New Year Resolution

When I was looking up Happy Hour at the Izakaya Meiji Company, a Japanese Restaurant & Bar in the Whiteaker in Eugene, I was happy to see they considered themselves a whiskey bar. I must admit, my cynicism, especially after two decades living in this town, I thought, maybe 30 to 40 varieties of whiskey would be a good thing, but I was shocked, pleasantly so, to discover they serve over 100 varieties of whiskey, mostly bourbons.

With some thought, especially after sampling the food, both with my friend Jinger and later with my friend Louis, I decided to give myself a new year's resolution worth pursuing and enhancing my life in 2012. My goal, to sample all of the whiskeys at Izakaya Meiji Company in 2012.

I set up ground rules for my resolution. In order to fund this venture, I have decided not to bring alcohol into my home. I am not limiting myself to whiskey for 2012, but if I do have beer or wine, it will be with friends, either with dinner or when I go to visit them. Next ground rule: I cannot order a double. No mixed drinks. When I go to Izakaya Meiji, I will either have whiskey or water. My whiskey can be neat or on the rocks. And the final ground rule I have, in order to hopefully make this venture a successful one, I cannot repeat a whiskey until my resolution is complete.

This amounts to an average of 2 to 3 drinks per week -- very much in moderation. And very much worth aspiring too. I hope to share this with friends, old & new, and I am really looking forward to warmth, good food, great conversation, and lovely spirits in 2012.