Trent Allen is a founding member of Athens rock band Dreams So Real, whose four albums and years on the road took them from the 40 Watt to stages across the U.S. and Europe. He is a UGA graduate and lifelong Georgia fan who is obsessed with making cocktails and sharing his knowledge with likeminded friends and fans. Connect with him on Instagram @tluvva
On the Setlist: The Trinity Old-Fashioned
A little seasoning gives this bourbon classic more depth, balance and character.
Dreams So Real made its public debut at the old 40 Watt Club “Uptown” on Broad Street on February 23, 1984, opening for local band Oh OK. The band featured Michael Stipe’s sister Lynda and a young guitarist recently arrived from Nebraska named Matthew Sweet, years before his breakthrough solo hit “Girlfriend.”
We played the eight songs we had worked up, but the crowd was great and we got called back for an encore. Trouble was, we didn’t know any more songs. So we played the first one again.
Over the next several months, we built a following playing shows in Athens and Atlanta. That fall, we landed a gig at Austin’s Continental Club and booked shows in Baton Rouge and Birmingham on the way home. The final date was back in Athens the night we returned.
For the next several days, life was getting to the next town, loading in, playing the show and doing it again the next day. We were young, we had a van full of equipment and for the first time we were actually out on the road. This was pretty much the adventure we had signed up for.
By the time we made it back to Athens, we were transformed—or at least convinced we were. After only a handful of dates, we’d become young road warriors of singular purpose. The calluses on our fingers were real. The gravel in our voices was earned. In truth, we were still greenhorns, but we came home like returning conquerors, survivors of the wild. Beasts.
We rolled into town and learned we had two shows that day: a forgotten afternoon benefit at Spanky’s before our headlining gig at the 40 Watt. We were coming in hot, ready to show the world what we had become. Or at least Athens.
But first we had to play Spanky’s. Two shows in one day? We’re supposed to waste our triumphant return on an afternoon benefit? We rebelled. Our manager reminded us we’d made the commitment, so we grudgingly played. Suddenly, playing shows had gone from something we wanted to do to something we had to do. We were officially a working band.
By the time we took the 40 Watt stage that night, our attitudes were louder than Barry’s guitar amp. We played with confidence and intensity—probably too much of both—and the audience responded.
We may not have been the veterans we thought we were. We were still raw, but more seasoned than when we left.
The Dawgs came home Saturday with a convincing win over Arkansas. One trip on the road won’t turn a young team into veterans, but maybe they came home a little more seasoned than when they left. They’ll need it. Oklahoma comes to Athens this week, and we’re about to find out how much.
Turns out, good cocktails get better with a little seasoning too.
Bitters are the seasoning of cocktails. A few dashes add depth, pull the other ingredients together, give a drink more character and just make things better.
Angostura is the standard and always solid, but bitters now come in every imaginable flavor. One of my favorite alternatives is Bittercube Trinity, a blend of Orange, Cherry Bark Vanilla and Bolivar bitters. Swap the Angostura for a few dashes of Trinity and suddenly your Old-Fashioned tastes new and different.
I’m pretty hard-line about my Old-Fashioned: it’s not made with muddled orange and cherry. I prefer a Demerara sugar cube crushed with the bitters, although a rich 2:1 Demerara syrup works too. I build mine over “service station” ice, but if you prefer you can stir it and pour it over one large cube to halt dilution.
The Trinity Old-Fashioned
· 1 Demerara sugar cube
· 2 dashes Trinity bitters
· 2 ounces bourbon
· 1 orange peel
Place the sugar cube in a rocks glass and moisten with the bitters. Crush it, add bourbon and ice, then stir until chilled and diluted. Express the orange peel over the drink and rest it on the ice for aroma.
Dreams So Real came home from the road still raw, but more seasoned. A few dashes of Trinity do something similar for bourbon. This week, we’ll find out whether Arkansas did the same for Georgia.
