Quinn + Tonik Vol. 106: Quaranta Giorni
First published to our newsletter recipients on March 29, 2020
Luckily for DQ he passed through Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2017. En route from Riga in Latvia, to the island of Mykonos in Greece, piloting a Lambourghini Huracan LP610-4 for the Electric Lady Studios Gumball 3000 team.
The day had been plagued with disasters. Climbing a sweeping left hand curve having just crossed the Croatian boarder towards the front of the 150 car pack, his co-pilot clipped the kerb. At 140mph. Bang. Thud. Louder Bang. Louder Thud. Fortunately no death spin or aerial acrobatics. Just as well in the topless chariot. Then a nod, a wink and a wave from a Ferrari FF shooting brake...pulling along side to tell DQ and his co-pilot to get to the hard shoulder. The equivalent of Noel and Liam Gallagher getting out, crazy bowl haircuts, Manc accents, arms waiving, and lollipops in mouth to help diagnose the situation. A bent wheel, a kerbed wheel, a blown tire and a shredded sidewall. So. Screwed. Twenty fellow Gumballers of all flavors pulling over to make sure they were ok. Lighting up the network to get them back into the game. Five hours. Gifted Pirelli PZero 305/30 ZR20 and 245/30 ZR20 tires; rarer than hen's teeth from an R8 backup van owned by the Pornhub.com founders. Tires unavailable in Croatia. A friend in need is a friend indeed. A logistics expert in the UK finding tire changers. The RAC getting a flatbed. Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese and onions all in a sesame seed bun. And then speed. And more speed. An unadulterated break for the border to get to Dubrovnic in time for the fireworks at the "Game of Thrones" castle. So much speed in fact that when they slow down briefly from hyperspace there are furious txts, missed calls and smoke signals from the rental company; "SLOW THE F*&K DOWN". Apparently 170mph isn't cool. And the insurance company monitoring the tracking device on their car threaten to pull cover...
Plagued that day may have been. But had it been 1347 to 1350 when DQ arrived in Dubrovnik they could have really been in trouble. From a plague of a different flavor entirely. The Black Death, to be precise.
And they could have been subject to a "Trentino" 30-day isolation written into law to stop the spread of the plague. The idea of this isolation for plagues caught on. And over the next 80 years was adopted in Marseille, Venice, Pisa, Genoa and numerous other cities. Over time the period of isolation was extended. To 40 days, "Quaranta Giorni."
And so we are all now looking down the barrel of some Quarantine. Perhaps 40 days. Perhaps less, perhaps more. And definitely not due to a nasty bacterial infection like the Bubonic Plague, but rather a wily virus, COVID19.
So, as usual, pour yourself that drink, sit back down, and then peruse some Q+T at your leisure. Do remember to send to friends who may enjoy. And remind them that you do not need to be a fully initiated Gentleman Rogue to sign up.
Bottoms up!
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get science: isaac newton
Although not actually hit on the head by a revelatory apple under a tree in his parent's garden, the apple tree did play a role in changing the face of science. His assistant, John Conduitt, put it like this:
"… Whilst he was musing in a garden it came into his thought that the same power of gravity (which made an apple fall from the tree to the ground) was not limited to a certain distance from the earth but must extend much farther than was usually thought. ‘Why not as high as the Moon?’ said he to himself..”
By the time he had returned to Cambridge from his family home, the laws of Newtonian Physics, as we know them today, were born.
READ BIOGRAPHY
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goodies: get some
Shirt Club. A perfect time to join. Sign up now, and get an extra shirt on us. So 14 instead of 12. Order as you like, when you like, in lumps of 4 or more once we make your first sample.
Remember you can also always pay it forwards with a gift card that gets you a 10% bonus. Use at your leisure once the coronamist lifts. Perhaps some of our new handmade English shoes which take 8 weeks or so to make anyway, or a new bespoke suit based upon measurements we already have. Either way we'll honor it against everything from a tie to your spot on our Elephant Charge Team for 2020 / 21.
JOIN SHIRT CLUB
ORDER HANDMADE SHOES
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make love: keats
We'd like to agree with John Keats who remarked, “Much have I traveled in the realms of gold,” - the gilded pages of books. This, dear reader, is one of the reasons we recommend so many books for you to stick your nose into.
Keats was quarantined off Naples in 1820 during an outbreak of typhoid. Soon to die of consumption, aged 25. Rising from the ranks of the poor and the ordinary, and qualifying as a Surgeon, his dream was to be counted among the English poets of his time. Some might say he far exceeded his own expectations. To become one of the most celebrated poets of the English language of all time.
READ KEATS
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understand war: storm of steel
Being in quarantine may not be like being at war. But you often have to fight to survive both.
Ernst Jünger ran away from home in 1913 to join the French Foreign Legion and trained briefly in North Africa before returning to Germany and volunteering on August 1, 1914.
He arrived in France on December 27, 1914. Over the course of the war, he was wounded at least fourteen times, including being shot in the chest twice.
He survived. And was awarded the Iron Cross. And the Blue Max.
This is his story.
READ STORM OF STEEL
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study: a language... for burns night 2021
Learning any new language is always an admirable pursuit. Sometimes it can lead to laughs. And sometimes it can lead to tears. But this time around we can pretty much guarantee that using your quarantine wisely to swot up for Burns Night 2021 will have you in tears of laughter.
No if's, or head butts, just pick up a pint, Clansman style, and do it. And let it prepare you for your magnum opus "Willie Wastle" with us somewhere in a corona-free New York City around January 25, 2021.
WATCH "STILL GAME"
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cocktail: quarantini variation #1
THE D'ARTAGNAN SIDECAR
A classic Sidecar is a simple cocktail: three ingredients - cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice - shaken with ice and strained into a glass, ungarnished.
But just as we love to make our French 75's with Krug or Dom Perignon, we think that now that the end of the world is nigh we should throw caution to the wind and recommend making one with one of PMSpirits insane offerings of small, artisanal, Armagnac.
Perhaps Chateau de Leberon, 51 Year, Single Cask, Brut de Fut, which you can get from the chaps at MWC, or our very own 1966 Armagnac we bottled a few years back (ask us how to get it...)
INGREDIENTS
1 oz. Armagnac
1 oz. Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
Splash Lime Juice
DIRECTIONS
Sugar half the rim of a cocktail glass.
Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until chilled.
Strain into the glass.
Bottoms Up!
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