Absolut vodka

We picked up a six pack of mini bottles of Absolut Vodka Citron, Mandrin, Acai, Raspberri and Ruby Red flavors.

The Absolut Raspberri vodka is clearly raspberry just from the aroma—but it's that artificial raspberry flavoring that always reminds me of hairspray, and yes, it's like that in flavor, too. Neither of us got past the first sip; it was vile. I'd want to be paid, and paid well and in advance, to drink this. It's a horrible evil thing to do to something with such fabulous potential for flavor like a raspberry.

The Absolut Citron vodka was a very pleasant surprise; we served it chilled from the freezer, straight up. Very definitely lemon in scent and in flavor; I'd like to try cooking with this, for instance, as a fresh fish marinade. And it has me very curious about a lemon martini, better known as a Lemon drop. Now, there are a variety of different recipes for a Lemon drop, and most do not call for a Citron based vodka, but I think it might be interesting.

Absolut's Ruby Red is grape fruit. It smells like grape fruit, and wow, it tastes fabulous. I really like this. My mind immediately went to "ooh, Greyhounds!" territory (as did Absolut's own site), but on second thought, I want to try Absolut Ruby Red with tonic water, and citrus, perhaps kumquats.

The Absolut Mandrin vodka is intensely orange on the nose; you can smell the essence of mandarin orange oil, the same essence used to make Cointreau. The intense, slightly bitter orange is there in flavor too. I'm very curious about a lemon drop made with Absolut Mandrin. My tasting companion thinks this is the vodka to use in a lemon drop, and I think that's terribly intriguing—I can see the Absolut Citron actually detracting from the fresh lemon, but the intense slightly bitter orange of Absolut Mandrin enhancing the lemon in a Lemon Drop.

The Absolut Acai vodka s not quite as vile as the Raspberri. It smells amazing; like fresh raspberries with something a bit like kiwi, or possibly, melon. But the flavor is chemically harsh, like the Raspberri. My tasting companion pointed out that it tastes like cherry-scented lamp oil smells; vile. It's the sort of thing that makes me long for a gin and tonic as a palate cleanser.

You can make all manner of delicious, refreshing, and distinctive cocktails from flavored vodkas. I'm looking forward to examining, experimenting, and exploring the various permutations of the citrus-based vodkas. The berry-flavored Absolut varieties are an abomination, though, and should be eschewed with great diligence.

 

But don't forget, kids, life is too short to drink bad vodka.

The Vesper Cocktail

There's a reason we all love James Bond. It's not because he can get any woman he wants (except, apparently, Miss Moneypenny). It's not because he's deadly accurate with a gun smaller than the average adult hand. It's not even because he has an exciting, important job. We love Bond because the man has class in his blood. He has impeccable taste and manages to be nonchalant about it rather than pretentious. 007 sees the finer things of life as matters of aptitude and engagement, not as mere indulgences for the moneyed people of the world. Though his love of the vodka martini was powerful enough to make Smirnoff a household name, the first drink Bond put his heart into was far more complicated and, for anyone who has ever tasted one, far more satisfying. That drink is the Vesper, a cocktail that deserves more attention for its divine flavor, crisp character and astute use of a once-neglected, now resurgent ingredient.

The Vesper has the soul of a martini, insofar as it gets the majority of its punch from a body of clear liquor. The unique thing about it is that it doesn't favor gin or vodka, but asks them to play together in an elegant, intuitive way. The proportions, according to Bond and any modern bartender worth his salt, involves three parts strong gin to one part strong vodka.

Let's take a moment to explicate the meaning of “strong” versus modern liquor. Classically (re: prior to the 1990's when many popular brands of liquor went through a process of reformulation to appeal to a larger customer base), hard liquor occupied a range of 94-105 proof, giving them a slightly sharper sting than we're used to in the 84 proof days of the 21st century. That said, it's no problem to get high proof liquor these days. Though Bond in the movies preferred Smirnoff, in 2011 Stolichnaya makes a better 100 proof vodka. As for gin, be careful of today's standards. Bombay Sapphire, delicious as it is, has been knocked down to a paltry 80 proof. Best to stick with a sharper London Dry like Booth's, though look into your local distillers. There's been a clear spirits boom as of late.

