An online speakeasy of potent potables and other pabulam.

I’m trying to think of pithy titles to go along with the updates in this particular series. No luck so far so if anyone out there has some suggestions, I’m all ears.

It’s been almost two weeks since I received the diabetus diagnoses. My wife and I have been eating a mostly paleo diet. If you aren’t familiar, the basic tenant of a paleo diet is that you eat like you live in the paleolithic period. This means lots of meats (BACON!) and veggies and cutting out processed foods such as bread, diary, sweets, etc. I call ours modified because we are still eating some diary, like cheese and sour cream. Of course, it’s been in moderation.

I also bought a Nike Fuelband to track my steps and calories burned through out the day. It is a little depressing when you work a desk job where you don’t move a lot to see your “activity” at the end of the day. C’est la vie. Regardless it’s a good way to keep track of what I’m doing to lose weight and it syncs with my iPhone so it’s easy to use.

On the booze front, there isn’t anything to report. I simply haven’t been drinking. I’ve also had a major head cold for the last 4 days so the cough and cold medicine has given me plenty of “entertainment” for a while. Tomorrow is the Super Bowl so I may have a cocktail or two or some sippin’ whiskey while watching the game.

In a comment to my first post, my friend Fred brought up his father-in-law. Fred said,

My father-in-law dealt with this. The major concerns were overdoing drinking for he stopped caring about blood testing and giving himself insulin on a regular basis, and that there couldn’t be an accurate read on his blood sugar if he had alcohol in his system.

I think this brings up a very good point that should be discussed. Granted, I’m not a medical professional or a shrink (though I did stay at a Holiday Inn Ex . . . sorry) but I would hazard a guess that this happens to a lot of people. You want to live your life they way you have in the past. What does a little number mean? I don’t have pain so it can’t be that bad right? The problem is diabetus is like a ninja – quiet, stealthy and maybe Asian I just DON’T KNOW! The point is that it doesn’t hurt and numbers are important. Luckily for me, I don’t have to give myself insulin or test my blood on a daily basis. My next blood test will be in the beginning on March. Hopefully all the good work I’m putting in this month will show positive benefits in March. My goal is to make the changes in diet and lifestyle needed to reverse the disease so I don’t have to worry about taking insulin or checking my blood daily.

If anybody reading this series has been diagnosed with the diabetus and your doctor has you on insulin and testing your blood sugar on a daily basis, please talk to your doctor about drinking! Fred is right and it can screw up your blood results. 

Another friend of mine, Mike Dietsch commented;

There has to be a space in this field in which people can write honestly about drinking and health. It’s not a binary thing — you don’t have to choose between hedonism and AA. But that’s the way everyone seems to want to frame the conversation. You’re healthy, or you’re a drinker. No in-betweens.

But few people in our sphere seem to want to talk about this.

I think Mike hit the nail on the head. Everything is about balance. Think about your favorite cocktail. What makes it great is that all the individual parts are working in harmony with one another – everything is in balance. This is why the best bartenders will give their cocktails a quick straw taste. They want to make sure what they are serving is balanced. Right now, I am out of balance. The good news is that I know it and can make adjustments. Enjoying great spirits and working in the booze industry is part of me. That has to be balanced with a healthy diet and weight control.

In my opinion, there is a healthy in-between of healthy and drinker. Hundreds of thousands of people reside there. Some of us will have to work harder on the healthy side, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up the drinker side. There has to be a balance and going from one extreme to the other can be just as unhealthy.

Just to end this update, I’m happy to report that I’m down to 207 pounds!

Cheers!

PS. I mentioned my friend Fred who writes at Cocktail Virgin Slut. Well, he has a new book out and I highly recommend you go pick it up. I’m constantly turning to Fred’s site for new cocktail recipes and inspiration and now some of that is in his book. Highly recommend!

This post is the first in a series and will be a little different from what you’ve read on Scofflaw’s Den in the past. It is a very personal issue to me and I want to share my thoughts, concerns and fears with those of you who wish to follow along. I know that there may be some people who want me to stick to cocktails and will probably want to argue about several things I write in this series. However, I hope that this series can be informative and create some dialogue among out readers.

On January 22, 2013 I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes.

