This month’s Mixology Monday is being hosted by Stevi Deter at Two at the Most.  When I saw the theme of Guilty Pleasures, I wasn’t quite sure what to do.  I didn’t think that I had a lot of vices when cocktails are concerned, but after I sat and thought awhile, I came up with two examples.  

Unfortunately, my first choice for a guilty pleasure I can’t and won’t do for reasons of timing and taste.  When I was growing up, I remember my dad doctoring cartons of store-bought eggnog with a bottle of Seagrams VO that we had.  I’ll admit that I’ve never had real honest-to-goodness homemade eggnog, but I’m not sure that it will live up to the taste that I’ve grown to love of thick, ultra-pasteurized eggnog, dotted with “nutmeg”, and flavored with the sweet taste of Canadian whiskey.  

This got me to thinking about canadian whiskey, which leads me to the subject of this post.  One of the many hazards of being a lawyer with a mixology problem comes in navigating the hazards of the happy hour cocktail networking event.  It’s a careful balance between getting enough “dutch courage” to smooth things out without seeming like an alcoholic.  

You walk into a typical open bar event hosted in a hotel ballroom, and you have a few options.  Allow me to make some gross generalizations:

• Beer –   I like beer, but not at one of these events.  Belching in the face of a colleague will not improve your standing.
• Wine – If there’s food, this may be a good option.  Unfortunately, the options are always cheap Chardonnay and cheaper Merlot.  And there’s no food.  
• Water or Soda – A good option if I just want to talk to someone quickly and get out.  
• Mixed Drink – If I’m staying for more than 5 minutes, I’ll take option 4.  I’m not a schmoozer, so I need all the help I can get.  

But what to drink when the bartender only has a few bottles – most likely blended scotch, Jack Daniels, Canadian Whiskey, vodka, and gin?  Oh, and there’s no vermouth (dry or sweet) and no bitters.  I hate JD, and I’m not a fan of blended scotch.  Vodka tonic?  Not interesting.  The cocktailian would choose the gin and tonic.   I, however, go for the whiskey highball – Seven and Seven, VO and Ginger Ale, Crown and Sprite, it all works.  I need something clear/translucent and fizzy (preferably Canada Dry Ginger Ale), mixed with Canadian or American whiskey (preferably Seagrams VO).  There’s no real recipe needed for this, is there?  It’s not like the bartender’s using a jigger.

No tasting notes needed, as it’s different every time, yet strangely comforting.  Booze and mixer is the antihesis of sexy, but it works.  

This entry was posted on Monday, October 13th, 2008 at 8:17 pm and is filed under Canadian Whiskey, MxMo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.