On Sunday evening, Drinking Diaries co-editors, Caren and Leah, headed to Brooklyn for a reading at Cobble Hill’s premiere independent bookstore, BookCourt– just voted “Best Bookstore 2012″ by the Village Voice.

Joined by local writers, Helene Stapinski, Elissa Schappell and Lianne Stokes, the reading provided the crowd with a taste of the diversity that makes up the book’s collection.

From Helene’s take on her quest to Italy to see if the name behind Amaro Lucano liqueur–which she served to anyone willing to try it–is connected to her family ancestry, to Elissa’s tale of her husband’s decision to stop drinking after years of imbibing as a couple (and which was featured in The New York Times “Modern Love” column), to Lianne’s piece about using booze to cope during a friend’s baby shower, the essays initiated some great post-reading questions and conversation.

To quote the Daily News.com: “The Drinking Diaries event at BookCourt will be saturated in stories by celebrated women writers — tales of late-night adventures, dates, ladies’ night and wild college parties, all involving a few too many drinks. This reading, led by editors Leah Odze Epstein and Caren Osten Gerszberg, will be sure to send you on a page-turning binge.”

Enough said.

Thanks to everyone who came out, and stay tuned for more Drinking Diaries events.

For those of you who like coming up with names, here’s your chance to give one to a wine grape. Or two. And today, August 6, is the last day to submit your proposal.

Scientists at Cornell University have asked the public for names for two new grape varieties that will be released from their breeding program in 2013, according to an article on Cornell’s Chronicle Online. Grape breeder Bruce Reisch, who is accepting name submissions at bruce.reisch@cornell.edu, came up with the two new varieties—”a cold-hardy white wine grape and an innovative organic dark red.”

The scientists are looking for names that are unique (a potential challenge with some 7,000 other grape varieties), marketable, reasonably easy to pronounce and conjure positive connotations, said Reisch. Currently, the new varieties’ names are NY76.0844.24 and NY95.0301.01. Shouldn’t be too difficult to come up with something a bit more inspiring.

Cornell, with a host of new grape varieties in development, has been breeding grapes since 1888. It’s not a quick process, though, and can take 30 to 40 years for a new variety to be released, and several more before the grapes appear in commercially available wine.

Asking the public to participate and creating a social media campaign are Reisch’s effort to create some buzz about the new varieties, according to the Chronicle Online piece. “There are so many different flavors. Why shouldn’t people get excited about new varieties?,” said Reisch. “They keep things interesting for the consumer and are often better for growers.”

The winning names will be announced at the Viticulture 2013 conference in February in Rochester, NY.

photo source

Each week, we post short interviews with interesting people about their thoughts and feelings on women and drinking. There is such a wide array of perspectives about this topic, and we are excited to gain insight into as many as possible and to share them with you. 

Chloe Caldwell is the author of the essay collection, Legs Get Led Astray. Her non-fiction has appeared in The Rumpus, Nylon Magazine, The Nervous Breakdown, Chronogram, The Frisky, The Sun Magazine, SMITH Magazine, Jewcy, Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood, Vol 1. Brooklyn, Freerange Nonfiction and The Faster Times.She is the founder and curator of the Hudson River Loft Reading Series and has taught Creative Writing workshops at Omega Teen Camp, The Hudson Opera House, and Crow Arts Manor. Chloe splits her time living in upstate New York and Portland, Oregon.

Chloe Caldwell: I tried sips of my dad’s beer as a kid, I’m pretty sure. Maybe around age nine. When I was twelve-ish, I had a bunch of girlfriends sleep over and we snuck into the pantry and drank some disgusting expired spirits. Or maybe we were just drinking balsamic vinegar.

How did/does your family treat drinking?

My parents both drink, but we never had an alcoholism problem in our family. Sometimes my dad will drink a beer with dinner, sometimes he won’t. My mom likes her red wine and nothing else. There’s always a decent amount of alcohol at family gatherings.

How do you approach alcohol in your every day life?

I try to be smart. I’ll ask myself if I really feel like drinking. This is new for me. I used to just drink more than I should. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I’m trying to be more mindful in everything I do–drinking and eating, especially.

Have you ever had a phase in your life when you drank more or less?

