Box Wines Get a Make-Over With Sexy Packaging

Most boxed wines have only a slightly higher reputation than Boone's Farm Strawberry wine, but some wineries are trying to change the image of their box wines by re-branding them and improving the packaging. Box wines have the advantage of being easier to transport and are more easily recycled, which makes them more environmentally friendly than bottled wines. In addition, because of the foil packaging, the wine lasts a lot longer before it goes bad. However, despite the benefits, not many wine drinkers have converted to box-wine drinkers.  

In order to change that, Underdog Wine Merchants, who are partnering with six wineries,  are unveiling a series of box wines that they are hoping will look “sexy” on the dinner table. The sexiness of the boxes is due to their shape- octagon and their price- $2-3 cheaper than a bottle. Wineberry’s America’s Boxes has a different idea for improving on the traditional box wine- they are using wooden boxes instead, which is a definite improvement aesthetically speaking on the usual box wines.

The wineries who are using the innovative packaging are claiming that the packages are not what’s important about their wines and insist that the grapes and the wines themselves are the major selling points of each wine. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen, but the packaging has definitely moved a step forward in the right direction.


The Truth About Absinthe

People love telling myths about alcohol. I don't know what it is about the stuff, but it's the subject of more tall tales than perhaps any other substance on the planet. Every long-time bartender has some entirely fictional story about how the Margarita was invented by a lovelorn Mexican poet who named it after the woman he could never have, or how Jack Daniels whiskey is the result of an epic Civil War era odyssey that nearly ended in the destruction of the original recipe for bourbon. It's easy to get dragged into these stories, perhaps because we want to believe there's something special about the things we drink. I suppose that's why the lies concocted about absinthe in the late 19th century persist into the modern day. What was once a smear campaign designed to scare people away from The Green Fairy transformed into the granddaddy of all psychedelic legends. It's almost too bad that none of it is true.

So, what is absinthe exactly? Well, it's an anise-flavored herbal spirit that originated in Switzerland some time in the past two or three hundred years. It gets its name from the main herbal component of its recipe, the Artemisia absinthium, a species of the wormwood plant that has been used for various ends such as stomach medicine, a scent agent in pesticides and, of course, flavoring in alcoholic beverages. The idea that absinthe is a hallucinogenic comes from the convenience of an easy to pronounce but sinister-sounding chemical called Thujone.

Thujone is a chemical that appears in a variety of commonly consumed plants, including several members of the mint family. Modern medical tests have concluded that a dangerous dose of thujone measures around 50-60 mg (though no extensive human testing has been performed) while high but non-lethal doses resulted in some spasms and convulsions. Sounds pretty beastly, right? Yeah, it's not. Even the so-called "high wormwood" batches that were considered top-shelf back in the drink's glory days only reached an average of 25 mg of thujone per bottle and the same toxicology tests showed that the presence of ethanol (that's drinking alcohol for those who are playing catch-up) could make a dose as high as 100 mg non-lethal. So, it seems that everything truly suspect about thujone is effectively neutralized by the fact that absinthe is an alcoholic beverage.

Then why do so many people believe that absinthe is some insane, Victorian-era LSD? Two words: Temperance Movement. Absinthe was popular with the members of the counterculture, especially in France in the 1890's. As a symbol of the bohemian lifestyle, absinthe was an easy target for the political entities who wanted to ban alcohol outright. The teetotalers concocted a wide variety of lies about absinthe in what ended up being one of the most successful negative PR campaigns in history. Just like Reefer Madness convinced an entire subsection of Americans that marijuana will turn people into baby-killing psychopaths, the absinthe lies created a legend about a fairly innocuous drink that made it illegal both before and after the Prohibition movement won big in America.

