The Moment that Changed the Game

The first time I ever drank an alcoholic beverage was two days before my 21^st birthday.  I had just hit a game winning home run in the championship game of a baseball tournament.  My whole family was there and after the game my father approached me and said, “Son, I know it’s two days early, but I feel like you deserve this…Welcome to manhood.” He then tossed me an ice cold Budweiser which I cracked open and let pour down my throat while my loved ones cheered and toasted to such a glorious first experience.  THAT WAS WHAT BEER TASTED LIKE.

That story is obviously not true. The truth is I got jackhammer drunk off of between 16 and 23 Smirnoff Ice wine coolers in my friend’s Grandma’s basement when I was 15. I spent the whole night eating tostino’s pizza rolls and making people ask me math problems to prove I wasn’t drunk.  Not exactly the picture perfect first experience but what are you going to do?

Can you remember the first time you drank an alcoholic beverage?  I am pretty sure you can. I guarantee you are thinking about it right now and laughing at how ridiculous it was.  It’s okay, the truth is most of us were too immature and irresponsible to actually appreciate alcohol and the brilliance of the experiences it can help create...and because you were probably too busy ralphing into someones shower.

Luckily we all get a second chance at this.  As you mature, another opportunity will most likely occur which you won’t exactly prepare for.  We have to create the moment ourselves (create doesn’t mean draw a bubble bath, pop a bottle of merlot and shave your legs while listening to Regina Spektor).   You will try a drink at the perfect moment and your mind will be blown. It might be a single malt whiskey or it might be a really nice Tequila.  It might be wine.  If you have a "favorite drink on the planet" that means you love the taste.  You probably also have vivid memories of the great moments in which you had it.  Your experience can make it the best or even turn it into your passion.  It happened with me.

My passion for wine came when I was living in Florence, Italy and I ended up missing a bus stop and getting lost in Tuscany with a friend.  We ended up being in a little town called Pienza for 3 hours.  We quickly figured out we might have been in the most beautiful places in the world and sat down for a lunch after cruising the town.  Pecorino cheese with pears and honey, in Pienza, hanging out with Pete Markun, all paired with a bottle of Chianti Classico changed the game for me.  It paved the road to where I am now and who I want to be.

Would I love wine as much as I do now if I drank my first Chianti Classico while sitting on a washing machine in a basement in West Seattle? Pairing it with jojos and a corndog?  Probably not.  It’s what is happening around you and who you are with that defines a great moment and allows it to transcend time.

I’m not saying you have to fly to Italy in order to appreciate wine.  I’m saying it is okay to put yourself in an enjoyable environment and stop and take a minute to check out your surroundings while enjoying a nice drink.  It can give you a real moment that will always be revived when you taste that specific/favorite beverage. As corny as that may sound, the beauty is that no one can ever take it away from you.