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Author: Peter Cutforth

  • Queensland Lockouts Underway but Violence Up

    So the first phase of Queensland’s new lockout laws are in effect and already venues, who were apprehensive to embrace the lockouts in the first place, are already reporting losses in revenue.

    According to a post on TheShout.com. since the implementation of the laws, alcohol fuelled violence is also up, despite the increase in police presence.

    Information gathered by Triple J’s Hack program, revealed that venues in Brisbane recorded a decline in business on the first Friday night of the laws.

    According to data gathered, business dropped a staggering 17 per cent on Friday  night compared with the same weekend last year. Business showed a 24 per cent decline from the previous Friday.

    Saturday’s figures weren’t any better, in fact data from the largest venues in Fortitude Valley showed that business dropped 19 per cent since last year.

    Emmanuel Bogiatzis, of the Heritage Exchange Hotel in Townsville, explained:

    “Staff hours will be reduce by 20-30 per week and we are only one venue, so multiply this by 10 – equal to the late night traders in our strip – and the loss of wages alone for a community already doing it tough is enormous, possibly 250-300 hours,”

    “The real concern is the 1am lockout, that comes in to play on the 1st February 2017, could be devastating. 

    “Hoping customers will come to town earlier is a big ask, to change people’s habits overnight is unrealistic. Even more difficult times are ahead.”

    Read more at http://www.theshout.com.au/2016/07/06/article/Queensland-lockouts-begin-revenue-down-violence-up/NTRYTDUSLP.html

    Although he agrees that banning rapid consumption drinks after 12am is a good idea, restrictions to trading hours for any business is bad, regardless of the size of the business.

    The article went on to highlight reports from a volunteer organisation, NightWatch Patrols who operate in the entertainment precincts, stating that they attended to more incidents this weekend than they did the previous weekend despite the new lockout laws being in place, so one has to question whether the laws are going to be effective.

    Chris Owens of NightWatch Patrols said there was potential for even higher numbers of incidents once police patrol numbers dropped back to regular levels.

    “On Friday we were up by only two jobs and on Saturday we were up five or six incidents,” said Owens. “There were boosted police numbers as well, so the amount of incidents may change once the police aren’t out in force.”

    Read more at http://www.theshout.com.au/2016/07/06/article/Queensland-lockouts-begin-revenue-down-violence-up/NTRYTDUSLP.html

     

     

     

  • Watch Irish People Drinking Alcohol from Poland

    The Irish are known as a nation who loves their alcohol, so its natural that they’ve developed some definite preferences when it comes to drinking.

    That’s what makes these taste test videos so funny, people’s reactions when they taste a drink from another country for the first time.

    Let’s watch this video and see what The Irish really think about Polish alcohol.

     

  • Warm Booze Ideas That Aren’t Mulled Wine

    The chill has definitely set in and while a good old fashioned drink like  mulled wine can help warm you up, it can get boring and many people don’t actually like it.  So what other hot alcohol drinks are available?

    Hot Toddy: Often recommended as a remedy during the colder months, this drink is rumoured to ward off colds and flus. It also helps for sore throats.

    Rum Hot Chocolate: Why  not infuse you regular hot chocolate with some rum? Or you can substitute the rum with whisky, the result is just as delicious and warming.

    For more awesome Winter beverage ideas read http://www.goodfood.com.au/drinks/cocktails-spirits/ways-to-drink-warm-booze-that-arent-mulled-wine-20160706-gq006w.html

     

  • Essential Rum Cocktails You Need to Learn to Make

    Rum has certainly increased in popularity as of late and 2 of the most popular rum cocktails around the world are the Daquiri and Mojito.

    These cocktails are delicious and now you can learn to  make them here.

  • Learning the Language of Wine Can Do Your Experience Good

    Wine dates back thousands of years and a drink with such a long history will naturally develop variations and cult followers.

    01-orange-wine
    Source: Vogue.com

    But have you ever wondered what all those terms we often hear from wine connoisseurs actually mean?

    I have, so I decided to find out. I came across an interesting article on QZ.com which answered these questions and providing definitions for the most common wine terms.

    1. Body – This is one used often that I’ve been quite curious about. Well in the post on QZ.com it compared wine to milk. Like whole milk tastes thicker that skim milk, some wines have a thicker feel in your mouth than others. Within this category there is light bodied, medium bodied and full bodied which is as thick as heavy cream. Examples of full bodied are cabernet sauvignons whereas pinot noir is a light bodied wine.
    2. Tannins – This is how QZ.com explains tannins,

     If you’ve ever had over-steeped black tea, you know exactly what tannins feel like. Tannin is a compound in the wine that causes your mouth to feel dry and can taste slightly bitter and/or astringent. In right doses, tannins contribute to the wine’s longevity by enabling it to age. Nebbiolo (e.g., Barolo), cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and petite sirah are all prime examples of high-tannin wines. On the other end of the tannin spectrum, we have pinot noir, merlot, barbera, grenache, gamay, and ainfandel, all of which have softer tannins.

