Moscow Mule with @TahoeBlueVodka @RedRockBar

Belly up to the Red Rock Bar and chill out to Reese's tunes.  He was hitting the Beatles hard while we were there last weekend, and I was loving it.  I'm not sure where he finds his remixes, but they are pretty amazing.

If music isn't your thing, Reese is from New Zealand and has a fantastic accent, as well as does an awesomely killer impression of Rodney Dangerfield.

If you are just in this for the drinks, then Reese is also a kick-ass bartender.

When Neon Beast and I got to the bar, our friends were already deep into their Moscow Mules.  Their copper glasses were advertising local awesomeness Tahoe Blue Vodka, so I thought I'd go ahead and give it a go.   Since I'm not overly fond of beer, this was my first full Moscow Mule, although I had tried someone else's at another bar recently.

I think Reese set out to get us "up to speed" with our friends, and made that drink really strong.  I loved the strong flavor of the beer mixed with the lime juice, which is my favorite mixer in drinks.  The vodka did sort of get lost in the rest of the flavors for me, but I'll have to try it by itself sometime in the future.

The drink was delicious, but it set me back.  I was glad that I didn't drive, in fact I didn't even really want another drink.  Reese seemed really disappointed that I ordered just a water afterwards, but since they came to about $8 each, my money was spent for the night.  Unemployment will do that to you I guess.  Although $8 didn't really break the bank, it was a little on the pricer end for bar.

All in all it had an amazing kick to it, was very tasty.  The bar itself is a great space, with pool tables downstairs and a small bar upstairs.  It felt like a house party, and people drifted in and out for drinks.  If you are looking for a great drink and a good bar to hang around for awhile, I would strongly suggest Red Rock Bar.  I know I'll most likely be back soon.

Red Rock Bar
241 S Sierra St, Reno, NV 89501
(775) 324-2468

Monday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Tuesday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Wednesday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Thursday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Friday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am

  

Drink Responsibly

Late last week a close friend's life unexpectedly came to an end.  He had the perfect life: An amazing job as a teacher where he inspired many kids, a beautiful wife, and 2 amazingly brilliant children.  At 11 and 8, my heart breaks for them, as I can't imagine losing a parent at a worse time in their lives.

He was struggling with a substance abuse problem, although we aren't sure yet what finally ended his time here.  Alcoholism is one of the worst diseases to manage, because as a friend if you reach out to help, you end up not helping.  Almost anything you try is considered enabling, and you feel helpless.  It is truly a no-win situation.

The city he lived in (outside of Nevada) did not have inpatient rehab, but just had a 3 day detox program. He went several times, but did not end up getting the full help he needed for the long term.  His entire community will be worse off for it, as he was devoted in everything he gave them.  I do hope that in the future they end up having better facilities in his town.

I feel that just saying "Drink Responsibly"does not go far enough at all. I could tell you to take care of your friends and make sure they are in treatment if they need help, but they have to seek out help on their own.  There is nothing much that you can do unless they want to seek help, so don't beat yourself up about anything that might happen.  My friend had everything to live for, but he needed to want to get better.  He was putting forth the effort, but sometimes it's like fighting against an undertow.

So just do the best that you can do, and seek out the most amount of help you can if you need it, in all things.  At some point in everyone's life they need help from someone else.  Don't ever turn down someone offering their help when you have fallen.  Don't ever be afraid to ask for help.  Don't be ashamed to ask for help, no one will judge you for wanting to better yourself.

Everyone is loved.  Please get help if you need it.

Find a Rehab Center in Nevada Here

Find a Rehab Center in the US Here

If you need to chat with someone about a problem please click here

The Grapes of Wrath @ZBarRenoNV

I dare anyone to try and knock KJ of Z Bar out of the running for my favorite bartender/bar owner.  He's everything you want; cool, good looking, friendly.  He remembers you after only a few times in, and it makes me only want to go there.  During the day I even say "Hi KJ!" as I'm driving past the totally empty bar.

