Yes, Las Vegas Still Sucks: The Aria
November 13, 2015
Las Vegas comprises equal parts Disney, Porn, and Walmart Shoppers. Pretty much three things that suck in their own ways. Combine them, and they triple suck. So whenever we are forced to come to Vegas, we do what we can to wiggle out of it.
One tactic is to use pricing to dissuade Vegas trips. You can set the price to HIGH (which I do), but the problem is that HIGH sometimes is “the way it is” and there is no avoiding a trip to Vegas using rational grounds.
Here we are. And this time we’re at the huge, modern Aria complex. Filled with smoke and Walmart shoppers trying to up their fine dining capability. Really. Just. Awful. Cows go moo. Cows eat grass. And they poop in their own food.
NPS finds itself in the Japanese wing. How do we know? Low floor. Sliding doors. Toilets that clean you against your will at the press of a button.
Sliding door is glass, no paper. But Japanese design.
Washy washy. Heated toilet seat
Ok then. Japanese toilet is also heated. @AriaLV pic.twitter.com/ruhCK5QVeF
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 13, 2015
Room 3042 is interesting in terms of angles. But it is cheap in terms of furniture. Like a theater set, it looks good (though a bit beige) from afar. Just don’t sit on the terrible furniture.
The couch is not comfortable. The chair is not comfortable. The veneer is thin.
This is not luxury, this is simulated nonsense.
All hail the TV
And there is a TV everywhere. Some don’t turn off.
Aria. Cheap ass furniture.
The bathroom is long, thin, and beige.
Some attention has been paid to the bathroom, which is one notch or maybe two over Marriott. But this is not luxury. Heck just compare ingredient quality with the Broadmoor. Or on second thought, don’t even bother.
Yuck.
The bed seems to be comfortable
Just because Vegas, we decided not to leave the compound during our prison sentence. That meant a cocktail at “Alibi” which could be a good bar, but just is not. That said, the people are great. The space has, yes, TVs, and a small assortment of bad booze (heavy on the crayon-level Scotch and Vodka). There is plenty of very loud noise.
All situations can be salvaged:
The problem with vegas @Alibiloungelv pic.twitter.com/pn8lWVD4Wz
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 13, 2015
There is this though @Alibiloungelv pic.twitter.com/CbK4lZqCNK
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 13, 2015
Kendall replaces it @Alibiloungelv
Experimental cocktail w allspice dram, calados, cider, St E walnut
The Five Eye pic.twitter.com/BiKy6ESBd9— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 13, 2015
Kendall, who is 24 and talented, made a drink called either “Kendall’s Fifth Eye” or “The Fifth Eye” as follows:
1 oz Calvados
1 oz unfiltered apple juice (hard cider would improve)
.75 allspice dram (cut to .5)
.25 walnut liqueur
Shake. Strain over big rock. Mint and citrus garnish.
Ultimately, this drink needs more attention. Try some Lairds Applejack or 12 year brandy to up its game.
Kendall was delightful.
Sage (restaurant), which takes some non-trivial finding, is good. Recommended.
Slow poached truffled egg with some potato. And look…foam! LOL. pic.twitter.com/6PpGUFIuWn
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 13, 2015
Dear @thedapperdiner, baby cow cheeks braised. Plus fritters. pic.twitter.com/1rxHwwJFfA
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 13, 2015
All told, we will stick to our plan to get the hell out of here as fast as possible. Take the money and run!
Aria, for at least being modern and cheap, you get two point five showerheads that is posing as if it’s four, and a nervous glance.
Renoir should have used more purple pic.twitter.com/F37rgKxzfh
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 13, 2015
Leopold Bros Distillery
November 12, 2015
Those of you who read NPS regularly know that in our studied opinion, Leopold Bros makes the best gin in the world (the small batch gin). We always have some on hand at the home bar. Part of the secret behind the gin is separate distillation of the aromatics which are then combined with the base alcohol. It’s magical stuff which has come to be known as the Leopold process.
