It's always five o'clock somewhere

Saturday - finished 3/4 bottle of Johnnie Walker Black with my 81 year old uncle.

Sunday - 3 old fashioneds at a sushi place. 4oz of Johnnie Walker Black. 2oz of Grey Goose on the rocks. 1 tall can of Creemore. All at the arena. Then Super Bowl party at the club. 1 old fashioned and 6oz of eagle rare. Then we had to stop because the chap I was with fell down the stairs on a smoke break and was trying to Uber from the north pole to his home or some locations neither of us were at.
 
It has been 3 months and now when I walk in to the bar across the street from work, Tiffany just grabs a bottle of pinot grigio and pours 9oz without my asking. Then when it's close to last call they ask me for my choice of whisky. Some of them charge 3x9oz as one bottle. Some give me a free shot of whisky.

Back home I walk into Martina's bar and I get poured a glass of wine and a "welcome back my love." Or "Hey Hun how are you doing?" All to the tune of Fly Me To The Moon
 
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I hit all my home bars within one block of me.

Somehow woke up this morning and heading to Greek town.

I tried Glengoyne last night.
 
I was hitting favourites of doghouse doghouse last night.

2 pints allagash white.
5 Jameson caskmates
2 glasses chardonnay
1 pint of something from a local Richmond brewery
Some shot of bourbon. Some shot of whisky.
1 glass of pinot grigio
 
I was hitting favourites of doghouse doghouse last night.

2 pints allagash white.
5 Jameson caskmates
2 glasses chardonnay
1 pint of something from a local Richmond brewery
Some shot of bourbon. Some shot of whisky.
1 glass of pinot grigio
Allagash is always a go to pint for me, just below a brown ale.

Didn't partake in any Fuller's at Rosie's?
 
Met my brother yesterday to sign off and close a dormant account for my late mother at the head office in Berkeley Square. Afterwards, wandered around and had pint in Leicester Square Wetherspoon. That is always a decent place despite the busy location. Then went to Theobalds Road for fish and chips. This is more crowded than it used to be a few years ago

Walked to Leather Lane and what he remembers as a Charringtons pub decades ago. Now Craft Beer Company used to have most handpumps in UK until recently.
http://www.thecraftbeerco.com/clerkenwell

Then moved on to Ye Olde Mitre very nice pints of Deuchars. Reasonably priced and 20% discount for CAMRA or SPBW cards.

Lots of people in Leather Lane buying streetfood. Fruit and veg and clothes stalls disappearing. Is street food hygienic? Not much scope for handwashing or toilet facilities. Not sure how often these enterprises are inspected either.
 
Allagash is always a go to pint for me, just below a brown ale.

Didn't partake in any Fuller's at Rosie's?

I might have if I wasn't sitting with two Irish lads who kept bigging up Smithwicks, all things Ireland and the fights they get to frequently at pubs. Of course the lack of scars were a tell tale sign.
 
I had 2 old fashioneds with a former staff of mine after work. After she left, I realised I had 45 minutes before drinks with another former coworker so I hydrated and freshened up at the club.

Then I split a bottle of red at a wine bar with live blues. I had a Johnnie Walker Black nightcap. She had invited me to her place in the middle of the meal and then again at the end, but I figured out why. Her husband and kid were not in town so I went up and she poured me three fingers of whiskey.
 
I remember last week when I was in Vienna that one of the French chaps was telling me about how in Canada you cannot buy the same French wine as in France. It might be the same vintage and brand but he feels the quality is cheaper. I feel bad now I'm buying all these expensive bottles of wine for no reason at all. And an Italian coworker behind me chimes in and says, "Fwiffo stop wasting your time with French. There is only Italian wine."
 
I remember last week when I was in Vienna that one of the French chaps was telling me about how in Canada you cannot buy the same French wine as in France. It might be the same vintage and brand but he feels the quality is cheaper. I feel bad now I'm buying all these expensive bottles of wine for no reason at all. And an Italian coworker behind me chimes in and says, "Fwiffo stop wasting your time with French. There is only Italian wine."

When it comes to French wines there can be large differences between wines grown on a single estate even having the same terrior and appellation d'origine controlee. You also have table wines without the protection and character definition of the wine regions under thw appellation d'origine controlee. Then there's lots of small cooperatives that produce limited amounts which tend not to make it out of France.

It's unlikely that the same like for like wine in Canada is not the same as in France. Other factors are likely at play: the effect of shipping and storage.

