#do i have any prior interest beyond 'i like drinking wine and i like science' also no.

[beck-a-leck]

Me, still in my middle of my unemployment/'midlife' crisis: what if i made wine instead?

[aeuropeanwinter]

#17 Amster-Daym!

From the moment we arrived in Amsterdam, dragging our bags along the canals and through the bicycle filled streets, we could feel it was a beautiful city. The tree were lit up with fairy lights and the beautiful architecture was evident even in the dark. However, I could not get over just how many bicycles there were in that city. It was crazy. If you didn't look left and then right and the left.. or whatever it is in Europe, you'd be hurt for sure. Check, check and check again, because bikes had the right of way; they're above cars and above people. Bikes hanging on racks filled the sidewalks and people were pedalling home from work, seriously they were everywhere! When we got to our accomodation, some of us were slightly nervous having pre-googled the Hostel and it had trademarked itself as the 'Worst Hostel in Europe' however that's a lie because it was actually half decent, and nowhere near the worst accomodation we'd had! The strong sense of weed at the front door, definitely meant we were in Amsterdam however!

That evening, Morgan led us down to the Red Light District and what an eye opener. Gals, just doing their thing in a little window, just waiting.. Mel and I got our own dinner whilst the others got pre occupied a little before our evening entertainment. Viewer discretion advised from here.. Mum. Don't read. After dinner, steak and chips! Yum! Mel and I opted for a bitta chocolate muffin and made our way back to the group meeting point ready for.. a sex show. Yep.. probably might keep the details of that one brief, but let's just it was quite the interesting evening. Friday, and our last full day day on tour! Morgan's directional abilities I feel might be really lacking, we walked an hour to our Amsterdam bike tour! Which took us about 10mins to return home from? Anyhow, we were on bikes in Amsterdam and blending in like the locals! Until Mekayla got a flat tyre and it started hailing!!! Perfect conditions! Our guide was quite forward, at three different points he had a go at a traffic warden and then two motorists! He hardly gave us any information about the city, but rather told the back to keep up! Thankfully my bike riding skills are still strong, did not want to cross him! We made a single stop at the I amsterdam sign, where we took some cliche touristy photos and other than that, we powered our way around the canal filled city. It was beautiful! I however, wouldn't have minded some more info haha! Back to the bike shop and a waffle filled lunch was definitely in order! Mekayla, Mel and I found the perfect location and a Nutella crepe with bananas and strawberries did classify as lunch that day! Mel journeyed back to the Hostel herself, whilst Mekayla and I took in a few more sights and got some cliche canal photos. The rain and hail! held off and it was actually a really lovely day after lunch, not as cold as the far Eastern European countries! Mekayla and I eventually made our way back to the Hostel for a quick nap prior to our River Cruise Dinner and Bar Hop that night.

Dinner was incredibly. Literally on a beautiful boat, just meandering down the waterways. We had a little red wine, and an Indonesian inspired dinner. I think entree was just crackers but the main had a chicken and beef dish, with vegetables, rice and salad. It was really good! Dessert was a layered Indonesian cake, not too fancy but the whole evening was a super lovely way to end our 24 day adventure around Europe. After the River Cruise, we had a few drinks in the Hostel passing time as dinner had been early. We then went to a few different bars, but none better than this epic shots bar. We had a sour strap shot on arrival, and then had been told about three others to definitely have. The Harry Potter shot didn't taste amazing, but the bartender literally lit up with bar like a magic show! So cool! Another one saw us eat what resembled to me a daisy flower core, gross! And then down the shot, which then brought on this random popping sensation in your mouth, similar to what pop rocks the candy do. The last one was a chemistry shot. It was crazy to watch done. The bartender mixed up the liquid and then put a glass over it, lit something up and then all of a sudden the air pressures meant that the liquid was sucked into the glass, she released it back down into the shot glass, gave the person a straw to drink it and then put the straw inside the larger glass to inhale the fumes. A little crazy! Very whacky science experiment like! In the last bar we counted down until Tahra's birthday! 20 years young! I was super keen for some McDonald's and desperately didn't want to be hungover for the 11 hour bus journey back to London that day, so Mel, Ian and I ventured for a snack and then home to sleep. Thankfully, I pulled through okay and woke up feeling pretty good all things considered.