So we already loved Leopold’s by default, but then we visited. Now we can’t say enough good things about the distillery, its products, and most importantly its people. Wow, what an operation!
Leopold Bros Distillery
We were given a tour by Alec Ropes, one of the seven Leopold Brothers employees. Yes, they work hard and they work passionately at Leopold’s! Alec was just great, spending three hours with us in intense conversation. We were geeking out on alcohol production, and boy was it fun.
The genius behind Leopold Bros distilling-wise is Todd Leopold, one of the two brothers. Todd is a practicing intellectual with a master craftsman sensibility backed by many years of experience and vast quantities of absorbed knowledge. We were incredibly pleased to get to spend a few minutes chatting with Todd even while a vodka run was heading into the tails.
Todd Leopold and his new old still
Todd and his brother Scott have built a distilling factory that is not only ultra-modern, it’s also environmentally sustainable. For example, a closed loop water system keeps water lossage (a huge deal for most alcohol production) way down. Natural light suffuses the floor, and a ceiling fan keeps the yeast aromas circulating with fresh air from the garden outside.
There are three types of still on line at Leopolds now.
German stills
Alembic stills
The new three layer still
Todd explained the new still’s operation to us. The four chambers all have different jobs to do during a twenty minute run, and the mash moves its way down the column between runs. The resulting process suffuces the water with as much flavor as the alcohol. (Looks like the new still goes along with the malting floor, the malt kiln, and the sherry barrels in the rickhouse. Hmm, what could they be up to?)
Tower still for vodka production
Special steam punk magic thingy
We paused for some pictures with Todd. What a great guy! Knowledgeable, funny, smart as a whip, and kind. Todd had some hilarious stories about the Denver health department people, physical phase transitions, and alcohol as a decontamination solution.
Antti flew in from Helsinki
Of course all distilling starts with beer (which is how Leopolds got its start in Ann Arbor years ago). Several different mashes are in use now at the distillery. I was surprised how viscous the rye mash is. Slippery goopy.
Open mash tanks made of cypress and pine
Eventually, alcohol is blended (Leopold Bros makes 22 products currently with some awesome new ones coming on line any month now) and put into barrels. There is lots of “three char” white American oak in the house.
Floor rick
Rickhouse with 2 or 3 barrel ricks
Alec with the product line
Of course we had to do some sampling. I already own 7 Leopold Bros products in my supply and was happy to add two more: Cherry Liqueur (to sub in for Heering) and a Digestif called something crazy due to American labeling laws. The Digestif is in the Benedictine/Chartruese range.
A mysterious new building at Leopold Bros
Anyway, thanks to Todd and Alec taking time out of their busy jobs to show around a couple of newby geeks. We loved it!
Absolutely stellar time with alec @leopoldbros. Incredible passion. pic.twitter.com/UKpnDulD7l
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 12, 2015
By the time we took off for dinner, the sun had set
When we arrived at the fantastic Colt and Grey for dinner, the first thing we did was call for some Leopold Bros cocktails.
Still glowing from @LeopoldBros! Now a corpse reviver #2 @ColtandGray with the best gin ever. pic.twitter.com/t7VilUSAc8
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 12, 2015
Negroni with double @LeopoldBros product. Real dactylopis coccus. pic.twitter.com/bvYoWw9HTk
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 12, 2015
Here’s to passion, science, craftsmanship, and kindness. Leopold Bros you have my loyalty all sown up for this lifetime!
Make yourself a cocktail with Leopold’s Gin today:
Blue Moon
Corpse Reviver #2
The Muse: New York City
October 6, 2015
The Muse is a new one on NPS. Our jaunts to NY often have us at 70Park or the Eventi. All three hotels are Kimpton properties. The Muse turns out to be very close to the Marriott Marquis where the conference I am keynoting is being held.
So here we are smack dab in the heart of Times Square tourist-land in NY. Hmm.
I arrived at the Muse just in time for the end of wine hour. After the prop-plane flight up on united, a glass of wine was just what the doctor ordered. Prop-plane? In 2015? Really?
