There’s music. You sway a little bit, shift the weight from foot to foot, from hip to hip, from the person on your left to the person on your right. Whoops! Too much sway. Smile. Glad you could catch me, there, my friend. Smile. And maybe one of these brilliant, sparkling people will later play “Gin and Juice” on the ukulele, singing perfectly, stretching out the vowels, while you stand smiling, smiling, smiling beside him. A foot shorter, beside him. A hundred thousand miles shorter. Tiny. You are easy to catch if you fall over – no big deal, love. The ukulele belongs to a woman with a fedora and a bike. Later again the bike will go into your truck-bed. Her and her fedora ride shotgun. The whole wide wagon will go to The Silver Dollar. Drop her off. Goodnight! Goodnight! And then home. Dark streets. Dark sky. Dark house. Dark eyes. Heavy. Sleepy. Sway. Catch me, bed.
This is late spring. Downtown. Louisville. There might have been bourbon involved for some people.
I am not one of them. I drink gin.
But as the valley prepares for the swampy air and syrupy, amber hearts of summer nights, many of us here wander now with open arms to wide patios and take solace in the sweet, amber heart of classic Kentucky heritage: bourbon!
I am not one of them. I drink gin.
But with a twist of lime and enough syrupy, amber heart beating in my chest for you all – I raise my fizzle of soda and scented pine and propose a toast for this Memorial Day weekend: here’s to bourbon! Here’s to books! And here they are together at Carmichael’s! Cheers!
On the rocks or neat and sweet, join authors Albert W. A. Schmid and Michael R. Veach at Carmichaels’ Frankfort Avenue store tomorrow, May 25th, for a special event bringing their bourbon-centric books to all us thirsty-eyed Kentuckians.
With a nod to the history of this rich spirit, Schmid’s The Old Fashioned: An Essential Guide to the Original Whiskey Cocktail and Veach’s Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage both offer readers a mixture of reading that tells part of the bourbon tale. Bringing hand-selected recipes and details down the accessories, The Old Fashioned zeros in on the variations and evolution of the quintessential bourbon cocktail, delivering fans a guide and a rich record. Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, on the other hand, chronicles the legends surrounding the true origins of the drink, starting with the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s and proposing new theories about the true story behind the story itself. Copies of both books are available in hardcover for $14.95 and $24.95, respectively.
Bring ye tumblers and whiskey rocks and maybe a dash of bitters with a lemon. Sway. The gateway to Summer bids you late nights, merry musicking and amber hearts filled with the fire of the Bluegrass. And books – books always mix with everything, my dears. Ukuleles are pretty good, as well.
Carmichael’s Bookstore has two area locations: 1295 Bardstown Road and 2720 Frankfort Avenue. For more information, visit the event page or call the Frankfort Avenue store at (502) 896-6950.
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