These days you can get a bottle of absinthe with relative ease. Many Europeans countries lifted their bans in the 1990's and America followed suit just a few years ago. There's still a lot of theater surrounding absinthe. A lot of companies are marketing mostly unnecessary accessories like so-called "absinthe glasses" and the iconic perforated sugar spoon. Today's absinthe should still probably be consumed in a diluted form, but that's just because a lot of varieties still come in ridiculously high ABV proportions. If you've got a taste for the stuff, make sure to check your bottle first before you pour water into a weak, 70 proof glass of Green Fairy. And don't expect any visuals. You're not drinking any drug you won't find in a glass of vodka.

It's Beer O'Clock- Getting Ready for the World Cup

Two weeks ago, I gave myself a Facebook challenge- I promised to severely limit my intake of beer in preparation for imbibing a few more beverages during the World Cup. I’m sorry to say that I failed in my non-beer drinking mission, but I’m excited to say that I’m really looking forward to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Unfortunately, I’ll only be there in spirit, but I’m definitely planning on catching as much of the action as I can on TV, in local bars, pubs, and restaurants and have come up with what I believe is the ultimate idea in World Cup Watching and drinking. (On a related note, check out Brazil's measures to ensure  Brazilians have enough beer to drink during the game.)

First, you need to have a schedule of the matches, which can be found HERE. Even if you’ve never watched a soccer game in your entire life, it is imperative you join the rest of the world to understand what everybody else is cheering about. Second, just as in the NCAA March Madness tournament, you need to have a bracket sheet to fill out. HERE is a bracket by Groups. You don't have to know anything about the sport- just choose your favorite-sounding countries or research FIFA rankings to choose the countries.


Of course, as Americans, we all are strongly encouraged to cheer Landon Donovan and  the rest of the team to victory, especially on June 12th (which is this Saturday) for their first match against England.  For a preview of the match, check out this quick synopsis HERE. The other countries in the same group as the United States are Slovenia and Algeria. 


For a different perspective on the World Cup (which may be easier in big cities across the country), my main idea is to watch the games which don’t involve the United States at ethnic restaurants or bars which represent one of the two countries playing. The World Cup takes place over the course of a month, so there should be a lot of excuses to eat and drink the food and beverages of the world. Friday might be time for Mexican food when South Africa (as the host nation) takes on Mexico or you might want to try some special sausages (and beer) at a German game.

The Waterfront Tavern


521 West Holly Street
Bellingham, WA 98225-3921
(360) 676-1755

The Waterfront is very much a local bar with "regulars," particularly local fisherman and crabbers. It opens early, and offers a decent assortment of American macro beers (featuring the likes of Rainer, MGD and Coors Liter by the pitcher), as well as Mack & Jack African Amber, on its eight taps and by the pitcher, and it's also a full-service bar. Part of the charm of this dim, traditional bar is its location on the waterfront (there's a good view of Bellingham Bay. It's a regular stop for locals who want a quiet drink, as well as local sports fans (multiple large flat panel screens), card players, and motorcyclists. You can sit inside, at small tables, or at the bar, and enjoy traditional America bar food, but the real attraction is the seafood, fresh local halibut, reliably good fish and chips, scallops, and oysters, and a decent French Dip. On Friday's there's a great Fish and Chips special, with halibut. The oysters are fresh, and there's a decent burger too.

Local folklore has it that in earlier years, the bar was a stopping point for a number of serial killers.

Local lore has Ted Bundy, Angelo Buono, Jr, and his cousin Kenneth Bianchi, better known as The Hill Side Strangler, A. Kinney, who murdered a woman whose body was found just off Mount Baker Highway, and John Muhammad, the DC sniper executed after killing 10 people in 2002.

History aside, this a good bar to nurse a few beers or a scotch-and-soda while you catch a game on tv, play a few hands of cards, or watch the sunset over Bellingham Bay.

The Amazing Beer Strike

Can you imagine if there wasn’t any beer in the United States on Superbowl Sunday? It would be chaos- the Tea-Baggers and so-called Liberals would join forces and riot in the streets, grocery stores would be pillaged for any remaining bottles of brew, and the commercials during the Superbowl wouldn’t nearly be as funny as they usually are.

It would be a nightmare.

