So the holidays are here… and that means a variety of things to different people. To my family in Cali it meant a visit from the a guy that was so drunk he stumbled into a family party and pretended to be jewish thinking he could join the fun ( My family is Catholic, and my uncle told him we were jewish just to see what he would say). To my neighbor “Beefhaus” the holidays mean that he can get drunk and stumble into peoples parties and convince them they are jewish (”Beefhaus” is Catholic… Notice a trend here?).

But to most people it means shopping on African-american Friday, bad holiday sweaters, It’s a Wonderful life, dry turkey, and of course, drinking. Whatever your reasons may be, whether its uncle John and his bottle of 18 McCallan, Aunt Polly’s box wine that is “way better than that crap in a bottle,” or my dog that knows how to open the fridge and puncture a beer enough to drink while I watch KU kill Tennessee Tech, we all like to drink around the holidays.

90% of the year is dedicated to those drinks which have become standard in our society: beer, wine, margarita’s, mixed drinks, Jager, and shots of whatever you think your friends will like least. Certain drinks though, are reserved for festive times of the year when they make more sense. Apple cider is great for All Hallows Eve. Green Beer is reserved for Saint Patty’s, and sparkling wine is for New Year’s. However, Jesus’ Birthday means Eggnog… and I never knew it until I made it myself.

Eggnog has a bad rap. When you think of eggnog you probably think of either salmonella or the clumpy-goopy sour milk that occupies the acme back shelves until someone stumbles onto it looking for vanilla soy milk.

Eggnog itself is a beautiful beverage, when made from scratch. Back in the 1800’s it was a drink of the aristocracy. Milk, cream, and brandy, were luxuries that few peasants could afford. Eggnog, like so many other classic beverages had a hard transition to modern times. Eggnog’s flavor is something that is hard to attain with high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavoring. Because of this, and it’s seasonal association, a dedication to quality eggnog has not really happened yet. So what does one do since there is no good eggnog to be found?

Make it yourself! So welcome to the first Manayunk Drink Specials “Cocktail Recipe.” In the future I will probably come up with some clever name… but for now I just want to show you how to make eggnog.

Here is what you need: 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups Heavy whipping cream, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups whole milk, 300 mL Rum(1/3 of a normal bottle), 4 shots of Bourbon. [Manayunkdrinkspecials.com recomends Cruzan rum, and Maker's Mark]

To start you want to separate the egg whites, from the yoke. You can accomplish this by calling your mom and having her explain how to separate egg whites. Put them in different bowls, and then split the sugar between the two bowls. [If you think you are messing up, don't worry, it will taste okay even if you just put the ingredients in a blender]. Mix the mixtures separately. The egg white and sugar portion, needs to be beaten pretty well- It should be semi-thick. The next step is to pour the white-mix and the yoke-mix together.

Mix slowly in a mixer, and gradually add your milk and HALF of your Cream [the other half is for a whipped cream topping]. After the milk/cream is added slowly mix in your alcohol. It is going to seem like a lot of booze… guess what, it is. The coolest part of this cocktail is that the alcohol is covered up just right. One Eggnog would have Scrooge singing Christmas carols with the hobos on Market street. Make sure you top the liquid with whipped cream, and sprinkle a little nutmeg or something on top. Hocus-Pocus, that is all there is to it. Give it a try and tell me what you think. If anyone has any war stories or amendments to the recipe please leave it in the comments or send us an email. Enjoy!

This is hopefully to be the first of many chronicles detailing the history of alcohol.
At Manayunk drink specials we care both about what is going on right now, and how we got here.So here is an article is about 3 famous people and what they drank… We left Tara Reid out, sorry.

Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill, was a nobel prize winning writer, a diplomat, a military genius, and one of the greatest speakers of all time. He was also one of the most compelling figures in alcohol that ever existed. He drank constantly, but never seemed to get drunk. It is thought in retrospect that Churchill’s drinking was self-medication for bipolar disorder. Sir Winston drank all day generally… Beer with lunch, Whisky with tea, and then some random assortment of beverages through dinner and during his socializing.

