May 2012

How to Make a White Russian

Ordering a mixed drink in a bar nowadays can be a risky endeavor. If you stick with your common rail drinks – rum and coke, vodka cranberry – there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. You can watch it get mixed in front of you, and you’ll know if they give you too little booze.

But the more complicated drinks can sometimes be a watered down waste of money and time. Too often drinks like White Russians are mixed up in a big tub earlier in the evening to save the bartenders time. And, as you will see, a good White Russian is all about proportion – a very strong, alcohol heavy proportion that will cost more money than the bar would like to invest.

Piraat

Belgian Ale

I decided to go Belgian last night, so I picked up a bottle of Piraat (one of the all-time classic Belgian ales) as well as a bottle of Trois Pistoles (one of the “Belgian-style” ales from Unibroue). I was planning to drink both bottles- at one pint, nine ounces each- but I could not. I had forgotten how heavy these cask-reconditioned Belgian beers can be.

Drinking a big bottle of this type of beer is about equivalent to eating a whole loaf of bread in one sitting in terms of how filling it is. By the time I finished the Piraat and poured my first glass of Trois Pistoles, I realized I couldn't possibly drink it and was forced to ask my wife to painstakingly pour it back into the bottle for me so I could drink it the next day.