So we got a bit pissed to celebrate! We head to New Mexico today, not sure if we’ll be able post any pictures from the start, by the looks of the network coverage maps we might only get reception twice in the whole state! So if you don’t hear from us after today, don’t panic, we’ll be slowly heading northwards.

Tomorrow is my last day at Poke and my last evening in England for the next 6 months or so… I like to leave in style, so I’ve planned a bit of a farewell drinking competition for tomorrow evening :)

Basically I’ve stripped down the much loved pastime of drinking into it’s 5 main skill groups - Buying booze, carrying booze, drinking booze, being pissed & getting the Drunkest. When all the scores are added up at the end of the evening, we’ll find out - Who’s the drunkest?

If the prospect of that wasn’t thrilling enough, the prize for the winner is custodial care of my personal pint mug which Pete keeps behind the bar of the Owl & Pussycat for me. It generates much envy from fellow patrons each week, and could almost certainly ‘get you laid’ ;)

If you want to see me off, I’ll be at the Owl & Pussycat on Redchurch Street from about 6pm. If you want to compete for the prize, or just for fun - download the score sheet here, print it out and bring it along with you. If you want to rehash the game for yourself, feel free to download the original Illustrator file here.

Idoth my cap to this guy, this is one of the best pissup stories I’ve ever heard - Edward Russell (1653–1727) was the First Lord of the Admiralty and decided to throw a party for his fellow officers in 1694. Presumably wanting to put on a bit of a show, he filled up his garden’s fountain with 250 gallons of brandy, 125 gallons of Malaga wine, 1,400 pounds of sugar, 2,500 lemons, 20 gallons of lime juice, and 5 pounds of nutmeg, thus setting the world record for history’s largest ever cocktail.

Apparently bartenders actually paddled around in a small wooden canoes, filling up guests cups. The party continued nonstop until they drank the fountain dry, took them a full week, pausing only briefly during rainstorms to erect a silk canopy over the punch to keep it from getting watered down.

Good work!

Via Mental Floss.

Iwish I was in Swansea tomorrow to join Tim & Rob drinking their way round this custom monopoly board. I made something along these lines while at University, and have done the classic London pub crawl one. There can never be too much monopoly/drinking crossovers, brilliant fun. Good luck boys, send us some pics!

Or maybe it’s to keep your hands warm & your beer cold. Either way you’ll look pretty damn cool doing it with one of these hand knitted Beer Cosy.

Here’s how they drink in Iceland, we’ll miss you Jolly.

For a long time I have genuinely wondered why a book all about cooking with booze didn’t exisit? At one point I even toyed with the idea of writing one myself, no need to bother now because James Bridle has written Cooking with Booze. It isn’t just a random anthology of boozey dishes collected by an editor, he’s actually got a long family tradition of gathering and archiving these dishes that’s been going on for generations.

“My maternal grandfather was well known in the County for his extraordinary home-brews. The release of his Attic Stout No 4 upon an unsuspecting village fête led directly to the defrocking of a bishop and the loss of an entire scout troop”.

All the main booze groups are covered, there’s Wine, Forified Wine, Beer, Cider, Vodka, Whisky, Rum, Brandy & Tequila. You can see the recipes online, but this book is so damn good I think you need a hard copy in your kitchen at all times - buy it now!

All I need now to complete my dream cookery book collection is one on Recipes you can drink too. What I mean by that is dishes that all the preparation is in advance and the cooking time is very very long, so you have plenty of spare time to get hammered with your guests before dinner - James, sequel?

International King & Queen of Sports is the perfect way to break the ice, entertain and woo the girl/guy of your dreams! Well it’s a bit of fun anyhow… I made it for a valentines a few years ago and thought it was about time I dusted it off and gave it a second outing. Basically it’s a competitive drinking / pubcrawl type game designed for 2 people.

What you get:

• An editable Illustrator file of both the King & Queen score cards
• 2 chest numbers to print out and attach while competing
• Full instructions & rules and regulations of how to play

Download the free King & Queen of Sports Illustrator files here. Feel free to use it in anyway you see fit. For those of you who don’t have Illustrator, you can download a set of pdf’s of the scorecards and numbers here.

