Powerful and Godlike

A couple of days back a friend, who also happens to be my namesake, said that I should write more about drinking. I literally laughed out loud at her suggestion, the reasons being that there really is quite a lot that I can write about alcohol and what goes around it but also because I think I have developed notoriety in relation to alcohol.

It's not because I have a drinking problem (I know, everyone with a drinking problem says that) but because I can talk about it freely. I can say "let's meet for a drink" any time of the day not meaning "let's get drunk". I can hold my drink quite well, except the hindi filmy hiccups once in a while and I am usually game- if someone wants to share a pitcher of Guinness I will take it, if someone wants company for a tequila shot, I will do it- what I mean is that I am not finicky.

That does not mean that I don't have my preferences- on a normal day I usually prefer a beer, like a lager (pilsner). In a pub atmosphere or in large groups of people when I need to make a drink last a while, when it's warm or there is greasy pub food, beer is my mate.

As I live in a country that hasn't heard of air conditioning, heavy and dark beers that have a higher sugar content can get uncomfortable to drink in hot summer months, although that sort of weather only lasts a very brief moment, pilsners are the only sort of alcohol that one can drink if they don't want to pass out. In the cooler months you can bring out the large varieties ranging from the hefeweizens to the smoky malt beers, from the stouts to the Ales.

In cool cafes, with low lights, smooth jazz and a hum of conversation, when I feel sophisticated, I crave a glass of Merlot in winter and Chardonnay in summer.

There is something about wines that transport me in time- I feel a Downton Abbeyesque charm around me. Talk of red wine always makes me envisage the sommelier going down to the cellar to collect a 15 year old bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that has now mellowed with age, him blowing out the dust off the bottle, carefully uncorking and decanting it to get some air into it and pouring it from an heirloom crystal decanter to our glasses. Alas, we can only afford Cabernets that are usually only a couple of years old, the tannins still strong in them and too dry for my taste so I stick to the smoother and fruitier Merlots that wine snobs may look down upon. Although, there are times when I enjoy Pinot Noirs too, known commonly as Spaetburgunder in these parts of the world, they are made of grapes that are difficult to grow, so only a limited amount of Pinot Noirs are produced each year making them a little expensive, but they too are light and fruity and easy to drink, they can be very versatile, and pair well with varieties of food.

Now, I leave the cocktails for very special occasions, such as, when I am meeting girlfriends after a long long time or when the meeting is set for after-dinner in a bar, that's when the cosmopolitans or the martinis go around, I love a Bombay Sapphire(gin) martini extra dirty- meaning a splash more of the brine in which the olives sit, but it's a risky drink to order if you don't know how good the bartender is and where the cosmos can come out as cranberry juice with the essence of vodka. When in doubt order a Gin/Vermouth and Tonic- simple and easy.

Alcoholic drinks most often do their duty as a social lubricant, they help me have conversation with people that I am still not that close to, they happen to bring everyone's guards down and be more spontaneous. Sometimes I enjoy music more when I am slightly intoxicated, but it has never been anything more or anything less.

The culture in Italy and France of having a pre-dinner aperitif that can consist of an Aperol Spritz in the former and light white wine with cheese in latter is followed by a pairing of wine with the dinner makes drinking alcohol as natural as going to sleep at night. I have very rarely encountered a drunk Italian, though I don't doubt there are a few.

On the other hand, in Germany, when you walk by the parked cars, if you look carefully there is always at least one crate full of beer bottles stacked away in the boot. When I meet German or European friends anywhere outside they are usually carrying a backpack that has a bottle or two of beer in them, just in case!

I would like to leave you with this quote from The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

“I began to think vodka was my drink at last. It didn’t taste like anything, but it went straight down into my stomach like a sword swallowers’ sword and made me feel powerful and godlike.”

Goodnight!

P.S. As I am writing about a substance that is often abused by the young as well as the old, I need to indicate that it is only fun while it is in moderation, excess or binge drinking can be embarrassing and harmful for the one who is drinking and also for their close friends and families.