Happy New Year's 2007 from Liquor Snob

Another year has come and gone, and it's time to start Auld Lang Syne-ing and prepping for your party. It's time to reflect on this past year and think ahead to next year. Or, at the very least, it's time to get out your hollow Champagne leg and stock up on hangover remedies to help you weather tomorrow.

While you're idling away the time until you can start drinking with a clean conscience, we've found an interesting article that rounds up the 20 top trends in liquor, beer, and wine. From powdered alcohol to breast-enhancing beer, this is a great roundup of some of the major booze happenings in 2007, and possibly a glimpse of what you'll see in the future.

via TrendHunter

Santarchy Letdown #2

Another year, another missed opportunity for Santarchy. Why is it we always forget about it until it's too late to actually go to one? We suck at life when it comes to drunken, middle finger-wielding Santa Clauses. Luckily, Boing Boing picked up our slack this year.

Check out their Santarchy videos, part 1 and part 2. And merry f'ing Christmas!

Sippin On The Rocks Granite Cubes

There's something about drinking whiskey (and whisky for that matter) that really - pardon the expression - gets our rocks off. The taste, the smell, the experience...it adds up to greatness. We often like to drink ours on the rocks, but we've never heard of anything like this. They're pieces of Scottish granite designed to be chilled in your freezer and added to your drink without diluting it like ice.

Sippin' On the Rocks [via Luxist]

50 Drink Recipes for Every Situation

Life is full of little events. First day of school. Season finale of Two and a Half Men. Release from prison. And sometimes, it's hard to know exactly which cocktail to mix (or order) for each of those. Luckily, we've found a great blog post that rounds up 50 drink recipes for all sorts of these occasions, from first date to girl's night out.

at Bootstrapper

Holiday Rum Punch Recipe

When most people think 'punch,' they think 'fruit,' 'Hawaiian,' or '...and Judy.' Even if they think of an alcoholic punch, they probably think of another drink that's just been spiked. This doesn't have to be the case, though. In fact, punch can be a combination of festive, boozy, and tasty that can take your holiday party to the next level. We've found a great example of a delicious punch recipe over at Esquire, and we recommend you blow your friends away by making it for your holiday party.

Continue reading: "Holiday Rum Punch Recipe"

Manhattan Traveling Bar Set

Our favorite thing about the Manhattan Traveling Bar set is that you no longer have to spend your time, looking around for a party. No more evites, no more calling friends to see what they're doing. All you have to do is pack up your traveling bar set and damn party is wherever you say it is. Hot damn.

Contains: 2 Martini glasses,1 Shaker,1 Jigger,1 Tongs, 1 Strainer,2 Bottle Stoppers, 2 Napkins,1 Corkscrew,1 Fork/Spoon Stirrer,1 Premium Carrying Case, and room for two bottles.

Manhattan Traveling Bar Set

OOPS! Bottle Opener

This may be our favorite stocking stuffer idea of the holiday season.

It looks like someone spilled a bunch of red goop on your bottle opener, but NO! It IS the bottle opener, and a coaster too! What won't they think of next?

OOPS! Bottle Opener & Coaster - Red

The 12 Days of Scotchmas

Well, apparently they're finally here...the 12 Days of Scotchmas. If you're anything like us, we know what you're all thinking - you can't believe it was just Scotchgiving, and today's the last day of Scotchnukkah. Well, prepare for the big day itself with The Scotch Blog's 12 day gift guide countdown.

Day 1 - A lead on picking up a bottle the ever-elusive PC5 for the nice folks on your list
Day 2 - 2008 Scotch Blog T-Shirts

We'll do our best to keep this updated, but don't trust us...visit The Scotch Blog.

Absinthe Fountain

We think you'll agree, there's nothing that says the holidays like an absinthe fountain.

at Hammacher.com [via Uncrate]

Buy Your Friend a Drink

We've had plenty of head-slapping, "I should've thought of that" moments since we started writing for Liquor Snob, but this may be the biggest. We'll keep the suspense to a minimum and just lay it on you here - it's a service where you can buy your friends a drink a drink online. And just what is this stupendous service called you ask? Well, it's called Buy Your Friend a Drink (or as we like to call it, BYFaD).

