The Adventures of a 35yo (Alcohol) Virgin

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hit counter At 35 years old, I had never tasted, tried or drank an alcoholic drink of any kind. During 2012 that all changes drink by drink and you get to enjoy the results post by post.

Permalink Drink & bark for dogs at the Blue Banana! Our monthly charity Yappy Hour this Thursday the 12th is Christmas in July! This is event is being hosted by The Blue Banana and The Adventures of a 35-Year-Old Alcohol Virgin. Spread the word and we hope to see you there. Washington Post called this the Happy Hour of the Week!
Permalink JUST ANNOUNCED! July’s Yappy Hour at the Blue Banana DC: Christmas in July! Get your dog’s photo w/ Summer Santa, free drink for the first 25 people from our Yappy Hour beer sponsor Flying Dog Brewery, and celebrate the holiday by supporting the Washington Humane Society. Your dog DOESN’T want to miss this one! We are kicking this event up a few notches!
Permalink Boozy Rootbeer FloatThis week is insane. And I’m 3 firstdrink posts behind so this post is going to be quick and dirty. Enjoy.Ok, so yep, you read the drink right above. A boozy rootbeer float. It’s a shot of Jägermeister, a shot of Stoli Vanil vodka, over a scoop of vanilla ice cream and then fill it to the top with traditional rootbeer. I found a variation of this recipe on Pintrest.com and immediately knew I wanted to try it.  So as I was heading off to the Blue Banana for the weekly Yappy Hour last Thursday, I emailed Jamie in advance and asked if he was willing to make it. He was totally game and picked up a gallon of ice cream and a two liter of A&W.As you can see above, the drink was absolutely awesome looking and tasted even better.  Exactly like a rootbeer float with a slight kick.  As I’m sure you’re wondering, yes, the Jäger melds into the drink almost seamlessly. Its cold and refreshing. A perfect summer boozy drink. I’m not sure if it’ll make the Blue Banana special drink list, but I can promise you that if you bring in a scoop of ice cream and some rootbeer? They’ll serve you up one proper. And trust me when I say, it’s worth it. On a side note, a friend told me that if I’m officially trying to sneak liquor into typical drinks, I’m clearly losing my “virgin” status. He suggested changing the name of the blog to the “35yo Alcohol Whore”. Ha. I won’t deny that I’m far from a virgin now, but I ain’t no whore. At least not until I do something from an ice luge, funnel, or perform a keg-stand. Then we’ll talk.Cheers, BenPS: Come one, come all and bring your dogs out to June’s Charity Yappy Hour this Thursday from 6-9pm. And we’re excited to announce that we’re changing local charities and starting this summer we’re proud to be supporting the Washington Humane Society who is going to work directly with us to help promote the event and bring out some pet-loving supporters! 20% of the night’s proceeds will help support local animals! We hope to see you out this week!
Permalink Pisco Sweet / May Yappy HourStupid 3rd time’s the charm. Bullshit, I claim. Bullshit!Ok, I’m fine. I’m just irritated, that’s all. No big deal. Nothing a few dozen dogs couldn’t have fixed. Oh, yeah, didn’t you know?  I was hosting my monthly Yappy Hour at the Blue Banana for charity to support the Washington Animal Rescue League. You know, the one that’s been so sucessful since March? Until May. Oh dogs, why must you overbook yourselves so heavily? So, what was it? Doggie ultimate frisbee practice? Downward dog yoga class? Fetch 101 night school? Your pet parents need to help you schedule yourself more effectively. That’s my advice.But, you know what, it inspired Jamie (owner of the Blue Banana) and I to make a very cool, very fun decision for this the summer. Starting next week, Yappy Hour will begin it’s every Thursday debut.  We figured, the only way to keep people coming is to make them more frequent. So now, you’ll have weekly Yappy Hours on Thursdays on the back patio from 6-9pm, and monthly Charity Yappy Hours—always co-hosted by yours truly—benefiting the Washington Animal Rescue League with fun and funny themes.  Xmas in July, for example (get your dog’s picture taken with summer Santa!). So don’t worry dogs, summer just got a whole lot cooler. Just make sure to bring your owners for entrance.You know—get ready for the slick literary segway—Jamie and I were discussing these changes over drinks, of course. His was water, I believe. But mine was something special. A Pisco Sweet.You’re probably scratching your head, Pisco Sweet?!  Don’t you mean a Pisco Sour? Nope, but a sweeter, spicier variation.  So, if you’re following the Adventure closely, you’ll remember my first taste of pisco back at my PS7’s pop-up Adventure post. Pisco is South American grape brandy. Is a slightly amber, highly alcoholic liquor. It tastes like grape-laced jet fuel. And I wasn’t a fan of the first time I had pisco in a drink.  But that almost made me more interested in trying it again. I haven’t had a bad drink yet at the Blue Banana. And that streak continues. The Pisco Sour was a mix of pisco, lime juice, ginger-ale and a few dashes of bitters. It’s flavor was sweet like an apple is sweet in that it’s a touch tart and has this nice tangy, earthy quality. The ginger-ale adds some sparkle and helps damper the pisco’s alcohol slap and burn.The lime offers a nice tart backnote, some sweetness and helps round out the drink’s edge nicely. The bitters kinda floated on the top, adding some color and depth to the sugary notes of the drink. On a “here goes Ben again with the weirdness” note,  the drink isn’t any “thicker” than a typical cocktail, but it has this nice, rich, thick quality.  Hard to explain. It was just very full bodied, almost like a beer in mouth-feel, rather than like a sangria.Anyway, it was a solid, pleasant drink. I really liked it. I don’t know that it’s one of my favorites, but it was really great and the pisco is a nice shift in traditional alcohols.Much like—here comes another amazing segway in reverse—bringing Yappy Hour to every Thursday during the summer is a nice shift in tradition too. Man, I just educated you on a new drink and I’m helping bring more Yappy Hours to the neighborhood? I’m like a Saint or a Journeyman or something.  I should star charging. At least open an institute of awesomeness. Maybe offer some classes for dogs only. But not on Thursdays. They’ll hopefully, already be booked. Cheers, BenPS: The every Thursday Yappy Hour is even getting it’s own Facebook Page. Check it out and join in for all the updates, photos and adventures to come!
