Week of April 4, 2010

Let's talk briefly about basketball.  The Final Four is in Indianapolis this year, and Indianapolis is also the home of the Butler Bulldogs.

Butler is unique in Indianapolis as neither Indiana nor Purdue fans consider Butler a rival.  As a result, Indianapolis residents have a bit of a soft spot for the Bulldogs.  They have always been the little brother to the other big state institutions.  Obviously, Butler has had considerable more success than Indiana of late, and say what you will about Purdue's strong season, they haven't made the final game since 1969.

Now, Butler plays Duke in the final college basketball game of the year.  There have been a lot of David v. Goliath storylines about the that you can read from ESPN to Sports Illustrated, but I don't see it.  Butler is very good.  Their coach Brad Stevens, while young, is smarter than 90% of his peers and is unflappable in the face of pressure. 

No, Butler is no also-ran, merely there to pick up their consolation prize - they are a supremely talented team with a likely lottery pick in Gordon Heyward. 

Having said that though, they face a tall task with Duke.  I will be rooting for Butler, wearing navy blue and hoping they can pull it out.  I think it'll be tough though, and there's a strong chance, particularly if Duke is hitting their 3's, that this game is over before the half.  Here's hoping Duke comes out cold, and Butler's tenacious defense brings them one more W to end their season.

On to drinking!!

This week, we have one more reader submitted idea, and two other choices that picked from The Ultimate Bar Book.

Alexander - a gin based cocktail, with an ingredient list that looks a bit like the Toreador

Kamikaze Cocktail - yep, you guessed it, it's the cocktail version of the shot - should be interesting

And lastly, I decided to face down my demons and go with the reader submitted drink suggestion to try something with calvados.  I figured I could pick the drink though, as a comprimise.  The result:

Harvard Cooler - apple brandy (more Calvados, yay) based, and summery

Looking forward to them all.

One last note: I recently signed up on Twitter and try to post drink related links, notes, and the like.  If you're on there, look me up.  I'm @IMakeDrinks.