The Winter of 2015 has pulled no punches so far; so what's one way to beat the East Coast weather? Our first episode featuring the Caribbean, of course - The Happy Hour Gang makes it to JAMAICA'S Nassau Valley, home of 10,000+ acres of sugar cane... and the Appleton Rum Distillery, where they've been farming cane and making sugar since the 1650s, and making rum since the 1740s - before the United States was a country! Click play for a peek at the oldest commercial rum ever to be bottled worldwide, and a fantastic, sun-splashed, very memorable tour. Ya, mon! Cheers!
Video #302, at Woody Creek Distilling; from Field to Face.
The Stobrawa is a type of potato that until recently had never been grown anywhere in the North or South America.
Woody Creek Distillers has changed that.
Also, they're making an astonishing lineup of Craft Spirits, from their Signature 'old world style' Vodka, to Rye, Bourbon, Gin, White Whiskey and their soon-to-be released Colorado Scotch Style Whiskey, to their stunning, palate-surprising Reserve Vodka, Stobrawa. Press play to meet the team, have a look inside the still house, and also have a seat behind the bar in their gorgeous tasting room. Enjoy!
Atomic Liquors (and a Vegas Quickie) with Sam Merritt!
UPDATE: Check out Jen Reviews: 100 Best Things to do in Vegas - it's a go-to for LV coolness. And yes, this article is included!
Jimmy and the one and only Sam Merritt.
Jimmy here, reporting from the desert:
One of the things we love about being Happy Hour Guys; now that we've been doing this for a while (I mean, we shot the pilot in 2006!), we often get a chance to reconnect with old friends. And last week offered a chance to catch up with one of our best and brightest from here out East, Sam Merritt. I got a last-minute gig in Las Vegas doing an Industrial, and while I was excited to see the Las Vegas Strip again, I knew that Sam could take us to places much cooler. Sam used to be with us here in the East Coast, where he has done everything from being a beer rep for Brooklyn Brewery to running his own Cicerone Beer Certification program called the Civilization of Beer. (Civ of Beer is a terrific course, by the way - we've taken it.) A couple years ago Sam decamped to points further West, and now serves as one of the Beer Education mavens for Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada.
A draft list at Aces & Ales (Tenaya Way).
We met up with Sam at Aces & Ales, on Tenaya Way quite a ways north and west of the Strip. Aces is easily one of Nevada's best craft beer bars, and would land in the top ten list of any high-end craft beer enthusiast worth his or her salt... anywhere. I have to say when I walked in and looked at the draft list, I wanted to genuflect, kiss the ground and weep happy tears. There were beers that rarely, if ever, get off the West coast, and if they do, out East we almost never see them on draft. Not only that, but the bartenders are happy to do a six glass tasting flight of these ridiculous liquids - for $16. Sixteen bucks to taste beers that would be hard to find even if you went to the individual breweries and begged the men and women responsible for making them to pour! Also, speaking to the badassery of the bartenders, when they have 40+ beers on tap, doing flights is a tall order - and our guy (Assistant GM Matt Alexander) handled us with aplomb. So I was able to taste six astonishing beers within minutes of walking to the door. And in keeping with their name, Aces is has gaming (including video slot machines) on site, so you can possibly make back the money to pay for your order. Riiiiiight... remember folks, the House always wins! It was pretty amazing; Aces & Ales has it going on.
Old school and proud of it.
The bar at Atomic.
Next up was Atomic Liquors, in the Fremont District of Las Vegas, which is actually what we like to call 'Old' Vegas. This is the part of Las Vegas that existed before the Strip, where the old school casinos are, and all the neon (including the terrific Neon Museum), - the whole area is kitschy, throwback fun. And Atomic Liquors did not disappoint. Atomic is the oldest free-standing bar in the entire city, and also boasts the first package liquor license in the history of the State of Nevada, gotten in 1952. The story is that back in the day, people (including the Rat Pack) used to gather and head up to the rooftop of Atomic with their lawn chairs, to watch the nuclear test explosions that were occurring miles down the road in the Nevada desert. Joe and Stella Sobchik, the owners at the time, thought it might be a good idea to get a liquor license and serve drinks while folks were watching the tests. They were also responsible for constructing the beautiful wraparound bar downstairs. Today, Atomic boasts an incredible craft cocktail program as well as a terrific lineup of spirits and craft beer; and the atmosphere is second to none, right down to the poster for "Miss Atomic Bomb" - which was actually a thing. Nuclear bombs and Showgirls, anyone? Atomic Liquors– you really shouldn't miss it.
Her bathing suit is a mushroom cloud. Seriously?
At that point, our evening with Sam was cut short, because I had to get down to the Strip to Showstoppers at the Wynn Casino (Kerry O'Malley singing Sally Bowles and Mama Rose, I mean COME ON) - also I may have ended up getting hammered at the Blackjack table later, but all in all, for a short visit, it was a very productive one. And we have Sam to thank for it.
Our advice: The next time you visit Vegas, definitely check out the big casinos on the strip, but get off the strip as soon as you can. Go see the Old Vegas, and find the nooks and crannies. And check back here before you go - you never know what we'll have for you.
And, we'll see you next time. Cheers!
Pappy Van Winkle is amazing...and everything that's wrong with the booze industry.
