Hall of Fame: the Inaugural Class

4 comments

June 7, 1:11 PM

by Mark Burlet, Baltimore Drink Examiner

 

 

OK, take a deep breath. Relax. Pick yourself off the floor and join me back here in a minute when you have collected yourself.

Alright, so now that your initial euphoria has passed, let me tell you exactly what this is all about. This Hall of Fame will not only feature the drunkest intellectuals (and the most intellectual drunks) in history, but will also highlight the finest beverages, drinking establishments, and alcoholically relevant cultural phenomena our world has ever known. It will serve to introduce the aspiring Drunken Intellectual to the greatest resources this movement has to offer... hopefully leading the drinker to discover the finer points of the arts, and reveal to the artist the lighter side of the drink. Not a bad day's work if you ask me...

Of course, there's no way for me to display the entirety of the Hall's contents here, so I will start with a brief introduction to some of the initial entrants into its soon-to-be-storied vaults. So here we go... the stars of the very first group of inductees into the Drunken Intellectual Hall of Fame:

PEOPLE

Ernest Hemingway: Probably the easiest choice for a human representative in this inaugural class, Ernest Hemingway was perhaps the ultimate Drunken Intellectual. His incredible writing, though some say chauvinistic, gave a distinctly American accent to literature in the first half of the 20th century. Plus he thoroughly espoused the hard-drinking, fast-living lifestyle he portrayed in his characters. Might I suggest A Clean, Well-Lighted Place as a brief introduction to Hemingway's style and attitudes toward drinking?  I think I shall...

Other Inductees: Charles Bukowski, Tennessee Williams, Edgar Allen Poe

DRINKS

Guinness: What better initial selection could there be in this category than the elixir-of-choice of the greatest drinking civilization in the modern world? The dark, brilliantly creamy goodness of this fine Irish beer is a complement to any meal... or is a meal by itself on the right evening. This being summer, my personal Guinness consumption will be declining, but it still ranks up there with the most famed of beverages world-wide. Give me a pint and a good live band and I'll be happy any day of the week.

Other Booze: Jack Daniels, the Bloody Mary, the Martini, Heineken

PLACES

Pat O'Brien's Bar: Again, this one is a no-brainer. This world famous watering hole in the midst of the drinking-est city in the nation (that would be New Orleans, of course) claims to sell more alcohol per customer than any other bar in the U.S. Having been there on many an occasion and witnessed (and often participated in) the amazing display of imbibery that occurs around that flaming fountain in the courtyard, I believe it. A couple Hurricanes later and you'll be a convert as well. See you there in three weeks!

Other Locations: Whisky a Go Go, Harry's New York Bar in Paris, Dublin

So there we are. An inaugural class worthy of Drunken Intellectual celebration. Obviously, there are many more people, places and drinks that will be enshrined in these hallowed halls before I retire. Do you have any suggestions for me? A favorite alcoholic writer or a great work of drunken art perhaps? Let me know what you think, and I will let you know when I have created my Hall of Fame website for all to visit. Until that day...

Keep it real.

Mark Burlet
Drunken Intellectual

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