SimCity Goes For the Ads/Mad Men Confused

EA has implemented SimCity 5's first ad, in this case for the Nissan Leaf.

I'm imagining a very bewildered and skeptical Don Draper and Roger Sterling staring at a game developer describing SimCity.

Don: Ok, so you build a city, and then what?

Developer: The city can be whatever you want it to be.

Don: But what happens when the city is built?

Developer: It keeps running, like New York.

--pause--

Don: So what's the point?

Developer: To build a virtual city.

Don: But how do you win?

Developer: Oh, it's not one of those types of games.

Roger: What other kind of game is there?

Developer: Um, well, this is a simulation game. It isn't competitive.

Roger: How can a game not be competitive?

Developer: By just providing an experience. Look, we have a very large and devoted fan base.

Don: Really? And they just sit around all day staring at buildings on a computer screen?

Developer: Yes, but they do more than that. They decide where the roads go, where people live and work, how many schools to build...

Roger: I didn't realize we had that many wanna-be mayor-dictators. Don't these people have real jobs?

Don: So that's all there is to it?

Developer: Well, for some extra fun we added the ability to destroy your city...

Don: Destroy it??

Developer: Yes - you can have Godzilla or aliens attack it...

Don: So after spending all this time building a city, people would then destroy it? That makes no sense.

Developer: But our players get a kick out of that feature.

Don: And you think our clients would want to advertise in a fake city in a game that doesn't do anything?

Roger: And their ad gets eaten by Godzilla.

Developer: Yes.

Don: I'm sorry, but I don't think this will sell to our clients.

Developer: Really? Because we're getting inquiries from other ad agencies. We came to you because we heard you had a great creative department.

Don: Look, the best we can do is mention this to some clients. If any are interested, we'll call you.

-- a few moments after the meeting ends --

Roger: Did you believe that?

Don: No, not really.

Roger: This is what happens when you get rid of the draft. Instead of going into the army they go to college and don't learn how to live a real life. They just learn to play pretend.

Don: And then they wreck whatever they've built.

Roger: It's because they don't value anything. At least nothing real. Pour me a drink. I think those are still real.

Be a Cocktail Hero (on an Android)

My newest toy is an Android phone - I LOVE it!!  But counting all the ways I love my phone is for another post...

Last Friday my boyfriend and I were at a loss for what cocktails to make.  We could think of drinks to mix, but they were the usual standbys and we wanted something new.  Now that I have a new smartphone, I can download apps, so I quickly found a cocktail app.  The one I picked was Cocktail Hero, precisely because it allowed you to check off the ingredients you have, and then it presents you with a list of drinks you can make.

The interface was incredibly easy.  I tapped on the Inventory tab and simply checked off boxes next to various ingredients - Gin, check!  Vodka, check!  Cointreau?  Er, looks like I need to stock up.  Next, I tap on the Cocktails tab and voila!  At the top of the list are the cocktails for which I have all the ingredients.  These are then followed by cocktails for which I have some ingredients, so I could still browse if I was merely curious about what I could make after a quick run to the store.

I'm sure you're thinking, "This is all very nice, but how are the recipes?"  So far, they are quite tasty.  Currently I am drinking an Amaretto and Cream, which is equal parts amaretto and cream.  Ok, so that isn't hard to figure out, but on Friday we discovered the Brave Bull, 1.5 oz tequila, 1 oz coffee liqueur, which was quite a hit with our friends.  So out of a small sample of two (2) cocktails I can affirmatively say the recipes are good.  Take that as you will.

The really powerful thing about this app is not only is it incredibly simple, but it's right there on your phone - no Googling, no searching for that website you came across a few months ago that lets you enter your ingredients, etc.  Just pull out your phone and you're just a few taps away from a selection of cocktails you can make.  Is this a killer cocktail app?  I don't know, but I'm pretty happy with it.

And it's free.

All you need to know about HDMI cables

http://i.imgur.com/X7ZFk.jpg

I like the hand decision tree at the bottom.

How to have a bad orgasm

Last night I learned the hard way how to have a bad orgasm.

