The Pegu Blog

Jealousy, thy name is me.
Dr. Bamboo is one of my favorite blogs. I’d read it regularly for its writing alone. I especially like cocktail bloggers who go through their process of concocting and refining a, usually new, drink, and the good doctor does this very well.
He doesn’t post often enough, but there is a good reason for that. In fact that reason is why I think he stands out from the crowd and why I’m posting this little babblment. Doctor Bamboo is one heck of an illustrator. He includes at least one original drawing with each post, and they are all fabulous. You should read him. Always.
Who am I kidding? I’m not writing this to send you to his blog. I’m writing this so I can feel good about stealing one of his illustrations and posting it here on my blog, thereby giving some classy visual interest to this shabby, rundown joint. Here’s the picture from his latest post:

Looks cool all on its own, doesn’t it? Now, if you want to make sense of why a Kentucky Colonel’s secret identity is Bobsled Man, go read his blog and find out!

In this post, I want to talk about countertops and bar tops. You need a place to work and a place to serve in your bar. In simple designs, they will be one and the same; in more complex bars, you will have a featured bar top and one or more counters on which to mix and prepare.
I’ll get into dimensions and construction in detail in other posts, but I’ll throw out a few rules of thumb here to define the terms I’m using. Your Bar Top is the long counter where drinks sit in between sips. The standard height for most bar tops, in both home and commercial bars, is approximately 42″. This is the rule of thumb because it is a comfortable height for most adults to stand beside and lean against. And even if all your friends look like Shaquille O’Neil or Billy Barty, you probably should stick with this height, since virtually every barstool you can buy is made to work with a 42″ bar top. Also, a bar top that is counter height just looks silly.
But a 42″ high surface, while a great place to set your finished drink, it is uncomfortably high as a working surface. If you have the space and budget therefore, you should also put in a second Countertop behind the bar, at regular kitchen counter height (36″). This height is most comfortable for prep work, and the difference in height lets you make your working mess less obtrusive. As it happens, this is the height you will get if you put a standard counter atop standard cabinets.
But to get to the meat of this post, out of what do you make these surfaces? You have a lot of choices, and I’m going to spend the rest of this post running down a bunch of them. As we go through them, keep in mind the hard realities of what they will have to put up with. You and your guests will be leaning, banging, moving, eating, drinking, and in some cases smoking, on and around them. There may even be cases where you may even be slightly intoxicated while doing so, shocking as that is to contemplate. There will be spills, sprays, and spots. And lots of the ingredients in a well-stocked bar, like Angustora Bitters or pomegranate juice, will stain very quickly and easily. You need to choose surfaces that not only look good when you first install them, but will still look good years later.

Laminates

Thanks, Tony.

Let’s start with plastic laminate counters, such as Wilsonart, Formica, and others. This is a tough but thin material that is glued to a strong plywood or other wooden foundation. Why I bother to say this is beyond me, as every human being who reads this post will already be familiar with this stuff. In fact, the odds are pretty good that your keyboard and mouse are sitting on laminate right now.
Laminate makes a great choice for a lot of reasons. As I said, it is durable; with minimal respect and proper installation, laminate can last indefinitely. It comes in a nearly infinite variety of colors, patterns, and textures. The edges of the counter can be finished with curves, bevels, or corners, and/or trimmed with more laminate, wood trim, and even more exotic materials. This design flexibility is very handy when it comes to making sure your bar is both functional and awesome in appearance. Finally, laminate is very inexpensive, especially if you decide to construct your counters yourself. Count on less than $50 a square foot—much less if you install it yourself—much much less if you fabricate the top yourself.

Careful if you do it yourself! The glue is powerful. You don’t want to end up stuck to your half-finished bar in the basement like a bug on flypaper for six hours until your wife comes home from the Mall!

There are problems or drawbacks with laminate as well. While tough, it is less tough than many alternatives. And gouges and scratches, when they do inevitably occur, will be fairly notable. If water (or Gin, or Vodka, or Rum, Or Bourbon, or Creme de Violette, or Chartreuse, or….) gets in the seams, the stuff can delaminate from the wooden structure supporting it. And it is very vulnerable to heat. If you smoke or allow smoking, or like to whip up the odd Blue Blazer and its ilk, laminate will have a dramatically shorter life. Finally, laminate is inexpensive, and just a bit feels like it. You will get exactly zero snob points for using laminate.
If you use laminate for your Bar Top, you should use it for your prep counters (if any) as well. But if you use one of the more complex or expensive options for your serving surface, laminate can still be a good option for the countertop work area.