He's never made anything for me that I didn't like.  Although last time I was in there he lost faith in me and my ability to take spicy drinks to another level.

I'm stupidly the kind of person who takes the spicy level as a challenge.  If someone says "You can't handle the 10"  Then I make it a 10 and eat/drink it and say it's not that bad, even if it is.

KJ makes his own little infused blend that he puts into the vodka for the drink I ordered, called the Grapes of Wrath.  He asked me how I handle spice, and my head said "challenge accepted!"  and I told him to bring it all.  He looked at me with total disbelief and said "Are you sure?" and basically looked at me like I was crazy the entire time he was making the drink.

The Grapes of Wrath is a pretty simple drink, it only includes his Habanero infused vodka, lime, and simple syrup.  It pours out pretty clear, as you can see from the picture above.  The lime zest on top of the grapes was pretty fun in itself, but the drink was pretty amazing.  I did wimp out and ask for a water with it, which he brought me with a tiny slice of cucumber.  He really knows how to make a drink and take care of a girl.

It's certainly not for the faint of heart, but wow was it amazing.  I'm not sure if I would order it again, but if I was looking for just one drink and I was out for the night, it would certainly be this one.  Besides, he has so many of his well crafted cocktails on the constantly changing menu, I have to keep up trying them all!  No time to pick a favorite drink now, there are far too many to try.

Later on a guy ordered a drink with the vodka, and KJ asked me if he thought I should half it for him.  I asked the guy how his spice level was, he said "intermediate."  I smiled at KJ and told him "You better half it for him."

Z Bar
1074 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502
(775) 348-1723

Monday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Tuesday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Wednesday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Thursday	4:00 pm – 12:00 am
Friday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	4:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	Closed

  

Beast Post: @1864Tavern Packs Quite a Picon Punch

Neon Beast Guest Post

As a boy growing up in a small town in northern Nevada I was fortunate to share in the rich heritage of the large Basque community in the area.  It was and still is very full of great music, dance, friendships, and most important to me, food and drinks.   I did not, as a rule, engage in underage drinking of alcohol.  Everyone else around me did, but I was a rebel.  I do remember breaking that rule on three occasions.  One was a shot of Jose Cuervo at 18 when a friend was killed.  One was a Screwdriver at a party one month before I turned 21.

The last underage drink was a Picon Punch. That I had at the wedding of a Basque friend when I was 19.  It was in Winnemucca and I had gone with another friend to pick up the old Basque bartender at the Winnemucca Hotel for the wedding.  When we arrived he was making up a giant pitcher of Picon Punch for the wedding the only way he knew how: one at a time!  He would mix up a glass, then pour it into the pitcher and start the next one (which I've always found odd for something called a punch).  Eventually he finished and later that night I decided to sneak one. I immediately fell in love with it.  Strong, for sure, but still sweet and complex, it was my first real cocktail.

To this day I still enjoy them anytime I pass through Winnemucca (though sadly the old bartender has passed on and the Winnemucca Hotel is closed) or stop at a Basque restaurant.
If you don't know, the Picon Punch is the official drink of the Basque.  It was almost the official drink of the State of Nevada, but can't seem to get through the legislature. One day, I hope...

The heart of the drink is a little French apertif known as Amer Picon.  This liquor is made from some very bitter oranges soaked in alcohol, then re-distilled and flavored with such ingredients as gentiana root (apparently some king of flower), and chinchona bark (it contains quinine, both a popular ingredient for Bitters as well as a treatment for Malaria!).  Curiously, Amer Picon used to pack quite a punch at 78 proof.  However, over the last few decades it has eased up to a much more civilized, if not as much fun, 42 proof. Add grenadine and soda water, a floater of brandy, and a twist of lemon peel and you have what is still my favorite cocktail.