That sounds wrong...

Anyway, I wanted to make myself an orgasm, which has Bailey's and Cointreau in it, plus some third ingredient I couldn't remember.  So, I looked it up.  The IBA recipe I found called for Bailey's, Cointreau, and Grand Marnier.  That seemed like a lot of orange flavor to me so I decided to substitute the Cointreau with Kahlua.  I then built the drink over ice by pouring the Bailey's first, then the Grand Marnier, and the Kahlua last.

The drink curdled.  Badly.  The taste was fine, but the texture was disgusting!  Ultimately, the drink was undrinkable and I gave it to my sink.  Sad.

Desiring to get the nasty feeling out of my mouth I made another, this time using the IBA ingredients.  I built the drink in the order the ingredients had been listed: Cointreau, Bailey's, Grand Marnier.  Actually, I got that wrong... I put the Grand Marnier in first.  I'm not sure it matters, though.  Perhaps what matters is that the Bailey's was second, between the two liqueurs, and/or I wasn't using Kahlua.  The cocktail turned out much, much better.  No curdling.

Below is the official IBA recipe:

ORGASM (old fashioned glass )
3.0 cl Cointreau
3.0 cl Bailey's Irish Cream
2.0 cl Grand Marnier
Build all ingredients over ice in a old fashioned glass or shot glass. Garnish with cherry.

Crooked Sister

This was a tasty and easy drink to make:

1 oz. gin
1 oz. creme de cacao blanc (we used dark)
1 oz. Cointreau

Fill a rocks glass with ice and then build the drink by pouring in the ingredients.  I gave the glass a little swirl to mix the ingredients.  You're suppose to garnish with a cherry and orange slice, but I didn't do that.

The cocktail was nicely sweet, with a pleasant chocolate flavor.  I didn't notice the Coinbtreau, but I suspect it's used to counter the creme de cacao and prevent the drink from becoming too chocolatey sweet.

Manhattan Coffee

Last night I created a new drink. Or, at least it's new to me.  I haven't done a search to see if someone else came up with the idea before me.

It's a Manhattan variation that replaces vermouth with Kahlua:

2 oz. bourbon (Knob Creek)
1 oz. Kahlua
2 dashes mole bitters

It was sweeter than a regular manhattan, and the whiskey punch was less than usual, but it still had some nice complexity to it.  Overall, a nice break from the boozy heaviness of regular manhattans, but it still retains the taste of a serious drink.

Boston.com article about The Boston Shaker

Check out today's article:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/02/18/adam_lantheaume_is_shaking_it_up/

The Boston Shaker - open Friday 2/5/2010 @ Noon!

This just in from Facebook:

The Boston Shaker will be open tomorrow, Friday February 5, 2010 at noon!

Sadly, I have to work, so I won't be able to stand at the door anxiously waiting for it to open.  But, I do plan on dropping by over the weekend.  I've been wanting to get more coupe glasses.  The website says regular hours are Tu-Sa 12-7.

This was happy news that brightened my winter evening.

Hooked on Who this weekend!

Attention Doctor Who Fans!!

This weekend The Brattle Theatre is Hooked on Who.  Saturday night at 9:30 The Brattle will show the final episodes of David Tennant's last season as the Doctor (but not the final Who specials with Tennant).  The episodes are "Turn Left," "Stolen Earth," and "Journey's End."  Sunday night The Brattle will cater to classic Whovians with Tom Baker in "Destiny of the Daleks," also at 9:30.

Tickets are $7; $25 if you want a T-shirt.

Flaming Holiday Punch!

Josey Packard from Drink demonstrates how to make Flaming Holiday Punch on The Rachel Maddow Show.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

'Tis the season... almost

I know, I know... It isn't even Thanksgiving yet and I'm posting something about Christmas. I was going to wait until Black Friday, but I was afraid I'd forget to do this. So, here's "Christmas is Ruined" by Anna and the Family.  It's sure to warm your heart and bring back fond holiday memories (or not):

The video is also a finalist in the Chicago Tribune's holiday song contest.  Click here to vote for it, and to view the other finalists.

