Sake - the good wine

Seeing as my favourite bar is oriental themed I'm surprised it took me this long to ramble on about sake. Oh! If you're ever in Sydney you should check out Uncle Mings bar on 55 York street. Yes, shameless advertising. I don't even get paid for this. I should ask for a raise. Well I'll ask for a job then a raise, it tends to work better in my experience. So it's settled, I'll get a job at a bar, what could possibly go wrong.

So sake...where was I, right, wine. I'm not a fan of wine but sake is different. Why you ask? Well for one it doesn't taste rank unlike wine. I mean if there's wine around I'll drink it, I'm not a snob. All I'm saying is that it wouldn't be my first choice. I suppose it's because, being a uni student, I've never had the money to afford anything other than sub par wine. Just for now let's ignore my bias and get down to the objective truth. Haha yeah right, this is my blog and I'll do what I want. 

In any case sake, also known as rice wine, is made of rice. Shocker. All those rice fields would seem kind of pointless without sake so I'm happy they found a good use for them. According to my comprehensive research that I did in a few minutes just then, the process of brewing sake is more similar to beer than wine. I know right, I'm pretty quick, ladies line up. Wait, no, shit, that's not what I meant at all. You know what, I'm too tired to care.

Sake is relatively new compared to the other beverages we have been dealing with. The first known record is said to be in the Book of Wei, I'm told it's a classic, as early as 710 AD.

There are three ways to serve sake, hot, at room temperature or cold. These three ways to serve sake are mainly due to the seasons and quality of sake. During Japanese winters, according to scientists, it's cold enough to freeze your balls off. Due to these sub zero temperatures, I did says freeze, the Japanese decided to warm the sake up. This is of course reversed for the summer, unless you're some sort of sadistic bastard who enjoys more heat in the summer. The highest quality sake is never heated because the falvour is lost by doing so. More importantly the rich people who bought this sake had climate control or some magic installed in their homes in order to prevent certain articles from falling off.

On a more serious note, sake is used in Shinto rituals in order to communicate with the gods. I don't know how much they drink at these things but it sure sounds like one of my nights. 

Whatever your reason for drinking sake is it's always a great choice and if you don't drink sake keep this in mind "sake is bloody brilliant" - Jesus. I'm pretty sure that's a direct quote. Even Jesus drank sake, so what's your excuse?

-Bassam

References:
Picture from http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/06/11/christs-sake/
Info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake

Tequila - the forget me drink

Tequila is by far my favourite drink in a party setting, you don't have to drink much of it to get drunk so there aren't as many urgent pisses you have to take. It's like a little novelty act when you take shots with lemon and salt and there's also the added bonus of being able to do body shots! If someone isn't a fan of body shots you should get as far away from that person as possible because they are either a) a robot, b) a zombie, c) a spy or d) someone who has matured far into adulthood and who seeks to suck all the joy and happiness out from your life! The latter is the more possible but always keep a look out for the other three...you never know, you never know.

Apparently tequila never gives you a hangover and so far this has rung true for me. I always thought it was because I was special, my mother always tells me, but apparently she's a liar and tequila is amazing. Listen...you can get drunk and not feel like shit the next day...you aren't going to get a better deal than that! Now I know it seems like I'm over excited about tequila but I'm just the right amount of excited. I've never seen someone become that sad, angry or even loner drunk off tequila, they're always as happy as a kid in a toy store except this store has the potential of women saying "try me". Again...if someone isn't happy off tequila remember, robot, zombie, spy, mature adult.

