Society for the Orderly Uptake of Spiritously Enhanced Drinks

The SOUSED PODCAST PROJECT

2005-12-07T13:37:00.000+11:00

NEWSFLASH!

SOUSED has been on an unanounced hiatus for some time, as I'm sure you can tell, but we have been working recently towards reviving this old corpse in the form of NEW MEDIA!

In recent weeks we have been working on bringing SOUSED to you aurally, and through a partnership with The Podcast Network SOUSED will very soon be delivering an audio show devoted to cocktails through the medium of Podcasting.

Be sure to head on over to http://soused.thepodcastnetwork.com to subscribe to SOUSED Weekly - The Podcast For Cocktails, Bars, and the men and women who love them.

Betrayal!

2005-03-31T20:07:00.000+10:00

Steady yourself readers, for I bring dire news!

The Powers-That-Be at Der Raum, the very cradle of SOUSEDs existence, have been spying on our little group and have cunningly appropriated our modus operandi for their own secret, cocktail-oriented society!

It came to the attention of members of SOUSED last night, that Der Raum will be holding a monthly "meeting" for a "society" comprising of a group of Melbourne's most talented and knowledgable bartenders in direct competition with SOUSED! (On a different day of course). Contemptably, this new group will call themselves the "Melbourne Temperance Society". (A sly reference to the movement responsible for Prohibition in the states)

We will not stand for this blatant elitism! We demand that good cocktails should be available and accessible to all and sundry! That was the whole raison d'être for SOUSED! Why else would we create a semi-secret cocktail drinking fraternity with an obscure website!? Why else would our updates be filled with alienating and snobbish language if not to bring our message to the people?

Thankfully, some SOUSED members have recently attended a secret lecture on secret societies by the devilishly entertaining duo of Andrew McClelland and Lawrence Leung as a part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This is not especially "Cocktail related", but it is Secret Society related, and therefore worth a mention here. We have been exposed to many ideas for facing the menace that is the Melbourne Temperance Society.

Dear readers, we of SOUSED stand in benevolent opposition to this insular and cancerous bartending threat to the ideals that we uphold. We plan on infiltrating this new sect, and waging a "secret cocktail society" war in the Bars of Melbourne.

Remember Brothers to raise your swizzle sticks and fight the good fight!

Cheers,
Cocktail Kev

(Please note: The Melbourne Temperance Society most likely do not know of our existance, nor would they otherwise care. The revolution shall be spoken in whispers!)

Barring Injury, Death or Incarceration, SOUSED will next meet on April 13th at around 7 pm. If you're interested in dropping in, feel free to fire off an e-mail to cocktail.kev@gmail.com.

A Guide to Joining SOUSED

2005-03-03T22:22:00.000+11:00

It has come to my attention that a number of people may be remotely interested in attending one of our meetings, but don't know what to expect from a SOUSED meeting.

First of all, you must understand that we're all sophisticated in a very similar way to the Rat Pack. In fact, I have personally been compared to a young Frank Sinatra, only I curse more. Karsten even bears a strong resemblance to Sammy Davis Jnr.

(Not) Cocktail Kev

The group as it stands at the moment is small and in its infancy. There's no real formal structure that we follow apart from turning up at the bar, buying cocktails, and discussing them, analysing them, and maybe even drinking them. The focus is on the cocktails and bars in general.

A new member can expect to be asked a rigorous series of questions carefully crafted to determine their level of commitment to the cause. Those found wanting are promptly ejected from the group, and shunned by the group for the rest of their lives (depending on your point of view, this can be a blessing or a curse).

For those playing at home, the interrogation would consist of questions such as:-

Should an Old Fashioned be made with or without fruit?

Would a drink like this get you kicked out of SOUSED?

What cocktail was the grandfather of the Martini as we know it today?

And a real tough question,

What is the difference between an El Floridita Daiquiri , a Floridita Cocktail, a La Florida Cocktail, and a Florida Daiquiri?

This guy would know the answer!

Of course, rest assured that we don't really bite, we're more likely to sip, and we're a reasonably decent bunch of boozers to hang out with.

Meetings are currently being held on a Wednesday every two weeks at Der Raum in Church Street, Richmond (Note that the staff are unaware that we are trying to slowly infiltrate their bar patronage bit by bit as our numbers grow. We will stop at nothing but complete domination of the bar!). If you plan on dropping in, please let us know so we can prepare an appropriate welcome. You can E-mail me at: cocktail.kev@gmail.com.

Cheers!

Tiki Fever!

2005-03-02T15:56:00.000+11:00

Aloha!

In keeping with our theme for the meeting tonight, I thought I'd offer some appropriate inspiration in the form of some links.

For those of you joining us tonight, you are forbidden to leave without sampling at least one Mai Tai. If you have any difficulty in finding the perfect Mai Tai, maybe the Search for the Ultimate Mai Tai will help.

Those wanting an authentic Tiki experience cannot go without the correct glassware and parephenalia.

Someone who understands the cool of a Tiki Night is SHAG. SHAG is easily one of the coolest artists on the planet, and I offer the following as proof :

This is exactly what a SOUSED meeting is like*.