Sip & Shop @ Grand, with special guests!

Grand, LUPEC, and The Boston Shaker are having October's Sip & Shop this Saturday at Grand from 2-6. LUPEC will be serving up a spooky Halloween Punch, and Grand and The Boston Shaker will offer a 10% discount on everything.

In addition to sales and spirits, two special guests will be at the Sip & Shop from 2-4. Jill DeGoff and Dale "King Cocktail" DeGroff will be on hand to sign their books, Lush Life: Portraits from the Bar (Jill) and The Essential Cocktail and The Craft of the Cocktail (Dale).

Sounds like a fun time!

(Btw, tickets to LUPEC's Tiki Bash will be on sale as well, but excluded from the 10% sale. It is a fundraiser for On the Rise! after all.)

Mad Men cocktail guide

A few days ago I stumbled upon the Mad Men Cocktail Guide. It's a list of 1960's cocktails complete with recipes and pictures. Seeing that the martini is made by rinsing the glass with the vermouth, then pouring out the vermouth, I'd say the recipes are based on how the drinks were made during that era. Interestingly, though, the Manhattan on the page actually uses its share of vermouth, but still uses a very small proportion of vermouth if not a "whisper."

Caramel cocktail

My boyfriend wanted a caramel cocktail for an upcoming party we were throwing. As he put it, he wants a "sexy" drink to offer - something flashy in addition to the more traditional offerings. So I did some poking around and found the recipe for a Liquid Caramel. The recipe calls for Bailey's, coffee liqueur, butterscotch schnapps, and milk. Since out of those ingredients I only had Kahlua, I had to improvise.

Wary of butterscotch schnapps - it seems like something that could be great or horribly, horibly awful - I decided to try making homemade caramel.

After letting the caramel cool for a bit, I improvised my cocktail:

1 oz Kahlua

1 oz Godiva chocolate liqueur

1 oz vodka (Snow Queen, from Kazakhstan - it's organic)

1 oz light cream

1 oz caramel

It was quite tasty, but I'm not sure I could taste the caramel much. My boyfriend liked it, so that's a plus. Maybe if I made the cocktail after the caramel had spent the night in the refrigerator I'd have a stronger caramel flavor. After all, the caramel sauce was still very warm when I made the drink. Or maybe I'm just too accustomed to store bought caramel sauce that's full of corn syrup, corn starch, and sometimes butter and cream.

Update 10/18/09: My boyfriend thought the drink was too sweet, and with Kahlua, chocolate liqueur, and caramel that isn't much of a surprise. To cut down the sweetness I substituted the Kahlua with 1 ounce of coffee. That gave the drink a stronger coffee taste, and I think it played off the caramel well, too. We decided to call the cocktail the Caramel Sexy. (And the guests enjoyed the drink!)

Caramel sauce from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook

I decided to try making homemade caramel sauce using the recipe from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. It takes a while, but is very simple. Heat one cup of white sugar over low heat in a thick bottomed pan (so you don't burn the sugar). Swirl the sugar around the pot until it melts. It takes a while before it melts, but once it starts, it can go fairly quickly. I discovered that in the begin it's best to let the pot sit for a bit with occasional shakes to move the sugar around. Once the sugar has melted, pour in one cup of boiling water. Warning: Boiling sugar is MUCH hotter than boiling water. When you pour the water in, the mixture will foam and bubble a lot. Continue to stir over low for 3-4 minutes, or until all the sugar has melted again (the water will cool the sugar and you'll have lumps for a bit).

After it had cooled down enough to taste without scorching my tongue, I tried some. It tasted more like simple syrup than the thick, heavy caramel sauce you get on ice cream or your calorie-laden Starbuck's drink. This might be because the sauce needs to cool and thicken some more, or my tastebuds have been corrupted by the commercially made caramel sauces that are full of corn syrup, cornstarch, and preservatives. It also might be because unlike other recipes, this one doesn't include cream or butter. But, without cream or butter, this sauce will last indefinitely.