What a disappointment it turned out to be. I stayed 15 minutes, didn't have a cocktail, had a lousy time, and wasn't going to write about it at all. But what the hell, it's funny. Maybe. You tell me.
As soon as I got in, I walked right over to Carville. I told him, "I write about booze, not politics, but I'm curious to know if you're doing any politics."
Carville: "Who, Maker's Mark?"
Me: "No. You."
Carville: "I work for CNN."
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| "Nice to see you." |
Me: "I know. I'm just wondering if you're doing any consulting in this election."
Carville: "I don't do any work domestically."
Me: "But you do work overseas?"
Carville: "Yeah."
Me: "How does your experience translate overseas?"
Carville: "Sometimes it doesn't." He gives me a hearty clap on the shoulder, finishing with a subtle push away from him. "Nice to see you."
So that was my 30 seconds with James Carville. But as I mentioned, I love Maker's Mark Manhattans, and since I had three drink coupons and there were two long bars with no waiting, the event still had promise.
However, neither bar would make a Manhattan for me. "We don't have sweet Vermouth. Or bitters," the bartender said.
What they did have was an Official Cocktail: The Conservative. Which they were serving in San Francisco. You may note the incongruity.
The Conservative is 1 1/2 parts Maker's Mark, 1/2 parts each of club soda and ginger ale, and a lemon twist. Bor-ing. At least it's aptly named.
"Do you have a Liberal?" I asked. They did not. Well, I wouldn't go to Kentucky to drink flavored vodka, and I'm not drinking a Conservative in San Francisco.
At least the evening won't be a total loss, I thought, because I can get one of the 200 ml bottles of Maker's Mark they're giving away, take it home and mix it up with some Martini sweet Vermouth (I like a 4-1 ratio) and a dash of Angostura bitters. Manhattan, now that's liberal. So I go over to the table where they're giving away the little bottles, but I'm directed to a lonnnnng line of people waiting to put the brand's characteristic red wax on the bottle themselves. I don't need to wax the thing, I say; I just want to drink it. "Sorry sir, you have to wax your own." That sounds so lonely. And time-consuming. I bail on the party.
And now I'm obsessing on a Manhattan. Despite the crappy party, I still prefer Maker's Mark in this cocktail, which is one of my favorite orders in airport bars, at concerts and other places where you expect disinterested bartending. It's hard to screw up a Manhattan. 2-1 ratio, or 6-1 ratio? I'll drink it. Forgot the bitters, or added too much? I'll drink it. On the rocks, not shaken and served up? I'll drink it. Where's my damn cherry? Oh forget it, I'll drink it.
But the Giants are playing the Dodgers on the same night as the Olympics, and the bars I wander by are all showing the latter for some reason. So I go to a reliable den of quality bar food and Giants' fandom, Lark Streek Steak in the Westfield Shopping Centre, where I get the delicious off-menu mushroom-swiss burger ($16, but well worth it because it's made of roughly chopped and molded steak) and ... a glass of Testarossa Pinot. I mean, it's a mushroom burger.
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| No Manhattans today |
Even an 8 oz burger and fries (pro tip: for better wine pairing, dip your fries in mustard instead of ketchup. Less sugar so your wine won't taste sour) comes to an end. Lark Creek has a Manhattan on the cocktail menu, and it's made with Maker's Mark! And yet ... I think back to that lousy party, where I couldn't get a drink, and instead I order a Sazerac. With Wild Turkey Rye.
The end.
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8 comments:
Best fucking line of the day:
"Do you have a Liberal?" I asked. They did not. Well, I wouldn't go to Kentucky to drink flavored vodka, and I'm not drinking a Conservative in San Francisco."
That was very funny. Glad you went so that I least I could laugh a bit this morning.
My recipe is 3 parts Elijah Craig Small Batch, 1 part Martini Rossi, no cherry (or juice like some of my friends!), no bitters...on the rocks.
And talking about a recipe, what blend---Carville and Matalin! No interaction with her?
My recipe is 3 parts Elijah Craig Small Batch, 1 part Martini Rossi, no cherry (or juice like some of my friends!), no bitters...on the rocks.
And talking about a recipe, what blend---Carville and Matalin! No interaction with her?
Hilarious! And I agree with "unknown" best line of the day!
Manhattans are way over-rated. Stick with Negronis and Sazeracs and you won't have to put up with political commentators stuck on themselves, though I generally do appreciate Carville's insights.
Tom: Matalin was surrounded by people, but I could just walk up to Carville. A better reporter would have hung around to see if I could get a conversation going with her. But I felt chastened enough by my brief Carville interaction, and wanted a drink, and then it just went downhill from there.
See, I didn't blame Carville for the awkwardness; he's a pro. I blamed myself. If I can't talk politics with a Democrat, I didn't feel confident in my ability to do so with a Republican. And it's a party, I'm having a lousy time, I don't know anyone there, and it's a relief to walk out the door.
The Lark Creek burger was GREAT.
You've got to try a Manhattan with Bulleit Rye! I went through a bottle way faster than is usually appropriate for a spirit in my house...
You know, it pains me to admit this, but I tried a Bulleit Rye Manhattan just last month, admittedly at a place that has disinterested bartending (The Independent, a small concert hall in SF), and for my second Manhattan went back to Maker's Mark. There's a little sweetness to Maker's Mark, I think, that makes it work so well. Even if their parties suck.
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