Finest Spirits

Bee Gees in City

2014-01-06T14:20:00.001+05:30

Hello Everyone,

Happy new year to everyone. Hope all is going well at your end. Hope the craze of new year resolutions didn't melt down on the first sunday of 2014.

My will power is giving away with regards to the resolutions. I intend to loose a lot of weight in the next six months and enjoy life as it comes. Yeah, enjoy.

I have been to one more Black Dog Easy Evenings event recently and would like to post a couple of snaps I took there. A few words about the evening first:

It was an evening of nostalgia, relaxation and enjoyment for Bee Gees' fans in the city as Black Dog Easy Evenings presented 'Unwind and relax with Bee Gees' recently.

Some of the biggest hits of the band were performed by Night Fever, a unique tribute band. Night Fever, the largest production of the Bee Gees' shows in the world, played popular numbers of the legendary band with chartbusters from albums like Stayin Alive, I Got to, Get A Message, I Started A Joke and many more. The band performed as part of Black Dog Easy Evenings — the luxury platform for leading artists from around the world to present their talent and anchor an evening designed to unwind and relax.

The city’s glitterati and pop aficionados were spotted enjoying the evening listening to songs from the Billboard Hot 100 right through the 60s till now. Commenting on their experience, the band, itself felt that , "The Bee Gees have a significant fan following in the city, and we had to bring their music to the city. This is our first performance in India, which was always on our map."

International superstars like Hollywood actor Rob Schneider, Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood of Whose Line is It Anyway? as well as comedian Russell Peters and musician Kenny G, have given their debut Indian performances at some of the earlier editions of the Black Dog Easy Evenings in which I had ample fun.

Even this evening was truly relaxing, fun and was a chance to unwind. Looking forward for the next event.

With Regards

Abhishek Boinapalli

Trivia: Alcohol and Army

2013-03-30T21:59:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

Scotch

How did the weekend start? Well, at our end, salaries got credited. So it is party time again. Yesterday, I had fun digging into facts about Alcohol and Scotch as a part of my efforts in sharing my love of Black Dog Reserve with you all. Today we have a few more facts, this time related to Military Men and Alcohol. Why Military men? No one loves his Scotch like the good old G.I. (General Infantry) Here we go with a few facts:

At the beginning of World War I, prohibition was introduced in the Russian Empire. Army officers were ordered to restrain from Alcohol unless there was a foreign guest. Six months into the war, and Russian Officers were always ready to entertain a foreign guest.

Army Alcohol
During the prohibition days in USA, alcohol wasn’t served to troops on ships. Since a little beer always raised the morale of troops, during the prohibition days, officers ensured that beer was available to soldiers every now and then just off the ship. It was wrong to drink on the ship but not wrong to come back drunk.
The availability of beverage alcohol was seen by military authorities as good for morale and the war effort throughout the history of world.
In World War II, every Russian soldier at the front was given a daily

Black Dog

ration of vodka — roughly a shot's worth
Prior to the United States entering World War II, those supporting Prohibition thought they had yet another chance to ban alcohol.
World War II soldiers drank much more heavily than their World War I predecessors Army officers were given up-to one bottle of hard liquor every two weeks
There were many a World War II pilots who were under-aged when it comes to drinking. So, the army bars used to have a poster saying “To get a drink, Get a warrant from your mom”.

It was a little hard to dig into these facts. Got any source which tells about facts like this? Kindly do share with me. Also, forget not to enjoy the weekend.

Abhishek Boinapalli

Trivia about Alcohol

2013-03-29T22:12:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

Thank god, Friday is here already. What are your plans? Well, not many plans here, went dry with respect to cash. So, this weekend is gonna be simple HOW LONG CAN YOU SLEEP UNDISTURBED event a

Dead Broke

t my home, after sipping the last round from the bottle of Black Dog Reserve I have. Today I have some trivia on Alcohol to share. Here we go:

President Lyndon B. Johnson's favorite drink may have been scotch and soda. He would ride around his Texas ranch in an open convertible in hot weather. He drank his scotch and soda out of a large white plastic foam cup. It was believed that secret service always ensured a refill was handy for the president
A national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol was in place during 1920-1933 in United States of America. On the day, when prohibition came into effect, naval officers rowed from ship to ship and finished all alcohol in the mess.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the U.S. in 1932 on a pledge to end National Prohibition
Dram also known as a Scottish term for a small glass of whisky
Scotch in UK is enjoyed with a little water, but in spain they mix it with cola. In Japan Scotch is enjoyed with lots of water and ice, and

Black Dog

in China with cold green tea
When the Scotch matures in the cask, it evaporates at the rate of 4% per annum. The evaporated part is called angel’s share. Once bottled, Scotch doesn’t evaporate
Some whiskeys contain chemicals that only some people are genetically capable of tasting
Lore says that Scotland brewers, used to light some of the scotch on fire to determine how much alcohol was in it. The color of the flame shows whether or not the alcohol content is right. If it burns too hot, there is too much alcohol.

Share some trivia / fun facts / quotes about Scotch / Black Dog / Alcohol with us. Also, do let us know what you would do on the weekend when you are dead broke.

Abhishek Boinapalli

Globalization and Brands

2013-03-28T21:56:00.002+05:30

Hi,

Hope you are doing well. Even after writing so many blog posts, I seriously have no idea about what can be called as great way to start a blog post. Anyway, today me and my friends were discussing over lunch, about what might be the three important changes globalisation brought into our lives with respect to day to day life. Everyone had a different point to add but my points are here:

Food:

Brand Craze

I now have easy access to global cuisine. The olden days of home food only, good old country tea stalls Irani Chai Cafe were gone. Now the joints I frequent are named as KFC, McDonalds, SubWay, U. S. Pizza, Coffee Day, TGI’s Friday, Pizza Hut and such. The food I eat ain’t limited to traditional rice based dishes, I have access to multi-cuisine restaurants, wonderful chocolates and spice-less food of the western world.

