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To master alcohol takes skill: Learn how to do anything as well as a bartender, become a wine sommelier, a cocktail whiz or a beer buff.
Best Home Brew Kits and Recipes
History has seen beer recorded in Mesopotamian cuneiform (the oldest known form of writing), taxed under the Pharaohs (burial alive was then the penalty for evasion), rinsed through Cleopatra’s hair, spread by the vikings and the Roman legions, fostered at medieval monasteries, mass-produced by America's founding fathers, prohibited by our Constitution (only to be monopolized by gangsters immediately thereafter), and imbibed by just about everybody and his grandma. Yesterday's "Mesopotamian Gold" is being rolled out by the US today—hundreds of thousands of barrels per year. By no means does that figure account for the almost 4,000 - 5,000 different beers consumed worldwide: ales, bocks, lagers, porters, stouts—everything from bitter beers that are virtually unpalatable unless mixed with sweet syrups to crystal clear to warm sakis served in Japanese restaurants. To top it off, more and more people are now resorting to home-brewing.
Iwan PalinskiPublished 7 years ago in ProofWrite For Proof Today
Proof has now joined the Vocal platform, allowing alcohol lovers around the globe to share intoxicating ideas, suggestions, stories, and ever-shifting tastes to a spirited community.
Proof StaffPublished 7 years ago in ProofIs Your Bartender Actually Into You?
Pull up your barstool if you’ve ever been stumped by that age-old question: is the girl or guy tending the bar actually flirting with me, or simply trying to lock in a good tip? Maybe she is just being nice and polite. Maybe those looks he’s giving me aren’t suggestive and I’m totally imagining things. Maybe I should stop smiling so much before I get caught by my wife/partner/best friend who I secretly quite like but haven’t found the perfect moment to say so yet. We feel your pain. And the good news for all those who joined us at the bar is we are here to help. Take a few hearty gulps of our free advice and you’ll soon know for sure if your bartender is actually into you.
Lynne ShumakerPublished 7 years ago in ProofHow to Throw a Great Wine Party
To most people, the thought of throwing a wine party is both terrifying and impossible; doing it well—or at all—is daunting at best. But armed with these few simple tips, anyone can successfully execute a fun, engaging wine party.
Grace TylerPublished 7 years ago in ProofVodka, the Versatile
Although true connoisseurs of vodka can distinguish between different brands by their aroma, weight and texture, most consumers merely enjoy it for its clean taste and smooth, silky character. Vodka is also noted for its refreshing bite, which makes it a good partner to oily and smoked foods, like caviar and smoked salmon.
Lynne ShumakerPublished 7 years ago in ProofHow to Treat a Hangover
It hits you like a ton of bricks. Before you’re even fully awake, you hear the alarms in your head going off “YOU DRANK TOO MUCH, YOU DRANK TOO MUCH, DO NOT OPEN YOUR EYES.” Thoughts of regret and shame come to mind, usually followed by a promise to never drink again (yeah, right). Once you get past the self-loathing, brain pounding, and stomach swirling, it seems your only mission in life is to find a way to feel better. Look no further, you are a now a student of Hangover Cures 101: covering prevention, common remedies and some gross ones as well.
Grace TylerPublished 7 years ago in ProofThings You Should Never Do In A Bar
Nights tearing up the town when you are young, single (that means anything but married) and not truly adulting is a glorious, fleeting phase. The rules of behavior and common decency at a bar were mere guidelines for conduct, or standards to work towards. After all, you are new to booze, or at least the bar scene. In your young 20s a “night” out often lasted until the wee AM hours, sometimes right up until you had to roll into your first class the following day. You could make out, hook up, excrete bodily fluids in public, strip, throw a punch, whatever. And all of these things were done on a somewhat judgement-free (or quickly forgotten) basis. Any indiscretion, insult or basically any A-Hole-ish behavior could be blamed on adolescence. Ahhh, those were the days.
Emily McCayPublished 7 years ago in Proof- Top Story - January 2017
29 Rules of Drinking
Most would agree that getting drunk is easy–but getting the right kind of drunk? Not so much. Nights spent drinking with friends are supposed to be some of the greatest times... but if you overdo it you will end up with your head in the toilet, or left with only a fuzzy recollection of that thing you definitely shouldn't have said. The art of drinking is undoubtedly a tricky one.
Emily McCayPublished 7 years ago in Proof