Don't you see? This could be the greatest boon to gift givers since the invention of the Internet. Tell Rachael Ray she can shut up about her Dunkin' Donuts gift cards. You can give your friends the gift they really want - the gift of being loaded. Well, that's assuming they live near the participating bars in NYC or Boston, of course, but there are over 120 bars in the network and they're adding more all the time.

For more information check out what they had to say about the service at CNET's Crave, or head straight to the BYFaD site. And don't forget, Liquor Snob is located in Boston, so if you're having trouble thinking of what to get us...

Deep Drinks at Deep Ellum

We got a phone call last week from Harold Joyce from WyattZier. He said he had a few surprises he wanted to show us, and asked if we could meet up. The name might not mean anything to you, but this is the man who introduced us to Zygo, 44 North, and Compass Box (Eleuthera, Asyla, and Peat Monster), so we knew we were in for a treat. He said he knew of a really cool bar near us, and we agreed to meet, and that cool bar was almost his undoing. Continue reading: "Deep Drinks at Deep Ellum"

Imbibe! and the Story of "Professor" Jerry Thomas

A friend of ours sent us a link a while back to a New York Times story (subscription may be required) about Jerry Thomas, a bartender from the 1800s who was considered a god at his craft. So what did we do? We got busy and forgot all about it, of course. But as luck would have it we found another reference to the book and decided to cover it.

Thomas was the inventor of the Blue Blazer, the drink depicted in the picture to the right, and one that very few bartenders would have the stones to try (mostly because they'd probably get fired for it). The man also is credited with developing or inventing hundreds of other drinks, which was recently chronicled in the book Imbibe!, which includes anecdotes and cocktail recipes. But don't take our word for it...check out this write up from Publisher's Weekly:

cofounder of the Museum of the American Cocktail, Wondrich delivers a well-researched chronicle of Professor Jerry Thomas's life and times as late 19th-century bartender extraordinaire. From gold rush saloons in San Francisco to last calls in lower Manhattan, Thomas collected material for The Bartender's Guide, the seminal 1862 collection of cocktail recipes. Wondrich offers up 100 classic cocktails from Thomas's guide and other period sources, along with 16 new drinks that recall those golden days. Old-time tools, ingredients and measurements are conveniently converted to their contemporary equivalents, as julep strainers and toddy sticks are hard to come by. Fortunately, many of the concoctions transcend time in their simplicity. General Harrison's Egg Nogg, for example, calls for hard cider, sugar, an egg and some lumps of ice. For the newly minted offerings, Julie Reiner of New York's Flatiron Lounge conjures up a Cherry Smash that includes brandied cherries, cognac and Orange Curaçao, and Wondrich weighs in with a glass of rye, simple syrup and Angostura bitters, which he calls a Tombstone. The result is a lovely homage to Thomas's indomitable spirits.

Imbibe!

PS - We love the full title of this book, which is truly reminiscent of books from the 1800s but not conducive to a bloggers sense of keeping the post short. Screw it - the full name is Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to Professor Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar. Whew, that's long...we're going to shoot for something like that when we write our book.

Ice Kebab Swizzle Sticks

File this under "Why didn't we think of it?" Fred Ice Kebabs are extended ice cube trays with an extended slot for a swizzle stick. Fill 'em with water, put in the stick, and freeze 'em, and then you can pull out the sticks with the ice right on them. This is a very cool way to make your cocktails a bit more distinctive, and one of the only ways we can think of that you'll be able to make the ice a conversation starter.

Fred Ice Kebobs

Manik Tequila Blanco Review

Manik Blanco Tequila
Imported from Mexico
80 Proof (40% ABV)
The Company Line:

Clear and pure as the Artic Winds, has smooth and distinct softness, resulting in this icon of perfection. This premium creation is a favorite of connoisseurs of ancient traditions; a true masterpiece of sublime flavor and majestic notes.

Website
Available at Internet Wines & Spirits

Our Thoughts: When we first got our bottle (not the bottle pictured above; we just haven't had a chance to snap a shot), we were impressed with the packaging and the lack of a paper label. It was replaced instead with a stamped metal piece glued to the bottle, giving it a distinctive look.

The nose was fairly mellow and unaggressive for an unaged tequila, and we could already sense the pepperiness that was to come with our first taste. We tend to like silver tequilas because they haven't picked up the flavor of whatever they're aged in, and have a snappiness to them that can disappear during aging; Manik was no exception.

