Writer of the post here, really appreciate this! When I was really little I did say I wanted to be a food critic when I grew up...

I also found this to be a fun read! Was intending to skim but ended up reading the whole thing. The level of care shines through - nice work.

Hi! I wondered why the Gin Basil Smash is in the column with rare, specialized ingredients? Sounds pretty basic to me, especially compared with the other cocktails in the list.

Purely because basil, in my experience, in the US, is not commonly stocked at bars (this might change as the gin basil smash grows in popularity). I had to go out of my way to find a bar with a gin basil smash on its menu, because the few I tried didn't have basil on hand.

I drank the whole list too, but back when it was a lot easier due to having less cocktails on it, as you note in your post. Sent you an email!

He wouldn't be the first to go from software to alcoholic beverages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Pietrek

Arguably, jwz counts as well.

After 20 years you really want to be a goat farmer or a food critic/writer whatever.

And some happy folks figure this earlier.

I spend all of my free time woodworking; thankfully it only took me 10 years to find the power of hobbies.