June 21, 2007
When you've got a small-block 400, a trailer, assorted parts and the ability to custom fabricate a 6-inch tall replica of a blender blade out of stainless steel, what do you do with your spare time?
Make the world's fastest margarita machine.
Ye Gods we love
Boing Boing.
June 19, 2007
Another week, another gang of boxes arrives at our door, all gurgling and full of that sweet nectar we call liquor. We've recently gotten our grubby hands on some liqueurs, vodkas, and that longtime favorite cachaca, all of which we're going to review ASAP. Some we've heard of, others we haven't - all will be tasted. Here are the vital statistics:
Xuxu Strawberry Liqueur - We're looking forward to giving this one a try as we've never had a strawberry liqueur before; we're just hoping we're able to figure out how to make the cocktails considering all the recipes use the metric system (what's a centiliter?)
Boca Loca Cachaca - We've done our share of cachaca reviews, and we're excited to add a new label to our repertoire. They bill themselves as ultra-premium stuff, so expect a very...thorough review.
Sonnema VodkaHerb - We've heard of vodkas infused with all sorts of things, including something called Bison Grass, but here's something new. Sonnema is described on the website as "pleasantly Dutch," and we don't know what that means but we're damned sure looking forward to finding out.
XO Vodka, X-Rated Vodka and Liqueur, and Zuidam Gin - We discussed these guys in our VodkaFest roundup; consider us still pumped to fully review them.
Full Disclosure Time: We completely stole the image above from Modern Drunkard. Thanks MD.
June 14, 2007
We've been on a few bar crawls in our time, and we have to say they can be damned fun if they're executed correctly. We just found out about the Great Boston Beer Marathon, which starts in the Fenway area and makes its way to the Allston/Brighton area, and it sounds like they're doing it right. If you're in the Boston area on June 23 and have some free time between noon and 2AM, we recommend you check out this event we can only assume will become a full-on tradition.
Just think - if you play your cards right you could end up just like the people who run that other Boston marathon - delerious and exhausted, with bloody nipples.
Go to the Beer Marathon site for more information; signup is availalble through June 18.
May 22, 2007
We know we've been a bit lax in our reviewing schedule lately - we've already got a backlog and more booze just keeps flowing in. We've put together a list of the new booze we've received in recent days - we'll tell those lazy interns to stop slacking off and keep up with their reviewing duties.
Zodiac Vodka - We covered this stuff a little while back and we've gotten our review bottle in along with 12 shot glasses marked with each sign of the zodiac...see the connection? Not a bad bit of marketing.
Reyka Vodka - Touted as Iceland's only vodka, we're looking forward to getting our tastebuds wrapped around this one, if only to see if it lives up to our initial expectation that it tastes like Iceland.
Whitley Neill Gin - We've heard some damn good things about this gin (check out the review at Tastings.com), so expect us to bump this London Dry to the top of the queue.
Torque Energy Drink - We got our Torque cans in a couple weeks ago and they had us pinging around the office like methed-up hummingbirds. Expect the review soon.
March 16, 2007
You might remember we told you about a tobacco-based liqueur called Perique a couple months ago, and we told you we'd try to find out if there was nicotine in the drink? Well, it turns out we failed in our mission to get the word directly from the horse's mouth on it, but through our skills of patient waiting, we've come across word that someone else has gotten confirmation.
There is no nicotine to be found in Perique.
As much of a bummer that is for all of you looking to beat your nicotine jones in another way, we still thought you should know. The fine folks over at SlashFood have gotten their hands on a bottle and proceeded to review it. We're jealous, but we're glad they were able to do so - and they did a good job of it too. See below.
Continue reading: "Perique Liqueur de Tabac Tasting Notes"
March 2, 2007
We're usually fans of getting our liquor in the biggest possible vessel, but Kevin over at The Scotch Blog has put together a convincing argument saying that just a little bit smaller might be better. What the hell are we talking about, you ask?
We're talking about the US regulation that says our liquor bottles have to be 750ml, which prevents some European companies that bottle in 700ml bottles from exporting to us. If we could have a smaller bottle, it seems, we could have more choices.
Check out Kevin's story at The Scotch Blog, but beware...there might be math involved.
PS - We know the bottle in the picture is a wine bottle instead of a liquor bottle. Sue us...it's the best we could find on short notice.
February 19, 2007
Move over, Ouzo...there's another liquor in town for when you want to get your Greek on. Wait, get your Greek on? That sounds a bit risque, or at least fraternity-related. What we're talking about is Metaxa, a brandy relative from the Greek Isles that we haven't tasted yet but is suddenly and most definitely on the docket.
Metaxa is a similar species to Grand Marnier, but not as dominated by one note. It smells lightly of vanilla, with hints of orange and dark spice, and tastes somewhere between sweet bourbon and brandy. You feel the heat and tingle from the alcohol on the tip of your tongue, but the spirit doesn't burn going down, a unique and dangerous quality.
With a description like that you can smack our butts and call us Aristotle. Check out a recipe for a drink called a Marmalade Sour that features this liquor after the jump.
Continue reading: "Metaxa es Su Taxa"
February 6, 2007
There's a perennial question that some people seem to have - how long is too long for that bottle of booze in your liquor cabinet? We say some people have that problem because most of our liquor bottles have a pretty short half life. But we can picture it, you open up the doors of ye olde liquor cabinet and find that dusty old bottle of Bailey's your grandma brought over for Christmas '86...can you still drink it?
Check out the massive list of expert assessments from the Chicago Tribune to get some interesting rules of thumb - including the fact that the Bailey's is fine if it's been refrigerated. Good to know.
We've distilled the article down to three main points:
1. Distilled spirits don't go bad; they fade.
Once the bottle is opened, the air inside starts to oxidize the alcohol, causing it to fade in taste and aroma. Heat and sunlight can cause the sugar in the alcohol to crystallize, changing its taste. So be sure to store those bottles in a cool, dry place.
2. Cream and fruit and herb liqueurs will spoil.
Liqueurs that have cream in them or are based on fruit or herbs are another matter. Although the alcohol content keeps the cream or fruit or herbs from spoiling quickly, the liqueur does have a limited shelf life once opened.
3. More air = less flavor
Once a bottle of liquor gets down to the quarter-bottle level, the alcohol starts to quickly evaporate the longer it is kept. So either finish it fast or chuck it.
Read the full article at
Topix.net
February 1, 2007
The folks over at Travelistic have sent us along a couple more Thirsty Traveler videos, and we're really digging them. Each is about 5-6 minutes long, and they're interesting and informative. In fact, it kind of makes us wish we weren't so sedentary with our drinking...maybe we should take these Old Fashioneds we're drinking and go for a jog or something. Well, maybe not.
Anyway, check out the nautical-themed drinking videos after the jump.
Continue reading: "More Thirsty Traveler Videos: Stout and Rum"
January 11, 2007
Paula's Texas Lemon
Limoncello Liqueur
60 Proof (30% ABV)
Typical Price: About $24 for 750ml
Website
Way back in the olden days of 2005, we reviewed a little something called Paula's Texas Orange (PTO). It was one of our favorite orange-flavored drinks of the entire year, and made for some seriously great margaritas and cosmos for the next little while around the office - until we ran out. A few months back, we found out about a new concoction from the very same Paula, and this one is called Paula's Texas Lemon (PTL).
It's modeled on Italian limoncellos, and it tries to do for lemons what PTO did for oranges. We don't know much about limoncello, but we know from lemons. Does that pucker on our face mean we liked it, or did we feel like we ended up with a lemon? Read on to find out.
Continue reading: "Paula's Texas Lemon Liqueur Review"
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