So, why does the Vesper need higher proof liquor? Well, because the other key ingredient, Lillet, softens the drink considerably. The gin brings a lot of flavor to the Vesper while the vodka is meant to increase the bite as it simultaneously mellowing the gin and Lillet, which are both potent on the tongue. The Lillet itself should be used in much the same way as vermouth is used in a modern martini, only with more enthusiasm (meaning in larger proportions, about a quarter ounce at least). That said, the original recipe calls for Kina Lillet, another spirit that has been tampered with since Casino Royale first hit bookshelves. Today, it's best to stick with the more citrus-like and easier to find Lillet Blanc and augment it with a few drops of Angostura bitters to capture that old-fashioned aromatic flavor.

Lastly, the large lemon peel garnish is essential to the Vesper. It's not there just to look pretty. The flavor people associate with lemon is as much in the zest and rind as in the pulp and juice. That peel will make the Vesper considerably more refreshing and it will anchor those sharp top notes with a full-mouth brightness much in the same way as a summer martini with a twist will.

The Vesper is a glorious cocktail that eschews the overly sweet tendencies of the average 21st century mix bar. It doesn't kick quite like a martini but it doesn't go down like liquid candy, either. If ever there was a drink primed to be a go-to favorite, the Vesper is it.

Serious Sangria

When it comes to potables, I'm not a classicist. Wine, liquor, beer and the cocktails we make with them have only been improved with augmented recipes and more informed sensibilities. It was this lack of reverence that changed the Martini from the sour, vermouth-heavy concoction it was in the early 1900's to the crisp, subtle bar standard it is today. It's what transformed scotch from the mediciney rot-gut it was in the 1800's to the pinnacle of craftsmanship it became in the 20th century. Innovation is also what rescued beer from the one-note swill it had been for thousands of years and allowed it become a modern delight of variety and regional flare. That's why I'm not too keen on keeping sangria as close to the classic recipe as possible. Truth is, sangria can be either wonderful or awful and I happen to believe that it's at its best when the recipe gets fiddled with.

First, let's talk about the all-important wine base. My sangria recipe forgoes Spanish wine altogether because, frankly, I don't think it has the right characteristics for the drink. Spanish wine is bold, sharp and about as subtle as a howler monkey. It doesn't dance with other flavor notes because it has no other flavor notes itself, at least when compared to other European wines. It has the roughness of Argentine wine and one-dimensional character of Australian wine. Hitting it with fruit and other flavor agents is pointless because those flavors never really combine.

That said, really complex wine like the French love to make and the full, robust wine that comes out of Italy don't fit the bill, either. For my preferred sangria base, we have to look at the bottom of the Italian shelf. That's where we'll find Lambrusco, the stuff that has been Italy's high-yield table wine since Ancient Rome. Lambrusco is perfect for sangria because it has a slight fizz to it, the alcohol notes are barely noticeable and even its dry varieties are open to fruit flavors. In essence, it's cheap stuff that embraces its cheapness instead of trying (and failing) to be fancy.

Making sangria with bottled fruit juice is a crime, which is where my recipe and the classic recipe agree. As for what fruit to use, my mix prefers the hearty to the tropical. Skip the pineapple, the berries and the stone fruit. They'll all bring too much of their own flavor to the party. Orange, apple, pear and some kind of melon or even mango make for a refreshing but not overpowering mix.

When it comes to the sweetener, I prefer to go natural. Honey is perfect because it brings a distinct, full-mouth flavor without being cloying or sharp. Think of it this way: People eat spoonfuls of honey but not spoonfuls of sugar or simple syrup. It's an even-spreading taste. Also, honey dissolves in cold liquid, unlike sugar.

I'm also not too keen on hitting sangria with a lot of spice. It's not mulled wine. It's supposed to be refreshing. A little vanilla bean, some lemon zest and maybe a tiny amount of ground ginger should do the trick.

All of the above steeped and chilled overnight should suffice, though for a little extra punch feel free to add a small amount of decent brandy to the mix. It shouldn't impart that much flavor but it will raise the alcohol content, if that's what you're aiming for. It's not the traditional recipe but it's also not a crazy derivative. I just think it makes more sense and tastes better.

