#irish whiskey brand

[damebubble]

Jannell's Whiskey Sour Lemon juice, water, sugar blend well with Irish whiskey in this quick and easy recipe for a whiskey sour cocktail that serves one.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Liqueurs

Liqueurs

Also known as cordials.

Distilled spirits that feature flavorings such as fruits, herbs, and spices.

Heavy, sweet, and complexly flavored drinks.

These sweet alcoholic beverages are used to make cocktails, or can be served alone as aperitifs or digestifs.

Making Liqueurs

Involves adding fruits, sugar, cream, spices, herbs, nuts, and flavorings to a liquor base at a distillery.

The sweetness of liqueurs is their most common feature.

Although, they can range widely in sugar content.

Popular types of liqueurs: orange liqueurs, herbal liqueurs, and coffee liqueurs.

Liqueur vs. Liquor

Both are drinks with high alcohol content and similar-sounding names.

However, there are essential differences between these two categories:

Fermentation: Liquor—also known as hard alcohol, spirits, or distilled spirits—is a category of alcoholic beverages that ferment and undergo distillation. In the distillation process, heat and condensation increase the alcohol content, and a significant portion of the water boils off, concentrating the alcohol and particular compounds. Liquors usually starting with a grain base (distillers occasionally use fruits). The six main categories are whiskey, brandy, rum, vodka, gin, and tequila.

Flavorings: Most liqueurs begin with liquor as a base; then, distillers add herbs, spices, and other flavorings. Bartenders can serve liqueurs as-is or add them in small amounts to a liquor base to form mixed drinks.

Sugar: The main difference between liquor and liqueur is sweetness. Liqueurs are intensely flavored with the most predominant note usually being sweetness. Flavoring herbs and oils and added sugar provide flavor and texture.

Alcohol content: Both liqueurs and liquors have a range of alcohol content. Most liquor is in the 40 to 55 percent range of Alcohol by Volume (ABV), or 80 to 110 proof. Liqueurs typically contain more ingredients, so the alcohol content is generally lower, from 15 to 30 percent ABV or 30 to 60 proof.

15 Popular Types of Liqueurs

There is a wide range of liqueurs, from cream-based cordials to proprietary recipes.

Amaretto: An Italian liqueur made from apricot kernels, which give the liquor a distinctly bitter almond flavor. Its name comes from amaro, the Italian word for “bitter.” Sweeter notes of brown sugar temper the bitterness of the apricot pits. It contains 21 to 28% ABV and can be sipped alone or added to cocktails.

Amaro: A broad category of regional Italian bitters. Made from either a neutral spirit or brandy, this bitter liqueur is a staple in the Italian lifestyle. A curated blend of botanical ingredients—typically an inherited recipe that includes herbs, spices, and flowers, as well as barks and roots like gentian root, cinchona, and wormwood—gives each variety of amaro its unique flavor. Campari, Cynar, Fernet Branca, and Aperol are popular amaro liqueur brands.

Anise liqueurs: Anice, the primary flavoring agent in black licorice, is a popular ingredient in alcoholic drinks in many countries and cultures: Ouzo in Greece, Sambuca and Galliano in Italy, Pernod Absinthe in France, and Raki in Turkey, among others.

Chambord: A popular brand of raspberry-flavored liqueur. The ingredients are red and black raspberries, honey, vanilla, and cognac. Chambord is great for making Raspberry Mojitos and Raspberry Margaritas.

Cream liqueurs: Thick, sweet liqueurs made with the addition of milk or a milk substitute, along with sweetener, to provide a creamy sweetness to the drink. Baileys Irish Cream liqueur and Amarula are two examples of cream liqueurs.

Creme liqueurs: Creme liqueurs are thick, sweet, syrup-like beverages. Unlike cream liqueurs, creme liqueurs do not contain dairy. Instead, added sugar provides a thick consistency. Crème de cassis (made from blackcurrants), crème de cacao, (a chocolate liqueur) and crème de menthe are different flavors of this category.

Coffee liqueurs: These liqueurs contain caffeine, and the predominant flavor is coffee. Coffee liqueurs, such as Kahlúa from Mexico or Irish Sheridan, are generally served with cream and sugar.

Elderflower liqueurs: These herbal liqueurs provide a light, floral note to cocktail recipes. St. Germain is a popular brand of elderflower liqueur.

Limoncello: A liqueur flavored with lemon peel. Limoncello is strong, sweet, and bright yellow.

Medicinal: Some liqueurs, such as Chartreuse and Benedictine, were initially used for medicinal purposes. These liqueurs tend to be floral and highly complex, with an ingredient list that remains secretive.

Orange liqueurs: These liqueurs feature predominant orange flavors, and are broadly known under the labels curaçao or Triple Sec. Popular brands include Cointreau and Grand Marnier.

Schnapps: Some varieties of schnapps do not classify as liqueurs, but those with added sweetness and flavoring agents, such as peach schnapps and peppermint schnapps, are liqueurs.

Drambuie: This Scottish liqueur has a base spirit of Scotch whiskey and a proprietary blend of herbs and spices.

Frangelico: Italian liqueur flavored with roasted hazelnuts; comes in a uniquely shaped bottle, modeled after a Christian monk, complete with a rope belt.

Strega: Italian herbal liqueur that gets its name from the Italian word for witch. The distinctive yellow color comes from saffron, imparting flavor to the liqueur.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Food History Wine-tasting ⚜ Drunkenness ⚜ Drinking ⚜ Literary & Hollywood Cocktails

[the-offside-rule]

Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - Hot Whiskey

Day 23 of Christmas

Prompt: An Irish Christmas

25 Days of Christmas

The pub was packed, brimming with Y/n’s family and the cheerful, twinkling warmth of Christmas. Y/n sat at a table near the fireplace, with her boyfriend Oscar Piastri beside her. His eyes were wide with excitement, taking in the lively atmosphere. It was his first time in Ireland, and this was no regular family gathering—there were cousins, grandparents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and more; practically the whole clan had come out for the family Christmas party a week before Christmas. Oscar couldn’t hide his grin as he shook hands, hugged relatives, and answered enthusiastic questions from all sides. Everyone was thrilled to meet the Aussie fella, as they had quickly dubbed him. Y/n’s dad eventually wove his way over through the crowd, an unmistakable glint in his eye.

The evening started out relaxed, with Oscar enthusiastically shaking hands, listening intently to thick Irish accents he was just beginning to understand. He looked right at home in his cozy sweater, his eyes lighting up as he shared stories, thrilled to be a part of this bustling Irish holiday tradition. "Right, Oscar-" Her dad said, his hand firmly patting Oscar’s shoulder. "If you’re in Ireland, you need to try a Guinness."

Oscar smiled, accepting the dark pint that her dad handed him. Lifting it to his mouth, he took a careful sip, doing his best to mask his surprise at the strong, rich taste. Y/n bit back a laugh at his expression, knowing it wasn’t exactly a light beer by any means. But Oscar was determined; he gave her a small, resolute nod, and he finished the pint, hoping the next drink might be more up his alley.

Then Y/n’s mum handed him a steaming mug of mulled wine. "Warms ya up, love. Give it a go!" she encouraged. Oscar raised it to his lips, the mix of wine, spices, and…was that brandy? It was potent, and the heat of the drink made it hit even harder. He took a few more polite sips, finishing it and glancing at Y/n with hope in his eyes that maybe he could take a break.

Not so fast.

Y/n’s grandmother shuffled over, a gleam in her eye, and handed him a hot whiskey. "Here, love." She said with a wink. "Have a hot whiskey. Warm you right up, that will." Oscar took a sip, and the whiskey hit him hard, burning his throat. He swallowed it, feeling his eyes water slightly. He nodded, forcing a smile as Y/n's granny walked away, before leaning toward Y/n. "Is it… always this strong?" He whispered, a little hoarse.