The @united equipment. Global reach! pic.twitter.com/PVEZWKfnp6
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) October 5, 2015
The Muse is currently under massive renovation. From what we can tell from our room (915) the result will be fabulous.
Room 915 console
A few minutes after arrival, a nice amenity (cupcakes! and sparkling water) arrived with a note. Thanks to Sean Flanigan who heard tell of our arrival from the Boston spy ring and arranged for a nice welcome.
Kimpton Karma welcome amenity
915 comfortable bed
915
The bathroom is a bit crowded but very nicely appointed. The shower is great.
Not plastic! Two showerheads.
Another classic Kimpton touch worth pointing out. Kimpton knows that we all have devices to charge by the bed. So they make sure power is available. Together with the free wifi, we have all we need to get work done into the wee hours of the morning.
Power by the bed
Just after arrival is was off for a cocktail at Lantern’s Keep. Their mixology remains top notch even though Barman Bob is long gone (John has filled in very well indeed). I had a tweaked Manhattan made with Fernet.
Then we headed down to Bryant Park for dinner at Koi. Koi is very nice and impressed my starving college aged son.
There was a little time for some art at the Whitney museum.
All told, five showerheads for the Muse. It’s only drawback may well be its reason for existing in the first place (proximity to tourist-land).
2 of 11: Hotel Marlowe in Boston Accidentally Suite
September 22, 2015
Hotel Marlowe: 810
It all started well. United failed to suck. But then Hertz made up for it.
Hotel Marlowe was a welcome respite from the travel nonsense. So nice to be known at a property. Hotel Marlowe is a great place to arrive!
I was assigned 810 (a very nice upgrade with the right kind of shower). But sadly the HVAC situation was untenable even though the welcome was superb. Some great cheese and an actual craft cocktail deconstructed do make you feel welcome.
Bacon and cheese. Plus a note from Joe.
The makings for a craft cocktail. The “Cloak and Dagger.”
Cloak and Dagger
1.5 cask strength bourbon
.75 campari
.75 lillet rouge
stir down. serve up (NOT on the rocks Patrick). Express orange peel (no need to flame) and drop in.
A "cloak and dagger" cocktail from Hotel Marlowe @kimpton. Boston Yankee hone goodness. pic.twitter.com/nOuZEE9V7w
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) September 21, 2015
Then there was the HVAC problem. Not sure what was broken, but something was. Huge noise. In fact the noise seems to be an 8th floor problem. So we were switched over to the presidential suite by the accommodating front desk staff people.
Hey now Joe, why was it that the presidential suite was open again? Trying not to spoil us too much with your immense power? Too late! Busted by information flow!
Anyway, here we are back in 820.
Work was actually done. Room to work is greatly appreciated.
Work. Was. Done.
820 view
In 820 you can hang up your pants
820 shower not plastic
All is well. Did we mention the work that was done?
Then there were the restaurants.
Coppersmith is a new Southy restaurant. It is still working out the kinks. If you’re in for some dive dining (nothing fine about it) give Coppersmith a shot. But don’t expect anything more than a huge warehouse setting, overly chipper 20 year olds, and a model that is still chunky. Clunk.
A much better bet is Craigie on Main which has become the NPS go to restaurant in Cambridge. Just fantastic. Do not miss it. With a superior bar too.
Also very good, but not in the same league as Cragie is Giulia, a nice little Italian high cuisine restaurant that is somehow all the rage. Very stylish main courses outshone the not all that great appetizers. The bar program is likewise decent.
Then there was the Highball Lounge.
Boston at night
Boston at night
The Drake Hotel: Quirky Fun in Toronto
April 30, 2015
Room 205 Has This Little Guy
The Drake Hotel is in the up and coming part of Toronto that keeps surprising people by being so cool. It’s slightly ahead of its time, but its time is coming on fast. If you like quirky artist type stuff, the Drake is for you.
We were assigned room 205, which has a style all its own, featuring ridiculous furniture, interesting colors, and, well, a really big train luggage rack?!
