Hello, my name is Geoff Carter, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to Gritty Shaker.
"Gritty Shaker" is a track by Irish producer and DJ David Holmes. It's the fourth track on his 1997 album "Let's Get Killed," which I strongly recommend to anyone possessing even one lonesome cochlea. Steven Soderbergh liked "Gritty Shaker" well enough to use it, in slightly modified form, as the theme to his 2001 Ocean's Eleven remake. No less august a personage than George Clooney pronounced Holmes' sound "kickin'," and probably he blasted "Gritty Shaker" in one of his several luxury cars.
That's a fair slate of endorsements for an instrumental track, but I chose "Gritty Shaker" as the name of this bars 'n' booze bl-g for reasons other than its Hollywood pedigree. At the time my friend Mark Shaffer and I came up with the idea for this bl-g, we were working for a cityguide website whose stringent process of editorial review prevented us from coming right out and declaring a cocktail overpriced, a bartender poorly trained, or a entire bar just plain awful. We're journalists, goddamn it; we know how to drink and talk shit at the same time. A ventriloquist couldn't hope to do better.
Luckily, we've both of us been sidelined by the newspaper industry's steady march to extinction, and at long last we can speak our gin-addled minds. Mark's a whiskey man, I've been favoring Negronis of late, and my girlfriend Lorien infuses vodkas when she's not coaching roller derby. We seek out worthwhile happy hours with a fervor equal to that of the conquistadors who sought for El Dorado. We know that a good bartender is as rare a find as a good doctor. And we judge a bar not by the color of its walls, but by the character of the drunks leaning on them for support.
That's what Mark, Lorien and I intend to do. Now that we've gotten that statement-of-intent jazz out of the way, let's order us some drinks. I already know what to put on the jukebox.
I see that, despite the occasional bout of DTs, you are a fan of the honored nib (just say No to gel pens). May I suggest www.jstationery.com/ for some curious and novelty items...
Posted by: Paul Irvin | 12/29/2008 at 09:40 PM
YES NEW BLOG.
Posted by: Pj | 12/30/2008 at 08:33 AM
Oh dearest, I knew someday you'd write big words about small drinks!
Posted by: Kendra | 12/30/2008 at 09:42 AM
Fantastic! I'll be reading regularly.
Posted by: Meredith | 12/30/2008 at 07:45 PM
Good Luck with Gritty Shaker, Geoff, Mark, and Lorien! Here's to great bartenders everywhere. Bottoms Up!
Steve & Paul, Cocktail Buzz
Posted by: Cocktail Buzz | 01/09/2009 at 02:22 PM