How'd ya like to hang your stocking on a great big coconut tree?

Bub City!

Tonight is our first 'practice party' at Bub City—the time to iron out kinks and do things like spellcheck the menus (don't worry, Letherbee Gin, I'm on it!) before we open our doors to the public.

The bar looks amazing and we've got it stocked with tons of whiskey, including three of the barrels I picked up along the Bourbon Trail this summer (look for 'Bub City Barrels' of Four Roses, Jack Daniel, and Weller 107.)

Bub City via A Drink With Chicago

I've also put together a cocktail menu that I think perfectly suits Bub City's country-western dive-vibe. All three- or four-ingredient riffs on classics, including one I'm particularly excited about: a Mexican Firing Squad Special straight out of a French Quarter-worthy frozen drink machine. 

Bub City will be my homebase for the next few weeks, so come by and say hello!

Drinking Vinegars, Meet Daiquiri.

Drinking vinegars are where it's at this fall—they're the perfect way to get dead-of-summer fruit tastes when the dead-of-summer is long gone.

Someone sent RPM's executive chef Doug Psaltis some samples of Pok Pok Som Drinking Vinegars, and he passed them on to me suggesting I give them a whirl behind the bar. I liked the pomegranate and pineapple so much that I ordered two full-sized bottles. At almost $19 a whack, they're pretty expensive, but because I'm only using a quarter of an ounce at a time, I feel like I'm really getting my money's worth.

I added some of Pok Pok Som's Full Strength Pineapple Drinking Vinegar to my daiquiri recipe, and the result was awesome. It's almost like adding salt to chocolate chip cookies; the vinegar just opens up all the subtle flavors of the cocktail. The aroma in intensified, you taste a level of pineapple acidity that isn't possible even with the freshest pineapple juice, and the finish is a pleasant, lingering one.

These vinegars will also make great 'mocktails': just add one part drinking vinegar to four parts soda.

Prichards' Distillery

After visiting Jack Daniel's, we drove to nearby Kelso, Tennessee, so I could pick up a bottle of Prichards' Private Stock rum (which is only available at the distillery's gift shop). The distillery itself is really special—it's in an old school (complete with gymnasium-turned-booze warehouse), and, as you can see in the photos, a true mom and pop operation.

Click 'read more' for all the photos...

Jack Daniel Distillery

Paid a quick visit the Jack Daniel Distillery on Wednesday morning, where I picked up a barrel of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Select for Bub City. The tasting experience there differed wildly from the three I'd experienced earlier this week, as I'm sure you can tell from these photos. There wasn't a whiskey thief in sight, but I think the folks who normally won't touch Jack Daniel's are going to be pleasantly surprised by this particular barrel. 

Click 'read more' for photos...

Buffalo Trace

Headed to Buffalo Trace in the afternoon, and picked out a barrel of seven-year old Old Weller 107, also for Bub City. Click through for photos of their beautiful property...

Four Roses

Bought an 11-year old barrel-strength Four Roses barrel for Bub City today. Click through for photos of the distillery and bottling facility...