Free Republic

George Washington’s rye whiskey going on sale Rye whiskey using George Washington’s own recipe will soon go on sale at the first president’s Mount Vernon estate in Virginia. The presidential home reconstructed Washington’s distillery and will make more than 1,100 bottles of unaged whiskey available beginning April 4. The bottles sell for $95 each. Mount Vernon says the rye is the most authentic version of Washington’s whiskey available. Washington was a detailed record keeper, and distillers used the same grain recipe and fermentation process as it was done 250 years ago. No word on whether it’ll be available online or...

These are the places in America where alcohol is still banned The year was 1933. America's fourteen-year experiment in sobriety was over; the federally mandated ban on the sale and manufacture of alcohol had been lifted. All across the U.S., people welcomed the repeal of prohibition with open arms and flowing taps. Or rather, most of them did. Meet the counties where America's "noble experiment" never died. When prohibition lifted almost eighty years ago, many communities (particularly in the Bible Belt) voted to keep alcohol bans in place at the local level. Today, there are still more than 200 "dry"...

Bartending Tips From Days of Old What's old is new again, and nowhere is that more true than in the cocktail world. New twists on classic cocktails are popping up everywhere, but most of us haven't even figured out how to make them sans twists yet. Luckily, the bartenders of yore have reached forward in time to give us invaluable advice on mixing these drinks of yesteryear. And publishers looking to capitalize on the cocktail craze have reached back to the of bartenders at the turn of last century to reprint some of the most storied mixology guides. Long before...

How Scottish Scientists Re-Created a Hundred-Year-Old Whisky Preserved in Antarctica since 1907, the Scotch that Ernest Shackleton drank is now available in stores In 1907, Ernest Shackleton and crew set out on the ship Nimrod to visit Antarctica and, they hoped, the South Pole. The good news was, the entire party survived the trip, thanks in part to the Rare Old Highland Whisky they brought to the frozen continent. But the expedition was forced to evacuate in 1909, some 100 miles short of the Pole they sought. And, as winter ice encroached and the men hurried home, they left behind...

The bust that began in 2007 has just begun to ravage tax revenues in communities from coast to coast. The problem is unlikely to subside soon. For instance, Baltimore collected $815 million in property taxes during the most recent fiscal year. Next year, the figure is predicted to shrink to $803.5 million. The following year, $773 million. The year after that, $735.7 million. The year after that, $729.4 million. “I don’t see any quick fixes over the next four or five years, to be honest.” Baltimore already faces a budget deficit of more than $50 million next year. “Obviously, it...

"Folks, you fired the first shot. It's not about Barack Obama. It’s not about Joe Biden. It’s about whether middle-class people are going to be put back in the saddle again – because you are the people who make this country move," Vice President Joe Biden said at a campaign event in Ohio today.

RUSH: The news media today, gosh, the unemployment rate's up to 9%, and they're celebrating. They're talking about some of the strongest job growth, with 244,000 new jobs, 62,000 of them from Mickey D's, 62,000 from McDonald's. Now, remember in the past, those jobs have been impugned by the Democrats and the left as meaningless, futureless hamburger flipper jobs without health care. Folks, I'll tell you, if we had our news media of today back in the days of Herbert Hoover we would have never had a Depression, because it woulda never been reported as a depression. This isn't even...

My name is Tom Leopold and I’m a comedy writer (Seinfeld, Cheers, Will and Grace...). I am a Jewish comedy writer, although I always felt saying that was kind of redundant. So much of my humor — practically all of it I suppose— comes from who my people are, what they’ve been through and how they were able to turn it all on its head and find the funny side, even and especially if there was none to find. I know it sounds odd, but I always liked Jesus. I was never “deep” enough to wrestle with the concept...

He destroyed the Clinton Political Machine - Driving a stake thru the Heart of Hillary's Presidential aspirations--something no Republican was ever able to do. Remember when a Hillary Presidency scared the daylights out of you! He killed off the Kennedy Dynasty - No more Kennedys trolling Washington looking for booze and women wanting rides home. American women and freedom are safer tonight! He is destroying the Democratic Party before our eyes! Dennis Moore had never lost a race - quit Evan Bayh had never lost a race - quit Byron Dorgan - had never lost a race - quit Harry...

Cheers reign but jeers also greet ObamaBy Deirdre Cox Baker, For The Globe Gazette Thursday, March 25, 2010 10:05 PM CDT IOWA CITY — Dr. Erik Edens stayed outside the University of Iowa Field House for hours Thursday, steadfastly holding a sign that read: “Destroyer in Chief … Stop Socialism.” The 46-year-old Davenport native, who is now an Iowa City physician, was one of 250 protesters who showed their feelings during President Obama’s visit Thursday. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” Edens said, explaining that he thinks the health-care reform bill that Obama signed Tuesday will destroy much of...

