The Erudite Inebriate’s Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Purfuit of Happinefs

BSidesLV 2013

Presented by: Jack Daniel
Date: Wednesday July 31, 2013
Time: 16:30 - 17:20
Location: Tuscany
Track: Common Ground

It is possible to eat healthy foods, moderate (or even eliminate) alcohol consumption, and exercise- both at home and while traveling.

But life is too short for that nonsense, so let’s enjoy ourselves; if you’re worried about shortening your life with food and drink you clearly have too much to live for.

This talk is about exploration and discovery, but in generally low-risk situations- no pith helmet required (but if you can rock one, I say go for it).

The presentation begins with an introduction to classic (and no-so-classic) drinks, starting with an exploration of bitters- those magical elixirs which have evolved from impotent herbal remedies to potent flavoring agents. I’ll explore the history, evolution, and popularity boom of bitters, and delve into making your own bitters. The discussion of bitters leads into their use in drinks both tame and wild, and their role in the revival of the cocktail scene- including a few suggestions for drinks both alcoholic and not.

The ensuing quest for proper cocktails leads us out of our hotel bar, and into more interesting venues where good drink leads to good conversation, which leads to learning more about drinks- and also leads to local knowledge. Local knowledge leads to more entries in the ever-evolving Erudite Inebriate’s own Traveler’s Survival Guide.

This phase of our journey includes discussions of how to find the good stuff, how to have a socially-acceptable amount of fun, and how to stay somewhat safe while doing it. I will close by delivering a short “Business Traveler’s Survival Guide to Las Vegas” as an example of these ideas.

Jack Daniel

Jack Daniel, Technical Product Manager at Tenable, has over 20 years experience in network and system administration and security, and has worked in a variety of practitioner and management positions. Jack is a sporadic blogger at his Uncommon Sense Security and Travels with Jack blogs, a Security BSides co-founder, InfoSec Curmudgeon, Very Reluctant CISSP, Amateur Blacksmith, and BS Artiste Extraordinaire. Often found on barstools during his frequent travels, Jack’s views on drink and travel have developed, evolved, and merged with the help of many a bartender- his ideas coming into focus as the rest of the world blurred around him.


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