Dearth of posting.

I have been swamped with work recently and will resume my posting duties shortly.

Until then.

A jaded look at the future of doc review for new law graduates.

Perhaps a little hyperbolic, but it's nonetheless entertaining.

The Gentleman Lawyer Repost - Classic Cocktails

Now that i am winding down with work before the start of the new semester, it's time to meet up for a few happy hours with some classmates I haven't seen in a while. Accordingly, I'd like to re-post an article I wrote last year on classic and classic cocktails. Enjoy. -L.

Happy Hour and the Classic Cocktail

We, as law students, are invited to a lot of happy hours- sponsored by our student organizations, bar association divisions we may be joining, and law firms as well. They're training us to be alcoholics, you see.

All in all, this means a lot of drinking. We take as a given that appearances and first impressions are very important at these events, and put our best foot forward in our manner of dress and decorum. What we don't think about too often (at least I haven't until very recently) is that what we drink may say quite a bit about our personalities as well.

At a recent event, a fellow student expressed to me his shared affinity for tradition and the classical approach to dress and mannerisms as he sipped away on an Old-Fashioned.

Although I love my beer as much as any person (at that time I had a Walt Wit from Philadelphia Brewing Co.), I took notice at his poise - that drink made him look classy - a throwback to the idealized days where men wore hats and suits everywhere they went, when people still held doors, and people were free of the technological distractions which fill our lives. Consequently, after I finished my beer, I ordered a Manhattan. The best cocktail I've ever had. Strong, plain, and absolutely delicious.

That being said, there are six fundamental drinks that every gentleman (and lady) should know. David A. Embury, in his book 1948The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, articulates them and provides the recipes. They are the Martini (made with Gin), The Manhattan, The Old-Fashioned, The Daiquri, The Sidecar, and the Jack Rose.

Below are the recipes he recommends- simple, classy, and quintessential to the cocktail tradition. Normally, I'm a beer or Martini guy, but I'll be keeping these drinks in rotation at the next few happy hours.


The Martini
7 parts English gin
1 part French (dry) vermouth

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, twist lemon peel over the top and serve garnished with an olive, preferably one stuffed with any kind of nut.

The Manhattan
5 parts American whiskey
1 part Italian (sweet) vermouth
dash of Angostura bitters to each drink

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and serve garnish with a maraschino cherry.

The Old-Fashioned
12 parts American whiskey
1 part simple syrup
1-3 dashes Angostura bitters to each drink

In an old-fashioned glass, add bitters to simple syrup and stir. Add about 1 ounce of whiskey and stir again. Add two cubes of cracked, but not crushed, ice and top off with the rest of the whiskey. Twist lemon peel over the top and serve garnished with the lemon peel and a maraschino cherry.

The Daiquiri
8 parts white Cuban rum
2 parts lime juice
1 part simple syrup

Shake with lots of finely crushed ice and strain well into a chilled cocktail glass. Other excellent variations include the Daiquiri Grenadine, with a few drops of grenadine per drink substituted for some of the simple syrup and the Daiquiri De Luxe, with Orgeat or Crème d'Ananas in place of simple syrup and a mixture of lime and lemon juices.

The Sidecar
1 part Cointreau or triple sec
1 part lemon juice
1 part Cognac or Armagnac

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon if desired.

The Jack Rose
3 parts Applejack
2 parts lemon juice
2 dashes Grenadine

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon if desired.

I Made Above the Law

My Mad Men attempt made Above the Law today. I expect terrible criticism in the comments.

As posted:

Are you a fan of the show Mad Men? We've only seen one episode, on an airplane, but we've heard great things. Television critics have praised it to the heavens. Our colleagues at Fashionista are also big fans.

So are many law students and lawyers. Meet Leo Mulvihill (below left), a law student at Drexel in Philadelphia, and Jon Rich (below right), a lawyer in New York:

Both have submitted their photos to the Mad Men casting call contest.

Find out how the contest works, after the jump.

Mulvihill explained the contest to us over email:

With law firms collapsing, rescinding offers, and canceling OCI, my law employment prospects are looking grim.

I thought I would get creative. AMC and Banana Republic are currently running a Mad Men Casting Call contest, where each contestant is to put forth his/her best Mad Men style.

For those of you who haven't yet seen the show, Mad Men is based around characters in an early 1960s ad agency on Madison Avenue. The show centers on Don Draper, the agency's creative director, and the people in his life in and out of the office. It also depicts the changing social mores of 1960s America.

The contest asks each entrant to show his or her best 60s style and take a picture. Visitors to the site then vote on each entry, 1-5 stars, with 5 being the best. The casting directors take a look at the top 10 men and top 10 women and picks one for a walk on role for the show next season.

With the resumé not doing me much good, I threw my hat into the ring for the contest. Here's my entry.

Voting ends at 11.59 pm Eastern Time on August 11. You can vote once a day per computer connection.

I'd appreciate the help from everyone at ATL to get my ugly mug on Mad Men next season.

After you vote, feel free to make whatever snarky comments are warranted by my shameless plug for myself in this contest. Or rip on my "TTT" school. But just make sure you vote first.

Thanks a lot everyone!

You can read more about Mulvihill and his contest entry over at his blog.

Please support your fellow law students and lawyers, by giving five stars to Mulvihill (click here) and Rich (click here). Please note that the Mad Men website, apparently due to heavy traffic, is about as reliable as Friendster circa 2004. You may have to try accessing the site multiple times before you succeed.

To Leo and John: GOOD LUCK!

Mad Men Casting Call - Shameless Self-Promotion

Shameless self-promotion time.

For those of you who don't watch AMC's Mad Men, it's a show set at a Madison Avenue Ad agency in the early 1960s.

The plot generally centers around the main character, Don Draper, a mysterious fellow who's worked his way to the top of Sterling Cooper, the Madison Avenue ad agency. Not only is he a fantastic salesman, he's also chauvinistic, a womanizer, and arrogant. Despite these flaws, he's a terribly sympathetic character- ice runs through his veins, but somehow he remains terribly intriguing. Smoking and drinking abound. The writing and character development are top notch, hooking and reeling you in.

Now, in a promotional contest with Banana Republic, AMC is holding a "Casting Call" for a next-season walk on role on the show. The gist is, we're supposed to show off our best "Mad Men" style.

Naturally, I had to enter the contest.

The crux of the contest is that the voting is done by visitors to the AMC Casting Call website. You get to vote 1-5 stars for the person whom you think best embodies the "Mad Men" look. Top 10 men and women are then looked through by the casting director of the show. The director selects the person for the walk-on role.

I want to be that person.

So, naturally, readers, I am asking for your help. This is my entry:

This is my best effort to embody the late 50s, early 60s style. If you could take a few minutes, go to my Mad Men profile page, and rank me at 5-Stars, I'd be eternally grateful. Who knows, perhaps next year you can say "hey, I know that guy!" :)

The contest runs through Aug 11 at Midnight, and you can vote once a day.

Thanks for your help everyone. I hope to make this an interesting resume item!

Learn more about the show at AMC's Mad Men website.