Want One

Because, let's face it, more bars should have Hogarth's Gin Lane silkscreened onto throw cushions. Well played, the Saint - which is run by the lads behind Bramble and will therefore start hoovering up awards right about...now.

Newsdesk: best in Britain

This edition of Newsdesk is sponsored by local pride coloured with a touch of envy.

• Lots of lovely things have been written about Bramble down on Queen Street, all of which are annoyingly true. So, congratulations to the team on winning Best Place to Drink in the 2009 Observer Food Monthly Awards.
• The other things Scots are good at? Dying from drink-related problems no matter where they go.
• The BBC hit up New York's cocktailians for demos of historic drinks (Not sure how well iPlayer embeds work outside of the UK - let me know if the video works overseas).
• Over at Proof, what your favourite drink says about you.
• On creation - not the divisive theological kind, more the fun, drinky kind - though there's a solid theoretical base to all the artistry.
• The New York Times happens across Paris' Experimental Cocktail Club. Coincidence, or are they following the Cocktail Guru?

The Local News: the loneliest city in Britain

A BBC-commissioned survey has reported that Edinburgh is the loneliest place to live in the UK. Apparently, we're 13% lonelier than we were in 1971, as calculated by the number of unmarried adults and one-person households in the area. Is it possible that - as a city - we're not lonely, we're just crap at hooking up? It's also worth nothing that second place went to London. Yes, the one with more than 11 million residents.

It's depressing news. Given our failure to connect to our communities, I guess the only thing to do is shine lasers into the eyes of airline pilots as they attempt to land, or leave unexploded WW2 bombs lying around in school grounds.

Yes, nothing is happening in this city. It's probably why it needs £600m to ride out the economic downturn. Here are some of the stories that didn't make the cut:

• Baby protein 'could help bowels'.
• Mine discovered in Forth blown up.
• Keep an eye out for albino squirrels and other ghostly sights.

Because seriously, albino squirrels will break into your house and steal your Christmas presents. And your kids.

(Lonely Old House photo from Dingbat2005's Flickr photostream. Albino Squirrel from scotsman.com)

The Local News: no Indy, no Ackroyd

Bar jobs have the unfortunate effect of entirely rewiring your calendar. It's like working a 9-5, but one that starts at 6pm with weekends running Tuesday-Wednesday. Essentially, my internal clock is running roughly on Pacific Standard. In the middle of next week. This is relevant because it means I miss a bunch of interesting things if they happen over what the rest of civilisation calls the weekend, such as a mysterious and possibly ancient artifact going on display just up the road from my flat.

For one day.

The object in question is one of the fabled crystal skulls, the handiwork of either an ancient South American civilisation or skilled forgers in the 1950s and the inspiration for both the most recent Indiana Jones movie and a new, frankly insane vodka fronted by famed Ghostbuster Dan Ackroyd.

In other news, a City Councillor has proposed to ease congestion in the City Centre by introducing a pedestrian 'fast-lane' on Princes Street, despite research that suggests a similar effect could be achieved by introducing capital punishment for buskers, mimes and charity muggers*.

Elsewhere, controversy reigns as the localpress proclaims Edinburgh to be the UK's greenest city - behind only five other cities, according to Treehugger.

Finally, coming soon to ednbrg, the return of posts about cocktails. Crazy, I know.

* There's a decent chance that this is a lie.

The Local News: under review

After all of last week's electoral excitement, it's been a quieter week round these parts. It hasn't been a week without danger, but the threat of Edinburgh losing its World Heritage Site status has lifted with the news that "the overall state of conservation is absolutely fine." Other World Heritage Sites include the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and the ancient city of Thebes and its Necropolis, all places characterized by their short supply of Buckfast and deep-fried Mars bars.

There hasn't been any real chance of Scotland losing touch with its heritage: just last year, our finest bartenders spent an evening beating the best England had to offer in the 2007 Liquid War. This year's final took place in Glasgow earlier this evening with North vs. South contests in flair and mixology. Results when they're posted, which will probably be when the hangovers clear up. Sometime in February, then.

In the meantime, if you wanted to infuse that hard-won heritage with a touch of international style, then Totty Rocks on Victoria Street can furnish you with a handbag. This handbag, in fact. For £3,250.

And finally, it's time to wish everyone at Bramble a very happy second birthday - they just announced their own bouncing baby blog! They're also clearly not getting a present, what with all the awards and international acclaim they've gained over the past two years.

Seriously, let someone else with something for once.

(Edinburgh panorama from George L Smyth's photostream on Flickr, under a Creative Commons licence.)