About/Contact
Contact me: Have a comment, tip, or just want to get in touch? Email me at feedback–at–jacobgrier.com. I’m also available on Twitter and Facebook, though on the latter I only accept requests from people I know personally.
Who I am: When I was in college I spent all my time throwing frisbees and hanging out in coffee shops, believing that afterward I would happily move to Washington, DC and work in a think tank. After graduation I did come to DC but realized very quickly that I was happier in coffee shops. I dropped out of the policy world and spent several years in the espresso-obsessed barista subculture. Three years later I was once again working in a think tank. That lasted only a year before I said goodbye to all that, put my stuff in storage, loaded up my car, and drove west. Now I live in Portland, OR, working as a writer and bartender and getting to know a new part of the country.
If the key to having a successful weblog is focusing on a specific field of expertise, this site is doomed to failure. Liquidity Preference is unapologetically eclectic. A few of the topics I often discuss here are cocktails, coffee, the growing nanny state, libertarianism, economics, magic, useful internet tools, and weird sea creatures.
I launched the first version of the site in May of 2003, back before blogs became popular and before I even knew what a weblog was. At the time blogging seemed hopelessly narcissistic, so I came up with three editorial rules for the site. Blogging is a lot more common now, but I still think they hold up pretty well:
Guide to Good Blogging
Rule #1: Be meaningful.
Rule #2: If meaning is elusive, be amusing.
Rule #3: If meaning and amusement are both out of reach, be brief.
So check the blog every now and then, and I’ll aspire to be occasionally meaningful, more frequently amusing, and mercifully brief the rest of the time.
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Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, barista, mixologist, and magician in Portland, OR. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post, Reason Online, The Oregonian, and other publications.
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Jacob Grier: Check out Official Virginia Wine Lover web site: http://www.vawinelover.com . I am looking for guest pro bono writers for our monthly e-newsletter who we can use (for pay) for the magazine one it is published. Give me a call if you get the opportunity. Frank 434-385-0600
I came upon this blog after doing a google search for Deniset Klainguer and boy am I glad that I did. I am still doing the public policy thing myself but I do love my cocktails. This site is a great read.
Check out holyhangover.com love to know what you think!
Best,
Talan
Awesome site, Jacob. Big improvement from when I last saw it, and, it’s great that you added in advice to other bloggers
Also, good thing you wrote about how you became who you are. (Now I know more too ^.^)
By the way, visit the Gammans, make a different name to Pete, rather than him calling you the, iPhone guy. ^.^
Give Lynn, Ken, & Casey again my best,
~Hannah
I found your blog today and was delighted! I’m hoping with your rich experience you can point us to a source for spirits that are harder to obtain. Specifically, I’m looking for Maraschino liqueur but we’d also like to find other spirits, like Farigoule for example that you mention in your blog. We live in Seattle but come to Portland regularly, so if you can point us to a place that we can either visit or that you think will send to Washington we’d be most appreciative.
Hi, I found your blog today because I want to found some liquer in miniature bottle for my colection and I don’t know how i get here . I want to say that you have maybe the best blog I ever see BRAVA . I want to ask you if you know an web adress to learn some magic tricks or some bartending tricks
Mr. Grier,
Boston is planning to ban smoking–under threat of eviction–in all its public housing–it is already giving “mini-grants” (bribes?) with federal money to private landlords who enact such prohibition. Thus far the Boston Housing Authority has been having meetings with its “partners” to plan implementing the ban, but is doing so almost secretly–absolutely nothing on its website–and has rebuffed my efforts to find out about these meetings or who their “partners” are. HUD sent out a memo about a year ago suggesting all public housing authorities ban smoking.
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/07/27/bha_pushes_for_smoke_free_housing/
If this is a matter in which you have some interest, I’d love to correspond or talk.
Stephen Helfer
Cambridge, Mass. (617) 852-8121
Jacob,
In Holland the center right government has decided that some aspects of the Dutch smoking ban has gone too far and they are going to amend it to exempt owner-operated bars. A Victory for Sanity!
Also, in Galvaston, Texas the city government has lifted the ban on bars! Another victory.
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/small-pubs-welcome-lifting-dutch-smoking-ban
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2010/09/smoking_ban_galveston_1.php
Dear Jacob,
I am contacting you to offer out a miniature bottle of Louis XIII cognac for your review, to be posted on JacobGrier.com. Louis XIII has a new product launch party on June 15th and the review would need to be ready by that time.
This request is part of an interactive campaign they are calling a “Virtual World Tour”. The idea is to send out product to writers in different parts of the world and have reviews posted to showcase at the party. Not only does each writer get a free collectors addition bottle, but the piece voted on as the favorite will win a trip to France to see where the cognac is produced.
If you are interested in participating, please get back to me as soon as possible.
Thanks!
Kelly Fritz
Kelly@insidelux.com
Awesome blog! I will definitely be trying some of those cocktail recipes this summer. Nice meeting you at Burnside last week!
Cheers!
Rachael Bennett
as im sitting here at starbucks drinking my coffee outside patio area, theres smoking up a storm, the air is still and the smoke is giving me a headache, smoking laws are a joke. maybe if starbucks were serious, they would post , do not smoke signs, especially since its against the law to smoke where people eat and drink in calif. wayne
Hi Jacob,
First and foremost, consider this fan mail. I love the style and turn of phrase of your site, and I have been drooling over your blog and all its super terrific recommendations/recipes, etc. for some time now. Thanks for the crazy good content!
Anyway, I’m writing from barhappy.com – a new (free) site dedicated to finding happy hours, drink deals, and food specials in major cities across the US: http://barhappy.com/
We thought your readers might be interested in our site! I hope you’ll check it out and, if you like what you see, consider mentioning us in one of your posts or including us in your links, or even a twitter shout out. I’m not sure what your policy is on guest posting, but I’d be happy to contribute an article to your site.
Let me know what you think!
Best,
Alanna
http://barhappy.com/
http://twitter.com/barhappy
Jacob!!!
Was awesome to meet you. Big fan of yours. Can’t wait to talk more.
Cheers,
The Wench