buried under a mountain of work, so today’s Hangover Thursday is going to be a short one. Richard Paterson is the Master Blender for Whyte & Mackay. Today we’re sharing a video where he teaches you the proper way to drink Scotch.

More of Richard’s insight can be found at WhyteandMackay.com/blog.

Hangover Thursday: Whisky Advent Calendar

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’m sure it’s going to be Hangover Friday for a lot of people tomorrow. There is no escaping the holidays now. It’s going to be December before you know it and then people will be counting the days to Christmas. As a kid we used to count the days with an Advent Calendar, getting a cheap piece of chocolate every day. If only there were Advent Calendars for grown up; with good things inside them like booze and hookers. Okay, so maybe not hookers, but certainly we can booze it up a little can’t we?

Master of Malt sure thinks so. They are making a Whisky Advent Calendar. Master of Malt already something they calls Drinks by the Dram, but this time they’ve really outdone themselves. 24 little doors reveal 24 different bottles with 3cl of whisky. It isn’t cheap; it’s going to run you around 240 dollars. Just think though, for 24 days you’ll be able to wake up and know that an exciting new whisky is waiting for you.

In case you’re more of a gin drinker, there is also a Ginvent Calendar. It’s the same concept, 24 little doors and 24 little bottles. The gin calendar is quite a bit cheaper; it’s just under 130 dollars. I’ve never been a big gin drinker, but you know Milk and Cheese always said it makes a man mean. Anyway, check out www.masterofmalt.com for yourself.

Hangover Thursday: Last Night

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I stayed away from the bar last night. It was a combination of too little sleep, too much work, and so much rain I could barely see out the car window. That’s okay though, there will be plenty of drinking this weekend to make up for it.

We’re keeping up with the musical theme for one more day. Britain’s X-Factor has got itself Lucy Spraggan. She came on and sang a song called “Last Night (Beer Fear)”. Obviously a song all about the things you do while drinking belongs on a Hangover Thursday. This is the official video, not the one with her singing on the television show.

Hangover Thursday: Whiskey Drives Me Crazy

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I had a chance to catch up on some much needed sleep last night and I actually chose that over my Wednesday trip to the bar. But fear not faithful readers and I’ll be catching up on my drinking very soon. I’ve been getting pretty slammed at work lately; putting in lots of overtime and such. All I’ve been thinking about lately is a couple shots of Jameson. So in honor of that, here is a wonderful tune by the Tossers about whiskey.

If you ever see that the Tossers are playing in your town, make sure you catch their show. Besides being an amazing band, they are a whole lot of fun to drink with. One day I’ll have to tell the story how I ended up drinking with their lead singer that night after my wedding. And don’t worry about me, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to find my way to a shot glass this weekend.

Hangover Thursday: Scientific Hangover Cures

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? Considering how many cookouts I knew about yesterday I’m willing to bet there are more than a few readers out there nursing a hangover today. A long time ago I stated my favorite Hangover cures were Orange Gatorade and a large Chicken Parmesan sub from Jersey Mikes. Something about that combo makes me feel better.

Check out the video AsapSCIENCE for a Scientific Hangover Cure. Even if it doesn’t actually help you, the soothing music might help your head.  Next week I think we're going to be talking about IPAs.

Hangover Thursday: Shot Glass Card

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? Sadly I was a little too busy to head to the bar last night so my head is clear. Today’s topic has to do with birthday cards. Normally I’m against birthday cards. I’d rather spend the couple dollars it takes to buy the card and use that money on the birthday gift instead. Really what do you do with a card? You open it, say “that’s so sweet,” or “that’s nice.” A week later it goes out in the trash.

The birthday card being offered from 55 Hi’s is meant to be disposable and it serves a dual purpose. Since it is Hangover Thursday, let’s say that your friend is having a birthday party. You arrive with a bottle of their favorite liquor. When they read your card it helpfully tells them to have a shot you on. And then they punch out the shape and form a makeshift shot glass.

The card comes in two different versions, a normal greeting card or one made to hang off of a bottle. The shot glass holds 1oz of your favorite liquid and the site says it will go for a hours before it will start leaking. The cards are 4.99 each, but I think the experience is worth the extra money.

