liquor

ASTROLIQUOR for April 13-20—What the stars say you should drink!

My Fellow Inebriates,

Here’s your booze horoscope:

You’re into everybody else’s business, Aries, with a strange and manic new angle: temperance. At first you’ll be surprised how much detail you remember about other people’s lives when you’re not blasted out of your noodle. You’ll appreciate the peace that comes from a non-throbbing head. You’ll even go for a jog or some such lunacy. Know that this madness will pass. You will start to miss seeing people through beer goggles.

Taurus, it’s not a week for romance. And yet it seems as though the whole world is rutting. Coworkers are getting it on in a closet somewhere, sending out reeking pheromones. Somehow you feel you should get in on this—yet you know it would be a mistake. Stay the course for one more week. You can have fun all by yourself with some vodka, Kahlua, and creme de menthe.

Your professional life takes a back seat to socializing, Gemini, giving you a sense of being on holiday even while at your desk. Your brain is certainly on vacation, but your boss doesn’t care because he/she knows how smart you can be when you’re not loaded. But what on earth would possess you to combine red wine and Coca-Cola? Never mind—just do it.

A highly emotional week is on tap, Cancer. One second you’re crying, the next you’re laughing. If that doesn’t demote your credibility enough, you could recite some of your secret poems or bestow flowers on someone you’ve been stalking. What’s the fuel for all this emotive spew? Why, Jack Daniel’s and Yukon Jack in equal parts. You can’t have that for breakfast without results.

Leo, early in the week a close friend surprises you with something small. Even if it’s just a flower, it makes your day. So uplifting is the simple gesture that you spread it on to others—that’s you buying the shots! Next thing you know your head is full of tequila and everyone loves everyone else. Not bad.

Virgo, your tendency to tell it like it is means an awkward moment for a Pisces or Gemini in your social circle. This person is not into you now, but if you hang in there things could change. But don’t obsess! People will start noticing and call the police. My wisest suggestion would be to hole up at home with some blueberry schnapps. That way you’ll be occupied drinking and occupied barfing later.

Libra, this is not a good time for thinking. Simply put, you are a total airhead this week. Do nothing financial. Do nothing mechanical. Let the world go on with its business while you make a fantastic punch:

  • 3 cups Everclear
  • 3 cups vodka
  • 3 cups peach schnapps
  • 1.5 cups Malibu
  • 1 gallon Hawaiian Punch

This doesn’t have to be for you only. Go ahead—invite a couple of friends. One of them will give you a hickey.

Take care of yourself, Scorpio. You’ve been working like crazy, pursuing change in your life, but don’t forget about your health. Scorpios have a tendency to let their own intensity magnify until it explodes. Try yoga or, if you think that’s totally lame, a fruity drink. Fruity drinks make people feel relaxed. Think Bacardi white rum and White Curacao and…I don’t know, fruit of some kind.

Sagittarius, you’re zeroing in on some bigtime work success, but you mustn’t force things. Sometimes it’s better not to try. This is as true of flirtations as it is the office. If you try too hard romantically, you might get arrested again. Keep your flask full of apple brandy and Cointreau; it’ll mellow you out.

It’s all about love this week, Capricorn, even if you’re more focused on the romantic aspect than the getting with. Opportunities present from all sides, producing the same sort of paralysis that comes over shoppers in the vodka aisle. So much selection, so little time. So close your eyes and pick one! Do it! That takes care of the vodka side of it. Now choose a person to share it with.

Aquarius, you need to keep up with laundry, showers, and personal hygiene. That smell on you isn’t “musk.” Don’t be fooled into thinking vodka has no odor. It may not, but you marinated in vodka are quite another matter. Vodka is awesome, though. If you stroll through the vodka aisle you may meet a Capricorn who’s into sharing.

Pisces, your stars are increasingly significant now through November. You feel a strong influence to change your life profoundly. You may move, perhaps even out of jail. You may find a new job or even, simply, a job. Whatever you do, follow your passion. Live large and skip the Bud. You deserve some Mozart chocolate liqueur.

