The Vodka Ad

(Dumbo, Brooklyn, 5.29.09)

Gerrit Cole

Andrew Brackman

Ian Kennedy

CJ Henry

Phil Hughes

Eric Duncan

John-Ford Griffin

David Parrish

David Walling

Andrew Brown

These are the last ten Yankee first round draft picks. I think I will stick with my regular Vodka.

Comments

[AndrewYF]

Hey, the Sox don't really have too much to brag about either, if you're just going by first overall first round picks. Ellsbury is the prize of the bunch.

Casey Kelly
Nick Hagadone
Jason Place
Jacoby Ellsbury
David Murphy
Phil Dumatrait
Rick Asadoorian
Adam Everett
John Curtice
Josh Garrett

[Brad]

I don't really think too many teams at all do well in this spot. It's always (or mostly always) the guys that come after these guys. Of course every team hits on one every now and then (Hughes, Ellsbury, and the like), but that first pick comes with a lot of pressure a lot of guys can't handle.

[John - YF]

As Vodka's go, that's my 1st Round Pick. Funny you mention Popov, it's a running joke since college every time we go to a casino, event, etc...when you ask for Kettle One and club, you know you are getting Popov, so you are wasting your time even asking for it. Popov of course was the Vodka of choice for us in college, I think it was $2.99 a gallon at the "Packy (dumbest name ever) or Package Store" back then (joking of course.)

[SF]

Humor, Andrew. Had the ad mentioned the Sox the post would have been the same. My guess is Ketel One is running the same campaign in a number of cities. But I happen to live in Brooklyn, so it worked out well!

And John, Popov was the vodka of necessity (not choice, we couldn't afford anything better) in college, when we weren't drinking beer. Popov has been cheap for decades, I guess, since I am an oldster.

[AndrewYF]

If you go with first overall picks of the draft (not just first round picks exclusively), the Sox look a *lot* better, as they didn't have first round picks in 2002 (Lester) or 2003 (Pedroia). That's some great production right there.

[Brad]

I can't really tell the difference, but I'm not really a Vodka kind of guy. Now, if we were to talk about the difference between JW Red and Blue, I'd be all opinions. I do know that when I went to Mexico, JW Blue was 159$ for a case of 6. I immediately shipped the case home to myself.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Vodka?
How about Scotch, as in single malt?
I took recently the plunge and picked up a 10-year-old Jura, which is distilled on an island of the same name. Jura is in the Hebrides near Islay, which is where the really peaty Scotches come from.
But I'm a neophyte and am now talking over my head.
Other suggestions?

[John - YF]

Same here SF...It didn't matter back then, alcohol was alcohol! We looked for two things quantity and affordability. I can't tell you how many time Natty Light was the beer of choice. Sneaking 30 packs into the dorm in our bookbags and suitcases...ahhh the memories. Damn you SF!

[FenSheaParkway]

I walk right underneath another version of this billboard as I enter the Morgan Ave station every morning. I'm pretty sure I saw a similar ad involving the Nationals when I was in DC a couple weeks ago, but it was for a different liquor, not vodka. It must be run by the parent company, not just Ketel One.

[SF]

Laphroaig.

Lagavulin is a very popular Islay malt, but I prefer Laphroaig.

I love Macallan 18, it is expensive though.

I love both scotch and Irish whiskey - either a Jameson or Bushmills neat can't be beat!

[attackgerbil]

> JW Blue was 159$ for a case of 6. I immediately shipped the case home to myself.

??!!

Actually, I meant to type

WTFWTFWTF????!!! email/call/carrier pigeon me next time you are in Mexico.

[Brad]

Sneaking 30 packs into the dorm in our bookbags and suitcases...ahhh the memories. Damn you SF!

Ahh.. Natty Light. My first year of college was in North Carolina, and the beer of choice was Red Dog Ice (or Natty Ice if we were really broke). It was like 6$ or so for a case. If you poured it in a glass, you could see particulate floating around in it.

The good days.

[Brad]

6 Pints, AG. Not liters, as you were thinking. Either way, it was still a great deal. I only break them out on rare occasions. However, I did get a liter of green for 40$ I think. I snuck that back onto the boat with me since it was 12$ drink night on the boat every night.

[SF]

Was it real JW Blue, though, Brad? That's a ludicrous price.

[Brad]

6 pints here is about 300$

[AndrewYF]

The vodka of choice for college guys nowadays is Rubinoff (if you want to go really cheap), or Smirnoff (if you want to be kind of cheap).

Me, I go for Absolut. The peach one is good, and I have yet to try the raspberry.

[SF]

One more, IBM - an odd one, but I had this on the recommendation of an Edinburgh Scotch lover at a bar in Edinburgh, so it tasted just about perfect. Context is key.

http://www.bunnahabhain.com/index.php

I also love Highland Park, which is made in the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland - where I spent my honeymoon.