The first time I ever tried tequila, publicly, was when I turned 18...I know very late but who gives a shit. Not to say I didn't ever drink before 18...wait...I mean who knows if I did or not. Drinking before 18 is illegal and I would never in all my years cross the line of legality...never. Shit I almost forgot this was in internet, you never know who's reading this stuff. Sorry sometimes I tend to trail off and...oh a puppy. Anyways back to my story, my friend, let's call him Richard Johnson, the smart ones get it. So Dick, I thought I'd spell it out for you slower folks, brought a friend who was in the navy at the time. Ok so this friend of Dicks needs a name so let's call him Tug, sorry I can't help myself. Ok so Dick told Tug that I'd be his new drinking buddy...I don't remember much of that night but what I do know this that first we got cut off at a restaurant. I suppose they figured that 30 shots between two people was about enough for the two or so hours we were there. Since it was tequila they knew that the worst they'd have to deal with is two drunk guys trying to hug them to get more. Hey I know it's not the most exciting story but sue me, I said the first time I tried tequila not the time I took body shots off a stripper...shut up! Don't judge me!

I need a drink and you all need to re-evaluate your lives, you're reading the ramblings of some drunk uni student.

Tequila, because hangovers suck nobs. Thank you Richard Johnson and Tug.

-Bassam

References:
Picture from http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMy02ZGNmYjM3ZDY0ZmJkZWIw
Info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequila

Rum - unleash your inner swashbuckler

I don't know about you but every time I get drunk off rum I manage to convince myself that I'm a pirate...those Pirates of the Caribbean movies didn't help that at all. I'm told it's quite entertaining for those around me especially when I start digging holes for treasure. Everyone has their drunk stories so I know I'm not alone in these ridiculous antics, but it would be comforting to hear of fellow swashbucklers out there.

Rum has two main categories, we're excluding the ones for cooking because hey we're functioning alcoholics and who ever got drunk from rum flavored chocolates, and they are red and white. But you know what, we're alcoholics and if there's something we know it's our drinks so let's have a little self respect here, don't worry I picked up on the irony, and list off all the different types of rum.

There are dark rums that are made from molasses or caramelised sugar and they are aged longer than usual which gives them their stronger flavours.

Next on the list are flavoured rums. Pretty self explanatory but for those of us who are drunk, I'm assuming a good few of you, they are rums that are infused with fruit. Yes I know...crazy right fruit is good for something important not like it's current uses such as curing scurvy and malnutrition.

Light rums these ones are the white ones, yeah the sweet ones made for girls. They filter these drinks after aging and they are widely used for mixers. No respected alcoholic would be caught dead with a  mixer.

Gold rums are the mid point between light rum and dark rum...great, exciting stuff.

Moving on, overproof rums are the ones that put hair on your chest, these are much stronger than the typical rum, 40% ethanol, they can be as much as 80% ethanol!

Spiced rums are my personal favourite because they have a bit more flavour and kick to them. There's also the added benefit of people not giving you weird looks when you drink it straight...unlike with white rum.

The Caribbean and Latin America produce most of the worlds rum, again...pirates. Although despite these places currently being the hubs of rum production, rum was originally thought to have been produced first in the areas now known as India and China.

You can also mix rum with beer or water in order to form grog, I've never tried it and I had just learnt about it now while researching but I think that will be my next port of call! I fear that writing these short entries may be a determent to my health due to the goodies I find out about, but future me can always worry about that later.

Honestly rum is one of the better alcoholic beverages out there, it's up in my top three for sure.

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!"
Louis Stevenson

We're all pirates

-Bassam

References:
Info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum
Picture from http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/y-argh-keep-calm-drink-rum-and-ye-be-a-pirate/

For the Love of Whiskey

Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey. A talk about whiskey.

As Mark Twain once said, " Too much of anything is bad, but too much of good whiskey is barely enough."

The world of whiskey is an exciting place with much variety and innovation. It is produced in so many distilleries in Scotland and around the globe, all distilling in different styles of spirit in different ways. The more whiskey we can get our hands on, the better!

Whiskey has been around for about 500-1000 years. It just has three fundamental ingredients - water, barley and yeast. The world got a lot more classier when wiskey came about 1000 years ago. You might not even be a whiskey fan, but you have to admit it looks damn classy when you are drinking it.

