Keep Aspen weird, that has been my battle cry. Maybe it is the fact that I am missing out on that thing (that I love) that is happening in Austin this week. At any rate, I have spent the better part of a week out in Aspen, the fanciest corner of the Colorado Rockies. We did some skiing and we did some snowmobiling, and afterward we went to longtime Aspen resident Hunter S. Thompson’s old watering hole the Woody Creek Tavern for shots of Jameson and cans of Tecate. Nestled neatly alongside a ramshackle stretch of Aspen’s finest mobile homes, the Woody Creek Tavern is quite possibly America’s ultimate dive bar. The regulars each sport their own brand of crazy — upon entering the Woody Creek one particularly welcoming regular inquired as to what spaceship my friends and I had just come from. Spaceship Reality sir.

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It all started in 1985 when — in an effort to save money — Coca-Cola stopped using real cane sugar and reformulated the iconic drink to be made with high-fructose corn syrup. The U.S. government subsidizes corn growers so much (some $40 billion since the mid 90s) that HFCS is cheaper than sugar, and when you are producing on the scale that Coke is material costs are crucial to the bottom line. What does this have to do with Mexican Coke you ask? Well, the bottlers south of the border never made the switch to HFCS, so people (like myself) feel that Mexican Coke has a better taste than American Coke. I think the Coca-Cola made with real sugar is less sweet tasting and has a smoother finish than HFCS Coke and thus is superior. There is also some Coors beer action going on (ever see Smokey & the Bandit? They’re thirsty in Atlanta and there’s beer in Texarkana) because Mexican Coke is harder to get.

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Bourdain’s No Reservations: Disappearing Manhattan was broadcast a while back, but it is still worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. Fuck, it’s worth a watch even if you have seen it ten times. Eisenberg’s, Manganaro Foods, Keens, Le Veau d’Or (which I leaned about when The Trad took me for lunch), this show is like my NYC gastro-playbook. Watch it, love it, live it.

Part 1/5: “Keens is meat and liquor, plain and simple.” -Anthony Bourdain

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In 1925 there were an estimated 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasies in New York City alone. Near the end of the ban on alcohol in 1933 Life photographer Margaret Bourke-White captured some of the city’s elite speakeasies. What an amazing time, to be forced to enjoy to your after work libations underground. It is crazy to think that for 13 years (1920-1933) religious nuts took away America’s booze. I would be scared to see what New York would be like if the liquor was gone.

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You see that? That’s “a man’s world” there. Guys out on the town drinking suds and smoking butts in a wood paneled room. Never mind the fact that a few years later our pal Bob (on the left there), probably had a run-in with the old heart disease. At least he has all of those memories of after-work drinking with his good buddy Jack, who seems to be busy chugging that frosty mug. Eventually I bet the fellas loaded into Bob’s 1986 Chrysler station wagon and headed home before their wives got angry.

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There is a lot of talk about gentlemen shoppers drinking fine bourbon at Billy Reid. Well, last night at Ned Martel and Jay Carroll’s geniusly merchandised vintage shop / Americana explosion One Trip Pass, the drinking was taken to the next level when a group of grown men decided to shotgun a beer in the store. Video proof below. Do try this at home.

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My trip to SXSW had three goals. To see a lot of bands, drink massive quantities of beer and to take pictures of cool shit for Men.Style.com. I think my mission was a success. Judge for yourself and check out the photos here.

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The Stork Club was a famous Manhattan night club that was founded by Oklahoma native and ex-bootlegger Sherman Billingsley (ed. note: amazing name), and operated continuously from 1929-1965. The NYC hot spot — which was located on 53rd Street near Fifth Avenue — was a destination for celebrities, artists, writers and wealthy people in general. You might remember The Stork Club from an appearance in the second season of Mad Men when Don and Betty infamously attended a party hosted by Jimmy Barrett.

While cruising through the LIFE archive, I found a mesmerizing series of images of Mr. Billingsley demonstrating his own brand of nightclub-code via hand gestures. The full set of images are below.

LIFE caption: Closeup of Stork Club owner Sherman Billingsley w. hand on tie, one of his elaborate signals to his nearby assistant which means “No check for this table,” while sitting w. patrons over his usual Coca Cola, in the Cub Room.

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I can’t get enough of these Errol Morris Miller High Life commercials.

On a football related note, I can’t decide who I want to lose more today, the Ravens or the Steelers. Probably the Steelers (take that RPH). Either way I will be indulging in the High Life.

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Ever wonder how to tell if your favorite bar loves you? Apparently it has something to do with the glass your beer is served in. The blog The Pint Imperial — written by Brooklyn’s Sasha Lamb — is an interesting read and a great resource for anyone keen on proper beer drinking in New York City.

In addition to giving me a robust list of new watering holes, TPI drops some serious pint glass knowledge on ya:

“This glass is special for several reasons. First of all, historically, it is a unit of measurement that harkens back to colonial days, when these units were royally sanctioned to the commonwealth. The King at some point changed it from 16 to 20oz. History plus booze is always good. Secondly, this unit of measure is 20 ounces, whereas an american pint is 16 ounces.”

If you’ve got the itch for the good pint glasses, Kegworks sells them (with the etching as pictured above), for $6.95. Sounds like a no brainer to me. Read all of The Pint Imperial here.

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Here’s to a happy, health 2009! I resolve to get up earlier and drink more High Life — not necessarily at the same time.

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Anyone that has tried to sneak off the island through the Holland tunnel will tell you, timing is everything in New York City. Same thing goes for new restaurants. You have to get there before the crush of humanity does, or you are in a word, fucked. The best possible time to nab an easy reservation is a holiday weekend, when Manhattan is at half capacity. So last night I took the opportunity to hit the new restaurant Macao Trading Co. If you are unfamiliar, Macao was for many years a Portuguese colony off the coast of mainland China, which helps explain the menu at the new TriBeCa spot. It is also important to point out that MTC is the second undertaking from the team behind Employees Only, has an excellent drink list (said drinks can be pricey) and is fully ACL endorsed.

Thanks to Urban Daddy for the tip and the images.

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