[Brad]

Real as the day is long. I can't really afford to go out and buy a bottle just to compare, but it's very, very good. Better than green, which is what I normally get on a special occasions, so I'm going to have to assume yes. It was all sealed up as well, so they would have had to have been very, very creative to get that by me. I was already on really high alert!

[SF]

Brad, I went to college before we had to sneak anything in. That's how old I am.

[Brad]

I too love Jameson, SF. It's a wonderfully delicious drink. I just can't seem to acquire a taste for the clear liquors. As far as Scotches, I really like JW (as mentioned), but the Chivas 18 year is very nice as well, but not as good as the much more expensive Macallan as you mentioned.

[SF]

By the way, the title of this post is a reference to a great Woody Allen stand-up routine, for all of you youngsters.

[Brad]

You also went to Williams, where I have been several times. Maybe they just wanted you to drink, so as not to go stir crazy/cabin fever? Or, they just figured that the worst that could happen was to fall down in the field?

:) Just busting on you, SF. It's a wonderful place.

[Brad]

My Grandfather, as well as my Mothers entire extended family is from Highland Park, SF. I have never been, but I most certainly am going to go at some point.

[Brad]

North coast of Scotland, I mean. Jeez. All this scotch talk has taken my mind elsewhere.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Beer. When I was in college back in the mid-1980s, we drank a lot of Old Milwaukee, which was pretty good for the price, and Dubuque Star, which was about $8 for a case.
Star was called Pickett's for a while, a nod to the movie Take This Job and Shove It http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083163/, which was filmed in Dubuque at the Star Brewery.
...
Continuing on the topic of alcohol, did anyone ever see the show Three Sheets on the defunct Mojo cable network http://www.mojohd.com/mojoseries/threesheets/, and has anyone tried cachaca?
...
Magadan on Dale & Holley says Papi's problems have gone from his hands to his head. Sounds like they think he'll come out of it. But when?

[I'mBillMcNeal]

I'm officially getting no work done.

[YF]

vodka ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OwJXbfElVE
my favorite is mooses: http://blog.marklamster.com/?p=180

[SF]

Not even North Coast: OFF the north coast. You need to take a plane from either Aberdeen or Inverness. It's an amazing place, but you need to be willing to do nothing for a while, stare at the sea, and drink.

Oh, and the Orkneys have incredible artisanal ice cream; someone should import it.

[John - YF]

IBM I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO WATCHED THAT SHOW!!! Sorry for the caps but I got excited...that was such a GREAT show...One day I got home, put on the TV, hit the Tivo button to watch the episode I recorded and a blue screen with THIS CHANNEL IS NO LONGER OFFERED came up. Up until then I had seen just about every episode.

Brad you know our campus, so back at the time we would have to walk across the baseball field, lacrosse field into the dorms to get the beer/alcohol in...RA's would stand in the field and hide. It would be like a secret spy mission, if one got caught the other ran and ran like hell. I think alcohol tasted better when it was challenging to get.

[SF]

http://www.orkneyicecream.com/icecream.htm

[John - YF]

SF, did you really honeymoon in Scotland? My wife is Scottish and I pushed for that for our honeymoon, but I was told we needed to go to a tropical spot. I am not Scottish, but I really appreciate the history and beauty. One day I hope to get there.

[attackgerbil]

> How about Scotch, as in single malt?
> 10-year-old Jura, which is distilled on an island of the same name.
> Islay, which is where the really peaty (harsh, some might say) Scotches come from

I know a bit about this topic. For a spell, I was a bartender at an establishment that had one of the largest selection of whiskys in the United States (~110 singles, 30 blends at peak). And I like to drink Scotch. Scotch Scotch Scotch.

Greater than 90% of the whisky sold is blended. Brad's aforementioned Johnny Blue is a blend of (no less than) 25-yer-old singles; it has an incredible flavor, and the distillers can maintain consistency across generations of production for the very fact that it is a blend. So don't dismiss blended scotch. Chivas Regal is also wonderful. To be pedantic, unless you are drinking cask whisky, it is blended--(with water). Most people probably know this, but all whisk(e)ys mature only in the barrel. Once in the bottle, they does not, so if you find a 30-year old bottle of Dewars' in the back of your grandparent's liquor cabinet it tastes more-or-less identical to when it accidentally got hidden behind that disgusting, sediment-encrusted bottle of sweet vermouth when grandma and grandpa went on a manhattan binge after hearing Colonel Henry Blake's plane got shot down over the Sea of Japan.

There are four principle regions when talking whisky: Highland, Lowland, Islay, and Campbeltown.