This brings me to the Picon Punch served at the 1864 Tavern in Reno.  At $5 (currently) it is a a great deal for one of their signature cocktails.  Each are crafted by experienced and very dapper bartenders in the traditional way to perfection.  But, what really sets this apart is the grenadine. You see most places just by the bottled stuff, which is really just corn syrup, red food coloring, preservatives, and some "flavoring".  The "flavor" is kind of fruity, though no one really knows which fruit it's supposed to be. The gurus at 1864 make their own grenadine from pure pomegranate juice (that's the fruit it's supposed to be!!!), and believe me it makes all the difference in the world.  In short, it's perfection.

While Northern Nevada is blessed with plenty of Basque bars and restaurants, I don't think you will find a better Picon Punch than 1864 Tavern's, unless maybe inside the ranch house of an 80 year old Basque shepherd.  If only they served Chorizo...

~TNB

1864 Tavern
290 California Ave, Reno, NV 89509
(775) 329-1864

Monday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Tuesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Wednesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Thursday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Friday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	3:00 – 11:00 pm

Whiskey Sour and "Reno" Juice @1864Tavern

I have a confession.  I love 1864 Tavern.  It is everything I want in a bar.  Great affordable drinks, amazing decor, and it is a Nevada themed bar all the way. 

For those of you not paying attention in your Nevada History class, 1864 was the year we became a state.  You might remember because last year we had that whole 150th anniversary thing.  I heard it was fun.  I was in Las Vegas at the time, so I didn't really get to celebrate.  The only state they are in is the state of flux(or).

Back to happier things!  1864 Tavern has fuzzy wallpaper, and Nevada trivia cards at the tables, as well as board games so that you are intellectually stimulated as well having a good buzz going.  While I was there I heard people getting the trivia ghastly wrong, as well as a few people debating on how Tesla coming would impact our economical status in the city.  It was nice because the music wasn't so loud that the only thing I could hear was my companion yell "I'm soooooooooooooooooooo wasted!"  When that is all you've heard the last 10 years, it's nice to be back to a place where people have a brain in their heads.

I went a little while back after seeing Game Show Show at Good Luck Macbeth.   It stars the Utility Players, and everyone's favorite Amanda Alvey.  She is also a stand up comedian who happens to be my BFF.  If you are having trouble choosing a favorite female comedian in the next "Best of" poll, just pick her.  You'll be doing the right thing.

Although I usually go for a Picon Punch, I decided to branch out and order a Whisky Sour, as I saw they made it with real eggs.  (Don't worry, Neon Beast is covering the Picon Punch in the next post) I had a taste of someone else's when I was visiting Oakland that was so amazing, so I was looking forward to this one.

The bartender was new (to me), and it looked yummy to start.  I knew it would be my only boozy drink of the night, so it took awhile for me to start drinking it.  Maybe that was my mistake, because it was really sour.  The Neon Beast tried it and puckered up like that old Bitter Beer Commercial.  I liked it well enough, but I nursed it for a good long while because I couldn't take a lot at once.

Because I was driving, I decided to check out the juice menu for my next drink.

Since I'm not a big fan of Beets or Kale, I decided to go for a Reno.  Cucumber, Lemon, Honey, and Ginger seemed like it would be a good combination.  That turned out to be an understatement.  Though it was a little heavy on the ginger, it was seriously amazing.  All the flavors come together in a strong, but amazing way.  Sort of like how our state is strong.

It's non-alcoholic, but I'm calling it an official contender.  Strong flavors should represent our state.  The only thing that would make it better was if it had sage or pine.  We could link it up with Home Means Nevada and call it a day.

                                                                 The "Reno" Juice

1864 Tavern
290 California Ave, Reno, NV 89509
(775) 329-1864

Monday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Tuesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Wednesday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Thursday	3:00 – 11:00 pm
Friday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday	3:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sunday	3:00 – 11:00 pm

 

The Pipeline Lounge Dirty Martini @SandsReno

A few weeks back my good friend Ali of Raven and Rabbit agreed to meet up and see a Utility Players Show.  She and her business recently moved from Denver to the Reno area, and I couldn't be more happy to have a friend from my old digs.

