Propeller Skies

In the days of way back, before the Goo Goo Dolls wrote Name and figured out they could cash more checks and get more chicks by being pansies and every fucking rock and roll radio station in the country did not include either edge or x in their name, Robby Takac dj’d a little show called Modern Rock on the Fox. One of the downright excellent bands Mr. Takac introduced me to through his show was the Pogues. Enjoy, and to all five of you, thanks for reading.

The Man leaves the Atlanta Urinal Constipation, a sorry excuse for a newspaper, laying around the break room. While I feel the Atlanta Urinal Constipation is a completely useless contribution to the carbon footprint of Atlanta, reading even a worthless paper is better than working, so I occasionally peruse it. Amazingly, last Monday I discovered the Winter Mist in the Atlanta Urinal Constipation. Much to my surprise, the Winter Mist is a decidedly interesting cocktail.

The Winter Mist was created by Stephanie Ruhe, who mixes at The Mansion on Peachtree in Buckhead. Since I would prefer not to be caught dead in Buckhead*, I will likely never grace that particular establishment and experience her concoctions. Therefore, I was grateful to find the recipe printed in the Atlanta Urinal Constipation.

The Winter Mist is reminiscent of Key Lime Pie in concept, but not flavor - the drink looks sweet, but has a nice tartness and complex flavor. The initial flavor is bitter lime, nicely offset by simple syrup. Next, the subtle mint hits the palate. Finally, the herbal flavorings of the absinthe and gin kick in. Overall, the Winter Mist is a well balanced drink.

Prior to tasting it, I had misgivings, as the recipe calls for a full dose (one ounce) of absinthe. A drop of the anise flavored liquor is usually more than enough flavor a drink, however, in this recipe, the absinthe does not overwhelm the lime, mint, and gin. Based on this drink, Ms. Ruhe clearly has mad mixology skills.

This drink pours a gorgeous cloudy light green, complements of the absinthe’s louche. While the Winter Mist looks pretty and tastes great, it packs a serious punch in terms of alcohol, calories, and flavor. One is most assuredly enough.

Because the Atlanta Urinal Constipation requires an annoying registration, the recipe is as follows:

• 1.5 ounces gin;
• 1.0 ounces absinthe;
• 1.0 ounces simple syrup;
• 0.75 ounces lime juice; and
• 3 sprigs fresh mint.

In a shaker, muddle mint and simple syrup. Add the gin, absinthe and lime juice and shake with ice. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with mint.

notes:

* This is a serious concern, because dying in Buckhead is not unusual. Despite efforts by area businesses to paint the area as the new bourgeoisie shopping district, Buckhead citizens are forcibly removed from the neighborhood if they do not shoot at least four people before breakfast. Even criminals who do not normally operate in the area stop by to enhance their street cred. For example, Brian Nichols, who went on a murderous rampage led a slave rebellion back in 2005, also stopped in Buckhead and whacked a federal agent after escaping from the highly secure Fulton County clink.

My friends Deezy and The Tree Hugging Hippie have both raved about Full Sail India Pale Ale (IPA). Being an IPA aficionado, I filed their praises of Full Sail in the back of my mind. A few weeks ago, I found one six pack of Full Sail IPA at Ansley Wine Merchants while picking up booze for Thanksgiving.

Bright was my initial impression of Full Sail IPA. The brew finishes with a nice piney aftertaste. However, there is not as much grapefruit goodness in the middle as I like, but overall, the IPA is pretty good.

Full Sail stacks up well against Smoove D reference IPA Loose Cannon, but will not displace it in heavy rotation. I like Full Sail’s IPA and it will occupy a spot in my fridge on occasion.

On a previous tour of Southern Tier Brewing, Phin poured us a taste of a new imperial India Pale Ale (IPA). While I enjoyed the sample, I like the finished product - Unearthly IPA - much better.

The flavor of Southern Tier’s Unearthly IPA is thick with a multitude of complex notes, like the 10,000 Maniacs. Balance is excellent, the citrus of the hops combines with plenty of big pine flavor. The sting of alcohol is muted and almost hidden in the mix. Southern Tier Unearthly IPA is highly recommended.