I drank the most when I was twenty-one through twenty-three. It’s when I was living in New York City, and I was drinking something of a disgusting amount of mixed drinks most days and nights.

What’s your drink of choice? Why?

Red wine. It relaxes me. Holy shit, I sound exactly like my mom.

Can you tell us about the best time you ever had drinking?

I’ve had lots of good times drinking. But in truth, I think the best time drinking I’ve ever had was in high school. My senior class was really tight and on Friday and Saturday nights we’d always go to a  boy named Lars’s barn, to hang out. The barn was empty except for a large mirror covering one wall. We danced for hours to Kanye West and Eminem and R.Kelly and drank Budweiser and Coors Lite.

What about the worst time?

Any time I cry in public or act like an aggressive douche-bag.

Do you have a favorite book, song, or movie about drinking?

I would like to read Are You There Vodka? It’s me Chelsea. I like when Elliott Smith sings, “With an open container from Seven Eleven…” and when Connor Oberst sings, “Cause there’s this switch that gets hit and it all stops making sense and in the middle of drinks maybe the fifth or sixth, I’m completely alone at a table of friends…I feel nothing for them, I feel nothing, nothing.” And Hush Arbors have a song where they sing, “There’s whiskey in that bottle and blood on the floor..”

What do you like most about drinking?

That it changes me.

Why do, or don’t you, choose to drink?

I think any time we use a substance, be it coffee, alcohol, or drugs, it’s to escape ourselves a little bit. Like in The Lemonheads song “Drug Buddy” he sings, “I’m too much with myself, I wanna be someone else.”

The news is good for those of us who enjoy a glass of wine, beer or a mixed drink a day. A new study of more than 80,000 women revealed that low to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a 17% to 21% reduction in risk of stroke.

The new findings were published last week in Stroke, the online journal of the American Heart Association. For the study, researchers looked at data on nearly 84,000 women who were part of the Nurse’s Healthy Study, in which they had to provide information on their daily diets, lifestyle habits, and how much they drank. All of the women had no evidence of cancer and heart disease when the study started, and were enrolled in the study for 26 years.

Scientists have been questioning how alcohol affects the risk of stroke, given that moderate drinking appears to lower the risk of heart disease. It probably does that by boosting the production of HDL, the good cholesterol, and reducing the risk of blood clots.

During the study, scientists found 2,171 incidents of strokes, including ischemic strokes (when blood flow to the brain is obstructed), hemorrhagic strokes (where a brain blood vessel bursts), and strokes of unknown origin. They also found almost 30 percent of women reported that they never drank alcohol, 35 percent reported drank very little, 37 percent drank moderately, and only 11 percent of women reported drinking more than the equivalent of one mixed drink per day on average.

Women who drank low to moderate amounts of alcohol–from less than 1/2 a glass of wine per day to 1.5 glasses of wine, one serving of a mixed drink, or one beer –had a lower stroke risk than women who never drank. But heavy drinkers were no less likely to suffer a stroke.

Because there were so few heavy drinkers, this study doesn’t give a reliable picture of risk for women who drink heavily. But earlier studies have found that heavier drinking is linked to more strokes.

“At higher levels, [alcohol] can increase blood pressure,” Monik Jimenez, the epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who led the study told NPR. Drinking a lot also can increase the risk of an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, which boosts the risk of stroke.

These results, while positive, are not an invitation to park yourself at the bar. In fact, Jimenez says, women who don’t drink can feel perfectly comfortable with that choice, because their risk of stroke is still relatively low. “We certainly don’t want to advocate initiation of alcohol consumption for those who are non-drinkers.”

Photo source

I’ve spent many an afternoon driving through the countryside of France–my mother’s homeland–in a small, Peugeot rental car. Together, my mom and I have pulled over alongside a field of sunflowers or a stretch of sandy beach to lay out a picnic where we’d eat and sip the locally made wine. On my next trip, however, I’ll not only think twice about taking the wheel after a picnic, but I’ll also be blowing into a Breathalyzer to be certain my blood alcohol level is within the legal limit.

