Cocktail of the week - special edition! The French Martini

'Tis the holiday season, which means string musicians such as Mrs. Wit are out playing the various celebratory masses and (of course) the 10,001 renditions of "Messiah" that are played throughout this nation of ours. In fact, most musicians spell that Handel oratorio "Me$$iah" because of the important economic role this work plays in the lives of the classically trained.

Well, Mrs. Wit is out for the night to rehearse for a weekend performance of this work. I've decided to take advantage of it and make a special cocktail for her: the French Martini.

It's one of her favorites. Perhaps her most favorite after a classic gin martini with blue cheese-stuffed green olives. She hasn't had a french varient of this venerable drink in longer than recent memory, so I'm going to make sure she has one waiting for her when she gets home, later this evening.

Here's the recipe, courtesy drinksmixer.com.

It's a hit. Trust me.

Scoreboard.

Hits: 6

Misses: 6

Two Classic Statements of the Problem of Evil

The first, and earliest, is from Epicurus:

If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to?
Then He is not omnipotent.
If He is able, but not willing?
Then He is malevolent.
If He is both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
If He is neither able nor willing?
Then why call Him God?

The second, written by Hume (and my first exposure to the problem of evil), is a stronger formulation of the same argument:

"[Gods] power we allow [is] infinite: Whatever he wills is executed: But neither man nor any other animal are happy: Therefore he does not will their happiness. His wisdom is infinite: He is never mistaken in choosing the means to any end: But the course of nature tends not to human or animal felicity: Therefore it is not established for that purpose. Through the whole compass of human knowledge, there are no inferences more certain and infallible than these. In what respect, then, do his benevolence and mercy resemble the benevolence and mercy of men?"

I've yet to hear someone refute this without relying on the tired cannard of "Free Will." After all, even if we have free will, God should still be helping us if he is capable, omnipotent, all-loving, blah-blah-blah...

And now, a song about Ann Coulter

Funny how the "perfected" people of the world tend to suffer the flaws of pride and arrogance.

BEGIN SARCASM BLOCK
Then again, what do I know? I am godless, after all.
END SARCASM BLOCK

Illinois Kids: Keepin' It Real

The "Moment of Silence" law in Illinois really rubs me the wrong way.

These kids don't like it either. It's nice to see them organizing a protest, making a point, and goofing off all at the same time.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dim Age Diary is proud to present "Moment of Silence... But Deadly"



(Kind of gives you hope for the future, don't it?)

Cocktail of the week #8: Campari & Soda

Campari, for those of you who don't know, is a form of bitters. But not just any form of bitters - it is the bitters. In fact, I find it almost improper to classify Campari in the same category as Angostura and Paychaud's. Campari is to those two what a sawed-off shotgun is to a pea shooter.

Yes, this is indeed the mother of all bitters... but it is extremely bitter. A dash of this stuff in your boomerang will completely overpower the other flavoring agents. Trust me. You wouldn't like it.

I'm going to put this one down as a hit; but it is a hit with qualifications: Campari is an acquired taste. The first time I tried it, some years ago, I found it quite strong, but nice. Mrs. Wit, on the other hand, found it absolutely disgusting. She even went so far as to describe it as tasting like "tobacco juice" (not that she has any experience with chaw). After a few years, she tried it again last night & was surprised to find she liked it .

Yes, it's an acquired taste, but once developed it yeilds great rewards.

Scoreboard.
Hits: 5
Misses: 6

Further Chistmas suggestions

From 2005, but still worthwhile.

Brew your own: when cocktails just aren't enough

Sometimes I need beer.

Not just any beer, but real beer. You can keep your watery mass-produced quasi-pilsneresque lagers that were once the pride of Milwaukee but now come to us from every friggin' corner of the lower 48. You can keep your microbrews and imports to - and you know why?

Real men drink homebrew.

Yep. The weather has cooled down enough where I can start up another batch of homemade ale (I don't have lagering equipment, yet. Can't justify the expense.), and this time I'm going for a tried and true stout.

I'd been toying with the idea of brewing my own beer for years, but it was not until my girlfriend (who is now my wife) bought me a starter kit for my birthday, one year. There's been no turning back, ever since. Every fall through very early spring I can usually crank out one to three batches (roughly five to fifteen gallons) each year.

For those of you unfamiliar with brewing beer, it's really no more complicated than making bread. And only slightly more dangerous. Brewing your own beer will not make you go blind, will not poison you and will not lead to a drinking problem.

Believe it or not, some people are under the impression anyone who brews their own must have an alcohol dependency issue. Trust me: at five gallons of beer for one to two months' work, homebrewing is not the way to negotiate your liver into a state of cirrhosis.

But home brewing does have its hazards. The one that readily come to mind:

Reeking Kitchen Syndrome.

If there is one thing brewing your own will do, it will force you to keep your kitchen sparkling clean. You have to boil what basically comes down to malt soup on your stove for an hour or more. The stuff boils over real easy and is a terror to scrub away if left to dry. That, and free-born wild microbes absolutely love the stuff. If you don't scrub down the kitchen thuroughly afterwards, you'll have a sour rotting smell permeating your house and you'll have to break out the bleach before your wife starts getting irritated. (Not that mine has ever gotten irritated; I just know some other homebrewers who are not as fortunate in the spouse department as I am.)

Okay, enough of this prattle! I have a carboy to sanitize and yeast to activate!