Outlining Your Weekly Drinking Schedule

Someone told me the other day that they don't see the point in drinking anything less than the best. I can give you one good reason right now why that isn't a good idea: you get jaded. As one of my customers told me earlier this week, "If you're drinking Chateau Margaux every night, what do you do for a special occasion?"

I've been sick (again) for the past few days and I'm militant about not drinking while under the weather. As an aside, I usually get sick in the first place when my drinking patterns become heavier than usual, so the occasional cold or flu bug is my body's way of keeping things balanced. What I notice more than anything duing these dry spells is how much I love drinking. When I can't have it, I want it more than anything. When I have whatever I want at my disposal those special bottles tend to lose their luster. There was a night not too long ago when I wasn't satisfied with anything on my liquor shelf. I didn't want Bourbon, or beer, or even wine, but I kept filling my glass hoping that something would do the trick. Now that I'm lying in bed with a sore throat, all I can think about is what I would drink right now if I was healthy.

Drinking only the best sounds impressive, much like only flying first class or only sitting in the front row of a concert sounds awesome, but with booze it's a bad idea (when flying or catching a show, it is indeed awesome). It's a bad idea to drink too much high-end booze because it loses its meaning after a while. It's a bad idea because it limits the way you can drink it. I'm not making a Port Ellen and soda, for example. It's a bad idea to drink only fancy hooch because you can't ever do a shot or down a glass. Variety is what makes drinking fun – at least for me. A variety of flavors, styles, locations, and quality. You need variety in your life.

I'm no model for great drinking, but here's how I would outline my perfect drinking week. A mixture of fancy and pedestrian, as well as beer, wine, and liquor.

Monday (day off):

1 16oz can of Stiegl at around 1 PM.

Start working on dinner around 3 PM, open a bottle of white wine and have a glass while cooking.

Cocktails with the wife when she gets home from work, while the rest of the white wine goes with dinner.

Sip on some Four Roses or Compass Box after dinner. All the food groups are included for a balanced drinking meal.

Tuesday:

1 bottle of Jever Pils after work with the K&L crew.

Tacos from Pancho Villa. More beer.

Tequila after dinner. No wine tonight because Weds morning is exercise time. Beer and booze are more easily managable for me.

Wednesday:

1 can of IPA after work.

Four Roses Yellow Label with ice as I walk in the door. Sip on that until the chinese food gets delivered. German Riesling with the meal.

Scotch.

Thursday:

No beer after work, just because it's getting old (and remember we need to make these moments special)

Beer as soon as I get home, however.

Home-cooked Indian food. More beer.

Maybe some Cognac or Armagnac before bed. Gotta run Friday morning so not too much.

Friday:

1 bottle of Victory Pils as we close the store.

Pizza night. Baricci or Sesta di Sopra Rosso di Montalcino.

Grappa and limoncello after din-din.

Saturday:

Anchor Steam as we close the store as Gary usually buys the beer on Saturday and that's what he drinks.

Pronto's roasted chicken and potatoes for takeout as I cruise up El Camino on my way home.

Campari and soda upon arrival.

Red Burgundy or aged Bordeaux with dinner, maybe a second bottle if we're feeling saucy.

Calvados as I watch TV late night.

Sunday:

Walk around San Francisco. Grab coffee then cocktails or beer depending on where we go.

Get lunch. Get more cocktails.

Come home, make more cocktails.

Open a bottle of Champagne. Eat a light dinner and start sobering up.

Water for the rest of the night. Monday morning is a run day.

-David Driscoll

David Driscoll