Beginning July 1, a new law in France will require all motor vehicles (except mopeds) to have a breathalyzer on hand. (The new rule can be found in French at Legifrance.)  It seems unexpected that a country like France, known for its love of le vin, would spearhead this campaign against drinking and driving, but perhaps not surprisingly, nearly 30 percent of all road fatalities in France are alcohol-related—a higher rate than in Germany and the UK. In fact, alcohol has been the leading cause of road deaths in France since 2007.

To bring these numbers down and save lives (and there is an election coming), French President Sarkozy has chosen to target drunk driving. According to numerous reports, French authorities will accept a one-time disposable type that costs less than two dollars. They are recommending, however, that motorists buy them in pairs so there’s an additional one in case a fellow-imbibing passenger is in need.

The French police will begin strictly enforcing the new law as of November 1, with many spot checks on roads. The idea is that every time a driver (native or tourist) gets into their car after having a drink, they will have a device with which to test if there blood alcohol content (BAC) is over the mandated blood alcohol limit for drinking in France, .05 BAC. That is a much stricter limit than the U.S. limits of .08 in 17 states and 0.10 in 33 states, according to a US government survey.

Because the drunk driving penalty in France is much higher than the “no breathalyzer” fine, the hope is that drivers will eventually begin to self-test before driving. They may risk not having the breathalyzer on hand if they are stopped, but at least they’ll know if they are under the legal limit and the fine will be less.

It’s possible that this new law may pose some linguistic challenges for non French-speaking tourists who wish to cruise around the countryside. A piece in Budget Travel magazine reports that Hertz rental cars will provide the breathalyzers for free; Avis and Budget had no comment yet on the situation.

France is the first country to enact a breathalyzer on-hand legislation, and I imagine the rest of the world will be watching to see how it affects the road toll. If the new legislation saves lives, the law might be something to consider on this side of the Atlantic. Vive la France…?

photo source 1

photo source 2

A couple of weeks ago, Starbucks—with 10,700 U.S. stores—announced that it will be serving wine and beer (and savory snacks) in a handful of locations in Atlanta and Southern California by the end of the year. These locations join plans for several coffee-cum-bar Starbucks in Chicago, and the already five existing coffee/bars in the company’s hometown, Seattle, and one in Portland.

Apparently, the change in the coffee-only focus is a response to customer feedback for additional options to relax in Starbucks’ coffee houses. “As our customers transition from work to home, many are looking for a warm and inviting place to unwind and connect with the people they care about,” said Clarice Turner, Starbucks’ senior vice president, U.S. Operations in a release. “At select stores where it is relevant for the neighborhood, we are focused on creating an atmosphere where our customers can relax with a friend, a small bite to eat and a cup of coffee or glass of wine.”

After the decision to roll out the booze to other cities, Poll Position conducted a phone survey of 1,113 registered voters and asked the following: Starbucks is beginning to serve beer and wine in some of its stores.  Do you think that it is appropriate for Starbucks to serve beer and wine?

Respondents were divided with 39 percent saying yes, 39 percent saying no and 22 percent describing themselves as undecided. The poll’s administrators said men and women were divided on whether selling beer and wine is a good move for Starbucks.

Not surprisingly, men favored Starbucks selling beer and wine 49%-34%, while women opposed it 45%-30%.

After reading these results, I decided to take a poll of my own. I asked about 50 people, both men and women, ranging in age from 15 to 75, what they thought about Starbucks’ transformation.

Some were opposed to the idea because of how alcohol will change the coffee-house atmosphere:

“I don’t like it.  Starbucks has a certain vibe that doesn’t include people getting buzzed on alcohol.”

“I like the café experience, sitting there and reading. I don’t want my café to be my local pub also.”

“I think it goes against the environment that Starbucks tries to give off which is a warm, friendly coffee shop. If you start selling alcohol it will lose its peaceful sense.”

“For me, the two don’t mix well–Starbucks is a spot to go for coffee during the day and, at least for now, I still adhere to the 5:00 cocktail rule!”

Some liked the idea of moving towards the European model:

“It recasts Starbucks more in the mold of a European café.  Cappuccino in the morning, Prosecco by night.”

“In Europe, you see coffee bars also selling wine. Starbucks provides a sense of community, a gathering place, and wine always goes with that. The only thing is, I think they’d need to adapt the decor/atmosphere–less utilitarian, more luxe, sexier lighting perhaps. And music.”