Mel decided to leave the tour in Amsterdam as she plans to head back and see more of Western Germany. It was definitely hard saying goodbye to her. You spend all day, every day together, and we shared a lot of our memories around Europe. I'm very very grateful for that friendship, thankfully Mildura isn't far! As for the rest of us, we left Amsterdam at 7.30am and arrived at the ferry terminal in Caliea around 12.30pm. Unfortunately the UK Border yet again was scrutinising, and we missed the 1.10pm ferry.. meaning we waited for until 3.30pm for the next ferry!!!! We had to just sit and wait on the bus in the ferry lines. A small vending machine and toilet was the only thing available.. so bloody annoying! Although I did thankfully manage to sleep a little, that passed an hour! On the ferry our whole group just wanted one thing, food. Everyone marched to the food court and I've never been so pleased with a lasagne. Breakfast and 7am and then lunch at 4pm was a killer! Hannah, Tahra, Lachlan and I played a little Heads Up to pass time, and before we new it we were back on the bus and bound for London. The time ticked over to 7.30pm meaning a 12 hour day had been travelled on the bus.. and boy did we feel it! Back finally to Wombats and the goodbyes were now aplenty. It's crazy to spend a month with a group of people and then just know you're lives might not cross again.. And I always find it crazy that I started the Topdeck alone, not knowing anyone, before I met Mekayla, and we went to dinner with Mel and Lachie and then Isobel and Max. I'll always be grateful for that little group, and to the girls too, Hannah and Tahra, the Mryt-Dirt duo! Hard to believe they're from Myrtleford. I'll definitely be seeing them both soon. 10 countries around continental Europe on that Topdeck! Making this adventure 12 in total. Hard to fathom just how lucky we were with the people, the weather and with our leader Morgan, her optionals and knowledge went above and beyond! So many good memories that will take a little while to sink in. Despite the goodbyes, my journey continues a little longer with two more nights in London with Caitlin and Linda.

Topdeck, you were a blast! I'm so grateful to have seen and done so much with the greatest bunch of legends! Here's to meeting again somewhere in the world!

Written Monday January 22nd 2018, 5.42pm.

[thedrinkist-blog]

Go Fourth & Drink

Time to pull out the firecrackers, roman candles, bottle rockets and cherry bombs – it’s the lead-in to Independence Day here in the States and a great time to celebrate all things American. If you’re like me, though, you’ll be happy to leave the explosives to the pros. Having a pronounced fondness for all my fingers, I’m content to enjoy someone else’s show and limit myself to some good drinks and maybe a sparkler or two if I’m giddy.

So what to drink on the Fourth of July?

Unless you’re feeling particularly reconciliatory or ready to give reign to your royalist leanings, it’s probably a good day to skip that summer stalwart, the English gin and tonic, and stick to beverages from these 50 states and commonwealths along with the various protectorates and territories. Fortunately, that’s a wide open terrain. If you really do want that G&T, why not stick to great domestic gins? I have New York Distilling Company’s Dorothy Parker and a trio of gins from St. George sitting in the bar now. The good folks at Death’s Door (perhaps the clearest case for capital letters I’ve ever seen) in Wisconsin make another great option as does the team behind Junípero. Several other solid choices are sloshing about across the continent.

Beyond the G&T, any of those gins might make the base for a martini, that great icon of American drinking culture and the American century generally. The martini almost screams to be the toast of choice on the Fourth, except, of course, a proper martini never screams. It only speaks in a refined, authoritative voice that commands respect. It also seems to call for a level of formality that I can’t quite manage on a day of barbecues and baseball, so perhaps hold it in reserve for President’s Day.

