We have to admit, we haven't exactly been pining for two more flavored vodkas, but we are interested in these two. 360 Vodka, which we were familiar with as an eco-friendly spirit, has just released two new varieties - 360 Cola and 360 Double Chocolate. According to the 360 Website:
The 360 Flavors are sure to take your taste buds on a wild ride. Relive the first time you ever experienced the spicy zip of cola. Enjoy the smooth, sweet taste of premium chocolate in your new favorite mixed cocktail. One thing's for sure, you've never tasted a vodka like this before.
We're fans of vodka and Coke when we've got a sweet tooth, and - we're sure you've already thought of this - who wouldn't want to put chocolate vodka on their Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch? 360 Vodka retails for $19.99 a bottle, so you'll be able to stock up for just such experimentation.
Last week, we posted about Seagram's 7 Dark Honey, positing it was Seagram's' attempt to hit the same "I don't like whiskey" market that Beam seems to be targeting with Red Stag.The folks at Seagram's were kind enough to send us a bottle of the stuff for us to try it out ourselves, and based on our initial tasting, we have to say we weren't too far off the mark. We're trying to get better about turnaround time on reviewing the products we receive, so we'll post our initial thoughts here and hopefully be able to come back with some thoughts on how to mix it.
The bottle itself is interesting, a boxy affair with subtle honeycomb graphics climbing the outside. When we smelled it, we got a mixture of wheat and sweet, more on the sweet side, like the smell of the milk in your bowl after your morning Honeycombs cereal. There were other smells in there too - obviously the tang of alcohol, accompanied by molasses and a hint of cinnamon.
The cinnamon flavor carried into the taste as well, with a nice balance of cinnamon and the namesake honey, and a long sweet finish. We didn't taste much by way of whiskey flavor hidden in the honey, but the overall taste was pleasant enough that we kept sipping, which seems a good sign.
Overall, we think it would add a nice sweetness to drinks that would otherwise overpower whiskey novices (we're thinking the Liquor Wife would enjoy a Manhattan using half Dark Honey and half whiskey - sacrilege to cocktail nerds we're sure), and it confirms our original thought that this could be a "training wheels" whiskey for novices and the less adventurous. Plus, at $15-$20 per bottle, you don't have to break the bank to do it, which is also pretty sweet.
There's a new series of videos made by Bacardi, where a man is on a hunt for the greatest bartender on the planet. This particular bartender (side note: never call female bartenders "bartendress" - we have a friend who learned that the hard way after being ejected from a Boston bar) is called "The Hummingbird" because of her speed and grace while she attends to her nectar. We have to admit, we wish we could watch her flitting around outside our window while we drink our coffee.
If you like this vid, which we got from Mixology.eu, check out the other one, called The Samurai.
Are we dating ourselves with a Joan Jett & the Blackhearts reference? Maybe. But we couldn't avoid it, because it was the first thing that popped into our heads when we read the press release from Heaven Hill announcing the launch of Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum. Here's what they have to say about it:
Blackheart Rum is named for the sultry seductress of the high seas. Blackheart is bold and bawdy, cunning and cutthroat, sexy and seductive and left a trail of broken hearts wherever she traveled - that is how she came to be known as Blackheart. This is her rum.
Blackheart Rum weighs in at a high-test 93 proof, and it sounds like you would like it if you enjoy that certain other rum named after a certain Captain (or a certain Sailor). We don't know much about the history of minxy pirates, but consensus around the office is that we'd rather put a Blackheart in our mouths than a Morgan or a Jerry. More at BlackheartRum.com [link not working at press time, but we're sure they'll get it fixed]
Welcome to 2010, dear readers, and we have to say - we started this year like we've started many others. Souls crushed and barely able to get out of bed, bleary-eyed and headachey, we limped into 2010 like we did pretty much other year in this decade. The only difference was we were feeling the effects of an evil monster cold that tore its way through the Liquor Snob offices. It was like we had hangovers without the benefit of getting drunk first...not recommended.
We hope you didn't have such an unauspicious start to the year, but whether you did or didn't, check out the stories we covered in January below.
