Pappy Van Winkle

My stash

If you've never heard of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, get educated.  It's highly sought after and widely praised by those in the know.  My friend (name redacted to protect their job) works at a wine store and was able to secure two bottles for me, one 23 year and one 20 year, even though each customer is only allowed to buy one.  The total cost - $450.

Now why would I do this?  I searched the 20 year bottle on Craigslist and it was going for $500.  This bourbon is so rare that stores only get a few bottles per year and they fly off the shelves.  So if I was lucky, I could keep the more expensive bottle and sell the cheaper one to cover the cost of both.

I immediately cracked open the 23 year and all I can say is that it is amazing.  No mixers, no ice, just straight, smooth bourbon.  Even if you don't like bourbon - if you get a chance, try it.

I started posting ads on Craigslist in the New York metro area during my last week of work, then in Atlanta when I went home for a few days, and finally in Kentucky as I drove up for the holidays.  I got a few inquiries here and there but nothing serious.  I dropped the price to $450 and then got a serious buyer in North Carolina.  After a little negotiation he got me down to $400, and with shipping that meant i got $375 out of it.  It wasn't quite what I wanted, but it would have to do.  Note - don't go into FedEx or UPS with a bottle of alcohol to ship.  Listen to me closely... you're shipping olive oil.  A fine, expensive bottle of olive oil.  You follow?

I shared my bottle with friends and before I knew it, it was gone.  But it was well worth it.  Then on a whim I searched eBay to see how much an empty bottle would go for.  To my surprise it was $50.  So I put my used bottle on the website and within 5 days I was shipping an empty bottle.  So in the end, I was only $25 in the hole.

I've seen a glass of this bourbon go from $40-50, and I can really justify that price.  But if you have a friend with a connection or find someone with a stash like I did, try to take advantage of it.  It's the best bourbon I've ever had!

Austin Part II

After The Foals concert on Thursday night, we still had two full days left in the Austin.  I had to put in some hours for work and stopped into the BackOffice Associates to hang out with the team and get online.  The guys in the office pointed me to an awesome lunch spot in downtown that consisted of a collection of food trucks.  They highly recommended the Korean Mexican fusion truck called Chi'Lantro.  The kimchi tacos and kimchi fries were the best.

6th Street is hopping

I met up with Rameen, his girlfriend Katie and their Austin friend Christy that afternoon.  We all went out on 6th Street for some bar hopping but I couldn't tell you which ones we visited.  I would compare 6th Street to a mix between downtown Nashville and Bourbon Street in New Orleans (minus the open containers).  It has the country flare of Texas mixed with the concentration of bars and street closures to cars that you get in New Orleans.  6th Street is the center of South by Southwest and even though we were about a month late to see it.  Maybe next year.

On Saturday Rameen and Katie left to spend Easter with Katie's parents but Christy was cool enough to let me hang out for the rest of the weekend.  She brought me over to a friends' place and we hung out for a while, then took their boat out on Lake Austin (actually a reservoir created by a dammed section of the Colorado River).  One of the guys was Australian, so we had a lot to talk about.

Zappa wake surfing on Lake Austin

A few of the guys took turns wake surfing.  I had never seen it before, but they start out being pulled by the boat like a wake board.  Then they eventually let go of the rope because the forward force of the wake.  I never took a turn - growing up I never had any luck wake boarding, water skiing or anything else, plus I was having fun taking pictures with my new camera.

The guys were drinking a cocktail from a big thermos called Cariboo Lou that was pretty good.  I'll have to remember it whenever I'm looking for an easy drink to make.  They got the name and the ingredients from a TECH N9NE song, and I quote:

Half a bottle of 151
Off of the jug one cup of Malibu rum
Baby that's what's up
Then you fill the rest of the jug
With pineapple juice, and it's cracking

On Saturday night we hit 6th Street again and started out at a whiskey bar called Tenoak.  I noted this bar in particular because the bartender served me what might be my new favorite bourbon - Willett Reserve.  It's sippin' whiskey, not for mixing - just how I like it.  Thanks to Christy for putting me up an extra night in her house even though we just met!

On a side note, my friend Will got his undergrad degree at UT and made these recommendations.  I didn't get a chance to check any of them out, but will the next time I visit the city.  And there will be a next time.

Brunch/Breakfast tacos

• Juan in a Million - really cheap and really good, probably won’t leave hungry
• Maria’s Taco Express
• Torchy’s
• El Chilito

Lunch

• Texadelphia - great cheesesteaks, chips & queso, the one on the main drag is the original and the best
• Chuy’s - good Tex-Mex
• El Arroyo - good at Tex-Mex at the end of 6th Street
• Dirty Martin’s - good, greasy burger close to campus

Drinks

• Trudy’s - home of the Mexican martini (they’ll stop you after 2)
• Iron Cactus - good place to grab drinks and watch 6th Street from bird’s eye view

BBQ

• Franklin’s - someone told me that this place was really good, it started as a food truck and just opened a regular restaurant
• Stubb’s - food is ok, but usually have good live music
• County Line - all you can eat, not as far of a drive as the Salt Lick; probably 20 minutes from downtown
• Iron Works - good spot close to downtown