In the Bits & Bytes column of today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, way at the bottom, there’s a little item about my “sideline” as mixologist-for-hire.

This service is my experiment with the web service Ether, which is an intermediary between experts and people looking for advice, conducted via telephone. (Their tagline: “Sell what you say.”) I wanted to see how well it works, should I recommend it to clients, etc.

I first thought of providing website advice, but that didn’t seem unique or compelling enough to attract attention.

What topic would catch people’s eyes and minds? Cocktail recommendations on the fly! I really did take a course in mixology, after all. So the Happy Hour Hotline was born. And sure enough, it’s got a bit of buzz right away.

If you’re curious about the Happy Hour Hotline, find out more over at my personal blog, My Brilliant Mistakes.

And let me know what you think — is it a good idea? Would you consider calling an Ether-based service for any purpose? What services would best fit the service?

Cheers!