Rally Gin

So, The confluence of three events has found me enjoying October a bit more than usual:

1. I recently parted company with the start-up I joined in January this year (a.k.a. - I am unemployed).
2. The Royals are in the post season for the second year in a row.
3. Local distillery J. Rieger & Co. has released Midwestern Dry Gin

Free of the daily pressure of being a productive member of society means I have more time to enjoy 2 & 3 above. As luck would have it I have also found a way to effectively combine them as well.

It started in Game 2 of the ALDS last Friday. The Royals were already down 0-1 in the best of five series having dropped the opening game at home against the Astros the day before. We were watching the game at Rye and by the middle of the 6th inning with the Royals down 2-4 there were a lot of long faces at the bar. I overhear the woman to the left of me ordering a gin & tonic "with Rieger gin please" and am reminded that I still haven't tried the newest liquor from local, reincarnated distiller J. Rieger & Co.  Their Midwestern Dry Gin had been released two days earlier and I missed the party. Anyway, I mention this to my bartender and he immediately pours me a generous taste. It's pretty unusual for me to drink my gin neat but one whiff of the bright botanicals hovering above the shot glass eliminated any hesitation. Sip. Bold, bright, delicious. Finish the shot. Hey, Lorenzo Cain just doubled. And so the 6th inning rally began. By the end of the inning we were up 4-3 and on our way to a 5-4 win. #rallygin was born.

Rally totems are everywhere. Caps, monkeys, this. Why not gin?

And this isn't just any old gin. It's Kansas City gin with a legendary pedigree. You see, the wily guys at J. Rieger & Co. somehow convinced Tom Nichol (recently retired Tanqueray Master Distiller) to spend the first weeks of his retirement in Kansas City developing a new world class gin. This is good stuff and gin lovers everywhere should buy a bottle. But this about #rallygin

Fast forward to yesterday's Game 4. This was a must win as Houston led the series 2-1 going in. Royals were up 2-1 in the 2nd inning but couldn't sustain any offense and were down 2-6 heading into the 8th. We need a rally. A couple of pulls straight from the bottle (let's call it sloppy neat) and the boys in blue are getting on base. Singles became RBI's. Astros pitchers fell like flies. Five runs scored (and we stranded three runners!) in the 8th and two more in the 9th. #rallygin

Join me Royals fans. Game 5 is tomorrow and there should be many games to follow. When our Royals need a rally reach for the Midwestern Dry Gin, drink a little neat, and watch the runs pile up. #rallygin