Wow, we're way behind on posting this, and we're guessing a lot of you have already seen this (and their "this is a joke, don't binge drink" disclaimer) over at Huffington Post, but hey...better late than never. Kind of like universal health care, we suppose. Anyway, let's get Obama-ed!
Event
Instructions
Obama says "let me be clear"
Do one shot
Obama says "change isn't easy"
Do one shot
Obama says "make no mistake"
Do one shot
Obama says "Let me be clear, change isn't easy, make no mistake."
He's screwing with you to get you drunk, so five shots
Joe Wilson yells something
Do two shots
Obama yells back
Finish the bottle
Obama says "jobs"
Do one shot, two if you're unemployed
Obama says "health care"
Do not drink, you will not be given a replacement liver
We just heard about a new product from Seagrams 7 that sounds right up our alley, and we're looking forward to getting our hands on a bottle. It's called Dark Honey, and like the Seagram's 7 product you're used to, it's a blend of a variety of whiskeys; the difference comes when they add (you guessed it) honey into the mix.
At 70 proof, or a little lower test than most whiskeys on the shelves, and with that touch of sweetness, we can only imagine they're going after that same demographic Beam's Red Stag started after last year. We're thinking the target market is folks who want something a bit more flavorful, a little less frightening, without turning to a liqueur. If things go well, it's quite possible this could be another "training wheels" whiskey - a gateway spirit that opens the doors to more traditional whiskeys.
We'll let you know when we get a bottle and get our review up ASAP; for more info head over to TheBar.com.
Calling all arty absinthe lovers for a contest that should be right up your alley. Pernod is currently running a "Creator of" art contest with all kinds of great prizes, including a grand prize of $1,805 (1805 was when Pernod was first made) and some cool promotional opportunities. What exactly do you have to do? As it says in the image above, use the number 1805 in an original work of art (the categories include painting, illustration, photography, video, and digital/animation), which you submit to Pernod.
Seems simple enough to us. The only catch? You only have about a week to do it - submissions close on January 31. So crank down some absinthe and let out your inner van Gogh, or whatever other crazy artist suits your fancy. So get crackin' and submit your piece to Pernod - and don't forget the little guys (ahem) when you're big on the art scene. Details and enter at Pernod's Facebook page.
We don't know much about Asian beers here at Liquor Snob, other than the fact we usually get Sapporo when we're having Japanese, Singha with our Pad Thai, and Tsingtao with our local Chines buffet. We got in two bottles of Tsingtao today (one of their Lager, and the other of their Pure Draft), something to do with the fact that Chinese New Year is coming up. We don't usually celebrate this holiday, but one thing in the press release caught our eye - Tsingtao is working with Martin Yan from Yan Can Cook to create recipes with their beer.
We used to watch Yan Can Cook daily when we were younger, and we figured if they could get an endorsement from someone of his stature, we should give their beer a try post haste. We sampled both bottles this afternoon and formed some thoughts - one thing that you should know is both beers come in green bottles, so if you don't like the distinctive "green bottle" taste, these are probably not your thing.
Tsingtao Pure Draft: The more flavorful of the two beers, this one reminded us of our beloved Molson Golden, light and hoppy, with that distinctive green bottle bite.
Tsingtao Lager: The lager was reminiscent of a light beer to us, and if we had to equate it to a domestic we'd have to say Rolling Rock. Definitely very drinkable, especially with the big flavors of most Chinese food, and it felt like we could put a few away without feeling too full.
Like we said, we don't drink a ton of Asian beers, but we'd drink motor oil if Martin Yan told us to. You know why? Because if Yan can't, then neither can we. More about their partnership with him, along with recipes, at the Tsingtao Website.
A while back we told you about our dream of creating a prune-based laxative cocktail and calling it the "Pootini." We haven't done that yet, but we've found a cocktail that recalls the Master Cleanse, a two-week juice fast we tried once on a dare. We spent the entire time drinking cayenne lemonade, wondering why we weren't hungry, and looking into the toilet saying "I don't recall eating that."
