Caveat:  These are the details that we are meant to "know" going into the game;  obviously plot twists in the game may render some of the following fallacious.

- Ferelden is not the entire world, but rather a kingdom constituent within the larger world/continent of Thedas.  Thedas is dominated by the Orlesian Empire, of which Ferelden was very recently a client/satellite state.

- The Grey Wardens serve no nation in particular, but Thedas at large.

- The Darkspawn carry within themselves a "taint" that "corrupts" all they encounter.  Evidence of this is particularly noteworthy within the Deep Roads, the ancient Dwarven underground ruins, that have subsequently been overrun with Darkspawn.

- The Darkspawn's senses are consumed by what's described as a "humming" that compels them to search for the "Olde Gods."  Upon reaching an "Olde God," the Darkspawn (via corruption) transform it into an "Arch demon," which allows the Darkspawn to swarm Thedas' surface and ushers in what humans/dwarves/elves term the "Blight."

- One Darkspawn, called the Architect, is different from the others in that he/she senses the humming, but is immune to its compulsive effects.  The Architect is a mage character, and while he/she could be described as the Darkspawn 'leader,' he/she lacks any political, persuasive, or coercive authority over the others.

- Prospective Grey Wardens, upon initiation, undertake a ritual termed the "Joining" that grants an immunity to the Darkspawn taint.  Few recruits servive the ceremony, however, as it necessitates drinking Darkspawn blood.

- This 'immunity' is not one in the truest sense, however.  Eventually, the taint overwhelms a Grey Warden's body, as he/she suffers from dark splotches cropping up over his/her body.  At this juncture, the Grey Warden undertakes another ritual, the "Calling," in which he/she travels down to the Deep Roads and allows him/herself to be slain by the Darkspawn.

- The Architect found one such Grey Warden, Bregan (who, as Warden Commander, was privy to the location(s) of the Olde Gods), and rather than allow him his demise, the Architect kept him locked up in a makeshift cell.  Eventually, Bregan's physical form transformed fully into that of a Darkspawn.  The Architect then explained a plan to Bregan in which the Blight could be purportedly aborted;  Bregan, and possibly others of his order, would assist the Architect in slaying the remaining Olde Gods, in theory ending the compulsive humming (and resultantly, the Blight) for good. 

- However, such a humanoid/Darkspawn alliance, the Architect believed, would necessitate a "middle way" for humanity:  each individual would need to undergo a Joining of sorts, and either perish or become like the Darkspawn.  Thus peace, no doubt "in our time," could be established.

- [Editorializing]:  We may either believe in the Architect's sincerity or not.  I personally do not, as if humanity ceases to be human, but rather becomes indistinguishable from Darkspawn, then what remains to be Blighted?  Further, the idea of slaying the Olde Gods sounds rather similar to what initiated the Blight in the first place, which was a group of magi attempting to place themselves on a level with gods, and being cast down & tainted/corrupted as a result.

- The (co-)protagonist of the novel, Duncan (who figures prominently in the game), starts off as a rather petulant & impetuous thieving rogue who is recruited by the Grey Wardens as a result of his murdering one of their members.  The novel is a coming-of-age story of sorts, as he grows into a sense of duty-bound maturity.

- The King of Ferelden at the time of the novel, Maric, has a son with an elven Grey Warden mage, Fiona, who is to be raised by Duncan.  One can theorize as to the likelihood of this character appearing in the game.

- Many Orlesians make up the mage and other classes of society in Ferelden, and are rightfully viewed warily by many, especially Maric's right hand, confidant, and resistance fighter compatriot, Loghain.  There is an Orlesian plot to overthrow Maric, which is foiled by Loghain and the Grey Wardens.

- Loghain, while more fully developed in the previous novel, comes off as arrogant and the archetypal 'true power behind the throne.'

- The Architect, along with one dwarven Grey Warden whom he has convinced to go along with his scheme, survive the novel's conclusion and disappear.

2 oz. Bombay Sapphire

1 oz. Noilly Prat Dry

3 oz. Pellegirno SanBitter

2 dashes, 'Halvies' Orange Bitters (1 dash, Regan's; 1 dash, Fee's)

twist, Lemon

served in a rocks glass over cracked ice

Essentially, we're looking at a wet martini turned into a highball.  Many people describe the SanBitter as a non-alcoholic Campari soda, but I found it to be less botanical/herbaceous and a little sweeter.  It comes in 10-packs of cute 3.3 oz bottles, though, which are perfect for highball purposes.  Overall, this wasn't as great as I felt that it could have been -- perhaps due to the vermouth being on its last legs -- but deftly served the dual purpose I had designed it for:  that of the Friday post-work wind-downer, and of the more voluminous aperitif.

