Good things come from Newcastle: mod lounge lizard extraordinaire Bryan Ferry, modern artist Richard Hamilton, the scenery in the original Get Carter, unusual U.K. regional accents and the beer that perfected “drinkability” long before Budweiser picked up on that marketing theme. The workingman’s brew, Newcastle Brown Ale, is a fine, nourishing, medium dark kind of beer tastes exceptional in a pint glass but, truth be told, really loses something in the 12 oz. bottle—even if the label looks cool. Enter the DraughtKeg, a party-sized keg of Newkie with CO2 pressurization that’ll help you out of your No Olympics blues, or start your Thank-God-They-Didn’t-Let -Daley-Have-His-Way party off right. Speaking of which, time to crack open the keg…. $22.99/10pints

Vae de Vire Society performing at the Moscova Affair

Our thirst for flavored vodkas continued unabated—as the number of review bottles on my desk can easily attest. But Stolichnaya—Stoli to most of us—doesn’t just push a new flavored vodka out there, it throws a party, a big one. Tonight, at Manor, it hosts the Moskova Affair—an introduction to Stoli Gala Applik—the tenth Stoli flavored vodka—featuring San Francisco’s theatrical-circus/performance group Vae de Vire Society live and Gala Applik (gala apple) cocktails such as the Gala Temptress with lemon juice and mint leaf. The party—hosted by the Macey party people—opens to the public at 10pm—R.S.V.P. via e-mail to get on the list.

Whiskey Smash at Violet Hour

There are sommeliers—perhaps horticulture students who often cruise through wine country, reveling in a different pinot at every vineyard—and zymurgists who brew beer at home and know the science of hops. And then there are cocktail aficionados. I have a Louisville-born-and-bred grandmother, so a true respect for bourbon has always seemed more like common sense than a matter of taste. That being said, I had yet to witness the gusto of a true cocktail lover until Thursday night, at the Trolley Tour of Chicago’s Cocktail Culture. The crew was comprised of die-hard cocktailers who not only believe in the art of mixology, but study it like any wine or beer zealot might.

Plan B served as our launching pad for the night. The plan was to let Billy the Promoter Guy and Kevin the Maker’s Mark Guy guide us on a tour of Chicago bars serving up thoughtfully crafted Maker’s Mark beverages. We were to trust the mixologists and unwind in the company of strangers.

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A quick shot: Vermouth, the French aperitif best known as an essential ingredient in the classic martini has been made by Noilly Prat since the early 19th century. This year, the original Noilly Prat formula has finally been reintroduced to the U.S..—they got rid of the previous version. The idea is to give it new life to its dry vermouth as a cocktail ingredient—a plan that stands a good chance during our current mixology renaissance.

Tastes like: A summer spent sailing off the south of France—perhaps with a Bond girl or pirates. It’s a complicated flavor.

Booze factor: 18% alcohol

Bag it: $4.99/375ml bottle at Binny’s

Drink deep: Noilly Prat is made from white wines from the Languedoc region, aged in oak casks outdoors for a year to simulate the incidental aging of seagoing transport (this is called l’enclos) then blended with herbs (including members of the wormword family from which vermouth gets its Germanic name).

Who’s pouring?
One of the world’s foremost mixologists Ludo Miazga of London’s Milk & Honey (think a Violet Hour but the London version and more bar-like) swung through town repping the French brand a couple weeks back. Mixologists at Violet Hour, Drawing Room and New York’s Death & Co. are likely to be using it in potent concoctions.

Cocktail conversation starter:
Noilly Prat has been producing a dry vermouth since 1813 in the south of France—and was run by Anne Rosine (the founder’s daughter) for forty years—making her probably the world’s first female beverage CEO. The Knickerbocker Hotel’s 1911 Martini Cocktail recipe calls for Noilly Prat.

Drink in: The Dogwood Manhattan at the Violet Hour
Mixologist Troy Sidle of the Violet Hour says of his coworker’s creation, “Michael Rubel’s drink breaks a lot of rules, its paying homage to the Manhattan but it is very much different from a classic Manhattan. He’s using grappa-based Amaro as the main sweetening agent and then adding Noilly Prat dry vermouth. He’s using a Bourbon, Woodford Reserve. You could argue it’s a perfect Manhattan. Its rather disconnected until he puts in his housemade peach bitters. It makes you think of the southern U.S.”

Serve: Naked on ice, or with vodka—or in a dry gin martini.

Treat like: Wine. Keep an opened bottle of Noilly Prat refrigerated. Vermouth is mainly white wine—and can go bad just easily.

If you find yourself invited to a rooftop lounge party celebrating a new brand of booze, you should always accept. When the invite boasts of the launch of Patron’s new vodka, Ultimat, and the celebrity DJ talent is none other than Peter Hook, legendary rocker and bassist for both Joy Division and New Order, you should feel especially inclined. Thus I found myself donning my favorite white sport coat—the party’s suggested attire was summer whites—and heading up to the Peninsula Chicago’s rooftop garden and ballroom for a night of a few too many free cocktails, scantily clad go-go dancers and loosely transitioned musical selections from a rock icon.

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Rockit's Strawberry Caipirinha

The weather isn’t exactly Brazilian today—but at least its not gray and rainy. If that’s all you need to embrace the tropical lifestyle for a day, here’s a bit more incentive. According to Sociedade Brasileira da Cachaça, a Brasilian government organization, today is International Cachaça Day today—kicking off the 2009 ‘summer of cachaça. It might sound like savvy spirits marketing—because it is—but its tied to a historic event. June 12th, 1744 was the day when Portugal, then the colonial authority in Brasil, outlawed the production and selling of cachaça. So order a caipirinha today and say Take that Portugal!

