Thanks to an invite from the lovely Dusty Lockhart, I stopped by Graffiato last night to sample four tasty concotions created by D.C. area mixologists Dan Searing, Adam Bernbach, Todd Thrasher and Greg Engert. The quartet are competing for the title of mixology program of the year at the RAMMY Awards in June.

Naturally my future brother-in-law snapped some silly pics of me with each libation. I'm including the recipe for each. Enjoy!

Dia de Descanso mixed by Adam Bernbach 
(pictured above)
- Two parts saffron & grapefruit syrup
- 1 part Beefeater 24 Gin
- 1 part lime juice
- 3 parts sparkling wine

Garnish with limes and mint. Ladle from a punch bowl with a five-lb. block of ice.

Chaos Theary mixed by Dan Searing
- 0.75 Citra hop-infused Sauza
- Hornitos plata
- 0.5 ounce ounce grapefruit juice
- 0.5 ounce simple syrup
- 2 ounce Belgian Tripel

Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe, top with Tripel Karmeliet and garnish with a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

Farmhouse Punch mixed by Gref Engert
- 0.75 ounces vodka
- 0.25 or less ounces of absinthe
- 0.5 ounces lemon juice
- 1 ounce grapefruit juice
- 0.5 ounce peppercorn syrup

Shake. Top with Rayon Vert. Ladle from a punch bowl with a five-lb. block of ice.

42 and Cloudy mixed by Todd Thrasher
- 6 ounces of Cruzan rum
- 6 ounces honey flavored vodka
- 6 ounces of passion vodka
- 6 ounces of rye whiskey
- 6 ounces of brandy
- 15 ounces sauvignon blanc
- 10 ounces green tea
- 5 ounces water
- 28 ounces passion fruit juie
- Juice of two lemons
- 1/3 cup of luxardo cherries
- Champagne to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve from a punch bowl with a five-lb. block of ice.

EPIC. That's the word to describe the Baltimore Rock Society's "Valhella." After reporting a behind-the-scenes on it for the Post, it was righteous to see the musical mayhem come to life this past Saturday. There are still tix for this weekend's performances available Get 'em now! Definitely a blast. Rock on guys.

Behold bretheren and sisters! In our latest Washington Post Closer Inspection, the Tank and I tackled our most heroic and downright awesome subject yet: Watching the Baltimore Rock Opera Society prepare for their upcoming "Valhella: The Ragnarokkoperetta." 

As such, I quickly found myself outfitted with a gody helmet (hey, things like this are known to happen).

For more photos that didn't make the print one-pager, check out this photo gallery. 

Sometimes, however, a photo can only do so much. Especially when we're talking about animatronic wolf heads and giant puppets .... 

What the? (Deets here).

Last night, Sean and I headed out to the Electric Maid in Takoma Park to catch Ben Tankersley (aka Closer Inspection photographer extradoranaire) partaking in his punk rock sidegig -- playing guitar with his band, Highway Cross. Don't let his mellow attitude fool you -- the kid has chops! The Tank -- yeah I just made that lame nickname up -- tells me they'll play a show at the Black Cat on May 27 before going on a brief hiatus. Don't miss it, fools!