The Drake 205
This couch is made for looking at mostly
Apparently there are no plastic showers at the Drake. For obvious reasons, No Plastic Showers affirms this with a stamp of approval.
Bathroom space set off by a thin curtain
Not a plastic shower to be found at the Drake
Rumor has it among the cocktail people of the planet that the bar here is very good indeed. We will have to find out later. We do appreciate the prefab cocktail capability found in the room. Ha.
Mixers in the brown bags
Checkin involved a friendly aussie. The net is fast and free. The sun is out on the patio in the cafe. Just nailing it today.
Oh and there was a pre-computed fill-in-the-blank note and a caramel popcorn amenity. That’s nice, though we are SO VERY SPOILED by the Kimpton people that we forget there is not a handwritten note, a gorgeous snack plate, a craft cocktail, and sparkling water in every hotel room. Alas.
Dear ____hotel_manager____ thanks for the note!
Five shower heads and a wink and a nod to the Drake hotel. Fun.
Too bad about the corporate dinner at the steakhouse thing (Hy’s). Would rather eat here.
Actually Hy’s turned out to have incredibly great service and a perfect atmosphere for our event.
Real cocktail @thedrakehotel thanks gordon pic.twitter.com/ysfMHjJenK
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) May 1, 2015
The bar at the Drake was a raucous and fun place for a late night drink or two. Excellent bourbon selection and very nicely crafted cocktails made by Gordon Hannah. Gordon was kind enough to provide cocktail recipes for two drinks, but morning came so early that they were somehow left behind at airport security or the global entry kiosk or something. Alas.
But there is hope. Savannah Morin, who mans the front desk email pile at the Drake, very kindly contacted Gordon and got the recipes. Here they are:
Rust and bone
1.5 oz cedar infused bourbon (apparently needs friends to be good)
.5 oz benedictine
.5 oz amaro nonino
stir, strain over a big cube, luxardo
Deliverance
1oz cedar infused bourbon
1 oz calvados
.5 oz fernet branca
.5 oz maple syrup
stir, serve over ice in a collins, apple slice garnish
World class mixology at the Drake peppered by disinterested beer drinkers and 20 somethings. Nice scene.
Oh, and never make promises after 4 cocktails at the Drake! Defaced books on their way.
Eight defaced titles (official)
Glassaholic: Moscow Mule
April 29, 2015
The Moscow Mule is very easy to make. About the only difficult bit is finding some copper Moscow Mule cups. That’s where Cardinal Spirits comes in. They provided me with some first run Vodka and some Moscow Mule cups last trip out to Bloomington.
So Moscow Mules it is!
Moscow Mule
1.5 oz Cardinal Vodka
1 wedge of lime
real ginger beer (barritts or home made)
pour the vodka over the ice, squeeze in the lime, add ginger beer. if you’re feeling adventurous, stir!
Cardinal Spirits, Bloomington, Indiana
Glassaholic: Old 48
April 19, 2015
The Old 48 is a cocktail that I came up with on the cusp of my 49th birthday. The heat from the hellfire bitters is a great blend with a not too sweet bourbon. I sometimes use Blanton’s bourbon and have also used Rye in variations. The hint of chocolate in this drink blends beautifully with the often cloying cherry to make something better than the sum of its parts.
Old 48
2 oz bourbon (basil-hayden)
1 oz blue Dolin’s vermouth (neither sweet nor dry!!)
.5 heering
1 dash chocolate bitters
6.5 drops Bittermen’s hellfire habañero bitters
Stir down. Strain over large cube. Lemon peel garnish (express and drop in).
Serving this on an ice sphere is far from necessary, but what the hell. Definitely do use a large piece of ice and not a pile of rocks if you can.
Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel
March 25, 2015
The Bayfront Hilton in San Diego has exceeded NPS expectations and set a new record for Hilton goodness. Lets see why.
One view from 2935
The other view from 2935
Getting here on Virgin was very good indeed and a huge step up over united. On time, relaxed, room to work, wifi. You go Virgin.
