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ASTROLIQUOR for April 19–25—What the stars say you should drink!

My Fellow Inebriates,

Here’s your booze horoscope:

Aries, someone close to you is having a birthday soon—don’t forget! Seriously, you’ve been having some badass memory blackouts, so put the date in your phone or something. Buy a nice present and show up sober. You guessed it—you’re the zodiac’s Designated Driver this week. Yay, you! The stars know you totally hate having this honor, but somebody’s got to do it. Pour yourself some chocolate milk.

Taurus, you can’t escape the weight of responsibility this week. You’ve been procrastinating for days, and there’s a big pile of work waiting for you. Think of ways to cut corners and get it done fast. But hold off on the Kahlua until you finish; it’s genuinely difficult to do a project when you’re shitfaced. Reward yourself afterwards with a drink. The stars wonder if you are sore from masturbating so much.

Gemini, you seem sure of yourself but it is all an act. Feel free to keep it up this week; people like you better when you’re pretending to be someone else. You’ll attract a Capricorn on Tuesday or Wednesday. This person is very fond of thongs, and also enjoys brandy with lime juice, bitters, and club soda. Stock up your bar and your underwear drawer.

Cancer, you may anticipate an easy week, but you’re dreaming. You’ll run out of money and spend the weekend consoling yourself by draining your liquor cabinet—say goodbye to your stockpile of Maker’s Mark and Grand Marnier. When the hell did you buy artichoke liqueur? Oh well, it’s gone now. Pick yourself up on Saturday and go somewhere. Don’t worry; you’ll meet someone nice.

Leo, you’re conflicted about relationships. Fact is, you don’t know what you want: a fling? or something serious? And the dilemma won’t get resolved this week. In fact, it will bother you until at least July, when you’ll discover how excellent gin is for quelling this sort of ambivalence. Mix it up (a lot of it) with some Forbidden Fruit liqueur and you won’t care about relationships at all.

You need a martini, Virgo, or you won’t be able to stop worrying about a certain purchase you made recently. That thing you bought doesn’t really work properly, but you’re too embarrassed to return it to the store. Hell, it was embarrassing enough buying it in the first place. Nor do you know anyone who’d want such an item, or admit to wanting it, or admit to wanting it and still want it after you’ve used it. Nah, you’ll have to attempt a return to the store. Get drunk first and stagger over there (on foot of course).

Libra, be careful about contracts this week; someone wants to take advantage of you financially. If you must sign something, read the small print carefully (while not pie-eyed on Sambuca and Bailey’s, okay?) and sign only when you’re sure you understand everything. Get lots of sleep before any meetings. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound like you’ll be pounding too many of those shooters this week. (Sigh.)

You have no interesting in maintaining relationships of no benefit to you, Scorpio. This is a position of strength—take no crap from anyone! You are a nice person who deserves the best. Right now you can’t decide whether you hate people or love them. Do you want to hole up by yourself or dance naked on a table? This is the sort of decision best left up to tequila.

Sagittarius, you’ll experience some hallucinations this week, both auditory and visual. Try to get some friends to corroborate what you’re experiencing. If you’re seeing weird shit, it might be because the weird shit is really there. Nevertheless, try to keep your head somewhat clear—nothing stronger than Guinness for you. Oh yeah, and don’t let anybody drive you anywhere. When you’re hallucinating, the bus is much more fun.

Somebody has a crush on you, Capricorn, a crush that will be revealed most awkwardly and inopportunely. You’ll be surprised this person feels so strongly about you; you’ve never really liked him/her and now the raw truth is before you (and probably all your colleagues and your spouse too). The best bromide for an awkward moment is gin—six ounces or so.

Aquarius, you’re on a roll socially, so you can get away with being drunk for the whole week. You feel lucky to be you and to have so many good friends and such relative wealth. Every single day someone will hit on you. You are indeed the envy of the zodiac. Take your joy to the next level with lashings of Everclear and Captain Morgan.

Pisces, while cleaning out your closets you’ll find an old photograph of someone you once cared deeply for. You’ll end up sitting among the cobwebs sobbing for your lost relationship, not to mention your lost youth. OMG, Pisces, does every week have to be pathetic? Come on, you need a happy drink:

  • 3 oz white rum
  • 1/2 oz creme de bananes
  • A whole bunch of difference juices (totally optional, especially given your state of mind)

BROKER’S GIN—Part 10!

On my head is a very small bowler hat.

No, my fellow inebriates, my parents wouldn’t just buy me a hat. The hat in question came perched atop a long-awaited treasure—a product that’s been absent from BC Liquor Stores for over a year and has finally been restored to its rightful shelf thanks to the heroic efforts of Business Development Manager Julia Gale.

LB and Julia 2 copy

If you’re new to this blog, you can’t possibly know what an odyssey the wait for Broker’s Gin has been. Why did BCLS cease to stock Broker’s? We’ll never know, but the bureaucracy involved in reinstating it seemed, at times, Sisyphean. Oh, MFI, if you could only know the suspense, the suffering, the torture! The holdout for Broker’s here at LBHQ! The resultant desolation and uncomfortable sobriety followed by bludgeoning despair when the product failed to reappear! The debauched embrace of at least six other brands of gin, all drowning the sorrow of one who’s had one’s heart broken repeatedly—a descent that spiraled into multiple gin shootouts, documented and otherwise, until finally last year’s hot weather ended, at which point my parents declared “gin season over” and we consoled ourselves with nothing but beer, wine, rye, Scotch, Canadian Cream, and whisky balls. OMG, MFI, I went through all five Kübler-Ross stages of grief over Broker’s Gin, plus a couple of others (fixation on thongs, washing-machine paranoia, Scarybear-provoked apocalypticity, stalking Julia Gale beyond ordinary levels). And FINALLY the wait has ended.

email to Julia Gale

eyes only large copy

email from Julia Gale

But you never get a totally happy ending at LBHQ. Just ask Dolly. According to my evil parents, it is still not warm enough. They don’t feel like a gin & tonic yet. And here I thought they were spiraling downward with me into seasonal indiscriminateness. Apparently not.