Ceramic Tile

Thanks, Tammy.

Another traditional countertop surface is tile. Like laminate, it is cheap (usually), and durable, and affords ample options for design magic. Of course, the more complex your pattern or magnificent the tiles you employ, the less inexpensive tile gets. Tile counters can cost as little as ten dollars a square foot, or as much as a hundred, but for most applications like this you are probably looking at the low end of that range. And ceramic tile is likely to be the cheapest and perhaps most attractive way to embed the team logo of your beloved East Southern Appalachia State University War Mules into your bar top. Furthermore, it is easy and even a little fun to put down tile.
But unlike laminate, I don’t recommend a tile counter for your bar. There are several problems with tile, and they all stem from grout. Remember spills? Your grout will. Every one of them. And on that subject, tile is an uneven surface. Your inebriated friends are going to be picking up, putting down and sliding around your expensive, fragile cocktail glasses on that uneven surface. Does that sound like a really good idea?
So, why do I even mention tile? Well, partly in the interests of completeness, and partly… wait and see.

Solid Surface

Thanks, Walsh Tops.

Solid surface counters, such as Corian and others, are another great choice for both bar tops and countertops. Like laminates, they come in an incredible array of colors. You can finish the edges of solid surface counters in even more intricate and attractive ways than you can laminate. These counters feel rich, smooth, and luxurious. They are easy to clean, and are impervious to water damage. They are much harder to stain than laminate, and many surface scratches, and light stains can be sanded and buffed out. (Avoid this if you can! Trust me.)
But Corian and the boys are more expensive than laminates. The cheapest solid surface installations run as much as the most expensive laminate, and go up from there. Your range will be $50-$100 per square, and most times you’ll be in the middle of that range. And you cannot save money by doing it yourself. You should never try to install solid surface counters on your own. All solid surfaces are “fabricator sensitive”, which means that if you don’t know what you are doing when you put it in, it will break or look like hell. Make sure you have an iron-clad reference on your chosen contractor. You can still burn solid surface counters, and you should never climb on them to get something overhead. They will crack under heavy weight.
I used white Corian for the prep counters behind my bar, and I am very glad. I sadly neglect them. I don’t clean up my spills, sometimes for days. And I never need more than a spray bottle of cleanser and a paper towel to make them look like new. And while my bar top isn’t Corian, solid surface materials make a good choice. Be careful using solid surface materials as a bar top if you want to have an overhang to give knees and stools a place underneath the bar. As I mentioned, solid surface counters will crack and you need to put a lot more into supporting them evenly with any significant cantilever.

Granite

Thanks c-not-k.

I love granite. My kitchen counters are (with one Corian exception) all granite. You can get it in many colors and patterns, many of which are larger and more intricate than any offered by the synthetic alternatives, but all of which are natural. It can be fun just going to your local granite supplier and walking though their warehouse, looking for just the right slab. Just putting your hand on the cold, hard surface of granite is a joy. Glass makes a satisfying clink when set upon it. It is very durab… it’s hard as a rock. It can take any heat you want to hit it with. Cigarettes, coffee pots, and even trays of hors d’oeuvres straight from the oven won’t faze it. And it is very low maintenance. Most of all though, granite is rich. It just looks and feels rich. You will look and feel rich with a granite bar.
But you won’t be rich. Because granite ain’t cheap, my friends. It costs even more than the best solid surfaces (usually about $100 per square, up to $300 for specialty stone), and it also must be professionally installed in most applications. If you choose a light color, or a porous variety, it can stain. But even these kinds of granite, if you seal them well, maintain them well, and clean them occasionally, will be pretty safe. There are other minor objections about granite (some of them pretty silly, like background radiation from your countertops), but to me the only real objection is cost or design choice. If you can afford granite, and can find a slab that will look great in your design and color scheme, go for the stone.
I did say that granite has to be professionally installed, but there is one way around this. You could buy a rectangular slab or two and inset them in your bar top, with wood trim around the edges. You lose a lot of the low-maintenance angle here, but you still get some of the feel and caché for a lot less cash.

Marble

BuildDirect.