Super Bowl Punch - Pink Panty Droppers

The name of the drink really says it all, right?

So you want a really special drink for your Super Bowl party and you have kind of hit a wall when it comes to ideas. Fortunately for you I, the super psychic, realized that you would have this problem and will be providing you with a fun, tasty, and booze full solution to your problem, the libation you need - the Pink Panty Dropper. This drink is best when made like a "punch" served in a big bowl. Curious about what is in this miracle drink? Keep reading!

The Pink Panty Dropper is one of my favorite drinks, and also one of the easiest I know how to make. You will only need 3 ingredients: Vodka, pink lemonade, and beer. I am not a big fan of "recipes", because I feel they stifle creativity but I have offered some guidelines below. To make this slightly sweet, pink colored drink all you need is:

1/2 - 1 gallon(s) Vodka (the cheap stuff works great)

12 - 18 can(s) Beer (any variety)

5 - 7 can(s) Pink Lemonade Concentrate (concentrate means that the water has not been added)

Directions:

1) Just mix the ingredients up depending on what you think your tastes and the tastes of your guests will be and this drink will turn out just great (you really cant mess it up).

2) Serve in a chilled punch bowl (or other large bowl) and watch your game in drunken bliss.  Troubleshooting: Too sweet? Add some more booze. Too tart? Add some more booze. Too much booze? Add some more booze.

You know, some people might think that a Pink Panty Dropper is a sexist kind of drink and that these drinks are made to get loose ladies drunk so they take off their underwear, and to those people I say: "it works for guys, too".

 

Super Bowl Beer - Blue Moon

Whats a Super Bowl party without some awesome booze?

What is a Super Bowl party without some great suds? I know there will be a lot of Super Bowl parties out there who will have many different themes and offerings - but beer, without a doubt, will almost certainly show up at every XLV gathering.

If you are sick and tired of the same blah Budweiser, Coors, Miller Draft variety - kick your party up a notch with something a little more sophisticated. I am personally a big fan of Blue Moon and have found that it suits most any type of beer drinker. It is smooth and has just enough (wonderful) flavor to set it apart from all the "normals".

The other great thing about Blue Moon is you can fancy it up a bit with a little fruit. I am not speaking of a small gay guy (like myself), but rather lemons and oranges - both taste great and will really give the beer that extra something!

So, when you are preparing for the big party skip the "water brews" and go for a more manly, full - bodied flavor of New Moon, you and your guests will be glad you did.

Walgreen's Beer: Cheaper than Water

Some of you may have felt the crunch of the economy and noticed that your beer belly has gotten a little smaller as a result of the economic crisis. If that’s the case and you’re wondering where your hard-earned beer belly has gone, it looks like you won’t have to worry much longer:  the Walgreen’s drugstore chain is unleashing “Big Flats 1901” --Walgreen’s very own beer brand.

 

 A six-pack won’t set you back quite as much as those other “quality” beers that aren’t made and distributed by drugstore chains; a six-pack of “Big Flats 1901” will only cost you $2.99 for a six-pack, which is unheard of in this day and age. Why drink an expensive micro-brew when you can drink cheap beer that you got at your local drugstore?

 

Think of the convenience: when you are picking up prescriptions for your children or shopping for a Mother’s Day card for your grandma, you can pick up a six-pack to enjoy in your man cave or with your fraternity brothers. If the convenience isn’t enough to sway you, think of the bragging rights alone: it’s almost guaranteed that none of your drinking buddies will have drugstore beer.

 

With the price so low, it doesn’t matter if the beer doesn’t taste quite as nice as you would like it to-if you drink enough, it’ll probably get the job done. After the third six-pack, you’ll hardly notice a difference at all. When you get around to drinking the fourth six-pack, you’ll be so happy that you spent less than `12 bucks on that much beer. A case is only $11.49 so you save almost 50 cents if you plan in advance.

 

Another advantage to the Walgreen’s beer is that it’s a low-quality beverage, which means that “Big Flats 1901” is perfect for drinking games like Beer Pong and the 100-Club. You probably won’t get too drunk because I don’t think the alcohol-content is all that high, and if you spill the Walgreen’s beer all over your Beer Pong table, it’s no big deal because the beer is so cheap.