Clothing:

Well, thanks to Globalisation / Westernisation, my folks started using every brand available including Nike, puma, Reebok, pepe jeans London, Gucci, DKNY, and what not. When it comes to me, I still prefer formal clothing, decent and plain attire. So I prefer brands like Peter England, White House, Arrow, Oxemberg and other country made goods.

Spirits:

This is one area, where I am thankful for the globalisation. Blessed be

Black Dog

the soul of the man, who brought / introduced Black Dog in India. Had it not been for him, I would have missed some of the biggest moments in my life. Imagine, someone in Scotland, works hard for years to make the perfect drink for me to unwind and relax and I get it over the counter here. That is the power of Globalisation. Also bless the soul of the makers of tuborg beer, grey goose vodka.

What are the brands made available to you by the concept of

Running

globalisation, without which you can't live? Coming to other updates, I decided to try the Couch to 5KM program and am gonna start it from Sunday onwards. It typically is a 8 week long exercise program aimed at running 5 km non-stop at the end of eight week. Got any tips, advices and points to share with me, do let me know.

Abhishek Bionapalli

Visit To Scotland

2013-03-27T22:07:00.001+05:30

Hello All,

It is that time of the month, when I start looking back, trying to track how the month went by, how many extra round of snacks I had, how much did I spend beyond the budget, how many times I cheated the exe

Black Dog Scotch

rcise journal, how many classes did I skip, how many weekends did I waste, how much cash I need to have in hand to bail out my friends till the next salary and many more things. So, while reflecting back on the doings of the past month, I was kind of happy, I almost posted every single day on this blog, this month about my love of Scotch in general and Black Dog Reserve in particular. So, I wondered how a visit to Scotland, where the finest scotch of the world is made, would be:

Kilt

If I ever get a chance to visit Scotland, the list of events / things to which I look forward include

Visiting some of the finest scotch making centres of the world.
Meeting and talking with at-least half a dozen master blenders who make Scotch such a wonderful drink. It would be my pleasure just to shake hands with one of these blenders
Try angler fishing, just like the great James MacKinlay who launched Black Dog Scotch and if possible catch / eat a salmon or other fishes which are local to Scotland
Mix a spoon of water from Spey and Tay rivers with Black Dog Reserve and sip it slowly taking in the aroma and the richness
Try some local chocolate and Scotch pairings.
Play a bag-piper, try a kilt, and much more

Black Dog

Well, how are your month ends? Do you plan to visit Scotland? If you won a lottery and the prize is an all paid trip to Scotland which you can design including modes of travel, places to visit then how will you design your trip? Do let me know.

Abhishek Boinapalli

Black Dog Improv Evenings

2013-03-26T22:29:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

How did your day go? Bringing it to a grand finish? Hope you all enjoyed yesterday’s post by Miss Manasa Edward about her intentions of enjoying memorable stays in five-star hotels and about her experience at the Taj Palace Hotel - New Delhi. Well, today I would like to share my first experience at visiting and enjoying a fine evening in a five-star hotel. Well, at the invitation of team Gignerclaps, I have been to hotel Taj Krishna in Hyderabad to unwind and relax as part of Black Dog Improv Evenings.

Well, as mentioned earlier, the evening was a great success. The

Improv Evenings

weather was wonderful and suited the outdoor set-up. In a lush green lawn, I sipped my first round of Black Dog Reserve and finished it soon there-after on the rocks. The outdoor arrangements were fantastic, the grass was cool and green, the lighting was right, the music was entertaining, the guests were friendly and the staff were polite. I enjoyed casual conversation with a few guests and the bartender was friendly enough to mix a nice drink for me.

Black Dog

The Scotch and the food went well together. The dishes made out of potatoes, the chicken and the fish, make my mouth water even today. Every single dish was made specially taking into note, the aroma and the taste of black dog to give you a great experience. The highlight of the day was comedy, theatre and loads of fun. The entire show was unrehearsed, uncut and unbelievably good. The actors would perform any act to entertain the audience. The team was challenged by the audience to enact a theme / concept and they always did a wonderful job.

Black Dog

That day, they made me feel, “The brand promise of Black Dog is to help consumers relax and unwind - to pause and re-energize”. It was a great evening of which I still carry memories. Have you ever been to any event organized by the Black Dog? Enjoyed the Improv / the easy nights / ..? Do let me know.

Abhishek Boinapalli

Hotel Taj Palace -- Delhi

2013-03-25T21:45:00.003+05:30

Hello All,

Today, I have, one more guest post from Miss Manasa Edward, the co-author of QuotesN. She is a regular reader of my blogs, a contributor

Luxury Scotch

to various print magazines, a traveller, a scotch lover and the mother of the cutest devil I know. You can read her previous article by visiting this link Here we go:

--x--

At least once a year, I make it a point to visit a new destination. Whenever I travel on these pleasure trips, I save a load of money and enjoy a stay at the best five - star hotel in the place. One might wonder why this kolaveri-di (read, why this extra strain).

Black Dog Scotch

Well, a five-star joint for sure becomes one of the major highlight of the trip sometimes due to host of reasons including scenic views, wonderful food, in house entertainment, elegance and grace, warmth of service, rich heritage, king size life, the special bouquet of freshest flowers / gifts they usually give and much more.

One such wonderful place is Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi. Standing apart in service, its facilities and of course, in its distinguished

Taj Palace

patronage, this hotel has played host to Heads of State, corporate moguls and high profile businessmen from across the world and is nestled in six acres of lush greens in the exclusive Diplomatic Enclave of the city.