Don’t. Just don’t.
Marble is natural stone, like granite, and has perhaps even more varied and beautiful looks. It feels great too. But marble has all granite’s drawbacks, with a few killer ones added on top. Marble is fragile. In general you are far more at risk for cracks and chips with marble than granite. Most importantly, and this is the real, killer, don’t-go-there drawback, it is universally porous. Marble stains indelibly at the mere sight of a bottle of grenadine. Nuff said.

Stainless Steel

Jag Fabrication.

Stainless Steel counter and bar tops are kind of a love ‘em or hate ‘em deal. They are extremely durable. In most installations, they convey a very modern or industrial design sensibility. This is either a pro or a con, depending on your own desires. Steel is very heat and scratch resistant. It is also virtually impossible to stain. When properly installed, it is cool and very solid to the touch. When subjected to the relatively light use of a home bar, it will last basically forever if it is fabricated and installed properly to begin with.
But steel will show fingerprints and water spots. It is easy to keep clean, but hard to keep looking good. (This is the opposite of most surfaces) If you want to see what I mean, go look at virtually any stainless steel sink. Those water spots don’t really look that bad in a sink, but imagine them on the wide, shining, flat expanse of your bar top. It is also very expensive, as expensive as all but the priciest granite (about $100-$200/sq. ft.).
I tend to think that stainless steel is not a great solution for bar tops, but it makes a lot of sense for prep counters. If your prep counter is narrow, it won’t cost too much. Water spots also won’t matter as much here either. And stainless in your counter area will look less industrial. If your want steel for some reason, but need a less industrial look, you can imbed it in a wood-trimmed bar top, as I discussed above in the granite section. Of course, if you have the budget and want an industrial look, then go wild with the steel! And as a side note, copper is another beautiful metal for counters, but it costs about 50% more, and is less durable.

Wood

Thanks John and Laura.

Wood is of course the classic bar top material. Charles Baker referred over and over again (in 1939) to bartenders as working behind mahogany. These days, real mahogany costs so much that it would probably be more affordable to finance a coup to take over wherever it grows than to buy it on the open market, but there are other woods. Teak, walnut, cherry, even oak can make an attractive bar top. If you are a woodworker, or just play one on the weekend, you can probably design and install one yourself. If you seal it properly and renovate it over the years, wood is still a great-looking design choice. Wood is very flexible, in a design sense. You will have a lot of choices and options in color, shape, and style.
But it is probably the most vulnerable to water (and other liquid) damage. Putting a sink in a wooden countertop is a step I would try to avoid. The hardest woods are still soft, compared to most of the other options, so you will see dents, scratches and gouges. You need to understand that wood is far and away your highest maintenance option.
There are so many choices in materials, design, finish, engraving, etc. that I won’t hazard a price range. But know that if you have the tools and talent, then a wooden bar top will be pretty affordable, even with the most expensive of materials, like teak. But if you want it custom made and installed, wood is a high-skill craft item, and you can look for the high-end of the prices we are discussing here.
All in all, I think wood is a great choice for bar tops, especially for the determined do-it-yourselfers out there. And it is a lousy choice for a prep surface. A great choice might be a big, luxurious wooden bar top, with laminate prep countertops, trimmed in the same wood as the bar top.

Epoxy and Resins

Thanks rehile.

There are a number of cool applications for epoxy and other clear resin products in making home bar tops. Most of them are highly and/or distinctively decorative, so in most cases I talking bar tops here, rather than prep surfaces. In a few words, what I am discussing is a thick, clear material that is poured over something else. When it hardens, you are left with a hard, smooth surface that acts a lot like solid surface counters, except that you can see through it to whatever you have underneath, like a fly in amber.
This works great for a sports themed bar, just lay out your trading cards, pictures, pennants, etc., and seal them in forever. Maggi and I spent years collecting every cork from every bottle of wine we drank. Our plan was to glue them down to completely cover our bar top, then seal them in with epoxy resin for a great look. We went with a (much) different style of decor when we eventually built the Lounge, but it was actually fun to collect all those corks.
Another great use for epoxy resin coating is with tile surfaces. Way back at the top, I dumped on tile as an option, because it was an uneven surface and the accompanying grout was super porous. A clear, deep coat of resin will make those drawbacks disappear. So if you want all those fancy tiles or patterns of tiles, be sure to consider sealing the whole thing with epoxy.

Hey!
You haven’t told us what you have on your bar.