"Oh, that’s Gran’s hot whiskey." She chuckled. "She likes a triple shot in each glass—at least." Oscar blinked, staring at the mug. "Triple shot?" He shook his head, a little dazed. "She must be made of money to be ordering triple whiskeys." He muttered. "She's a farmer's wife. That should explain all." Oscar hissed as he swallowed down the drink. He didn't know which burnt more; the whiskey itself or the fact that it was hot. Still, every sip was an ordeal, but Oscar was too polite to say no. He finally managed to finish it, but before he could blink, Y/n’s grandmother was at his side again, handing him a new glass with another full pour of whiskey. "Good man!" Her grandmother praised as he emptied the glass and, without missing a beat, handed him a brand new glass.

By the fourth hot whiskey- pr was it the fifth? Anyway, Oscar was looking a little glazed, and by the sixth, his usual calm demeanour was entirely gone. The warmth and joy of the family party mixed with the dizzying strength of Gran’s "special" whiskeys until he leaned over to Y/n, resting his head on her shoulder. "Y/n, I’m… thinkin’ I might need a… quick nap." He mumbled, his voice thick with drowsiness. His accent was a little off, his words slurred. Y/n laughed, gently patting his back. "Come on, let’s get you some chips."

The fresh air outside was a relief for him as they headed to the chipper next door. She ordered him a large portion of chips and a bottle of water, and he looked at her with sheer gratitude. "Thank you." He said, the clarity slowly returning as he munched on the salty, comforting chips. After about a half hour of Oscar munching on the chips and Y/n talking to the cousins who walked by asking if Oscar was alright, he felt a bit better. The headache had stopped anyway.

"Feeling better, love?" She asked, watching his color return. He nodded, managing a small smile. "That was… so much stronger than I expected." Oscar said. "Our gran is like that, lad. Probably best to stick to whatever you drivers drink." Her cousin chuckled. "Ah Dylan, would you leave the man alone. Having 7 triple whiskeys is enough for anyone." Y/n said defensively. "That's why I stick to the Guinness." Oscar shook his head. "I don't like that either." He mumbled. "Maybe the Lucozade is for you then so. Maybe even some Cidona."

"Dylan, get inside." Y/n snapped. As her cousin disappeared, she sat down next to Oscar on the window sill outside the bar. She wrapped an arm around him and rubbed his arm lightly. "Welcome to Ireland, love." Oscar sighed. "What a warm welcome." She laughed. "Would you like to go back in?" Oscar thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, come on."

They returned to the pub, where the family welcomed them back with cheers. Gran was waiting with another hot whiskey, her eyes sparkling with pride at her convert. But Oscar held up a hand, smiling politely. "I think I’ll take a little break on the whiskey for now." Y/n wrapped her arm around him, laughing. "He’s not used to it, Gran. He’ll join us again in a bit." Gran gave him a knowing nod, patting his cheek. "Aye, we’ll see about that."

Oscar stumbled to the bar. He was going to just order a Lucozade. Instead, Dylan came back, this time bringing his two friends with him, grinning mischievously. Before he knew it, Oscar was knocking back Jager bombs and trying Malibu with milk shots at their insistence as Y/n had stopped drinking completely, making sure Oscar didn't do anything stupid.

As the night wore on, the entire family decided to head home, Oscar stumbling alongside Y/n’s dad, both of them in equally high spirits. Once home, the two of them were intent on finishing off the festivities. "Do you like Bailey's Oscar?" Her dad asked. "Mate, I fucking live Bailey's!" Oscar exclaimed, slapping the table as the bottle was placed in front of him with two shot glasses. It jnfortunately didn't stop there. They downed a bottle of Baileys, several cans of Guinness, Oscar proudly announcing he finally likes it and a bottle of champagne. "Here, show us how it's done." Oscar wiped the foam of the Guinness from his top lip grinning. He opened the back door and wandered out, shaking the champagme maniacally, drenching Y/n's dad. "Wait, wait." Her dad disappeared before reappearing once again with another bottle "Do it like yer man you're teammates with!" Oscar grinned, smashing the bottle onto the ground, only for the bottle to shatter, the champagme fizzling and pooling into the snow. Just then, the top window opened and out popped both Y/n and her mother. "Is that my good champagme I saved for Christmas dinner?!" Y/n's mother shouted. The silence was deafening. "Get inside, the pair of you!" Y/n added, as the two drunken men sheepishly walked inside, ending the festivities a little earlier for their liking.

The next morning, Oscar was rudely awakened by the smell of an Irish fry-up drifting from the kitchen. Groggy and bleary-eyed, he grabbed the first thing he could find, which happened to be Y/n’s fluffy dressing gown, and wandered downstairs. The sight that greeted him was Y/n’s mother at the stove, her face a mix of amusement and a slight groan as she handed Y/n a five-euro note. "We had a bet going on who’d wake up first, you or Y/n’s dad." She explained with a laugh. Oscar nodded. "I'm sorry about your champagme by the way. I'll buy you a new one." Oscar mumbled. "Ah don't be silly. The wages are in Thursday, we'll get a new bottle then."

Oscar stumbled into Y/n’s arms, practically collapsing in a hug. "My head’s killing me." He murmured, squinting as he adjusted to the morning light. "We only got to bed at half five, and it’s barely eleven." He groaned. "Ah you're a wee pet. My heart bleeds for you." She smiled, tapping on the counter beside the paracetamol and flat 7up. "Drink up." Y/n smiled, patting his back. "This and the fry up will sort you right out."

He sat at the table, where a massive plate of sausages, bacon, beans, soda bread, boxty, potato bread, and black and white pudding awaited him. One bite in, and he groaned, his eyes closing in pleasure. "This… this is the best breakfast I’ve ever had." He declared, savouring every bite. "Well, thank you very much." Her mother smiled, setting a cup of tea down next to him. "I’ve done a good few of these fry-ups for Y/n over the years. She used to drink a lot before she moved away." Y/n’s face flushed with embarrassment. "Mam!" She protested, burying her face in her hands. Oscar laughed, taking another bite. "Well, whatever it is, I think I need one every morning from now on."

[dollielliot]

͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏the missions (these are excerpts from eric harris's site)͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏͏❀ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏

[CONTENT MISSING]

1 The first was when we put an entire assortment of very loud fireworks in a tunnel, and lit them off at about 1:00AM. This mission was part of a rebellion against these assholes that shot one of our bikes one day. They were rather angry that night, and we were very happy. We will be doing another hit on their house sometime in the near future. And that one will be much closer. And louder.

After each mission we get drunk. Not with wimpy beer, we only use hard liquor. Aftershock, Irish Cream, Tequila, Vodka, Whiskey, Rum, and sometimes a few shots of EVERCLEAR. We also sometimes make up our own shooters. And sample others (never try a prairie fire, its killer!). In our next few missions, we are planning to hit the dorks house a few more times, along with a few other houses. And also set off some more fireworks at that tunnel. We each have a large supply of fireworks...loud ones...and soon I will have my license and we can drive around any place we want to. heh heh. Soon I will be putting our directions for mixing drinks that we make up. We will put up any good shooter or other drink that we try. So check this place out often.

[CONTENT MISSING]

R....e....b....e....l....C....l....a....n

this page was written by REB

REB VoDkA KIBBz

2 Our second mission was against this complete and utter fag's house. Everyone in our school hates this immature little weakling. So we decided to "hit" his house. On Friday night (2/7/97) at about 12:15AM we arrived at this queer's house. Fully equipped with 3 eggs, 2 rolls of toilet paper, the cheap brand, no pretty flowers, (we were disappointed to) superglue, and the proper tools to make his phone box a busy box (for those of you that are stupid, a buy box is where you set their box so that when they try to make a call, they get a busy signal and when someone else calls, they get a busy signal too). We placed 2 eggs in his very large, thick bushes. We just barely cracked them open so they will be producing a rather repulsive and extremely BAD odor for sometime. We placed the last egg on his "welcome" mat. It was very neat, I cracked the egg, put the yoke in the center, and the 2 halves on either side of the yoke. Then we teepeed his large pine tree and this...oak? tree. I don't know, it's big though. It wasn't a complete teepee but it was enough to agitate the homeowner greatly. We also put the superglue on the front door and on the little red mailbox flag. 

