Author: Joanna

Good bastards like you to drink vodka

 42Below’s founder Geoff Ross has written a book with his wife Justine about the story behind the vodka called Every Bastard Says No. They’re having a book launch this Friday at the’Ho that’s supposedly invite-only but we bet you could sneak in if you were smart enough. In order to promote the book, I got to interview Geoff and Justine via email (my choice, things are crazy hectic this week at the Wellingtonista towers), but of course since it’s not released until April 30, I wasn’t sure what to ask. Various Wellingtonistas helpfully suggested I should enquire about the War Memorial Scandal – but that’s not related to the book – or the allegedly homophobic ad campaign in the USA, but I know nothing about that. And I don’t want to risk having my opportunities for free booze taken away from me. I’m a blogger, not a journalist, after all. So, after the jump, I lob some soft balls at them, and Justine in particular impresses me with her love for Wellington. 

Questions and answers with Geoff

1. Why did you start with vodka? What is it about the spirit that drew you to it?  

I drunk it. And actually more specially I saw more and more Vodka Cocktails emerging. Vodka is the Switzerland of Spirits – it goes with anything. And with the re birth of cocktails I could see it being the universal ingredient. Also New Zealand seemed it might have some cred with Vodka. We couldn’t do Tequila or Scotch because of Provence – but Vodka kind of fitted. (someone  once told me New Zealand was the Sweden of the South pacific) 

Week Ends & Odds April 12

Some link loving for you to start your week right.

• There’s a new hair salon on Cuba Street called Wildilocks. The pretty girls like it. 
• Metlink Wellington have started a twitter account to keep bus riders informed of delays. They could probably use some feedback about it. 
• The Aucklandista point out that Wellington’s social page pictures in the Sunday Star Times are of Ladies’ Night at the Establishment. How embarrassment. 
• You like food reviews? Here’s one of the Cellar-Vate dinner for Coney Wines. 
• Richter City Roller Derby is throwing a Quiz Night Fundraiser on April 28 at the Watusi. You should go along, but be warned – the Wellingtonista team will probably beat you.

What else should we know about? 

200 People I Used To Know

Toby Morris is pretty famous in Wellington for his awesome gig posters, and for his time in Batrider. 

Now he’s started a new project, called 200 People I Used To Know

This blog is my memories of 200 different characters I’ve known over the years, drawn and written about as I remember them. So I hope I remember right.

Because this is Wellington, we bet you will know at least half of the people too (Hi Jimmy!), so you should check it out, and thank The Morgue for giving us the hot tip. 

What up, Easter?

 So today we asked on Twitter for people to tell us what’s going to be open and what’s going to be closed over Easter. This is our list so far, please feel free to add more in the comments. 

• Leuven is "open every day over Easter". They get away with it because they are a restaurant.
• The Malthouse is open Saturday and Monday and surcharge free all the way. They’ll be closing at midnight on Thursday and the Saturday, however. 
• Readings Cinema will be open. We kind of figured that, but since they took the time to reply, we thought you should know. 
• The Southern Cross will be open "for dining only" all weekend. Which means they will put cutlery on the tables and you can drink as usual. 

The Wellingtonista’s top ten things to do in Wellington

 This list was published in abbreviated form in the first issue of FishHead, which is having its launch party tonight. Here it is in all its smoking-promoting, Oriental Bay-enraging glory…

1. Wander aimlessly around the Cuba Quarter: window-shop, have coffee, sit in the Mall & people-watch, draw or photograph the buildings.

2. Go to the waterfront on a sunny day: Put your polaroid sunglasses on, then get something nice in a cone from Kaffee Eis on the waterfront, and go spotting eagle rays in the Frank Kitts park lagoon. Don’t forget to point them out to swimmers and people in small vessels.

3. Swim on the South Coast: Oriental Bay is for pussies. Any of the beaches near Seatoun are where it’s at, or if you’re hard enough, brave the surf and the cold at Lyall Bay.

4. Go bush, then go posh: Zealandia’s all very well, but take the #14 bus to Otari/Wilton Bush for free native bushery, waterfalls, tui and an 800-year-old rimu. At night, take the #14 in the other direction to peek into all the expensive real estate along Oriental Parade and Roseneath where the residents obligingly leave all their lights on, and imagine what it would be like to be rich.

5. Hide out: Go to almost any bar that’s tucked away upstairs, in a basement or down an alley; Hooch, Hawthorn, Library, Good Luck, Watusi, Mighty Mighty are all gems.

6. Get cultured: Te Papa and the City Gallery are obvious choices, but add visits to Manky Chops, the Adam Art Gallery and Museum of Wellington City and Sea and you’ll feel much more well-rounded (and sore-footed).

7. To market, to market: Head to Waitangi Park on Sundays for the City Market/Harbourside Market combo, plus fresh fish when the boat pull up to the dock.

Get your fresh Fishheads today

 Wellington has a new magazine called FishHead and the first issue is out today. From their press release:

FishHead magazine will cover the full spectrum of life in Wellington including politics, opinion, wine, food, fashion, local issues, film, books, art, theatre, music and more.

I have yet to get my hands on a copy of it because I am waiting for the launch party next week, but I can tell you that at least two of the articles are awesome, because I wrote them – a paragraph on why I love Wellington, and the Wellingtonista’s Top Ten Things To Do in Wellington – albeit in edited form so as not to enrage the citizens of Oriental Bay.

I don’t think that Wellington has ever had its own proper magazine (remember UNO? hahaha!), so I, for one, welcome the new publication.

Week Ends & Odds

Nothing about signs here, I promise, except that a tweet I saw after the storm wished that the sign had been up so that we’d have alphabet soup in the harbour right now. But in some bullet points that you might be able to use: 

• Congratulations to Ange whose Four Seasons Cocktail has won her a double pass to the 42Below Cocktail World Cup. Can you please email us your address so I can send that out to you, Ange? And the rest of you can buy tickets for yourself online or at the Hawthorn Lounge. The Old Museum Building is a lovely venue and cocktails are always a good time. 
• Speaking of alcohol-related events, Cellar-Vate are starting up their winemaker dinners for the year with Coney Wines on March 31. Tickets are $45 and are available in store, or you can book on the phone. Coney make delicious wines, and their tasting notes are kind of hilarious, so it should be a good night. 
• Our cousins in the north, The Aucklandista are making a go of it again, so if you had deleted it from your bookmarks due to inactivity, you might want to resubscribe. 
• We set up a formspring account so y’all could ask us anonymous questions, and while it was easy to reply if we get paid by any of the bars we mention (we’re not. Full disclosure though: occasionally we get treated extra nice, but only as regulars are, rather than because we wield the almighty power of teh blogosphere) it’s much harder to advise on how could someone find a bookclub to join. Do you guys have any answers? 

The new issue dividing our capital

First it was "Bret or Jermaine?" then "Smash Malice or Brutal Paegent?" but now it’s time for the really big decision – which Facebook group to join – "Hey, let’s NOT have a ‘Wellywood’ sign in Wellington"or "A WELLYWOOD sign on the Miramar Cutting Hill is a STUPID idea"?