Mine is a bit special. I’ll describe it as part of my last section:

Custom Artwork

Here hath rested
many glasses….

Depending on what your design wishes, and of course that pesky budget I keep talking about, you might want to consider having an sculptor make your bar top. Especially one who makes outdoor pieces. They know how to make strong, beautiful items that can hold up to the elements and some environmental abuse. You are not so harsh as Mother Nature, I assure you! And a commissioned piece of artwork is not so much more than some of the other options here in many circumstances. If you have an artist, or run across one at an arts festival, etc., whose works tingles something in your mind about your Basement Bar project, it is worth your time (and his or hers) to have a talk.
My bar top is a gorgeous piece of aluminum, with a wavy front edge and a sea of lovely ground patterns, sealed with many coats of lacquer. The artist who did it for me is named Mac Worthington, and you really should visit his website to see some really great stuff. The best of his bar stuff is toward the bottom of the page I’m linking. I have six of his pieces, if you count the bar top, backsplash and cabinet panels as one. The Pegu Lounge pieces made up the first bar Mac did and he has expanded and enriched the idea since.
Now, art pieces blur pretty heavily with the other categories above. Many handcrafted bar tops made from the materials I’ve already discussed can be considered works of art as well, if not Fine Art (whatever the hell that means). And true artists work in these mediums too. Finally, many of things you might do yourself, especially with the epoxy resin category, should also be considered art. Whatever you do, give yourself some permission to jazz it up. Or don’t. Your overall design idea should make the decision.

Of course, I haven’t covered everything you can use. Artists have an infinity of media beyond aluminum that they can use. And on a broader note, there are many commercial materials that I didn’t touch on. but most of the other commercial materials are simply alternatives to the main one’s I’ve gone over here. Just remember the main points when deciding how to go:

• The Bar Top is the showpiece. If can’t quite afford the material you really want for your design, try looking at using it only for the top.
• The prep surfaces will take a lot more liquid abuse. Make sure they can take it.
• Many of the expensive materials are wasted on your prep counters.
• Be creative.
• If you aren’t creative, hire someone to be creative for you… Budget permitting.

And the last piece of advice:

• Get a bigger budget!

From National Review Online:

Bold, Persistent Experimentation [Jonah Goldberg]
I have concluded the best way to deal with the election roller coaster is to commit yourself to cocktail hour.

I see that Paul has updated the Upcoming Events page MixologyMonday.com, showing that MxMo XXXIII will be hosted here at the Pegu Blog. Moreover, I see from the logs that some of you have already dropped by for details! So, for those who are interested, here is the November 10, 2008 MxMo theme:

Bring forth unto us a beverage! Thy beverage shall depend upon one or more ingredients that thou makest yourself. Beyond that decree, you may voyage to the edge of the Earth or beyond. Perhaps thou couldst product a common, vulgar swill, and bestow nobility upon it with your homemade version of a commercial mixer. Or you may sojourn into the mists of history and make a cocktail with a forgotten or commercially extinct component. Finally, an original quencher that owes its existence to your own personal alchemical ingredient would be most welcome.
Depending on your idea, it might take some time, so get cracking! Bring forth from your laboratory your humble grenadines, your mighty infusions, or your exotic garnishes! Be Bitter, or perhaps you should be Cordial! Just make sure we are pleased by your efforts!

By the way, where’s the Orgy At?

Shut up.

Our long national nightmare is over. Power has been restored here at Pegu Central. You may all stop holding your breath.

This month’s beroman-numeraled cocktail throwdown is brought to you by Dinah The Librarian Sanders and Joseph The Lawyer Gratz, at Biblio.us, where they cleverly plead the 21st. This month’s decree excited me and filled me with trepidation at the same time. We are requested to produce for your entertainment and refreshment a libation from the Nineteenth Century.
Now, I likes me my older, classic cocktails. After all, the Pegu is hardly a spring chicken in the cocktail milieu. But it ain’t old enough for this test. My first trepidation was that I would be unable to work in my obligatory Pegu reference in this Mixology Monday post….

Ummm.
I think you just did.

Ah! Of course. Thanks.
My real worry concerned the fact that I don’t have the vast historical and encyclopedic knowledge of some of my cocktail blogging colleagues. I didn’t know if any of the drinks I know or currently wanted to try were of appropriate vintage. Fortunately, I found the exact book I needed to help me out on Amazon.com: The Flowing Bowl - 19th Century Cocktail Bar Recipes.

