OK, first things first, we apologize for that headline - though we can't promise such punnery will never happen again. Rick from Martini Groove has thrown out a funny YouTube video put together for Absolut vodka by a group of comedians, and we had to give it a shout out. Why do we like it, you ask? First, it features Zak Galifianakis, who made our favorite Kanye West video of all time. Second, it's about booze. Two points, and an extra one for reminding us of what Special Blend did with Blenderz Crucial Sports Hut (also very funny, but in a completely different way).
The guys from Tim & Eric Awesome Show and Tom Goes to the Mayor and a bunch of stuff on SuperDeluxe.com got free reign to do whatever they want for Absolut, as long as they mentioned the product. I wish more companies would be this liberal with their brand because a lot of good stuff would come out of it. Also, a lot of bad stuff, which could be good too.
We can't believe we just wrote that headline. For one, we're not huge fans of snowclones. Well, actually, we didn't even know that's what they were called. For two, we discovered black vodka way before we discovered any of of the pink-ish ones on our radar (namely P.I.N.K. and X-Rated).
We did a little Blavod review a couple years ago and liked it - and apparently they continue cranking out their inky goodness. Here's what Rick over at Martini Lounge had to say about the rise of the dark spirit:
Most black vodkas are colored through some natural process, whether it be Blavod's black catechu (an extract from the Acacia shrub) or Fruko-Shulz's humines, a polymer that helps you get your RDA of polymers.
Now you're cool enough to make drinks like the Black Widow (Black vodka and Red Bull) and the Black & Blue (Blue Curacao with a Black Vodka float).
more at Martini Lounge; we think you should actually mix Blavod with a pink vodka to see if you can cause some kind of dimensional flux.
We're always on the lookout for a romantical (that's a word, right?) drink recipe to take the edge off Valentine's Day, and we've come across one that just might fit the bill. It was submitted to us by the folks who make Cirrus Vodka, a potato vodka we reviewed pretty darned favorably, and we like the drink they're recommending too. It's red, it's sweet, and it probably won't break your heart. What more can you ask?
Death's Door Spirits Gin and Vodka - Go Into the Light
Looking to see a little further with your natural spirits than the world around you? A small company out of Wisconsin - Death's Door Spirits can help you see further. This company has created two products, a vodka and gin. Death's Door Spirits prides itself in supporting local agriculture and sustainability. Death's Door Vodka uses only organic wheat grown on Washington Island in Door County, Wisconsin. And the juniper berries for the gin are picked wild on Washington Island. Death's Door Spirits actively participates and supports local farmers and agriculture. Death's Door is company worth noting in the growing field of sustainability. The website provides info on infusions, recipes, cooking with spirits, and locations of where to purchase the product. Enjoy!
There was a time when a company wouldn't dream of marketing a product to the ladies and give it a name like "X-Rated". That time is long gone, however, and we're lucky enough to have two products with that adult name now - both an unflavored vodka and a fruity liqueur.
The question on everyone's lips, however, is - do they live up to their racy name? Let's just say we enjoyed ourselves enough during the tasting to be just this side of, as Borat would say, a "romance explosion".
We don't remember the last time we read DETAILS magazine (link), but now we know they're dipping their toe in the booze pool we might just start again. The editors at said magazine have put together a list of their recommendations for six must-have vodkas, and we're intrigued since we haven't tried a couple of them.
One thing we do know is they included Tito's, one of our all-time favorites, so they must be doing something right. They've also included recommendations for what to eat with your vodka, including what appears to be a photoshopped picture of caviar on a potato chip. Far out. Click the image above to read the article, and you can pick up the September issue it's included in nationwide tomorrow, August 14 [subscribe].
We've said multiple times that infusions are the next step in the evolution of booze. Don't get us wrong - we like regular flavored liquors, but the idea of having the actual fruit that's affecting the flavor of our drinks gives us that warm, comforted feeling.
We've seen 267 Infusions in the liquor store multiple times, and we've often been just this side of intrigued enough to pick it up. The question of when we'd actually try it has just been answered, however, as a box containing four of their eight flavors (that's 50% of the line for you math wizzes) has just arrived on our doorstep. Expect a full review of the bottles we received (pineapple and mango rum, as well as lemon and cranberry vodka) ASAP.
It's time for us to review our second potato vodka in the last few weeks (the other being Zodiac) and we're excited for this one. Cold River Vodka is distilled in Maine from local potatoes by some local folks, and we've been sort of tracking its progress ever since its release a couple years ago.
We've heard some mixed anecdotal reviews about the stuff, but that's mostly from inexperienced drinkers who expect a robust potato vodka to taste like their wussy wheat ones. It's time for us to finally dig in and check out this starchy goodness for ourselves.
We've long maintained the buzz people get from absinthe comes not as much from the wormwood contained in the drink (and the reportedly psychoactive thujone contained therein), but from the absolute rocket fuel levels of alcohol in the liquor. We're talking 130, 140 proof in good bottles here.
The folks at Babicka Vodka are hoping to prove us wrong with their revival of a Czech witch's brew of vodka and wormwood.
The stuff was used as medicine, way back when, and we're hoping to get our hands on a bottle to cure our ills and test our theories.
Liquors that contain antioxidants seem to be all the rage nowadays, as distillers make everything from pomegranate to acai liqueur. The latest contender we've heard about is Charbay Green Tea Vodka. See below for Uncrate's take on its health benefits, and head over to Charbay.com for more info on this and the many other vodka flavors in the Charbay line.
This crisp and refreshing flavored vodka took nearly five years to create, and it shows — the infusion of flavor from first-growth green tea from the Anhwei Province makes it about as smooth as any flavored booze out there. Plus, thanks to its antioxidants, you'll finally have an excuse to drink during the week.
We hit the June VodkaFest this Sunday down in Manhattan, and it was great to hobnob (is that a word?) with some of the elite of independent spirits distributors. We had some drinks, had some laughs, but overall had to take it easy because after the event we had to drive four hours home. We were still able to taste just about everything that was on display, however - and we hope we didn't gross anyone out too much when we sipped and then spit it right back into the cup.
We've rounded up info on everyone we interacted with, along with some quick notes on the folks we haven't done full reviews on yet. Read on for our thoughts on each brand and our tastes of each, in more-or-less chronological order.
Also - we didn't run into any of the VodkaFest contest winners, probably because we skinned out a bit early, but we'd love to hear from you if you made it. You know who you are.
One thing we really like in our booze is personality. Of course, the real important thing is the taste and quality, but it's great to see a little blush of cool in your drink. We're big fans of the marketing campaign for Reyka Vodka - they've got some humor going for them, and we like the tongue-in-cheek things they're doing with their Iceland connection.
Check out some of the humor on their website (link below), and find out if the flavor of Iceland is everything we ever hoped it could be.
We told you last week about the VodkaFest (With Gin) that's happening in NYC this Sunday, and while our supply of free tickets has gone away we still want to see you there.
The organizers of the event have graciously offered Liquor Snob readers a $10 discount on the tickets - just register online and include the code "SNOB." Don't say we never did anything for ya.
We don't spend much time reading our horoscope anymore. We've found if we want bland, overly generalized advice with little practical use, we'll watch Dr. Phil. One thing that's picked up our interest in all things horoscopical (we know - that's not a word), however, is Zodiac Vodka, a high end potato spirit made right here in the states.
Does Zodiac live up to its astrological trappings? Read on to find out.
Absolut-ly Great Viral Video
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