There are many notable alcohol related anecdotes that go along with his brilliant career. While fighting in South Africa the water was said to be undrinkable. Churchill apparently fixed the problem by adding whisky, eventually learning to tolerate it.
His most notorious drinking buddy was by far Joseph Stalin, Churchill and Stalin would drink attempting to convince each other to abandon their political beliefs.

Churchill while in attendance at a reception and found himself seated next to a conservative Methodist bishop. A waitress brought around a tray of sherry glasses. Churchill took one, and then she offered one to the Methodist bishop. The bishop was repulsed at the alcoholic offer, and said, “Young lady, I’d rather commit adultery than take an intoxicating beverage.”To which Churchill beckoned the girl. “Come back, lassie; I didn’t know we had a choice.”

Another famous incident: Sir Winston was called out for being drunk by Bessie Braddock. Winston replied “”And you, madam, are ugly. But I shall be sober tomorrow.”

He is famously quoted for saying: “I have taken more from alcohol than it has taken from me.”

Winston Churchill’s Drink of choice:

He Had many. he was great friends with Alexander Walker ( owner of Johnny Walker distillery), and Johnny walker was said to be his favorite scotch- It is hard to make out which came first. He drank beer with lunch, and often Champagne with dinner. The Champagne was notable because even during the war he allowed his guests to have unlimited amounts of it. His favorite Champagne was Pol Roger, and his favorite brandy was Hine.
He also loved a good Martini (Gin), but had a peculiar way of drinking it. Whenever he ordered a Martini before it was poured he would insist that the bartender put the bottle of vermouth up on the bar so that he could verify that there was no vermouth in it. This is now called to as a “Churchill Martini.”

Andre the Giant

Like Napoleon, Andre the Giant was also a fabulous drinker for his size… except his size was 7 feet 4 inches, and 540 lbs. If you don’t know anything about Andre here are the quick details: Andre was French, He was hilarious in the movie “the Princess Bride,” and he could very well have been the greatest drinker in history.

Andre was also know for his drunken antics. He one time got into a scuffel with 4 guys at a bar, and ended up flipping their car over with all four inside.He didn’t get in any trouble either because apparently the police didn’t believe it was plausible for a car full of people to be flipped by a giant.

Andre’s drink of choice:

Beer and a lot of it.Here are some numbers to put your head around: Andre once drank 119 12oz beers in six hours (that is one beer every three minutes). The craziest part is that 119 beers isn’t even the most he drank in a single sitting. It has been confirmed that he once drank 157 12oz beers in a single sitting. The Best estimates figure that he drank 7,000 calories of booze everyday.To give you an idea of how much it costs to drink like a giant: During the one month shooting of “The Princess Bride,” Andre stayed in a hotel and his Bar tab at the end of the month was $40,000.

Napoleon Bonaparte

A fabulous drinker for his size. Like in war, he was known for surprising a bigger foe with what he could accomplish. His love for the drink began at an early age, as his family owned a vineyard, but blossomed in his adulthood. There are all sorts of interesting facts about his drinking: For instance one of Napoleon’s drinking cups was made from the skull of the famous Italian adventurer Cagliostro. Napoleon’s name is still on the label of many brandies… If you do see it, this means that it has been aged at least 4 years.

He is attributed to the famous quote:”In victory you deserve champagne, in defeat you need it.” It is also worthy of noting that Napoleon is assumed to have been slowly poisoned to death (arsenic), but a side effect of the poisoning was
an excessive thirst. He was said to be drinking high levels of orgeat syrup among other things in order to quench his thirst. (It is a shame he didn’t live to the invention of the Mai Tai, probably the only major cocktail that still uses orgeat syrup.
It would also be a great drink to have while stuck on an island slowly being poisoned to death.)