This detox cocktail is the best of all worlds - similar ingredients to the Master Cleanse lemonade, without the commitment, and you can get a buzz out of it. Sounds like we know what we're doing this weekend.
The Detox
3 oz vodka (I used Martin Ryan)
2 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz honey-rosemary syrup (see recipe near bottom of this post)
dash cayenne pepper
For the rim: cayenne, puebla chile powder, and date sugar (recipe below)
Glass: cocktail glass
Tools: shaker, strainer
Rub a lemon slice along the outer rim of the cocktail glass and dip it in the chile and date sugar mixture. Pour the other ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until well chilled. Strain, enjoy, and repeat until your system is fully cleansed.
To make the rim mixture simply blend together 3-4 tbsp date sugar (found at most health food stores) with 1 tsp puebla chile powder and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. If you're spice averse you can exclude the cayenne pepper on the rim, since there'll already be a dash of it in the cocktail.
We wish we could be linking to Rumdood under better circumstances, we really do, because he knows a ton about his namesake. We're linking to him now because he has put together some really nice resources for readers who want to help Haitians in the aftermath of the earthquake, but who aren't sure how. We've already donated our $10 to the Red Cross by texting "HAITI" to 90999 - he had some other great ideas too.
There's not much we can say right now so we're planning to put our money where our mouths are.
We've known for a while that Jim Meehan of NYC's Please Don't Tell was a class act, but we love the fact he got a chance to do it on national TV. Here's what we learned in this video:
Don't be afraid to give people what they want, even if you're sure of what they "should" drink, or if you have cocktails you want to mix for them.
Batching cocktails is awesome.
Jimmy Fallon can actually make us laugh.
The Roots like tequila.
That is all information we can use in our lives. Thanks Jimmy Fallon's show we never watch! And thanks to Mr. Dietsch for the link.
We don't play much Beirut or Beer Pong anymore, but we remember one problem we consistently ran into when we did - the goddamned rule variants. Sometimes someone cries foul about this or that, saying "you're not allowed to move your feet when you throw," or "in Nebraska you're not allowed to bend your elbows" or whatever, or sometimes there were arguments about what happens when you bounce it into the cup instead of just sinking it, etc. Usually this was taken care of by stopping the game and setting up house rules, but we just want to be able to shut up and play.
We've just received a card game called Buzz Shot that attempts to alleviate some of the confusion, add some spice for seasoned beer pongers, and even make the game more appealing for newcomers. We haven't played yet but it seems simple enough - you shuffle the deck, each player flips a card before they shoot, and they have to follow the rule on the card.
Maybe you need to step back and take a long shot, or maybe you have to bounce it, or maybe you have to hand over the ball to a third party to try to make your shot - you won't know until you flip your card. All in all it seems you end up playing Beer Pong Horse, and we like the consistency-slash-randomness the card deck would add to the game - hope that card laminate is beer-resistant.
Seems like a cool, simple idea - we'll let you know if we have any other thoughts as soon as we get a chance to play it. You can pick up a deck of your own for ten bucks (or two decks for $15) at Buzz-Shot.com.
We're not big ones for looking back at last year, mostly because that smacks of introversion, self-awareness, and work. Luckily, other people are a bit more prone to it, and Colleen from Cocktails.About.com has put together a nice roundup of her favorite new spirits that were released last year. We've tried two from the list (Square One Botanical and Red Stag) and we have to say we love those, so we're thinking we should track down the rest.
Check out all of Colleen's Best New Spirits of 2009, and please let us know if there are any other new spirits from last year we should know about in the comments.
4 Ways to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions This Year
Tis the season for temporary self-betterment, or in the parlance of our time...New Year's Resolutions. We know a lot of people who make them, but we don't know too many who actually stick to them. A lot of resolutions, at least in our circle of friends, have to do with drinking (mostly along the lines of "As God is my witness, alcohol will never pass these lips again" on New Year's Day...until they're at the bar for the hair of the dog).
We're a bit late with this (shocking we know) but we've put together a list of manageable ways to stick to your resolutions this year...assuming you've even made it this far. Check out our tips for turning over a new leaf without breaking a sweat below.