3 This mission was an attack on the people who shot Vodka's bike, and on some random houses. First, after sneaking out of my house at around 1:55, we lit off 1 strand of 200 thunderbombs and 6 bottle rockets. We had also set a time delayed assortment too. This was made of 10 bottle rockets and a few crackling balls. We aren't really sure if those went off though because by the time they would have, we were a mile away. After the fireworks we went over to this asshole's house. His name is brooks brown {redacted by FBI and missing in files - possibly home address}. If any of you feel like pranking him. Anyway, we didn't really do much to him. Just put some model puddy on his Merc. Then, we went to another kid's house, and started to teepee his big, tall, thick, thorny-ass-tree. We set off the motion detectors about 4 times, and we dodged 1 car. But we didn't get caught! His tree was completely covered and wrapped in ass wiping paper. Even though we only had 4 rolls, we did one helluva good job. After that we moved some rather large rocks onto people's driveways and tagged RC into a fence. Then, we came home and got drunk while watching Bordello of Blood. 

4 This mission was frehkin unique. The mission was from my house (REB), through the corridor, past the graves, and to the place where we do all of our fireworks. It was supposed to be like the other missions to this place. The weather was nice, we had 4 items made up and ready for use. The first fuse didn't work. The second fuse malfunctioned also. Both of those items were just about 100-120 thunderbombs strapped together. We had one more like the first 2 and we also had a little contraption of bottle rockets. These bottle rockets were strapped together, and put into a bottle. We placed this bottle on top of a large hill. So quite a few people could see. After about the 3rd try, I decided to just light the fuses that were directly from the rockets. Usually we use loooong fuses so we have time to get away. But this time, with Vodka and Kibbz standing over in front of some bigass shrubbery. I just did the direct fuse. After lighting it I ran like a sonuvabitch to Vodka and Kibbz.

 By the time I made it to them the rockets were starting to go off. We had about 50 in the assortment, so it lasted a while. It was rather perrrty. Then we busted the bottle and went BACK to the 2 strips that didn't work. They both had rather crappy quality fuses so they went out before they reached their target. I took the last one, tied the remainder of the first 2 fuses to it, and lit it for the final f*ckin time. Since I am the fastest in the group, I usually light the fuses and Kibbz would be at the point where we stop running. Vodka would keep guard while I light. This time both of them went over and laid down on the side of this hill about 100 yards away. This would be the first time we have ever seen our own work in action. All the other times we just heard them. I lit it, ran to the hill, and watched the lovely ass fireworks go off. They lasted about 45 seconds, a total of around 400 went off. Dogs were barkin and everything. It was really cool to see em all to. 

After that we went to this point in the trails that looked like the Q from quake. We smoked some cigars, and headed home. Except...when we were a few blocks away from home, we had an incident. We were walking along the sidewalk when a f*cking garage door opened at the house that we were right by! We bolted into that person's yard...and ducked down and tried to be as quiet as possible. This adult came out, got his newspaper(it was about 4:30 in the AM) and went back in. I tried to signal Vodka and Kibbz but they didn't see me. We waited...a few minutes later the man got in his car and started down his driveway. The flood of lights from his car just covered us. He stopped, got out, and yelled "WHO ARE YOU!" we got up, said we were just passin through and stuff, and he kept sayin "GET OUT OF HERE", "ILL CALL THE COPS!" and "WHO ARE YOU." We f*ckin hauled assholes and elbows home. 

This mission was also liquor free as a result of this person named Brooks Brown {redacted by FBI and missing in files - possibly home address} who tried to narc on us. Telling my parents that I had booze and @#%$ in my room. I had to ditch every bottle I had and lie like a f*ckin salesman to my parents. All because Brooks Brown thought I put a little nik in his windshield from a snowball.......BS? yes, Anyway, that was mission 4.

5 This mission was one of the best we ever did. This was from Kibbz's house to several locations in his neighborhood. That night was probably the longest walk we ever did. First we went to this soccer field/playground. It was right on the corner of a very busy intersection. So every minute we had cars going by. There was a lot of moonlight that night, we got to the playground and dodged the lights of cars for about 20 minutes. Then we decided what our first strike would be like.

We got a big McD's cup, and went to the center field of the soccer field. We got out about 20 bottle rockets that were stripped together, and a 100 somethin strip of blackcats. Each had very good and long fuses so we had lots of time. We lit them, and ran over and got in front of these big pine trees. We were totally out of vision. The rockets went off first. They launched out over the field and then the strip went off, after that we started goin back the way we came. Which went through this trail about 35 yards wide with houses on either side. We found this large metal tub...perfect for firecrackers!!! We decided that Kibbz and Vodka would walk off toward the street on the other side of the trail and hide behind some trees while I lit it. Except...the street was over 100 yards away. And they were about 15 yards past it. Once they signaled me, I lit the small assortment of thunderbombs and about 50 stickless bottle rockets. They would only make sound, no visual effects. But anyway, I lit and sprinted the whole f*ckin way. About 3/4ths the way the fireworks went off, I was right in the middle of this bigass trail.

I never ran so fast in all the missions. But I made it to the others and watched all these lights go on from the houses. Then we walked over to this big open hill between some houses and a busy street. We got a long wooden board and placed it on the hill. We had a long strip of about 200 and a little brick of about 3 packs of thunderbombs. This time we used a cigarette fuse. We only needed about an inch of it. We lit the cigarette and went over to hide behind some trees. When it went off it was VERY loud where we were so we bolted outa there. After a few minutes we went back to see if all the stuff had gone off and it all did. So we got some souvaneers (i know misspelled) and went home. Drank some Aftershock that night too. We were supposed to have a few chicks come with us, but they couldn't make it...so maybe next time.

[CONTENT MISSING]

              6. Awwww yeya. This mission was so fuckin fun man. Ok, first of all, my dad was the only parent home so it was much easier getting out...but still hard since all these rocks in my backyard make so much noise. Plus the neighbors faulting dog barking its faulting head off. First we went through the corridor...going through some very tall grass fields...not as tall as the ones in the Lost World, but close. Felt kinda cool. Then we set up the strip of 1132 firecrackers. Using w cigarettes as starting fuses, we had plenty of time to spare. We also had a nice little crackering fountain hooked up to the fuses too. After a few minutes of setting it up, we lit it and went over and hid it on top of this big cement pipe going under a street. We were on the side of a hill so we hid in the grass. There was also a full moon that night, and not a foaming cloud in the sky. So it was like noon on the equator when we were out in the open. But, black clothing and tall grass sure helps. After about 5 minutes (forever) it began.

Beforehand we watched as some lights in the target house went on.....then off. Maybe the bastard heard something. But when the strip started, he turned his bedroom lights off. The strip lasted for about 30 seconds.....we think.....it was very fucking long. Almost all of it went off, loud and bright, everything worked exactly how we wanted it to. After about 15 minutes we started down the bike trail to the next target. The first targets lights were on again in the bedroom but we think we got away undetected. While we were walking to the next target we shot some stuff. Heh, VoDkA brought his sawed off BB gun and a few BBs too. So we loaded it, pumped it, and fired a few shots at some houses and trees and stuff. We probably didn't do any damage to any houses, but we aren't sure. The gun was not loud at all, which is very good. At the next target, we set up the saturn missile battery and the rockets. These both had fuses about 2-3 feet long. I lit them as VoDka and KiBBs were hiding in the shadows. 

Luckily there were some trees and stuff at the 2nd target so we could hide pretty good. Anyway, I lit and went over to the others. We watched as the fuses burned and burned...then the rockets went off. It was pretty nice, not so much meant as a prank, but more as a nice little fireworks show. They made some noise, but nothing to shit yer pants about. But the battery didn't work. So I went back, checked it out, and the fuse had burned down to about 2 inches. So I just said up yours baby nad lit it. Right as I made it back to the others it went off. It was pretty quick, and loud too. Since the missiles are whistlers, they probably woke up a few residents. YEY. Then we started heading to this construction site. It’s right on the side of a kind of busy road, but before the houses. We dodged a few cars, messed around at the site and we also swiped some signs from this fence that was put up around the soon-to-be-foundation of whatever is being built. The signs read "RENT-A-FENCE" and had some 1 800 number on them. So we got some very nice souvoneers (spelled close enuf) from that place.

