Maybe I should look into another career.

That's not to say that I've given up, far from it. But according to this article, the next cool thing is whisky.

Manhattan champagne set put fizz into whisky sales

That's right, apparently as goes New York, the world shall follow. Did I miss the memo on this little nugget of truth? I can think of more than a few things that came out of New York that could just as well have stayed there.

"NEVER mind Sex and the City-style cosmopolitan cocktails and endless bottles of champagne - that is so last year. Cool New Yorkers have moved out of the vodka bars and into the whisky lounges."

I understand where the writer is coming from but this statement only re-affirms a belief that I have held for a long time: 'If they do it on TV, it's probably not that cool'. I know, the old argument about these 4 hotties (or 5? I don't know, I've seen about 3.5 minutes total) made it 'O.K.' to drink something more that Gin & Tonic and thus brought more people around to drinking better drinks. I would agree with this except that 'The Show' did little more than permit every shithole with some Ocean Spray and a bottle of Mr. Boston's to make a half-ass drink and charge the girl $8.00-$10.00 for it. Besides, my girl drinks Gin & Tonics and she rocks. She can drink them and Basil Hayden's at the same time and do a better job than most 'dudes' I know.

"Single malts and blended Scotch are both making their mark in the US - and during the Christmas season, whisky cocktails are particularly popular. The Drinks International Cocktail of the Year 2004 - The Famous Grouse Crimson Crush made with ginger beer and fresh raspberries - is in high demand."

Maybe I'm just having trouble imagining this, but Scotch, Ginger Beer, and Raspberries? This sounds disgusting. And what's the going rate for one of these?

"It’s amazing - everyone I know is drinking whisky in New York," she said. "I used to hate the smell and now I can drink them straight.

"It’s so cool to order malts, and especially cool if they are incredibly expensive."

I can sympathize with the first point. Scotch (both single malt and blended takes some time to used to and in the end you find that drinking it straight is by far the best way. I can't help but laugh on the second statement. You know what would be even cooler? Buying a house or giving $80 to some dude sleeping in a box, or maybe, just maybe understanding what you're drinking,why it tastes the way it tastes, and enjoying it, regardless of what it costs.

"Specialist whisky bars are currently topping the polls for Christmas and New Year party venues."

Thank God. With a little hard work, we can collectively run the appreciation of Scotch whisky straight in the ground, right beside Micro Breweries, Cigars, and potentially (God Forbid) Wine.

"The Angel’s Share, hidden in a Japanese restaurant, requires all patrons to have a seat and keep their voices down, and it limits groups to four or fewer so whisky lovers can drink their shots with serenity."

This sounds like my kind of place. 'Sit down, shut up, and drink'. Why doesn't NYC make this the 'new trend'. If they do, they have my support 100%.