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Gentlemanly arts: Drinking
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 I was in a store recently, and I saw a mother with several young children, urging them to come along. One of the little boys ran over to the candy isle and began eagerly looking at all the candy that was hanging up. I thought to myself, somethings never change no matter how old you are.
Thinking of myself, whenever we go to Trader Joe's, and buy essential things like organic vegetables, fruits, juices, cereals and the things we ought to spend our money on, I tend to gravitate toward the alcohol section. Many a time I can conjure up 3 dollars for one of the very fine beers, or the micro brews and what not. However, I am always finding myself appearing before the fine alcohol section, which is a treat to the eyes. There is an excellent drink called Chambord, which is an old French drink fermented from raspberries. A drop is heaven, like concentrated raspberry essence. There is single-malted scotch called "Belvenie", which is aged for 12 years, 6 in cherry oak, and 6 more in sherry casks. It is nothing short of amazing. Too many things which falsely called "scotch" are really paint thin ner designed to get men drunk. This is a scotch that is something you can genuinely enjoy, drinking the shot delightfully. And of course there is fine cognac, a cognac benedictine liquor, excellent brandy (whereas modern brandy generally tastes like paint thinner) and other such things. Needless to say I never buy these things, except for rare occasions when I am rewarded with lots of overtime and immediate bills and needs are taken care of. I've still never bought the cognac, and I've still not been able to buy Belvenie Scotch again since I first bought some 6 months ago, and I don't sense that I will any time soon.
Nevertheless, some people find drinking and holiness, or the desire thereof to be incompatible. The idea is that if you drink, you can't be religious. This is a problem generated by the taboo of alcohol over on this side of the Atlantic, which oddly enough we inherit from the other side of the Atlantic. We have rigidly enforced drinking laws which instead of promoting a healthy respect and enjoyment of alcohol, promote heavy drinking, a lack of sobriety, and in general ridiculous reactions which generally follow ridiculous laws.
Several months ago I wrote on the death of the gentleman, and I think one of the things that has contributed to the loss of gentlemanly virtue is the loss value and discipline around alcohol.
At one time it was entrusted to common sense to enforce regulation concerning drinking in a sensible manner. Parents didn't need a law to tell them that it was bad to replace a baby bottle with a beer bottle, nor did they need a law to tell them that it was a bad idea to give their toddlers scotch instead of juice. That was obvious, and people just acted in accord with common sense.
So we are told that we can not have alcohol until we are 21, and in some states this includes in one's parent's house with parental supervision. Louisiana once tried to make it 18, but they were denied all sorts of federal funding and it forced them to revise it. Now waiting isn't that hard. The question isn't about the wait, it is about what happens during the wait. We don't need reminders about the horrible drunkeness which occurs on University campuses. We don't need reminders about the problems of alcohol abuse in society, or of drunken driving because these are before our eyes on a daily basis. We do however need a reminder of how good alcohol is, and how the modern "drink" perverts the glory of true enjoyment of alcohol.
There are two things to keep in mind:
1) On account of the taboo created by puritanical drinking laws, alcohol is viewed as something you have to have simply because it is illegal.
2) Modern drinks and the perception of them given in society creates the impression alcohol is there for the purposes of getting drunk, rather than the purpose of enjoyment.
In the first case, because children are often not raised around alcohol and those who drink responsibly, their only experience of it is the poor image presented through media. Without a father who responsibly drinks and prepares his son to also have a responsible drink when he reaches a certain amount of maturity and discipline, perhaps at 15 or so, he gravitates toward the other example, to drink as much as possible which is evil. Now I say 15 not as a rule but as a possible example in a more just society if the father discerns a level of maturity and virtue in his child. If alcohol wasn't presented as a taboo in our society, but as something enjoyable, with dinner, or moderately in recreation, there would be less desire to abuse it. It wouldn't be so cool anymore if adults stopped taking it so seriously and acted more reasonably about it. Of course nowadays if the government dropped the drinking age there would be kids dying from binge drinking unfortunately, and it is a problem we are sadly stuck with.
In the second case we need only examine some of the worst beers in existence, the vast majority of which are American. Budweiser, Coors, Bush, (almost as bad as a president by the same name) and heaven forbid "IC light", they have no body, no taste, and exist for one purpose: to get men drunk. Things like Scotch, Brandy, even Gin no longer have a real taste when bought from the average establishment, they are like paint thinner, they have no life to them, they exist for the sole purpose of getting drunk. This detracts from a positive image of a gentleman and a positive enjoyment of something that is good. On the contrary, beer, wine, and liquor are all supposed to taste good, which brings about an enjoyment. A good strong beer, which is thick and has good taste and character, inclines one to enjoy it more and not seek more. Enjoyment and recreation are positive things. Beer and wine are even positive things to have daily at meals. For goodness sake solemn recreation in a Traditional Monastery ages before Vatican II was not solemn without a tray of liquor!
As such, I believe that a proper enjoyment of excellent alcohol is a positive thing for gentlemanly conduct, and for fostering a manly image. Now some people don't prefer it. Some people don't enjoy it, which is fine. Others have a real problem handling it which is a good indicator that they should not. If you don't enjoy something, why would you want to engage in it?
However those who do, and do so moderately with good drinks rather than bad, are doing something positive rather than negative. Choosing to drink at some times, and not at others aids in establishing discipline with recreation and modesty. For example, as you can see the Athanasius liquor ta ble is well stocked. It remains well stocked throughout the year, even though I can not afford to spend a lot of money on alcohol. My secret: I only drink liquor on Sundays and exceptional holy days (one must raise the bar, otherwise there is no day that is not a holy day on some obscure asiatic calendar if one needs to go that far). By having only one drink, and doing so only on a Sunday, I accomplish three goods at once: legitimate enjoyment, preservation of what I have through modest usage and discipline by not constantly going back for more or going for any during the week. This contributes to the virtues of modesty and prudence, conforms your soul to right conduct and provides a laudable example for one to follow.
It also contributes to a positive good in society. Men who are prudent with alcohol in general are wise enough not to drive while impaired, and they are wise enough not to drink too much and make themselves fools, especially if one has a family. As such a positive outlook on alcohol contributes to the development of a gentleman, in a modern society which despises such things as trappings of the past long gone. More so it aids in the appreciation of small things, and discipline in greater things and enables a greater sense of propriety. What we need just as much as good beer is gentlemanly conduct around alcohol, so as to help re-establish a true gentleman.
St. Arnold of Metz, pray for us!
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