Then, as KIBBz and VoDkA were down in the foundation hole and I was up on top, a cop drove by. We had enough time to see it, take cover, and watch it go by, so it didn't get us by surprise. But once we saw it was a cop we decided it was time to farming LEAVE. He didn't stop, he drove right by, but @#%$ he mighta been looking for us. So we got out of the fence, grabbed our signs and went to the neighborhood again. We didn't have that much trouble getting back home, just some dogs and @#%$. Once we got in, we were tired as a priest after a 5 hour orgy. The total mission took about 3 hours. We left around 12:30 and got back around 3-3:30. We are not very sure but it lasted a while. And damit, it was well worth it. We needed that mission too, we were all pretty tired of waiting and our nerves were just about shot. So it was perdy relaxing to be free like that.

[CONTENT MISSING]

{mission unnumbered} [CONTENT MISSING]

NEXT MISSION=aaaan whenever

Ok people, I’m gonna let you in on the big secret of our clan. We aint no god damn stupid ass quake clan! We are more of a gang. We plan out and execute missions. Anyone pisses us off, we do a little deed to their house. Eggs, teepee, superglue, busyboxes, large amounts of fireworks, you name it and we will probably or already have done it. We have many enemies in our school, therefore we make many missions. It’s sort of a night time tradition for us. 

It’s a very close replica of the missions sites. But we have never seen the inside of the house…so we just guessed. It’s also cut off where the area isn't important (ya know I didn't want to put in all of the neighborhood!).  

The mission has been done. And the rebels…once again… emerged victorious. Vee falking blew de sheeeit outta lossa stoof!!

As for the next mission, we haven't decided what to do or where to do it. I had some thoughts about hiding in some large bushes and shooting stuff. Or maybe some more aerial attacks. But we need to go up to Wyoming and load up on that stuff. We are running low. Plus we just got our paychecks….they aren't big…but they can cover quite a bit of shit. We still need to get the fuses too. So far, the next mission will probly be in July sometime. But we AINT SURE. 

[CONTENT MISSING]

[diejager]

My deep dark desire for a distillery au wherein each force is a competing distillery and you yeet an expert taster reader in there who is in charge of judging each whisky and ranking them. Either they are pulling out all the stops on your tour and treating you like a princess or doing the opposite and threatening you to rank them the highest :')

Mhairi, I am the worse person to ask about whiskey, my parents have delicious smelling ones, fruity and spicy ones, but taste wise? I gag like there’s no tomorrow, especially gin!! I hate gin. The only thing I can stomach so far is sweet, coffee and cream flavoured Baileys Irish Cream. (I know there’s Irish whiskey in it, but it’s only 17% compared to the 40% of any other whiskeys)

Eau De Vie Cw: Alcohol drinking, whiskey taste, tell me if I missed any.

Whisky had always been your favourite, your little secret that you shared with your closest friends alone —your penchent for judging whiskeys and bourbons alone, managing to include rum and brandy in rare occasions. So when you were approached by a known figure in the Whiskey industry that acted as the face for many distilleries across the world, you couldn’t turn down the offer when you were given so much in a simple deal.

You were responsible to drink and rank many popular brands by taste and smell alone, the only person delegated to become the judge. You were given the privilege of taking home a bottle of each brand after this competition, another reason to accept it. So you signed the contract without a second of hesitation, shaking her hand to conclude the deal before she left you squirming with excitement in your office home.

You were flown from your city to a calm part of the Scottish countryside, a chalet overlooking the Scottish highlands and its green beauty. This was the quaint house you would temporarily live in with the rest of the team orchestrating this friendly competition, leaving the connecting house up the cliff side to the different distilleries. From what you’ve heard, Kate Laswell - Kate you called her after a few meetings that had fully bloomed into a friendship of alcohol connoissoir - the participating teams were the British company 141 - who in coalition to Chimera and the ULF - would represent their alliance, the American Shadows, the multi-national KorTac and the Russian brewery Konni. They were all popular brands distilling whiskey and brandy in their own countries, creating a plethora of tastes and sensations that would explode on your tongue after a few sips.

You were ecstatic, your mouth salivating at the simple thought of tasting the finest whiskeys from around the world, but you had a few days to rest and tour the side of Scotland you were shipped to. What you expected to be calm and mild-mannered men and women from their side of the world to meet and eat with refined etiquette, was shattered the second you peered through the door after walking down the connecting path from your chalet to their house.

They were loud, rambunctious in the very sense of it, loud and jovial, hurling insults and hissing out jeers at one another. It was a dogfight between brewers, like cats and dogs. You felt like a stranger, gawking at the group hurling words at one another until it all stopped, the open living room falling in silence when they heard you drop your bag on the polished wood. You’ve never seen humans move so fast until the second after the silence, scrambling to clean the room up and wooing you with their compliments and sweet pleasantries to appease you.

They gave you a tour of the house, the rich wine cellar that was open to you whenever you wanted a drink, the wooden patio that had it’s own lounge and bar, and the various rooms in the mansion-like chalet. They all vied for your attention, ripping one another’s throat to have a second of your attention, kissing up to you with sweet compliments and even sweeter praises.

The Brits - well, three English and one Scott - were a good mix of mature and zealousness, low voices and near-overwhelming figures with their broad shoulders and stocky mass. They came with other people to represent their company: Farah and her devoted Alex from ULF, and the crude Nikolai and Krueger from Chimera.

The Shadows were American, the most American you’ve ever seen, energetic and determined to win you over, and the CEO, a man with a southern accent and a seductive smirk, swiping you off your feet with pet names that made you fluster.

KorTac had as many accents as they had people of different countries, both men and women skilled in multiple languages and conversing so fluently that you started to question if you were on the same planet.

Konni was rough on the edges, their leading figure as scheming as he was gentlemanly, his thin lips letting out the most vicious praises to have you squirming under his dark gaze and unmoving determination for the win.

Days later, you met them at the compound farther down the road, away from the beauty of the coast and cliff, a long table exposing their finest to you. Poured in a cups, one with ice and another without, they were left for you to decide which would win the prize for both straight and on the rocks. Today was the day you would nominate one as the best, standing higher than everyone else without bias despite the times they rendered you a flustered mess and made you unendingly grateful for their help.

Your pallet exploded with flavour every time you sipped on a different brand, eyes rolling to the back of your head with the deliciousness of every bottle. 141 brought three bottles of their aged whiskey: a smoky Scotch Whisky made in the same Highlands you were tasting it, the bitter spiciness of rye whiskey from the American branch of the ULF - credits to Alex for introducing it - and the woody and fruity aroma of Chimera’s whiskey. Shadows had brought - unsurprisingly - their most popular types of whiskey to the table: Bourbon made in their own distillery in Kentucky, a sweet and mellow sub-type of their first one and the smooth flavour of their wheat whiskey. KorTac had a large variety to it’s collection: a floral tasting whiskey that outmatched Hibiki Harmony, a nutty sensation of a bottle made in Ireland and the rich and peaty on of a danish-made bottle. And finally, three Russian bottles from the biggest distillery in Russia: a sweet and smoky bottle, a second one with rich malt and honey, and a third focusing on aroma with it’s spicy odour and fruity taste.

They were all so delicious, if you had these bottles when you working at the bar, mixing concoctions for paying clients, you would’ve been overjoyed, but those days were long gone, your priority standing elsewhere than fulfilling your dream. Truthfully, you didn’t know who to give the medal, the flavours so vast and unique. Perhaps they wouldn’t mind if you took a second or third sip just to be sure.