Should you visit Taj Palace Hotel, don’t forget to enjoy a game of golf. They have a great nine hole putting green at the hotel and a private club near-by. After a game of golf, the right way to unwind and relax is by sipping Scotch. Don’t forget to ask for the Black Dog Reserve / Black Dog Quintessence, for these two are the luxurious drinks which cheer me up the most.

--x--

What have you got to say about five star hotels? Did you like the post? Why don’t you go ahead and say “YaY” for Miss Manasa Edward or reach out to her using her mail id

Abhishek Bionapalli

Weekend of Movies and Scotch

2013-03-24T20:45:00.000+05:30

Hello All,

How is the weekend going on? Enjoying? Yesterday, was fantastic. My friends threw a party after loads of persuasion. We intended to unwind

Luxury Scotch

with the help of a little Scotch, letting its warmth consume us while we watch a movie or two. So, we choose Black Dog Reserve and after lot of fighting over the movies, we settled upon Transformers, the Dark of the Moon. So here is how it went:

Well, it took sometime for us to settle down for even now, we were arguing about the food to have, the chocolates to buy, the juice and many

Black Dog

other things. Once we settled down, Ravi started showing his magic by mixing drinks with rocks, juices, liqueurs and other stuff to the delight of everyone in the room. The drinks were awesome and the chocolates went well with the first round or so.

When, Srikanth started getting involved in the movie too much, Ravi again played his magic using Scotch, Orange Juice, Herring and dunno what. This round was the highlight of the entire evening. It really went down smooth, bringing out the flavors out of Black Dog, freshness of orange juice and relaxing everyone to the core. It was this round, after which everyone stopped grudging about minor details, became more friendly and started enjoying the food, the drink and the movie.

Bumblebee

After the movie, we went on to the main course and enjoyed sumptuous biryani and closed the evening with a ice cream. Ravi again, mixed ice cream and Scotch to end the evening on a high note for all of us. A really worth experience, thanks to Black Dog, to Ravi and to and bumblebee and Optimus Prime from transformers.

What is the best movie one should watch, sipping a round of scotch? Do you enjoy the too? Who is your favourite character in it? Don’t forget to let me know.

Abhishek Boinapalli

A little fact, fictiona and mythology

2013-03-23T19:28:00.001+05:30

Hi,

Hope you started the weekend with a bang. I am trying to encourage my friends to throw a party to celebrate our good results without much success till now. Taking a leaf out of yesterday’s blog post, I decided to share my knowledge of various drinks which usually appeared in fiction works and in mythology. The topic actually started with the question, why does Abhishek Boinapalli drink Scotch only? You can read the first part here. So here we go:

--x--

Miruvor

Appearing in The Lord of the Rings, miruvor is a warm and fragrant clear cordial of the Elves. It gives the drinker renewed strength and vitality. Miruvor is used by the Elves at their festivals. They do not reveal how miruvor was made, but it is thought to come from the honey of the undying flowers in the gardens of Yavanna.

Dwarves mead

Orc "vitality drink"

Appearing in The Lord of the Rings, this is an unnamed liquid given by Uglúk to the captive and weak Merry and Pippin. It gives them strength during their journey to Isengard. Described as having a burning sensation when drunk, it gives Merry a "hot fierce glow" inside. It also removes or dulls his bodily pain, enabling him to stand. Despite its invigorating nature, it is not very filling

Ent-draught

Appearing in The Lord of the Rings (The Two Towers), an Ent-Draught

Home Made M

was an extremely invigorating drink of the Ents, brewed from the waters of the mountain springs on Methedras. These springs were the source of the river Entwash and the water had special properties. When Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took drank from the Entwash and bathed their feet they felt refreshed and their wounds were healed

Mead

The drink of choice for Dwarves, Saphira the dragon in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. As per Norse Mythology, the mead was made like this:

After the Æsir-Vanir War, the gods sealed the truce they had just concluded by spitting in a vat. To keep a symbol of this truce, they created from their spittle a man named Kvasir. He was so wise that there were no questions he could not answer. He travelled around the world to give knowledge to mankind. One day, he visited the dwarves Fjalar and Galar. They killed him and poured his blood into two vats and a pot called Boðn, Són and Óðrerir. They mixed his blood with honey, thus creating a mead which made anybody who drank it a "poet or scholar"

--x--

Black Dog

Am I missing some important race or mythology or belief? Kindly

do let me know of the same. Do you also love black dog just like me? Share your love along with me and I would be happy to share your story on the blog.

Abhishek Boinapalli

Why Scotch Only?

2013-03-22T21:32:00.000+05:30

Hi,

Today was quite hectic at my end. During lunch hour, at the office, I had one question posed by Mr. Kiran, that kept me searching for satisfactory answers all day long. Here is it “Why does Abhishek Boinapalli drink Scotch only and why Black Dog only?”. I know, the answer, it was my choice of-course. But why? Well here is my reasoning:

--x--

Beer:

Beer

Beer is for kids. No joking, that is true. I searched once / twice for a sweet tasting beer after reading the quote “Beer is proof that god want us happy” but now I am sure, Beer is for kids alone. Not for the real men.

Vodka:

Vodka is for the women and for those who don’t yet know what to drink. It goes well with everything and can make quite a number of cocktails, but doesn’t have the richness, punch and taste of Scotch.

Rum:

Rum is for the men of sea, the pirates, the rough men who work all day long. It is also a good drink for the horses but not for gentlemen. So, I would consider a little rum after joining the Indian Army.

Mead:

Mead is made from the blood of Kvasir and honey by the Dwarves.