Jimmy had a shot of Pappy Van Winkle the other night. He was at a bar with some friends, one of which was having an auspicious birthday, and wanted to celebrate. The bartender whispered some magic words: "We have Pappy 20, and 23. Off menu." So Jimmy ordered a shot of the 20, neat. It arrived, everyone tasted, and all praised what was a lovely, lovely brown spirit.
Then, the bill came. $150. For a single 1 and 1/2 ounce of liquid.
Let's put that sticker shock in perspective: Given that there are about 16ish shots in a 750 ml bottle, that means that this bar will make around $2400 for that brown liquid. Not a bad profit, even considering that this bottle likely cost them (because it was off-menu and likely purchased retail, from a profiteer - they wouldn't tell us exactly where) around $1000. (EDIT: A reader, Jim, correctly states that 99% of the time restaurants and bars pay wholesale for Pappy, if they have the chance to purchase. And AN ENTIRE BOTTLE of Pappy 23 retails in some markets for $149!!)
Now, we get it - we live in a free country with a Capitalist system: There are lots of popular drinks out there, astonishingly well crafted, and the producers of these drinks, if they are lucky enough for it to achieve the cult status that Pappy has, can charge "whatever the traffic will bear" as it were. But when there is rarity or cultishness around a 'WHITE WHALE' (as these types of drinks are called), profiteering inevitably comes into the picture. And we believe that it spoils the intent with which the drinks were made in the first place.
According to our sources, some distributors in the US are now tying whether or not a liquor store receives bottles of Pappy to quantity sales of other whiskies, some of which are exceedingly hard to move in large batches. In other words, a store must move X cases of another product to earn the right to 'get Pappy'. This leaves the smaller Mom and Pop stores at a huge disadvantage, as they simply can't move the number of bottles necessary to qualify. In the Craft Beer world, pursuit of rare releases like Cigar City's Hunahpu Stout have led to black/gray markets springing up, in which a profiteer will buy multiple bottles at the brewery, then sell them online for a steep markup.
Buy it from a retailer you trust.
We've spoken to the good folk at Cigar City; in the case of Hunahpu Stout, they just want to make great beer, and they've set what they believe to be a fair price this beer - the fact that someone who had nothing to do with making the liquid is profiting from a black market re-sale is an insult to the work that they've put in to making it in the first place.
In both cases, the producers have the best and worst kind of success; their drinks have become astonishingly popular, but a great deal of the money that is changing hands over them never makes it back to their pockets, where it belongs.
Our advice? Stay away from profiteers. The point of having these amazing beverages is to experience them the way the producer intended - in the case of Cigar City, buy from a reputable retailer like Bruisin' Ales, or GO TO TAMPA YOURSELF - because bev-touring is awesome.
And as far as Pappy goes, we agree that it's wonderful, amazing, astonishing; but there are many, many other fantastic, aged bourbons out there that won't deliver such a blow to your wallet. Want to be super cool? Find the next one that less people know about. The Elijah Craig 23, for instance.
What about you? What are your feelings about Bev Sticker Shock, and Profiteering? Leave us a comment below.
And we'll see you next time!
Video #301: Looking back on 2014! (For FunZies.)
The whole Happy Hour Guy crew gets involved in our yearly tradition of looking back over our favorite stops of the previous year. And as we're on the threshold of our 300th episode (which will drop in 2015) this one, which is OUR SEVENTH (!!) is pretty special.
Press play for a look at where we've alighted in 2014, with special guest appearances by rock star brewers, the Amish, and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Cheers, Happy New Year, and here's to a great 2015!
THHG & Planet Princeton: A Pub Crawl to raise money for Homefront!
What Marley says...goes.
Jacob Marley said it best: "Business? Mankind was my business. The Common Welfare was my business. Charity, Mercy, Forbearance and Benevolence were ALL my business!"
So how can you do your part for Mankind this holiday season? By raising a glass with The Happy Hour Guys and Planet Princeton, of course!
This Tuesday, December 16th, The Happy Hour Guys are teaming up with Planet Princeton and the McCarter Theatre to offer a new holiday tradition - a holiday pub crawl through historic Princeton village led by History and Drinking (and History of Drinking) buff Jimmy Ludwig. Jimmy is presently acting in A Christmas Carol at McCarter for his 10th season (WOW), playing Nephew Fred, the Schoolmaster and the Undertaker. Members of the cast of A Christmas Carol will be tagging along as we make stops at:
The Yankee Doodle Tavern, The Alchemist & Barrister, Winberie's, and the Triumph Brewing Company.
Follow this link to the eventbrite invitation: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/planet-princeton-holiday-pub-crawl-to-benefit-homefront-tickets-14897216977
Throughout the evening there will be history and tidbits about each space (and other fascinating things) led by Jimmy, along with raffles, door prizes, and other fun to raise money for HomeFront, a charity that is working to end homelessness for New Jersey families. Come do your part to help this holiday season, and in the best way possible; by raising a glass with new friends. Hope to see you there!
CHEERS!
Video #299: Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor - Community.
Arts & Crafts Beer Parlor (26 W. 8th Street, Greenwich Village, NYC) is a special place for many reasons: The rotating beer list, the draft system, their commitment to the 'Arts & Crafts' movement - but at the end of the day, as with all bars, the Community they form is the core of why people become fans of this place and come back over and over again. Here's a sample of the community you might find when you step through the door. Cheers!