July 14, 2006
Some hot days there's nothing like a gin and tonic to relieve the summer swelter. But what if you did something crazy like infuse it with blueberries? We've never heard of it either, but doesn't that seem like it'd be EVEN MORE refreshing?
Hidden inside a story that could double for propaganda from the Canadian Blueberry Council, we found the following infusion recipe:
Place 1 cup (250 mL) blueberries in a large glass bottle. Add 6 tablespoons (90 mL) sugar and one 750 mL bottle gin. Shake well and set aside for at least two weeks, or up to two months. Shake the bottle from time to time and watch the luxurious blue colour develop. When ready, serve straight in small liqueur glasses. Or place a shot of the blue gin in a blender with 1/2 cup (125 mL) crushed ice. Blend, then pour into tall glasses with a sprig of mint and tonic water to taste.
via Canada.com's
Montreal Gazette
July 7, 2006
We're testing out a new feature starting today - cocktail recipes every Friday. Because at the end of the day on Friday, there's nothing you need more than a nice, stiff drink.
Vanilla Sunrise
Ingredients:
2 oz Skyy Vanilla Vodka
2 oz Orange Juice
Splash of Grenadine
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
From
Cocktail Times
July 6, 2006
Have you been lying awake nights, obsessing over just what is the correct proportion of gin to tonic in your cocktails? Don't worry, we have too. Luckily, we've just found an article from the Canton, OH Repository (our only real source for liquor advice) outlining an experiment performed by 200 mixologists on behalf of Miller's gin.
It's all very scientifical (percentages and everything!) so it should lay the problem to rest, shouldn't it? If only all of life's crises could be handled by getting hundreds of bartenders into the same room.
Continue reading: "The Perfect Gin to Tonic Ratio?"
June 28, 2006
Mezcal Blanco
Imported from Oaxaca, Mexico
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: Around $35 for 750ml - Buy it at Internet Wines & Spirits
Website: ScorpionMezcal.com
We've been excited about Scorpion Mezcal since the first time we heard about it, way back in January. We finally got our hands on it, and we weren't going to mess up the review - we put on our sombreros, mixed up some sangrita and sat down with the bottle.
In fact, we were so intent on doing a good review, we turned to outside help to make sure we examined the issue from all sides. We called in Intern Nicole, a well-known tequila enthusiast (and by enthusiast, we mean she's known to get into the tequila and start offering to buy rounds for everyone in the bar, from the band to the bouncer. Now that's an enthusiast!). She, along with interns Conor and Kathleen, settled down with us to pull our way through the bottle and see what we thought. Of course, the big question is "did we eat the scorpion?" Read on to find out.
Continue reading: "Scorpion Silver Mezcal Review"
June 21, 2006
Guess what, it's the first day of summer! Know what that means? All sorts of tasty cocktails, drunk outside on our porch instead of huddled around our computers like we do all winter, relying on the glow of our monitors for warmth.
We've stolen...errr, found...an interesting recipe for a drink called the Cuke from the New York Times. As an added bonus, it features our favorite gin on the planet - Hendrick's.
The Cuke
Time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes' chilling
6 limes, rinsed
1 cup packed mint leaves, no stems, plus 6 sprigs for garnish
3 unwaxed cucumbers
½ cup sugar
2 cups vodka or gin, preferably Hendrick's gin
Sparkling water.
1. Thinly slice 3 limes and place in a pitcher. Juice the rest and add juice to pitcher. Add mint leaves. Slice 2 cucumbers and add, then add sugar. Muddle ingredients. Add vodka or gin. Place in refrigerator to steep 30 minutes or longer.
2. Peel remaining cucumber and cut lengthwise into 6 spears.
3. Fill 6 highball or other large glasses with ice. Strain mixture from pitcher into each. Top with a splash of sparkling water, garnish each glass with a sprig of mint and a cucumber spear, and serve.
Yield: 6 servings.
Right, six servings...or one, if you play your cards right.
June 15, 2006
A few weeks ago, we issued a physical challenge to our readers, to get Girl Drink Drunk. We certainly did, and we had a great time drinking flirtinis with those Hell's Angels we met. We also got some reader suggestions about other ways to punish yourself whilst imbibing. Our favorite is Opposite Day, which you may think involves imbibing drinks you might not otherwise consume. You'd be wrong - we've already covered that.
Opposite Day involves reversing the proportions in the drinks you DO consume. You usually drink gin and tonics? Tonight, you drink tonic and gin - a shot of tonic, fill the glass the rest of the way with gin, add a lime. Thinking about Jager Bombs? Today, you're dropping shot glasses of Red Bull into pints of Jager. You usually drink beer? Well - you're not really playing then, are you? Make yourself a screwdriver - easy on the OJ.