Scotch

When I was a kid, I really wanted to drink some mead just like the dwarves of Eragon, Hobbit and elsewhere.

Scotch:

Black Dog

The absolute drink, which every gentleman must enjoy. The only drink fit for gentlemen, who intend to relax and unwind after a hectic day at office. Black Dog is my choice among all brands for there is none, that would match it in its glory, heritage and richness.

--x--

Are you like me too? Do you drink only one spirit? Do you enjoy every drink out there? Do let me know what you got to say about it. Should you have a nice story, where sipping scotch (or any sip) made your day, consider sharing it with us.

Abhishek Boinapalli

Scotch and Gifting

2013-03-21T22:12:00.000+05:30

Hi,

Today was wonderful, it was as if I was a celeb, all thanks to the good exam results declared yesterday. The bottle of Black Dog Quintessence which Ms. Kayva presented me yesterday was sufficient to

Black Dog Scotch

Gift Case

open my day with extra large serve of optimism. The day on ends on a same note, all happies, all satisfied and all is well and every minute was fun. So, today I have a post on other gift options one has, when it comes to gifting alcohol.

Spirit: Black Dog is my favorite when it

Beer Glass

comes to Scotch and is quite well suited for gifting to your loved ones. A bottle of vodka , scotch whisky, rum or a barrel of mead will be good for gifting

Buckets: A nice bucket, to store ice / wine will be great. Transparent Ice Buckets would be great. When it comes to wine bucket, consider using something made of steel, highly polished and shining in nature

Beer Glass

Flask: Have you forgot, how brandy was drunk from personalized flasks in the movies of yesteryear? Holding up to 5 ounces of drink, they were and are a symbol of status

Set of glasses: Be careful with them, for there are hundreds of glasses to choose from. The glasses you used to sip scotch are different from mugs in which beer is drunk. The same way, we have a different set of glasses for drinking shots, sipping scotch, gulping down beer, raising a toast of champagne, …

Ice Buck

Alcohol Case: Alcohol is the best gift. The bottle itself is quite a luxurious gift. If you

Flask

want to be extra polite, extra chivalristic then consider using a alcohol gift box. Something rich, made up of leather and a little velvet.

Wine Bucket

Am I missing something, what are the other alcohol based / alcohol

related gifts we can give other than the spirit itself?

Abhishek Boniapalli

Black Dog as Gift

2013-03-20T22:16:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

Today, I have an announcement, a good news and a gift with me. The winter 2012 results of AMIE are released. They are accessible on th

Exam Results

e official site now. The good news is I have cleared all subjects attempted in winter 2012, though I don’t know the grades yet, I am gonna party tomorrow for sure. The gift I have is from the crazy Ms. Kavya, my friend, the best prankster I know and a scotch lover. The gift is, a bottle of Black Dog Quintessence. That is the spirit of gifting, (mocking all my friends who didn’t send a gift till now).

I was wondering, what could be the right occasion where I can gift a total stranger / friend / relative a Black Dog and share the love of scotch

Gifts

with him or her. Though my society enjoys scotch, as per the age old customs, traditions and elders, we aren’t supposed to. Alcohol and its derivatives aren’t yet openly accepted in India. So, as mentioned earlier, my guiding principle in such issues is

Any act / any practise that doesn't hurt people around, that does wish well for everyone around, that shows love care and affection to people around and is legal as per law of the land isn't a sin any more.

So, it is never a bad idea to present a bottle of the finest scotch available to a friend who has achieved something or is striving hard to achieve something. Scotch for sure lightens the world, helps men unwind, relax and become healthier. Now that Black Dog is available i

Black Dog

n so many variants including the Reserve, the Deluxe, the Quintessence and the Centenar, it is the right time to add Black Dog to the list of luxurious gifts, to which you want to treat your men and friends to. Are you good at pairing food and Scotch? Then, throw a party and show your talents to your friends.

What have you got to say about this topic? Is Black Dog a good gift? Is alcohol a good gift? What gift would you give to

someone to make him special??

Abhishek Boinapalli

Benefits of Drinking Scotch

2013-03-19T21:56:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

How did the week start? Usually tuesday is the most moodiest of all days when your monday doesn’t start well. At my end, today ain’t so bad. We went shopping for rocking chair for the youngest friend I have and drank a wonderfully made “paya” (traditional breakfast, viz bone soup). Today, I have a note on benefits of enjoying your favorite scotch.

The key to enjoying the health benefits of scotch is to drink the right amount. Excess of anything is dangerous. When drunk in moderate quantities, there are many a benefits including:

Moderate consumers of alcoholic beverages are generally less likely to suffer strokes, have

Health Benefits

better appetite, diabetes, arthritis, enlarged prostate, dementia (including Alzheimer's disease), and several major cancers.
Scotch has fewer calories than wine or beer, making it a good alcoholic drink to choose if you're watching your weight.
Research evidence report a strong, consistent relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and reduction in cardiovascular disease in general and coronary artery disease in particular
Alcohol consumption is related to total mortality in a U-shaped manner, where moderate consumers have a reduced total mortality compared with total non-consumers and heavy consumers
A study in France found moderate drinkers to have a 75% lower risk for Alzheimer's Disease and an 80% lower risk for senile dementia
A recent study found that alcohol consumption is associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing arthritic conditions including Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis (OA), reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondylarthropathy
Drinking alcohol was found to decrease the risk of developing gallstone disease
An analysis of data from 12 prospective studies that included 760,044 men and women who were tracked for seven to 20 years found that moderate drinkers are about 30% les
A multi-center case-control study of subjects in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Ireland and the Czech Republic found results "consistent with previous studies, suggesting a protective effect of alcohol on HL

