Happy Halloween!

Horror Trailer Mashups

Halloween is coming, and I do like a good scare.  So let me take my childhood favorite movies and see how we can change them.  For example...What if "Labyrinth" was a horror movie? Not much of a stretch really.  I mean, The Goblin King stole a baby.  When I saw this as a kid I thought he was already kind of creepy... in a cool way.
 But then there's this one for "Mary Poppins" that is pretty well done.

Yeah, We Can Tell

Maybe it's time to stop...?

[Lileks.com]

Booze Quest: The Vodka Collins

My co-worker Tess is going to perform in a comedy show, so I decide on the Vodka Collins for the night.  I go with two of my male co-workers Thomas and Jim and we find a table near the stage.  "Oh great," Jim says.  "We're definitely going to get heckled up front." 

Drink #1: The waitress brings me my Vodka Collins and asks if that's what my second drink will be, to comply with their two-drink minimum.  "Yes, but -" I start, but she's already walking away.  I don't know why I had to order it right at that moment, but I shrug it off.

Crushing on John Payne

Yes, please...

How to Make the Perfect Martini

According to Ketel One's website for their "Ultimate Martini," you "pour 1.5 oz. of vodka and stir it with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with a lemon twist.  This can be tailored to personal taste with the addition of olives, olive brine, dry vermouth, etc."  But......

Here's what I say:

1. Lots of olives please, and make it a little dirty (topped with a float of olive brine). 

2. It doesn't need vermouth, in my opinion.  It takes away the flavor of the vodka.  And if you've bought good vodka, it doesn't need much else.

3. As previously posted (from what I learned in Bartending School), the perfect martini should never be shaken.  It should be stirred, and stirred gently to not "bruise" the vodka.

4. The vodka should always be kept in the freezer so that it is ice cold and ready.

5. It doesn't need a lemon twist if it haves olives.  Just give me those olives!

By the way, if you add cocktail onions, you're no longer drinking a martini.  You're drinking a Gibson.  And some believe a "true" martini is made with gin, but I disagree, and so would PAH-LENTY of vodka drinkers out there.  I think you can have your martini with vodka or gin.  It's up to you.

Cheers!

Must-See Movie: Boys' Night Out

Boys' Night Out (1962)
As far as classics go, this movie is not at the top of the list, but it does have James Garner in it. Garner is adorable as Fred Williams, a single guy who lives with his mother, and pools his money together with three of his other friends (all married) to share an apartment in the city. What's the point?  Not only can they each have their evening at the apartment away from their wives, but the lovely Kathy (Kim Novak) is staying in the apartment to be at the mens' beck and call. Now that's the ugh stupid part of the plot.  But what redeems the film is a few factors.  First of all, there's James Garner in the film.  'Nuff said there.

Hi, Lover...

Wednesday's This & That

I'm still preparing for my favorite holiday, Halloween!  So while I wait, let's see what's floating around the internet...

Apparently, we Americans are spending a boatload of money this year for Halloween, mostly attributed to the fact that it falls on Friday.  2.2 BILLION DOLLARS are predicted to be spent this year on candy alone.  If you're a dentist, it's time to jack up your prices, because you'll be getting a lot of customers by January 2015.

Halloween on a Friday also means more parties, more events, and a lot more people dressing up in costume. Studies show that "consumers this year are spending $1.4 billion on adult costumes compared to $1.1 billion for children's costumes."

As far as costumes you should probably avoid, there's the offensive (like the Ray Rice costume), the newsworthy (in a Hazmat suit for the Ebola scare), and the downright pointless (crazy Amanda Bynes).  Choose wisely, my friends!

BoozeQuest: The Long Island Iced Tea

I'm still researching for you (and for Science!) the best of the best cocktails.  Tonight's drink is the Long Island Iced Tea. I decide to give it a whirl with some co-workers at a dinner in Hollywood. I'm always nervous ordering a Long Island Iced Tea, because I've had my share of bad ones. But I decide it's the perfect cocktail for a work party, since they are limiting our drinks to only 2.  Maximize your potential, that's my motto.  When I order it up I eye the bartender's process very carefully. Wow, he's using Jack Daniels instead of Coke to give it that tea color. Interesting...

Drink #1: The substitution of more alcohol for soda is definitely a plus - and that goes for any drink. The Tea still goes down really smooth - and it tastes like a real iced tea. The guy's an effing genius. More people from work are coming in and I spot one of my million bosses. I hide behind Tall Thomas. Not in the mood for business-small-talk-bullshit. Tall Thomas notes my drink and I get a look of doubt. "You know what's in that thing?" he asks me. Yes, and to prove it I order a second one, making the bartender smile. "You're the smartest girl here," the bartender tells me. "You're ordering the drink with the most alcohol!" I give a smug look back at Tall Thomas.

Uplifting Ad

No wonder, you worthless piece of shit.  Shame on you for feeling this way.  What the f$#% is wrong with you?  Stop being shy.  STOP IT.

By the way, what is this advertising?  Suicide?

Happy Birthday, Rita!

The lovely Rita Hayworth would be 96 years old today.

See our past "Va Va Voom" post about her.

Whoa.

Well shit, a drug that even scares those damn hippies.  Now we're talking serious.