“Kids in america are underexposed to alcohol in a ‘part of life’ way.  It can be a good thing to have it around in a place which is not a bar where people act more responsibly…My theory is the more it is not a big deal, the less the kids will make a big deal.

Some expressed concern about teens:

“I think it is horrible. Starbucks is, for some kids, a safe haven, and I’m not sure why they need to introduce alcohol into the mix.”

“As long as they are checking IDs, I’m fine with it.”

“I’m concerned because so many young people are already abusing the amount of caffeine they consume in a day. Then add the temptation of alcohol (and how easy it is to get a fake ID to purchase it).”

“So long as they carefully monitor minors, I see no problem in expanding the line. Having said that, there was something cozy and wholesome about having a non-mood altering zone there.”

There are those who try to stay away from alcohol:

“Total turnoff.  You go there for the calm, for the sip on coffee, open your laptop feel. Not to get drunk.”

“I think selling beer and wine essentially makes Starbucks into a bar—so many people in recovery try so hard to stay out of bars (and we spend a lot of time in coffee houses!)”

“The other night, around 5 pm, I had some time to kill in NYC before meeting friends for dinner, and I didn’t want to go into a bar alone but I thought a glass of wine might be nice. I chose Starbucks instead, and got coffee but fantasized about wine. Still–I think there should be some alcohol-free zones, so I’m on the fence, leaning toward compassion for those who need not to be around it!”

Some just feel strongly:

“I think it is a big mistake. It would probably make me boycott the company whose stores I am currently in about two times a day.”

“I think wine fits more with an upscale coffee store; perhaps select beers, but Bud at Starbucks makes no sense—might as well buy eggs and milk too.”

“I’m fine with it. It broadens their business opportunity and should help strengthen sales,  something all enterprises could use these days.”

“I wholeheartedly support their decision, feels a bit more like the European relationship to wine and beer — normalizes the place of these drinks in our culture.”

There are those who cover all the bases:

“My initial reaction was, “Oh no!”  I suppose I feel that way because I view Starbucks as a calm and peaceful place to read the paper and meet friends while enjoying a nice cup of coffee or tea.  I suppose in some sense that a nice glass of wine or beer would not detract from that experience.  In fact, many people would enjoy a good read or conversation with a glass of wine or beer.  I suppose it is the other problems associated with alcohol that concern me — over-consumption, under-age drinking, and the trouble that accompanies those things that puts doubt in my mind as to why this is necessary.  I like Starbucks just the way it is.  I would prefer to go elsewhere for my glass of wine. I am sure this decision by Starbucks is economically motivated to increase sales by capturing a new group of consumers.  I guess I keep thinking that I like Starbucks just the way it is and if it ain’t broke, why fix it?”

And those that think, why not?

“When people get hung over, they can switch to coffee. With wars and the economy, it is such a minor thing.”

“We do not have prohibition any longer and live in a free market society, so they should be allowed to sell beer and wine.”

Needless to say, the subject of coffee houses morphing into bars is a loaded one. It seems a risky move for Starbucks, but only time will tell how the new metropolitan “coffee/bars” will be received. As far as I’m concerned, a few hours of work while sipping a latte is nice, but so is capping the afternoon with a glass of cabernet. It’s important that teens have a place to congregate, so maybe they can head to the diner, or one of the frozen yogurt places now cropping up on every corner.

Photo source 1

Photo source 2

I love to travel. I’m the person that gets a pit of excitement in my stomach, knowing I’m hours away from getting on an airplane. Once in the air, I’m happy to pass the hours, reading, watching a movie, or just looking at the clouds below.

While I’ve never associated the two, I also love wine, but understand that the wine served tens of thousands of feet above the ground–in coach class, that is–in those mini twist-off bottles is simply drinkable, at best, and nothing more. I’ll rarely spring the 5 bucks for a mediocre, miniature bottle of wine.

Part of the investment for first and business-class passengers must be the wine, because they are drinking a whole different calibre of beverage (full disclosure: I’ve been one of those passengers on two occasions. It’s really nice up there.) Chosen from a selection of several reds and whites, business class wine is poured from a traditional 750 ml bottle. No twist offs for those folks.