For the nearly mandatory outdoor frolics associated with the nation’s birth, there’s hardly anything more traditional – or more satisfying – than a beer. During the dark decades after WWII, beer wasn’t necessarily a source of great American pride: Brewing within our borders was a triumph of science, quality control, logistics and marketing. Actual flavor? Let’s just say opinions vary. If you’re dedicated to your favorite mass produced lager (light, lite or other), I’m not here to deny you, but maybe consider adding in some of the great beers that America has begun producing in the microbrewery renaissance. Early proponents of this trend are available almost everywhere – think Sam Adams (there's a name redolent with patriotism), Anchor Brewing (maybe a Liberty Ale?) or Sierra Nevada (maybe channel Admiral Farragut and go for the Torpedoes?) as prime examples. There are far too many great examples to mention, though. You probably have an attractive option near you. Here in New Orleans, The Drinkist will likely be enjoying something cold from NOLA Brewing at some point on the Fourth – a Hurricane Saison or their Hopitoulas IPA.

For the wine drinkers around, my experience is you already know what American wines you like. So, I won’t bother with dropping names, but I’ll suggest keeping the summer heat in mind. When we think of a cool wine on a summer’s day, white wines like pinot gris spring to mind, but don’t discount the reds. Most are best served around 60° (Fahrenheit, of course. We’re talking America here, for Pete’s sake) which is enough to the edge off a summer’s day. A few can go even lower. I won’t suggest Beaujolais for the Fourth (again, America – not France). But since the Beaujolais region is within a couple of hundred miles of the birthplace of the French hero of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette, you’ll get a pass as long as you toast his Lordship at the outset. Otherwise, stick to pinot noir, gamay and other fruit-forward styles and chill them mercilessly. I’ll even look the other way if you decide to drop in an ice cube, as long as I didn’t pay too much for the bottle.

If you want a spirits option, there are a plentitude of choices; the aforementioned gins are one of the smallest sets of options. The granddaddy of them all is that most native of American spirits, bourbon. By law and international agreement bourbon may only be made in the United States (there are a few other requirements we’ll talk about at a later date) and it forms a long and storied part of our nation’s heritage. Of course, not all those stories are true, but no matter. If it was good enough for Daniel Boone, it’s damn sure good enough for me. For the heat of summer, I like it on the rocks or with soda. If you have the ambition or can pay someone, forming it into a mint julep will make you part of a tradition dating back to the colonial era and offer you refreshment and relaxation all in the same cup. Silver julep cups optional but strongly recommended, particularly south of the Mason-Dixon.

If you’re looking for something more akin to what the founding fathers drank, you might pour a tipple of Laird’s Applejack from the oldest distiller in America, recipient of license #1 from the Department of the Treasury back in 1780. Mind you, the distillery was around before the Department of the Treasury so we can mark that down as a formality. Prior to the Revolution, none other than George Washington himself sent a letter requesting Robert Laird’s recipe. At that point, Robert was already the 4th generation of the Laird distilling dynasty. Their product has aged well. Seek it out and drink it. There are 2 bottles sitting in my bar as I type. In fact, hold on a moment while I go pour some.

Ahh, that’s much better. As you might deduce from the Laird’s story, apples were an important part of colonial drinking and cider was the way to go. In the early days of the republic, we drank a lot more cider than beer. The beer was, well, odd. Squash ales and the like. Best not to think too deeply about it and pop open a cider or two (domestic, of course).

Rum was also a favorite of early America. Interesting examples are popping up around the country, but it’s hard to ignore Puerto Rico. While the good people of the commonwealth don’t yet have full representation in Congress, they do have some fine rum. Bacardi is the best known example (and perfectly satisfactory), but it’s made there for a corporation headquartered in Bermuda. If you’re out shopping, keep an eye open for Don Q, the best-selling rum on the island, and Ron de Barrillito, an old, respected label with a nice depth of character.

If some other spirit is your preference, you’ve got some choices. Despite the freight of the Cold War, vodka has become a quintessential American choice. It’s the best-selling spirit in the country and some of the best examples are made right here. I’ll likely start my celebration off with a Bloody Mary made with Tito’s as pictured. In this case, I’ve infused it with celery, black pepper and bay leaves to make a savory base, but right out of the bottle, it’s a strong choice. And it’s made from that most American of grains, corn.

Whatever you choose to drink, be safe and have a very happy Fourth!