I'm the world's famous cocktail journalist(ess) Anna Väkeväinen - a recognized sipologist but mostly focusing on gonzo reportage. I'm so famous that sometimes replying to all the invitations and fan mail keeps me from doing the actual work: drinking. But I always get back on the track soon.
I'm in Lisbon at the moment, participating in the highly recognized conference of the European Sipping Association. Lots of interesting reportage.
Inspiring plenary speakers. Michael Beeraway on Can Drinking Change the World, then Margarita Downer on Ethics of Sleeping with Bartenders.
My paper was on Nomadic Identities, focusing on transitions from one bar to another. However, just before the session I got stuck in the toilet booth. The door wouldn't open. Yelled, but everyone had gone to the session rooms. Tried to climb, but only dropped my cell in the toilet, and finally, tried to kick the door open (one of the things everyone is thinking of doing once; it wasn't as in the movies, though, the door didn't even shriek). Missed my presentation.
But you know, theory is only the tip of the iceberg, and the most important part of the conference was participant observation anyway. In Bairro Alto, focused on drinks from Brazil which is a former colony of Portugal (did you know that?!). Caipirinhas and Caipiroskas, that they make, ummmm, with Tequila?
Warning: In Bairro Alto, in some bars the cocktails are horrendous, a big plastic mug filled almost solely with alcohol. If you get one of those, my advice is to drink it as quickly as possible and hold your nose. When you're done, proceed to another bar and do the same until you find a bar with drinks you can actually enjoy. Then stay. Most of the cocktails in Lisbon are just as they should: stiff yet crispy sweet & sour.
No Details, just work. Which makes me scared. It's been a month without Details alread! Am I going to spend the rest of my life virgin?