Whilst the Italians have a love affair with their own wines, I find most are getting more heavy towards New World styles and you need to pay more for comparible quality wines.

If you've paid above Euros 18.00 for a French wine it should be very drinkable indeed. Austrian wines, other than the Styrian type I mentioned the other day, are worth checking out.
 
New Zealand wine tasting yesterday. Whites very nice including Pinot Gris as well as Sauvignon Blanc. Reds not so impressive. Australia biggest selling white is from New Zealand.

Anyway 2017 California Merlot @£4.49 from Lidl suits me. Fruity, easydrinking, inexpensive, no pretentions.

Then we went to the pub and had lovely pints of St. Austell Tribute. Piano player on the other side of the bar playing old tunes.
https://whatpub.com/pubs/WLD/16241/golden-eagle-london
 
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Anyway 2017 California Merlot @£4.49 from Lidl suits me. Fruity, easydrinking, inexpensive, no pretentions.

I think that's Euros 2.99/3.99 over here. I get frightened when I see young supermarket New World wines below Euros 5.00 a bottle.

Lidl is the best supermarket over here for fruit and vegetables. The country weeks turn up some good things too.
 
I think that's Euros 2.99/3.99 over here. I get frightened when I see young supermarket New World wines below Euros 5.00 a bottle.

Lidl is the best supermarket over here for fruit and vegetables. The country weeks turn up some good things too.
Nothing to be frightened of. Not a lot to lose either if you don’t like it.
 
My formerly private speakeasy club has closed.

For me - so many memories and two generations of bartenders who left there and I know. All my lady friends were there. Work events. Getting kicked out because my guest was too drunk. Free shots. Free drinks. Tastings. Meeting Jim McEwan. It was a brilliant place.
 
I went to my alumni dinner. Even after missing half the dinners this season people knew me. Did 4 or 5 glasses of wine there mostly because after reception the girl responsible for alcohol kept topping me up at the dining table.

Then I went to the Irish "sports bar". I walk in and one of the bartenders comes around the bar to come greet me. The other pours me my regular drink. The waitress puts her arm around my back and escorts me to the DJ who gives me a hug. The thing is I used to come every Wednesday and the last time I came Wednesday was in January. I'm always astonished how people still remember me. 3 more glasses of wine and 2 whiskeys.
 
I cant imagine walking into anything called a "Sports Bar"

The TV sound in Wetherspoons has been turned up for Cheltenham - horse racing over hurdles and fences. Otherwise it is always on mute. I found some vouchers that I need to use up. Some very good ales at very cheap prices.

I did once go into Terry Neil’s sports bar in Holborn. A former Arsenal player his bar had tellies everywhere. It has gone now and the concept never really took off here.
 
It's an Irish "pub" but I call it sports bar because of the sheer number of television screens.
 
Actually I have been in what might be termed a Sports Bar.

Out in the burbs here are these big beer barns.
Years ago they had huge rooms that could hold a thousand people and had magnificent rock gigs.

The basics of Melbourne Oz rock was born there. AC/DC etc.

Then it died.
Then they were divided into 30% Pokies, 30% “dining”, 30% TAB =Sports betting, tv screens x 10 , huge, horses, greyhounds, football, cricket, soccer, basketball, ski-ing, skateboards, etc. Blokes in shorts, dirty safety boots and Hi Viz vests. Soul destroying.
 
I use to go to 60s Bar in Chester in the late 80s and early 90s. At one end of the bar they had about 6 screens tuned into MTV, but they didn't have a license to broadcast MTV, so they had music playing from a tape which was not sync'd or related to the MTV videos. Despite this, it was great bar and we use to always commence our evenings out in there before moving on. It was the first place I heard The James Taylor Quartet doing their version of the Starsky & Hutch theme.
 
New Zealand wine tasting yesterday. Whites very nice including Pinot Gris as well as Sauvignon Blanc. Reds not so impressive. Australia biggest selling white is from New Zealand.

Anyway 2017 California Merlot @£4.49 from Lidl suits me. Fruity, easydrinking, inexpensive, no pretentions.
90% of summer wine sales in Aus by volume are NZ sav blancs. All taste like lolly water to me tbh.

Lidl/Aldi wines are drinkable and decent value, this seems to be a global truth. Brought a bottle over to the gf’s parents’ the other night, the father is a bit of a wine collector. Never shops at Aldi obviously, and so isn’t familiar with their standard brain varnish. Complimented me on my taste in wine, little did he know they also sell this stuff in a Moree handbag.
 

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