What's your tipple this evening then?

[rjw63]

He's a gin and btyonic bummer

[snowychap]

Are you thinking of Witton_Lane?

I try not to.

But I see where you are going (though I thought he had something to do with Hallow).

[BOF]

[leviramsey]

For some reason, whilst reading Sports Illustrated today, I got thirsty...

SI"]

[Graeme McDowell's] father claims the best whiskey in the world is made outside of Portrush, in the village of Bushmills; Graeme is more of a Guinness man. Either way, the new U.S. Open champ said on Sunday evening, “There might be a few beverages consumed from this trophy this week. Goodness knows when I’m going to sober up. I can’t make any promises there.”

[Witton_Lane]

Are you thinking of Witton_Lane?

I try not to.

But I see where you are going (though I thought he had something to do with Hallow).

Oi I heard that really bad person

Yeah family used to live in Hallow, weird place, full of in-breds and Man United/Liverpool fans as I remember it. I got barred from the Royal Oak inside of 2 hours, my sister was so ashamed.

[BOF]

the best whiskey in the world is made outside of Portrush, in the village of Bushmills;

It is. Simple as that.

Did you drink Bushmills tonight Levi?

Personally I can recommend the Shirley Bassey. Or "Black Bush" as it's called.

[leviramsey]

the best whiskey in the world is made outside of Portrush, in the village of Bushmills;

It is. Simple as that.

Did you drink Bushmills tonight Levi?

Indeed I did. Ireland's greatest contribution to the world? It definitely has to rank ahead of Guinness and to even try to put U2 in the same league as Bushmills is, well, batshit crazy.

[Witton_Lane]

the best whiskey in the world is made outside of Portrush, in the village of Bushmills;

It is. Simple as that.

Did you drink Bushmills tonight Levi?

Indeed I did. Ireland's greatest contribution to the world? It definitely has to rank ahead of Guinness and to even try to put U2 in the same league as Bushmills is, well, batshit crazy.

So true....I always hated the shit out of whisky until a kind soul bought me a bottle of Black Bush for Xmas one year....I remember I drank it with stilton and home made pickled onions on the side, absolute heaven.

[BOF]

Well if you want to further your Bushmills edumecation then you should go straight to the holy grail and get the 16 year old Bush (can't beat a 16 year old Bush, hardeharhar). It's like an angel crying on your tongue. Almost a shame to swallow. It is €70 a bottle over here though.

[leviramsey]

$63.99 over here

[Dom_Wren]

In college, me mate whos from ballymena, his da brought over a bottle of that. We sat in the front room and got ballubered on it. TOP TOP night for those of us who were used to 12 southpaw.

[BOF]

If you're not hard up for cash Levi it's well worth the investment. Trust me. It's a million miles ahead of the normal stuff.

[briggaman]

For some reason, whilst reading Sports Illustrated today, I got thirsty...

SI"]

[Graeme McDowell's] father claims the best whiskey in the world is made outside of Portrush, in the village of Bushmills; Graeme is more of a Guinness man. Either way, the new U.S. Open champ said on Sunday evening, “There might be a few beverages consumed from this trophy this week. Goodness knows when I’m going to sober up. I can’t make any promises there.”

Good stuff! I pretty much drink any kind of the good stuff though, as I'm not too fussy with it. I'll drink Jack and Jim if that is all an establishment has. However, here are a few favourites that I have tried:

Bailie Nicol Jarvie

Johnnie Walker Black Label

The Glenrothes 1985 Vintage

Jameson 15 Year Old Pot Still - I was very fortunate to have this one for free.

[leviramsey]

Good stuff! I pretty much drink any kind of the good stuff though, as I'm not too fussy with it. I'll drink Jack and Jim if that is all an establishment has. However, here are a few favourites that I have tried:

Johnnie Walker Black Label

I don't think I've ever been in an establishment that didn't have Johnnie Black (and I shudder to think of how bad such an establishment would be).

[mjmooney]

My itinerary for this afternoon:

[leviramsey]

What, no Becks or Holsten or Schloesser?

[mjmooney]

Well, the beers and the crisps have gone, the chicken and the wine and the whisky still to go.

Can't say I was surprised by the result. Go USA.

[briggaman]

Anything I can get my hands on after that shambles....

[leviramsey]

Actually, the best whiskey might be bacon-flavored bourbon

Since my home bar was among the things I had to leave behind when I moved from Virginia, I’m limited in my cocktail blogging right now. But since bacon and bourbon are two Agitator favorites, I thought a post about how to deliciously combine the two was the least I could offer. (Why would you want to put bacon in your bourbon? If you have to ask, this isn’t the post for you.)

Alcohol is very good at extracting flavors. It’s easy to use for infusions. Throw some raspberries in some gin, let it sit for a day or two, strain out the raspberries, and voila, you’ve got raspberry gin. Unfortunately, your raspberries are going to taste pretty nasty now. That’s fine for fruit, but who wants to waste bacon? Luckily, there’s a better way.

It’s unappetizingly called “fat-washing.” It works on the basic principle that most of the flavor elements in a fat are also soluble in alcohol. This means that instead of having to ruin good bacon in an infusion, you can just use the melted fat. I got to sample a use of this technique last month at Tales of the Cocktail, a fantastic annual convention of cocktail enthusiasts held in New Orleans every summer. I’m getting baconostalgic just thinking about it. This recipe comes from PDT in New York and it makes a bourbon with an intense, smoky aroma and a true bacon flavor.

What you’ll need: A 750 ml bottle of good bourbon. PDT recommends Four Roses Yellow Label. I’ve used Bulleit, which you might have an easier time finding. Also bacon, as smoky as possible. PDT uses Benton’s from Tennessee, and while any smoky bacon could work, my own substitution didn’t produce nearly as much smoke character as what I sampled in New Orleans.

To make it, cook up 3-4 strips of bacon. Retain a fluid ounce or so of the rendered fat, letting it cool but not solidify. Discard of the bacon in the manner of your choosing (I’m sure you’ll think of something). Pour the fat and bourbon into a glass jar and let it sit to taste, a matter of hours if the bacon is strong enough.

Now you’ve got a very greasy looking jar of bourbon. To make it ungreasy, put it in the freezer over night. The fat will conveniently congeal for easy straining, and you can clean it up even further with a run through a coffee filter.

[rjw63]

That sounds **** horrendous.

And I've tried that Jose Cueva Gold, "smoked" tequila. It's **** vile