hic!

i know, i know. been away too long.
yes, i have been. haven't been writing, just drinking.
a bit of tweeting. a lot of drinking.
a lot of photos too.
soon. i promise.
came across beerbeer.org. seems a bit decent of a blog that has been around since may last year.
just about the time i left malaysia actually.
it is completely about beers and pubs in malaysia and has a list of places from cambodia down to singapore.
well, if you are interested.
and i promise i will write more.
cheers.

thirstyblogger spins as dotmy's first alco-blog

well, it had to be a johannian to start it. but personally i don't think deepak gill @ thirstyblogger is the first to start an alco-blog in malaysia.
but that's the spin and the thirstyblogger makes it debut 7pm, thursday, june 25 at modesto's in ttdi plaza.
hope its not some kinda commercial arrangement but a blog dedicated to drinking.
all the best dude!
cheer, cheer and courage display!
and have fun with the absinthe ritual.

frisky whisky friday

apologies again. been a while. not that i haven't been drinking but just had not time to write about it. the pleasure is in the drinking, rather than writing.
be that as it may, have a couple of friends down in jakarta and we will resuscitate the frisky whisky fridays that we used to have in kuala lumpur just over a year ago.
and since all the trips have brought forth a treasure trove of duty-free bottles and then some, it will be a pleasure to imbibe a few drams for a great weekend.
apart from the nasi padang that they all love so much. especially the sambal ijo.
by the way, malt closed down. it stopped getting single malts. and business just died.
there are a couple of other places that serve decent single malt in jakarta.
will update with a list.
soon.
i promise.
meanwhile, just got onto twitter so i can tweet and add pics on the run.
and after all that, slainte!

non-alcohol whisky?

mea culpa.
have disappeared for exactly four months due to a host of reasons but none of it meant i withdrew from drinking. just writing about it.
the truth is, i've been travelling far and wide and imbibing spirits here and there. some good, some great and some just downright inexcusable and a sorry sight and taste of a drink.
and lo and behold! something popped up in my mailbox last night from scottish spirits ltd.
an alcohol-free whisky from a panama-based company that is targetted specifically for Muslims as it is halal-approved.
"the product is perfect for markets such as the middle eastern countris, pakistan, indonesia and any other country where there is a large muslim population, which represents a market of round 1.3 billion people," said Kevvin Grattagliano Katz, who owns the company.
haven't checked the halal certification but it does suggest someone is making money with halal certificates although at between US$4 to US$5 for a 700ml bottle, its rather cheap whisky.
guess its more form than substance of a whisky.
according to the bottlers, "the non alcohol whisky tastes and looks exactly like traditional scotch whisky. the whisky is suitable for drinking straight up or with sodaa, tea or other mixers."
it claimed the non alcohol whisky is the result of 10 years of research and development and will start production in april 2009 at is facility in france field, colon free zone, panama.
won't comment on the appropriateness of the distilling facility but it does make me wonder if a bottle is available soon in a muslim country near me.
slainte! salams!