There’s 17 mini games to play (you don’t have to complete them all) here’s a basic description of them in order:

1. Tally up your pints, 10 points each - remember this isn’t a date, it’s a pub crawl, so drink!
2. Highest free standing tower - Think empire states building, iron girders and all - use the marshmellows as joints and the spaghetti as girders. You might need to get a referee to judge the tallest if it’s a close call.
3. Darts is obvious, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a pub with a board these days…
4. Bar Billiards - tricky one, the only pub I know of in London which has it is the Owl and Pussycat on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch. You’re in luck though, as it’s also the finest pub in the whole of London so should definitely be on your list of pubs to crawl to.
5. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghing the longest - this is a game inspired by one of the GI Joe clips over at Fensler film. Basically you both start saying ‘baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr’, first person to run out of breath loses.
6. Beer mats tossed - flip ‘em and then catch ‘em.
7. Biggest bubble gum bubble.
8. Table football - some folk call it fussball, you all know how to play
9. The trussing game - this is my favourite, it’s an old Victorian parlour game, but requires some diagrams to properly explain… google it, I’ll try and do a proper post about it later.
10. Dominoes
11. Karaoke - you need a referee to judge
12. The splits - you know trying to touch the floor with your crotch while your legs are straight - the lady will more likely win this one.
13. Portraits - drawing each other (you’ll need so paper and pens) - you also need a referee to judge.
14. Pool
15. Derek Zoolander Award - most outrageous clothing on the day bags these points.
16. Best banter (mutual decision)
17. French Kissing - save this for last!

You should also have with you a bottle of Champagne, so at the end of the night when the scores are added up, the winner can spray it all over the loser, grand-prix style.

Well our house is just about back to normal now that the last of the party has been moped up and cleared away. I did a really shit job of taking pics, only got a few crappy camera phone shots before and after… Hopefully someone might send me some better ones to post later.

Above is my box of wine, Sachi’s keytar & Nicky’s box of Monster & Munch. I think Ahra’s reporter from ‘Harro’ magazine was probably best costume, had working zoom lense on camera and a spring loaded shutter button!

Update: Ah, Yeevon’s took some much better pictures, here’s a selection. I’ve uploaded all of them to my Flickr.

Remember Cardboard Party in 2 days! We haven’t got any decks or DJ’s, so we’re doing the bring your own music thing and borrowing the poke mix CD hat (you have to wear it while your CD’s on). If you’re coming and want to do 15-20min set, burn it onto a CD and bring it along with you Saturday.

That’s Nicky’s costume in the picture, I’ve been tasked with making hers too while she’s suning herself in Thailand! It’s not finished yet, it’s going to be good :)

Great time was had by all, above is my effort at a David Boon (legendary Aussie Cricketer) costume. Marc has uploaded the obligatory Flickr set of the evening. Worthy of note is the new ClubPub hat that Vasco is sporting in the top right, if your 15min CD mix is playing you have to wear this hat.

Australia Day ClubPub this Wednesday, 30th Jan. Ok so we’re going to be a bit late, Australia Day is on the 26th, but better late than never! Poke’s always had a good amount of Australian employees so were celebrating the founding of their land down under :) We’re moving slightly away from Shoreditch for this one to the Pleasure Unit on Bethnal Green Road - Map. Not been before, but apparently it’s a bit retro and psychadelic, also they’re about to re-fit the place so it doesn’t matter if we trash it. It used to be a gay pub called the Cock & Comfort, what a class name! Get yourself into your tightest shorts & cork hat and head on down, should a good night.

Also I think we’re bringing back by popular demand the GIF Jockey 2.0, so if anyone has an amusing animated GIFs send them my way!

We’re having a house party at Unit 2, it’s a joint (belated) house warming for our new housemates Jody & Emeline, and birthday party for me! (I turn the grand old age 31 on the 10th)

The theme is cardboard, accessorise with it, dress in it, draw on it, make of it what you will. No one is allowed to do this, I want to make it. We’ll be getting hammered on boxes of wine from about 8 till late.

Stick it in your diary & hope you can make it :) Cookie.

Blighmy this is a blast from the past! Just dragged out my old holiday video from summer 2003, hardly recognise myself with no facial hair, or even any on the top of my head for that matter…

This was a 3 week walk across part of the Pyrenean High Level Route. It was the first long distance walk I’d done with mates rather than the parents, hence the amount of booze we can be seen to be consuming! It was a great trip and the first of it’s kind for Paul, who has joined me every year since on my summer ramblings.

Of course The Who’s fantastic Baba O’Riley is the soundtrack.

Mr. Ed has a great illustration style and his blog is chock full of stuff. What particularly caught my eye were these wonderful Beer mat characters each representing a different football team (nationality) from the world cup. Can you guess the countries? Check out the original post to see if you’re right. Also swing by his celebrity portrait blog.