 

I know I probably sound like a Walgreen’s marketing director because I am so excited about this product, but in all honesty, Walgreen’s paid me nothing for this endorsement of their new beer.

 

When you get a chance to try it out, let me know how easily it goes down (or comes back up) so the readers have more information about the new beer.

Advanced Pairing

Ever since Americans started drinking real wine, the concept of pairing has been a popular topic. Plainly, what food flavors play well with certain alcoholic beverages? Everybody knows the old standards of red wine for red meat, white wine for fish, maybe a rose for poultry. Intermediate pairing techniques start to veer into more adventurous territory, the red wine and chocolate crowd or the people who get fussy about the long-lost cheese course. This is all well and good, but the process is starting to get a little esoteric. The idea behind pairing is to make every element of a meal harmonize, to make sure you're getting the optimal experience out of whatever you taste. Pairing for the sake of pairing turns this search for pleasure into a game of challenging palates. The following pairing suggestions aren't intended to be novel or at all counter-intuitive. Like classic wine pairing, their one and only aim is to make a meal better.

Scotch and Chinese Food

This one usually seems a little out-there whenever I suggest it, but it never fails to impress. Though scotch comes from the opposite side of the world from China, it pairs remarkably well with the keynote flavors in Chinese cuisine. At the most basic level, Chinese food gets a lot of its character from strong peppers, rich oils and intense spices like ginger. Even the driest wine is going to be too sweet and too mild to really mingle with those flavors properly. The unique smokiness of scotch complements the sharp, hot oil notes in many Chinese dishes while the heavy grain flavors present in all whiskey bridge the gap between the sweetness of Chinese sauces and the necessary blandness of rice. Most importantly, scotch is, itself, rather insistent stuff. It doesn't want to play nice, so the resulting competition of flavors is lively without clashing.

 

Vodka and Cold Salad

A lot of the best vodka drinks are halfway to salad anyway, so pairing a plate of mixed greens and garden vegetables with the simple, acquiescent tones of a good vodka isn't that unusual. Vodka is one of the few liquors that work well with salt, and anyone with a culinary eye knows that a little salt goes a long way to liven up vegetables. Salt coaxes moisture to the surface of plants, releasing the essential oils that hold much of their flavor. Similarly, neutral alcohol also has a way of doing flavor-improving chemistry. Hell, a lot of Italian dishes hit tomatoes and tomato sauces with wine or vodka because certain flavor compounds in the fruit just won't activate without alcohol. A clean, chilled vodka with no extra flavorings is the ideal match for a proper, varied salad. It wants to share these flavors, so let it.

 

Rum and Salmon

This one is a simple matter of shared flavors. There are four things that make both rum and salmon better. They are, in no particular order: Butter, citrus, brown sugar, spice. A good, buttery, spiced rum (especially with a twist of fresh lime) will carry all of the flavors that make salmon, an already flavorful fish, the Prime Steak of swimmers. Also, because fish tends to be pretty light, pairing a drink with it is precarious. Beer may work with bland white fish, but something with as much character as salmon really wants something more nuanced. Most white liquors are just going to be too slight to really have a presence with salmon while most brown liquors will overpower it. Spiced rum is middle-of-the-road, which is why it succeeds.

What's so great about the 80's?

I guess I should start off by telling you that I was just a child during the 80s. When the decade changed I was just barely 7 years old - which might be the reason I am not a "super fan" (At least at this time). I am really curious why the 80's are so idolized though. Where I live, there is a night - ONCE EVERY WEEK - where a local bar has an 80's night. I guess I just don't get why so many people go there to listen to the same music and wear the same crappy thrift store clothes. I think some of the people in the crowd may have actually just gotten stuck in the 80's- at that very bar - and I guess my big question is why?

What was so great about that time? Is it an innocence thing - because we were not yet touched by the internet and constant communication? Is it the mixed tapes? Roller rinks? Dairy Queen get togethers? I have hear the coke was better (either of them, if you get my drift) back then - could that be it?

I see this time period as a bad time for America - this was when all the rules changed and our forgetful president (one of them) decided to sell our country to the lowest bidder. Maybe I am thinking too much about it but I just don't understand. Anyone care to explain?

