absinthe | THE ARMY OF DRUNKS PODCAST

The A.I. Show pts 1 & 2

January 26, 2023 By Eric

With special guest Ian McEwan

OR: We make cocktail recipes generated by ChatGPT and ask a drunk scientist to forgive us for our transgressions.

Welcome to our Artificial Intelligence show! (As opposed to the Natural Stupidity we usually practice.) A show so packed with big-brain content, we broke it in two parts.

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Sponsored by Grisly’s Cosmic Black ! Support small booze business and get yourself happily cosmic!

Part one: This is the part packed with the nutritious information your brain craves. Let’s start with “Everything You Know About A.I. is Probably Wrong,” and move forward from there. Our guest, returning “drunk scientist” Ian McEwan answers all of our inebriated newbie questions about A.I., ChatGPT, and whether we’re all gonna end up in a singularity.

Part two: This is the part packed with drunken bullshit. Ian had to get the hell out of Buck’s kitchen and go home, so we were left with our own drunks selves, two AI cocktails to go, and a lot of drunken rambling about… A.I.’s, cocktails, tiki bars, and just about everything else at some point. And we end with a good-time fun-time game-time ha-ha thing!

THE A.I. GENERATED COCKTAIL RECIPES

We asked ChatGPT to work up a cocktail recipe based on our names, with only a little guidance. A couple of them were clearly made by an intelligence that had never tasted liquor before. Fortunately, MixMa$ter Therm was there to make some adjustments in the places where the computer went off the rails. It’s like the cocktail equivalent of Midjourney’s six-fingered hands. The recipe alterations are presented in the recipes for clarity, and we’ve set Therm’s fixes as the defaults. Seriously, no reason not to start with the version that involved some human intervention, unless you seriously have a thing for six-fingered hands.

THE SHAW’S CRAW

Request: A cocktail recipe called “Shaw’s Craw” that uses gin and has a bit of an “angry” kick.

• 2 oz of gin
• 3/4 oz of fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz of simple syrup
• 1/4 oz of green Chartreuse
• 1/4 oz of Campari
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
• Lime wheel for garnish

Directions:
In a shaker, combine gin, lime juice, simple syrup, green Chartreuse, Campari, and bitters. Add ice and shake well. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Our verdict: Damn nice, indeed! It may not remind you of Matt Shaw, but it does remind you of his craw.

THE THERMAL EYE

Request: A cocktail recipe for a drink called the Thermal Eye, that is complex and has a “thermal” quality to it:

• 2 oz of mezcal
• 1/4 oz absinthe (ChatGPT said 1/2 oz)
• 1/2 oz of pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz of honey syrup
• 1/4 oz of lime juice
• 1/2 oz of jalapeño simple syrup (ChatGPT said 1/4 oz)
• 2 dashes of mole bitters
• A slice of jalapeño for garnish

Directions:
In a shaker, combine mezcal, absinthe, pineapple juice, honey syrup, lime juice, jalapeño simple syrup, and mole bitters. Add ice and shake well. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a slice of jalapeño.

Our verdict: Also a damn nice drink with Therm’s adjustments. Sweet and spicy without being “hot.” It was essential to pull back on the absinthe, since a little of that stuff goes a very long way. Therm also bumped up the jalapeño syrup so the flavor had an actual presence.

THE SHAFT TAKES MANHATTAN

An AI-generated image of a Shaft Takes Manhattan cocktail

Ok, the original request got lost when we copied the text. We probably asked for a “complex” take on the Manhattan and the AI probably responded as it usually does, by adding green chartreuse and absinthe. This is the revised version.

“Sure, here’s a new recipe for a ‘Shaft Manhattan’ cocktail:”

• 2 oz Rye whiskey
• 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
• 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
• 1/4 oz Cynar
• 2 dashes of orange bitters
• Orange peel, for garnish

Directions:
In a mixing glass, combine the rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, Cynar and orange bitters. Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass. Express the oil from an orange peel over the top of the drink and drop it in.

Our verdict: Yep, it tastes like a high-end Manhattan you might pay a lot for in a crafty cocktail bar. The Cynar and maraschino take the edge off the rye with the combination of Cybar’s complex bitterness and maraschino’s cherry sweetness. Shaft himself wondered if the flavor was just more pleasant than distinctive, but we wouldn’t throw it out of New York for eatin’ crackers.

THE BUCK DOWN

Yes, appropriately AI-generated image of a Buck Down cocktail

Request: A cocktail recipe called “The Buck Down” that contains bourbon and has a retrofuturist feel? (Yes, we said “retrofuturist.”)

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1/2 oz coffee liqueur (ChatGPT says use cold brew coffee liqueur)
• 1/4 oz honey syrup
• 2 dashes of chocolate bitters
• 1 dash of absinthe for garnish (ChatGPT said 1/4 oz absinthe)

Directions:
In a mixing glass, combine bourbon, cold brew coffee liqueur, absinthe, honey syrup, and chocolate bitters. Add ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a glass. Garnish with a dash of absinthe. Enjoy your retro-futuristic cocktail, “The Buck Down”!

AI’s Notes:
• For honey syrup, mix equal parts honey and hot water until the honey is dissolved
• To give it a more retro-futuristic feel, you can serve it in a vintage glassware.
(Oh yes it did. It hung the futurist feel on the glassware. Cheap cop-out, GPT.)

Our Verdict: Another real nice creation when you lose the absinthe. The coffee liqueur complements the bourbon and gives it a sweet richness. (We used classic Kaluha because it was what we could get our hands on, the AI recommends a cold brew coffee liqueur.) And ok, we admit just one dash of absinthe doesn’t hurt it one damn bit.