Ten bucks says five more bloggers bought this book when they saw this month’s challenge!

No bet! But let me take a moment for a micro book review. The Flowing Bowl is an exact reprint of the original typeset from 1898. The pages are tiny, and the language is… er… opaque. It is darned hard to find what I was looking for, which was informative recipes. Such recipes are only a small part of the book, and they are curiously arranged. There are huge sections on various boozes, as well as beer and wine. It is an interesting view into what and how people drank a hundred years ago or more. As an historical piece of evidence, it is a great buy. Don’t get it for the drinks recipes. I will insert a too long excerpt of one particularly entertaining bit from the chapter entitled Strange Swallows, which lists several things that people drink that were beyond comprehension to the author:

Plain Water,
whether fortunately or otherwise, comes under the heading of Strange Swallows. It is still consumed in prisons, and other places where sinners and paupers are dieted at the expense of the ratepayer…. “Plain water,” wrote a celebrated Mongolian of his day, “has a malignant influence, and ought on no account to be drunk.” More especially if it be Thames water. (Upon seeing such water under magnification at an exhibition,) I counted three boa-constrictors, a few horrors which resembled giant lobsters, and a pair of turtles engaged, apparently, in a duel to the death. Three ladies… were carried out, swooning.

Anyway, the book did give me what I needed, which were the names of many drinks that were eligible for today’s extravaganza.
I went through a bunch of ideas before I decided to go with the classic Mint Julep. As a child of the Deep South, I feel almost obligated to love this drink. The problem is that I have simply never had one that I really much liked. So this weekend gave me the opportunity to try to whip one up myself that I could happily imbibe and recommend.

Now, ever since I read Jigger, Beaker and Glass: Drinking Around the World by Charles H. Baker, Jr., which I reviewed here, I’ve been fascinated by Baker’s discussion of the once upon a time Julep Wars between Kentucky and Maryland over the base spirit in Juleps: Bourbon or Rye. I therefore decided to make parallel Mint Juleps, each pair differing only in using Maker’s Mark Whisky in one, and Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey in the other.
I used no single source for my mixing. I combined several books, some dim memories, and an episode of Good Eats that I fortunately still had on the TIVO.
I also fortunately have juuuuust a titch of mint growing out in the back yard….

So, what’s in a Mint Julep? Well, at its heart, it is whiskey, sugar, mint, and ice. For the hip kids out there, that pretty much makes it a brown Mojito. Some recipes call for simple syrup, but I think that granular sugar helps abrade the mint leaves, releasing more flavor. I elected to use some nice cane sugar cubes I have lying around.
So first iteration:
2 oz. Whiskey (see above)
8-10 mint leaves, torn.
2-3 sugar cubes.
I muddled the sugar and the mint thoroughly, then added a tablespoon of hot water to help dissolve the sugar and release more mint oils. I put this mixture in the glass, filled it with ice, then stirred in the whiskey. I stirred slowly until the glass frosted. I garnished with a few unbruised leaves. Voila: A basic mint julep!
I tasted. Um.
Baker suggests in his book that rum makes a good addition, so long as no one from Kentucky or Maryland is present. If you are from either of those great states, please consider moving on to another MxMo post. We don’t allow gunfire here at the Pegu Blog.
I then added about an ounce of Pusser’s Navy Rum. I’ll take a moment here to note that I did not crush my ice. The cubes from my ice maker are pretty darn small as is, so I hope the purists out there will forgive me. If you have crushed or shaved ice, I would strongly recommend using it.
I tasted the second round. Better, but it still seemed a bit like a Stinger on the rocks, without the depth.
In rooting around with other recipes, I actually noted that the Flowing Bowl calls for using Brandy instead of Whiskey. I added a generous splash (about 3/4 oz.) to both mixes.
I also wanted to add a bit of… something else to it. A common garnish called for in more advanced Mint Juleps, especially in the older recipes, is sticks of Pineapple as a garnish. Well, I don’t got no stinkin’ Pineapple right now. Pondering what I could possibly use to shake things up a tiny bit, my eyes lighted on my little bottle of Orange Flower Water I have sitting on the bar. I added a little more than 1/4 tsp.
And again I taste. Well now!
No longer a dull Stinger on the rocks, this version caught my fancy. Here is a beverage that would cool you off, slake your thirst, and knock you on your ass. Just the thing for a lazy August afternoon in the heat, with chairs to be sat in and lies to be told. The next time I see a likely looking Pineapple, I’ll be trying these again. Please be sure to check out the other Mixology….

Hey! Wait just a cotton-picking minute here!

What?

You’re not done yet!
What about the Rye versus Bourbon thing?

Oh, that.

Yes, that!
What difference did it make? Which is better?

The Rye is better.

You are such a bastard!
How about why? Why is the Rye better? And have you noticed that no one makes Mint Juleps with Rye anymore?

Yes, I had noticed that. I also that no one drinks Mint Juleps anymore, except when already drunk and wearing funny hats on Derby Day. They have become the Kentucky equivalent of Pat O’Brien’s Hurricanes. Today’s Julep has devolved to a mixed drink, rather than a cocktail. And it’s only drunk as a seasonal oddity; a one day a year eggnog. And since few homes or bars even have Rye on a regular basis, you never see it used for the (very) occasional Mint Julep.
And that is a shame. I’m sure much of the difference is personal preference here, but I think the Rye makes for a more complex and interesting cocktail. In each and every variation I tried, I thought that the Bourbon version was duller and sweeter than the Rye. Bourbon has that characteristic caramelized overtone about it, and when combined with the sugar in the Julep, it drowns out the minor notes of the cocktail. The Rye version of the simple Julep I tried first was at least drinkable, the Bourbon version might as well have been a chilled glass of Southern Comfort. By the time I got to my final recipe, I thought both were good, but the Rye version was more interesting to drink, and was much more refreshing. It left the mouth feeling fresher and cleaner, and that is a result that I think you’d want for a summer tipple like this.
DOUG’S MINT JULEP
2 oz. Old Overholt Rye
1 oz. Pusser’s Navy Rum
3/4 oz. Cognac
1/4 oz.tsp. Orange Flower Water
2 large Sugar Cubes
8-10 Fresh Mint Leaves
Muddle sugar and mint thoroughly, add one Tbs hot water and stir. Add small or crushed ice and other ingredients. Stir slowly until frost forms on the outside of the glass. Garnish with more mint leaves or a stalk of mint if the plant is young.
Exit Question: The traditional garnish for a Mint Julep would also include a stick or two of Pineapple and an Orange Wedge. Would including these make the Bourbon version better than the Rye?
Bonus Exit Question: Would including the Pineapple and Orange wedge make this pretty much a Tiki drink?
No go and enjoy all the other offerings from this month’s Mixology Monday.
Cheers!

Picked this up off my favorite wire service, Instapundit.com.

I often refer to your Basement Bar as your Man Cave or Mantuary. And I have mentioned that physical separation is an important part of making your Basement Bar a great place to hang out.

Well, the dudes at Popular Mechanics have an article up on doors to your Mantuary. OK, they call it your Bat Cave, but I doubt you need to wear spandex and get off on thumping criminals to want this kind of door to your Basement Bar. Just tell ‘em Bugsy said to Speakeasy….

I haven’t put up a post in this series for a while. Sorry, but real life has gotten in the way. (I got that sentence from The Blogger’s Style Guide, Chapter One, “How to Make Excuses for Not Blogging”.
I’ve meant to go over what I exactly have for my own Basement Bar, and it was pointed out to me recently that I have an easy way to do so. I did a television advertisement for my own business (you can see it atop the right sidebar) a little while ago. We shot it in my basement bar, and it gives a good overview of what it looks like down there.

If you want to follow this specific series of posts on the Pegu Blog, you can subscribe to our Basement Bar feed here. Or you can just subscribe to the entire blog, with all its brilliant content, here!

Here’s a list of the other articles in this series that have been posted so far:
• Basement Bar Design #7: Bar Top and Countertop Surfaces
• Basement Bar Design #7: Bar Top and Countertop Surfaces
• Basement Bar Design #6: My Own Basement Bar
• Basement Bar Design #6: My Own Basement Bar
• Basement Bar Design Factoid #2
• Basement Bar Design Factoid #2
• Basement Bar Design #5: Water and Washing Up
• Basement Bar Design #5: Water and Washing Up
• Basement Bar Design Factoid#1
• Basement Bar Design #4(c): Buying Glassware
• Basement Bar Design #4(b): Supplemental Glassware
• Basement Bar Design #4(a): Essential Glassware

OK, I have worked my way through the rest of Gabriel’s comprehensive list of cocktail and cocktail-related blogs, finding five more bartenders who have blogs on the list. The findings from the first half of the list are here. There are a couple more that I haven’t added who write cool blogs, but who don’t (or don’t want to) list where they work. If you are a bartender and blog, let me know and I’ll add you to the Pegu Blog’s BlogBarCrawl!