Hangover Thursday: NutLiquor

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? So I have a confession. After being so sick on Friday and Saturday I went out to a friend’s birthday bash on Sunday night and drank. I didn’t drink as much as I could have, but probably drank more than I needed to. During that night I made a trip with someone back to the liquor store. I had needed to pick up more beer and the other person involved was picking up some things they needed. It was at this store that I saw it, NutLiquor.

Okay, so before we get any further I should explain what it is. NutLiquor is a 69 Proof, peanut butter flavored vodka made by Pandora Spirits. Their website says it is meant to taste like the center of a peanut butter cup. It is also apparently safe to drink if you have peanut allergies. It is blended to be drunk neat, so it is not supposed to have any harsh aftertaste.

I did not buy NutLiquor when I saw it. I regret that now. I’m going to have to buy a bottle for the next party I go to. There is a strange curiosity about it. I never wanted to drink peanut butter, but now I want to try it. Of course there is the name. I’m not even going to make the nut licker jokes today; I’ll let you come up with your own.

Hangover Thursday: Pop Chart Cocktails

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I still have a massive sinus headache, so you’ll have to forgive me if I wasn’t pounding back the beers last night. Today we are talking about one of Pop Chart Lab’s fantastic prints. We’ve talked about them before, with their wonderful Very, Very Many Varieties of Beer print. Today we’re looking at their Constitutions of Classic Cocktails print.

At one point in my life I had two posters I had bought at Spencers. Placed on an all black background were numerous glasses. They were shots on one poster and actual drinks on the other. These glasses were then filled with a rainbow of colors. A helpful key at the bottom of the poster told you exactly what booze went with each color. In hindsight they were not the best looking of decorating choices.

Pop Chart Lab’s newest drinking print looks downright scientific. Framed it up nice and be proud to hang it anywhere you want without worrying about if it’ll turn your wallspace into that of a dorm room. It would look fantastic hanging above your home bar if you’re lucky enough to have one of those. Since I live in an area where basements turn into in-house pools, I am envious of all of your basement bars.

The print is also extremely useful. It breaks down 68 drinks. It tells you what glass you need and then goes on to tell you how many ounces you need of your mixers and your alcohol. Down at the bottom of the print it even tells you what to garnish your drink with. It’s a big piece too, 27” by 39”. If you’re looking for something to class up your drinking area, drop by Pop Chart Labs.

Hangover Thursday: Sidekicks

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I’d suppose most people are taking their drinking easy this week in preparation for Super Bowl parties. Personally I’ve had a couple Black and Tans the past few days. I think having two a night would improve my overall view of the world. Things tend to seem better after two beers. Today’s Hangover Thursday is about Sidekicks. And while I could write numerous articles on my love for Short Round, I’m not talking about that kind of sidekick.

Sidekicks are shot glasses with a hidden compartment! Well, I guess it isn’t actually hidden since they are clear. The bottom compartment unscrews from the rest of the glass allowing you to drop in candy, peppers, or anything else you want to make your drinks more interesting. The bottom of the top portion is slotted, so any liquid you pour in will mix with the bottom compartment.

The glasses are made of hard plastic and a four pack will run you 20 dollars over at Think Geek. Sure shots with peppermints in the bottom sound neat, but I think you’d have to let them sit for a while to really get the flavor. The (no pun intended) coolest usage would be to drop some dry ice in the shots. I could see that going over really well at a Halloween party.

Hangover Thursday: Tom and Jerry

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? The Christmas season is in full swing so I wanted to talk about a Christmas drink that you might not know about. The Tom and Jerry has been around since 1821, so it is not named after the cartoon cat and mouse. It was created by a writer named Pierce Egan who was trying to promote his book Life in Londo: or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom and the play Tom and Jerry, or Life in London.

I want to emphasize that for just one moment, to promote his book and play he came up with a brand new drink. It actually became a really popular Christmas drink; obviously it lasted longer than Egan’s fame. It probably helped that he modified the existing Egg Nog recipe that was already popular. So what exactly is in it? Check out the full recipe below.