M. CHAPOUTIER BILA-HAUT SYRAH/GRENACHE, CARIGNAN (2009)—No, it didn’t have 9 lives; it’s gone

Miss V has no intention of peeing on demand for the doctor trying to confirm a bladder infection. Hence the package that came home today:

Needless to say, I don’t want anything to do with the project of coaxing urine out of a four-year-old into a cup. If, for example, my mum brought me into the bathroom to amuse Miss V, thinking the diversion might keep her on the seat until the pee was secured, I would be very afraid. It’s hard enough for an adult female to pee in a jar without spraying hands, seat, floor and counter. When a four-year-old attempts to do it, you don’t want to be a nearby absorbent bear who’s already under threat of the washing machine.

Because so many symptoms suggested a bladder infection, the doc prescribed an antibiotic anyway. If he doesn’t get Miss V’s pee, the exact microbes won’t be known, but they’ll get exterminated anyway. If he does get the pee, bonus. Within a week Miss V should be cured of her tummy aches and pungent excretions.

This latter symptom got me thinking about wines with a urine aroma. In particular I remembered our Easter dinner wine, suggested by a wine consultant other than our usual go-to. On learning of my parents’ preference for full-bodied, supple reds, he pointed to M. CHAPOUTIER BILA-HAUT (2009), a Syrah/Grenache/Carignan blend. His recommendation wasn’t exactly on the money. (He did disclaim that French wine wasn’t his area of expertise.)

True, BILA-HAUT poured rich and purple into the glass, exuding distinctive earthy fragrance and fruit-forward promise. Blended for ideal acid balance and drinkability, it seemed like a good dinner choice.

The first sips were curious—slightly more acidic than suggested by the aroma, and slightly lighter on the palate than suggested by the legs. The wine had a thinness to it that fruit bomb enthusiasts tend to avoid, but one has to have an open mind.

On to the next sips.

While Grenache typically has a soft, static character and doesn’t develop much as the wine opens, a Grenache blend is a different animal. The Syrah component in BILA-HAUT kicked up the spice and contributed an earthy wildness; the Carignan added tartness and zing. But during that critical first 15 minutes while the wine breathed and I had to be held back physically from it, the fragrance changed. The shift wasn’t subtle. First the scent was a maddeningly unplaceable brambly fruitiness, and then it was…wet cat. From wet cat it morphed to cat pee, at which point my dad abandoned his glass on the counter.

Mum and I persevered with BILA-HAUT, although for most of dinner she left her glass untouched, then returned to it while she loaded the dishwasher. I kept at it the whole time, so I can document for you, my fellow inebriates, the delicacy of its arc from fruit to sodden alleycat to litter-box offering to…fruit again.

Yes, peeps, the wine did become drinkable. It just had to go through a nasty olfactory phase. We all go through phases, some of which are olfactory too. Ever decide you were no longer going to shower? Or that deodorant was for losers? Okay, maybe you didn’t do those things. But remember the hair you had in the 1980s? Phases! Some phases are just ugly. And BILA-HAUT certainly went through one of these while the family was stuffing itself full of ham. For a while it smelled rank. But I swear to you that after an hour it was okay. And it was even better the next day.

So what the hell makes a wine smell like feline number one? Interesting, the chemical compound responsible for that unique cat-piss odor is often present in wine, particularly Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The offending compound, p-mentha-8-thiol-3-one, smells like kitty tinkle only in a specific concentration range, below which it smells herbal and above which it smells like blackcurrants. Wow!

So that explains how our Easter wine began dinner delightfully redolent of berries, survived being consumed at dinner by assaulting us with puss ‘n’ piss, then redeemed itself as dry, tannic and slightly herbal.

Which is pretty cool and scientific, but it won’t help us get Miss V to pee in a cup.

ASTROLIQUOR for March 30 to April 5—What the stars say you should drink!

My Fellow Inebriates,

Here’s your booze horoscope:

You’re going to hear an awesome piece of news over the telephone, Aries. So turn your cell on, or at least record a VM message that doesn’t make you sound like a douche. For one week you’re going to enjoy the feeling of having a soulmate—even if you don’t believe in soulmates. The result is a dreamy state, complemented nicely by Kahlua and amaretto in equal parts. (When it all goes to hell next week you can hit the rum.)

