Solo Cups: The Beauty of Square Keg Cups

Square Party Cups: Good or Bad?

 

 

Keg cups were sold in bulk in the town where I attended college. Industrious fraternity brothers, house dwellers, and those in the industrial style campus apartments earned hundreds of dollars by selling cups and buying kegs of the cheapest, frothiest beer imaginable. As this SLATE article points out, keg cups have looked the same for so long that it’s hard to fathom any change in the form of the actual keg cup. 

But seeing is believing and there are now keg cups with square bottoms. The official name of the square-bottomed keg cup is the modern Solo cup. The official original Red Solo Cup--or what I like to call the keg cup--even has a song written about it. I won’t give you all the lyrics, but I will give you the LINK to the Youtube video and tell you that the song does in fact include the word “testicle”--always a plus.  

 

You may ask how exactly the Solo Red Cup became synonymous in so many minds as the ultimate party cup. According to the Solo Cup spokesmen, the Solo Red Cup was “first party cup.” (I could not find outside verification for this particular claim.)

 

That said, if, in fact, the Solo Red Cups are really the most popular keg cups, it might be because the Solo Red Cups hold more alcohol. Given the amount of extra froth and foam at the top of a typical beer pour from a party keg, more room for beer and/or screwdrivers made from cheap vodka is a definite advantage. The Solo cups hold 18 ounces instead of the usual 16 ounces. More beer in a cup is definitely a good value. 

 

Again, according to the spokesmen for the company, the cups are the most popular on the market. That is, of course, in good economic times. In bad economic times, people apparently turn to the poor imitations--maybe because they don’t know the inherent value of an extra two ounces within a cup. 

 

I haven’t tried the square cups yet and am not sure how exactly whether or not I’ll be a fan of the square keg cups. Of course, I haven’t tried out square watermelons, either, so maybe I’m a little late to the game of changing typically-round things to square things. 

 

What do you think about the square cups?

 

Alcohol Quiets the Mind's Alarms

Study shows how drinking dulls our sense of mistake-making

We all get a little dumb after a few sips at the bottle. Anyone who's ever been drinking with coworkers can tell you that even the most typically composed, refined individuals turn silly while consuming their preferred poisons. Booze loosens us up in the head, for better or worse. It acts as social lubrication, allowing us to more freely chat with our companions and let our inhibitions slide away. It also acts as the ultimate stupefier, leading us to decisions that we may later seriously regret. People have known for centuries that alcohol enables you to do idiotic stuff. But researchers are just now figuring out the science behind the stupefaction.

Bruce Bartholow, an associate professor of psychology at the Missouri-Columbia College of Arts and Science, has been trying to figure out exactly what leads people to make decisions they otherwise wouldn't while under the influence of alcohol. His team has conducted a study wherein they measure the brain activity of participants while they complete a challenging task on a computer. The task was designed specifically to be too hard to do perfectly; the participants were supposed to screw up. The researchers also measured the subjects' mood and confidence in their ability to perform the assigned task. One third of the 67 participants were boozed up prior to the test, while the others were given a placebo or no beverage at all.

It turns out there's something an alarm signal that goes off in your brain when you do something wrong. If you're trying to complete a task and you fail, your brain reprimands you slightly, encouraging you to be more careful in the future. You probably know what that feels like, that "oops" rush, the slight frustration and embarrassment that accompanies it. When you're significantly intoxicated, though, you don't feel it at all. You might recognize an error, but the normal feelings surrounding it are absent. Bartholow's study found that the brain's alarm was quieted in the inebriated participants. When questioned, they acknowledged that they made a mistake, but they just didn't feel bad about it. They also didn't slow down their activity after being informed of their error; they knew they screwed up, but they just kept plowing through. They didn't care that they had messed up or that they might do so again in the future. They had no delusions about the quality of their performance; they just didn't care. 

Sounds about accurate. People who drink often know they slip up, either physically or in conversation, but they just tend to feel better about it than the sober folk. If you were to trip and fall sober in front of a large group of people, you'd probably feel embarrassed. Your brain would fire off a signal telling you to cut it out and to be more careful. You'd experience a string of physiological effects from your mistake. But if you'd had a few shots and then fallen? You'd probably consider yourself hilarious, or at least get up and keep walking unperturbed. 