1 Teaspoon Sugar
Nutmeg
1 whole egg yolk
1 whole egg white
1 ounce dark rum
Dash Brandy
Boiling Water

Beat sugar into the yolk.
Then add rum and egg white.
Transfer to coffee mug.
Fill with boiling water.
Add brandy and grated nutmeg

Hangover Thursday + Flash Friday: Flash Barware

Happy Flash Friday, how’s your head? Well that’s not quite right. It isn’t Flash Friday or Hangover Thursday and yet today is going to be like the two regular columns are combined on the wrong day. In my defense this was going to run yesterday, but I felt Friday’s news was important enough to put off everything else. So what topic could bring the two together? Flash bar glasses!

First up is something I’m really excited about. Shot glasses! I love shot glasses. Even after losing a couple brave souls to party mishaps, I have a lot of shot glasses. I do own an unlicensed Flash shot glass with his symbol etched into the glass. Now I can pick up the Justice League six pack and get a shot glass with a picture of the Flash. And it’s 100% official merchandise too! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow are also in the set. How often do you see Green Arrow stuff? That is pretty cool.

Shots are pretty fun. What’s better then shots? Drop shots! So we need some pint glasses. How about this set of four pint glasses? This is similar to the packaging I saw at Target recently, although those glasses had character artwork and didn’t include the Flash. This set is all symbols and logos. Even better, the Flash is included! Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern are the others in this set. I find it funny that the packaging includes a picture of Wonder Woman but she doesn’t have a glass in this set.

Since I’ve already talked about how I accidently became a collector of Flash glasses both of these set will have to be ordered. I wish the shot glasses were available individually though, I’d love to have one for display and one for use.

Hangover Thursday: Bread and Badger

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I had a couple Fat Tires last night but didn’t go overboard so I’m feeling pretty good. That was a special treat because that isn’t something I can normally get in the area I live. This week isn’t about Fat Tire though, it is about glasses. Pints, shots, lowball, and more. Everything we’re talking about comes from the Etsy store Bread and Badger.

Bread and Badger is a Amanda and Sean Siska. This husband and wife team make some fantastic looking drink ware. Amanda handles the internet side and is the artist who creates all the designs you see on the glass. Sean does all of the sandblasting.

The Jolly Roger is perfection. I mean is there anyone that doesn’t like drinking out of pirate glasses? The Retro Rocketship is a really fun design. Want to throw a big party when the Walking Dead starts its second season? Grab some Zombie glasses. My favorite has to be the octopus, I might have to grab one for watching Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Bread and Badger has tumblers, pints, lowball, round rocks, juice, and shot glasses. They also have mugs, soap dispensers, and a couple other neat items. All the images you see today have been pulled from their store so you can see the awesomeness for yourself. If you see something that you need to own, click HERE and check out their store.

Hangover Thursday: Doomed

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? The lackluster Guinness Black Lager has had me searching out a more fulfilling Schwarzbier. That journey will eventually take me to my temple of booze where they allow you to build your own six packs, but I haven’t gotten to that part of town lately. Expect a Black Lager rundown sometime in September.

Today it’s about shot glasses. Or one super cool looking shot glass by Fred & Friends. The Doomed shot glass lets you fill your skull with the liquor of your choice. Well, not your skull, but a skull anyway. They hold 2.5 ounces. That’s actually a pretty hefty shot, the “standard” shot glass is 1.5 ounces. These bad boys will cost you 10 bucks when they came out in September. If you find yourself in need of one you can order them at Perpetual Kid.

I really like shot glasses.  I’m not even a huge shot person, but there is something about the glasses that make me happy.  I have way too many shot glasses though.  They became the thing to pick up when on vacation and now I have an army of them.  I still may have to pick this one up though.

Hangover Thursday: Secret Safe Books

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? Now I know you probably read today’s title and thought one of two things. 1. “What do books have to do with booze?” and 2. “Keep it secret, keep it safe.” You have to trust me on this one, it’ll get back around to booze I promise. Secret Safe Books is an incredible Etsy store created by Kara Witham.

So what exactly are Secret Safe Books? Kara takes a scroll saw, carves a hiding space into the pages of a hardcover book, secures the pages with professional book-binding glue, and then mounts magnets into the book so it closes secure. Now this is where the product gets even more incredible, there are Secret Safe Books made specifically for flasks.

