151 burns

There is a blister on my index finger right at the knuckle below the finger nail. The burn was my fault. I should have known better. Just like setting the bar on fire. I didn't mean to set the bar on fire but it happened. No one was hurt. Well, except for me. The bar didn't not sustain any damage and I would return to drink again.

Let this be a lesson to you. When someone puts a shot of 151 in front of you and lights it up, blow it out and drink it. Fast. Don't take your time. And don't be an idiot and bump shot glasses with someone else. The is how I burned my finger.

See, I was at Big Mommas on Friday night, watching the Brewers game and drinking beer. At the end of the game, I bought the owner's wife a shot. The bartender asked if I wanted 151. I gave him the "are you crazy?" look and asked for some Maker's Mark. He told me if I drank the 151, he would buy the round. Well, ok.

From there it is a bit of a haze. For those keeping score at home and may have a flaming shot the next time they are at a bar, please do the exact OPPOSITE of what I did. That way you do not burn your finger.

He poured the shot and then pulled out his lighter. I thought he was kidding and for whatever reason, I didn't expect him to light the booze. He did. I was in a bit of shock and then awe as the pretty blue flame burned. From the left of me I heard "You don't want to let that shot burn too long, the glass will get hot." Hmmm....that makes sense. So I raised the shot. I was about to blow it out when the owner's wife raised her up and out towards me to clink the glass.

Second mistake. Don't bump shots when 1) You have been drinking for a couple of hours, and 2) Your shot is on fire. The bump got quite sloppy and the 151 spilled onto the bar, setting it on fire. It also doused my hand pretty good. I set the shot down and let the others worry about putting out the fire on the bar. I was concerned about my fingers that were on fire.

After I drank the shot (glass was warm, not too good for the lips), I had the shot of Maker's and settled down. But my one finger was kinda hurting. They got a glove and I stuck my fingers in ice. It didn't seem that bad. But the next day I noticed a blister. It doesn't hurt but is a reminder of how not to drink a shot that is on fire.

Of course I was back at the bar on Saturday showing the blister off after the ball game. I ate too much for dinner and the beer wasn't going down all that well. So I decided to try the Tanqueray Rangpur that had appeared at the bar. It was pretty good. Good enough that I drank about half of the bottle. I know I wasn't thinking too much about the blister after that.

Vegas is just over the horizon now. I need to get myself through 3 days of work. Then I can do all the boozing and gambling that I can handle. Why can't it be Wednesday evening already?

Update:
Thanks Al for highlighting my shame. Hey, even a pro has a bad day on the field. I just wish I could claim this happened after drinking half a bottle of gin. If only it had happened on Friday night.