Denmark might be facing a similar situation after a strike at the Carlsberg Brewing Company because the strike will stop beer distribution throughout Denmark. Beer-drinkers in the country are really worried about the possibility of a beer shortage because of the up-coming World Cup. 

The employees have a great reason for striking, however- the workers are striking in response to the company’s move to limit company drinking during lunches, breaks, and throughout the work day by removing coolers of beer from the workplace.

Prior to the new regulations, those working for Carlsberg (except for the drivers) could drink all day long as long as they weren’t drunk. The truck drivers are also striking to show how upset they are by the new law. Because Carlsberg almost has a monopoly on beer in the country, the strike is pretty serious.

What an amazing union! Can you really imagine having the right to drink alcohol all day long at work as part of your contract? If your company took your right to drink on the job away, would you strike and risk losing your job and gaining the animosity of an entire country just in order to keep drinking?

The strike itself leads me to believe that the employees might just be drinking more than 1-2 bottles of Carlsberg a day or it wouldn’t be so important to them as a fringe benefit. I know someone who once worked at Frito Lay and could eat all the Fritos and Doritos they wanted, but I don’t think that she would have striked to keep the right to eat chips.

Beer, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. I even know a number of people who would love to be paid in beer instead of cash. I imagine that once pot is entirely legal there will be quite a few “employees” who are paid in a different sort of green and would be willing to strike to keep that right.

The Greyhound as a Salty Dog

I have discovered a distinct partiality for fresh squeezed Grapefruit juice, or even Grapefruit juice from frozen concentrate, versus the ersatz high-fructose corn syrup abomination of canned or bottled Grapefruit juice. When I say "partiality," I am understating my reaction to grapefruit juice; I

really like it. I say this so that you be properly prepared for the following revelation about what happens when vodka is added to Grapefruit juice. I want to caution you here; it's important that you use good vodka. It's also important that it be regular vodka, not flavored vodka. I'm fond of the American made Idaho potato vodka made by Koenig. And it's even more important that you use either fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, or juice made from concentrate. Corn syrup (and the emulsifiers in canned juice) sometimes reacts in really ugly ways with vodka and leaves a sticky gelatinous residue in the bottom of the glass; consider yourself warned. I'm told by those with a juicer that Ruby Grapefruit juice is quite extraordinary in a Greyhound. Also keep in mind that there are several prescription medications that are negatively affected by grapefruit juice.

Technically, a greyhound is a highball; so you want a highball style class. Here's how to make a really great Greyhound.

  • Chilled highball glass
  • 5 oz of grapefruit juice
  • 2 oz of vodka

Pour the vodka into the glass. Add the grapefruit juice. Drink. I note that traditionally, you serve a greyhound over ice, but chilling the glass has the same effect and doesn't dilute the grapefruit juice. Why water it down? It's not the same juice if you add extra water. If you're drinking on a hot day, and not planning on driving or operating machinery, you might as well start with 4 oz of vodka and 10 oz of grapefruit juice.

However, as fabulous as a Greyhound served in a chilled glass is, it's even better if you make it a Salty Dog by adding a rim of salt to the chilled glass, before you pour. Simply dip the rim in a little grapefruit juice, just enough to dampen the edge, then dip it again in sea-salt. After that, go ahead and make a Greyhound. The salt does something incredibly lovely to both the vodka and the grapefruit juice. There's a step-by-step guide to salting or sugaring the rim of a cocktail glass here.

You can watch a video about making a Salty Dog here:

Is Drinking Lite Beer Really a Good Diet Plan?



Is it worth it to sacrifice taste and/or increased inebriation to save calories when drinking beer? And, is there any difference between the calorie content of a typical beer from a micro-brewery and a beer from Anheiser Busch? And, finally, is “Lite” beer really all that much lighter than its non-lite counterpart?