Campbeltown and Lowland are the most "approachable" to non-scotch drinkers. By approachable, I mean least-peaty, least aggressive in the bite. Give someone who has never had a scotch in their life (or maybe only had a Johnny rocks) a Springbank with a cube or two and see how they react. If they like it, you can move them on to Highlands and Islays.

The majority of singles you see on a rail are Highlands. They are dozens of good choices. I usually skip them given the chance because I'm an South Islay fan. I'm a bit on the flip side from SF in that Lagavulin is my favorite liquor ever created, but I agree that Laphroig is excellent in its base 10 year; and only gets better as you move up the ladder to its more mature iterations. Neither are not for the faint of heart regarding intense peat flavor. If you aren't a fan of peat, I would describe it as "drinking an ash tray that went on a bender". An acquired taste. North Islay is a _bit_ less peaty: Bowmore is _incredible_ (and their ceramics for packaging their 25 year single are truly works of art). Bunnahabain is delicious.

One recommendation I would make is to walk/call a cab to your favorite well-stocked bar and try a scotch tasting of your own construction. As an example, Glen Morangie does a great job with their whisky, providing a whole range of finishes by way of port, sherry, madeira barreling.

FUN topic for a Friday.

[Brad]

Brad you know our campus..

Indeed I do - all too well:) Now that the backside is developed fully, there are plenty of ways into the school since the main front parking lot isn't the only one any longer. Now, you can drive up the road and bang a right on that other road and drop it off to someone. I can remember sneaking through the pines by the law school with 3 cases of beer in framed hiking pack or hiding in the duggouts with beer. hahahah.

[Brad]

And I like to drink Scotch. Scotch Scotch Scotch.

hahahah.. Excellent reference.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

I'm off to lunch.
Enlighten me on good tequila, which I believe is an underrated sippin' drink. That is, if you dismiss Cuervo.
I'll check in when I get back.

[Brad]

ugg.. I can't even think of a Tequila without gagging. See - just gagged.

I'm off too. Headed to Mohegan for the night for a concert. Have a good weekend.

GO PAVANO!!!

:)

[SF]

Yes. Orkney Islands for a week, then to Ireland for a week. I've been to Scotland five times, once for educational purposes, three times for golf, and once on the honeymoon. I love it. But you need to be willing to put up with rain, wind. It's not all rain and wind, and it can be glorious there, but there is rain and wind, and it isn't always gentle (or coincident).

[attackgerbil]

> Enlighten me on good tequila, which I believe is an underrated sippin' drink.

It is.

> That is, if you dismiss Cuervo.

I don't dismiss it because it is the most popular Tequila in the world. And, if one were to dump a bottle of premix lemon/lime/sugar syrup into a blender with a bucket of ice, might as well keep it cheap.

That said, Cuervo Gold (<50% agave) is not very tasty without lots of fruit/sugar/salt to mask its latent bitterness. There are many delicious Tequilas that might get you over that ill-advised college game of quarters played with a bottle of Jose and a jar of Tabasco.

Leave the salt and lime for your seafood and try a readily-available Patron as an approachable intro to higher-end Tequila. Don Julio is a favorite of mine. If you can find/afford it, taste Porfidio, though I think too much of the money goes into the bottle (hand-blown glass) itself. But, WOW.

[attackgerbil]

Earlier, I said, "Chivas Regal" when I meant to say, "Chivas Royal Salute."

[I'mBillMcNeal]

That's because you probably only know Cuervo, which is crap. Only drink tequila that is 100 percent blue agave. (See ag's post on the subject.)
A good tequila is akin to a good scotch.

[Atheose]

Im late to the conversation, but I used to be a big Stolichnaya fan. These days I drink more wine than anything else potent, but back in college I remember Military Special vodka. Came in a plastic bottle, $5.99 for a handle. McDonalds combo meal or a handle of vodka? I know what choice I made.

[YF]

THE GERB IS ON FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE GERB IS THE OFFICIAL YFSF MIXOLOGIST. HANDS DOWN.

GERB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SF]

Alcohol unites us all.

[attackgerbil]

Yes, and alcohol unties us all.

[krueg]

Where did you go to school in NC B-Rad??? I graduated from UNCW...

I can't drink Vodka...makes me violent. I drank WAY too much in college, if I even smell Goldschlager I get the dry heaves. To this day I swear I taste vodka when I drink OJ. Not good.

Give me a case of Labatt Blue Light (trying to keep my girlish figure intact!) and a J and I'm good to go!

You guys are right...YF's and SF's are a bunch of drunks! Maybe that is the reason for the rivalry???

[krueg]

Come off it AG...you know you love Genny Cream Ale and Honey Brown!!! Stop fronting with the whole scotch garbage... ;)

[krueg]

P.S. Did that Cole kid spurn us last year or what???

