Meet Ben Bisbee.

For the first time in his life, he’s drinking. And he’s tracking his journey into booze at The Adventures of a 35 Year Old Alcohol Virgin.

1. Why did you wait 35 years to take your first drink?

It was this weird mix of worrying about being “out of control” from the alcohol and then just never drinking. I was already pretty mouthy, opinionated, funny, goofy. I didn’t feel like I needed to add fuel to that dynamic and others would probably agree back in the day.. So in the early days I avoided it. And then after some time, it just never came up and I never drank and then over time I was the guy that didn’t drink and didn’t care and didn’t want to, so… yeah, now I’m 35.

2. What prompted you to start now?

A few years back I was thinking about various drinks and I was intrigued, interested. But I kept thinking “So what, I just start drinking? Just like that? How weird would that be?” Doing this as an Adventure, a blog, it became more thoughtful, more focused and it allowed me to explore without worrying my friends and family would start planning an intervention. Plus, as a wannabe writer, it gave me a unique voice and platform that so many different people could connect to and (hopefully) be interested in and read. I picked a comical name, the Alcohol Virgin, lived in one the most perfect cities for this sort of adventure and started plotting all the drinks I needed, wanted, or knew I had to try. Everything just kinda fell nicely into place.

3. What has been your favorite drink so far?

Oh man, as girly as it sounds the amaretto sour. It was like warm liquid candy with a slight cherry burn. It was great. But there have been several drinks I’m excited to try again when this year is over like Magic Hat #9 and it’s complex flavors, another Old Fashioned and Woodchuck Cider. I could drink cider all day. I’m trying to stick to trying a drink and then moving on, never to repeat a drink until this year’s Adventure is over. So far it’s working, but the amaretto sour keeps taunting me in my dreams.

4. As someone new to the bar scene, what is the best place for happy hour after work?

I haven’t been to too many, or enough bars so far–that will change over time–but right now I’m loving the Blue Banana on Georgia Ave. They’re a fun little haunt with a great staff and owner, a modern but warm decor and they serve a mean amaretto sour. They are right off the Green/Yellow line at Petworth. I’m also a fan Iron Horse in Chinatown and I hear Dangerously Delicious Pie’s is serving beer now down on H St NE. Beer & pie? Even this virgin knows what’s good in the world.

5. You’ve been in DC for a little under 2 years. What is the most memorable thing you’ve done/seen since being here?

I drive a lot in the city and there are those rare moments when you’ll turn a corner onto a foreign street and you’re looking for the next street, feeling a bit lost and then you’ll look up. And there it is: the Capitol Building a few miles away or a glimpse of the Washington Monument. And seriously, I’ll get chills. It’s not memorable, but it’s awe inspiring and it’s a quick reminder of why living in DC is so amazing.

But, I do have a infamous story I like to tell about how I was walking down Penn. Ave behind the White House last summer after work and before crossing the walkway I stopped for a silver van with blacked out windows driving toward the private back gates. The van stopped briefly and I heard a dog barking inside. Say what you want, but I was 3 feet from Bo, the President’s dog. What other dog would be heading into the White House in the evening? Don’t ruin it for me if you know otherwise, it was my closest brush with District fame.