I’m using my phone quite a bit these days for mobile internet/bluetooth modem. Most sites I hit show full web pages by default; I can’t think of one that gives me a mobile version by default. Bandwidth plans in Canada are pretty pricey so it can be quite annoying to watch MB burn as you load some homepages.

So to do my part I installed WordPress Mobile Edition and now the site has a nice little low bandwidth version for mobile access. Without changing the url.

Gismondi has recently been trouncing on BC’s draconian liquor laws – huge markups. Even worse, which he hasn’t been touching on, is that our liquor distribution board (LDB) doesn’t actually bring any value beyond distribution. It’s up to agents to import liquor into BC which the LDB markups up; they get their cut. And our liquor laws prohibit anyone but an agent from importing liquor in. So if I’m looking for orange bitters I basically have to make it myself. Or improvise.

The Manhattan is one of the classic martini’s. Rye, vermouth, a dash of bitters. Generally more rye than vermouth, 2:1. Except for the New 1920′s cocktail (a Manhattan) which calls for a 1:1 ratio of rye to vermouth. Unless you’re in BC and can’t get orange bitters.

So you improvise:

1 oz rye (Crown Royal, b/c we’re in Canada)
0.5 oz dry vermouth
0.5 oz orancio
perhaps a dash of benedictine for spice

And the consequences aren’t bad…

[Update sometime in 2008....] Turns out you can get angostura bitters from Meinhardts