As a matter of fact, the wine chosen for business class passengers has become such big business that there are awards for the category–the Wines on the Wing Airline Wine Competition. According to Global Traveler, a magazine for business and luxury travelers, in the most recent competition, 26 airlines submitted 46 white wines, 49 red wines, and 23 champagne or sparkling wines currently on their international Business Class and North American premium class wine lists for a blind taste test. Global Traveler is the only U.S.-based publication to conduct such a survey in the United States (see 2011 competition results here).

But things are looking up for domestic-flying wine drinkers in economy class. Airlines have recently begun offering more interesting selections, as listed on the Bottlenotes blog. And if you’re really particular about your vineyard and vintage, bring your own on board. You’ll cruise right through security with your own 50 ml (1.7 oz) bottles from the TastingRoom’s wine samplers.

Cheers. And safe travels.

Photo source 1

Photo source 2

There is an answer to this question, but you’ll have to read on to find the answer (don’t cheat)…

Needless to say, the glass wine bottle reigns supreme. There has, however, been an increase in the types of containers storing wine in recent years. And it keeps on evolving.

For a long time, boxed wine has been looked down upon. But the quality of the wine has recently risen. Eric Asimov of the NYT explains the reasons in his piece, ”Reconsidering Boxed Wine.” Greater acceptance of the boxed wine notion is also good news if you’re counting carbon footprints–according to the Journal of Wine Research, shipping boxed wine produces half as many gas emissions as transporting heavier glass bottles.

Along with boxes, came the can. In a recent article on nytimes.com, “Cans of Wine Join the Boxed Set,” Bonnie Tsui provides great information on some of the newer, and finer, wines–drinkable not from a Bordeaux or Burgundy-shaped bottle, but rather from a specially-lined aluminum can.

Wine in a can isn’t entirely new, Tsui points out, and was “first sold by Barokes Wines, an Australian winemaker that invented a patented process called Vinsafe, which lines the aluminum to prevent any reaction that would impart flavors to the wine or degrade the container. The techniques are similar to what some craft brewers have been using, but wine’s high acidity and alcohol levels require a thicker lining.”

I wasn’t surprised to learn that Francis Ford Coppola was the first American winemaker to sell wine in a can–small, pink ones housing Sofia Blanc de Blancs, named for his daughter.

Wines on tap at Colicchio & Sons

I was surprised, however, when I ate recently at the latest of chef Tom Colicchio’s New York restaurants, Colicchio & Sons. The bar had an extensive selection of craft beers, as well as five “eco-friendly” wines…on tap. That’s right. On tap.

I’ve since learned that there are several advantages for serving wine on tap:

-Better for the environment. While bottles are recycled, wine served on tap is stored in environmentally friendly, air tight mini tanks that are reused.

-Cost-effective. Producers aren’t adding on the cost of the bottle, the cork, the carton and the transportation it comes in, so the restaurant owner pays less and so does the consumer.

-Freshness. Wine left over in a bottle used to pour wines by the glass is often discarded as it doesn’t last for more than a couple of days at most. Wine served on tap always tastes fresh, lasting for up to 60 days.

So I guess that’s what’s next…

Photo source 1

Photo source 2

It will come as no surprise that drinking lots of alcohol often goes hand-in-hand with bad decision making. But up until now, scientists had yet to come up with a direct cause and effect relationship regarding alcohol and unprotected sex.

In the January issue of the journal Addiction, a new study reports that researchers in Canada conducted 12 experiments to test the theory. The results–yes, rather obvious–confirmed that drinking alcohol affects decision-making, and the more alcohol one drinks, the more impaired the decision making. As the results show, for every 0.1mg/mL increase in blood alcohol level, study participants were 5 percent more likely to engage in unsafe sex.

While the findings may not seem overly newsworthy, they do confirm the direct connection between alcohol and sexually transmitted diseases. The study’s conclusion states that  ”alcohol use is an independent risk factor for intentions to engage in unprotected sex, and as risky sex intentions have been shown to be linked to actual risk behavior, the role of alcohol consumption in the transmission of HIV and other STDs may be of public health importance.”