Lemon Drink #1:

2 oz. Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy

0.75 oz. Licor 43

0.75 oz. Lemon juice

1 dash, Peychaud's

coupe glass, up

One could look at this drink in one of two analogised ways:  it's either a Sidecar that replaces both the spirit & liqueur while adding bitters, or it's a Pegu Club which replaces each ingredient with an analogue.  On the matter of taste, it's much more the former.  Similarly, it's also made in the 8:3:3 ratio that I prefer for non-syrup sours.  While not terribly exciting, it's close enough to a Sidecar to still be 'good,' the bitters didn't throw the balance off at all, I had just picked up the Licor 43 (think:  herbal/vanilla, shading toward the latter), and vanilla-apple is just so early-Autumnal.

Lemon Drink #2:

1.6 oz. El Tesoro Anejo

0.6 oz. Licor 43

0.33 oz. Aperol

0.6 oz. Lemon juice

2 dashes, Xocolatl Bitters

couple glass, up

I had to adjust my volumes to maintain the 8:3:3 ratio, in light of the lemon only retaining 0.6 oz. juice by this point.  This was the star of the weekend.  I'm not sure why I chose Aperol as a secondary modifier (probably playing off of the tested tequila-orange combo, but not wanting to add a second liqeuer, actually), but it subsumed very well beneath the citrus and chocolate-vanilla combo.  This drink featured an appreciable number of flavour layers, while maintaining a cohesive whole, which taken together is really the only thing I go for when crafting drinks.  The Anejo was necessary in maintaing a certain 'grounding' to the drink that a blanco could not have.  The only knock I would have on this cocktail (well, two actually) is that its flavour never evolved in-glass, so it's not a drink that you'd necessarily desire a second of in a single sitting, and it smelled overly of the vanilla note (odd given the somewhat liberal use of mole bitters).

Arturo Gatti was found dead this morning at the age of 37.  The circumstances surrounding his death are abnormally mysterious, but to me that isn't the real story here.  The real story is how a man with marginal boxing skill became a legend to a generation of boxing fans.  Gatti didn't do it by winning a trophy case full of world titles, though he was a two-division world champion.  He also didn't do it by possessing awe-inspiring one punch knockout power, though he did score more than his fair share of KOs.  "Thunder" did it by epitomizing another moniker which he increasingly came to be known by:  "The Ultimate Blood & Guts Fighter."

Gatti never danced around the ring or gratuitously evaded his opponent; he never even intimated that these strategies may have occurred to him.  He fought 3 minutes of every round, and if his opponent weren't prepared to do the same, then Gatti would break him.  Gatti was willing to take any punch to land his own, and his face often showed it by the end of his fights -- even (or especially) his victories.  He took more punishment in victory than most fighters do in defeat.  He was known for his remarkable and uncanny ability to recover from the most devastating of pugilistic predicaments and still earn victory.  Gatti was so famous for this that Randy Neumann, the referee in charge of his final bout - a knockout loss to Alfonso Gomez in which Gatti suffered massive punishment - was later quoted as saying that he simply couldn't bring himself to stopping the fight.  He truly believed that at any point Gatti was capable of coming back, simply because of who he was.  Respected trainer Teddy Atlas paraphrased an old associate of his on Friday Night Fights last night, noting that in boxing "will always beats skill."  Gatti's career was living testimony to this maxim. 

Four of Gatti's bouts were named "Fight of the Year" by The Ring Magazine.  Numerous other slugfests further cemented his legacy as the most exciting fighter of his generation.  His epic trilogy with "Irish" Mickey Ward is the stuff of legend.  As for myself, I'll simply remember Arturo as the man who made me a boxing fan, a notion I believe he'd take as the highest compliment possible.

Lately, I've been wondering how the story of Mass Effect will expand into its scheduled second and third iterations.  Below is my (likely feeble) forecast of how the story arc will play out, looking at what's been revealed thus far, BioWare's past storytelling tendencies, and literary archetype.

What we know:

- The Reapers are a highly advanced & sentient AI machine race bent on harvesting/eliminating all galactic (Milky Way) civilisation, roughly every 50,000 years.  They function as extremely large and nimble warships.