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Something weird was going on last night at Rootstock. The owners—Jamie McLennan, Tonya Pyatt and Johnny Hap—put 65 wines by the bottle and 18 wines by the glass on the menu, each lovingly and helpfully described, yet every table around us was drinking the same thing: Ameztoi Txacoli (pronounced choc-o-lee, $8/glass, $34/bottle). McLennan was making the rounds pouring the spritzy dry white from a bottle fitted with a pouring spout from a foot above tumblers.

It’s not that txakoli was previously under the radar—but a whole (busy) Chicago bar guzzling down a Basque wine? Somehow, I don’t think Eat Out editor Heather Shouse’s recommendation of a bottle of Ameztoi Rubentis—the rosé take on txacoli, from the same producer (which you can drink for $36/bottle at Webster’s Wine Bar, if you’re so inclined)—a few weeks back in our Alfresco issue could have had even this widespread an impact.

As if unescapable, that same bottle of txacoli showed up (well, a description of it, anyway) in my in-box this morning. Each Friday, Craig Perman of Perman Wine Selections sends out the description of that’s week’s sampler of six wines for $60 (which David Tamarkin wrote about last year), which today includes the 2007 Ameztoi Txacoli. This bottle’s available only as part of the sampler, which you can get by calling or e-mailing Perman.

Two’s a coincidence, but three’s a trend, and the buzz around txacoli seems well-timed with the opening of the long-awaited Basque restaurant Eivissa, where, you guessed it, the wine list includes a 2007 Arabako Txacolina ($45/bottle). Cheers!

As a native Kentuckian, I take a lot of heat for being from the sticks. But every year, as the first Saturday of May approaches, I get to fight back and show people why being from Louisville (pronounced loo-uh-vull — just pretend you’re drunk and slurring) rocks. And people always look at me with a little more respect when they taste my traditional Derby Day dishes (pulled pork sandwiches and Derby pie). But it’s not until they’ve downed their first mint julep that they stop teasing me about being barefoot and start inserting “y’all” into their sentences.

I can’t be at the Downs this year for the Run for the Roses, but that won’t stop me from bringing a little bit of Kentucky spirit to my North Side apartment. By post time (5pm Central), I’ll surely be nibbling on the remnants of pie and have a belly full of bourbon. So tomorrow, take a break from insulting the Southerners and instead join me in saluting the most exciting two minutes in sports. Even if you aren’t planning to watch the ponies run, you can still raise a glass in honor of a 135-year tradition. And to help you along, I’m giving you the recipe for my version of a mint julep. I’ve tweaked it from the traditional one to add more minty-sweetness because I’ve come to find that Chicagoans just can’t handle their bourbon quite as well as my kind. Yep, thems is fightin’ words. Enjoy!

Steph’s Mint Juleps
I do not measure anything. Just taste it and when you like it, drink it.

Prepare a julep cup (a glass tumbler will work in the absence of the traditional silver one) by rubbing a slightly wet mint leaf around the rim and entire inside. If you have a muddler, muddle a few more mint leaves in the bottom of the cup. Combine bourbon, a squirt of lemon juice, plenty of mint simple syrup* and crushed ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and pour over ice into the julep cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

*Mint simple syrup–Boil 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup chopped mint leaves, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves. Let simmer for two minutes, strain and cool.

And this just in from our Eat/Drink intern. On Saturday 2, Moonshine’s serving up traditional Kentucky Derby Hot Brown Sandwiches for $9 at its Down ‘n Derby party with, to wash ‘em down, mint juleps or any other Maker’s Mark cocktail for only $4. Horse race or not, we’ll take any excuse for a cheap Maker’s drink.

Raise a glass to "Friday happy hour," an occasional series of end-of-the-week booze reviews to get you in the weekend spirit.

Forget the unseasonably rainy chill that’s descended on Chicago and keep summer’s dying embers alive with a root beer "floatini" made with Three Olives Root Beer Flavored Vodka. If you’d rather conk yourself over the head with a root-beer mug than say the word "floatini," I don’t blame you, but the drink itself is a fun post-barbecue dessert option. The recipe in the press packet (thanks for the free hooch, Three Olives!) calls for shaking up a shot (1.5 ounces) of the vodka (which smells as strong as those hard root-beer candies your grandma used to keep in her purse to shut you up on long car rides) with half an ounce of amaretto. Strain it into a glass and "float a melon ball-size scoop of vanilla ice cream in center."

Except that’s where I beg to differ. First off, we actually have a melon baller in our house, and it’s got a wickedly sharp point on the non-scoop end that gave me a good poke when I grabbed it from the drawer. Secondly, that tiny scoop of ice cream wasn’t enough to cut the strong root beer flavor after it slid down my gullet with the first sip. Round two, completed with a decent-size scoop of vanilla, maintained a nice balance all the way to the bottom of the glass. So if you have a sweet tooth like I do and go to town with the ice cream, you’ll probably find this drink a refreshing treat–even if the word "floatini" gets stuck in your head.

Raise a glass to our new blog feature "Friday happy hour," the first in an occasional series of end-of-the-week booze reviews to get you in the weekend spirit.

Here’s my favorite line from a publicist lately: "Enclosed is your sample of 1800 Select Silver, the first ever 100 proof tequila!" Finally, a solution for those of us who don’t think the old-fashioned 80-proof stuff packs enough punch.

I’ve been enjoying this bottle for about two weeks now (I shared some with my wife and a couple of friends, too). It’s 100 percent agave and has a full-bodied tequila flavor without any raunchy aftertaste. It’s a good sipping tequila despite the high alcohol content. It reminds me of Gran Centenario, my longtime favorite tequila, which, coincidentally, is also distributed by Proximo Spirits. The 1800 is also quite nice in a margarita, or on the rocks with Sprite (although that mix could be considered a waste of good tequila).

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