So I will update you when we crack that bottle, which is, of course, foiling my thumbless little paws. For now.

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ASTROLIQUOR for April 5-11—What the stars say you should drink!

My Fellow Inebriates,

Here’s your booze horoscope:

Socially, Aries, you’re in for an unpredictable week. Expect everyone to behave like crazed drunks: one minute amorous, the next minute coming at you with a broken bottle. By Thursday you’ll have squeaked through this without injury, only to face a financial dilemma—an offer you can’t refuse…or can/should you? Wait until mid-April to decide. In the meantime? Jell-O shots of course:

  • 1 box orange Jell-O (the stars don’t know which size)
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup vodka

Follow package directions EXCEPT substitute the cold water with the juice and vodka (juice first so it cools down the boiling mixture and prevents vodka evaporation).

Taurus, financial security is heavily emphasized, with partners or close relatives laying on thick pressure to get your ducks in a row. This might mean buying insurance or looking into your investments. Or it could mean cutting back on the Jagermeister. The stars know good booze is expensive, so they advise cheap brands this week. Buy a big plastic jug of vodka and some no-name version of Kahlua. Your relatives and coworkers will nod with approval as you manage to save money for the future and still get totally wasted.

Your social life is complicated this week, Gemini, so maintain a healthy skepticism as friends make romantic declarations, only to rescind them the next day. Don’t take it personally—the stars are fickle this week. Then again, the morning after a one-nighter can sometimes be an unpleasant eye-opener. Perhaps your partner got grossed out by the tequila-and-gin vomit splattered on the shower stall…you know, the stain from February?

Cancer, whatever shit was flying at work, it will calm down this week. Your boss will forget that episode involving absinthe and Fresca—and may even deny the whole thing. By mid-week you’ll be the only person who remembers what happened, but your best-behavior paranoia won’t let up until at least Sunday. In the meantime you’ll find yourself saying yes to everything, so get ready for some bizarre new hobbies.

Leo, workplace ethics figure prominently this week, along with added responsibilities and dipshit assignments. This is not a good time to ask your colleagues if they know what the hell they’re doing. The less you know the better, and alcohol can help with that. Be patient and sip some sloe gin (from your flask).

You’ve been happily ignoring your family, Virgo, but you can get away with that for only so long. Relatives will decide they want to live with you and/or initiate complicated financial involvements that will interfere with your plans to drink rum in the nude. Thoroughly study any financial proposals before committing to anything. There’s a reason you’ve been keeping your family at arms’ length. They are nutbags.

Libra, you’ll be pestered by annoying little reminders from colleagues this week. Every five seconds you’ll encounter some new post-it with loopy writing reminding you to do something totally stupid and trivial. Bureaucracy will run rampant and sap your will to live. Hang on until Thursday, when people will turn into human beings again. That’s when you break out the Malibu.

Everyone around you is bored, Scorpio. It’s not your fault—you are doing your usual lunatic things and being entertaining as hell. It’s other people with mad repression who are hanging out in your space and driving you nuts with their inability to occupy themselves. Maybe if you give them some Grey Goose they will go away. It’s worth a shot.

Sagittarius, romantic overtures and social occasions will thrill you this week. You’ve been bored lately (have you been pestering any Scorpios?), so this is a great opportunity to get out of your funk. You’ll also consider new employment. This might be the result of a workplace incident involving dark rum and Dr. Pepper…or you might simply be seeking a new job. Oh yeah, and the stars say your rectum might itch this week, but it’s nothing major.

Professional events are a chore this week, Capricorn. Colleagues are unusually strained, as if they expect a pink slip any minute. This is a good time to network, just in case they’re right. It’s easier to get a job when you have a job, and right now you still have the mojo. Maintain diplomacy and meet as many contacts as you can. Stay alert! But if you figure your job is safe, you can go ahead and mix this up:

  • 2 oz watermelon schnapps
  • 2 oz apple schnapps
  • 2 oz De Kuiper Blue Island Pucker schnapps
  • 2 oz vodka

Whee!

Aquarius, everyone around you is moody this week. You’re walking on eggshells among friends who’ve mated with each other and broken up—and are now torturing you with the relationship aftermath. How awkward…get out the Malibu and Blue Curacao and make some happy drinks. That or banish your friends until they get over their liaison. On Friday you may receive a large inheritance. This will make you super-popular, so get rid of those mopey friends ASAP or you won’t be able to later.

Pisces, finances will be the usual fiasco this week, with all dealings strangely messed up, outlandish promises made and broken, and nutty propositions coming from all angles. Let’s face it: the only safe investment for your cash is liquor. Now’s the time to stock up on all those liqueurs you’ve wondered about. Do you have any Goldschlager? Buy it! Butterscotch schnapps? Go get it! Kahlua? Buy it, and mix it up. Mmmmm. You’re totally broke now, but happy.