Napoleon’s drink of Choice:

He had many. Chambertin was supposedly his favorite wine, and in the specific category of alcohol he drank it almost exclusively. Napoleon insisted that it be available to him even during military campaigns. The Chambertin vineyard is located in the Cote de Nuits district of Burgundy. The wine was originally cultivated sometime around the mid 1200’s as a secular competition to the Abbey of Beze. The quality of the wine gained renown in the mid 1700’s and it’s value skyrocketed. In 1791 the wine peaked at 777 livres an ouvree ( with 1 livre being about a daily wage for a peasant). Tragedy struck Napoleon though when he was retreating from Russia. His entire cellar of Chambertin was stolen by Cossacks (supposedly), adding insult to injury.

Aside from Chambertin, Cognac was a favorite drink of Napoleon’s (at least during exile). In 1811 Napoleon visited the cognac warehouses of Emmanuel Courvoisier in Bercy. He was apparently greatly impressed with the quality and made it the official cognac of his court. Legend has it that Napoleon I later took several barrels of cognac with him to St Helena, a treat much appreciated by the English officers on the ship who named it “The Cognac of Napoleon.”

Kildare’s pub: $3000 grand prize for the best costume. starting at 9 DJ Crazy. Drink specials: $2 bud lights $6 Three olives mini pitchers.

Dawson Street Pub: EJ Simpson performs the music From Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the Dan Kaufman band. Drink specials are yet to be determined.

Bourbon Blue: Q102 Halloween Party. $500 prize for the best costume, and 52 Pickup will be performing. Drink specials: $3 miller light and $3 you call 10-12pm.

Castle Roxx: $25 three hour open bar… and the Phillies.

Manayunk Brewery: Ghosts and Goblins party. $1000 Grand Prize for the best costume. Buy tickets at the door or in advance for a discount.

The Bayou: Scary-okie all night and a best costume prize yet to be determined.

Sapphire: $300 cash prize for best costume. $25 open bar. The staff will be dressed as pimps and ho’s.

Yunkers: Sexy costume contest 9pm.

Cactus Cantina: Halloween Party $200 cash prize for best costume. Drink Specials $3 three olives drinks.

JD McGillicuddy’s: Halloween party on Friday.

Beer Dinner at Derek’s in Manayunk

Wednesday, October 21, 2009. 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM $50 per person

The chefs at Derek’s have have taken our beer and masterfully paired them with their own cuisine. The dinner will start at 7pm, please feel free to call Derek’s about seating.

Mango Moon Infusion Contest Judging.

October 22nd, 2009. $5 a person to sample various infusions.

The winner of the contest is getting $500, so you know that there will be some cool adult beverage.

Thursday October 22nd, 2009. Dawson Street Pub.

Gourmet Cheese and beer tasting- $15

If you think that beer isn’t given the culinary respect that it deserves, this event is for you. Craft beer pair masterfully paired with the highest quality cheese… yum.

Ever wanted to learn how to brew beer?

The Garage (443 Shurs Lane) will teach you. $10 gets you a hands-on tutorial from master brewers and 2 free craft beers. Learn a little more about the stuff that you have been putting in your body for years.

October 25th, 2009 @3:30pm

“We are the bar for everybody” owner Jeff Kurz said to me when asked to describe Pitchers. When I looked around the room, I realized he was 100% right. From suits to sweats, the most unifying aspect of the Thursday crowd was that they understood a good value and wanted to have a good time. I don’t blame them; after my experience at Pitchers I will be back… and I will be back a lot.

One of the main reasons that I plan on frequently returning is the renaissance that is happening in the tiny kitchen in the back of Pitchers. I want to be the first person to say:
remember the name Joshua George. If two years from now I see Josh on T.V. with his own cooking show, I won’t be surprised. If 4 years from now Josh is running the FDA, I won’t be surprised. The work that he is doing is at the highest level, and I am saying that with 6 years and 8 executive chefs worth of experience under my belt.