Bartholow thinks that his findings may help people who suffer chronic anxiety: constantly blaring warning signals. The trick would be to harness the warning-quieting power of alcohol while keeping its adverse effects, like dependency and liver damage, to a minimum. But for the rest of us, Bartholow advises we keep our warning bells sounding strong--they help us to be careful and self-controlled in our everyday activities. 

Utah Liquor Laws

Keep the Booze Out of Sight!

I was on a road trip to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and Tiajuana. There was only one problem during the entire nine-day spring break trip: Utah. It was much more beautiful than any of of our four-person group had anticipated and it had been taken over by the Mormons. Which meant one thing only: no booze. 

To spit in the face of Joseph Smith when we entered the state, we all lit up cigarettes. Joseph Smith fought back from beyond the grave and at least one of the cigarette tips came flying back inside the Honda and burned the backseat. 

We stayed in Utah one night and didn’t drink a thing. 

Utah liquor laws have loosened up a bit since that time, but are still more than a tad bit strange. According to a recent NYT article, restaurants can serve alcohol, but there are a few unusual conditions. Any bar must be known as a restaurant and any restaurant serving alcohol must hide the alcohol until the patrons are actually drinking the booze. No bottles above the bars, and no bartenders lurking behind the counter waiting for customers to order some more booze. 

Prior to the recent changes in Utah’s liquor laws, anyone who wanted to drink at a bar or restaurant had to pay a membership fee, ostensibly to be part of a liquor club. The changes have benefited Utah’s drinking scene considerably as many bars (I mean “restaurants”) have thrived since the law was enacted. Happy hours aren’t allowed, but before you get too bummed out about the changes in that law, think about this: Utah actually has all-day drink specials as a way to get around the happy hour prohibition.

Getting a liquor license in Utah is no easy task, but that is unlikely to change any time soon. An article that I didn’t quite understand discussed that Utah legislators will the important issue of booze in a special session of the legislature. Specifically, the Utah state legislature will:

clarify that liquor commissioners and employees of the state's liquor agency cannot have direct conflicts of interest but only incidental conflicts, such as attending a church licensed to serve sacramental wine. 

My difficulty understanding this quote doesn’t stem from the language itself, but the differences in background. It would seem that prior to this change, anyone who drinks alcohol at church would have had a conflict of interest in serving on the Liquor Board. That sort of dialog would not take place in most states. 

Makin’ Butterbeer!

I have Harry Potter fever, and I bet a lot of you do, too. In honor of the final Harry Potter film (and the subsequent depression many of us will briefly sink into, as we did following the book), I’ve decided to whip up some HP treats. This weekend, if I can acquire the supplies need to do it, I’m makin’ butterbeer!

Throughout the series, I know I’ve drooled over the sweet, warm descriptions of butterbeer, a treat that our trio has enjoyed in Hogsmeade quite often, and I know plenty of other fans have, too. In fact, my sister and I often lament that we can’t have any butterbeer (among other things, such as flying broomsticks or pygmy puffs—and especially that we can’t Apparate!), but it turns out that Universal Studios has given up their butterbeer recipe and we can all make it! You can find it here.

I’m not one for cream soda, so I don’t know if I’m really going to like it or not…  I wonder if root beer or something could work as a substitute? If you try out the recipe, be sure to let me know; there is also an alcoholic version at the website you can use.

Modern Speakeasies only emulate the best of Prohibition's tricks

Prohibition wasn’t cool.  No booze, nasty makeshift distilleries, crackdowns for the faintest smell of beer or whiskey on the breath.  But what came out of Prohibition was cool—speakeasies. The password at the door, having to know a friend of a friend to discover the location, the dark glamour. Surely the years since the last day of Prohibition—December 5, 1933—have only heightened the mystery and danger of speakeasies in today’s culture.