Mmm Bacon...Flavored Vodka? By Richard Goldsmith - FOXNews.com America's favorite straight stuff gets an injection of flavor. Once upon a time, vodka was popular for being virtually tasteless, delivering all the punch of alcohol without all of that annoying flavor. It was the ultimate blank canvas, melding with pretty much any mixer a bartender could pair it with. As vodka popularity grew in the ‘80s and ‘90s, liquor distillers realized there was money to be made through product extensions, so companies dove in head first. Thus, the tidal wave of flavored vodkas was unleashed. Flavored vodkas have actually been around...

Scotch whisky meant to warm Antarctic explorers retrieved after century locked in ice Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand - This Scotch has been on the rocks for a century. Five crates of Scotch whisky and two of brandy have been recovered by a team restoring an Antarctic hut used more than 100 years ago by famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. Ice cracked some of the bottles that had been left there in 1909, but the restorers said Friday they are confident the five crates contain intact bottles "given liquid can be heard when the crates are moved." New Zealand Antarctic...

A fire broke out at the Guinness factory in Dublin shortly after noon local time. Over nine fire brigades and three rigs with aerial ladder platforms were able to contain the blaze before it spread to the ammonia plant at the site. An official from Guinness was able to confirm that no one was hurt in the incident. “There were no injuries to any personnel and the fire has been extinguished,” the spokeswoman said. “An internal investigation is under way to find out exactly what the cause of the accident was.” The fire broke out near the Victoria Quay entry...

Boston’s real-life Cheers bartender is laid off11th March 2009, 10:45 WST Eddie Doyle was the guy who really did know everybody’s name, at least when he started working at the tavern that inspired the television show Cheers. To the tens of thousands of tourists that later passed through, Doyle remained behind the bar to offer a smile, a beer and tips about where to find the Boston that wasn’t shown on TV. Now Doyle is out of a job, laid off from Cheers after 35 years. The bar’s owner has said a tough economy and sagging business forced the move,...

I am watching the game and there she is! With Piper and Bristol (or perhaps not Bristol, but the middle daughter- I forgot her name). she looks great! A mixed crowd reaction, but mostly cheering, some boos for sure, but they were drowned out by the music. Hey, people can boo if they want, it's still a free country (for now). It all went off without a hitch. I Love Sarah Palin.

RUSH: From the Los Angeles Times:  "They came to cheer. They got a lecture. The crowd went wild.  During a Barack Obama town-hall meeting on the economy, the topic turned to education, which, the Illinois senator said, could not be remedied by spending alone. 'It doesn't matter how much money we put in if parents don't parent,' he scolded.  The line is one the Democrat delivers often, but on Thursday in Beaumont, Texas, he struck a remarkable chord with his mostly African American audience.  'It's not good enough for you to say to your child, "Do good in school," and...

Speaking to a crowd of about 5,000 conservative activists, Sen. John McCain tried to calm conservatives to win over skeptics who had only a few hours before heard his principal rival, Mitt Romney, drop out of the race.Romney’s exit was graceful, and surprising only for its timing. Conservative talk radio star Laura Ingraham, introducing Romney, said she was proud to be the only person privileged to be introducing a conservative candidate. But Romney’s speech – as good as any he gave in the campaign -- tipped his hand early, hinting, “If I fight all the way to the convention…”...

Pop 'em if you got 'em. If we can't elect a conservative candidate we might as well be amusing for a couple hours.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Feb. 4, 2008 – As millions of Americans gathered around their televisions to watch Super Bowl XLII last night, servicemembers here rolled out of beds, cots or sleeping bags to watch the big game in the early morning hours. The New York Giants and New England Patriots each had plenty of rooters here, but one soldier assigned to Combined Joint Task Force 82 took special pride in the Giants’ stunning 17-14 upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots. Before he joined the Army, Lt. Col. Nate Rivers, CJTF 82’s logistics maintenance chief, played in the National Football...

DETROIT - Presidential hopeful Barack Obama drew the loudest cheers of the eight Democratic candidates at a civil rights forum Thursday as he assailed the Bush administration's record on race relations. The candidates shared the stage at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 98th annual convention. Obama, seeking to become the first black president, drew the strongest applause from the 3,000 people at the event. "I know what you know, which is that despite all the progress that has been made we still have more work to do," said the first-term Illinois senator. Black voters are a...