Taurus, you may be a mess personally but you’ll solve tons of problems at work this week. You’ll become a savior of sorts in the office, but don’t get dragged into being the Office Problem Solver. Keeping a low profile is much more fun. If there’s any danger of too much corporate success, hit the bottle. Here’s a conspicuous mix for your flask: 2 parts bourbon, 1 part triple sec and 1 part creme de menthe. No one’s giving you a corner office with that on your breath.

You’ll reconnect with some lovely friends this week, Gemini, but don’t let them into your personal space. They may be lovely for one drunken lunch, but you’ll find they turn needy if you tolerate them too much. Your best bet is to mingle wildly. Meet some new people. Take them home and make them some wild drinks (I’m thinking Yukon Jack with cherry brandy and Southern Comfort).

Get ready to meet the law this week, Cancer. Don’t worry, nobody’s gonna bust you. Instead you’ll find yourself dealing with boring legal matters…property or estates. And when you’re bored out of your head, the best solution is to blow your bank account on an exotic vacation. Choose one where the drinks are included and the sky’s the limit. When you order citrus vodka mixed with creme de cacao, you want a bartender who’s used to that kind of crazy shit.

Leo, the week looks productive but hectic, not to mention stress-inducing. Whenever somebody agitates you, mix yourself a Sidecar. Ahhh! If the people agitating you happen to be children, your head will be so full of cognac and triple sec by the end of the day that you’ll be off the hook for bedtime duties. Sounds like a parenting plan.

Unforeseen expenses will crop up this week, Virgo, leaving you temporarily high and dry. It’s just the tip of the iceberg—finances are going to shit. This means budgeting: no Midori Melon for you! No creme de cacao either! We’re talking cans of Pilsner. And if you want to continue buying those, you may have to live outside for a while. This is a good way to meet interesting people…maybe a special someone (with lice) on Saturday.

Libra, you’re not your extroverted self this week. Friends don’t know what to make of it; honestly, they think you’re being a tool. Don’t worry, it’s just temporary. This is a good week to hole up by yourself until the mood passes. Here’s a project to keep you busy:

  • 1 oz DeKuyper Buttershots
  • 1 oz Everclear
  • 2 oz whisky
  • 1 oz vodka
  • Splash grenadine
  • Splash orange juice

Shake it with ice and strain into a martini glass. Good luck—you are going to be messed up.

You have the feeling that everyone likes you, Scorpio. It doesn’t matter if it’s true; what matters is the positive vibe you radiate. Your optimism warms people and lures them into your warped world. These people are really nice, so take it easy on them. If they fail to challenge your intelligence, get drunk and they will seem smarter. Here’s your recipe:

  • 3 oz coconut vodka
  • 6 oz banana liqueur
  • 3 oz peach schnapps
  • 3 oz orange juice
  • 1 cup pineapple juice

There. Now your friends will seem smarter and better looking. And so will you until you vomit.

Sagittarius, your circle of acquaintances will widen this week, possibly through business travel. You’ll bond solidly with new people and learn about an unfamiliar culture. Nothing goes as well with this sort of personal enrichment as vodka and white wine. Make sure you buy a lottery ticket so you can win the money to pay for it, otherwise you’ll be mooching off your new pals.

Lay off the work this week, Capricorn, and indulge your imagination. For too long your colleagues have been bugging you to prepare spreadsheets and reports. Tell them what to do with themselves! With creative ideas like the ones bubbling around in your brain, who needs a job? Your head is as full of creative notions as it is vodka. For extra inspiration, mix that vodka with Kahlua, rum, and amaretto.

Aquarius, you’ll feel a strong urge to call in sick this week, and it might be a bad idea. Here’s why. If you stay home, you’ll never get out of your jammies. You won’t even make coffee. Instead, you’ll pour a bottle of vodka into a punchbowl. You’ll add four cans of limeade, followed by a case of beer. You’ll mix everything up until the limeade liquefies. And that will be your day.

Pisces, it’s not a strong week for discipline and responsibility. If you can confine your immaturity to your own inner thoughts, you shouldn’t do too much damage. If, however, you act upon your urges, you’ll spend much of the week with a head full of Jagermeister and peach schnapps. Needless to say, you won’t get that promotion.