    Source: http://qz.com/727790/learning-the-language-of-wine-will-transform-the-way-you-taste-it/

    3. Acidity – If you’ve ever tasted a lemon, you know what something with alot of acidity tastes like. Wines with acidity are refreshing and after a few glasses it can begin to taste quite tarte. Experts also say that acid allows wines to age better and this helps with the balance of the wine. Examples of high acid wines include Riesling and Zinfandal. Now more about Balance.

    4. Balance – Well we’ve all tasted drinks that were too much of one thing, for example too sweet, too much alcohol etc. Those drinks were unbalanced. That is what balance is, “harmony between the different sensations (alcohol, tannin, acidity etc),

    5. Structure – The writer goes on to explain:

    We can all appreciate the difference between a 2D image and a 3D image. The former is flat, like a wine that lacks structure, while the latter has shape and depth — a wine with excellent structure. Structure is the texture and mouthfeel, or lack thereof, of the wine on your palate, which is determined by the wine’s level of acidity, alcohol, tannin, and sugar.

    Source: http://qz.com/727790/learning-the-language-of-wine-will-transform-the-way-you-taste-it/

  • Removing a Cork with a Ribbon

    Perhaps the most annoying thing that can happen when opening your bottle of wine is when the cork falls into the bottle.

    Well you can now solve that problem quickly and easily. This video shows you how to retrieve a cork out of a bottle of wine using only a ribbon hook.

     

  • This is Why Some Drinks Make Your More Hungover

    We all know hangovers are the worst, and we all do our best to avoid them, drink alot of water, eat before we drink, drink moderately but it still seems some tipples cause a worse hangover than others.

    Not all hangovers are created equal and in fact some make you a little miserable while others have to bedridden, but the question is why.

    According to one study the presence of congeners in alcoholic drinks is to blame. Congeners are the substances that flavour and colour your drinks. That is why drinking lighter coloured drinks is a good way of preventing hangovers.

    Read more http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/06/25/the-reason-some-alcohol-makes-you-more-hungover-than-others/

     

  • This is Why We’re Drinking Less

    Although we have gained a reputation as being a nation of drinkers, a new report reveals that we are actually consuming less alcohol than we did in the past.

    That doesn’t mean our alcohol spend is going down though. Thankfully for the brewing and alcohol industry, Australians are drinking less but spending more. This points to a shift of consumer thinking from quantity to quality.

    According to the EMMA (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia) Alcoholic Beverages Trends & Insights Report, half of the people over the legal drinking age said they were drinking less now than they did before.

    There’s a shift in the Australian drinking culture towards more premium beverages with the dollar value of liquor sales increasing 1.5 per cent in 2015. This indicates that we’re not afraid to spend a little extra to get our favourite drink rather than downing dozens of lower quality drinks.

    Source: http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/why-were-drinking-less-alcohol-than-usual/3052332/

  • Last Drinks in Queensland Coming into Effect

    So Queensland’s last drinks law is already in full swing and Queensland’s pubs, clubs and bars will be obligated to stop serving alcohol from 2am.

    The only venues exempt are those in a designated ‘safe night’ precinct. This the majority of the state’s entertainment districts – where alcohol can be served until 3am.

    Also in all venues, the sale or service of rapid intoxication drinks will end at midnight, these include shots, shooters, bombs, blasters, test tubes and jelly shots as well as drinks that contain more than 45ml of spirits or liqueur or pre-mixed drinks containing more than 5% alcohol/ 2 standard drinks.

    Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/last-drinks-in-queensland-coming-from-july-1-20160625-gprsma.html

  • Alcoholic Beverage Calorie Count

    Are you really aware of the number of calories in the drinks you’re consuming?

    In fact we may have been misled about alcohol making us fat? According to a post I read on News.com.au, beer and wine, the most commonly consumed drinks on a regular basis, are not as ‘fattening’ as we may have thought.

    Read more at http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/drink/heres-how-many-calories-are-in-your-favourite-alcoholic-beverages/news-story/6bd9f9dfaa5aeabf711c41ec728692a9

    It’s even more important to know how many standard drinks you are consuming, than the number of calories in your drinks because this will impact your health and safety. Find out about Responsible Service of Alcohol.