Though the weather's turning cool, we managed a "cocktail hour" on the porch one afternoon this week. Granted, the portable heaters were needed but it was still quite pleasant. After short discussion, we settled on the Old Fashioned as our libation as choice. 

Lately I've been turning to whiskeys on my shelves that I haven't opened in a while. Often first impressions don't do a whiskey justice. One's mood, the foods recently eaten, the weather, many factors influence the enjoyment. The same is true with cigars, although I am admittedly more apt to stick with my initial judgments when I don't enjoy a specific cigar. Maybe the higher of the beverages allows for more second chances.

Left to my own devices Friday evening while Colleen visited with friends, I made a short visit to a local brewery, then capped the evening with a late night cigar and bourbon at home. Some Penelope Four Grain Straight Bourbon and a United Cigars Firecracker, all paired with a bit of truffle chocolate filled the bill.

It's no secret I am not a fan of cold weather. Deep down, I think it's mostly the early sunsets that affects the mood the most. Smoking on the deck in the dark AND cold can dampen the spirit. Fall is not bad, but it portends the coming of winter. 

Enough with the pumpkin already!

Old Elk is a label I've only recently paid much attention to. My initial foray into the brand was the Old Elk Cigar Cut. That delicious libation led to reading more about the brand, which led to a few more of their expressions being added to my "wish list." Many of those were readily available in Virginia, but I hadn't gotten around to picking any up. Then I saw on the VA ABC website that several were listed as "closeout items" and marked 50% off. With that event in play, I could delay no longer. I went to my local store and picked up bottles of Double Wheat Whiskey and Cognac Cask Finish Bourbon. I noted that the Cigar Cut was among those discounted, but alas I was too late to grab that one.

The Old Elk Double Wheat is a blend of the brand's Wheat Whiskey and their Wheated Bourbon releases. The final product checks in at 107.1 proof. The aroma is robust with sweet dough and cinnamon. My initial thought was "dessert," as a fresh baked cinnamon bun came to mind. Sipping added caramel and a bit of warmth to the mix. As the "double wheat" appellation hints, the sweetness of wheat is the dominant flavor. Rest assured, it's not cloying or overpowering. I would have paid the full $100 MSRP for this one, and getting is for half that was an exceptional bargain. I am fighting the temptation to go back and pick up a backup bottle before they are gone.

One of the fun memories from our trip to Italy fourteen years ago was that of the Pocket Espresso. At just about every restaurant rest stop along the autostrada we found these wonderful "pick-me-ups." Shaped like a little ketchup pack from a fast food place, the packet contains a shot of espresso. Poke in the tiny attached straw and suck in a shot of tasty and refreshing espresso. We anxiously looked forward to enjoying them again during our recent trip.

We were supposed to be camping this weekend. However, the forecast for Saturday was a rainout, so I canceled. I don't mind losing 1 day out of a 3 day weekend to rain, but on a short weekend, Saturday is the camping weekend, and spending it in the camper is not ideal. The forecast held as it poured most of the day on Saturday.

Instead, we went to the Taylor Swift concert movie last night. It sold about $100 million in opening weekend tickets, but maybe it was over saturated in Richmond. It was at every theater I think, and on multiple screens at each theater. There were only about 20 people at our 7 PM Saturday evening show. A big crowd singing along and dancing would have been a lot of fun. It was still an amazing concert movie though. I can see why people are flying across the country or globe to attend. Had I been there, it very well might rate as my best concert ever. The stage setup, lights, costumes, dancers, etc. were all just amazing. And of course, her song catalog insures every tune is amazing.

Also, Friday, as always, was new music release day. And this Friday delivered the first album in over 20 years from The Marvelous 3. It was worth the wait. It's such a perfect time capsule for late 90s power pop rock. It sounds exactly what I would have expected their next album to sound like back in the day. I've got 6 or 7 full listens in the bank already.

Speaking of Butch Walker, I actually won the Ticketmaster lottery and scored two tickets to the reunion show in Atlanta in two weeks. However, after thinking about it, I decided a 1000 mile RT drive for a concert was not something I really wanted to do, so I sold the tickets for exactly what they cost me, because I'm not a monster. I'm hoping a fan got them and not a scalper. M3 is live streaming the show, so we are going to make it an in-house concert date night and enjoy it from afar, without having to stand on a sticky floor for 3 hours after driving 8 hours to get there.

Note: Standing on a sticky floor for a concert is fine, awesome even. It's the 16 hour RT drive I can't deal with.

Continuing on the music theme, Abby Bryant and the Echos are playing a winery in Richmond next weekend. We have a table reserved for the show. This will be the third year in a row that we've caught an Abby Bryant show.

And The Legwarmers are doing their 80s tribute thing again on December 1. We may go to that too.

It's finally Friday. 

It's been about a month since we returned from Italy. As often happens after we travel, we try to relive the moments for a while afterwards. Espresso, antipasti, negronis, aperol spritz, they've all been repeated the last couple of weeks.