Don't Make Any Resolutions at All: This is our usual tactic. Why? Because we're damn near perfect as it is, and we don't want to make the gods angry.
Don't Be Afraid to Caveat: The addition of exceptions make your resolutions much more flexible and workable. "I'm going to stop drinking" makes you a stick in the mud. "I'm going to stop drinking...more than 18 beers...during the week...unless chicken wings are involved" makes you a paragon of flexibility.
Support Your Friends: Did your buddy make a resolution to go to the gym every day, and actually do it? Show up at his house with three pizzas and a beer ball to celebrate his willpower. When he politely refuses because he's trying to lose weight (or whatever), he'll still let you stay to eat your pizza and drink your beer while watching his giant flat screen television. If he doesn't, gently remind him that next year's resolution should be to "not be a dick."
Set Reasonable Expectations: It's really easy to quit something you don't do very often, or at all. Tell your friends you're going to stop trying to invade Australia when you play Risk. Or that you're going to stop cutting your toenails in their kitchen sink. Alternately, tell them you're going to stop buying them rounds and see how long they support that.
Have any other ideas for how to create and stick to your half-assed resolutions? Let us know in the comments below.
News and tips on all things alcoholic, including beer and wine, breathalyzers, cocktails and spirits; plus drink recipes, booze reviews and more. All the news that's fit to drink.
360 Vodka Releases Cola and Chocolate Flavors
We have to admit, we haven't exactly been pining for two more flavored vodkas, but we are interested in these two. 360 Vodka, which we were familiar with as an eco-friendly spirit, has just released two new varieties - 360 Cola and 360 Double Chocolate. According to the 
Welcome to 2010, dear readers, and we have to say - we started this year like we've started many others. Souls crushed and barely able to get out of bed, bleary-eyed and headachey, we limped into 2010 like we did pretty much other year in this decade. The only difference was we were feeling the effects of an evil monster cold that tore its way through the Liquor Snob offices. It was like we had hangovers without the benefit of getting drunk first...not recommended. 
Continue reading: 
Wow, we're way behind on posting this, and we're guessing a lot of you have already seen this (and their "this is a joke, don't binge drink" disclaimer) over at 
Calling all arty absinthe lovers for a contest that should be right up your alley. Pernod is currently running a "Creator of" art contest with all kinds of great prizes, including a grand prize of $1,805 (1805 was when Pernod was first made) and some cool promotional opportunities. What exactly do you have to do? As it says in the image above, use the number 1805 in an original work of art (the categories include painting, illustration, photography, video, and digital/animation), which you submit to Pernod. 
We don't know much about Asian beers here at Liquor Snob, other than the fact we usually get Sapporo when we're having Japanese, Singha with our Pad Thai, and Tsingtao with our local Chines buffet. We got in two bottles of Tsingtao today (one of their Lager, and the other of their Pure Draft), something to do with the fact that Chinese New Year is coming up. We don't usually celebrate this holiday, but one thing in the press release caught our eye - Tsingtao is working with Martin Yan from 
A while back we told you about our dream of creating a 
We wish we could be linking to 
We don't play much Beirut or Beer Pong anymore, but we remember one problem we consistently ran into when we did - the goddamned rule variants. Sometimes someone cries foul about this or that, saying "you're not allowed to move your feet when you throw," or "in Nebraska you're not allowed to bend your elbows" or whatever, or sometimes there were arguments about what happens when you bounce it into the cup instead of just sinking it, etc. Usually this was taken care of by stopping the game and setting up house rules, but we just want to be able to shut up and play.
We're not big ones for looking back at last year, mostly because that smacks of introversion, self-awareness, and work. Luckily, other people are a bit more prone to it, and Colleen from 
Tis the season for temporary self-betterment, or in the parlance of our time...New Year's Resolutions. We know a lot of people who make them, but we don't know too many who actually stick to them. A lot of resolutions, at least in our circle of friends, have to do with drinking (mostly along the lines of "As God is my witness, alcohol will never pass these lips again" on New Year's Day...until they're at the bar for the hair of the dog). 
Welcome
Mailing List
Subscribe - RSS
