Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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It's always five o'clock somewhere
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By my count in that photograph there are only 5 buildings that are commercial. One is still being built in the top left corner. The rest are residential with retail space or the odd office at the bottom.
Actually I live in a neighbourhood called southcore - which is south of the CBD core. The financial district is one subway stop away. But high rents and lack of space is driving people to build down here. I'm a 5 minute walk to the airport train, the shuttle to the second island airport, the main rail and subway stations. It's quite convenient.
In addition my parents and my brother and his family all live in one of the buildings in that photograph.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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It's all very David Byrne 2020/20th century man.
All that proving you are creative in the cities and such like. Very wooden and grey.
The escape to the country has begun.
Don't get caught on the wrong side of the great divide.
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güero
Talk to me like a 5 year old daddy
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So you claim that you actually do not live in an office, but that it just looks like an office?
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It looks like to you. My dream home is highlighted and glowing.
I'm not at all interested in a palatial English manor unless they give me the staff that maintains on weekends when I show up.
Kingstonian
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You are in walking distance of work and the location suits. I cannot see a problem.
A separate business district is a rather outdated idea nowadays.
The City and Holborn London used to be dead at weekends and late evening but there are lots of residents in Holborn and the City fringes now and shops and amenities to cater for them.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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It's a very English thing to want to live in the country. I notice most other nations and cultures frown upon the very idea.
Living by the sea is another English one, but with all the junkies placed on the B&B's, it has a certain edge, along with the maritime climate.
Many parts of London use to be like that. I remember my uncle telling me that after work the pubs were buzzing, but my 7pm it was completely dead with the exception of the street walking prostitutes.
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You look to be very close to the lake!
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24c today. Johnnie black on the rocks.
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I lived by St Katharine Docks by Tower Hill so I know what you mean by dead. Besides the odd Tesco metro I had to hike it to Spitalfields or further west just for groceries. Luckily a Waitrose opened later on.
Is this meant for me? I have always lived near the lake below Dundas. Since age 6 onward. I am not a mariner by the ocean like doghouse though.
Kingstonian
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Post tier 2 afternoon pub crawl in Kingston. The Albion was fine. Space outside but we sat inside. No questions asked the number of households. Still a good selection of ales from Big Smoke.
Then onto The Ram via backstreets and the Blue Bridge that I have never used before. It connected Kingston to new developments after the arrival of the railway. Took decades to build, as there was an argument over whether the council or developers should pay for it. At the Ram we had to sit outside. Only Greene King beers on instead of the usual range.
Then onto the Druids Head in the Market Square (noting the reopening of Kingston’s Rose Theatre en route). Very officious. Asked impertinent questions about the number of households. Eventually we sat in the large outside area under cover. However table service was too slow so we walked out. We lost one to 7000 jars beer shop. It was too expensive for the rest of us. Then onto Spoons which I had planned to avoid before we skipped The Druids Head. No problems. No questions. Big table and green or red card for table service. Drank Surrey Hills Ranmore at very cheap prices. Then when that went we switched to Greene King.
Then onto The Ram via backstreets and the Blue Bridge that I have never used before. It connected Kingston to new developments after the arrival of the railway. Took decades to build, as there was an argument over whether the council or developers should pay for it. At the Ram we had to sit outside. Only Greene King beers on instead of the usual range.
Then onto the Druids Head in the Market Square (noting the reopening of Kingston’s Rose Theatre en route). Very officious. Asked impertinent questions about the number of households. Eventually we sat in the large outside area under cover. However table service was too slow so we walked out. We lost one to 7000 jars beer shop. It was too expensive for the rest of us. Then onto Spoons which I had planned to avoid before we skipped The Druids Head. No problems. No questions. Big table and green or red card for table service. Drank Surrey Hills Ranmore at very cheap prices. Then when that went we switched to Greene King.
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We have had this for two months before we shut indoor dining. No more than 6 per table and must be from the same household. All contact details per patron recorded. The funny thing is I have been a few times with my lady friend. The smart restaurants can copy your details from OpenTable. Others have you tap yours on a tablet. Still others have you dictate it and they write it. When it comes to my friend, I know her name but never remember her mobile so I always have to bring out my mobile to look it up. Clear sign we're not a couple living in the same household.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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I was going to download the Dutch Covid contact App, until I found out if they beep you, you have to go into quarantine because you've been close to someone who's been infected.