- Commander Shepard eliminated Sovereign, the vanguard of the Reaper fleet, in the events of Mass Effect, thus delaying an impending Reaper invasion.

- The Collectors are a mysterious race who live beyond the Omega-4 relay.  While many doubt their existence, periodic sightings on Omega repute them to offer highly advanced technology in exchange for sets of genetically unique individuals, e.g. two dozen left-handed salarians.  Attempts to contact/investigate the Collectors have been stymied, as no ship that has ventured beyond the Omega-4 relay has ever returned.

- Cerberus, led by the Illusive Man, is a black ops military research organisation borne out of those in the Alliance (read: human) Navy who believe that humans must foremost serve the interests of humanity at the exclusion of alien species/races and are willing to take any means necessary in accomplishing this end.

- Shepard will be working with Cerberus in the events of Mass Effect 2.

- Human colonies are "disappearing" in Mass Effect 2.

- Shepard will be gathering a cadre of 'specialists,' many of whom purportedly operate with little regard for the law, to aid him in his "suicide mission" for Mass Effect 2.

- The Normandy will be attacked by an unknown warship in Mass Effect 2.

What I believe will occur:

- The Normandy attack will open the game.  Shepard's love interest (or in the absence of one, another squad member from ME1) will die in the attack.  This will serve as motivation for Shepard to seek revenge on the party or entity responsible for the attack.

- Cerberus will rescue Shepard from either the remains of the Normandy or an escape pod.  The Illusive Man will inform him that the technology behind the ship that assaulted the Normandy is beyond that of any known species, and can only be the work of the Collectors.  Furthermore, he will indicate that it is the Collectors who are also behind the disappearing human colonies.

- Cerberus will fashion Shepard with a new ship and hand him a list of prospective crew members to recruit for his mission to quell the Collectors.

- After all recruitment/side quests/etc., Shepard will enter the 'end game' sequence by going through the Omega-4 relay.  There he will encounter the Collectors;  after fighting his way through hordes of them, he will meet the 'final boss,' a leader of the Collectors.

- This individual will not recognise Shepard, and will indicate s/he has no idea why Shepard's ship was attacked;  furthermore, s/he will also know nothing of the disappearing human colonies.  The only recent event that s/he is even tangentially aware of concerning the latter is the recent attempted Reaper invasion that s/he orchaestrated .... what?!??

- S/he will reveal that the Collectors date to before antiquity and created the Reapers as a means of ensuring one of two things [I haven't decided which is more plausible]:  the first possibility is that the Reapers were created to ensure that no other race could ever technologically surpass the Collectors, thus assuring their hegemony over the galaxy.  The second is that the Reapers were created to ensure that no other race could ever sufficiently advance to raise the attentions of an even larger galactic threat of which we are currently unaware.  The former seems more probable, but I think the latter is sort of cool.  For our purposes, let's temporarily assume the former to be true.  The reason that the Collectors "collect" is so that they can determine through scientific and genetic study of the current spacefaring species when the ideal time to signal the next Reaper invasion will be.

- Shepard will encounter the Collector leader in a computing control room of sorts, which will house the technology (likely an interface powered by a drive or disk) used to activate and control the Reapers.  A failsafe mechanism to destroy the Reapers was also devised in the event that the Reapers, as AIs, ever went rogue or turned on the Collectors.  A backup interface was also installed inside an otherwise inconspicious Reaper "flagship" should the Collectors either need to control the Reapers from other points in the galaxy, or in the event the Collector base facility were destroyed.  After the preceding plot exposition, Shepard will fight the 'final boss' over control of the interface.  Emerging victorious, Shepard will prove unable to subsequently utilise the interface for one of three potential reasons:  either (i) the interface requires a specific input, such as a password or retinal scan, (ii) the interface will be irreparably damaged during the struggle or permanently shut down by the leader in his/her death throes, or (iii) the facility will be about blow and Shepard + crew must vacate the premises immediately. 

- Regardless of any of the three, Shepard will pop out the powering disk and/or drive and take it back to his handlers at Cerberus, in the hopes that they can help him infiltrate this unknown Reaper 'flagship' for purposes of manual shutdown of the fleet.

