Friday, February 17, 2012

Old Overcoat


Toby brought me the following excerpt from Fox News. It reminded him of my dad and one particular evening in Red River. The two of them got to tasting whiskeys at Jalapeno Pete's (or was it the Red Onion). I guess it was a slow night. One of the whiskeys was Old Overholt, but somehow it was misread and called Old Overcoat. The two of them laughed and laughed over the mistake, but from then on, they always referred to that whiskey as Old Overcoat. It was probably one of those ya had to be there things or possibly it was one of those ya had to have had too many shots of whiskey things. It was definitely one of those things that made Dad and Toby good friends - not just father-in-law to son-in-law. I don't know if that was the same night that Dad brought Toby home, and both were drunk as skunks. Dad was still standing, but Toby - not so much. I won't go into the details, but I was mad as a wet hen. There my dad was swaying in my living room, telling me how they had "lost Toby, but found him again..." and Dad was laughing so hard he had tears running down his face. I let Dad know that I did not appreciate him getting my husband drunk - it made Dad laugh all the harder. And it really strengthened their man bonds - so much so that this article brought fond memories to Toby.

Old Overholt

According to lore, this rye whiskey was one of Abraham Lincoln’s favorites. Apparently The Great Emancipator had good taste. Supposedly first distilled in 1810 and named for the distiller, Abraham Overholt, it features all the spice of a typical rye. But where most ryes are powerfully peppery and burn the throats of those who aren’t used to this most traditional of American whiskeys, this one translates the spice to a rich warmth instead of the usual harsh heat. Old Overholt is a solid example of traditional rye done right. The only drawback is how quickly the tasty caramel and cinnamon flavors break down with anything more than a splash of water. Given how common it is for people to try to cut the peppery rye by diluting it, it can quickly turn into a watery mess if drinkers aren’t careful.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Your blog is always such a fun place to visit...I never know what I will learn!
Thank you for this post!
~AM

Bag Blog said...

AirmanMom,
I'm not sure what you learned today, but thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.

Buck said...

It would have been GREAT to have a FIL like Toby had. You've heard a couple o' my stories in this space and I simply can NOT envision my ex-FIL bringing me home drunk.

Good on yer Dad. Toby, too.

Bag Blog said...

Buck,
I'm sorry for your ex-FIL - he missed some good times. Although at the time, I was plenty pissed - envision angry eyes.

Barbara said...

Love the picture of the best! Needs to be hanging in RR to remind us all of the good times then, now and in the future. I know just the place.

Becky G said...

That is funny! Growing up in a family of teetotalers, this never would have happened to my ex, but he did tell me the story about how his grandfather put beer in his baby bottle once.

Bag Blog said...

Barbara,
Mom has this photo blown up large. I bet we can find another one for the mountains.

Becky,
A little beer in the baby bottle, or wine is suppose to make the baby sleep better. Better yet, if the mom has a little beer or wine, she will be more relaxed and deal better with the baby. Hopefully no one snockered.

Anonymous said...

Please try to find me a pic. If I work with this one, I'm afraid the resolution will not good. Thanks

Barbara said...

Last comment from me - pushed the wrong button. Too early . . .

Andy said...

Lou, my father-in-law was a fine man. He's been dead for 8 years now, and I can honestly say that we NEVER truly connected.

And, that's a shame. I'm a nice guy, and have always been a faithful husband to his daughter, worked hard to provide, and did my best to gain his friendship. Nope...never really gained it.

After reading this post, I wish that he was not a tea-totaler, and we'd have been able to knock a few back together. Might have changed things somehow.

Regardless, he was a fine man, and I'm sure in his own odd way he loved me. It just would have been nice to feel an arm around the shoulder once...even if it meant he was just helping me make it back in the house drunk.

Toby is a lucky man.

Oh crap...my new monitor is all blurry. Cheap Chinese junk...

Bag Blog said...

Andy,
Who could not love you? My dad was a pretty awesome, fun guy. He did not want me to marry when I did - caused some strain. But they both had too much in common to be at odds forever. I think my dad taught Toby lots - someday Jesse's husband will appreciate that.

Andy said...

Who could not love me?

K.D. Phillips. That's who.

Yes ma'am, Jesse's husband will certainly be a blessed man for more reason than one.

Maybe that was the problem with me & K.D. (And, I've actually thought about this a lot) We were so dang different...our thought processes, upbringing, priorities, life experience, etc.

I'm sure he loved me in his own odd way. God knows that sometimes I loved him...and other times I hated him.

The deal was probably mutual.

Good post, Lou.

Screen getting blurry again...