Posted via email from Ben Hanten

Ever wonder how some of the great minds could handle so much alcohol? They may have had the “Churchill Gene.” Instead of being a vice, alcohol became the stiumulus for creativity.

Winston Churchill claimed it crucial for The World Crisis, his six-volume memoirs, stating: “always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than it has taken out of me.” Novelist William Faulkner drank more intermittently, but claimed not to be able to face a blank page without a bottle of Jack Daniels. Beethoven fell under the influence in the later part of his creative life. Among painters, Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Francis Bacon and many others liked a drop or two while working.

Mark Twain endorsed this view saying: “My vices protect me but they would assassinate you!”

Yet until recently science has had little to say about alcohol and the creative process, confining itself to studies of damage, tolerance and addiction. Over the last few years, however, evidence has emerged that some have, if not a Churchill gene, then a creative cocktail gene.

See the whole story at the Prospect.

Bud Select 55 continues to make waves across the country. And while we here at Drink Update think the low-calorie craze is another disturbing trend for beer, we understand why people are attracted to the watery fizz. Because Select 55 is only available in some test markets, I haven’t had the chance to try it myself.

But we have review from our friends at Hoperatives:

If Perrier and Bud Light had a baby, you would have SELECT 55. This new Super Ultra Light American Style Lager has not only taken calories to a new low aroma, appearance, and taste have also suffered the same fate.  What you end up with is barely yellow, highly carbonated, lightly malty, white bread scented beer with a finish that elicits memories of those times when the soda fountain runs out of syrup.  “Excuse me, sir. . . I think your beer tap is out of syrup. All I’m getting is carbonated beer flavored water”.

It was unremarkable in a very well rounded kind of way. The normal rating system I use to review beer would fail this beer before I even made it to the overall impression category, however I’m not going to fail it.  I’m going to give it a D- and recognize that there is a niche of people who want a beer but don’t want calories, taste, or perhaps just want to drink a nice ultra light fizzy beer after they finish a 5K.

Check out the whole post at Hoperatives.

Hendrick’s Gin is a little harder to find and a little more expensive, but it’s well worth the search. Made in Scotland, it clocks in at 88 proof. And wile it has the usual botanical infusions of juniper, coriander and citrus peel, what makes Hendrick’s so unique is the addition of cucumber and rose petals. Find a bottle today! It will probably cost you about $30 for a 750ml bottle.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Ben Hanten

For when one night of crying in a cold shower isn’t enough, the Jägermeister 6-Bottle Shot Cooler puts six bottles of the licorice from hell on ice, making them accessible through a spigot that looks suitably impossible to properly sterilize. At $120, the price must look a bit steep to most college freshman. But this is your future we’re talking about, people. Spare no expense. This college certainly isn’t going to drop itself out. [Jägermeister via Uncrate via uberreview]

Ever since, except for a 30-month hitch during World War II, the son of Italian immigrants has been tending bar and serving drinks. Guinness World Records dubbed him the longest-serving bartender a decade ago, and he’s earned induction into Jim Beam’s Bartender Hall of Fame and numerous other honors.

Now 95, he’s calling it quits.

via the AP http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVcWJR1bFTRvp7n_S8_eGIjiDJjwD9AC1HU00

Posted via email from Ben Hanten

92 proof spiced rum that tastes great.

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What’s the plan for you this weekend?  I will be bartending 12 hours today and 7 hours tomorrow, so I will have to wait to get my Maker’s Mark on until Sunday during my fantasy football draft.   What about you?

And, if you’re wondering what the cocktail is:

The Falling Water

- 1oz 42BELOW Feijoa Vodka
- Ch’i or Lemonade
- Long slice of seedless cucumber
- Ice

Posted via email from Ben Hanten

Jose Cuervo, the world’s oldest maker of tequila, celebrates 250 years with the Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario bottle. Limited to 495 bottles at a cost of $2,250 each! Hand blown decanters and a custom box. Each box will also have a reproduction of the Spanish land grant for the original Cuervo agave plantation.

Posted via web from Ben Hanten

Donny Dirk’s Zombie Den is a zombie themed bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The stunning new interior comes straight out of a 1950s Las Vegas lounge (the classic part). The zombie stuff (i.e. the kitsch) is hilarious, and more nuanced than you’d expect from a bar named Donny Dirk’s Zombie Den. In the corner, a small chainsaw sits inside a glass case that reads “In case of zombie attack, break glass.” The bartenders all dress like Simon Pegg in “Shaun of the Dead” — white button-up, red tie and blood stains. The friendly female servers wear long black gowns. Again: This is a classy zombie joint.

Zombie resurrection [startribune]

Posted via web from Ben Hanten

Seems like a great idea if you think your bar is watering down your drinks. But, unless you regularly drink JB, Havana Club, or one of the other four brands the device is familiar with, you have to go back to the old system – trust.

Posted via web from Ben Hanten

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Ben Hanten

- H/T to my friend Joe Prostrollo

You can’t go wrong with concrete. These Concrete Tumblers ($40 set) mix a solid concrete base with a glass top, giving off a modern vibe that works as well for water as it does for martinis while providing an ultra-stable base for minimal spillage.

H/T to Derrick