May. 9th, 2011 03:39 pm
Huddle-muddle
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muckefuckI was pretty pleased with the turnout for pre-Touché cocktails on Saturday. Even ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
monshu seemed to enjoy himself, which was a relief because he was supremely unenthusiastic after a late nap earlier in the evening. Then the first guests arrived and it was a couple he doesn't get along with, so I scented disaster, but soon after Calphalon Bear arrived and they began chatting about art. As per instructed, he and his husband had brought a cute friend, a salt-and-peppery transplant who lives in the neighbourhood and got into it with me over the demise of Charlie's Ale House (where I never ever went) and its replacement by Acre (which I love). About the same time, the Scoutmaster arrived with his useless boyfriend and we got the mint juleps underway. Devon Market had beautiful spearmint in stock, so I used one bunch to make simple syrup and most of another on a half-dozen juleps. "Your putting in too much mint!" he complained. (He wasn't drinking any, but he's an honorary Kentucky Colonel--whatever that means--so he claimed kibbitzing rights.) Cute New Bear loved his, so he can go hang.
All in all, we had maybe a dozen people. Diego and Uncle Betty finally made it and UB told me he wanted to try making something called a "brown, bitter, and stirred" he'd had at a pub in Logan Square. Turns out this was actually the name of some kind of recent mixology challenge, and the version we ended up making was something called a Bitter Maestro, partly because we had the specific amaro called for, Amaro Nonino. Everything else but the dash of grenadine we had to fake: bourbon instead of rye, Calvados instead of applejack[*], and Lillet instead of Dubonnet rouge. Talk about a cocktail with a lot going on in it! It seemed to work, but I think I'd have to have more than a sip to know for sure.
I wasn't even planning on follow everyone else to the bar afterwards, but I'm glad I did since it gave me the chance to catch up with a few lads I wouldn't've seen otherwise, such as the elusiveclintswan and SquareBear (who opened our conversation with one of the most amazing stalkerish lines I have ever heard). I also ran into a knot of South Suburbaners, who I'm surprised remembered me given that I met them at the North End a decade and a half ago and have hardly run into them again since. I really should've been more messed up the next day than I ultimately was, but I plan to stay in tonight and not presume upon fate. After all, the end of the week is filling up with events like there's no tomorrow.
[*] Yes, we used the Chauffe-Cœur. (Imagine the sound of my heart breaking.) Uncle Betty is luck I love him like a gay Latino brother.
monshu seemed to enjoy himself, which was a relief because he was supremely unenthusiastic after a late nap earlier in the evening. Then the first guests arrived and it was a couple he doesn't get along with, so I scented disaster, but soon after Calphalon Bear arrived and they began chatting about art. As per instructed, he and his husband had brought a cute friend, a salt-and-peppery transplant who lives in the neighbourhood and got into it with me over the demise of Charlie's Ale House (where I never ever went) and its replacement by Acre (which I love). About the same time, the Scoutmaster arrived with his useless boyfriend and we got the mint juleps underway. Devon Market had beautiful spearmint in stock, so I used one bunch to make simple syrup and most of another on a half-dozen juleps. "Your putting in too much mint!" he complained. (He wasn't drinking any, but he's an honorary Kentucky Colonel--whatever that means--so he claimed kibbitzing rights.) Cute New Bear loved his, so he can go hang.All in all, we had maybe a dozen people. Diego and Uncle Betty finally made it and UB told me he wanted to try making something called a "brown, bitter, and stirred" he'd had at a pub in Logan Square. Turns out this was actually the name of some kind of recent mixology challenge, and the version we ended up making was something called a Bitter Maestro, partly because we had the specific amaro called for, Amaro Nonino. Everything else but the dash of grenadine we had to fake: bourbon instead of rye, Calvados instead of applejack[*], and Lillet instead of Dubonnet rouge. Talk about a cocktail with a lot going on in it! It seemed to work, but I think I'd have to have more than a sip to know for sure.
I wasn't even planning on follow everyone else to the bar afterwards, but I'm glad I did since it gave me the chance to catch up with a few lads I wouldn't've seen otherwise, such as the elusive
clintswan and SquareBear (who opened our conversation with one of the most amazing stalkerish lines I have ever heard). I also ran into a knot of South Suburbaners, who I'm surprised remembered me given that I met them at the North End a decade and a half ago and have hardly run into them again since. I really should've been more messed up the next day than I ultimately was, but I plan to stay in tonight and not presume upon fate. After all, the end of the week is filling up with events like there's no tomorrow.[*] Yes, we used the Chauffe-Cœur. (Imagine the sound of my heart breaking.) Uncle Betty is luck I love him like a gay Latino brother.