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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Highball!

I put in about four and a half hours with the new pressure washer today, and it was surprisingly tiring. I've never really used a powerful one before, and being two stories up a ladder with that bucking thing trying to push you over backwards...damn! But the house looks much better -- the mold/moss build-up on white siding is nasty -- and I trimmed the shrubs away from the house to get at the siding, too. But I'm bushed.

So...I made a highball. Took my Sly Fox Pikeland Pils willibecker glass, filled it with ice, poured in about an inch of Rittenhouse Rye, and topped it up with Stewart's Ginger Beer. Damn me, that was good. The ginger beer is so spicy my lips were tingling a bit (Stewart's isn't Blenheim, but it's good), the rye punched it up good, and it was cold and refreshing. I love a rye and ginger in the summer -- and it's finally summer, sunlight for a change!

Ah...a little bit of cheese and bread, a little writing (blogging for a friend's magazine site on Bill Gates' patent app for an amazing new cooler device; I'll link when it's up), and tonight Cathy and I are going to drop by the eagerly awaited soft opening at Brauhaus Schmitz. Mmmm, German beers. Dirndls. Cathy. And I've gotta cantor at the 7:45 mass tomorrow morning. Yeesh.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have some excellent Pennsylvanian made ginger beers as well-- Big bens from catawissa, natrona from pittsburgh (if you like more kick), troegs and appalachian brewing. Combined with Rittenhouse all make a great all-PA highball.

Lew Bryson said...

Turned out I did have a bottle of Big Ben that I overlooked; I'll be trying it next...though to be fair, I should get some more Rittenhouse. Driving through Maryland next week; I'll be looking.
Where can I get Natrona outside of Pittsburgh, though?

Anonymous said...

Have not seen Natrona outside of Pburg. You'll have to stock up when you are out there next. Ben's is on the sweet side, and natrona is definitely a puckering, spice blast. I have found that combining the two is the perfect combination for me when mixing drinks, with the ratio depending on whether the drinker prefers sweeter or spicier.

sam k said...

Pennsylvania-made ginger beer? What about Reed's? Is it still made at The Lion? I remember giant sacks of whole ginger root in the brewhouse years ago. Smelled pretty good.

Lee Botschaner said...

I remember that too but I cant keep track of those contract brands so not sure if it's being made or who is making it.