Esquire’s Best Bars in America: Get your patriotic weekend off on the right foot with a who’s-who of the best bars in America, according to Esquire. Your author can personally vouch for ROKC in Hamilton Heights. Yes, serving a drink in a lightbulb sounds tacky, but when you actually see it, it all makes sense.
40 Oz To Freedom: It’s been 25 years since Sublime launched their super popular 40 Oz. To Freedom, cementing SoCal ska-punk in the national landscape and giving suburban punks everywhere a safe bet for office karaoke. To celebrate the landmark album, AleSmith and the iconic band teamed up to release, you guessed it, a 40 of Mexican-style lager. Cheers to Lou Dog.
Carving Powder: Just when you figured out DDH stood for “double dry hopped,” brewers went and started talking about “lupulin powder.” Skip the learning curve and let Niko Krommydas and a few of NYC’s boldest brewers take you inside the supercharged hop distillate. Remember as always our words of caution for your new knowledge: a little geek talk goes a long way in regular crowds.
Cue The Theme: Visitors to our nation’s capitol are now lucky enough to be able to visit a Game of Thrones pop up bar, featuring decor and drinks based on the hit show. At a glance we think it doesn’t involve nearly enough blood, but that might be a question for the health department.
The Night Mayor: New York City recently announced plans to create a “Night Mayor,” dedicated to serving as a liaison between the city’s many DIY venues and up-and-coming spots and the many bureaus involved in making those places safe. We’re hoping The Night Mayor will also have to wear a sweet costume and be summoned by spotlight, but no one has returned our calls yet.
Happy July Fourth Weekend, Dear Readers: Celebrate safe, party hard, and let’s all meet back here next week to keep fighting the good fight. Cheers.