Now, we know what some of you are saying...this sounds irresponsible. You're damned right. Of course, we're all grownups, so there's no way we're going to take the heat for your stupidity. Thanks for the idea, Chad - anyone else have good Opposite Day recipes?
May 30, 2006
Generally, it takes more than a cool shot glass or highball to make us sit up and take notice. In fact, we're much more interested in the contents of the vessel than the vessel itself, and nine time out of ten you can serve our drinks out of a chipped coffee mug or old tennis shoe if it's going to get us where we're going. But sometimes we come across some barware that really catches our eye, and the glasses over at Cocktail Vibe have done just that.
Not only does the site carry striking barware from cocktail glasses to highballs to shooters, it also accompanies each with a recommended drink recipe for when it's "down the hatch" time. From the "Bond. James Bond" that accompanies the Conical Martini glass to the Bronze Twilight you'll find with the Portofino Goblet, this is an idea we could learn to stand behind. Don't just sell us the glass...tell us how to fill it up!
We'd show you more, but they really don't make it easy to link to their individual product lines, so you'll have to check out all the different glassware varieties, from Martini Vibes to Bubbly Vibes to Shot Vibes, for yourself at Cocktail Vibe. Oh, and if you're wondering about the test tubey shot glasses pictured above, they're called the Laboratoria Shot Set...you'll have to do your own experiments to find them.
May 19, 2006
We were watching TVLand the other day and stumbled across a rerun of Double Dare. Remember that show? When we got to the physical challenge segment, we started reminiscing about the physical challenges we used to perpetrate on each other when we were in college. Some examples, you ask? There were quite a few, most of which involved climbing up on a roof somewhere.
A particular favorite was to wait for the hottest day of the summer, go for a drive, turn on the heat and roll up all the windows. Then somebody starts smoking a cigarette, and whoever rolls down a window first loses. We never said the physical challenges were actually fun.
Anyway, we started thinking about physical challenges we could inflict on our readers, and the first thing we thought of? Getting Girl Drink Drunk. Of course, when we say "girl drink," we're not being sexist. We're just talking about those goopy, oft-pink-colored drinks with a high sugar content, usually served with a tiny umbrella to ladies and . Not our typical straight Whiskey and Beer fare. So what's the challenge?
Continue reading: "Physical Challenge - Girl Drink Drunk"
May 5, 2006
As you know, we like any day where we don't have to make excuses to drink...err...find reasons to imbibe a cocktail or three. That's why we like big celebratory holidays where everyone else is sauced up too, and no one will notice that we're reeking of booze and pulling to the left when we try to walk.
To that end, welcome to Cinco de Mayo! Apparently it's a celebration of Mexico's victory in some battle against the French (is that something to brag about? Our interns could beat the French), but has turned into a reason to drink mas cerveza now that our fellow whiteys have discovered it.
Or, if you're not in a Corona kind of mood, maybe today is a day for tequila or some other agave-based liquor. See below for five great spots for tequila-based recipes so you can fritter away your day sipping margaritas. That's what we're going to do. Of course, that's what we do every Friday. And Thursday. And most Wednesdays...
If you're curious about what to buy, we've done a few
tequila reviews to get you started, and don't forget about Mezcal, our other good friend from South of the Border. Our only word of advice - stay away from the worm. It'll seem like a great idea to eat it after a couple drinks, but any time we've tangled with it has only ended in heartache. Trust us...you'd be better off
putting a scorpion in your mouth.
May 3, 2006
We love watching science march along, making lives better for everyone. For example, a few months ago we covered a story about some dedicated scientists attempting to maximize the booze in their Jello shots. Not only did they expand our knowledge of the viscosity of booze and gelatin, they also led us to a discovery of our own - the pudding shot.
We didn't know if they were going to be able to top that experiment - but they have once again pushed the boundaries usually acknowledged by boozers and mixologists alike. So get out your flame retardant pants and your asbestos shot glass, and check out what those mad scientists are up to now.
We were overwhelmed with feedback to our original Jell-O shots experiment raising dozens of unanswered questions and new areas of research. Such as: What happens when you add unflavored gelatin to regular Jell-O shots? How much grain alcohol can you put in a Jell-O shot? And perhaps most importantly, What happens when you light a Jell-O shot on fire? We went back to the fridge, and in our next round of Jell-O experiments, found the answers to these questions, and many more that no one thought to ask.
From
Lighting a Jell-O Shot on Fire at MyScienceProject.org.
Blueberry Gin Infusion Recipe
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