How you drink whiskey makes all the difference. The flavour that stays on your tongue is the most enjoyable part for avid whiskey lovers. The most important thing is not to drink the whisky too fast (like a cheap shot of Tequila). Rather, one should savour the flavours in your mouth to get the maximum gains! When you swallow it there will naturally be an alcoholic burn, which is what puts off the majority of people from drinking this smooth beverage. You have to let this pass as it after this where the whisky shows its true nature. The finishing complex after taste that whiskey has is what separates it from all other spirits. Once you pass the burn many flavours begin to reveal themselves, some of them being extremely subtle.

There are typically five stage in the process of making this delightful drink - malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation.

Did you know that the spirit must mature in a cask for a minimum of three years to be legally called a whiskey in Scotland? Maturation is where the flavour and aroma develop giving the whiskey its own characteristics.

So how should you drink your whiskey? Should you add water or ice to it? This is one of most common questions for those new to whiskey. 

Many avid drinkers say that you shouldn't add anything to your whiskey under any circumstance. But this is outdated! However, it is recommended you do try it without water or ice first as that is as it comes from the bottle in the first instance. They say not to add anything because you taste the whiskey in its natural form from which has been matured.

Adding a few drops of water to a whiskey can open up different, new and subtle flavours that you had previously not experienced before adding it. By adding some water, this dilutes the alcohol and reduces the burning effect and gives a chance for the flavours to shine. It is completely up to you how much water you add.

Ice inhibits the flavours of a whiskey, as it makes the temperature drop rapidly. Although it may be more refreshing and calm the burn, it can make the whiskey taste dull and flat. The aromas and flavours will only reveal themselves once the whiskey warms up to room temperature.

Ensure you use still water not carbonated. Additionally, the water or ice you add should come from a mineral source or be distilled. Tap water in most locations world wide contain high levels of chlorine and this will partially mask the flavours of the whiskey.

Ultimately, it is up to you, the drinker, what you do with the whiskey. It's completely up to your preference. But seriously, next time you go out for a drink, or even when you are just chilling at home - grab a glass of whiskey and sip away my friend. Because I for one will be doing just that.

"Whiskey, like a beautiful woman, demands appreciation. You gaze first, then it's time to drink." - Haruki Murakami, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World 

Drink up! 
~~~  Viet

Welcome to this blog :)

Introduction/a talk about beer

This first post is most likely going to be boring because I'm tried and drunk. Just to clear things up, you don't matter.

Alcohol; because no good story starts with someone eating a salad - Unknown

This blog will be run by a group of students for an assignment. We've chosen to write about alcohol because well...we're uni students so what else do we really talk about. We'll be covering a brief overview over the history of different types of alcoholic beverages as well as their effects and we may even throw in a few stories here and there.

So this first one will be about beer, who doesn't like to knock back a couple of cold ones.
Beer has four ingredients that include grains (most often barely), water, yeast and hops. Beer may date as far back as 9500 BC but the first known records were between 3500-3100 BC in western Iran. As you can see people have been getting drunk for a while now and honestly we're getting pretty good at it.

The first step is malting, this involves harvesting the grain, heating it to dry it out and then cracking. This is done in order to ready the enzymes for brewing.

The next step is mashing which involves soaking the grains in hot water in order to activate the enzymes and release the sugars. After about an hour the water is drained leaving a liquid called wort.

The step after that is boiling where the wort is boiled with the hops and any other spices that the brewer wishes to add to the mix. This is then drained and ready for fermentation.

The last steps are fermentation and aging. After the boiled wort is cooled it is fermented with the use of yeast. After this it is then bottled and the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast naturally carbonates the beer.

All in all who really cares about how it is made as long as it gets you drunk enough so a 3 turns into a 7. As long as one of your sober mates, we call them boring, isn't there to tell you what a horrible thing you've done it's all good. But hey in the end, using the wise words of The Lonely Island..."doesn't matter, had sex". Thank you alcohol.

Drinking beer doesn't make you fat, It makes you lean...against bars, tables, chairs, and poles  - Unknown

Just look how happy this little guy is. This could be you!

- Bassam

References:
Info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer
Picture from http://www.clipartbest.com/beer-keg-pictures