Part 2

Taglist: @sae1kie @yeoldedumbslut @bvxygriimes @distracteddragoness @konigsblog @havoc973 @im-making-an-effort @daisychainsinknots @0alk0msan @danielle143 @dont-mind-me-just-existing-sadly @tuttifuckinfruttifriday @kaelysia @notspiders @velvetsoulweaver @petwifed @aldis-nuts @randominstake

[theodoranowak]

x. status -> open (5/5) x. location -> o'shea's irish pub

It’s been a busy past couple of days. Moving to a brand new city with a brand new job and a brand new business on one’s shoulders can become a bit taxing for anyone — even Theodora, despite her experience with stressful situations. She’d mentioned needing a drink at a meeting with the new stable manager as they wrapped up in person for the first time, and he’d recommended O’Shea’s, swearing by the whiskey and “everything other than the vodka.” Whether that’s more of a personal preference or an actual warning is not something Theo is eager to find out tonight.

The bar is cute — it’s quaint and lively and certainly on theme. She’s taking in the scenery as she walks up to the bar, phone against her ear as she hums and haws at her mother’s agent, Peter. He only finishes delivering her mother’s message to her when she’s already sliding onto a seat right at the bar. “I already told you, Petey,” Theo uses the nickname his mother’s manager detests, voice dripping artificial sweetness. “If she has something against what I use my own money for, she can call me herself. She’s 62, not dead.”

Peter sounds like he’s about to start protesting again, but Theodora’s tired, annoyed, and disinterested, so she gives Peter a quick ‘ta-ta’ and hangs up before he can start on another spiel about her abrupt decision to leave the family law firm and move to Illinois to ‘make them all look bad,’ according to her parents.

She sets her phone down on the bar and looks up at the bartender, smiling politely. “I’ll have a whiskey sour, please,” she requests, then, as she turns off her phone, she mutters to no one in particular, “There has to be better things to do on a Friday night than harass your only daughter.”

[tf2-oneshots]

(2/3) and then Snap to a few weeks later, where Everyone is gathered into what would be the Mercs equivalent to a Living room. Engie makes a comment like "thanks, Darlin' you're the best" after Spy got him something he needed, which then instinctively both Demo and Scout rise to argue for their partners, and all three are just having this compliment war in complete view of their partners and their teammates, which they all swore to never do for fear of their partners never letting it go(which they were correct, they don't)

Part two! Part one is here!

Warnings: none!

Rating: Teen and up for Medic boobs lol

“We all set for movie night?” Bowl of popcorn in hand, Scout takes his seat in the common room. He steals a few pieces, washing them down with a sip of his Bonk. He gets comfy on the good side of the couch as Engineer and Demo take their seats.

“Got the beer, the candy, and the film. Ain’t nothing left, right?” The three look around, mentally checking off each item. There were enough snacks to make it through half the movie between the three of them. Drinks to combat the salty seasoning Demo mixed into the popcorn.

“You know what? Forgot the blanket. Goddamnit, I just got comfy.” The Engineer huffs, picturing the massive blanket folded on the kitchen table where he left it. The Texan grunts, begrudgingly working himself to standing when soft fabric grazes his cheek. Turning to the source, Spy is placing their blanket in Engineer’s lap.

“I believe this is yours, mon inventeur.” Spy leans in, stealing a chaste kiss. Her gloved hand rests on the American’s cheek before they part ways. Spy gives him a smile before he stands upright once more.

“Well, ain’t you a peach? Thank you kindly, Spy.” Scout gags, unusually loud this time. The couple roll their eyes and Spy huffs. Leave it to the brat to find real romance unappealing. He steps away from the couch to join everyone else in the adjacent dining room.

“I’ll take my leave. If I stay, Scout may shrivel and die.” She comments before crossing through the doorframe. Once out of earshot, Engineer spreads the blanket between the three of them. He gives the men a smug look, hitting the play button for their movie.

“Y’all’s boys ever do that for you?” Both Scout and Demo roll their eyes. Despite the film beginning, Scout makes a point to turn and face Engineer. He’s careful not to spill the popcorn sitting in his lap while doing so.

“Sniper got me a whole case of Irish whiskey. The top shelf brand too. That’s love right there.” Said case sits in his room with the rest of his special occasion drinks. As tempted as he is to snatch a bottle or two, Demo has to reserve them for when it matters.

“Dude, that’s nothing. Medic called me his dove last night. Yeah, you heard me! Dove. Do you even, like, know how much that means? I’m basically a married man now.” The older men groan, denying the fact that Scout is married over a pet name. If it were that easy, Engineer would be married to every woman he’s called ‘hon’ in his life.

“Spy’s got eyes as blue as the summer sky. Ain’t nothing like them.” A pretty blue that Engineer can’t help stare into when they spend time together. He never noticed at first due to his tinted goggles, but when he saw the pair unfiltered, his heart skipped a beat.

“Medic’s the best to cuddle though. That dude is soft as hell cause he’s got huge—“ A metal hand slaps itself over Scout’s mouth. If Engineer had done it any harder, the impact might have finally fixed Scout’s overbite.

Adjacent to the trio, the three men in question had been playing a game of poker. A game that was discarded the moment they heard their lovers debating who was best. All three sit in shock, listening to their partners bicker.

“Congrats on the jugs, mate.” Sniper chuckles as Medic crosses his arms to cover the pair. The doctor rolls his eyes, listening in as Engineer goes on a tirade of compliments towards Spy. Said Frenchman leans back to sip his wine.

“Well, isn’t Engineer a romantic? Your brutes could learn from him.” The ramble is cut off by Demo who begins listing off many of Sniper’s best qualities. His rugged voice, he’s upper body strength, that cute birthmark on his lower back. The last of which causing the Aussie to blush.

“Don’t need romance when my mate’s obsessed with me. Love’s got a big heart in him.” This of course, is only the beginning. With compliments and praises pouring from the three men, their lover’s egos inflated rapidly. Spy’s smugness doubled, Sniper’s pride grew massive, and Medic felt the sudden urge to pull more praises from Scout by any means possible.

Part two is done! Stay tuned for part three! -H

[leviabeat]

From VolbeatSpirits.com

Written by Ryan J. Downey

Before he became the singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter in Volbeat, teenaged Michael Poulsen loved potent music (from heavy metal to rockabilly) and drinking socially. While building an English-style pub in his basement as an adult (which friends describe as “like something out of Peaky Blinders”), Michael discovered a deeper fondness for whiskey and the sense memories it can conjure.

“I was opening all these boxes and deciding what to put on the shelves and what to throw out,” he remembers. “I opened a bottle, took a sip, and my mind just flew away. Suddenly, I was six years old again, on the moped with my dad, going to pick corn for the birds he kept at home. I could taste and smell the grass, green apples, and pears on the trees. I looked at the bottle, and it was a very old Irish whiskey. After that, I wanted to know everything about what makes Irish whiskey so special.”

Plenty of rock stars and celebrities are content to simply slap a label on something. However, as demonstrated by Volbeat’s premium rums, that doesn’t cut it for Poulsen and his bandmates, including bassist and backing vocalist Kasper Boye Larsen and cofounding drummer Jon Larsen.

“At the regular corner supermarkets, they just have one brand, and it’s so terrible I wouldn’t even polish my bike with it,” explains Poulsen. “I couldn’t understand why getting good Irish whiskey around the world was so difficult. You must really know where to go. After making a lot of rum, I thought it would be a great challenge for someone to make an Irish whiskey with a Danish band.”

Enter the Great Northern Distillery, the largest independent distillery in Ireland.

Thanks to its proximity to the pure waters of the Cooley Mountains, brewing began in earnest in the historic Town of Dundalk in the late 1600s. The Great Northern Distillery operates on the former Great Northern Brewery site in Dundalk, Co. Louth; the original brewery on site was in 1896. The inaugural three-year-old Irish whiskey the Great Northern Distillery produced came of age in 2018.

The late Brian Watts, master distiller and general manager at GND worked with Michael on the original blends for what became Outlaw Gentlemen. (Sadly, Watts passed away in late 2022.) Distiller, blender, and Head of Commercial Operations Brian Mongan saw the final product through.

“We went for a walk of the distillery and saw how they were working, then sat down at a table and started talking,” Poulsen remembers. Over time, samples arrived in Denmark from Ireland. “Brian Mongan really did an amazing job helping me find the right casks, barrels, and everything for this.”

