No doubt, many of you beautiful bastards heeded my advice for Valentine’s Day, and delighted your significant others with tasty libations and interesting distractions from the daily grind and humdrum beat of existence.

Even if they weren’t significant, I’m glad you made a new friend, study-buddy or “canoodling-companion.” No shame in that. Any way you slice it, you’re socializing and making new friends. After all, you had Mardi Gras on Tuesday, Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, and today is National Gumdrop Day. You had a busy week, so be proud of all the cardio you’re getting walking to and from the bars and your new friends’ dorms.

It’s always great to find a good drinking buddy; someone you can chum around and talk about booze with, who also sends you great puns about cheese. Make friends, drink with them, talk about cheese. That’s really all life is.

This is what went on at a delightful little place called Tapped – Taphouse & Kitchen. Tapped will require you to leave the state and travel directly east to Moscow. This place features a rotating tap of 25 beers, all of which are of the local and craft variety.

Don’t like beer? Try a cider. They usually have two of those for the less-hops-ish of you. Don’t like bubbles? They have a tap of 10 wines, all varieties and all very moderately priced. Don’t like wine, beer or cider? Then just stay home; we probably can’t be friends, although I’m sure you’re very nice.

While it’s not so much a party bar as much as a pub and grub, it’s the perfect place to grab really good food and drink for a while. While the hipster pretentiousness of drinking craft beer does have its negative connotations, Tapped provides you with options, even though you may not recognize some drinks on the menu.

Personally, I would recommend the ham and cheese sandwich, because this is the only place since I’ve moved to the Pacific Northwest that puts anything apple related on the sandwich itself, the way it should be. Pair it with a pint of Dam Hard Cider, and you got yourself a recipe to hang out for at least two hours.

Now then, let’s shift to something more homegrown. I recently had a chance to craft a new cocktail that turned out pretty great. It’s called the Bushwick Spice Trade, a gin-based drink that I always aspired to get right. The secret to this miraculous drink is pink peppercorns, which I didn’t know existed until I ventured into the realm of booze.

Muddle a teaspoon of pink peppercorns, which are actually quite sweet and spicy, with some good demerara sugar, a shot of lemon juice, some ginger and about three or four leaves of fresh basil, until the sugar is dissolved. Add four shots of gin (you heard me) and shake like a maniac. It makes two drinks, so share with a friend. Or, if you’re feeling randy, make a double for yourself. It’s sweet, spicy, refreshing and delicious. Plus it has basil, so it’s healthy. That’s the rule.

Until next time, be safe, my friends, and bottoms up.