While I’ve yet to get to a DC United match, I do imbibe plenty of DC Brau, DC’s best craft beer in my opinion. First, I love the fact that its local. Second, love that its available on tap in just about all my favorite locals, including DC Reynolds, which is no longer my local because I moved, but I return often for their killer patio and happy hour. Third, I love that its canned not bottled.

Their award-winning sick graphic art and branding is super-crisp, and a can keeps the beer fresher and the hand cooler during the dog days of summer. Fourth, my favorite people like DC Brau and I’m a sucka from an endorsement from the Bourdain. It was his trip to Istanbul that inspired my wife and I to honeymoon in Turkey three years ago, and to unabashedly enjoy pork.

Fifth, the recipes DC Brau have got going are freaking dynamite. They are cleverly curated and balance experimentation with popular taste so they are very drinkable. You don’t have to be shy when trying El Hefe Speaks, a german-style wheat beer of the quite quaffable IPA, The Corruption. SO, if a six hits your deli case, I encourage you to GET U SUM!

As I sit here writing this post, I’m looking out onto a sun-dappled backyard where the pink, purple and red azaleas are in bloom.  Black and grey squirrels and rabbits are scavenging and flitting around the back yard. Somewhere in the background I can hear my cat Ninja meowing for a treat. My wife sleeps long and deep these days in anticipation of many restless nights ahead. And I feel thankful, content and a deep overwhelming sense of accomplishment, that the many long years of work, risk, adventures have lead up to a moment where I get to fulfill perhaps our greatest achievements in bringing another being into this world and raising her well. I look forward to the next chapter of life, this transition, with trepidation, in awe…

So when I’m neck-deep in baby poop and can’t get the baby to stop crying in a few weeks, remind me of this moment will you?

Interesting note about Frye. Though their iconic Harness boot was born decades earlier and inspired by the US Cavalry, the Massachusetts-based family of designers gained a bit of inspiration for another now iconic boot from the district. “During a 1938 trip to Washington, D.C., John A. Frye’s grandson and namesake met a U.S. Navy Admiral who noted his difficulty in finding the Wellington styles he liked so much. As a favor, John agreed to make him a pair. Frye continued to fill these requests for boots through World War II.”

By the way Jack Spade just dropped their first watch line at their Wisconsin Ave location. I checked them out at a recent launch party, and its not bad for their first line.  They’re very deliberately fashion watches and so I’ll stick to my Bell & Ross and Luminox, but no man would be mad if he received one as gift.

Copyright Rob Snowhite 2013

Copyright Rob Snowhite 2013

BULLEIT FRONTIER WHISKY WOODY

BILENKY CUSTOM BIKES

THE BUTCHER’S CHARGE

PDT X MOORE AND GILES

BELLY Q LEATHER APRON

FRANKLIN: THE SMOKER

So what the hell was I thinking when I visited my home store and purchased Round-up (Montsanto) to kill the weeds in my yard as well a big old jug full of pesticide to spray around the house perimeter?! Mind you, none of it is organic or natural. It was only today on the way to work that it hit me–of course I want a natural home. I want it free from pesticide and chemicals that will inevitably drain into the nearby creek or contaminate those plump rabbits I got my eye on. I’m an advocate for conservation and environmental protection as you well know but talk about having brain farts, the main ingredient of Round-up is glyphosate, a man-made chemical now found in many streams and creeks across the country that suffer run-off from suburban and urban areas. Its not terribly toxic and it biodegrades in 60 days, doesn’t build up in mammals or aquatic species, but frankly why risk it when there are perfectly good non-toxic alternatives out there. It still can cause breathing issues, and kidney damage at chronic levels.

So, again, what the hell was I thinking? Fact is, I wasn’t. I think I was acting on some base instinct to “protect” the homefront from invasion, and got a little too trigger-happy at the home store. Luckily, I caught myself because I think as a new home owner you get this opportunity to set new habits, to put a stake in the ground and really live your beliefs. And I’ve got big plans to create a safe, non-toxic, energy efficient home. Now I’ve got to get rid of these harmful chemicals and figure out my next move, dig in and do some research and find some natural approaches to weed and pest management. Fortunately, nature threw me a reprieve in the form of an early Spring snow-storm. Now its up to me to follow-through.

I’ve of course been exploring various approaches to raising a baby and taking care of house–and concluded one thing, it will be what it’ll be. No theories, no “systems” are going to change the fact that life likes to throw challenges in front of you to keep you on your toes, from leaky faucets to leaky diapers. I’m just blessed to be going through these transitions with my lovely, amazing, inspiring wife. It’s cliche, but we really do complete each other–where I am fast and loose she is studied and patient. Where I am subdued and cautious she is outgoing and adventurous. We remind each other of just how far we’ve come, of the obstacles we’ve dealt with, of the fun we’ve had so far, and look excitedly to the future.

So all these transitions of course deserve a few upgrades in the life-well-lived category. That’s where I want to buck the tradition of going ultra-casual. While I may have to adapt and go-with-it on the home and baby, I look forward to relishing experiences that are highly-structured, the kind that make you pause and savor the moment. Case in point, I recently learned how to make a proper whiskey sour. I know, a cocktail? Well, its one of the easiest place to go from casual to considered.

Here ya go, from the Real Men Drink Whiskey blog, here’s a recipe that uses all fresh ingredients including egg and fresh-squeezed lemon.

From Real Men Drink Whiskey:

• Martini shaker
• Rye straight whiskey (if you can’t find real Rye, not Canadian Rye, use Bourbon)
• Fresh whole lemons (1 per drink)
• Super fine sugar (I like to use berry sugar, as icing sugar tastes odd to me)
• Large Egg (1 per drink)
• Orange Bitters (not crucial, but highly recommended)
• Ice

Note: This drink was originally created to be made with real Rye. It is the only whiskey I would use for this drink… but if you really can’t get your hands on true Rye bourbon will work nicely in its place.

More Notes: This drink makes a single, it will fill about half of your whiskey glass, double everything up for a full glass.

First, squeeze the shit out of a lemon into a standard short whiskey glass, removing any seeds. You’ll want to squeeze one lemon per drink, around 1oz.

Once your lemon is squeezed pour an equal amount of whiskey into the same cup (or measure the lemon and match it with the whiskey). I like to use just a tad more whiskey than lemon juice; again this will be around 1oz.

Fill a martini shaker ¾ full with ice.

Sprinkle 1 heaping teaspoon of sugar over the ice (you can use more or less of this to taste, if you like things a little more sour start with one flat teaspoon and work from there).

Pour the lemon/whiskey mix over the ice.

Crack an egg and add just the egg white on top of the ice. If you’ve never done this before just “juggle” the yolk from one half of the shell to the other, letting the white slide out into the shaker.

Put just 2 drops (not dashes) of Orange bitters into the mix. You’re not trying to flavor the drink orange, this is just to help round out drink for a complete full-bodied flavor.

Put the lid on the shaker and shake the living fuck out of your mix. You’ll want to shake harder and longer than you have ever shook any martini. The reason for this is to beat up the egg white, which will give the drink a perfect frothy meringue like head, and a distinct every-so-slippery texture.

Strain out the mix back into the glass, and enjoy.