- Upon returning to Cerberus HQ, Shepard will encounter the Illusive Man once more.  He will obtain the disk/drive from Shepard and thank the Commander for his service to Cerberus.  Now, the Illusive Man explains, Cerberus will be able to control the Reapers, and the entire galaxy will be at his mercy.  He reveals that the initial assault on the Normandy, as well as the disappearance of human colonies, were all part of an elaborate plot to motivate Shepard to infiltrate Collector territory and obtain this disk/drive.  The few must perish to empower the many, or so he believes.  He will then slap Shepard, batter & humiliate him, and leave him on an unchartered world with three (or any random #) days' ration.

- The task of Mass Effect 3, then, will be for Shepard to reassemble his crew, track down Cerberus and the Collector disk/drive, defeat the Illusive Man, and finally infiltrate the Reaper flagship and install the manual shutdown sequence, thus saving the galaxy from any further Reaper threat.

So is all this plausible?  I suppose.  Will it happen?  Wouldn't bet on it.

The Veranda 

Taking it Outside

Antebellum Julep - Delpech Fougerat XO, Leopold's Georgia Peach Whiskey, Gosling's Rum, mint

Arnie at Augusta - House-vatted Bourbon, muscadine & tea syrups, mint, lemon, soda, bitters

Daiquiri - Matusalem Platino Rum, lime

Oaxacan Sour - Capel Pisco, Del Maguey Mezcal, Cointreau, Lillet, lemon, orange spice syrup, egg white, coffee bean-infused Vermouth 
 
 
 

The Study 

Solitary Contemplation

Bull City Manhattan - Wild Turkey 101 Rye, Italian Vermouth, Bual Madeira, Ardbeg Whisky, Laird's Apple Brandy, Peychaud's & Peach bitters

Gascony vs. Savoie - Ch de Laubade Armagnac XO, Lillet, Noilly Prat, Chamberyzette, Yellow Chartreuse, Depaz Rhum, Peychaud's bitters

Ernest Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon - Absinthe, Champagne

Hemingway Daiquiri (Papa Doble) - Matusalem Platino Rum, Luxardo Maraschino, grapefruit, lime 
 
 

The Ballroom 

Bawdry Merriment

Chatham Artillery Punch - Catawba, Rum, Rye, Cognac, Champagne, Longjing, pineapple, lemon, strawberry, cherry, orange

Columbia Punch - Gewurztraminer, Ambre Rum, St. Germain, Champagne, pineapple

Page Special - House-vatted Bourbon, Sprite, Branca, bitters

Uninspired Drinker - Vodka, club soda 
 
 

The Parlor 

Lounging & Entertaining

Singapore Sling - seasonal Gin, Benedictine, Cherry Heering, lemon, soda, Angostura & Regan's Orange bitters

Pegu Club - seasonal Gin, Curacao, lime, Angostura & Regan's Orange bitters

Chairman Marg - Ti Kuan Yin-infused Tequila, Domaine de Canton, Lillet, lime

Portuguese Daiquiri - Agua Luca Cachaca, San Sebastian Port, lime 
 
 

Pre-Prandial 

Apetite Stimulation

Leif of Bread - Aalborg Akvavit, Old Overholt Rye, Ramazzotti

Dripping Wet Martini - seasonal Gin, French Vermouth, Regan's Orange bitters

Half Sinner, Half Saint - Italian Vermouth, French Vermouth, Absinthe

Bamboo - French Vermouth, Amontillado Sherry, Angostura & Regan's Orange bitters 
 

Post-Prandial 

Meal Digestion

Masan Flip - Persimmon-infused Soju, Vodka, Domaine de Canton, whole egg

Buzz Word - Zuidam Genever, Luxardo Maraschino, Barenjager, lemon

Anglo-Saxon - St. George Kirsch, Plymouth Sloe Gin
 

Corpse Reviver 

[Self-Explanatory]

Argyll - House-vatted Whisky, St. Germain, rosemary grapefruit syrup, lime, Absinthe

#2 - seasonal Gin, Cointreau, Lillet, lemon, Absinthe

Hello Morning - House-vatted Whisky, Champagne, Bawls Guarana, Angostura bitters

Afternoon

1.5 oz Dark Rum (Gosling's Black Seal)

1.0 oz. Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)

scant 1/2 Tbs. Orgeat

1/2 lime, juiced

2 dashes Peychaud's

1 dash Fee's Grapefruit Bitters

Shake, Strain, Serve Up

Aperitif

1.5 oz. Dry Vermouth (new Noilly Pratt)

0.75 oz Aquavit (Linie)

0.5 oz Cynar

1 tsp. Yellow Chartreuse

Stir, Strain, Serve Up

Digestif

1.25 oz Bourbon (Weller Antique)

0.75 oz Creme de Mure (house-made)

0.5 oz. Ramazzotti

Stir, Strain, Serve Up

Breaking the margarita down, Dave Wondrich notes in his brilliant Imbibe! that the cocktail is essentially a tequila daisy, i.e. tequila-orange liqueur-citrus (lime).  Thus, if we want to riff on the marg, it is quite possible to swap out any liqueur for the orange and any citrus for the lime.  St. Germain is reportedly an excellent substitution for this particular quaff, and I've found grapefruit + bitters to well highlight tequila in the past.  Swap out at your own desire.

