(The contents of last night’s Socotra medicine chest. Clockwise from lower left, el Cubano Bitters, Deer Park Cparkling Warer, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, el Guapo Tonic Syrup and the finished product. Forget to garnish with fresh lime. Damn.).

I was listening to National Public Radio yesterday afternoon as I motored in the Bluesmobile toward the Class Six Store on post at Fort Myer. There was some discussion about cutting military retirement benefits and some of the perks that go along with it- booze without federal taxes being one of them, and my stock was running low.

I shrugged. Some of this is necessary to maintain a ready active force, and I have always thought that the All Volunteer Force was a pretty good idea until we got to a steady-state always-at-war. Maybe if every young person had to serve we would have a more rational discussion about what we are doing, and perhaps even decisively win the wars we select.

Or elect not to have them.

Now that there is less than 1% of the population in uniform, and the Greatest Generation passing off the planet, the constituency is diminishing, and the temptation to cut there will increase. So, I figured I would stock up.

Anyway, I normally drink an industrial grade vodka at home, since there is no reason to show off and mixing rocket fuel with commercial tonic and lime is good enough for government work. But being in a pensive mood, I was strolling down the clear spirits aisle after gassing up outside, and saw a row of Tito’s Vodka, modestly advertised as a critical component of “the world’s Best Vodka and Tonic!”

Concerned that the impending budget cuts could curtail access to critical roket fuels, I grabbed a bottle to pair up with the el Guapo Tonic Syrup and el Cubano bitters. I did not worry about proportions. These things have a way of working themselves out.

Tito’s Handmade Vodka is produced in Austin at Texas’ first (and oldest )legal distillery. It’s made in small batches in an old fashioned pot still by Tito Beveridge (actual name), a 40-something Geologist, and distilled six times. That is the sort of purity I prefer to pump through my liver.

I will let Mr. Beveridge speak for himself: “My Handmade Vodka is designed to be savored by spirit connoisseurs and everyday drinkers alike. It is microdistilled in an old-fashioned pot still, just like fine single malt scotches and high-end French cognacs. This time-honored method of distillation requires more skill and effort than modern column stills, but it’s well worth it.”

I mixed one when I go home, and damn if he wasn’t right. It might have been the best damn V&T I have ever had. I was scrolling through the email when I came across a note from my pal Boats, who is a native of the Crescent City metropolitan region, and a citizen of Great Texas, where Tito’s comes from. He commented on the phenomenon of the el Guapo company, run by a former Marine.

“Thanks! You discovered a New Orleans Business that even I had not heard of. It seems we are literally being invaded by an army of young copperhead entrepreneurs starting up new businesses. They seem to like the business friendly laws and attitudes of “Greater Texas”, but for some reason the folks who start these types of firms seem to gravitate to New Orleans vice Houston.

There are a number of ex-marines running everything from a magnet school, and a boutique on line merchandising site, to a full blown ex marine/minority owned offshore service vessel fleet.

We’ll take all we can get, and INS be damned, we’re keeping all those Mexicans who came up to rebuild the town after Katrina as well. Many stayed to start businesses. Many are probably illegals but they are not on welfare, are paying more taxes than the welfare recipients they replace, and creating jobs mostly for the other Mexicans who didn’t have the capital to start businesses. We’d love to be able to legalize them and bring them fully into the tax base. But the Feds are in the way.

So the town figures to just hide them out until their “anchor babies” who will have American birth certificates inherit the businesses and the entire revenue stream is taxed like everybody else’s. We think of the illegal period as a sort of de facto business incubator. Mexicans, Copperheads, Ex and retiring Marines, our attitude is the same as our early attitude toward the Mexicans….”They’re our Mexicans and we’re keeping ’em.

Greater Texas is open to entrepreneurs, sorry about the rest of the country.”

So there it is. Demographics and a decent cocktail, all in one afternoon.

Copyright 2014 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com
Twitter: @jayare303