“Drinking has a causal effect on the likelihood to engage in unsafe sex, and thus should be included as a major factor in preventive efforts for HIV,” said principal investigator Juergen Rehm of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, in a statement. “This result also helps explain why people at risk often show this behavior despite better knowledge: alcohol is influencing their decision processes.”

Photo source

Not sure about you, but I’ve been frisked going into concerts and football stadiums and it’s not fun. Why would anyone sneak booze in when you can buy it inside, right?

Well, it seems that enough people would to demand a new sort of product on the market–an alternative route for women–and it’s called the WineRack.

This is no joke–the website selling the WineRack ($30) boasts that that “the advantages are obvious.” It is actually a black sports bra (fits sizes 34C-D, 36A-D and 38A-C) that lets you carryup to 750ml (equal to the contents of one bottle of wine, or 25 oz.) of any beverage. The bra sports a polyurethane  bladder and a drinking tube long enough to route as you wish, along with an easy-to-use on/off valve to control the flow.

The big question: If the frisker feels the tube, what will she ask you to do–spill out its contents or remove your bra?

Photo source

It seems there’s an app for everything these days. So it’s no big surprise that there’s a growing number of iPhone, iPad, and Android apps for wine lovers–both novices and experts–and those who simply like to eat and drink.

For wine collectors and buyers, there are apps like  Cor.kz, Vintage Cart and Wine Searcher. Cooks and gourmands who want to pair wine with food can turn to Pair It!, Hello Vino, and Natalie MacLean’s Wine Picks & Pairings. (Drinking Diaries was proud to feature Natalie’s essay, The Making of a Wine Lover, in 2009.)

But apps are not simply popping up for pairing and buying wines, there are also apps for wine tastings and festivals, such as LocalWineEvents.com. And for the music and wine lover, there’s the WineDJ app. As the description reads: “The perfect wine deserves the perfect playlist. Discover music to match your mood and spirits with the Wine DJ app by Liberty School Wines…”

At this rate, smart phone users now have one more reason to break out their handheld in the liquor store, at the wine auction, with the restaurant wine list, and most certainly when opening up Itunes.

A votre santé!

Photo source

“What’s your favorite drink?” asked Chantal, our journalist-cum-tour guide. “Caipirinha,” I answered without hesitation (for those unfamiliar, it’s a Brazilian cocktail made with sugar cane liquor, or Cachaca, fresh lime, and sugar). Others replied, “Manhattan,” “Old Fashioned,” and “Dry Martini.”

Thus began our New York City walking tour, titled “About the Birth of the Cocktail: A Drinkable History of New York,” run by the Philadelphia-based Context Travel.

Once our group of five introduced ourselves on the sidewalk of 55th Street and received a brief introduction about the birth of the cocktail, we entered the St. Regis hotel. Through the lobby and around the restaurant, we made our way to the King Cole bar—opened in 1905—and allegedly famous for birthing the Red Snapper, aka the Bloody Mary. (We also learned on this tour that most claims to inventing cocktails are deeply controversial and there is no real way to confirm any of the lore.) Not only famous for its drinks, the towering painting that hangs behind the bar was painted by Maxfield Parrish in 1934, and depicts Old King Cole–you know, that merry old soul.

Next stop was the 21 Club, conceived 81 years ago in the early days of Prohibition as a speakeasy/restaurant by two guys known as Jack and Charlie. We were warmly greeted by Brian, the knowledgeable cellarmaster, who led us through the kitchen and down a flight of stairs to the basement level. Here, we watched Brian insert a meat skewer through a specific hole in what appeared to be a wall of bricks—quite a guise for those booze-seeking cops back in the day. Once engaged, the lock allowed us to push forward on the door (made of two tons of brick) and enter the wine cellar, still housing the vintage bottles once “laid down” for the likes of Jimmy Stewart, Richard Nixon, Elizabeth Taylor, and Sammy Davis Jr. We learned about the “meetings” (read: Tony Soprano types) and events that have taken place in the second and adjacent cellar which now houses a long table that can accommodate more than 20 (21?).

After a quick subway ride to the Flatiron district, we visited the offices of the Cocktail Kingdom. Actually, a mini museum of cocktail books and a barware business, the owner, Greg Boehm, fits the bill as a cocktail professor. Incredibly proud of his book collection (there was a book about ciders—the precursor to cocktails—dating back to 1676), he recounted stories about the origins of the Rainbow Room and the demise of the use of bitters.