For those attending this evening, we cannot promise that there will be Trained Monkey Waiters, nor can we promise a Fez for all attendees. We can only promise cocktails and good company.

If you are setting up a Tiki Bar, you will need the correct decoration. To put one in a primitive mood, one needs the carving talents of Bosko.

Aloha all! See you tonight over a Daiquiri!

*May not actually be anywhere near accurate.

Hot Spots On The Trot

2005-02-20T11:41:00.000+11:00

I'm not too sure what that topic title meant, really.

WorldsBestBars.com lists a selection of hot lounges and cocktail bars around Melbourne. I'm not too sure how current it is, but I suspect the link is worth checking out nonetheless.

Venues that I personally like the look of include but are not limited to the following:

Arthur's has a very swanky vibe, mixing eras from the 30s through to the 50s. It's hot like my CPU.
Bond Bar makes me want to climb the ceiling and ski down the walls.
Kanela is great just because I love latin girls.
MOO has a gorgeous old world charm that is so suited to the consumption of spirits.

Now, I had more in mind, but I've just stumbled across a gallery of gorgeous women and really, I can't possibly devote any time to this when there is admiring to be done.

Till next time, I love youse all.

Themes!

2005-02-04T09:15:00.000+11:00

For our next meeting we have decided in our wisdom to start "drinking to a theme". This basically involves our members doing a little bit of research into whatever the theme may be leading up to the session, and then hassling the bartender with obscure cocktail recipes. Luckily our bar of choice at the moment has an extensive collection of spirits and liqueurs, so we have a good chance of being able to find most ingredients.

These themes will focus on a distinctive aspect of drinking; be it a "style" of drinks (like sours, muddled drinks, highballs, etc), an Era (Prohibition, Disco, etc), a place (Eastern Bloc Europe, France, South America, New Orleans, etc), or a particular spirit base.

For our next meeting, One of our wiser and more intelligent members has decided that the first "theme" that we should drink to is .... Tiki Era drinks!
We are bringing some references in a misguided attempt to "help" (iritate) the bartender, and will be awarding points to the best Tiki clothing!

One of our reference books

Meetings are going well, and we have many plans for the future... Stay tuned!

"Cocktail" Kev

It's all about the swizzlestick...

2005-02-03T22:26:00.000+11:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a logo on the site!

Our talented, handsome, and let's face it, downright sexy and attractive designer has been hard at work adapting his SOUSED logo to be used on the website, and here it is in all its glory!

Personally, I think this logo is just fantastic, and it absolutely captures the sleek sophistication of everything that SOUSED stands for and you couldn't possibly live up to.

Behold, For I am SOUSED! (An earlier manifestation of the logo)

Van, our designer, will soon be launching a T-Shirt company called "Primitive" which will of course be available in all the places that you aren't cool enough to know about... however, hang around with SOUSED for long enough, and we might throw you a bone or two about where you can buy his sexy designs.

One of our many other plans for the future of SOUSED is to introduce "Calling cards" to be handed out only to individuals that we feel worthy of knowing about our highly secretive and "cult-ish" Society. Who knows? One day a shady character may wordlessly hand you one of our cards, your key to a whole new world of cocktailian delights!

"Cocktail" Kev

SOUSED "Seal of Approval"

2005-02-01T22:21:00.000+11:00

This bit will probably end up moved to a dedicated "Seal of Approval" section at some stage, but for now we'll just get some content up!

The people of SOUSED like to think that they know better than anyone else when it comes to the quality and and values of a bar. Despite how completely erroneous this statement is, it's not going to stop these misguided souls expressing their highly biased opinions here.
The SOUSED Seal of Approval is granted to those bars that SOUSED deem worthy. The exact criteria for being considered for this dubious “honour” are in no way set in stone, but we are assured it has something to do with “the vibe”.
The following is a list of the bars that SOUSED has felt the need to say good things about for whatever reason.

Der Raum - 438 Church Street, Richmond

http://www.derraum.com.au/

SOUSED was born in the summer of 2004/05 and Der Raum was its unwilling mid-wife. Der Raum is a bar in Richmond that has always been a favourite haunt for the founding members of SOUSED due to the intimate surrounds, the fact that it's a bit “exclusive” (this never hurts), and because the staff really know what they're talking about. Most of the time the Bar staff at Der Raum know what they're talking about, and most importantly, they understand most of what SOUSED are talking about... despite the slurred speech. We have definitely had some great sessions and tried some wonderful classic drinks at Der Raum, and the selection of spirits on their “shelves” doesn't hurt either.
Special thanks to Paul Aron for being a gracious host during the first few informal meetings of our “Society”.
Der Raum, we are proud to present you with the first SOUSED Seal of Approval!

Der Raum - Lining up the Champagne saucers

"Cocktail" Kev

ABOUT SOUSED...

2005-02-01T22:19:00.000+11:00

This bit will probably end up moved to a dedicated "about" section at some stage, but for now we'll just get some content up!