Mongan remembers the collaborative process fondly. “Some people might say, ‘Oh, that guy didn’t make the whiskey himself.’ But Michael was very active in the direction of where the finished product went. A Michelin-star chef collects the best ingredients and assembles them. They don’t necessarily farm the animals and grow the vegetables. With a blended whiskey, you’re essentially pulling levers with flavor, pulling one thing back to accentuate something else. That’s one of our core competencies as a company: we distill, we mature, and we also produce whiskey blends.”

Poulsen describes the process as not unlike songwriting. “I write songs that I want to listen to, using all the elements, inspirations, and tastes I want to put into the music. It can be very detailed or straightforward. It’s the same with whiskey, figuring out what you like the best. Do it with heart.”

Ultimately, it was important for the Outlaw Gentlemen blends to capture that same immersion Michael experienced when a single sip sent him back into a fond childhood memory. “It’s a very personal whiskey. I wanted to have that feeling of being on my dad’s moped again. Everyone can come on a journey drinking it beyond just getting drunk. Great Irish whiskey can do that for you. ‘Oh my God, I’m back at my grandmother’s house. I recognize this smell.’ It’s beautiful.”

Like Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies (the multi-platinum album from which it takes its name) and everything bearing their name, Volbeat crafted Outlaw Gentleman with passion, intention, and authenticity.

[rabbitcruiser]

Saint Patrick’s Day

Saint Patrick’s Day is an annual feast celebrated on March 17th. Get ready to don yourself with the greenest garb, eat some clover-shaped cookies and march in Irish pride parades. St Patrick was the patron saint and bishop of Ireland. He was also the national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing the Christianity to Ireland. St Patrick’s Day is a religious feast day in the 17th-century which has evolved into a variety of festivals from across the globe. The celebration includes Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, and a whole lot of traditional green feast of the meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. St Patrick’s Day is also celebrated inside and outside of Ireland as a cultural and religious holiday. Saint Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture and honors St Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron saints.

“Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.” – Saint Patrick

History of Saint Patrick’s Day

The origin, history, and the first observance of Saint Patrick’s Day are as old as St Patrick. Therefore the exact person or organization who has come up celebrating the St Patrick is anonymous. However, the history and tradition of St Patrick’s Day celebration are rich and long. March 17th is chosen for the feast as it is the traditional death date of Saint Patrick in or around the year 493. St Patrick’s Day is otherwise called as or the Feast of Saint Patrick or Lá Fhéile Pádraig in Irish, meaning the Day of the Festival of Patrick. It is a cultural and religious celebration, and the Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for beyond 1,000 years. St Patrick’s Day was made as an official Christian feast day during the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church.

St Patrick’s Day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of the Christianity in Ireland. The annual commemoration, in general, celebrates the rich heritage and culture of the Irish. People in Ireland have been celebrating the Roman Catholic feast day of St Patrick on March 17 around the ninth or tenth century. The first parade was held to honor St Patrick’s Day took place in the United States and not in Ireland. The celebration Day falls during the Christian season of Lent, and the Irish families would traditionally attend the church in the morning and celebrate it in the afternoon. People will drink, dance and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage as the Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were abandoned on the celebration.

Saint Patrick’s Day is still a public holiday in many countries including the Republic of Ireland and has also been celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. Until the late 20th century, the St Patrick’s Day was often a bigger celebration among the diaspora than it was in Ireland. Celebrations usually involve the public parades and festivals, Irish traditional music sessions, and the wearing of the green attire or shamrocks. The Irish brands of drinks are popular at the St Patrick’s Day events. The shamrock is considered to be the most common St Patrick’s Day symbol. The shamrock is traditionally the leaf of the clover plant that is referred to as a symbol of the Holy Trinity. People prefer to wear the color green and the St Patrick’s Day parades will hold the flag of the Republic of Ireland around the world.

The custom of ‘drowning the shamrock‘ or ‘wetting the shamrock‘ on the St Patrick’s Day was historically popular, especially in Ireland. A shamrock is then put into the bottom of a cup at the end of the celebrations and then the cup is filled with the alcohol like whiskey, beer, or cider. The alcohol is then drunk as a toast to St Patrick, Ireland, or those present. The shamrock will either be swallowed with the drink or taken out and tossed over the shoulder for the good luck. It was said that St Patrick had rid Ireland of snakes. However, there have been no snakes in Ireland. Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and is considered to be the foremost patron saint of Ireland. He was an “Apostle of Ireland” and bishop in Ireland. Patrick was thought to be born in Roman Britain and was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave when he was 16.

Records say that St Patrick was actually born as Maewyn Succat, but later he had changed his name to Patricius or Patrick that derives from the Latin term for “father figure,” after he has become a priest. He had later escaped but returned to Ireland. Patrick was also credited with bringing the Christianity to the people of Ireland. Patrick had already come to be worshipped as the patron saint of Ireland by the seventh century. The precise dates of Patrick’s life are uncertain as there are many conflicting traditions prevailing regarding the year of his death. It is said to have died on March 17 in or around the year 493. It is said that he had been buried under the Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, Ireland. Thus the St Patrick’s Day celebration is held on the same date throughout the world.

How to Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day

Celebrating the Saint Patrick’s Day is quite easy. You can wear any green clothing on this celebration Day. Visit a church and attend a St Patrick’s Day parade. Serve your children with sweets and adults can enjoy drinking a ‘pint’ of beer at a local pub. You can organize parties at your home featuring the homemade Irish food and drinks that are dyed in green food colour are part of this celebration. Include the meal of Irish bacon and cabbage to treat your friends and family. If you are affordable, take a visit to Ireland to indulge yourself in the traditional celebrations. You can even go to any restaurants and pubs which offer Irish food or drink to celebrate this Day.

Source

[shefanispeculator]

A Brief History of Smithworks Vodka

Smithworks Vodka was launched in 2016 as a collaboration between Pernod Ricard and American country singer Blake Shelton. The mission was to create a genuine and smooth American vodka using locally sourced ingredients. Smithworks was distilled three times and charcoal-filtered, resulting in its signature smoothness.

Rooted in heartland values, Smithworks sourced its corn from Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, and used water from Lake Fort Smith in Arkansas. This connection to the Midwestern United States earned the brand a loyal following and garnered positive reviews for its quality and taste.

The Mysterious Disappearance

Despite its solid fanbase and positive reception, Smithworks Vodka suddenly vanished from stores and bars in late 2019, leaving fans wondering: what happened?

Although there has been no official statement released by either Pernod Ricard or Blake Shelton, one reason for Smithworks' departure could be due to changes in ownership or strategic direction within the parent company, Pernod Ricard. The firm is known for its portfolio of diverse spirit brands, which include favorites like Absolut Vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Malibu Rum. An internal decision may have led to Smithworks being discontinued in favor of focusing on other brands within their extensive lineup.

Another possible reason could be related to the current market for vodka itself. The vodka industry has become increasingly competitive in recent years, with a myriad of new brands and flavors constantly emerging. Smithworks may have had a difficult time finding its place in a market saturated with innovation. The vodka industry’s growth and evolution could have pushed Smithworks out of the limelight.

What We Can Learn from Smithworks Vodka

A Celebration of Local Ingredients

Despite its short run, Smithworks Vodka reminded us of the importance of using locally sourced ingredients and embracing regional character. The brand was a great representation of Midwestern values and tastes, using heartland resources in crafting their all-American spirit.

Staying Relevant in a Competitive Industry

The vodka market is ever-evolving, with new brands, flavors, and techniques emerging regularly. For up-and-coming and even well-established spirit brands, it's essential to stay relevant, innovative, and adapt to industry changes. Smithworks' story is a poignant reminder of the challenges any vodka brand can face in today's competitive landscape.

