Monthly Archives: November 2012

rants

An avoidable crime

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I write a lot about alcohol here. #DrinkUpLinkUp has become one of my favorite features in just a month. I bartend, and, as such, alcohol and its various flavors and mixes interests me a lot.

But there is one thing I have little patience for: drinking and driving.

I drive home from work in the early morning hours… I’ve witnessed my fair share of drivers that I am certain are drunk. Just a couple weeks ago, I watched a car sideswipe a guardrail — sparks flying — and just keep on driving. It sure scared me! But didn’t seem to really phase them. I’m just glad all they hit was a guardrail… and that it was there to keep them from driving into a line of trees!

It’s an avoidable crime. It’s caused the death of so many innocent victims, all because someone didn’t want to pay for a cab ride or just didn’t want to at least “sleep it off” in the backseat of their car before putting it in drive to go home. A cab ride and a parking ticket cost less than taking someone’s life!

Recently, there’s been a rash of DUI arrests in which its the persons 4th or 5th arrest. I’d be willing to guess that for every one of those arrests, they’ve driven a minimum of 5 times drunk without getting caught… without killing someone. And that… THAT… is what scares me. They’ll just keep on doing it until… when? Until they DO kill someone and end up behind bars? And what about when (if) they get back out of jail? Will they continue to do it?

I know plenty of people who have driven home having had too many. I have close friends who have done it. Drinking and driving does not define a person’s entire character, and I’m not sitting here saying I judge people based on if they do it. I’m just saying its an action I shake my head at and fail to understand.

It’s just not worth it.

I beg anyone reading this… think twice before getting behind the wheel with a buzz. As an initiative said once, even buzzed driving is drunk driving.

If you think about doing it — think also about the high, high costs of the fines, jail time, etc. How many Christmas presents would that buy? How many kids could you help by donating that money to something like St. Jude’s or MDA instead? If all that’s not enough, how much is your loved one’s life worth? Would it tear you up to have them killed senselessly? Do you want to kill someone else’s loved one? Do you want to face a mother knowing you took their son or daughter’s life? Or what about the little kid at Christmas who has to open their presents without Mom or Dad? IS IT REALLY WORTH IT???

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#DrinkUpLinkUp — Dock 57 Blackberry Whisky

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Every year, the bar I work at holds a “Christmas Decorating Party” where we all bring in little bottles of liquor, the bar provides mixer, and we “drink your ornament.” (See my blog about it here.)

One of the little bottles I grabbed at the liquor store was Canadian Club Dock 57 Blackberry Whisky.

Hmmm… another flavored whisky. I like blackberries. I’ve no opinion about Canadian Club in general. So. Why not?

When I opened the little bottle, I poured some in a shot glass and passed it around to a few friends. All said it tasted good! You could taste the blackberry heavily, and I know you could smell it without even bringing the bottle to your nose.

I mixed the rest of the bottle with 7-Up, and it made just a nice fruity drink. If you’d given it to me without telling me it was Whisky, I’d have never known. That fact alone is a plus and a minus to this whisky.

I would call this a “women’s whisky.” Oh don’t get mad at me. I know PLENTY of women who can slam back shots of Jack, Jim and Crown without even blinking. I’m one of them. But on average, women tend to gravitate to fruitier, lighter liquors.  Think the many flavored vodkas that exist today. I would actually lump this whisky right in the middle of those.

It’s 40 Proof. It’s light. Its heavy on the blackberry. It would be good hanging out by the pool, not sitting around a fire.

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