Poll!

Patrick

Patrick is a mid-40 year old geek with an undergraduate degree in mathematics and a master's degree in Information Systems. Nothing he says here has anything to do with the official position of his employer or any other institution.

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35 Responses

  1. Here at Chez Saunders, we are big fans of the classic martini.  However, when I’m mixing a drink for just me, it’s always a negroni.

    And congrats on getting through that midterm.Report

    • Patrick Cahalan in reply to Russell Saunders says:

      Pascal’s Wager was one of the questions.

      The whole thing was quite enjoyable.  I find that I’m a much bigger fan of post-undergraduate education than I am of my college education, for entirely internal reasons.  It’s also requiring me to dust off a whole section of my brain that has been re-tasked and un-re-tasking it, which has been educational in and of itself.

      I highly recommend going back to school when you’re in your late 30s/early 40s, if you have the means.

      I probably would feel differently about this if I had gone from high school, to college, to graduate school (and definitely if you added med school in there, I’m thinkin’).Report

  2. Burt Likko says:

    The house cocktail at Chez Likko is the Aviation. Ingredients are a bit exotic, though; you can get them at BevMo but if they’re not on hand you’ve got to do something else.

    For something like this, I’d go with a G&T. Tanqueray or better.Report

  3. Dan Miller says:

    Can’t go wrong with a gin rickey, the unofficial cocktail of Washington DC.Report

  4. Tod Kelly says:

    Congrats.  And I think you have to go with the classic: martini, up.Report

  5. James Hanley says:

    Go with a Dude.

    Out of curiosity, how heavily mathematical is the game theory course?  When I get into the game theory section of my political behavior course I have to focus on the conceptual aspects and go light on the math…damn political science students hate math.  (To be fair, I’m no math wiz myself.)Report

    • A Dude? In the movie, the Dude called them “Caucasians.” Or are you referring to something else?Report

      • James Hanley in reply to Burt Likko says:

        Nope, that’s it.

        It came to mind because A) I was drinking one (although I call them by their old-fashioned Czarist name), and B) it seemed appropriate–if the Dude isn’t in a game theorizable situation, who is?Report

    • Patrick Cahalan in reply to James Hanley says:

      I have to focus on the conceptual aspects and go light on the math…damn political science students hate math.

      I would say this experience generalizes.

      The instructor is from Chicago.  His homework sets are difficult, but he grades pretty easily for the audience.Report

  6. Jaybird says:

    A grasshopper. Blended.Report

  7. BradK says:

    The “Vesper” martini is quite good, stirred and never shaken:

    • 2 measures Gin (I’m rather fond of Bombay Sapphire)
    • 1 measure Vodka (something smooth like Grey Goose, Belvedere, or Hangar One)
    • 1/2 measure Lillet Blanc

    Garnish with twist of lemon.  Enjoy several.

    And I agree completely about latter in life education.  Knowledge, like youth, is wasted on the young.  It means so much more when you can place some new found knowledge into a context that only comes from having some miles on you.  Also, learning for the fun of it is much more fulfilling than just for chasing a piece of paper.

     Report

    • Alan Scott in reply to BradK says:

      Anyone else have opinions on the Vesper?

      The first one I had tasted too much like gin.

      So the next time, I requested one with mostly Voka, but that tasted like nothing.

      I feel like there’s a good drink in there somewhere, but I haven’t quite found it.  And none of my regular drinking establisments stock Lillet, so it’s hard to expirement.Report

  8. Chris says:

    If your goal is to feel it, may I recommend this:

    http://blakeb.tumblr.com/post/84943815/purple-margarita-recipe

    Here’s the thing about purple margaritas: if you drink one, you will feel very nice. If you drink two, you will feel like the room’s spinning uncontrollably. If you drink three, you won’t feel anything at all. Baby A’s will only sell you two.Report

  9. Erik Kain says:

    I will add my voice to the chorus of martini drinkers. But with vodka, not gin.Report

  10. Jason Kuznicki says:

    Boyd & Blair vodka is one of the best regional products of the mid-Atlantic — in any category.  And it does appear that you can buy it in California.

    (Resists strongly the urge to say, “My favorite vodka is pretty obscure, you’ve probably never heard of it.”)Report

  11. Jason Kuznicki says:

    Also I’m trying to wrap my head around that picture:  an olive and a twist?

     Report

  12. BSK says:

    Bacon bourbon. Two ice cubes.Report

  13. Patrick Cahalan says:

    Medium dry gin martini (dirty) wins.  Kitty cast the deciding vote.Report

  14. Plinko says:

    I missed the cutoff, but the house drink here is a bourbon Old-Fashioned, sweet.Report

  15. I also missed the cutoff, but my default at home is a sazerac or an old fashioned.

    Martinis are fine enough, I guess, but almost everyone neglects the vermouth to the point that they’re just drinking cold gin or vodka in a glass. Vermouth neglect is a serious problem; we need to get John Walsh on it.Report

  16. I missed it too. Perhaps I can recommend the second (or eighth) drink? I’m presently drinking a beer – a Mayflower Porter to be exact. The darker and bitterer the better, culminating in the liquid perfection that is Guinness, but only if you have a tap in your house. Otherwise, red wine is always nice after stretching your brain (Cabs only – no Merlot). I’m not a huge cocktail guy, but Hendricks gin and tonic is lovely, and it’s hard to resist a nice dry Mojito. Or a good Scotch for that matter.Report