The flavor was spicy and almost reminiscent of black pepper, and while we wouldn't shoot it we enjoyed it on the rocks. The peppery taste also made for some excellent Bloody Marias (bloody marys but with tequila instead of vodka). The mouth feel was a bit thin, but the tequila had a nice long finish that kept us coming back for more.

The Verdict: We'd pick up a bottle of Manik if we were out in the liquor store looking for something a bit different, and we liked using it in more savory drinks rather than your typical sweet margarita. It made tasty margaritas as well, and with a silver tequila this tasty we'd love to try some of this company's more aged products. Recommended if you like your drinks with some south of the border heat.

40 Cozy for Malt Liquor is a Doozy

When we got out of college, we had a friend who had a dream. That dream was to create a beer cozy, or what we called a "coozie," that was big enough to hold a 40oz beer, and he wanted to call it a "Doozy." Looks like someone beat him to that dream, if 40Cozy.com is any evidence. They make beer cozies in multiple sizes and patterns, to keep your 40 ouncer from being the temperature of bathwater when you finish it. We still think our name is better, though.

Not that we ever needed that...ask our Editor in Chief about the time he drank two forties during a single episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. We don't recommend that rate of speed, however, unless you want to redecorate the bathroom with the contents of your stomach.

40Cozy.com

The Shot Caller for Power Hour (or Century Club)

One of our favorite memories has always been the family Power Hour on Christmas Eve, but as delightful as it is to down five shots of beer for each of the twelve days of Christmas, there was always a patina of frustration. How could there not be, with Grandma constantly getting up to go to the bathroom during the game (patently against the rules but we let it slide) and the stress of constantly having to time the minute between each shot? It all kind of took us out of the holiday spirit.

Now, thanks to the Shot Caller, our problems are no more. It's an automated system that lets you know each time you're supposed to drink, and can be set for 60 minutes (or 100 minutes if you're really feeling merry). It makes us jolly enough that we'll let Grandma slide on the bathroom breaks.

The Shot Caller

Liquor Snob Monthly Roundup: November 2007

Here's the thing...November should've been all about Thanksgiving. We should've been thinking only about chugging Wild Turkey and figuring out where to sleep off a tryptophan coma. But, just like every year, Christmas has started nudging its way into the land of the Pilgrims. Half the time we feel like Nightmare Before Christmas but Jack chose a different door.

However, in the spirit of the season, we chugged Wild Turkey and created our 2007 Gift Guide. So, everybody wins! Read on for the rest of the happenings from the land of Liquor Snob Turkey Day.

Continue reading: "Liquor Snob Monthly Roundup: November 2007"

Liquor Infused Fruit - Flambar Apricots in Grand Marnier

Flambar packs luscious whole Turkish apricots in Grand Marnier, the brandy-based French liqueur flavored with orange peel. The apricots shine through this clear, dark golden spirit as they sit in the glass globe topped with an elegant, dark wooden lid. The apricots absorb the liqueur to grow to nearly twice their original size - and that means twice as infused with liquor.

At Flambar Apricots in Grand Marnier

Private Bar Needs - Open All Night Neon Sign

This will go perfectly in just about any bar you'd choose to put it in - especially your own. Just plug it in, pull the string, and your open for business.

At Neon Open Sign

Belt Buckle Bottle Opener for the Endowed Holiday Gift Giver

Looking for an amazing gift in the belt buckle and bottle opener area? You may want to check out this opener/belt buckle that may get you in trouble with anyone you give it to. Part of the Felon Ladies collection, this belt buckle is made of hand-poured fine pewter, and there is a zippo style lighter included. Oh - and the part that might get you into a little trouble with your spouse? Juggs really do open bottles. Really they do.

At Felon Ladies Love Outlaws Lighter Belt Buckle with Bottle Opener Juggs

Rock Band Video Game for Aspiring Aspirators

Drinking too much is the legacy of many great rock stars, and now you can practice your rocking, boozing, and perching a cigarette in the neck of your guitar with the new Rock Star video game. Plus, no longer is video game rocking solely the purview of the guitar hero; now you can play a game with a drum kit and a microphone involved as well. Just remember - just because rock stars do it, it's not cool to aspirate on your own vomit (or someone else's like that drummer from Spinal Tap).

We showed you the game consoles for partying last week; now all you need to do is pick up this game, call up your band, and pretend your house is a hotel room you're trashing. Rock and roll!

Available for XBox 360, Playstation 2, Playstation 3