This diagnoses was a bit of a shock at first. However, once I was able to think about it, I shouldn’t have been too surprised. I’m 36 years old and my weight has fluctuated between 210-220 for about the last year. The icing on the cake (damn . . . maybe not the best analogy in this story) is that my father was diagnosed with type II diabetes in his mid-to-late fifties. My grandfather had the diabetus as did his father who lost his sight from the disease. Obviously not a family tradition I’m keen on continuing.

My blood glucose was about 100 points higher than where it should be and there were indications my kidneys were not working at 100%. My cholesterol was okay though. The good news is that my doctor firmly believes that with weight loss and a change in diet my numbers will go down and I can reverse the disease by making these changes.

So here’s the deal. I’m going to use this space as a chronicle of my battle against the diabetus. I know from talking to some other folks there are more than a couple of people in the spirits industry who is either in the same boat with me or are standing on the pier. It is certainly tough to be in this industry, with the drinks, rich food and general conviviality and watch what we eat, drink and take care of ourselves. To be frank, I’m not going to cut alcohol out of my life. For the love of pete I’m trying to build a business based on cocktails and spirits. It is simply unrealistic for me to cut something out of my life that I am building a life around.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the dangers of over-indulging with a disease like diabetes. And that is the crux of the issue, at least for me — over-indulging. Not even with alcohol per se, rather it’s the food that kills me. I’m constantly eating carbs and general food-types that are not healthy for me. This series will be, in part, a way to share what I’m eating (and drinking) in this fight. So, my wife and I have decided to follow a modified paleo diet where we eat almost all lean meats and vegetables. Most processed foods are being eliminated from our diet. We have been eating this way since Tuesday January 23rd and I’m happy to report that at my last weigh in I was 208 pounds. Positive moves indeed.

As far as drinking goes, I’m going back to a rule I had for myself about a year ago. The rule is that from Sunday through Thursday, no alcohol. I’ll only have drinks out or at home on Friday nights or Saturdays. I still plan on writing about delicious spirits and interesting events so you’ll still see that on these pages. (Especially, the Chartreuse VEP I got as a wedding gift!)

You probably won’t see me talk about food, recipes, etc. too awful much. There is this thing called the interwebs where you can look up paleo recipes, see how I’m screwing it up and probably find better ways to eat than me. However, if I do find an interesting recipe that seems to fit the bill for a cocktail party or a dish that seems to fit something you can order while setting at a bar, I’ll probably discuss it.

Bottom line, this series will be a work in process and I’m not 100% sure how it will go. It will be, by nature, very personal to me and my family. The only thing I can wish is that by sharing my story and what I’m going through somebody else will be inspired to get checked and make changes to have a healthier life.

After all, the longer we live the more wonderful spirits we can taste and enjoy.

Cheers!

This week Eater DC has declared it their Cocktail Week. As such, they are devoting this week’s coverage to all things boozy in DC aka Drink City.

As part of their coverage they interviewed yours truly on the subject of cocktail bitters. Click here to head over and give it a read.

This October marks the five year anniversary of Scofflaw’s Den. It’s been a hell of a ride, one that we’re certainly hoping to continue for many years to come.

To commemorate this milestone, we are hosting a party on October 7, 2012 at The Passenger in Washington, D.C. The party starts at 4:00pm and lasts until 8:00pm. But knowing us, we’ll be sticking around for quit a while after that.

There will be a friendly cocktail competition between SeanMike and I. We’ll each create a cocktail that will be for sale at the bar. Everyone who shows up will get a ballot and can vote for their favorite drink. To entice you to try each drink, and to prove we’re not completely self-centered guys, we’re mixing for charity! The proceeds from The Passenger during our party will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Museum of the American Cocktail. We will also have a donation bucket for additional acts of kindness.

Additionally, we’ll be talking about a few upcoming projects and general direction of Scofflaw’s Den that is a bit of a departure, though certainly complimentary, to what you’re used to seeing.

At the party you’ll be able to order some great cocktails created by the Passenger folks using some of our favorite brands and sponsors of our party, Chairman’s Reserve Rum, Catoctin Creek Distillery, Edinburgh Gin, Green Chartreuse and Diep 9 Genever. We’re still working on a few other sponsors and hope we can announce them soon. BTW, if you rep a brand and are interested in being part of our celebration, shoot SeanMike an email.

There you have it! I hope everyone reading this will be able to make it to The Passenger on Sunday, October 7th between 4pm and 8 pm to celebrate our 5 year anniversary and support two fantastic organizations!

Cheers!