[Lileks]

My Dad's Reasoning

Written by my dad in the summer of 2008 (before he passed away March 2009):

Reasons Why I'll Sit Through A Dumb Movie: (in no particular order)
a: I've enjoyed a prequel or some of the actors previously and want to give them every chance to not disappoint me.

b: I'm watching it with someone(s) else and just want to be polite.

c: "I can't believe that it can ALL be THIS bad!"

Miss you, Dad.

BoozeQuest: The Bloody Mary

Tonight's drink is going to be the Bloody Mary.  I'm going to my friend Missy's surprise birthday party in Hollywood, and although it is normally a breakfast (and hangover) cocktail, I thought I'd give the classic tomato juice mixture a try.  I reach the restaurant with enough time to hit the bar before Missy arrives, and I order my first one.  Strangely the bartender asks, "With salt?" and I pause.  They all come with salt - and pepper, and celery salt.  So, a bit confused, I say yes.

Drink #1:  *cough cough*  The bartender - although cute - made this Bloody Mary way too spicy.  Lay off the Tabasco, my man!  He should've asked "How spicy?"  Additionally the salt request was putting salt on the rim. A third look and I realize he's forgotten the celery stalk!  Bad bartender!  Bad!  

Crushing on Vincent Price

It's MCM ("Man-Crush Monday" for you newbies), and here's another dude we're crushing on that doesn't look so creepy if you forget all the scary roles and voices he's done.

LOVING the sweater and pipe combo.
Read our previous post about him.

How To Make Friends By Telephone

I just love me some Tack-O-Rama.  If you ever are in the mood to walk down memory lane and find some great ephemera, there's the link you should go to.  Recently I stumbled upon this gem on their site (that links to a now defunct blog) and had to share.

Click on the book to find all the juicy deets inside.  My favorite is the page that demonstrates how to hold the phone to your ear properly.

Thanks again, Tack-O-Rama, for filling that nostalgic void in my soul.

Cocktail Recipe Du Jour

Cigarettes?  Cigarettes?  Oh, there you are.  While I try to make a couple bucks at my evening job, enjoy this cocktail recipe for your Thirsty Thursday:

The Night Owl
One 1-inch piece of vanilla bean, split (or a splash of vanilla extract)
Orange zest
1/4 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes of orange bitters
2 ounces bourbon
Orange wheel

In a rocks glass, muddle the vanilla and orange zest with the simple syrup and bitters. Add the bourbon and ice, stir and garnish with an orange wheel.

Cheers!

Crushing on Anthony Perkins

If you forget that he played that creepy momma's boy from all those "Psycho" movies, you can manage to crush on actor Anthony Perkins.  Look how friendly and warm he looks here:

BoozeQuest: The Cape Cod

For the next 8 Tuesdays, I will be reposting "vintage" posts that had previously only appeared on the now-defunct blog SorryIGotDrunk.com.  This is the first post in an 8-part series called "BoozeQuest."  Please enjoy.

Since going to Bartending School, I realized that there are a lot of drinks out there that sound fantastic but I've never tried. So I've decided that for every night I go out I'll dedicate the entire night to one drink. And thus each shall make up what will be dubbed thine Booze Quest.

Tonight's drink is going to be the Cape Cod, which is simply vodka and cranberry juice. Lou and I go to see my friend's band perform at this place in Santa Monica. It's a wanna-be jazz club, decorated with red velvet curtains and huge black and white pictures of old stars. A little kitschy, but nice.

Monday's This & That

So I'm getting ready for Halloween here at the Lounge...meanwhile, let's see what the heck is going on around the interwebs, with a special Halloween Costume Edition!

Do you dress up for Halloween? If so, what will you be?  It happens to be my favorite holiday, so I will of course be dressing up.  My closet is so full of costumes that the options are endless.  It looks like, for kids, "Frozen" is still holding the prize as most popular costume this year.

Subway is playing up on female insecurity in its new ad.  They say there was no ill-will intended, but the basic premise is that we all should be dressing slutty for Halloween, so their reasoning seems pretty paper thin.  I don't mind dressing up in a slutty costume (as my pictures have demonstrated), but I don't feel that you need to be a size 2 to do so.  And, by the way, Subway is one of the least "freshest" places to eat, so they really shouldn't be promoting any kind of fitness or weight-loss regimen anyway.  *end rant*

But for those of you who'd rather not whore it up for Halloween, there are plenty of alternatives for you!  I especially like costumes that you can make yourself.

...And just when you thought the Ice Bucket Challenge craze was over, there is -- of course! -- the Ice Bucket Challenge costume to stretch those 15-minutes even further.

Let me know what you'll be dressing up as in the comments!

Too Soon?

Cocktail Recipes Du Jour

There are a lot of "collins" drinks out there... do you know them all?  There's the traditional vodka collins which is also called a Mike Collins:

In a collins glass, pour 1 oz. Vodka
2 oz. Sweet and Sour
Fill with soda water
 Garnish with a cherry. 

Pretty straight-forward.  But then there's more...
Substitute the vodka for Gin, and you have a Tom Collins.
Substitute the Gin for Scotch, and you have a Joe Collins.
And last one: making a Joe Collins without the cherry is called a Joan Collins.

"Va Va Voom" Star of the Day

Barbara La Marr 
Born as Reatha Dale Watson, this becoming silent film star got her start in vaudeville as a comedian named "Billy Devore."  She made headlines when she accused her half-sister of kidnapping her on a three-day car trip.  Charges were dropped, but the publicity was electric and her career soared.