Earlier this week my library closed half a day for training. That's my workplace, the academic library. We need lots of libation and lubrication after a day here. It's not the work, or the population we serve. It's the politics, the red-tape, you know how it is. The actual connecting with students and serving them is fantastic.
Part of the morning's FUN was when several of us shared our passions with our colleagues.Topics ranged from making a gorgonzola cream sauce from scratch (with bonus wine pairing) to Japanese cinema. And my passions are many, that is why librarianship is a perfect pairing for me. What occupies much of my time these days is twitter and television.
Haven't found an engaging book. My kitchen is so depressing spending time cooking in it would send me into such a downward spiral and my spirits are so low about other things in life that fast food solves the "must eat" problem in a pinch at this moment. Wish it wasn't so. But, enough about that!
Nevertheless I presented two topics to the training organizer: twitter or cocktails.
She chose cocktails.
I schooled my people on the origins of the word, OED origins, where it developed in the USA, and the best cocktail experience: New Orleans, at the best bar Carousel Bar, at the best hotel, Hotel Monteleone. Filled them in about Tales of the Cocktail, an entire week devoted to mixology, seminars, awards, panels, and trends in cocktails, such as how bartenders use the martini glass to concoct drinks called "martinis" that are not martinis.
Naturally, these are my opinions--that is, about New Orleans being the penultimate cocktail experience. You may disagree. And I'm open to your suggestions and willing to travel and barhop in other cities for research purposes.
I've swilled excellent cocktails elsewhere but touring from bar to bar in New Orleans cannot be beat. New Orleans kicks ass. The people are fantastic, the camaraderie cannot be beat. Oh, except for that Mother's Day shooting. Long exhale.
And remaining at the Carousel as it turns, turns, turns, and line-item ordering down its extensive menu isn't a bad idea either.
In my very limited time, I educated them about the sanctity of the martini (gin + vermouth) and threw in a delicious Dorothy Parker quote and had them recite how James Bond likes his.
Don't think they appreciated the Parker quote. Bunch of prudes, really. In the past, my boss asked me to tone down my snark and one student found me disturbing (okay so she didn't love The Walking Dead like I do). I'm okay with being myself. Jesus loves me just as I am. Letting my freak flag fly. No self-censorship here.
Twas delightful, plus I plugged my new fav, Cardinal Gin and told them it was an essential purchase for their drysink. Since we're a dry campus (except for when the president pours it behind closed doors for his big donor cronies) I couldn't stream samples. In closing, I suggested they remember to drink like a Gatsby.
Perhaps I piqued their interests about cocktails. There was one question about whether I'd sampled the Jonge Bols from my colleague native to The Netherlands. Sadly, no. I reiterated my search for Pisco and how it isn't distributed in the southeast and how I traveled to central Florida to buy a bottle to re-create Marvin's fantastic Pisco Sours from the Carousel.
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