What Happened To Smithworks Vodka Example:

Imagine hosting a tasting party with friends to sample some of the best vodkas on the market. The lineup includes tried-and-true favorites, as well as locally produced offerings with unique stories. As you pour a round of Smithworks Vodka, you share its fascinating tale of a local heartland spirit made using corn from Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, as well as water from Lake Fort Smith in Arkansas. Despite its mysterious disappearance from the market, the spirit remains a fan favorite in the Midwest. Your friends and fellow vodka enthusiasts raise a toast to Smithworks Vodka, appreciating its journey and its smooth taste that remains in your memories.

There you have it, vodka lovers - the mysterious tale of Smithworks Vodka. While we may never know the complete story of why this beloved brand vanished, its legacy lives on through its fans and those who cherish its smooth, locally influenced taste. If you enjoyed this deep dive into vodka history and are thirsty for more, feel free to share this article with your friends and fellow vodka enthusiasts. Remember, Vodka Doctors is your ultimate resource for everything vodka - from brands to cocktails, we have it all. Happy tasting!

[thecurioustale]

Liking Things that Go on to Become Popular Kinda Sucks

I have the unfortunate tendency to be something of a social contrarian. For instance, just as a throwaway example, I learned recently that my favorite whiskey, Jameson's Irish Whiskey, is also America's most popular whiskey. You might think that I was pleased, as someone who almost never holds majority tastes in anything, but in fact all I could think of was, first, that I'd been usurped, and, second, that this will inevitably lead to the collapse of the brand once it stops being the current hotness. I am a very, very light drinker, but I would still be sad if my favorite whiskey became hard to find.

My contrarian streak is not for the sake of arguing. I don't actually like arguing, for the most part. Rather, it's often a mixture of feeling personally displaced (like I mentioned above) and internally cringing at the coarseness and imprecision of popular opinions (which is also a form of displacement, but subtler and more involved).

The first reason is pretty easy to understand: I've been a social outcast my whole life and have therefore come to have a strong sense of individual identity. When something obscure that I like becomes popular, I feel like I am seen when I don't want to be seen, like I am getting unwanted attention via my interests and affiliations. This is pretty simple human psychology and I don't have much to say about it that's worth making you read through.

But the second reason is more interesting: I have this incredible compulsion toward precision in my life. Anyone who has listened to me speak in person, or read my nonfiction writing at length, will know that my sentences are often extremely heavily qualified, full of asterisks that anticipate the inevitable objections to my clean general statements in their basic form. There is almost nothing of great importance that I could say as a general truth without being at need to qualify it.

When something that I like becomes popular, it is almost always the case that the prevailing appreciation or popularity in question is unbearably simplistic to me—leading directly to one of the things that makes me chafe more than anything else: being misunderstand through oversimplification. If someone else likes something that I like, but for extremely simplistic reasons, and their understanding of the thing is what ends up being promulgated through society, then anyone who sees me and my interest in the thing will, without knowing better, be apt to classify me as just a typical fan of the thing—when in fact my particular liking of the thing is likely far more esoteric and elaborate.

It's a form of erasure mingled with misrepresentation, and of course I don't like that. This too is fairly simple human psychology, and well-spoofed in characters like Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. (Though I try not to be insufferably gatekeepy about it like he is. We all like what we like, and I'm not gonna tell other people "the right way" to like a thing.)

I should note that this doesn't apply to things that I come to like because they are popular. If I'm jumping on the bandwagon like everyone else, that's much less jarring than if I had previously liked a thing which goes on to become popular.

It doesn't always happen that I'll get upset if something I like becomes popular. In fact, it usually doesn't happen. What needs to come together for me to feel put out is either what I described above about the whiskey, where the thing I like is likely to become harder to enjoy once it inevitably loses its popularity, or it needs to be the case that the thing which becomes popular is something that I not only like but which I also pour some measure of my identity into. That's the cut in the skin that lets the act of being erased really sting.

And if this all sounds moderately petty and animalistic to you, it totally is. I am not claiming otherwise and not idealizing any of this as something you should aspire to. But maybe it's interesting to read about anyway.

[watchthisentertainment]

Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day Cheers to Ginger Ale in New Video

 In honor of World Cocktail Day, the founders of Four Walls are raising their glasses with Four Walls and Ginger Ale in a new video promoting the Irish American whiskey brand’s summer drink of choice. This is the latest spot in the brand’s ‘Come on in!’ campaign, which has fueled the brand’s rapid expansion across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast (Pennsylvania, New York, New…

[wyrmfedgrave]

Pics:

1. Writings from Lovecraft's political magazine, The Conservative.¹

2. St. Armand's² now rare study of Howard & the Decadent Movement.

3. What we imagine HPL's life to have been like...

Sigh.

4. One of the many zines dedicated to every facet of Lovecraft's life & works.

5. Collection of the letters of 2 writers: one was the creator of Conan,³ the other created Cthulhu.

Two intellectual properties that should be enemies of each other...

I mean, Conan's gotten rid of a lot of mystic monsters but, Cthulhu is a creature of a different kind altogether!

Just hoping for an adversarial 'team up' here...

1915: HPL Output.

Intro: A rather crude & bigoted 'satire' where rebellious Irishmen meet some Germans, celebrate by drinking to- gether & threatened to slander the British Empire of their day.

This poem just happened to be print- ed - in Howard's Conservative - at the same time as the Easter Rebellion,⁴ when some Irish Republicans & some Germans tried to overthrow English rule in Ireland.

The Work: "(The) Ballade of Patrick Von Flynn" by Lewis Theobald, Jr.⁵

Quote:

"Germanis ipsis Germaniores."⁶

Text:

Attend you all my wondrous tale & I will tell to you, Of how an honest Irish- man⁷ into a Prussian grew.

(It) was (almost) 20 years ago I left my native bog, To seek in these majestic States⁸ a place to earn my grog.⁹

Sure, work was easily found for me, For I'm a clever man. I earned so much, I soon could buy my whiskey by the can.

With half a dozen other licks,¹⁰ a merry drinking crew, I used to hang around shebeens¹¹ & curses Old England blue!

Just why I hate the Englishman, I don't remember quite, But Jimmy Dugan's grandad says they've never used¹² Ireland right.

Sure all they ever done for us was civilize¹³ our land, (Yet) we've no use for sober laws, but all for freedom stand.

How glad will be the... day, When England last draws breath, And good Old Ireland shall be free - to drink herself to death!!

Now comes (a most) cruel war, with Germans running loose,... Here's... to them to make a stir¹⁴ (&) give (England) some more abuse!

(We) Irish... love (not the) Dutch,¹⁵ (were) siding with Germany, 'Cause she hates... England as (much) as... we!

...The Kaiser¹⁶ treat(s) us worse than England (has) ever done, But..., if we used England right - we'd lose our sweetest fun!

...Something in the Irish heart... never bows to rules; As (duty?) calls, we teach our sons sedition¹⁷ in the schools.

Last night, the Germans... all gathered in a hall, With... flags above the stage & (the) Kaiser on the wall.

I don't know what they wanted, but so far as I could see, They were (sent? by) the Kaiser & enjoined¹⁸ "neutrality."

They... denounced the President & cursed... Yankee laws, For being too (biased)... to help the German cause.

Footnotes:

1. The Conservative (1915 to 1923) was HPL's own amateur journal, which he edited & published sporadically.

However, many articles in it were actually written by others.

Inside, it included politics, poetry, social commentary, short stories & literary criticism.

Yet, Lovecraft's brand of conservatism bears little resemblance to today's treasonous scene.

Instead, Howard was calling for a revival - a return to the wellspring which 1st inspired Western culture.

HPL's magazine coincided with the 1st world war & the Russian Revolution.

For Lovecraft & his fellow writers crude nationalism & socioeconomic politics weren't the solution they sought.

Rather, they wanted an end to chaos - thru racial division, cultural imperial- ism & a strong sense of morality.

Howard was, at the time, against democracy & liberalism.

HPL's ideal state was a return to the aristocratic values of earlier times - with England as the main culture...

So, The Conservative now stands as a record of Lovecraft's worldview.

And, as a narrow glimpse into early 1900s America.

2. Professor Emeritus Barton Levi St. Armand wrote H.P. Lovecraft: New England Decadent (1979) to offer insight into the history of HPL related scholarship & Howard's roots in the decadent movement of 1800s Europe.

