On wine and spirits

First and foremost, I wish to celebrate this fine header that my dear friend Algernon created for my use in my digital monologues. His work is almost too refined to waste upon me.

I wish today to address the subject of drinking and drink. Human has long been in love with alcohol, and as such, we should not refuse such an ancient and celebrated tradition. As with anything, there are limits, and sorry to say it is largely up to the individual where to draw the line. Its effects can be both the beginning or the end of your interaction with society. I have made a few observations about the subject in my regrettably many years.

I was attending a formal function last Saturday complete with dinner service and refreshments soiree. As there are two stages to the party, there are two types of drinking. The dinner event was most formal, and as such the drink was entirely reserved and respectable. When the guests retired to the sitting room to engage in discussion and music and dance and all the sorts of things that sociable people are want to do, the recreational side of drinking arrived at the door and invited himself in. Suddenly, voices were boisterous and inhibitions were lifted. A few guests used profanity in their language, which I suppose is regarded as more acceptable when behind closed doors. It did not spoil the evening, and in the end it quieted down rather early and respectfully.

Now there are many different types of alcohol with which we are able to poison ourselves, but some are better suited for certain purposes.

• Wine: Oh, most ancient of drinks, its imbibition has become so complex that it is not so much an activity as it is an art. I claim no deep knowledge of wine tasting; I only cared to learn the very basics. I offer a warning though: wine, though regarded as high class, does not forgive its overconsumption. It can make a prince into a blathering idiot and, subsequently, a dying man.
• Whisky: The Water of Life. Now while I do enjoy a nice Scotch from time to time, I will go right out and say that the Americans have taken a decidedly British thing and made it their own. Drinking whisky of any variety should be done slowly and savored with respect to the aging process.
• Gin: My first drink of liquor was a terrible unregulated gin. It tasted of turpentine and sulphur. I swore off it until my service days, where I drank what was available, and now I think fondly of the friends I made and lost in the war when it passes my lips.
  
• Beer: Do not drink beer. It is of low class. Never.
• Foreign liquors: If it strikes you to try these strange and exotic beverages, I hear people take them and mix them in seltzer or lime juice. I suppose I will just never grow into that.

I humbly thank you for reading.