Black Dog
The list continues with many others, such as essential tremors, hepatitis A, common cold, kidney stones, macular degeneration (a major cause of blindness), Pancreatic Cancer, Parkinson's disease, poor physical condition in the elderly, stress and depression, and type B gastritis

I myself enjoy, a sip of the Black Dog Reserve every single day. What about you? What drink do you chose? Why? Any reason in particular? Suggested further reading here and here

Abhishek Boinapalli

Scotch in Hawaii

2013-03-18T22:17:00.000+05:30

Hello all,

Today, I have, a guest post from Miss Manasa Edward, the co-author of QuotesN. She is a regular reader of my blogs, a contributor to various print magazines, a traveller, a scotch lover and the mother of the cutest devil I know. Here we go:

--x--

Hi everyone,

I just wanna share about my experience in Hawaii Islands. I, my son and my hubby visited them last year and still carry many many wonderful memories of the islands and the time we spent on the beach.

Beach Holiday

First thing, first, the islands are beautiful, people are friendly and accommodating in nature and the trip ain’t a huge burden on your pocket. It was so cool, so exotic, so mesmerising. Truly as Mark Twain said, Hawaii Islands are the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean. For most part of the trip, we stayed on the island of Oahu. Waikiki, down town Honolulu, Arizona memorial, U. S. S. Missouri are some cool places here.

I started enjoying scotch 2 years ago. For the past 17 months, a single small peg of Black Dog Reserve has been giving me my daily boost of

Black Dog Scotch

relaxation, happiness and pleasure. So, naturally I carried my bottle along with me when I went to Hawaii (though I could have procured it there). Watching my husband and kid rolling on the beach, with a sip of Black Dog wetting my lips has been the highlight of the entire trip. The trip brought all of us together, closer and made our bonds stronger.

Should you decide to go to Hawaii, don’t forget to sip some scotch, on the beach. Ensure you don’t do something silly and break the law.

--x--

What have you got to say? Ever went on a trip to tropical island / tropical beach? Enjoyed swimming in pristine waters? Ran for a mile or so in wet sand? Sat down sipping scotch in a barbecue party on the beach? Rode a horse along the beach? I intend to do them all someday.

The author can be contacted using her mail id . Here is link to her blogger profile page.

Abhishek Boinapalli

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse

2013-03-17T21:15:00.000+05:30

Hello All,

How did the weekend go? Well, mine finishes this moment for I have an early office tomorrow. Since this happens every week, Saturday

Black Dog Scotch

usually is the biggest part of my weekend. Yesterday was quite good with friends, workout, holiday, a little sip of my favourite scotch The Black Dog Reserve, a nice pizza and a chocolate based Frankie. Today I have an informative post on alcohol and its abuse.

--x--

Alcoholism (alcohol dependence) and alcohol abuse are two different forms of problem drinking.

Alcoholism is when you have signs of physical addiction to alcohol and continues to drink, despite problems with physical health, mental health, and social, family, or job responsibilities. Alcohol may control your life and relationships.
Alcohol abuse is when your drinking leads to problems, but not physical addiction.


Abuse Alcohol

Those at risk for developing alcoholism include:

Men who have 15 or more drinks a week
Women who have 12 or more drinks a week
Anyone who has five or more drinks per occasion at least once a week

Notes:

One drink is defined as a 12-ounce bottle of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 1 1/2-ounce shot of liquor.
Low self esteem, Peer pressure, family history, easy access to alcohol, depression, anxiety disorders, relationship problems, acceptance of alcohol in the culture usually tend to lead to alcohol abuse.
Parental guidance targeting adolescents and young adults, Increasing the age at which alcohol can be consumed, banning or restricting advertising of alcohol and credible evidence based educational campaigns are great tools to increase awareness about alcohol abuse.

--x--

Well, hope you enjoy your drink and yet be careful of excessive of indulgence. Excess of anything, however good it may be, is quite harmful. Be careful. Be responsible. Kindly share this knowledge with friends, colleagues and relatives.

wishing you a great week ahead,

Abhishek Boinapalli

Quotes on Drink and Responsibility

2013-03-16T23:20:00.000+05:30

Hi,

Hope your weekend is going cool. Today I just decided to collect a few slogans / sayings / quotes about drinking. So here we go:

--x--

Drinking Quotes

“Friends don't let friends drink light beer” - Unknown
“What's drinking?A mere pause from thinking!” - George Gordon
“Yes, madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.” - Winston Churchill
In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria -Benjamin Franklin
"I drink to make other people interesting." - George Jean Nathan.
"Beer is the reason I get out of bed every afternoon." - Anonymous
"I envy people who drink - at least they know what to blame everything on." - Oscar Levant
"I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample it had an olive in it." - Rodney Dangerfield
"I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." - George Best

--x--

Well, it is obvious that I like and love the Black Dog Scotch, for it is the best and the most luxurious

Black Dog Scotch

Scotch in India. I still prefer to drink responsibly. So here are some quotes about drinking responsibly.

--x--

"A drink a day keeps the shrink away." - Edward Abbey
"Responsible Drinking" Now that's an Oxymoron." - Aaron Howard
"Drunkenness is temporary suicide: the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness." - Bertrand Russell
"Drink moderately, for drunkenness neither keeps a secret, nor observes a promise." - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction. -Bob Marley
If you must drink and drive, drink Pepsi. ~Author unknown

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Hope you are enjoying the weekend with a sip of Scotch. Don’t forget to share any quotes you have about drinking in general and about responsible drinking in particular.