3. Conan, it's thought, lives in the ancient past of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Both story cycles share eldritch monsters & deadly magic - both being very dangerous to normal humans!

Things like Lizard/Snake Men, Dagon, Old Ones, etc are mentioned by both writers.

Yet, Conan kills a lot of these powerful creatures & magicians!!

In fact, Conan is such a badass, that he rudely mocks these evil beings - as he's killing them!!!

4. The Easter (Week) Rebellion/Rising (April 24 to 29, 1916) tried to establish an Irish Republic - while the U.K. was fighting in WW1.

Most of the fighting took place in Dublin, with street battles & long range sniping in different parts of the city.

The rebellion was put down by the larger forces & heavier weapons of the British army.

485 folk were killed, most being civilians & British personnel...

16 rebel leaders were executed.

5. This was 1 of Lovecraft's many pen names.

But, the name seems based upon a real person!

Lewis Theobald was an English textual editor & author known for his work on Shakespearean editing, seven classic translations, some literary satire & play writing.

He was also a plagiarist...

6. Latin "For the Germans themselves, the Germans."

I'd guess that this meant "Germans only wanted other Germans in Germany."

Of such selfish dreams, were so many monstrous crimes built...

7. Ireland ("Eire" locally), as a self- governing dominion (the "Irish Free State") was born in December of 1921.

It took until 1937, for its leaders to pass a new constitution - giving itself more political power over itself.

Then, in 1949, it legally left the British Commonwealth & became its own, true nation - the Republic of Ireland.

8. The United States, that is...

9. Grog originally referred to a daily ration of - diluted! - rum given to sailors of the British Navy in the 1700s.

It was given as a boost to Navy men to fight off the doldrums (calm, wind- less parts in the Equator) of long sea voyages.

Grog, eventually, was made up of rum, gin or whiskey with sugar, lime & water.

10. Knowning the petty meanness of Howard's satires, he must have meant the slang "someone who's been totally overcome, defeated or conquered!"

11. A shebeen, in Ireland, is an illegal (unlicensed & disreputable) working class place that sells alcoholic liquor.

12. Here, HPL means "treated." As in "the Irish were not 'treated' well..."

13. To civilize another nation is here used as in "to bring a people 'up' to a more advanced level."

This, of course, means that the Irish were viewed as a wild & unrefined barbarians!

In truth, they were followers of the older Celtic culture from Europe.

14. Stir, in this case, means "an event that causes a disturbance."

15. The Dutch are people from The Netherlands.

Holland isn't their nation's name! Just two Dutch provinces go by the place names of North & South Holland...

I think I know why Lovecraft hates the Dutch.

These folk, in Howard's time, were thought to have risen from a mixture of Frisian, Saxon & French peoples.

And, we know how HPL believed in 'racial purity'...

The mixing of 'races' is still seen as an abhorrent 'crime' in racist circles.

In fact, the Dutch are now thought to come from a mixture of native folk & German populations!

But, it's now known that rare Paleo- humans were first found living in Spain - around 3 million years ago...

16. Kaiser ("Emperor") was the title of German rulers from 1871 to 1918 - 3 men in all.

17. Sedition is "speaking or organizing things towards a rebellion against an established government."

This includes "subversion of a nation's constitution" & "inciting discontented people to establish an insurrection."

Gosh.

And they say you can learn nothing from history...

18. To enjoin is to "teach" or "urge someone to do something."

In this case, they want the Irish to declare themselves neutral & not help the British militarily.

Strangely enough, as a legal term, it can mean the opposite, "to prohibit" or "ban something" thru a legal order.

Next: Part 2.

[whiskyblog]

Connemara Whiskey

Connemara Whiskey is a well-known Irish whiskey brand, named after the wild Connemara region in the west of Ireland. Known for its peaty notes, it is produced by the Cooley Distillery. The brand is known for its quality, authenticity and unique flavour and is a tribute to the tradition of Irish whiskey and the beauty of the Irish countryside.

Cask type : American oak casks

[savageboar]

I only recently tried whiskey and i think its good (usually i only like sweet drinks but whiskey is yum) do u have a favorite brand u cld recommend? :3

ohh if you like sweet drinks there's plenty of sweet whiskey too, those are really good for mixing. you can't go wrong with southern comfort and evan williams, and if you feel fancy, irish whiskeys are SUPER smooth. and if you like whiskey and sweet drinks, brandy is pretty good too. e&j makes good brandy.

[spockandawe]

@curlicuecal tagged me into the post meme about ten songs! I'll go ahead and post ten songs by ten artists that I've been particularly fixated on lately, it's all personal bias all the way down, babey

Colm McGuinness: Sleeping In The Cold Below - Let's start off with a representative sample, my head is filled with folk and filk and irish and shanties, just check out this artist for a clear breakdown of my tastes, because I could fill out the whole list with just this man's work. Musically speaking, if I could grow up to be anyone, it would be HIM. I yearn so hard for his instrument collection and vocal range, even if I'm operating in different octaves.

Malinda: Dúlamán - Feels slightly like cheating, because I'm fairly sure I found her through Colm McGuinness (the Hoist The Colors collab), but god, her voice is DIVINE, and she's got a fantastic balance of trad covers and newer music. Songs in gaelic can be tricky to rec, even if I'm about to do it again, but some of them just have so much bewitching LIFE that I can't resist.

Celtic Woman: Téir Abhaile Riú - I have to tell you, it was both disorienting and delightful when this started getting used as a sound in tiktoks. The short excerpt is good, but the whole song is so much fun! I know it's kind of redundant to talk up Irish songs as being catchy as hell, but this is really such a good one.

The Longest Johns: On The Railroad - Speaking of catchy... I'm a basic binch, give me a train song that sounds like a train, and I'm all over that to an embarrassing degree. Skimbleshanks isn't going to be on here, but only because it'd be cheating, I wasn't thinking about it until I started thinking about why I like this. And you get a train song that's ALSO a work song? Hell yes, gimme

Great Big Sea: Process Man - I agonized over what Great Big Sea song to include (old black rum? donkey riding? excursion around the bay?) but this is truly such a classic, it's so catchy and memorable. And it's great if you're feeling like an exploited #resource at your day job!

The High Kings: McAlpine's Fusiliers - Speaking of being an exploited, expendable resource, ONE LAST IRISH SONG. But I can't leave this out! The High Kings are so good, but McAlpine's Fusiliers is the CATCHIEST melody line by any artist. I am typing slowly because I have no choice to sing along since I opened the video to get the url, send help

Hozier: The Humours Of Whiskey - You know I really intended to have other flavors of music on here too, but. Again, the song is too catchy for me to resist. This is only a partial cover of the full song, because he's just doing it offhand. But his voice is so perfect and the delivery so flawless, I live for this 52 second clip, haha

Delta Rae: Bottom Of The River - Technically I am showing a little more range than previous entries have done, but uh, I know that's only barely/technically true. But there's so much good stuff in this weird corner! And my mainest criteria for how much I like music is how fun it is to sing along, and this is seriously peak singalong content.

The Merry Wives Of Windsor: Siuil A Run: Oh no, another gaelic title. But it's also partly in english, and this is another song I'll listen to by anyone who covers it, and another group where I'll listen to any music they produce! I recommend their entire back catalog, very strongly. Fair warning they have a notable bawdy portion of their catalog, but I'm being good and not linking something like 'come roll me away,' or 'the cockerel song,' so you can listen without fear. But they are SUCH a fun group, I love them to bits.

Mary Black: Colcannon - Ah, screw it, I have a brand. Let's wrap it up with a song that's literally about potatoes! Also an impossibly catchy melody. This song has been stuck in my head since it absolutely Ruined me with homesickness back in grad school. And you know what, I'm also linking this bonus version with worse audio, but it's a 1986 recording of the black family on tv. There's just something about watching irish singing that makes me LIVE.

--

oh no, tagging people. I'm chickening out, sorry. If you want to do it and point your finger at me, go for it! but it's been a long week and I contracted a bad case of the Shy it looks like