Now I have to admit that I’m a sucker for a flask. I don’t carry them around for everyday use or anything like that; although I do tend to have one or two of them around when I am hitting a convention. There is just something cool about a flask. This product takes that cool and wraps it up an all the fun of secret compartments. I might not have James Bond gadgets but I will have a book that hides a flask. I think I can live with that.

Check out the Secret Safe Books store. They have a number of different books ready to hide a flask for you. It looks like they take custom orders too. I think I’d like to have a nice Raymond Chandler one made, it seems fitting.  All images used today were taken from the Secret Safe store to show you how awesome it is.

Hangover Thursday: How to Booze

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I had a couple beers here and there last night and then finished off with a pitcher of Guinness. It was enough that it made me want to sleep in this morning but not enough to actually give me a hangover. We’ve talked about booze books before when I wrote about the wonderful Old Man Drinks. Today we look at another book that will help you find that perfect drink.

How to Booze: Exquisite Cocktails and Unsound Advice is 224 pages of drink recipes and life advice. Written by Jordan Kaye and Marshall Altier the book pairs events with the proper drink. Going on a first date, there’s a drink for that. Stalking your Ex, there’s a drink for that. Besides the recipes and humor the book also covers the basic skills you need to make a proper cocktail.
The book is damn funny and would be worth reading even without the helpful drinking advice. Check it out if you’re looking to expand your drinking repertoire.

Hangover Thursday: Whisky/Whiskey

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? I spent most of the night rolling dice myself, during which I may have had a drink or three. Today I want to revisit the topic of last week’s Hangover Thursday, Whiskey. It took me a long time to write the article last week, not because of what it was about but because of how it is spelled. You see depending on whom you ask, Whiskey and Whisky are not the same things.

That F’ing Monkey celebrates geek-ness in all forms. We all know the comic fan who is still outraged that in Action Comics 382 Superman is portrayed as being left handed instead of right (to that type of person, please note that I made that example up. I have no idea what is inside that actual issue). There is some poor cosplayer out there who is both angered and depressed that people keep calling his Cyrax costume Scorpion. So if the whiskey/whisky thing enrages you, we get you.

When the whole to “e” or not to “e” spelling was first explained to me I was told, “Scotch is Whisky and everything else is Whiskey.” I’m primarily a beer kind of guy, so I stashed that information away in my brain and happily accepted it. Later on I read something that stated it was a little more involved that that. Scotland, Canada, and Japan used Whisky while Ireland and the United States used Whiskey. By the time I had heard that much, I was ready to do my own research and not just listen to bar talk anymore.

Now here is the amazing part…drink up, it doesn’t matter. And I don’t mean that it’s just a silly spelling argument, I mean that both spellings have been used in places where it is supposed to definitively one or the other. Ireland produced both Whiskey and Whisky, although most smaller distilleries went belly up in the 70s and the big remaining ones used the Whiskey spelling. Both spellings are used in Scotland and Canada too. So spell it how you want and just smile at anyone who tells you are using it wrong. Besides more time should be spent drinking it then debating its spelling. Cheers.

Hangover Thursday: Whiskey Stones

It’s Hangover Thursday, how’s your head? Despite Thursday being our day to talk about all things alcohol, I’ve been drinking on random days lately. I only had a few beers last night, so I’m relatively hangover free. Today we’re going to be talking about soapstone. I realize that soapstone probably sounds like a strange topic for Hangover Thursday but keep reading and all will make sense.

Let’s say you enjoy a glass of whiskey. Maybe you want it chilled but don’t want to drop ice cubes into your cup because eventually those cubes are going to melt and water down your drink. Whiskey Stones were made for just that purpose. These squares of soapstone can be frozen and used to chill the whiskey without adding any additional water.

That’s all well and good, but you ever have a piece of ice slide from the bottom of your drink and hit you in the mouth? That’s annoying, now imagine it with rocks. So someone out there thought that instead of putting soapstone into our glass, why not make the glass out of soapstone? The only problem with the ones pictured above is that they are only shot glasses and not highball glasses.

I have to admit most of my whiskey drinking is done in shot form, but when I do actually sit down with a glass I’m a heathen and usually drop an ice cube and splash of water in the glass. That’s how I normally do it, how do you take yours?