Tommy Guns Vodka Review

Tommy Guns Vodka
80 Proof, Imported Polish Rye Vodka
Typical Price: About $25 for a frosted 750 ml bottle; about $50 for machine gun-shaped bottle - Buy it at Internet Wines & Spirits
Availability: Currently you can buy bottles all over Illinois, and in 13 other states; check with your local liquor store to learn where to find it. We had the best luck finding it in online liquor stores, and the Roaring20s.net site has an online store of its own on the way.

Initial Thoughts: There is something ineffably cool about Al Capone. Sure, he was a thug and a gangster, but he had a knack for giving people what they wanted, as long as they wanted booze...or a baseball bat to the back of the skull. Of course, we're basing that impression solely on DeNiro's representation of him in The Untouchables.

That same vibe of inscrutable coolness permeates Tommy Guns Vodka. When we tried it straight, it had a mellow nose that made us think of a cool breeze blowing down a Chicago street. On the tongue, it was as warm as hot jazz on a chilly night. Sure it's evocative of the '20s, but this is no bathtub affair...Tommy Guns vodka belongs on the top shelf.

Cocktail Recipes: While we liked this vodka on the rocks, it also made some great cocktails. In fact, it had the potential to be as dangerous as a real machine gun, because once you stirred it with the mixer, it was so smooth it was easy to forget there was booze in there. We preferred it in a simple vodka tonic, and it made a spectacular Bloody Mary.

The Roaring 20s site also recommends some other Tommy Guns drink recipes, which we haven't tried yet, but we're sure we will. Shake each with ice, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Here are some of our favorites:

The "Scarface" Al Capone Martini: 1.5oz Tommy Guns Vodka, .5oz Chilled Espresso, .5oz Remy Martin, .5oz Kahlua.

The "Godfather" Martini: 1.5oz Tommy Guns Vodka, .5oz Sambuca, Splash of Sweet Vermouth.

The "Untouchable" Hotshot: 1oz Tommy Guns Vodka, .25oz Lemoncello. Serve this shot with a wedge of lemon generously sprinkled with sugar; suck the lemon before doing the shot.

More Tommy Guns Martini Recipes (pdf)

Finishing Thoughts: All in all, we found Tommy Guns vodka to be much like its namesake - cool to the touch when you first pick it up, but smoky hot when it goes to work. This is one that's definitely worth getting your hands on, even if you don't spring for the machine gun-shaped novelty bottle. But like we told you before, that bottle is damned cool too.

Learn more at TommyGunsVodka.com.

Read More in: Cocktail Recipes | Reviews | Vodka

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Posted by Liquor Snob at October 18, 2005 8:16 AM | TrackBack

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