A few bottles I bought last week:
Sample Eleven Rum ''Gentle but Bold'' - talked into buying this in the whisky shop. I've used as a mixer with coke, whilst it's not Pusser's standard, it's low on added sugar rums, so is a good blend. But not enough for me to rush out and buy a couple of bottles.
Star of Bombay gin and 1738 Remy Martin, standard fare.
Compass Box whiskies: Oak Cross ''Malty, Toasty, Elegant'' and Hedonism ''Rich, Vanilla, Alluring''. Upmarket, marketed blends, fancy boxes and copy, probably too good to dilute with soda water. So I will wait until I am in the mood on a winter evening.
belinmad
Damn Tacky Big Collar Daddy
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For the life of me, I can't remember my kids' or my wife's phone numbers. Point a gun at my head, I wouldn't be able to tell you one of them. I think it's common in this day and age to let our phones be our memory...
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Would you recommend Pussers blue bottle? I never see the gunpowder proof which is where I would like to start?
I agree about added sugar - that has kept me away from many of the standard rums in my area. Caricom has a regional standard that strictly limits added sugars/flavour to 2.5%.
Recently purchased:
Black Bottle Blended Scotch - the bottle is nearly finished and I doubt I will buy it again. - Next for blends is Teachers which I have higher expectations of.
Hart & Sons Black Pool Spiced Rum - Not my favourite when neat (vanilla is a bit cloying) but should be great with the addition of Jamaican ginger beer.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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The Pussers blue bottle makes the best rum and cokes. There's something special when they're mixed together. It's not the same with the Navy/gunpowder strength.
If you stick with the English style rums from Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Mauritius, St Lucia and Trinidad you generally have a better taste profile and no problem of added sugar. Jamaica has laws protecting the product from having sugar added after distillation. Other countries do to.
Teachers I always found an excellent blend for the price. Quite heavy on the vanilla. All of those traditional blends: Famous Grouse and Bell's as well give a good quality to price ration when compared with JW Red at that price range.
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i definitely wouldn't categorize jamacian or barbados rums as english style. definitely more carribean/south style on the whole.
Arnathor
do you have a list of things you've tried and liked so far? might help to narrow the list down. i am not a fan of the gunpowder proof style rums myself but i don't like them to taste like someone dropped a cigarette in the bottle.
Kingstonian
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Woods when it is on offer at £20 a bottle is great for a Dark and Stormy.
Bells and Teachers have longevity as better than average blends. Ballantine’s Finest is good too. Lidl Queen Margot three year old is a real steal.
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Appleton 12
Mount Gay XO
Smith & Cross
J Wray & Nephew Overproof
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try Diplomatico. they have it at the LCBO. the 12 year old is $60
güero
Talk to me like a 5 year old daddy
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For sure that classification doesn‘t make sense, especially when going by taste. You couldn’t put Barbados and Jamaica in the same category. Maybe you can say a classic Barbados rum like the Mount Gay XO is typically English. But most people would probably think of “Navy rum” as English rum and I don’t think you can currently buy something that is close to the real thing.
That’s very different from the ones he likes and is also highly altered with additives. Maybe something like the pricier Foursquare rums would be better to try next.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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English style are molasses rums with no additional sugar added. In Barbados Mount Gay is an English style rum in Jamaica, Appleton is considered an English style rum. They are in the same category as regards style.
güero
Talk to me like a 5 year old daddy
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Of course you can say that anything from molasses, without additives and from a former colony is “English rum”. But that’s not useful when talking about taste.
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Why? I'm open to your reasoning - but I would need convincing.
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its a really tasty run. price is at least $20 more expensive than what you'd get it for here, but i suppose that's what you canucks have to pay.
oh yeah, you DEFINITELY like carribean rums. hell if you're drinking white lightning then you're practically 1/5th jamaican already.
things to try:
zaya 12 - has a vanilla hint. very very smooth
flor de cana 12 - similar to the zaya, less vanilla and more sweet with a hint of nuttiness.
el dorado 12 and 15. i like the 12 a bit more but the 15 is excellent as well.
diplomatico reserva - what thruth recommended. definitely in my top 5.
rhum barbancourt 8yr - from haiti. a bit of smoke but not overpowering. really excellent for sipping.
Plantation Barbados 5 Years - this is really popular but i'm not a big cognac fan so i didn't really like it all that much.
and, of course, Ron Zacapa 23. the absolute best, by a WIDE margin.
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you guys should be able to get the actual cuban Havana Club rum as well and not the fake shit put out by Bacardi.