[Atheose]

Krueg, screwdrivers are my favorite drink so I know how you feel about orange juice. I don't consider it a bad thing though!

As for beer, I would drink Rolling Rock if I was thirsty. Wine I'm not picky, though I prefer white.

[Rob]

Unfortunately, alcohol poisons me. I like my intoxicants burned down and smiling like a fool.

Probably also why I go without eating or drinking at the park. I bring munchies with me and I'm set.

[Paul SF]

Apropos of nothing:

It took this thread exactly one post to fulfill Goodwin's Law. I think that's a new, never to be broken record.

[Rob]

And here everyone was getting along!

[attackgerbil]

> Genny Cream Ale and Honey Brown

12 Horse, baby.

[SF]

Anchor Steam. Magic Hat #9. Brooklyn Lager.

But the winner, with little competition?

A Guinness, anywhere in the UK and Ireland. Especially Ireland.

[attackgerbil]

> A Guinness

Thirsty now.

[Paul SF]

Well, it was either mention that or discuss how grating it is that the ad is missing an apostrophe after "Yankees."

[SF]

Nothing quite like a fresh Guinness in the middle of Dublin, tapping the head to see if you can make mountaintops.

Fresh Guinness, maybe 1/2 mile from the source, is just pure pleasure.

[YF]

b= beer = belgium

leffe blonde + leggy brunette = happy yf

[Atheose]

I'm Irish, my family lives in England, and I can't stand Guinness. I'm a horrible person.

I've been to the Guinness factory in Dublin though.

[Rob]

b = bud = bubbler!

hairy herbs + hefty heinie = happy yf here!

Am I the only reefster here!?

[Rob]

Hah!

[attackgerbil]

> fresh Guinness in the middle of Dublin

This I must do.

[Paul SF]

Oh, and "first round" should be hyphenated. :-)

[krueg]

No, no, no, no Rob...you are not alone bro. Negative reinforcement might be tough for me this evening... ;)

[Rob]

Thank goodness! It's only a matter of time before we aren't discriminated against and treated like criminals.

To the sticky-icky funky-dunky!

[AndrewYF]

Goodwin's Law? I don't see Hitler or Nazis mentioned anywhere.

[sf rod]

rob- some of us (me) are right there with you but....... it's a topic we don't discuss here. it's been addressed in the past and it's been an issue. so......

american vodka = tito's (distilled in austin) titosvodka.com

scotch = buchanan's 21 yr. red seal (blend of single malt dalwhinnie casks, double matured in charred casks)

seriously, do yourselves a favor and find some tito's. so smooth the stuff should be illegal.

[SF]

GOOdwin's Law. It's a YFSF thing. Need to peruse the archives, Andrew, for the definition. I'll dig it up if I can.

[SF]

http://www.yfsf.org/2006/11/godwins_goodwin.html

[Rob]

It's been an "issue"? How's that? People trying to sell stuff!?

[krueg]

No...when the conversation gets too "green 'centric" the man shuts us down. Has to be more an occasional whisper than a conversation at any point...kinda like in straight society.

It is what it is.

[Rob]

Really? I guess the mods qualify as the "man"?

I guess I kinda understand, but not really. It's decriminalized now in MA. I can literally walk into Havard Sq and buy within three minutes (though the quality is all over the map). Maybe there could be a medical exemption here like in Cali? :)

Well, times are ch-ch-changing, at least. It won't be long before we'll be able to use and buy openly let alone speak about something that literally grows like a weed. I mean, here's an entire thread devoted to the use (and sometimes abuse) of something that kills more people in a day than budnick has ever killed. The only reason it's not legal already is because it's impossible to control based on how easily it grows. Bah, a long story for our children, I guess.

[krueg]

That's the hypocrisy. I agree though, "The times, they are a changin'..." In our lifetime, it believe it will happen. Until then, we're criminals I guess.

[Rob]

Here's some hypocrisy for you:

http://reason.com/news/show/133689.html

[Brad]

Where did you go to school in NC B-Rad??? I graduated from UNCW...

Well, going to school is a relative term. I did get accepted to NC State, and I did go to orientation, and I did move into a house with 10 other guys who played baseball or ran track. That's about where the "go to school" ended.
I was 18, naive, and wanted to party and be stupid more than I went to class. Much like many before me, being that far from home, or guidance, was not a good thing for a country boy that had never been afforded that kind of freedom or open choices, and absolutely engulfed in beautiful North Carolina women, and I obviously chose wrong.
I rec'd a letter after Semester number one at my house and my parents wouldn't let me go back. It took me three semesters at community college to get my GPA back to the point that I could go back to school.
Best thing to ever happen to me. Really opened my eyes.