Another possibility is to build upon the marg.  To do this, we can add an additional sweet element to the orange liqueur, while adding another bitter/sour element atop the lime.  The key when constructing a cocktail in such a way is to keep the drink from becoming overly busy, over-extracted, or simply over-wrought;  no one enjoys an 11-ingredient train wreck, except for the pretentious faux expert newbie holding court at his table in the corner.  To be sure, I have nothing against 11 ingredient drinks per se, so long as each element plays an integral role and isn't simply included for the sake of said inclusion.  One such drink I shook up the other day added 0.75 oz. of Ramazzotti, 1 dash agave nectar, 2 dashes Peychaud's and 1 dash Fee's Grapefruit Bitters to the standard margarita formula;  its taste is the maturing, near-middle aged crisis 40 yr old to the marg's raging adolescent.

There are also a plethora of great tequila cocktails that owe no pedigree to the margarita, a host that numbers much too many to name here.  I suggest heading on over to the cocktaildb, searching for "tequila" and selecting a concoction that speaks to you.  In my experience, Campari, bianco vermouth, absinthe, the aforementioned St. Germain, Lillet, apple brandy and many others play extremely well with tequila.

Another option sure to appeal to the elitist is mezcal (though not of the con gusano sort;  that is decidedly prole).  Using mezcal in lieu of tequila is sure to produce a deeper, more luxurious, 'smoke-filled back room' feel to even the most standard of tequila cocktails.  A popular technique in the New York cocktail bars is to use a fraction of mezcal in conjunction with a larger fraction of tequila, or even simply rinsing the glass with mezcal, to glean just a hint of the spirit's ruggedly handsome smokiness.

The bottom line from the preceding?  There are plenty of options for the elitist to stand out, and more importantly stand apart, even on Cinco de Mayo.

1200 ml Carlo Rossi Paisano

150 ml Raynal Brandy

80 ml Santa Teresa Curacao

10 T Cane Sugar

1 Fuji Apple, sliced

1 Persian Lime, sliced

1 Tangelo, sliced

1 Anjou Pear, sliced

1 Kiwi, sliced

2 Cinnamon sticks

2 dozen Allspice berries

This went into the pitcher overnight.  Upon serving, top glass off with Blood Orange Soda/S. Pellegrino for fizz (S. Pellegrino contains 82% less sodium than standard club soda).

1. Detroit Lions - Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

2. Saint Louis Rams - Jason Smith, OT, Baylor

3. Kansas City Chiefs - Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU

4. Seattle Seahawks - Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

5. Cleveland Browns - Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

6. Cincinnati Bengals - Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia

7. Oakland Raiders - Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland

8. Jacksonville Jaguars - Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest

9. Green Bay Packers - B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College

10. San Francisco 49ers - Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

11. Buffalo Bills - Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas

12. Denver Broncos - Rey Maualuga, LB, USC

13. Washington Redskins - Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas St.

14. New Orleans Saints - Malcolm Jenkins, DB, Ohio St.

15. Houston Texans - Clay Matthews, LB, USC

16. San Diego Chargers - Chris Wells, RB, Ohio St.

17. New York Jets - Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

18. Denver Broncos - Peria Jerry, DT, Ole Miss

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn St.

20. Detroit Lions - Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss

21. Philadelphia Eagles - Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

22. Minnesota Vikings - Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

23. New England Patriots - Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

24. Atlanta Falcons - Evander Hood, DT, Missouri

25. Miami Dolphins - Brian Cushing, LB, USC

26. Baltimore Ravens - Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

27. Indinapolis Colts - Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio St.

28. Buffalo Bills - Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma St.

29. New York Giants - Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers

30. Tennessee Titans - Everette Brown, DE, Florida St.

31. Arizona Cardinals - Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut

32. Pittsburgh Steelers - Eric Wood, C, Louisville