Jazz Night Tonight, My Babies . . .

Monday night means bad ass jazz at the Amsterdam Bar. Music starts around 9:00 pm; get there early if you want a table.

That is all, my babies.

Compensation . . .

“Death: "THERE ARE BETTER THINGS IN THE WORLD THAN ALCOHOL, ALBERT." 

Albert: "Oh, yes, sir. But alcohol sort of compensates for not getting them.” 

― Terry Pratchett

"A lady came up to me one day . . ."

“A lady came up to me one day and said 'Sir! You are drunk', to which I replied 'I am drunk today madam, and tomorrow I shall be sober but you will still be ugly.” ― Winston S. Churchill

Behold, Jazz night is upon you . . .

And lo, it is Monday night, and that means bad ass jazz at the Amsterdam Bar. Music starts around 10:00 pm; get there early if you want a table. Get thee hence to hear the jazz and partake of the libations.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! To the bottle I go"

The Corner of the Eagle and ChildPub, Oxford, where the Inklings met (1930–1950).

“Ho! Ho! Ho! To the bottle I go

To heal my heart and drown my woe

Rain may fall, and wind may blow

And many miles be still to go

But under a tall tree will I lie

And let the clouds go sailing by”

― J.R.R. Tolkien

The Amsterdam Bar makes the Thrillist's list of best bars!

The Amsterdam Bar was one of fifteen bars selected by the editors of the Thrillist as among the best bars in the United States:

The Amsterdam Bar
Dallas, TX

Here in New York, my favorite bar is Whiskey Tavern (if you’ve ever had Rob Magill make you a penis-shaped Twinkie cake on your birthday you know why), but in the whole wide world it’s The Amsterdam Bar in my hometown. Every kind of person that Dallas haters say you’ll never meet in Dallas, I did meet, either there, or at the dearly departed XPO down the street. An art dealer who was a child prodigy corresponded with Norman Rockwell. An obscene French director who loved Southern Comfort. A behemoth punk singer, who, in 1991, punched Kurt Cobain in the face after Cobain smashed a guitar over his tattooed head. I day-drank next to him once when the bar was otherwise empty. For 30 minutes he said nothing, then without turning his head, he asked if I knew what it was like to take a s*** in a cotton field. I’m still searching for an appropriate response.

Oh, and, hi Mike. -- David Blend, executive editor, Special Content

Best bar ever.

"I will drink, and right freely . . ."

“Whenever the devil harasses you, seek the company of men or drink more, or joke and talk nonsense, or do some other merry thing. Sometimes we must drink more, sport, recreate ourselves, and even sin a little to spite the devil, so that we leave him no place for troubling our consciences with trifles. We are conquered if we try too conscientiously not to sin at all. So when the devil says to you: do not drink, answer him: I will drink, and right freely, just because you tell me not to.”

― Martin Luther

Now that the Lenten season is upon us, it is the perfect time to sample bock beers. Bock is a strong lager of German origin. Several substyles exist, including maibock or heller bock, a paler, more hopped version generally made for consumption at spring festivals; doppelbock, a stronger and maltier version; and eisbock, a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and removing the water ice that forms.

The style known now as bock was a dark, malty, lightly hopped ale first brewed in the 14th century by German brewers in the Hanseatic town of Einbeck. The style from Einbeck was later adopted by Munich brewers in the 17th century and adapted to the new lager style of brewing. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced "Einbeck" as "ein Bock" ("a billy goat"), and thus the beer became known as "bock". To this day, as a visual pun, a goat often appears on bock labels.

Bock is historically associated with special occasions, often religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter or Lent (the latter as Lentenbock). Bocks have a long history of being brewed and consumed by Bavarian monks as a source of nutrition during times of fasting. Take Martin Luther's advice: "seek the company of men or drink more," and come and visit us.

What do you believe?

“Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer.”

― W.C. Fields

"Thus, let us drink beer!"

“Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!” 

― Martin Luther

The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

“The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy also mentions alcohol. It says that the best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the effect of which is like having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.”

--Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy