1.3 The Blue Notes – Moonshiner

December 15th Moonshiner—h2130 A rainy night.  Near Place Des Vosges, on the outskirts of the Marais, the backstreets are slick and empty. The three of us scamper across the wide Boulevard Beaumarchais. Rain picks up. It’s near freezing. Street lights reflect in a violent orange hue. My feet are damp, but my mouth tastes ofContinue reading “1.3 The Blue Notes – Moonshiner”

A History of Mojitos and Paris: The Life, Love, and Death of a Recipe

On a severely cold night in W14, under a typical red and white striped awning in St. Germain Des-Pres, we’d sat for drinks. Parisians with cigarettes fill straw chairs. Smoke, laughter, and light rain spills into the dark, cobblestone streets.

Where to Eat and Drink in Palermo, Sicily

This is a tale of two cities, one in the light and one at dark. The Capital of Sicily strikes as a larger, more complex metropolis than what it embodies, an ancient city that has seen the perils and progress of society. Graffiti plastered over walls like propaganda. Twisting, trash-filled backstreets that open onto crowdedContinue reading “Where to Eat and Drink in Palermo, Sicily”

5.26 The Blue Notes: Champion’s League Final

May 26th, 2018 The Setting: 30 minutes before the 2018 Champion’s League final, Real Madrid vs. Liverpool with a growing fervor for the upcoming World Cup. Two friends have invited us to a local’s bar in Denfert Rochereau, a small, cool, but not quite a chic hub, which separates inner and outer South Paris. TheContinue reading “5.26 The Blue Notes: Champion’s League Final”

Paris Isn’t Much of a Jungle, But There’s Always Tiger

I’m telling you–it was another misty winter night in Paris, same as all the others. Accompanied by sneakers and patterned socks, flowing overcoats and black-brimmed hats with pluming feathers, we arrive. It’s never so cold in Paris to not dress with elegance; life is never so challenging to not act with the same sentiment. TipContinue reading “Paris Isn’t Much of a Jungle, But There’s Always Tiger”

Peru’s Celebrated Cocktail, the Pisco Sour

Lima, Peru–Pisco Sour, Pisco Shower! Sang the two French women. We were happy to be going out, finally. After long flights, an uncomfortable first night at our hostel and a long wait outside of a Mcdonald’s in a modest, Peruvian chill, our couch-surfing host arrived. Miguel Angel was a man of many languages, but fewContinue reading “Peru’s Celebrated Cocktail, the Pisco Sour”

Our brief history with Rice Whiskey–Luang Prabang, Laos

Somewhere in Northern Laos–The first experience I had with the stuff, was hardly into our first day. And it wasn’t optional. Our boat rested at the rickety wooden docks of a small village with huts that dotted the lush greenery of the Mekong riverbank. A welcome committee to us Westerners, as we were allured intoContinue reading “Our brief history with Rice Whiskey–Luang Prabang, Laos”