Cheers to the Grad School Life!!

Elle October 19, 2014

3 official weeks into my new life of juggling a career, school, and some semblance of a personal life.

In settling into the new routine, the blog has taken a woeful backseat. In fact, there are still a bunch of pictures from Hawaii that I haven't posted. Although, going back over the pictures is a nice break from reading and problem sets. All in all, I've been settling into my new normal quite nicely and despite being busier, I feel more in control of my schedule and accomplished than ever. The boost in productivity is largely the result of a new calendaring methodology which I'll write about some other time, but also in taking time for life's little enjoyments: coffee and beer. It seems fitting that this first post back from the adjustment period is all about Hawaiian brews: Kona coffee & Kona Brewing. Especially since I'm sure there will be many late nights coming up, probably accompanied by one, the other, or both!!

Cheers!

Active Shooting Hours: 3 Review Hours: 1 Hours To Date: 200

The Urban Bourbon Trail

Elle August 11, 2013

The clinking of glasses and sparkling laughter echoing off wood-paneled walls, caramel liquor in shining decanters, and wisps of smoke from a lit cigarette - these were the ghosts I imagined about The Old Seelbach Bar as we began on the Urban Bourbon Trail - similar in conception to the Bourbon Trail, but localized about Louisville.

The Seelbach Hotel has certainly seen its share of celebrities during its storied history and contributed in its own way to Americana - in fact, it served as the inspiration for the hotel where Tom and Daisy Buchanan got married in The Great Gatsby. I love the Rathskeller Room too - one of their banquet rooms that is modeled (and named) after basement restaurant/bar spaces found under German city halls where council members and other people would congregate to discuss business, politics, and the shenanigans of the day. For all the progress that has been made, I do love some of the old-world luxury feel from the Art Deco period.

Anyway, from The Seelbach, we wandered to the Maker's Mark Lounge at 4th Street Live and Asiatique. On Sunday we also made it to Corbett's and Limestone. I finished out my trip just one stamp shy of a free t-shirt for the Urban Bourbon Trail, a little bit intentionally so I'd have to go back!

Very Art Deco. Not surprise F. Scott Fitzgerald drew inspiration from this place.

Got some practice with portraiture! Ashley, rocking her model face, as usual.

Stamp in my passport!

An overhead light in the Rathskeller Room

<3 Maker's, did not <3 the bartender who stamped my passport upside down and made a crappy recommendation for my bourbon tasting flight.

Go big or go home: Pappy Van Winkle, aged 23 years, neat. Easily the most expensive 2oz I've ever had.

More of the Urban Bourbon Trail
Hours to Date: 60

Drinkcation: Tour of Napa

Elle July 28, 2013

Napa is an interesting place and even though I used to live only an hour away, it always took forever to get to the wineries, which are tucked away along back roads and spanning the little towns of St. Helena, Yountville, and Calistoga. It's especially problematic when tourists want to take in the view but don't want to hire a car service, so they slowpoke along on a 2-laned road while all the rest of us are dying slowly and miserably behind them at well below the speed limit.
Even though Napa is perhaps the first place that comes to mind when one thinks about American wine regions, it's actually one of the smallest by area and only 4% of the wine produced in California comes from the Napa Valley. I still argue that it's quality over quantity in this case. There are 15 sub-regions within the Napa Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) and they span all different elevations and soils. I find myself partial to volcanic, loamy, mountain soils of Atlas Peak, Stag's Leap, Howell Mountain, and Spring Mountain... consistently, I'll taste and pick out wines from these areas because they're so bold and tannin heavy.

We started off our morning with wine blending at Conn Creek, this awesome activity of trying 15 different varietals of Cabernet and mixing them along with 4 other wines (Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot) to create a red blend. Since I was still recovering from the raucous night before and having done wine blending at Conn before, I just went straight to my favorite regions and tried a blend. First time ended up being the charm and I ended up bottling that one. Despite being in pain all morning, I still got some great pictures and had a blast - probably a function of the company I kept.

The rest of the day was actually not as fun - it was an exercise in trying not to tell off everyone - from the pretentious asshole that we kept running into or the crap service we received during lunch and at a later tasting. Even though I may look young, I have no problem dropping major dollars on wine and I have absolutely done just that before on pretty much every excursion to Napa without batting an eye. But since the service was so awful, I passed this time. Oh well, at least we'll always have the pictures.