Prohibition began in January of 1920.  After this year, more than half of American liquor started being produced at home and its taste reflected its unskilled distillers.  Because of the nasty taste, older cocktails that relied on the taste of alcohol for its deliciousness started being replaced with available ingredients.  Instead, Americans used ingredients that covered up the taste of their sub-par liquor—rye, crème de cacao, ginger and ginger ale.

Nasty tasting alcohol was the least of Prohibition-era peoples’ problems.  Obviously, alcohol production was unregulated, so additional ingredients that got into batches of booze went undiscovered.  In the holiday season of 1926 alone, 47 New Yorkers died from poisoned alcohol.  Jamaica ginger, a medicine with a high alcohol content used as a liquor substitute, made frequent drinkers of the stuff lose the use of their hands and feet.

But the shoddy alcohol didn’t stop the production of speakeasies.  And today, most speakeasy reproductions serve cocktails pre-Prohibition—from 1890 to 1910—to stop unnecessary deaths. Today’s speakeasies only emulate the exciting parts of a business trying to stop a police crackdown—dark drapes at the windows, poorly lit booths and a pass code to enter.

Modern speakeasies certainly are a trend.  The hidden places of booze and snacks, suspenders and crinoline skirts are springing up around the country like weeds.

Seattle’s Knee High Stocking Co. employs the old technique of pretending that you are some other kind of business, but you really just sell booze.  The speakeasy operates out an unassuming building in Capitol Hill with only a tiny sign marking its existence.  You have to make a reservation through text message. The windows inside the small establishment are blacked out with pieces of cloth and the bartender makes a mean alcoholic punch every day. 

In New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, The Raines Law Room speakeasy makes reference to the 1896 New York State Law that banned the sale of liquor on Sundays except at hotels.  The night of the law’s approval, bars put beds and chairs in their rooms and whipped up some food to serve customers—they started calling themselves hotels, too. 

The Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland brings speakeasies to the upscale, making sure that each one of their drinks is served in the type of glass in which it was originally served. They have different glasses for each one of their cocktails.  They brew their own bitters, sodas and syrups, as well.

Modern speakeasies take the best of a nasty era in American alcohol. Now, you can slip back into the past without worrying about the cops breaking up your party. Best of all, you can drink tasty cocktails that, more often than not, won’t kill you.     

Armadillo Punch

Back in December, I went to the casino for the first time for my best friend’s birthday and we had a blast. She won a little over $100 so we decided to go to Texas Roadhouse for some snacks and drinks afterward. I ordered an Armadillo Punch, and boy was it good! It was sweet and tangy, with just the right amount of kick.

If you’d like to make your own Armadillo Punch, here is a recipe that you can use. (It looks like it’s just a variation of Sex on the Beach). Mix together ¾ ounces of peach schnapps, an ounce of Malibu rum (or your favorite flavor), and a bit of grenadine, orange juice, and pineapple juice. Garnish with pineapples if you like; adding cherries on a toothpick also makes it pretty.

Some recipes also recommend an ounce of amaretto. Others call for Southern Comfort instead of the rum.

Three Olives Chocolate Vodka

It's vodka, it's chocolate--what more can we ask?

Three Olives Vodka was born in 1998. It's a United Kingdom vodka, made there from UK wheat in a distillation and filtration process that includes being distilled four times, and filtered after each distillation. It's gluten free, nut free and lactose free. And that's about all I can find out, frankly, other than that Three Olives Vodka isn't available in the U.K. in any of its seventeen or so flavors, at 80 Proof or 40% ABV.

The particular Three Olives Vodka I'm interested in is Three Olives Chocolate. It's a clear vodka; infused with chocolate flavoring after distillation, but I can't find anything at all about what flavoring is used, whether it is actually an essence derived from chocolate, or an artificial chocolate additive or some alternative to either.

My interest in Three Olives Chocolate Vodka is primarily in the context of making chocolate martinis; but I'm not putting vodka in a cocktail without tasting it first. So we stashed the bottle in the freezer, along with a shot glass for a sample. The first thing you notice is the intense chocolate aroma; it really is everything any chocolate lover loves about the scent of chocolate. That intense chooclate quality is there in the taste as well, though it's a trifle sweeter than I'd like. Unfortunately, there's a noticeable ethyl bite in the finish, an almost chemical aftertaste. It's less noticeable in a martini, but I won't be trying Three Olives Chocolate Vodka in the future. At the recommendation of a bartender friend, I have moved on to trying Godiva Chocolate Vodka. Thus far, I am very favorably impressed.

