Jack Daniels (DRAFT)

JACK DANIELS… YOU’RE NOT MY FRIEND

NO…really you’re not. Yesterday was what I thought was going to be a chill day – slept in from a debaucherous night at the Spy Bar (much smaller – and even more cool than the spy bar in Chicago). Did some sightseeing, hit the gym, took a sauna and then off I went to the annual beer and whiskey festival. Kind of like the brew ha ha in Reno, but bigger, with more beer, and quite a few drunk old Swedish men. You pay 180 Krowns to get in… then you have to pay 20 Krowns every time you try a beer or Whiskey. Yeah… you have a little single malt, wash that down with some German beer, then a little Jameson followed by a smooth Czech pilsner. Not a bad way to start the night. The strange thing is in Sweden it is against the law to give away alcohol so even though you pay an entry fee you still have to pay something for each drink. Gotta love taxes eh!
After the warm up (becoming a nightly ritual) I headed to the Absolute Ice Bar. This place is cool… literally! 180 Krowns gets you a nice big furry parka, some gloves, 1 drink, and entry into the freezer type bar. The temperature is a cool -2 C. And the entire bar…. Wait for it… is made of ice. Not just the countertop, but the bar, the walls, the well, the tables, the ceiling, and even your glass. They give you a 6x3 hollowed out chunk of ice and they pour the vodka directly into the ice. It was here I stumbled into my new friends. Akeat is my long lost Indian brotha from London. Originally from Kenya he moved to Northern India at a young age then to the UK. He is 28 and was celebrating his STAG (bachelor party) with 8 of his best mates. Akeat and his brother Haash explained to me all about India, the different regions, languages, cultures, religions, and the Indian wedding ceremony. Normally a 14 hour ordeal the groom is covered in a yellow spice from head to toe the day before the wedding. It is a cleansing ritual that purifies you. We also talked quite a bit about the Indian family and the deep division within India over the Hindu / Muslim divide. See… it is possible to mix drunkenness and culture…
The best part… I got the entire low down on India and I got the hookup when I arrive in Delhi and in Mumbai.
I was adopted as the token white boy and after several 100 proof vodka drinks we got some drunk food and then headed to Berns – a swanky bar in Central Stockholm. It was here that I ran into my other buddy.. Jack. Good old uncle Jack… god I hate you! As I scribe this lovely blog.. I am nursing a wicked hangover at the Stockholm airport. We were out till about 3 am – and then I retired to the sanctuary of my bed for a brief 2 hours of sleep and I had to be at the airport for my flight to Vilnius Lithuania at 8.


The DJ was spinning amazing music – great euro house vibe – beautiful people – very tough door and a small very intimate setting. Stockholm is a great city – excellent night life albeit ungodly expensive. A beer is usually about 650 Crowns – equivalent to about 8 or 9 USD. Now your Red Bull Vodka… that will run you about 110 Crowns or 14 USD. Scandinavia is interesting as you cannot by alcohol anywhere except small state owned shops… and even then… it is taxed very heavily., I also went to a