The Mimosa: Crisp, Citrusy & Delicious

About a week ago, I had the pleasure of enjoying a mimosa. Never underestimate the power a mimosa can have on the start to a very lazy Sunday. This was a delicious way to start the day. So what if I consumed alcohol before noon? I enjoyed every drop. A mimosa is a very nice accompaniment to any sort of breakfast foods.

A traditional mimosa is one part chilled orange juice, with one part champagne. For my mimosa, I used Tropicana orange juice and Domaine St Michelle, which is actually a sparkling wine. I chose a bottle of their extra  dry. It tasted sweet and complemented the texture of the citrus in the orange juice. It had a deep apple taste with a sweet, almost creamy finish. The two fruits swirling together was a wonderful combination of tastes. The carbonation from bubbles in the sparkling wine was a wonderful distinct layer in the overall taste.

For a fun variation, add Grand Mariner to the mix. This is a liqueur that was formulated by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle, who learned the art of distilling spirits from his father. His father was a shopkeeper that sold wine and spirits. Grand Mariner is a blend of fine cognacs and the distilled essence of bitter orange. This liqueur is 80 proof, meaning it has 40% alcohol. This is a very popular spirit to add to drinks in France.

In old English, a mimosa was widely known as “Hair of the Dog”. This is an expression that literally means to cure oneself from a hangover, by consuming more alcohol. This expression’s origins trace to the idea that one can be cured of hydrophobia (also known as rabies) or any disease where infection occurs from a dog bite. To cure yourself, simply take hair from the dog that bit you and place it on the wound.

There is no scientific evidence that this method does actually help cure a hangover. Though it makes me wonder why the illusive Bloody Mary is so popular and a drink staple for many well before noon. Seattle weekly has a list of restaurants where you can get the top 5 Bloody Marys in the city here. If you don’t live in Seattle, make some fun plans to travel to our fair emerald city and have a night out with friends. Then consult this list for a place where you can slowly let in the light of day on the morning after. Many a Seattleite can be found wearing sunglasses, even on overcast or rainy days on the weekends, probably due to excessive alcohol consumption the night before.

So whether you choose to sip on a Mimosa or Bloody Mary, embrace the dark with those stylish shades and sip that Hair of the Dog in a dark corner brooding over the Stranger’s I SAW U column.

The Queensland Flood Channel 9 News Drinking Game


The flooding in Queensland, Australia is quite serious and the death count has reached 18. Despite the gravity of the natural disaster, Queensland Aussies have come up with an effective coping strategy in these troubled times: The Queensland Flood Channel 9 News Drinking Game.

Those watching Channel 9’s coverage of the flood and participating in the Queensland Flood Channel 9 News Drinking Game are asked by the Facebook site to have “copious amounts of alcohol” on hand and to take a drink when a reporter or newscaster says any one of a number of words including: inundated, unprecedented, evacuation, capacity. More drinks are required when Channel 9’s news coverage includes footage of people sitting on roofs or footage of a rescue helicopter. The phrase “the darkest hour” also gets drinks.

As this article reports, not everyone is happy with the game due to the seriousness of the situation. People have died and others have lost their homes due to the flooding, so many think that it’s not the time for a drinking game even though some who have been the most-affected by the flooding are among the drinking game’s supporters. One Facebook fan who lost her home said that the group’s “cheeky little game” had cheered her and her family up.

Now that the Queensland flood is receding quite a bit, some of the Facebook group’s 16,000+ members are suggesting new terminology such as receding and massive clean up. One Facebook fan of the group asked that participants take a drink whenever they saw a blonde newscaster, “colouring ok.” Others are looking forward to other possibilities for Channel 9 drinking games in the future, just to keep the spirit of the Queensland Flood Channel 9 News Drinking Game alive, while having fun in the process—no further natural disasters necessary.

I can’t imagine that this would have gone over quite this well in the United States. Everyone (except for maybe George Bush) has a tendency to take little things like natural disasters quite seriously in this country and little things like drinking “copious amounts of alcohol” are heavily frowned on, maybe as result of our first Americans, the uptight Puritans who originally settled this country. The Greek community would be our only chance to make drinking games during a natural disaster acceptable, which is probably the only reason that I’m not entirely against sororities and fraternities. Think of the collective fun the nation could have with the CNN Drinking Game.

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