Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Proof.
A Beginner's Guide to Baijiu
In recent decades, Westerners have become well-acquainted with the concept of rice wine, particularly sake, a key component of our cultural obsession with Japan. But the Chinese variety - baijiu, literally "white wine" - is far less known. Baijiu is, in some ways, an oddity: By volume it's the best-selling spirit in the world by a wide margin, yet the export market is all but nonexistent, leaving it little known outside of the country.
By Andrew Johnston3 years ago in Proof
Art vs Alcohol (And other drugs)
Drugs and art have a complicated ebb and flow within our society. Drugs in the mainstream are, of course, a massive taboo for a variety of reasons. Ranging from legal alcohol to soft drugs like cannabis, and then to the potentially devastating likes of crystal meth and heroin. All of which serve their purpose as an escape from reality to a degree, while vulnerable people often fall into habits of usage, their using is often hidden behind a variety of excuses to validate their consumption.
By christopher wyer3 years ago in Proof
Three Man!
The year was 1990 and I was a wet behind the ears; a 16 yr old that was going to have his first real initiation into a little dice game called “Three Man!” The pungent odor of black burning asphalt oozed in through my open bedroom window. The sun’s rays barely seeped through the tightly packed city houses. It was a typical July day and some friends had recently graduated high school. They were shipping off for the Marines in a few weeks. The day started innocently enough with a distinct whirring and ringing echoing from the kitchen. Mom answered the phone and bellowed my name. I pick up the call; it was from my buddy Pete about going to crash Terry’s graduation party. He said “it was cool”. Since we would wait till most of his family left and it wasn’t a huge deal. My parents were super chill buy they said “definitely be back before midnight.”
By Tony Messina3 years ago in Proof
How to Make a Boozy & Bougie Aperol Spritz.
We all know the classic Aperol Spritz. The traditional bitter red drink served in a wine glass and garnished with a lime. This is a guide to making a reimagined and enhanced boozier version that is just as refreshing if not more than it's traditional counter part.
By Native Cocktail Events3 years ago in Proof
My Name is Kate . Top Story - April 2021.
I am a glass of Merlot. And what they never tell you about us is that we go on dates, too. The suspense begins in the bottle. We never know which molecule of us will be chosen to go on the date, Poured out in a hurried storm that resembles an avalanche of jewels, or a rope of silk untwisting before your eyes. You might say that, in the bottle, we belong to a collective consciousness, a single unified awareness, and we don’t really know Ourselves or who We are UNTIL we are poured out, until we take the shape of the glass — until we soak up the shimmer of the décor, the swirl of the waitstaff and the roar of a restaurant rush, and become an I, a Me, a Self.
By Janani Sreenivasan3 years ago in Proof
Red Skinned Grapes
I know I’m supposed to be grateful just to have a job during these unprecedented times. I’m not though. Waitressing was never exactly a passion project for me. I began working in restaurants back when I was a bright-eyed nineteen year old, before I realized the term “passion” was a trap manufactured by big money to manipulate lost little dummies like me into working away our most optimistic years for them, all the while convincing ourselves this was our lives’ purpose, back when I believed that artists like me could hone their craft and still make money, that art was really everywhere—in logos, business cards, corporate Christmas party invitations, branded PowerPoint templates—back when I thought I had taken the sensible approach by getting my Bachelor of “Arts” in Graphic Design. Around the same time, by some miracle of chance and family-friend connections, I had landed the coveted position of Junior Graphic Designer at a for-profit hospital. Our director told my cohort of creative new cogs early on that in our new roles, we were encouraged to bring our fresh ideas, our untainted creativity, our unjaded perspectives to work every day and to share with the world the visions that only the likes of us could conjure. Within certain parameters as defined by the corporate style guide, of course.
By Keely O'Keefe3 years ago in Proof
Wine Down
Wine Down by Mary Haynes Andy was an old soul, a romantic renaissance man, at least that's what everyone told him. He had many friends; almost everyone he met liked him immediately. He made a point of prioritizing social time with friends and colleagues from law school, even though he didn't fully understand the games people played.
By Mary Haynes3 years ago in Proof
The Cutie Behind the Bar
I’m finishing counting my money for the night shift at the restaurant, “The Perview”. It’s one of the last fancy restaurants in town, and it still is only open on weekends and closes at 9pm. I’m sitting across from Annie-the only other server on Saturday nights-when I blurt out “I can’t believe I actually agreed to this!”.
By Taylor Foster3 years ago in Proof