If The Most Interesting Man in the World only consumes Dos Equis when he deigns to drink beer, then when I must slake a thirst destined to be quenched by distilled spirits, I proudly imbibe only the finest of bourbons: the mighty Rebel Yell.
Is it an acquired taste? Absolutely. Seasoned veterans of the brand know what I'm talking about, but for the initiates, steel yourselves for a symphony of honey, butter, and raisins that seduces the nose and mouth as a fire slowly builds in the belly. It's got a bit of a spice, too. But it's the ribaldry that follows after about four or five visits to the bottle that really give Rebel Yell a special place in my heart - all the inebriated energy one normally finds in a bottle of tequila, with none of the side effect compulsions to start fights with complete strangers.
Is it an acquired taste? Absolutely. Seasoned veterans of the brand know what I'm talking about, but for the initiates, steel yourselves for a symphony of honey, butter, and raisins that seduces the nose and mouth as a fire slowly builds in the belly. It's got a bit of a spice, too. But it's the ribaldry that follows after about four or five visits to the bottle that really give Rebel Yell a special place in my heart - all the inebriated energy one normally finds in a bottle of tequila, with none of the side effect compulsions to start fights with complete strangers.
And I have been no stranger to a Rebel Yell kind of night as of late.
With the wedding on its way, my fiancee' and I have placed the household on financial lockdown. Discretionary expenses face heavier scrutiny than ever. A date to the movies has become a trip to the neighborhood redbox. The urge to splurge and order a pizza is curbed by consuming an HEB store brand frozen pizza, baked with love and smothered in Italian seasoning and Tabasco sauce. These may be lean times, but we never pass on a moment to celebrate our gratitude for life, and a $20 handle of Rebel Yell provides a delightful batch of adult beverages for such celebrations.
What is the best way to drink Rebel Yell?
There undoubtedly exists many ways to skin this particular cat, but we've managed to develop a couple of solid alternatives:
Choice #1: The Bootstrap
- In a mason jar, fill with cubed ice, add one shot of Rebel Yell
- Add 6 oz. Vanilla Coke Zero
- Garnish with a smile, and serve
- Its name derives from its distinctive sweaty, dusty, leathery flavor - the equivalent of licking a wagon wheel
Choice #2: The Daywalker
- In a mason jar, fill with cubed ice, add one shot of Rebel Yell
- Add 6 oz. Schweppes Ginger Ale
- Garnish with a high-five, and serve
- Its name derives from its coloring - think of a brown-eyed ginger kid
I prefer the darker robust experience of a Bootstrap, yet the zesty crispness of a Daywalker makes a great companion while watching the sunset or a daytime football game. Of course, whatever your drinking preference might be, any kind of cocktail goes down much smoother when you have the right soundtrack...
1) Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas - 1990 - Good Jeff's Doom Guild pick for the week. Scottish. Indecipherable lyrics. Misleading band name. In all honesty, reminded me a bit of American new wave band Berlin. If I was playing a word association game, I think my choices would be 'dark,' 'European,' 'dreamy,' and 'Top Gun.' I had no idea about this album or the band, so I also had no idea that I was listening to what is regarded as their finest effort. I also came to learn that the band recorded the album during a period of inner turmoil and drug addiction. Even though the album didn't sound like the product of substance abuse to me, I think the thing that struck me the most was that despite my inability to discern what exactly vocalist Elizabeth Fraser (who went on to sing on Massive Attack's Mezzanine) was singing about, I could feel something, even if it was indescribable, coming off of this album. That being said, my ultimate experience with this album could be summarized as 'emotional.' Worth a listen or two, and probably needs some room to grow.
2) Jonsi - Go - 2010 - Go is the solo debut from Sigur Ros' frontman, Jonsi Birgisson, and my immediate impression was how much more accessible and, well, poppier his solo work sounds compared to the Icelandic dreamscape output of Sigur Ros. However, similar to Sigur Ros, this album came with a fair amount of Icelandic gibberish, but unlike the Scottish gibberish of Cocteau Twins, Jonsi's polysyllabic mystery approach did not emotionally resonate with me. As a result, my overall experience with Go never truly grew beyond arms length. Further, I may be a big Sigur Ros fan, and although I have no quarrel with Chris Martin, but this album reminded me of what Coldplay what sound like if Beaker was their lead singer. Fairly pretty, mostly disjointed pop music for castrati glee clubs. Hit or miss.
3) Social Distortion - Mommy's Little Monster - 1983 - Social Distortion's studio debut and the result of a single non-stop day of recording on Christmas Eve, 1982. In contrast the other selections for the week, this album is a straight forward high energy rock and roll kick to the ass. This album did exactly what I think it originally set out to do, and I simply could not find a single critical comment to make by the end of the week. Even the closer, 'Moral Threat,' made a dynamically memorable sign-off for the album.- my absolute favorite type of album endpoint. Lots of fun, and probably a good album to spin while restoring a '47 Pontiac Streamliner. Enjoy.
4) The Who - Tommy, Part 2 - 1969 - The Who's double album song cycle about a boy named Tommy who watches his father commit murder, and becomes psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind from the resulting trauma. He ultimately attains enlightenment in his internal pursuit to return to his senses, then becomes a hero to others seeking enlightenment, then opens a camp to help his followers attain enlightenment, hires his pedophile uncle to assist him at enlightenment camp, and the enlightenment campers ultimately reject Tommy's enlightenment methods. The End. Maybe I missed the point, and I don't care how many albums The Who sold, but for me, Tommy yielded a totally underwhelming experience. Yes, 'Pinball Wizard' has definitely earned its legendary rock and roll status. However, for a double album, there was maybe an EP's worth of song value, heavily padded with an inane storyline. In the end, double yawn. I'm going to stick with Quadrophenia.
Social Distortion, with all of its attitude and swagger, emerged as the clear winner for this week. And on that note, it's time to celebrate. Tonight's celebration calls for Dr. Pepper and Rebel Yell, but I don't know what to name this new concoction. Help me out.
In the meantime, stay thirsty.
-A