Goes well with Phish, The Who, and pre-Icky Thump White Stripes.

After several attempts, Mr. Coffee from the Coffee Loft convinced me I should try 255 Tapas Lounge with him. This started off badly for a number of reasons. First, I hate tapas. The term itself is Spanish for ripping off stupid Gringos. When I pay money for food, I like to feel full - for some reason, I am always hungry after eating small plates. Also, in Atlanta, small plates do not often come with small prices.

Second, the owner of 255 Tapas Lounge, Courtland Jackson, came off as a dick when quoted in the Atlanta Urinal Constipation. Mr. Jackson essentially called all the white people in Ghettoberry Hood racists^[1]. However, in his defense, the quality of reporting in the Atlanta Urinal Constipation consistently rates slightly above mentally deficient. For example, in the article, the paper did not even get the number of lanes on Peters Street correct. [ Update: Mr. Jackson's response* - Ed. ]

the beer

While chilling at the bar waiting for Mr. Coffee to show up, I enjoyed gazing at the hottie bartender and sipping a Guinness. The bartender was wearing fashionable glasses - hot women with glasses drive me crazy.

However, the Guinness I ordered was severely overpriced. The cost was over $7.00, which for a glass of beer is fucking ridiculous. Who, besides Wall Street pigmen living like fat cats on the backs of the taxpayers has that kind of money in this Bush Economy™?

the food

Despite the diminutive serving sizes, the food was excellent. I ordered the ring tower and crab tots. Both were very flavorful. The crab tots in particular were extremely zesty and an interesting take on a low brow side. I enjoyed them very much.

In contrast to drinks, food prices were in line with the portion size and quality of the food. 255 Tapas Lounge is recommended for the food, but bring a fat wad of cash to drink.

the service

Service was fucking awful. Several young attractive waitresses passed Mr. Coffee and I by, while others promised to return and take our orders, but never did. In frustration, we dragged our starving selves to the bar and used our last bit of strength to order from the aforementioned hottie bartender.

notes:

1. Original Atlanta Urinal Constipation article.
* As the poster did not leave an email address, Propeller Skies can not guarantee Mr. Jackson actually wrote the comment. However, the response does seem legitimate.

In an effort to leverage synergies and monetize clickstreams like a motherfucking riot, I added Google Adsense to the Prizz. I was not expecting to make a shit ton of money, but was hoping to at least pay the monthly hosting bill. Instead, the pathetic amount of revenue would not even buy a motherfucking cup of bourgeoisie coffee at Starbucks. Google Adsense sucks donkey scrotum.

Adspam is a far better name for Adsense. Google alleges that Adspam will serve up advertisements relevant to the web site content. This may be true on Mars, but all I got on the Prizz were come ons from slimy spam merchants hawking Adderall, online pharmacies, and ringtones. Seriously, does Google Adspam think Propeller Skies readers are fucking retarded enough to click these links? And what the fuck do they have to do with Propeller Skies? Google Adspam is a bunch of bullshit and is not recommended.

The Hockey Player brought some tasty bombers from Three Floyds Brewing the last time he was in town. Three Floyds products are unobtainable here in the Dirty South, to the point that I had never heard of them. Based on the beers I have sampled and what the internet says, Three Floyds Brewing is totally tubular. How The Hockey Player figured this out is beyond me, as that mofo drinks shit like Jeppson’s Malort.

Alert readers will recall I hate wheat beer, but recently have had two positive experiences. I might reconsider my position on wheat beer, but Gumball Head is no ordinary wheat beer. This is wheat beer hopped out the ass and I like that a fuckton.

Gumball Head reminds me of Campari - the hops come on strong and bitter and then fade to an aftertaste reminiscent of grapefruit. While imbibing this delicious brew, dreams of nubile midwestern blondes kissed by the midsummer sun danced through my head. Three Floyd’s Gumball Head is highly fucking recommended. Thanks to The Hockey Player for hooking a cracka up.