Noc Noc: Seattle After-Hours

Noc Noc… no I’m not attempting to start telling a lame joke, I’m talking about a club in Seattle. What makes this club so special? A local would tell you it’s the ultimate after-hours hang out spot on the weekends. I would have to agree.

Last weekend, my date and I decided to crash this venue for some after-hours action. When the bars are closed and you’ve still got that itch to dance to music that’s well produced, this is where you go.

Noc Noc is open until 9am Friday and Saturday and 10am on Sunday. The bar stops serving alcohol at last call, but the party doesn’t stop when the alcohol runs dry. The bar reopens again at 6am. The after-hours crowd and bartenders at Noc Noc are in a word: hardcore.

It takes a certain kind of person to keep the energy up and dance, dance, dance without liquid courage as a motivator. In my case, I had puh-lenty of liquid courage running through my veins, but I wasn’t ready to call it a night.

We arrived at Noc Noc around 4 am, it was still dark outside. Dark enough to not pay attention to the fact that sunrise was imminent. We showed the bouncer our ID’s, he was refreshingly friendly. I know I have said this before, but I repeat, most bouncers and doormen that I have encountered in Seattle are not the friendliest people. This guy had a smile that radiated like the sun. Though I was about to learn that he was a bit of a jokester.

This guy looked at my ID with barely a second glance. He had a big smile on his face. When I handed him bills to pay for the five dollar cover for my date and I, he snatched the twenty I handed him. When I held out my hand for change, he gave me a sly look and said “the rest is for tipping the management.” For a minute I thought he was serious, but then that sly look turned into the biggest belly laugh I have heard in a good long while. He handed me ten bucks change, opened the door and told us to have great time.

We walked in the door and had to pull back these heavy black curtains. As we stepped through the threshold, I knew we were not in Kansas anymore. Noc Noc is dark, that’s their atmosphere. I think they pull it off well. Immediately I was lured to the dance floor where all the other hardcore patrons were hanging out. The DJ was blasting music, but it was good music. The kind of music that makes the ground shake. It’s so loud you can’t hear yourself think—in the best possible way.

As we stepped out onto the dance floor, we encountered an honest-to-god legitimate B Boy breakin’ right there in front of us. Side note: Seattle is home to world famous break-dancers, for a good example of what all the hype is about, watch an example of this amazing dance style here.

We stayed at Noc Noc past sunrise. When we stepped outside, our eyes were bleary, our heads full to the brim of good music. We walked past those curtains, the darkness of the club disappeared and we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of very stark contrast- daylight. This is how you party if you’re hardcore.

Noc Noc is located at 1516 2nd Ave, 98101 in the heart of Seattle, just past the Pioneer Square district.

Image courtesy dose.clubzone.com

Alcohol: Not Sexy

Back when I would ie the bottle heavily, I noticed that I would get these "sexy" triggers that made drinking irresistible to me. I would think of a bottle, or a cold one and instantly become excited - almost to the point of sexual arousal.

What changed? Well - a lot of things, but the biggest thing I had to do was retrain my brain to be grossed out by booze and make the thoughts less sexy. This is easily accomplished by thinking about all of the gross effect alcohol (in excess) has on the body, such as:

Impotence (which is not sexy)

Pneumonia, Lung Collapse, and Pulmonary Infection (also, not sexy)

Balding (really not sexy)

Osteoporosis and arthritis (nobody wants the hunch back - not sexy)

You get the point, I'm sure.

So the next time you want to go grab one of those sexy drinks - think about how unsexy you will look when you're done.

Seeking Tehodore. Swap for Red Rum.

Hi, i have a Red Rum model, but i would really love a Theodore one (he is identical to my own horse, and i have abay welsh which is identicle to my other horse so would like a set) 

 

I live in Ireland.

 

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