A Girl...

Scotland Yard

Whiskey Night was a success! Although it began with my freaking out as I sat on the couch, lights dimmed, music cued, glasses clean, scotch at the ready, cat shiny and calm and on her best behavior, all I could do was worry that my guests weren't going to come at all and that this whole thing was a mistake and maybe even a trick, because it's 7:30 and WHERE ARE THEY ALREADY and who's going to eat this huge can of fancy mixed nuts?! They eventually showed up forty-five minutes late (they were out having a couple beers), but they were immediately forgiven as they were visibly amused that my doorbell was labeled "Whiskey!" and they complimented me on my cozy and homey apartment, and holy crap I finally have coworkers in my home after three years so there isn't really room for any complaining now, is there?

So yes. Whiskey. Technically, scotch. And the Scots, they spell it whisky without the "e", so Whiskey Night turned out not to be Whiskey Night at all, but really Scotch Whisky Fest 2004 because we drank and drank and drank for three hours and now I've got empty minis littering my sidetable like my body was temporarily possessed by a desperate woman on a bender sponsored by a Scottish hotel room refrigerator. Here's the aftermath:

In addition to housing delicious contents, the bottles also look really pretty when they're full.

Did I mention there were nuts? Fancy nuts? (That means none of those bourgeoise peanuts, you savages.)

It turned out to be a pleasant evening. My mix cd had the right balance of energy and chillness (even with REO Speedwagon's raucous "Whiskey Night", the gossip about coworkers was juicy without being trashy, Eve didn't throw a tantrum, and the drinking was just what I'd hoped it would be. We tasted six varieties from diverse regions of Scotland and emerged with well-tuned palates and distinct preferences. William liked the Oban, a West Highland malt with a slightly peaty aroma and a long finish; Gayle liked the Lagavulin, an Islay that we decided was heavy and smoky, with strong overtones of old leather and tobacco; and I liked the Talisker, from the only distillery in Skye, which was sweet and seaweedy and smooth and had a killer pop of a finish. Gee whiz, Johnny, agirlandaboy.com is both entertaining and educational!

So there you are. I have now officially hosted my first get-together in my own place, and I got favorable reviews all around, even without palazzo pants. And the best part is we didn't make any mixed drinks so I have a huge bottle of maraschino cherries to eat and photograph to my heart's content.

Posted by Leah at November 17, 2004 01:33 AM