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doing some internet sleuthing it seems some popular options are the Mount Gay XO, Santa Teresa 1796, and Forsquare. Not familiar with any of those but it might be worth doing some homework.
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some good writeups on the things i listed above here
Arnathor
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2015__02__022015-sipping-rums-topimage-84baa8722ef94fc882f1f003a893fe6b.jpg)
www.seriouseats.com
interesting recs in the comments as well.
Arnathor
9 Rums Perfect For Sipping
These rums are worthy of far more attention than simply mixing. Here are nine outstanding options to get you started on your sipping journey.
interesting recs in the comments as well.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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The El Dorado and Appleton 21's are amongst the best out there. I would rank above the Ron Zacapa 23.
The Diplomatico Reserva I thought was overrated. The Planas however, is superb for a white sipping rum or mixer.
The Plantation brand seems to have come down in price in the Netherlands. I picked up a bottle of the Original Dark yesterday. Not seen that before. It's a blend of Barbados and Jamaican rums matured in American oak barrals and then French oak. There's no age statement. It boasts on the label it's in the style of 18th and 19th rums. I haven't opened it yet:
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BOTH up Sarto's alley
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the ages don't line up in those lines. the zacapa 23 is more like the el dorado 15 and appleton 12. to match the appleton 21 you'd have to go with the zacapa xo but even that isn't quite a fair comparison since the 21 is roughly $50-100 more expensive.
interesting plantation. let us know how that turns out.
güero
Talk to me like a 5 year old daddy
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Basically all of those are glycol-sugar bombs. If you're into rum-based liquors, Santos Dumont XO needs to be on the list!
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Thanks for all the recommendations. 
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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Zacapa is supposedly a sugar bomb. The El Dorado's aren't.
güero
Talk to me like a 5 year old daddy
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Pretty much all the El Dorado rums are heavily altered, except for the 3yr, the single barrels and the white one. The Finnish ALKO even explicitly tests for sugar (first number, everything in g/l). So for the 12yr old you know something besides sugar has been added. The 15yr is only sugar.
List copied from here: http://rumproject.com/rumforum/viewtopic.php?t=1683&sid=20e158c7b62d6f5722d53972407d9046
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yes thats why they're tasty
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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That is intriguing on the El Dorado front.
Kingstonian
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Went for a drink in anticipation of Boris announcing the next lockdown.
Wadworth 6x which you don’t see in London these days
www.gazetteandherald.co.uk
Must get to Devizes soon. It’s not on a rail line.
And
Nethergate Mild
Met up with friends anticipating lockdown and had more pints than originally intended.
Lockdown starts on Thrsday.
Wadworth 6x which you don’t see in London these days
Wadworth's Major John Bartholomew dies
MAJOR John Cairns Bartholomew, grandson of John Smith Bartholomew who went into partnership with Wadworth brewery founder Henry Wadworth, has died…
www.gazetteandherald.co.uk
Must get to Devizes soon. It’s not on a rail line.
And
Nethergate Mild
Met up with friends anticipating lockdown and had more pints than originally intended.
Lockdown starts on Thrsday.
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Did you cough over each other to show you won't be cowered?
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Good man.
The first time they put in restrictions and shifted last call to 2300, I was out that final night till past midnight. Unfortunately restaurants, bars and pubs already started shifting their times forward so there was a mad rush to order whatever you could whilst the establishment was open for the remaining hour or two. It was pretty telling they wanted the lot of us out when even the kitchen closed before midnight which it was legal to operate till.
Three plus weeks ago when they shut down indoor dining, bars, clubs, etc I was out at a home bar. We pulled high top stools up to where the bar used to be and stood and sat drinking in front of a panel of plexiglass with the bartender on the other side. Took turns buying rounds. Tipped her lavishly as she was made redundant the same day the closures were announced. Hugged her and another female patron I knew and said see you in 28 days.
This bar closed at 2200 so I went down the street and it was not yet 2300 so I thought I'd pop into the sports bar underneath my flat and the hostess said you can sit outside oooorrrrr.... inside for the last time in a long while. So I said screw it, I'm doing high risk behaviour all night - why not. Sat by myself in a booth and ordered some whiskey before being booted out. Was queuing for fried chicken with a bunch of Asians past midnight. Proper night out.
I'm violating another rule today. No two people from different households can dine. Going to the patio in 50km winds and 10mm rain. It won't be 2m distances with masks on. She doesn't want her significant other to know about me either so I have to invent a fake name and mobile number for contact tracing for her.