Yesterday was a long one for me. I judged a wine competition in the morning and afternoon, which is hard work that was made even harder by the allergies closing up my nostrils way too frequently, making it harder to smell the wines (and aroma is so important).
In the evening, it was off to the cocktail conference, which was held at the Esquire, home of the longest bar in Texas. Mixologists (the name bartender is apparently too passe') were lined up down the bar and made special drinks crafted for the event. The Love Bite, for example, had vodka and absinthe with some other flavors stirred in. Trendy touches were sprays of bitters and loads of hand-chipped ice.
Ice is apparently one of the trendiest topics for these folks. There was even a seminar on the subject.
After tasting about three of those, I went off to the symphony, where the Beethoven cycle continued. The performance of the 7th was spectacular, with a crescendo of energy at the end that induced a wave of goosebumps.
Then it was back to sample a few more cocktails.
Hopefully I'll get a nap in today.
