I’m preparing myself for Tales of the Cocktail by ramping up my tolerance through daily “exercise” and a little light reading.  My drinks of choice for reading in this unseasonably warm SF summer are a Tom Collins with cucumber infused gin or a variation on the Lynchburg Lemonade made with smoked lemons.

Now follow along in your test booklets as I read aloud:

• -In local news: I discovered that my latest batch of chipotle infused tequila is about 20x too potent, so I can take a small bottle to new Orleans and buy tequila there (unless a quality tequila brand wants to sponsor this endeavor) and dilute it to share with anyone who wants to sample.
• -Worth reviewing: the Times just published a mini glossary of topical cocktail terms.
• –Proof66 will aggregate booze reviews for you(s).
• -It’s stone fruit season, time to make your own plum wine… or cherry, or apricot or whatever you want by following the process described in the linked tutorial.
• -Manolith presents an Illustrated History of Beer (pictured).
• -More vodka infusing advice and a piece from Chow on meat infusions.
• -Lawmakers in Arizona are trying to repeal the no guns in bars law, under the assumption that drunk, gun-toting good guys will serve as a safe deterrent to gun-toting bad guys who want to rob bars.
• -Utah is relaxing their absurd liquor laws because the Tabernacle Choir isn’t enough of a tourist draw.
• -Finally, when I get back from Tales, I intend to spend the rest of the summer touring local breweries and distilleries. If you want to come along, let me know.