When I got the diet talk from my doctor, she told me I had to go low carb.  I was sad of course, but I managed to look up some low carb cocktails and see that a dirty martini was the only one I was interested in.  I'm in for any drink that also comes with a small snack.  I was a little spoiled in Vegas when I tried my first one at Studio 54, and it was delicious.  The next best one was at GoldSpike, although their glasses were always just a tad too dirty for my taste. It's not the glassware that is supposed to be the dirty part, to all you dirty martini beginners.

After all that Vegas Neon, the Sand's is a little more colorful of a casino than I'm used to.  Let me put it this way...their ceilings are really low.  The filtration system could also use some work.  That being said, they have an awesome show in the Utility Players, and a nice bartender at the Pipeline Lounge.  I'm not much of a beer person, so I ordered a dirty martini with a pink tinge to my cheeks.  He didn't even make fun of me, he just asked if he could serve it in a regular glass, as they didn't have any martini glasses.  I was relieved that I wouldn't stand out with an obnoxious glass and wholeheartedly agreed.

As if to remind me that I was no longer in Viva Las Vagueness, an awesome retired gentlemen offered to pay for our drinks.  Ali and I ended up talking with him for bit while we waited for the doors to open to the show, and my cocktail was pretty darn good.  It's pretty easy to screw up a dirty martini, but this man was sitting up and paying attention in bartender school. Had I been wearing a hat, I would have tipped it to him.

Since it is one of my favorite drinks, I'd love to consider it for our state drink.  However, it does not have a local ingredient.  In fact, growing an olive tree is actually not that cool here.  Seeing as how olives pretty much make a dirty martini, it looks like the search continues.

Sands Regency Hotel & Casino
345 N Arlington Ave.
Reno, NV 89501
775.348.2200
Open 24 Hours

The Rules

Rules were meant to be broken of course, but it is good to have some ongoing guidelines to make sure I'm sticking to some sort of protocol.

According to Wikipedia, "Official" State Beverages are not always alcoholic.  In fact, around 20 of them state that their official state drink is milk.  Alabama is the only one that just goes for the gusto and goes with booze.  So with that, the number one rule is:








1. The State Drink Does Not Have to be Alcoholic 

Although I'm sure not ruling it out.  I think we are a cool enough state to graduate from just milk.

While going through my research I found this article about state related drinks to check out. Nevada had a "Desert Scrub" with repasado tequila, grapefruit juice, and Italian sparklingly white wine.  I really like how the name of the bar is called Sage, even if it is located in Las Vegas.  It's important to me, and I think ALL Nevadians, that the state drink be as "local" as possible.  That being said, the second rule is:

2. The State Drink Should Have at Least One Local Ingredient, or Have Local Origins.

When I was making these rules, I asked the Reno Foodies Facebook Group what qualifications they would put to the Official State Drink. James, a member of the group, stated that it should be "At least 80 proof AND is less than $13.99 a 1.75L."  He also said it should be PBR.  I strongly disagree, but he had a point about the price.

This was one thing that always got me in Vegas.  You can't get a cocktail for less than $12.00, and none of them are great.  Our drink should not only be tasty, but it should not cost you more than a meal of All-You-Can-Eat Sushi.  That means the third rule is:

3. The State Drink Must Be Affordable

I'm going to intentionally leave that vague, because sometimes the price is worth it if it is a great drink.  However, with my current pay grade it's not likely I'll try that Golden Opulence Sundae or The Five Star anytime soon.  If you'd like to buy me a drink, click on the donate button in the sidebar.

This is all I have so far!  I'll update this as I get more suggestions from everyone.  Feel free to leave a comment or email me at drinknevada@gmail.com if you have an idea!