Seat 3C (the usual) on @VirginAmerica A320. Main cabin select is great. Hey @united, they have wifi. pic.twitter.com/tCryu8c15Y
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 24, 2015
Room 2935 is a hamster cage design, but it has two banks of windows with a gorgeous view of the city. A very nice room indeed.
Windows in 2935
From the door 2935
And the shower is glass. NPS approves.
Hilton has a glass shower.
One of Kimpton’s fun hacks is putting a fish (usually named Walter) in your room for your stay. Hilton is trying to go there by putting virtual fish on the TV. Not quite the same.
And now some good things and bad things about this Hilton.
Real hangers = good
iPod dock = good
Power by bed = good
Water for sale = bad
All in all we’ll give this hotel four showerheads, which is a definite step up for a major chain. Most excellent!
In other San Diego news, El Dorado bar has seriously great cocktails as well as a bunch of antique collection bourbon and rye on hand (real Stagg from multiple years for example). Brionnie Briem made a superb and masterful Sazarac (with Sazarac 18). The experimental cocktail she whipped up was only meh, but hey you can’t have everything!
Experiment
2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
t of fallernum (too sweet!! too sweet!!)
2 dashes Angostura
lemon zest
Lou and Mickey’s is still a great place for a steak. Amazingly, they can handle a group dinner of over 20 without a hitch (perfectly cooked everything). Well done chef!
The secret speakeasy Noble Experiment is an oasis of hip in San Diego. Superb entrance, great skull decor, and best of all seriously good cocktails. My spoiled cocktail geek friends and home brewers all loved it.
We were served by Jesse Ross who was happy to play. Though my friends started with a Nevada (nice to see that on the list), but I went straight for the fun.
Pine and Rye
2 oz sazarac 6 rye
.25 oz sapping (a piney French concoction)
.75 oz Dolin’s dry
heavy dashes of Pernod Absinthe
This drink was so similar to what I have been drinking at home lately (the old 48) that it was a shock! Serve on a big cube with a healthy slice of orange peel. Boozy deliciousness.
Non-cyn Thriller
1.5 oz Whistle pig rye
.75 oz Port
.75 oz Campari
dashes of Chocolate Mole Bitters
We ended the evening with some 2014 George T Stagg. Hotter than the last couple of years, but something unbalanced about it.
The evening was just super fantastic. Do not miss Noble Experiment if you find yourself in San Diego.
Glassaholic: Sexual Chocolate
January 30, 2015
This is a drink discovered in Denver, Colorado at the Williams and Graham bar (quite a fantastic place). This cocktail was invented by Chad Michael George one evening with a gaggle of geeks—a delicious beverage that runs hot and a little sweet with a bitters kicker.
Sexual Chocolate
2 oz Rye (barrel proof)
.75 oz Cocchi Torino vermouth
.5 oz Cynar
teaspoon of cherry liqueur (heering or luxardo)
7 drops chocolate bitters
stir. strain over big cube. add a luxardo cherry on skewer
Dirty Habit Outdoes Self: Cocktails to Travel For
January 16, 2015
The best part of the Palomar Hotel in San Francisco is the masterful bartending of Brian Means at Dirty Habit. Always learn something every time. Thanks Brian. (For you twitter people, see @myamericandram.)
Tonight it was a curry bourbon cocktail on the savory side that was just fantastic. Then a punch. We’ll call it On the Fly:
6 oz pierre ferrand 1840 cognac
6 oz citadelle gin
4 oz pierre ferrand dry curaçao
4 oz lemon juice
4 oz pomelo cordial (pomelo, sugar, jasmine tea)
12 oz prosecco
create. top with shaved cinnamon and black cardamon plus orange slices.
punch! @dirtyhabit by @myamericandram https://t.co/wJdget8t0e
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) January 16, 2015
And there was Hirsch 20. Holy cow.
Special thanks to Christopher Smith for finagling a table during a busy time.
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