MySideOfTheBar

During the last year I have received dozens of questions from my loyal followers. Here are the best of the best (Well most of them) and my answers. Q. What was the last drink you had? A. Well I am drinking a Bloody Mary as I type does that count? Q. If you could pick four bottles to start your home bar with what would they be? A. I have been asked this question the most so here are my big four and why. 1. Four Rose Yellow Bourbon – A great Bourbon and inexpensive so it is good for your Usual Suspects that like it neat and also inexpensive enough to use in a Manhattan or with someone who likes Bourbon and 7 or cola (God forbid). Plus it is the official Bourbon of MySideOfTheBar. 2. Svedka or Fris Vodka - Both are inexpensive and work equally as well in both Vodka Martini’s and as a mixed drink such as a Vodka and Tonic. 3. A good Gin – I realize that Tanquery is probably one of the most popular or Bombay and this question is one of the most debated drinking questions at MyS...

Recently I had the idea to have a blind Bourbon tasting using six of the usual suspects at one of my favorite watering holes. I am not disclosing the name of the establishment as I am not sure what took place was 100 percent legal as I actually brought in two of the six spirits to be tasted and rated. The six samples were: Evan Williams Black – I requested this Bourbon be part of the tasting as I drink it regularly and discovered it at a similar tasting years ago where the majority of the tasters choose this over many higher end Bourbons Cedar Ridge Distillery Iowa Bourbon - I have blogged and tweeted about this Whiskey in the past and while I know technically it is not Bourbon I had to see how the tasters would react as it is one of my new favorites. Four Roses – My Personal favorite and the official Bourbon of MySideOfTheBar Bernheim Wheat Whiskey - Again not officially a Bourbon, however I had to throw at least one curve to the tasters and I enjoy this Whiskey from ti...

Sitting at MySideOfTheBar last weekend and chatting with fellow imbibers, the talk of the winter was in the air. This led to a chat on hunting and reminded me of this story of my youth. The Muskrat With still ten minutes left in the day, I could not wait for school to dismiss so I could go hunting. I never knew for sure if it was the hunting I relished so much or just the fact I was out of school and outdoors. It was a rare occasion indeed when I actually brought home any game. When I did manage to shoot a rabbit or pheasant I kept telling myself that it was because my Dad really enjoyed eating the wild game. Deep down inside I also knew that being able to carry a gun and to go hunting was also a right of passage into adulthood. By going hunting I could prove to myself that I was a man even if it would be several more years until the rest of the world would acknowledge the fact. This was a particularly warm late fall afternoon as the final bell rang I sprinted for the door of the...

MySideOfTheBar found a new hang out here in the K.C. area over the weekend, Jack Gage American Tavern. Jack Gage have a great menu and the Chicken Lollipops are great and Central Patti had the Southern Pimento Cheese Dip that came with what appeared to be homemade warm flat bread that was very light. With an excellent selection of Wine and Beer the bar is a nice place to sit back and relax. The restaurant's name comes from a theatrical sideshow backdrop created for a British boxing promoter or so the legend goes named Jack Gage. The actual background is from the original sideshow imported from England and the owner was nice enough to stop by for a chat and show us some pictures of the original and a history book listing events and visitors to the original, including Muhammad Ali. This is a great restaurant and bar to hang out at and we are looking forward to many, many more visits. Cheers

For those of you who follow this blog you know that MySideOfTheBar can be YourSideOfTheBar or someoneelse’s side of the bar. So last weekend I had a little cabin fever and wanted to get out of the house so I decided to go over to Sled Hill across the street and burn some of the wood I had left over from converting my wood burning fireplace to natural gas. I loaded up the sled I keep here for the grand babies and off I went with both Cigar and Flask in tow. I started a nice fire, lit up a Kristoff Maduro and drank from my 10 oz flask filled with, what else Four Roses Bourbon. I chatted with the neighbors about the weather and the fire which was much appreciated by the little ones sledding. I also helped one stranger look for his titanium wedding ring which he had lost. (no we did not find it) Hum, this sounds familiar, so I guess you should not wear your wedding ring sledding or on the boat doc? Central Patti joined me and we had a nice afternoon chatting, drinking and smoki...

For those of you who follow MySideOfTheBar, you undoubtedly remember some posts on infusing Alcohol (See Jan 10 – Infused Vodka Part I and August 23 – Infused Vodka Part 2 ). So it seemed logical for us to attempt infusing cigars. Now infused cigars are no strangers here as Central Patti enjoys them often. One of her favorites is CAO’s Moontrance as well as a Hazel Nut/Coffee cigar. I started by fresh roasting some coffee beans from Ethiopia. The reason I choose those particular beans is that when roasted properly they are very, very oily and I believe they would be just right for infusing cigars. I took an empty cigar box and placed two cigars ( Graycliff Avelino Lara ) the fresh roasted and ground coffee beans and a small bowl of water. The cigars were a light tobacco which I hoped would absorb more flavor than a darker cigar might. The water was to not only assist with humidity, but to also aide in the infusing process. I left the cigars in the box for about 3 weeks checking ev...

Yes I know an article like this is very cliché; however I visited many new bars, pubs and restaurants in 2010 and thought it would make a great recap. So without further ado, let’s get started. Best Lounge for Atmosphere – The Blue Stem , very nice ambiance with dim lighting small out of the way tables, lounge chairs and couches with excellent service and nice happy hour specials. Best Happy Hour – Tomfooleries on the K.C. Plaza. Great happy hour prices on both food and drink and they serve an excellent Thai Chicken Sticks and you need to try the Fried Pickles. Best Surprise Bar – The California Pizza Kitchen . This was one of the best surprises of the year. I did not know they even had a bar and walked by this fine establishment for a couple of years. They make a good Manhattan and Martini as well as having an great specialty drink list and fantastic food for the price. Best Manhattan – Once again this year, Californos in West Port. Joel really knows how to make an excel...