Permalink If you’re near the DC area, hope you can make it out for a yappy good time! 20% of the night’s events benefits the Washington Animal Rescue League.
Permalink All the cool dogs spend the hot summer at the Yappy Hour. Check out our summer of events and come join me at the Blue Banana Rock & Roll and Sports Bar for our Charity YAPPY Hour all summer long! 6-9pm | drink specials | dogs welcome | 20% of entire evening’s proceeds to benefit the Washington Animal Rescue League
Permalink Red Bull & vodkaWhen preparing for any event you happen to be hosting, one must consider the environment necessary for success in both the setting and your level of engagement. For example, if you’re hosting a delightful garden party, make sure to consider a actual garden setting complete with bright flowers at each table.  As for your level of engagement it should be easy and breezy, but grounded in solid, topical conversation.  So avoid politics and general items of an unsavory nature. Researching topics such as the flora and fauna of Begonias and the behavior patterns of fireflies are great places to start, however.Now, if you’re hosting a Halloween party, this calls for an entirely different set of circumstances.  For instance, make sure the setting is filled with fun, yet spooky touches: cobwebs on the lampshades, a rich red punch in a proper bowl with frozen grape eyes to cool the drink. And your level of engagement should again meet the needs of the party. Remember to stay topical, but not of an inappropriate nature; talking about bewitching spirits is fun, talking about your dead Aunt Leslie’s grisly murder is not. Are you still with me?  Wonderful.I had my first Red Bull & vodka on the Adventure.As you may recall, I had the Yappy Hour at the Blue Banana to host with about a dozen dogs and several dozen humans. So basically I needed to make sure I was properly prepped for my required level of engagement, if you catch my drift.Last month’s first Yappy Hour was a great success with tons of dogs and their owners but, getting around to all of them was no easy feat. Big dogs and small dogs alike all needed a warm welcome and a belly rub while their owners needed their own welcome and some casual conversation. By the end of the night, I was excited but exhausted. 2+ hours of heavy petting wore me out. So this month, I was determined to be better prepared. And since this time around we extended the event by an hour, I really needed to up my hosting game.I’m not going to lie, I’m calling this drink a “modern classic” to try and class it up a bit in my own head. I’m not suggesting that just because people like Jersey Shore celebrities, college frat boys and Midwestern cheerleaders pride this cocktail as their drink of choice I’m embarrassed to have had it—hell, I have a Pink Squirrel on my Adventures List—but I am suggesting it’s a very specific drink in pop culture.It should also be noted that before this Adventure I’d never had alcohol, I’d also never had Red Bull. I’m hyper enough on my own, thank you very much. Why would I add fuel to a blazing forest fire of crazy? [People who personally know me are quietly shaking their heads in agreement this very moment, I assure you.]But you want to know what I thought of the taste don’t you? I want to first point out that when I asked Jamie, the owner of the Blue Banana for a Red Bull & vodka he looked me right in the eye with one brow raised and said “Reallii…. you know? Ok. No problem.”I could literally see his brain go: What? No. Wait. Oh this might be good. Yeah, let’s do this. All in a 3 second span. So quickly in fact, that he actually started searching for just the right glass knowing I was going to take one of my pictures. I was clearly pushing his amused button on this firstdrink choice. Ok, look, it tastes like shitty cough syrup and vodka. There is no other way to put it. Back in college I remember reading this “cutting edge” article in the Daily Kent Stater about how drinking certain cough syrups to get high was sweeping the teenage nation. (Much like how doing the same with snorting bath salts or drinking Purell is today, I guess.)I remember at the time thinking “Really? Those cough syrups?! They taste like shit. Maybe Dimetapp Grapevine won’t get you high but it’s delicious!”  