FINDING IAN MCEWAN

If you want to catch up with Ian, the best place to find him is on his Mastadon account. He says it’s…

@ijm@mathstodon.xyz
or https://mathstodon.xyz/@ijm

We assume you’ll know what to do with that.

THE INCOMPARABLE FLOYD

You heard him all throughout the background of the show. At last, the images can be released! This is Floyd the bulldog, the finest creation ever to come out of the Jim Henson Creature Shop in its history.

ERNIE THE BOOZE ELF

Probably not what you’d hoped he’d look like.

Contact: Army of Drunks Facebook Page

THE CORPSE REVIVER SHOW

October 24, 2016 By Eric

THE CORPSE REVIVER SHOW
With Mortician Amber Carvaly
& Special Guest Host Aydrea Walden
& Guest Bartender James Slay
Subscribe on iTunes here!

Welcome to our Halloween show! And how better to celebrate the season of spooks, costume parties, and candy comas than by plunging headlong into death! Our guest is Amber Carvaly (Undertaking LA), a mortician with a mission to bring the funeral back into the hands of the bereaved and away from corporate casket-dealing bastards, and we get in deep conversation about death, dying, and whether you should be buried with your keno chips.

And our drink is the Corpse Reviver, versions number one and (the more common) number two, a class of drink as old as the 19th century, but brought into popularity by one man during prohibition. We try both the old-school brandy-based beverage, and the more brunch-friendly gin-and-lemon version. Which will revive a corpse faster? You be the judge!

And with us again is special guest host Aydrea Walden, creator of The Oreo Experience blog, and guest bartender James Slay… Because Spork and Therm are dead! (Alert Bela Lugosi.) (NSFW as always.)

Subscribe on iTunes here!

Or listen directly here!

DRINK ALONG AT HOME!
The Corpse Reviver no. 1
(The olde-timey one.)

2 parts Cognac
1 part Calvados or Apple Brandy
1 part Sweet Vermouth

Stir ingredients together with ice. Pour into a cocktail glass, or if you’re appropriately schmancy, a coupe glass. Administer to ease the walking dead hangover.

The Corpse Reviver no. 2
(The citrusy bunch-friendly one)

One part (or 3/4 oz) Gin
One part(or 3/4 oz) Cointreau or Curacao
One part (or 3/4 oz) Lillet Blanc
One part (or, wait for it… 3/4 oz) Lemon Juice
One dash Absinthe

Strain all the ingredients together into a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drink. And to quote Harry Craddock, inventor of the Corpse Reviver no. 2, “Four of these taken in quick succession will unrevive the corpse again.”

OUR DRUNKEN GUESTS

Amber Carvaly can be found at Undertaking L.A. and at the Order of the Good Death.

Aydrea Walden can be found at The Oreo Experience blog.

And James Slay can be found slinging drinks at Barbara’s at the Brewery, and his band The Capgun Holdups can be found in bars around Los Angeles.

BUY THESE BOOKS, YOU LOADIE!

The Savoy Cocktail book by Henry Craddock is an indispensable tome for all lovers of classic cocktails. A direct reprint of the original 1930 volume, this book is home to the original recipe for the Corpse Revivers no. 1&2, as well as dozens of prohibition-era drinks. Drink like you’re historic, man!

Amber Carvaly’s partner in crime at Undertaking L.A. is Caitlin Doughty, founder of the Order of the Good Death, and one of the foremost advocates for a more natural approach to caring for the dead. Her book Smoke Gets in Your Eyes recounts her time working in a crematorium. Damn, it’s fascinating.

THE SAZERAC SHOW – with Ian McEwan

August 1, 2015 By Eric

THE SAZERAC SHOW
With Ian McEwan
(“The Drunken Scientist”)

“Ask a Drunken Scientist!” That’s what we wanted to do. Don’t ask us why, because we have no reasonable explanation, but fortunately for us, we found Ian McEwan, and after a few cocktails he was willing to answer all of our questions from quantum theory to climate-change deniers to whether the U.S.S. Enterprise could beat up an Imperial Star Destroyer.

We also get into the history of the Sazerac cocktail, a sweet-and-herbal rye concoction invented in 1800s New Orleans ostensibly as a way for a local pharmacist to sell his bitters. (Man, have we really gotten that cynical?) If you ever wondered how Peycahud’s bitters got their start, listen up here.

Subsribe on iTunes!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-army-of-drunks/id936560275

Or listen directly here!

DRINK ALONG AT HOME
The Sazerac

2 oz Rye.
1/2 oz simple syrup or 1 sugar cube.
2-3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters.
About 1/2 oz Absinthe — or Herbsaint — to rinse the glass.
Lemon peel for garnish.
Ice

Tradition has it the Sazerac is created in two old-fashioned glasses. Chill one glass by filling it with ice. In the other, mash the sugar cube up with a few dashes of bitters (or just use simple syrup if mashing doesn’t agree with you.) Add the rye stir. In the other glass, get rid of the ice and give it a rinse of absinthe. Herbsaint will work if you can’t find absinthe, though let’s face it, if you can get your hands on Herbsaint, you can probably find absinthe with no trouble. Pour the rye mixture into the glass and add ice. Garnish with a lemon peel. Serve. Drink. Repeat.

By the way, when choosing a rye, you do not need to use the “official” Sazerac brand rye. Any smooth rye will do, or even an angry rye if you’re in the mood.

Original Brandy Sazerac Variant
The Sazerac was originally made with brandy, so it’s can be a fun experiment to mix one up using the classic wine spirit instead of rye. If you do, halve the amount of sugar or simple syrup you use, because brandy is sweet enough as it is. Serve with a sense of historical smugness.

Thanks to Topline Wine for the Rye Report!
www.toplinewine.com

Get your Peychaud’s Bitters!
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And here’s a link to The Lawnmower Man, because you must never forget this chapter of our cinematic heritage.
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