Abhishek Boinapalli

Scotch and Food Pairings

2013-03-15T22:43:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

Hope you enjoyed your day and are starting the weekend with a bang this time. Well, I work six days a week, so my weekend will start a little late (note: weekend starts late, not the fun). Today, I have one more round of food pairings with scotch. As always, I love sweets, chocolates, desserts and hence today we have the following receipes:

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Scotch, Espresso & Vanilla Affogato

serves 1

Ingredients:

1 generous scoop vanilla ice cream, about 1/2 cup


Scotch N Chocolate

1 1/2 ounces Black Dog Quintessence, warm or at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon espresso powder or finely ground espresso beans

Method of Preparation

Pour the whisky over the ice cream in a small glass. Sprinkle with espresso powder and eat immediately.

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Scotch Whisky Cocktail

serves 1

Ingredients:

2 oz Ghiradelli Hot Cocoa or other fine brand such as Chuao

1 oz Black Dog Reserve Old Scotch

3/4 oz Rose water syrup (see directions below)

Dash vanilla extract

Top with rose infused slightly whipped cream

Method Of Preparation

Black Dog

Mix cocoa according to directions. Add 2 ozs of extremely hot cocoa in to a mixing glass that already contains Scotch, rose syrup and vanilla. Stir well to incorporate the syrup. Pour into cup or Irish Coffee glass. Spoon on the rose infused cream.

Rose Syrup:

1 part water, 3/4 part sugar, dried roses. Boil all ingredients for about 10 minutes. Allow roses to sit in the syrup as it cools. Leave for at least one hour.
For the whipped cream, allow the dried roses to sit in the un-whipped cream for 30 minutes. Strain and hand whip until frothy. Pour on top over the back of a bar spoon.

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What do you think of these dishes/cocktails? What do you think of food pairings we proposed earlier? Should you decide to try one of these, don’t forget to send me a note about your experience. We would be very pleased to share it with my friends here on the blog.

Abhishek

Note: The recipes were found here and here. I modified them a little to suit to my taste. All rights are reserved by the owner of recipe.

Chocolate Scotch Cake

2013-03-14T22:45:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

After researching, blogging and dreaming about Scotch and Chocolate pairings, I started surfing the World Wide Web today for food pairings in general and about pairing scotch with desserts in particular. I found a few cool things, and then ran into this recipe. Though, this recipe and the dish ain’t about pairing a sip of scotch with food, I kind of loved it. So here we go:

--x--

Ingredients:

1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup Scotch whiskey
7 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites

cake

2/3 cup white sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons cake flour
2/3 cup finely ground almonds
1 pinch salt
3 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons butter

Method of Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine raisins and scotch whiskey and set aside. Cut a round of parchment paper the size of the bottom of the cake pan. Butter the sides of the pan and one side of the paper. Then lay the paper, butter side up, in the pan and dust thoroughly with flour.
Place 7 ounces chocolate in the top of a double boiler with 3 tablespoons of water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup butter in small pieces. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is a pale creamy yellow. Combine with the chocolate mixture. In a small bowl, combine the flour and the ground almonds and add to the batter. Stir in the raisins and whiskey.
In a clean large bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff but not dry. Stir a third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold all back into the remaining egg whites. Pour the cake mixture into the pan.

Baking
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes. The outside should be firm, but the center should remain moist. Let the cake sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then unmold it on a cake rack and let it cool for a few hours or overnight. Peel off the paper before icing it.
To make the frosting: Melt 3 ounces chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Stir in the confectioners sugar and then 3 tablespoons butter a little at a time. Blend well and spread immediately on the cake. Allow icing to set for about half an hour before serving the cake.

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Black Dog Scotch

What I actually wanna do with the cake? a) Freeze it b) Enjoy it with a sip of Black Dog 21 yr old. Why? I wanna try it, I am sure it is gonna be great. I just can’t wait to taste it. It has chocolate, scotch, almonds, butter and icing. My mouth is watering, thinking about how this cake and a sip of scotch taste, back to back. What do you think about this idea? Worth it?? Do let me know.

Abhishek Boinapalli

(Note: The recipe is taken from here. All rights reserve with the owner)

International Luxury Brands to Indulge In

2013-03-13T22:20:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

How is life going on? Reading any new book? I started with Shiva Trilogy (The Immortals of Meluha being the first book) the other day and was really impressed by the technology the Meluhan’s had. It was as if these guys had one of the most advanced civilisations when it comes to good governance, health care and common place luxury. While reading the book, my thoughts took the shape of this post. I was thinking about the best international luxury brands one must indulge in. Here is my list:

Rolex Watches:

Rolex Watch

    In 1931, Rolex invented and patented the world’s first self winding mechanism with a Perpetual motor. This ingenious system is at the origin of every modern automatic watch. My love with these watches started when I read them at the age of 7, in an article in the Readers Digest.

Rolls Royce Cars:
    Since 1904 Rolls-Royce has created instantly recognisable motor cars that have made the marque an enduring icon all over the world. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh and last Nizam or ruler my city, had purchased over 50 Rolls-Royce cars in his lifetime. I would be happy to have one of these cars in my garage

Black Dog Scotch:
    The Black Dog 21 years old is indeed pure liquid gold. Hand crafted to meticulous perfection by the Master Blender. Only 25 of the finest single

Black Dog 21 Yr old

malts and grain whiskies have been drawn from the Highland region of Scotland, in particular from the beautiful Speyside Valley to provide that special key - "finesse". Black Dog for sure is the Finest scotch available in India.

Other important brands as per me are

Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. the British luxury goods brand, specialising in ready-to-wear, custom and bespoke menswear, leather goods, and accessories
77 Diamonds is the online retailer of diamonds and diamond jewellery based in the United Kingdom, but operating throughout the world.
Bontoni is a third-generation Italian family company that produces a line of handmade men's dress shoes.
Bang & Olufsen is a Danish company that designs and manufactures audio products, television sets and telephones.

Did I miss something important? What are the other important luxury products? luxury brands? Why do you think so? Do let us know your opinion.

Abhishek Boinapalli

Drink Responsibly

2013-03-12T22:20:00.001+05:30

Hello All,

How is everything going? We had a spike of traffic in the past 3 days. Thank you for everyone for the same. I have been blogging almost everyday from the past 10 days and sharing only one thing viz “My newfound love of Scotch in general and Black Dog Scotch in particular”. Today, one of my friend advised me to write something on drinking within limits, drinking responsibly and not abusing drink.

Well, I seriously had no idea about how I must wager into this topic. All I could think of was “Drink, responsibly. Drink, after you attain legal drinking age.” But now I have some beautiful words taken from The Immortals of Meluha from Shiva Trilogy (and slightly modified). Here we go

Stability allows a person the freedom of choice, my friend. People can pursue their dreams only when they are living in a society where there is stability. In a society without security and stability, there are no intellectuals or businessmen or artists or geniuses. Without stability, man is constantly in fight or flight mode. Nothing better than an animal.Civilisation is very fragile. All it takes is a few decades of chaos for us to forget humanity and turn into animals. Our base natures can take over very fast. We can forget that we are sentient beings, with laws and codes and ethics.

That is the curse of constant strife. It makes us forget the most beautiful part of being human. That is why society must remain stable so that we don’t put each other in a situation of having to fight for survival.’

Drink, smoke, weed or anything which disturbs such stability at personal level or at the society level is quite harmful. All we need to do, is draw a boundary, a boundary which is unique for every person based on him/her will power. All we need to do is ensure, that our activities and their consequences don’t disturb such the stability of the society, don’t make our lives dangerous / miserable.

What is your opinion on drinking? Where do we set the boundaries? How do we prevent addiction and abuse? Do let me know your thoughts. Kindly consider sharing them over the facebook page of my favourite scotch

Once again, thank you for the traffic. Kindly consider following us using GFC / email / feed subscription or any other method of your choice. Also consider bookmarking us.

Abhishek

Stocking the Home Bar -- Part II

2013-03-11T22:39:00.001+05:30

Hello All,

How did the week start? Was it thrilling or still facing the Monday morning blues? Well, the trouble with my web server doesn’t seem to go away. So my day ain’t any thrilling. Anyhow, another quick post today, on how to stock the Home Bar. Before reading the article any further, head on to my previous post here, on what spirits are needed in a Home Bar.

Once you have decided upon the spirits that are a must in your bar, now lets have a look at other essentials that are needed to make the perfect Home Bar. So, today, let us focus on Liqueurs. A Liqueur is basically a sweet spirit used as a flavoring agent in making cocktails and recipes. Wikipedia puts it this way:

A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage made from distilled alcohol that has been flavored with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, flowers or nuts and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.

What liqueurs to store?

The answer ain’t so simple. For someone like me, who loves chocolate, a chocolate liqueur is a must. Examples include Ashanti Gold, Mozart

Finest Scotch

Black, Royal Mint-Chocolate Liqueur. They will make wonderful cocktails when mixed with Black Dog Reserve / Black Dog Deluxe. (Stay tuned for a few recipes).

For someone who loves his scotch the following liqueurs look good

Eblana, which has a flavor of coffee, honey, almond, peanut
Glayva, which reminds you of Seville oranges, herbs, and honey
Orangerie which goes well which citrus based / spicy scotch.

Other good liqueurs include

Rock and rye usually mixed with American Whiskey
Bloody Oath and Kajmir for fans of Vodka

What are your favorite liqueurs? I have actually no idea about fruit based liqueurs. Do suggest some of them for me and my readers.

Wishing you sweet dreams
Abhishek Boniapalli

Scotch Based Cocktails

2013-03-10T20:32:00.000+05:30

Hello All,

How did the weekend go? Well, everything at my end ain’t so cool. We are facing some issues with our web server and orders are pending with clients getting apprehensive about delivery dates. Well, after trying to solve the problem from the past two days, I just decided to unwind a little and relax by surfing about my favourite topics which include Scotch, One Piece and Guns.

Finest Scotch

After enjoying a few vodka based cocktails, I decided to find a good scotch based cocktail. We are suggesting Black Dog, the finest scotch in India for the cocktails. So, here are two cocktails which look good. I am gonna share the recipe today and a review of how they are sometime later.

--x--

Blood and Sand Cocktail

Makes: 1 drink

Ingredients:

Cocktails

3/4 - 1 ounce Scotch (Our suggestion: Black Dog Reserve)
3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed orange juice
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce Heering

Procedure:

Shake all ingredients together with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a flamed orange peel. To do this, peel a nice, wide slice of orange. Run a flame gently back and forth over the rind side, releasing the oils. With the flame still going, gently squeeze the peel into the flame over your glass. This should send the oils bursting into your drink, replete with flame.
Run the peel around the rim of the glass and discard.

--x--

Mamie Taylor Cocktail

Ingredients:

Scotch Cocktail

2 oz. blended Scotch (Our Suggestion Black Dog Deluxe)
Juice of half a lime
1 dash Angostura bitters
Ginger beer
1 hunk of candied ginger

Procedure:

Fill a high-ball glass with ice
Add ingredients in the above order (you should just be topping off the glass with the ginger beer)
Gently stir
Garnish with the ginger candy on a toothpick.
Enjoy!

--x--

Ever tried a scotch based cocktail? How do they feel? What is so cool about them? Why aren’t they so famous like the vodka based ones? Do let us know.

