Friday Night Vodka Buzz. Ask me anything.

[Aristus]

Just got a new bottle of a Polish potato vodka called, appropriately enough, Chopin. Pretty good. Two shots to get the party started. Now, a Harvard cocktail. Brandy, sweet vermouth, lemon juice, grenadine, and a dash of Angostura bitters. Yummy!

I love you all…

[True Dough]

1. Chopin?

As in Chopin Broccoli?

[Aristus]

5. Yes!

Love it!

[cachukis]

2. If you had to bequeath something you own, you would

like to be remembered by, what might it be?

[Aristus]

6. My library.

All 5,000 or so books. Including the rare, out-of-print, and first editions.

I would only bequeath them to someone who could convince me that they believed, as I do, that books are sacred, priceless treasures to be cherished and valued forever.

[cachukis]

9. Defines you, admirably.

Spent a lot of time in books. Love libraries. Love to read, to learn.
Traded in books.
Had a lot of books.
Downsized and still have a lot of books.
Enjoy your books.

[Aristus]

11. I do.

And always will…

[Bristlecone]

14. I be assure you that I believe,

as you do, that books are sacred, priceless treasures to be cherished and valued forever.

As an aside, I love to swing by the library and see what books they have on this little cart they put by the front door for selling older, or duplicate copies of books that they are replacing with new ones/topics/stories, etc.

I just finished a book of short stories called Rumpole of the Bailey, by John Mortimer. They are written as short stories from the BBC(PBS) series’ scripts of the same name. They are fantastic stories. Paid $1.

Have you ever read any of the stories? Or seen the show?

Have a good weekend.

[Aristus]

15. I haven't.

I’ll have to give them a try. I love British crime literature.

[niyad]

16. Perhaps you have heard Rumpole's catchphrase. He refers to his wife as

She Wwho Must Be Obeyed. And he calls whatever fermented grape product that is served at the pub where all the barristers hang out as "plonk". I get the strangest looks when I ask for the house plonk here.

Leo McKern was great as Rumpole.

[Aristus]

20. I didn't know that was Rumpole.

I’ve been calling my wife “She Who Must Be Obeyed” for decades. (She has a temper; and, well, she’s usually right most of the time).

[niyad]

25. But of course she is! There are t-shirts with that phrase on them.

I used to have one.

[Aristus]

27. Next time I see a woman wearing one,

I going to assume it’s you. I won’t wave, though. That would be weird.

[niyad]

33. Just wave mentally. I will know.

[Aristus]

35. When I wave mentally, I make a funny face.

That will just make it worse.

[niyad]

36. Hmmmm. Well, we cannot have that! You will just have to tell me if you

see it.

[Aristus]

37. Sure.

It can be like one of those old “I Saw You” newspaper announcements.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Have you and Floyd R. Turbo ever considered opening an eating and drinking establishment?

There seems expertise in liquids and solids that might generate restaurant synergy.

[Aristus]

7. That would be a lot of fun!

The house cocktail would be my own proud invention, the Cascade Sunset. Vodka, tonic water, limoncello, and a dash of Aperol.

[niyad]

18. Proportions, please. I finally bought limoncello. Had everything else.

[Aristus]

21. Two ounces of vodka, three to four ounces of tonic water,

an ounce of limoncello, and a splash of Aperol.

Enjoy!

[niyad]

26. Yummmmm, thank you. Shaken, stirred, over ice, layered?

[Aristus]

30. Stir gently over ice.

I recently got some ice cube trays that make nice large ice cubes with incredibly precise square angles. I mean, Pythagoras would be proud of these things. Those are better than the small, gravelly kind of ice because they won’t cloud up the drink.

[niyad]

34. Excellent. I have seen those as well. There are also the permanent

cubes. I used to have a nice collection of them.

[Mme. Defarge]

4. Some Stoli over ice with a twist.

Okay, so I’m not a vodka snob. And it has been in my freezer for quite awhile.

Question - do you happen to know when that study will be released that shows that moderate drinking has absolutely no impact on health and longevity whatsoever?

Nazdrovia, mon ami!

[Aristus]

8. It's already been released.

Moderate drinking has no health benefits whatsoever. For years, guys like me who like red wine were hoping, but there isn’t.

Skål, chere Madame! 🥂

[cachukis]

10. Stoli has that charm had by no other.

[Mme. Defarge]

12. My SO (Significant Other),

who is a Russian language expert and translator, tells me that “vodka” is a diminutive in Russian for water.

[cachukis]

13. I can understand why.

[Aristus]

22. Yeah. Just the same as whiskey is Gaelic for 'water of life'.

I’m not going to attempt the Gaelic spelling…

[niyad]

28. uisce beatha

[Aristus]

31. Thank you!

[Mme. Defarge]

38. Then there is Akavit

or Aquavit.

[niyad]

17. And we love you back. How was the clinic this week?

[Aristus]

23. The best week I've had since I started with my new employer.

Which is nice, because last week was rotten.

[niyad]

29. I am glad, because I remember you telling about last week.

[Wolf Frankula]

19. Unless you have physical or psychological conditions that say you must not.

Not drinking has serious social and psychological effect. But never drive drunk. Don't let it lead you into foolishness. Other things can lead you into foolishness as well.

I've had my last pint for Friday. Time to go to bed.

Wolf

[Aristus]

24. I visited with a patient yesterday who is recovering from a car accident

that happened because she was driving drunk. She has a history of alcohol use disorder, and at our last visit, she told me proudly that she was sixty-five days sober. Then she relapsed.

[niyad]

32. I hope she recovers, and cleans up her act.

[niyad]

39. I thought of you when I posted the Wonkette Happy Hour of the Week

cocktail, the Paper Plane (don't ask me!!!). Very interesting.

[Aristus]

40. If it was interesting, I'm glad it made you think of me.

[niyad]

41. But of course. Check it out, and let me know what you think.