Esquire magazine has created a page titled “The Best Bars in America”. I typed in Texas, only to find that Houston has been entirely left off the listing. There are a few bars from Austin, but none I’ve ever heard of. I’m hoping that this is a work in progress and will continue to grow, since there is a place for you to nominate your favorite watering hole. I’m headed there shortly to try to put Houston on the map. Actually Katy, since the only bar that comes to mind is Mo’s Place. Come to think of it, most places I visit in town are chains or wine dives.

This is a very informative site, although somewhat disturbing. You input what you drank last night, and it translates the calories into the equivalent amount of food. I’m not sure what a jaffa cake or onion bhaji are, but I don’t think they’re healthy. I suggest trying this when you’ve finished drinking, so it doesn’t ruin your buzz. Yet one more reason to curse the BBC.

I found this interesting enough to share. Distillers are so vain. Think about it. All the best hooch is named after a person. If you would like to know more about the name on the label, click here. I would never name a whiskey after myself. I’m not sure Weezer Whiskey could ever be taken seriously, regardless of how good it was.

Mick sent me this link, and it made me want to post. It’s been a long time, but I’m still alive. Thanks to Chieftan for Portuguese cork. I’m really looking forward to some Thanksgiving Wine (Beaujolais Nouveau). Best Wishes for the holidays.

I have found the ultimate gift for the beer drinker in your family. The Beer Tender is now available from Krups for under $300. Dubbed “The ultimate at home draught beer experience,” it refrigerates and dispenses Heineken from their 5 liter draughtkeg (also available in Heine Light). A carbon dioxide cartridge within the keg reportedly keeps beer fresh for 30 days. It’s perfect for those of us that always wanted at-home keg access, but 1) didn’t have the space for a full sized cooler or 2) would rather spend the grand or so on beer rather than a beer toy. Feel like a fratboy without all the nasty hazing. Sure, you can just buy the keg by itself and leave it in the fridge, but that is nowhere near as fun as having your own personal tap.

Here’s a great way to make the Olympic games that begin today more interesting. Make sure to have plenty of alcohol ready before you thy this drinking game. I prefer the Scarface game, where you have to drink every time someone drops an f-bomb, but that’s probably because I’m such a traditionalist.

I’m putting Missouri on my “places to visit” list. More specifically, Ballwin. Wine necessities was founded in 2005 by Jacque James and Jen Seitz. They enjoyed making their own personalized wine and noticed that friends and family were intrigued and curious about the process. Today, Wine Necessities allows customers to design and produce a six gallon batch of wine. The process takes about 6-8 weeks. On the first visit, customers will select varietals and mix the wine. About two months later they return to filter, bottle, cork and dress the wine bottles with their own personalized labels. One batch makes about 25-27 bottles and costs between $210-260. Who’s up for a road trip?

but I’m not. I’ve played this game before and I just ran across it again. It’s a good way to avoid getting anything productive accomplished. Let’s see if anyone can make it home.

How Far Can You Walk Drunk?

Celebrate the grape harvest in Texas August 15-17 and 22-24. Check out the Texas Hill Country Wineries web page for more details. Even if you’re not up to the self-guided tour next month, there are links and a map, along with write-ups for the individual wineries.

Red wine drinkers need to chill, and I mean that literally. I know the Chieftain and MasAgua will agree that 72 degrees is much too warm to drink red wine. One of the reasons that it took me so long to get into reds is because most people drink them piss warm. Hey, I live in Texas, it gets hot around here. There’s no need to add to that feeling by drinking a warm beverage. Room temperature in France is a bit different than room temperature in Houston, that’s simple science. And, speaking of science, there’s a really smart man who agrees with me. Eric Asimov wrote this article about chillin’. OK, so it’s not Isaac, but he spells his name the same. Maybe they’re related.