Abhisehk Boinapalli

Tasting Notes: Black Dog Reserve, Deluxe and Centenary Variants

2013-03-09T22:21:00.000+05:30

Hello All,

Black Dog Scotch

A quick post today, sharing the tasting notes of variants of the finest scotch available in India, the Black Dog. We already shared the tasting notes of Black Dog Quintessence already on this blog. You can read it on this article. So, here we go with the tasting notes:

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Black Dog Deluxe

Color : Amber, with golden highlights.

Aroma : Robust malty, mellow woody, complex yet delicate aroma of sherry and vanillic sweetness with whispers of soft peatiness in the background.

Palate : Beautifully rounded, heavy body, pronounced malty, mellow woody, fruity sweetness with teasing light warm peat.

Finish : Luxurious and exciting, long and warm with a touch of cream.

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Black Dog Centenary

Color : Amber with golden highlights.

Black Dog Centenary

Aroma : Matured wood, toasted malt, mild honey sweetness, delicate butterscotch bordering on cream, with floral nuances that emerges at the end.

Palate : Robust body, pronounced rich malt and oak and sherry sweetness, spreads warmly in the mouth like silent sea waves.

Finish : Balanced, long, intense and bright.

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Black Dog Reserve

Color: Deep, golden, glossy and mahogany.

Nose: A truly noble bouquet of luscious malty tones and rich velvety textures with a hint of oloroso sherry in the background.

Taste: Round and mellow complex quixotic flavours with an impeccable balance of individual malt and grain whiskies and silky soft tones that dance on the tongue.

Finish: Luxuriously smooth and long, a testament to the malt and grain whiskies which have spent years in oak casks and vats.

--x--

Have a spirit of food pairing that you love to review (or get reviewed) on our site? Do let us know. Also, don’t forget to share how you are enjoying the weekend. As promised, we shall update you about the party we had today, via a blog post tomorrow.

What is it that you love about the Black Dog Scotch? What flavor do you like? the Centenary / the Deluxe / the Reserve / the Quintessence? Do let us know.

Abhishek

Why and How to pair Scotch and Chocolate

2013-03-08T22:36:00.002+05:30

Hello All,

As mentioned earlier, I and my friends are gonna throw a party tomorrow, during lunch hours, where we intend to try out some cool Scotch - Food pairings. Well, being a typical hyderabadi, it is common to assume that biryani, lamb and other spicy meat preparations would be tried out with the Scotch. Aha. Not so fast, I actually wanna try something new, something international and something rich with my Scotch.

BonBon

A note about the spirits first, we procured two bottles of Scotch for tomorrow. A bottle of Black Dog Quintessence and a bottle of Black Dog Reserve. We also added to the cart, another dozen bottles of beer, a few breazers, cool drinks, club soda, ..

The good part, I am planning to have chocolate with the Scotch. The reasons include

It is a challenge to find the ideal chocolate and scotch pairing. For the aroma and flavours of both Scotch and Chocolate must complement and augment each other
The regional characteristics of both Scotch and Chocolate can play good role in effecting the pairing and the experience
The pairing is an art and not science.

So what are the considerations I have in my mind now?


Black Dog Reserve

Well, along with a bottle of scotch, I shall carry a box of sweets (chocolates & candies). I plan to have a sip of scotch and then a chocolate to find out the best pairings
Since Black Dog Quintessence has citrus I am considering complementing it with sweet chocolate with hint of ginger.
Expecting to find and order a box of bonbon (a kind of chocolate) by tomorrow, so that fruitier notes of Black Dog Quintessence are brought out by the bonbon
I want to try caramel with the Black Dog Reserve to enjoy it.
I also want to try out various brands of chocolates (like our dairy milk silk) along with scotch.

Got any more ideas to share? Do let me know. Also stay tuned to this blog, for I shall post about the pairings I liked the most soon.

Abhishek

Black Dog Scotch -- How It All Began

2013-03-07T21:56:00.000+05:30

Hello All,

I was just wondering about the beginnings of Black Dog, the Finest Scotch available in India and its 130 years of history. I didn’t know if there was a master blender behind it or if it was a product which improved over the years to reach it’s current state. So here is what we could muster from the official page:

130 Years of Black Dog

The
 birth of the great Scotch Whisky took place over 125 years ago when 
James MacKinlay of the second generation of the Leith Scotch Whisky 
blending family launched the masterful whisky by the name of Millard 
Black Dog. It is said that in the year 1883 Walter Millard, a Scot from 
the British East India Company came searching for the perfect Scotch and
 eventually discovered the great taste of this whisky in these misty 
shores of Scotland.

Being
 a keen angler, Walter Millard named the whisky Black Dog in honour of 
his favourite salmon fishing fly used in the Spey and Tay rivers of 
Scotland since the early 19th century.

That is quite something for sure. The word angler, fishing fly aroused a kind of curiosity in me. Here is something I could find about it

Angle Fishing or Angling is a technique in sportive fishing wherein, a bait (nightcrawlers, insects, smaller fishes), a fish hook, fishing rod and a fishing reel are used. In typical sense, it is fishing with a fishing rod and not net. Angle Fishing is now a hobby and competitive sport. The elite of the society of-course take great pleasure in enjoying the sport, celebrating their time with the Black Dog and adding to the rich heritage of Black Dog.

Typical Fishing Fly

The fishing fly is the lure (or bait), used to catch the fish. Fly fishermen use hand tied flies that resemble natural invertebrates or other food organisms, or "lures" to provoke the fish to strike. Walter Millard was especially fond of his salmon fishing fly. This particular fishing fly was very colourful, distinctive and highly successful. Walter Millard used the same in Spey and Tay rivers of Scotland.

Ain’t that something cool? So, next time, before enjoying some great fish, consider the possibility of fishing it yourself and then enjoying the meal with a sip of Black Dog Scotch.

Abhishek Boinapalli