The atmosphere at Pitchers, a self proclaimed “dive-bar,” is more than misleading. Hidden carefully under the mask of a broken marquee sign and beer treated hardwood lies an unexpected quality. The staff is kind and fun-loving. They work hard, and have a blast doing it. The wood that lines the walls, bar, and floor is warm and inviting. The jerseys and sports mementos fit well next to the 3 huge 72-inch televisions that get any game a philly sports fan would care about. The best decoration by far, and Pitchers namesake, are the cheap pitchers of beer found everywhere. I knew when I walked in I wasn’t leaving sober.

Compared to the transient nature of Manayunk, Pitcher’s Pub celebrates some longevity. In the same location since before Manayunk’s gentrification in the 90’s, the bar has been on Main street since before Main street was “Main street.” Current owner Jeff Kurtz and his sister Melissa took over operations in 2005. What they took over was at the best of times trashy, and at the worst of times unmanageable. They believed in Pitchers, so Jeff sold his waste removal business that he had owned since he was 18 to go clean up a mess. Four years later the bar has been rejuvenated, and business continues to get better everyday.

Since Jeff and Melissa have been running the bar they have been known for two things: “cheap specials, and good prices.” But recently, there is something new going on in the so-called ‘dive-bar’. “We are trying better food… we want to give a better option than normal bar food.” To accomplish this, ringer Joshua George was brought in. In his 50 straight days of working (no days off thus far), Josh has accomplished the quickest change of a food-service establishment I have ever heard of… and the craziest part is that he is only 23.

Joshua George has been working on lines since he was 15, and a competitive chef since he was 17, but his culinary feats don’t stop there. He was Top in his class at Johnson and Wales, where he was on scholarship after being a finalist in a recipe contest. He has been a personal chef for aristocrats in cape cod, a contributor to a project geared toward fighting childhood obesity, and a cook in Italy for 4 months. In 315 more days he will be 1 of 69 people in America who are both Executive Chef’s and Registered dietitians. All of these experiences can be seen in his re-design of American bar-food.

Notable Creations on the Pitcher’s Pub Menu are things like the “Black and Blue Ribeye Sandwich” ($8, pictured above). The sandwich starts with a Sarconi and Sons artisan long roll upon which thinly sliced blackened Beef Ribeye is placed with caramelized yellow onions and blue cheese that is hand crumbled off a wheel.

Another classic example of Josh’s culture collaboration is the “Philly Cheese Steak Sub Pie.”($8, left half of pizza, the right half is ‘Sausage and Broccoli Rabe”) It is a traditional white pizza topped with the aforementioned thinly sliced beef rib-eye, sauted peppers & onions, crisp shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, and American cheese. The menu says that it serves 1-3 people. If you are trying to be that single person to eat a whole pizza you had better be on a mission from god.

There is no way I could write about the food without mentioning the Wings (10 for $6 or 20 for $11). There are 9 different versions. The craziest/ most interesting of which would be: Honey-Jalapeno, Teriyaki with garlic-wasabi aioli, Suicide, and of course, the deaf wings. The menu claims the deaf wings are “so hot it’ll make you go deaf.” I have yet to see someone lose their hearing, but the deaf wings can certainly inflict some pain.

In addition to the regular menu is a daily amendment made that makes it difficult to not go everyday. Monday is Panzaritti ($6), Tacos on Tuesday ($1 for a large American-style taco), Steak and burgers on Wednesday, Thursdays and Sundays feature 25 cent wings (including the deaf wings), $6 brick oven pizzas on Friday, and Saturday is $5 Quesadilla day.

Pitcher’s is a great place to go for pretty much any reason. Good beer, good food, and good prices. It is a fun place to go no matter who you are, and the bonus is that you won’t blow your paycheck on the good time. Jeff, Melissa, Josh, and all the staff are doing some cool things that everyone would be better having experienced. So go check it out.

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Pitcher’s Pub is located at 4326 Main street, Philadelphia, PA. The phone number is (215) 487-1370‎.