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Kelsey Crenshaw, of Stir Your Spirits, tends bar at the Hilton Melbourne Beach Oceanfront in Melbourne, Florida.
Jon Hughes, with the oddly titled EdnBrg, presides over mahogany at The LeMonde Hotel’s Paris Bar, in Edinburgh, Scotland. I can’t wait until Val-U-Rite Vodka offers my a whole bunch of mad, mad, internet blog money for ad space, so I can start writing off trips to stay at places like Le Monde.
Mark Sexauer, at the eponymous Mark Sexauer’s Cocktail Blog, works at revitalizing former dive bar The Anchor Pub, in Everett, WA.
Dominik M.J. Schachtsiek, The Opinionated Alchemist, humbly toils at the Grand Hyatt Dubai. I may need two sponsors to go visit Dominik….
Craig Hermann, whose blog, Tiki Drinks & Indigo Firmaments, was apparently named by Robin Leach, tends bar at Thatch Tiki Bar, in Portland Oregon.

As the Internet’s Fifth Leading Authority on Broads™, I feel compelled by recent events to step out of the cocktail arena for a post, delving once again into what makes a Great Broad. Not to bury the lede, I’m talking about Senator McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. I am amazed to see a woman who is a serious exemplar of a Great Broad on a major ticket. It changes more than this presidential race, it will likely change American politics, for the better, forever. And if she is successful, it will (politics aside) sure be fun.
First, let me make the following disclosure: I was seriously dissatisfied with our choices in this election before Friday. I simply don’t much like either Senator McCain or Senator Obama. And as a writer, I believe there is a special layer in Hell for plagiarists, Senator Biden!
I have written here often about my affection for Broads. My wife is a great Broad, as if my mother. So, what is a Broad, and why is Governor Palin such a great Broad? The following picture could almost be my entire post:

That’s her office, folks.

Nice picture!
So how much time have you spent Google image searching her?

Ha… ha. Not as much as the Morons on the Right. And not remotely as much as the feverish chumps to the left of the Left (sorry, no link for you, you miserable bastards!) Besides, while she is certainly… photogenic, that has nothing to do with her Broad-ness. Broads don’t have to be knock-outs. If she is attractive (as the Governor is, in spades), she recognizes it, enjoys it, and uses it. And uses it without shame, and not in a shameful way. She needed money for college, so she laughed her way through some beauty pageants to get it.

Hey, speaking of attractive, have you seen the First Dude?

Geez, Dear!
Do you have to treat him like a piece of meat?!? Honestly.

…!

Are you two done?

HE sure is….

Anyway, Broads play and work in a man’s world without being mannish. The Governor has that down.
How does she roll in male bastions? Let’s see: Bush pilot? Check. Commercial fisherman? Check. Kirk Gibson sports moment? Check. Lots of guns? Check. Landscape of Alaska littered with political corpses of people who didn’t live up to her standards of ethics or performance? Check.
And how about still thoroughly female? Sharp dresser? Check. Mother of five? Check? Married High School sweetheart? And stayed married? Check. PTA? Check.
Incidentally, Hillary learned this lesson late in the primary (too late). She began to appreciate her inner Broad, and she’s probably as popular right now as she has ever been in her political life.
Today’s latest scandal reinforces her Broad-ness. As I have said over and over, the thing about a Broad is that she is who she is. She is genuine. Like it or loathe it, she is it.
Being a great Broad has more to do with being Vice President than you might think. It says a tremendous amount about the person involved, regardless of experience or political positions. Senator Obama’s candidacy has proven the importance of personality. There are lots of other things I like about her, and lots questions about her as well, but that’s beyond the scope of this little cocktail party. I’m just saying both parties need more Broads.

UPDATE: (Because I can’t resist this one….)

What is the difference between Barack Obama and Sarah Palin?
One of them is little more than an elegant, attractive, dare I say sexy piece of eye candy.

The other one kills her own food.

Thanks to Mother, May I Sleep With Treacher?