The Society for the Orderly Uptake of Spiritously Enhanced Drinks is a social club that was formed by three mild dipsomaniacs one balmy summer in Melbourne, Australia. Already fans of hard liquor, These three began delving into the arcane lore of cocktails and they discovered tome after tome containing many recipes for strange and esoteric drinks such as Satan's Whiskers, Corpse Reviver and “Blood And Sand”.

They were unable to find a support group for people with an unhealthy and unnatural desire to talk the finer points of the alchemical process involved in turning simple spirits, juices and other ingredients into magical potions capable of endowing the gift of lucid verbosity and irresistable charm on whomsoever should happen to take a dose. The damned three made a pact to bring more people into their fold by creating a secret society dedicated to exploring this sacred rite, complete with clandestine meetings by moonlight, secret handshakes, ritualistic robes and hidden symbols.

Of course this this all sounded like far too much trouble for these three mugs, so they formed SOUSED instead. SOUSED is a group of friendly people with a common interest in good cocktails and good company that meets regularly (fortnightly on the first and third Wednesday of the month) in a Melbourne Bar to hassle the bartender with obscure and difficult cocktail requests and discuss the craft of the cocktail in pleasant surrounds.
We are always interested in welcoming new members that have a passion for cocktails and are happy to share the experience of discovering more about the topic with a group of other enthusiasts.

If you're interested in joining us for a drink, please fire off an e-mail to cocktail.kev@gmail.com.

Cheers!

“Cocktail” Kev.

Who is SOUSED?

2005-02-01T22:17:00.000+11:00

This bit will probably end up moved to a dedicated "bio" section at some stage, but for now we'll just get some content up!

Some of the contributing members of SOUSED:

“Cocktail” Kev.
Kev spent 2 and a half years trying his hand at being a bartender, and discovered he was better at drinking the drinks than serving. He now works in IT and dreams of the day when he will work behind a bar of his very own and enthrall his guests with an uncanny encyclopedic knowledge of all things cocktail related.
Kev has an unhealthy obsession with Tiki bars and culture, and one day may yet turn into a Moai himself.
Among Kev's favourite drinks are the Negroni, the Mint Julep and the Classic Daiquiri.
Contact Kev at cocktail.kev@gmail.com

Ubiquitous Manhattan drinker shot

Karsten the Agitator

Karsten is a seemingly friendly and mild person during the day, but at night he turns into a sophisticated, charming “Bond-esque” cocktail drinking monster, always willing to take up the challenge of chatting up the least eligible girl in a bar. Karsten sets his sites high and tenaciously pursues his goals regardless of the consequences. It is this “never say die” attitude that makes him a valued and interesting member of SOUSED.
Just lock up your daughters/wives/girlfriends/mothers.
A night with Karsten isn't complete without having to tear a violently jealous male and Karsten apart in the street.

“Three Cube” Marty

Marty was once famously known for his hard drinking habits in all corners of Melbourne towne. His proudest achievements include getting flaming Galliano shots banned from a popular Richmond nightspot and doing multiple shots of Bacardi 151 with a bartender in one unnamed Melbourne bar when he and the bartender shared a hearty regurgitation seconds later. On the Bar.
Despite all these efforts, Marty has yet to be 86'd from a bar, and was forced to abandon these ways (except for Shot races on his birthday, but that's another story...)
Thankfully, Marty's tastes have become much more refined and these days one is more likely to see him with a cigar and a Manhattan, or sitting on a barstool staring deep into the bottom of his tumbler of Scotch, top shelf, 3 cubes of ice please, barkeep.

Here's to a cocktail club. May the drinks be cold and the company warm.

2005-02-01T22:11:00.000+11:00

Gentlemen and gentleladies of another era once enjoyed the icy bite of a “Creature Irresistable”. The entity that inspired the vampirical effect that enthralled a generation was none other than the humble cocktail.

SOUSED is a Social Club in the tradition of the great American Speakeasy. Where women and men go to drink a REAL Manhattan and I don't care if you don't have Rye bartender give me your best Bourbon and and don't forget a dash or two of Orange Bitters my man and I like it as cold as an Alaskan winter with a twist of orange served up in a chilled cocktail glass what the hell give me another for my new friend here.
Now that's a Manhattan.

Of course the bartenders and drinkers in the halcyon days of yore would think nothing of a request along these lines. I want my Martini the way I specify it. With a twist, or without, make it a Gibson with an onion, make it three onions, but but never 2, God forbid! I guess if SOUSED had to have a mission statement, it'd be along the lines of this : To stir in its members a healthy respect and understanding of the great institution of the cocktail in all its iterations.
You don't have to like a Pińa Colada (and frankly we wouldn't blame you), but as long as you're willing to accept its existance, then that's a start. SOUSED wants to introduce drinkers both new and experienced, to the colourful and never-dull world of cocktails. You won't be a sophisticated Gent until you've had an Old Fashioned, you won't be a metropolitan businessman until you've sipped a Martini, you won't have that European swagger until you've sampled a Negroni, you won't know bliss until you've tasted a Brandy Crusta, and you won't know cocktails until you've had a few sessions with the boys and girls from SOUSED.

Cheers, and welcome to SOUSED!
“Cocktail” Kev