Again, alcohol virgin here. I know.Anyway, am I asserting that the general demographic that might find drinking Robitussin DXM to get high is the same people that might like Red Bull & vodka as their drink of choice? No. Of course not, no. I’m inferring. Its totally different. Ok, so it’s a fairly simple drink. Outside of it’s cough syrup qualities, it’s sweet, tangy, had this mix of cherry/orange flavors but not in that more tasty fruit punch quality, sadly. The vodka was there, lending it’s ever-so-slight jet fuel flavor and alcohol smack.It’s lightly carbonated and for the most part goes down pretty smooth. But I wouldn’t say I loved it by any measure. It was fine. But I didn’t keep holding the glass up to the light and saying, “Ahhhh, that’s some good shit.”And it did help for the Yappy Hour, I might add. In fact, it had my heart rate up so high I was chasing my own tail too by the end of the night. I didn’t get drunk, but I was feeling at 110% Hummingbird-level, talking and petting, talking and petting. That is until the crash came when I lost the energy to beg for treats and I wanted to spin and spin in circles until I finally curled up in a ball to go to sleep. But no, I had a happy hour to run even if the last hour was a bit rough. So I guess that I get why people crush so many RBVs… yeah?! Right?! Did you see that?! The virgin is learning the lingo, am I right?!  For those of you who don’t know, I just impressed a certain level of my readers. You’re welcome.And for the rest of you, don’t worry. I will never, ever have a Red Bull & vodka again. Promise. Now, a Red Bull & Jäger?  Well, I have to have a Jägerbomb on the Adventure, right? Of course I do. Cheers, BenPS: Thank you, thank you to all the folks who were able to make it out to the Yappy Hour in April. The Blue Banana and I are planning for a whole summer of event around the Yappy Hour events supporting the Washington Animal Rescue League including a Christmas in July event. Be looking for details for those events coming your way soon!
Permalink This Thursday! Bring your dog out this month and join me at the Blue Banana Rock & Roll and Sports Bar for our Charity YAPPY Hour! Thursday, 4.26.2012 | 6-9pm | all night $4 drink specials | dogs welcome | 20% of entire evening’s proceeds to benefit the Washington Animal Rescue League
Permalink Stinger / Yappy HourYou know something is really great when within a few moments you’ve decided you’re going to do it again right away. Case in point, both the drink of the night and the event itself.People love to drink. People love their dogs. And dogs love other dogs and drunk people dropping bar food. The whole concept of the Yappy Hour is pretty win-win-win—ooh, look food—win. I just can’t say enough good things about Jamie and the Blue Banana. His concept of the Yappy Hour on their back patio was just perfect. Great drink deals, pitchers full of dog biscuits, fried food flowing. The whole thing was already buzzing & barking by 6:45pm that evening. By 8pm, we had about a dozen dogs and several dozen humans drinking, talking, barking and sniffing butts with abandon. The patio is modest, but the atmosphere is generous. Several of my friends and family were able to attend, several with their dogs, including a nice sampling of canines and owners from the neighborhood. It was fantastic and people were loving the event. And we raised some serious money for the Washington Animal Rescue League. Everything was so fantastic. So much so in fact, that Jamie and I are planning on co-hosting a monthly Yappy Hour through the spring/summer/fall. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming dates. Yep, if you missed this one, don’t fret—there are more to come.I should note that the Blue Banana allows for dogs on the back patio anytime it’s open. So if you wanted to get your dog walk and your drink on, this is your kinda neighborhood bar. But oh, let’s talk about the evening’s drink. Oh that drink! One of the more genius elements of each event I’m able to host at the Blue Banana is Jamie’s invention and devotion to my firstdrink project. Each event has it’s own unique cocktail to allow everyone to have their own firstdrink. And tonight’s was just as great—actually better—than the last.Its called a Stinger. A intoxicating mix of twisted tea, lemonade and a solid shot of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey. Hot damn, it literally tastes like the answer to a hot day in July. It was sweet with the crisp ice tea flavor, refreshing with the lemonade mingling and the sweet, slick, alcohol rich honey bite from the Jack Daniels. It was summer in a glass. Sipping sweet tea on the dock. Sharing some southern love through a straw. You get the idea… It might actually be on the tastier drinks I’ve had on the Adventure. It’s one of my top favorites, hands down. I think I could honestly drink a Stinger anytime, anywhere. And yep, I had two. Dogs, drink, friends and fans. It was a damn good night. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out. Thanks to Jamie and the Blue Banana and thanks to all the sweet pups and their owners who were able to make it out and enjoy a warm March evening for charity.Man’s best friend just got VIP status at your favorite new bar. Raise the woof. (yep, I went there.)Cheers, BenPS: 4… count them, 4 new firstdrinks tomorrow at a special pop-up restaurant. And then I rest? Nope. 2 more firstdrinks this weekend. And then I rest? Oh, who knows anymore. Just enjoy the ride.