Our final stop was the Raines Law Room on West 17^th Street. A few steps below street level, we knocked on the door and a man peeked his face through the door to ask us discreetly, “How many?” We followed him into the replica of a dimly lit piece of history—part Victorian, part Speakeasy.

Cozy booths with sheer drapes and tiny protruding tables line each side of the front room. Each booth has a button to push to alert the bar that you are in need of service. A small place that has just added a new back patio, the biggest draw is the bar kitchen at the back, where they have created a space for drinkers/customers to enjoy a close up view of the concoctions being created and poured.

While others drank Manhattans and the Corpse Reviver, I sipped an Old Cuban (rum, lime juice, mint, sugar, bitters and champagne). It was an eye-opening tour and I loved the history. But most of all, it made me grateful—that we don’t have to hide a glass of wine with dinner, or sneak through tons of brick to toast an occasion.

We always knew who wore the pants in the relationship, and now alcohol producers and entrepreneurs have come to the same realization. As a result, they are finally trying to deliver what they think women want.

According to recent articles in the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, women are closing the drinking gap, consuming more alcohol at restaurants and making most of the purchasing decisions for home.

Last week, Deerfield-based Beam Global Spirits & Wine, a unit of Fortune Brands, announced that it acquired Skinnygirl Margarita, a low-calorie, ready-to-drink cocktail sweetened with agave syrup.

“Women tend to be smarter customers in general,” said Michael Binstein, owner of Binny’s Beverage Depot. “They understand value, and they’re adventurous in terms of what they like to try and experiment with.”

Adult Chocolate Milk–a sweet, vodka-infused drink–and another fast-selling product, said Binstein, is developed by Tracy Reinhardt and Nikki Halbur in a home kitchen and sold in 28 states.

“The fact of the matter is that women in this country constitute the majority of vodka consumers, and they’ve been ignored,” said Adam Kamenstein, chief executive of privately-held Voli Spirits LLC, which a year ago rolled out Voli Light vodkas with the tagline “stay sexy.”

So, who chooses what alcohol to buy in your world?

Photo Source

“Red red wine, go to my head, make me forget…”

There are drinking songs—songs that make you want to drink—and then there are songs that remind you of certain nights, certain drinks.

Every time I hear UB40’s song, “Red Red Wine,” I’m transported back to a night, freshman year of college, when the guy who lived across the hall from me and I decided to play “drinking” Trivial Pursuit (yes, this was back in the 80s).  Our drink of choice: a gallon jug of Ernest & Julio Gallo red.

I was pretty good at Trivial Pursuit, but there were still lots of stumpers like: Name the dancers on the Jackie Gleason show (Answer: The June Taylor dancers).

By the end of a few hours or so, my roommate walked in and found four legs, twined together. Turns out we were under the bed, making out while “Red Red Wine” looped over and over on the record player (yes, that’s how old I am).

We want to know…what’s your favorite drinking song? A literal drinking song, or a song that makes you think about drinking.

Photo Source 1

Photo Source 2

How can it be that eighth grade students thought they’d get away with bringing alcohol into school disguised in a water bottle? As I sat and read the news on a local online news publication, theLoop! my mouth dropped open in surprise.

Living in a community that has a very high rate of alcohol use among its teenage population, our kids begin the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in the public school in 5th grade at the age of 10. My son, now that age, will learn this year about the dangers of alcohol and drugs. And having two older kids who’ve already gone through this required school program, I can already predict that he will come home and put on a sad puppy-dog face, proclaiming how dangerous our dinnertime glass of wine is–and that it can kill us.

So, if they are starting this education so young, are kids so rebellious and empowered that they will not only experiment with friends and dip into their parents’ booze supply when they’re out to dinner, but also bring it into school to sip and share during lunchtime?

According to the Loop article, the students were suspended and upon their return to school will work with a “specialized substance abuse counselor.” I also wonder what the repercussions will be for the girl who was rushed via ambulance to the hospital with alcohol poisoning. The Loop wanted to know if readers thought the school acted appropriately. Call me naive, but I want to know how these kids had the guts to do it at all.

Photo source