Perfect Lipstick. Perfect Color.

Boozers, The Wino has found the perfect lipstick for fall: Lipstick Queen's Sinner full-coverage matte lipstick in "Wine."

Cheers!

What's The Wino Drinking?

What's The Wino been drinking lately? Well, hang on to your Riedels, Boozers, 'cause she's going to tell you. The Wino's been drinking La Croix Saint-Roch Montagne Saint-Emillon 2012, which she finds at the Budgens grocery a few blocks from her flat (See how she said "flat" instead of "apartment"? She's sooo London now.). The Wino would describe it as balanced with hints of dark fruit, particularly blackberry, a bit of black pepper, and nice, bright acidity. Maybe a some of vanilla??? Who knows. Anyway, it's a bargain at £5.99 ($10.20 - ugh, the exchange rate these days is utterly demoralizing) and pretty darn good for easy weeknight sipping.

 Glug-glug!

Manhattan Madness

Boozers, ordering a Manhattan in London is not the same as ordering one in the U.S. The Wino is sure you are not surprised by this, but, unfortunately, she was.

A Manhattan Cocktail, in The Wino's mind, as well as in Wikipedia's mind, is a simple cocktail containing whiskey (or bourbon or rye), sweet vermouth, and bitters. So when The Wino was asked by a bartender, errr mixologist, at a London bar known for its cocktails, "Do you want it dry, perfect, or sweet?" she was completely baffled and was totally unable to play it off like she knew all about it.

The Wino knows, of course, that there can be variations in the ingredients and ratios and she would certainly expect it considering she's living in London now and not in Seattle. She is even somewhat familiar with the Perfect Manhattan but unsure of the exact ingredients. So The Wino, ever in pursuit of knowledge (particularly boozy knowledge) about her new (albeit temporary) hometown, asked what the differences were. There ensued a stammeringly awkward and painful conversation filled with misunderstandings about the Manhattan cocktail.

Boozers, in the bartender's descriptions of dry, perfect and sweet Manhattans there was no mention of anything resembling the classic Manhattan cocktail The Wino know so well. (She would also point out that nearly every Manhattan recipe on the Web references the classic Manhattan cocktail she is used to, even in the UK.) The Wino tried to describe it (in her American accent) to the mixlogist, but he just looked at her like she had no idea what she is talking about and replied, "Well, it's not going to be the same as in the U.S." Right. What was The Wino thinking? She gave up.

And when the bartender served The Wino a Perfect Manhattan, she didn't really like it. But rather than prolong the already unruly, wildly unpleasant conversation and confirm the bartender's assumption that she was just a pushy, rude, tourist who expects everything to be like it is in America, she slurped it down like a good, boozy boozer and then ordered another.

She supposes she probably should have just ordered a glass of wine.

Bottoms up!

The Wino's New Handbag

The Wino felt that since she survived her first 6 months living thousands of miles from her beloved home away from her friends and family she deserved a new handbag. In addition, she freely admits that she likes to buy presents for herself and will pounce on any excuse, however wobbly, to do so. So, feeling fabulously entitled, she ordered a ruby-colored Liebeskind tote and has been happily carrying it around London from the moment it arrived on her doorstep. As you can see in the below photos, there is ample room to carry a bottle of wine. Maybe even 2 bottles. The Wino is sure you expect no less.

 

Scotch Eggs Are For Boozers

There is no actual scotch in a scotch egg. But The Wino assures you, they are still worth trying. Especially if you are in London and drinking in a pub. For those boozers with no idea what a scotch egg is, The Wino will provide you with a simple definition: it's a semi-hard boiled egg, coated in sausage, then battered and deep fried.

Like all fried food, scotch eggs can either be done really well or end up a horrifying soggy mess that you will regret eating like nobody's business. Fortunately, the majority of the scotch eggs The Wino has encountered during her time in London fall into the former category.

Down the hatch.

Roboto de Oro

Boozers, it's that time of year again. The Wino is in Mexico. She's not drinking any wine. Instead, she is glugging down all kinds of other Mexico-fantastique beverages, including, one of her favorites, the Golden Robot (Roboto de Oro en Español). The Wino has mentioned this magical beer cocktail before. And now she's going to mention it again. She is being redundant and she does not care because, Boozers, Golden Robots are fucking awesome and deserve to be mentioned over and over. They are cool and refreshing (kind of like a Fresca) and perfect for sitting under a palapa or standing waist deep in an infinity pool, whichever you prefer.

Golden Robot
- 12 oz of cold Mexican beer. The Wino's favorite is Sol. (Do not mistakenly get the kind that does not have any alcohol called Sol Cero. The Wino promises, you will be utterly disappointed.)
- 2 - 4 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 small lime wedges.

Pour the orange juice into the bottom of a tall glass. Pour the beer on top. Squeeze  the juice of one lime wedge into the beer/OJ combo. Garnish with the second lime wedge (or two lime wedges like The Wino has in her pictures).

Like The Wino said, magical.

Wine, Dahlias, and Global Warming

I don't know if you've noticed, boozers, but it's October in Seattle and it's 70 degrees and gorgeously sunny and dry. It's totally friggin weird. Has global warming arrived? Yikes! The Wino will have another (large) glass of the fabulously priced Quattro Mani Montepulciano d'Abruzzo she's drinking this afternoon before she thinks about that any more.

One result of this glorious and strange weather, is the crazy number of dahlias blooming in The Wino's yard right now. They're overgrown and tangled into each other—the consequence of the near constant sun and The Wino's near constant neglect. They're a mess, but they are kind-of a beautiful mess.

Cheers!