To satisfy my own questions on this pressing matter, I did some heavy-duty research. According to this web site, which lists the caloric and alcoholic content of roughly 100 domestic beers, Busch Lite actually has the least amount of calories at 95 calories for a 12-ounce can. Busch Lite has an alcohol content of 4.1%, which is not bad for a “Diet Beer” and is usually one of the cheapest beers available. Unfortunately, it is also one of the worst tasting beers I have ever consumed. I think I drank it on a camping trip ten years ago and the bad taste still hasn’t left my mouth.

In contrast, Bud Lite has 110 calories and has an alcohol content of 4.2%, while Coors Lite has 104 calories and an alcohol content of 4.15%. In my inexpert opinion, neither Coors Lite or Bud Lite would rank too highly in terms of taste, but for pennies more a can they have to better than Busch Lite.

In general, the amount of alcohol seems to be roughly proportionate to the number of calories in the beers. New Belgium Trippel, for example,  is on the opposite end of the spectrum; the micro-brew has 7.8% alcohol content and 215 calories. This leads me to believe that a preference for better beer may be a contributing factor in the increasing waistlines of people in their 30’s.

For those of you wishing to truly understand just how many calories you are consuming when you drink beer, you should take a look at the BBC’s handy Drink Calorie Converter site, which converts drinks into their food equivalents in terms of calories. If you drink more than one beverage on any given day, the results of the Drink Calorie converter are guaranteed to shock you.

This handy site also contains hard liquor and cocktails. A chocolate martini comes in at 438 calories and a frozen margarita has 738 calories- I guess I’ll be sticking to beer afterall.

 

pic thru flckr

Medea Vodka and Its Interactive Bottle


Via Salon.

I like Vodka on occasion. I don’t necessarily like to take Vodka shots and I learned after a rough ride with Trump Vodka and lemonade that you not only have to be careful with your mixers, you should never choose your alcohol based on the bottle alone.

Today’s news completely changed my mind about drinking and how I can get enjoyment out of it, even when I don’t have anyone to drink with me. Now, I can drink Vodka and interact (hopefully joyfully) with my Vodka bottle because it will have an LCD screen that I will be able to write funny messages with.

Medea Vodka will be sold for $40 a pop. I’m guessing that the Vodka is not going to be the primary attraction for this particular item and that the bottle will actually be more of an attractive feature for those who are lured by LCD screens and fancy new techie gadgets. Non-drinkers might actually be lured into giving Medea Vodka as a present- the combination of a novelty item that you can actually drink simply can’t be beat.


Watch the video after the jump....

Have You Ever Gotten an MIP?

I am going to tell you a slightly disturbing story from my relatively younger days. When I was 20, I drank beer on occasion. I know this is a shocking story as it is highly unusual for college students to actually consume alcohol, so you might want to prepare yourself for what I am about to tell you.

After having someone purchase a case of the cheapest beer I could find at the local grocery store, I carried the case of beer to my neighbor’s house for a few drinkeronis. Before I got to their apartment building, which was less than 20 feet away, two cops who looked like they were just about to hit puberty jumped out of the bushes and gave me an MIP for possession of alcohol.

I swear to God, it’s true- the cops actually jumped out of the bushes. I am not actually sure who tipped them off to my whereabouts or told them about my insidious activities (drinking bad beer as a minor) or if they realized how ridiculous they looked capturing me. I kind of doubt it, but it definitely would have gone viral on You-Tube if it that was an option then.  

I was fined $190.00 for the infraction, which was wiped off of my record because of my willingness to perform community service at the local tennis court. Unfortunately, my community service did not consist of giving tennis lessons to hot young wanna-be tennis stars; instead, I had the less-than-fun task of sweeping/raking wet leaves while listening to tunes on my Walkman.

The cops kept the beer, supposedly for “evidence”, much in the same manner that cops are known for confiscating drugs for personal use and pleasure.

The next week, my neighbor was “caught” in the act of drinking at a football game. HIs fine was only $100 and he didn’t have to do any community service, but I am trying not to be bitter about the experience.

Of course, in some states now, the fines and penalties for MIPs are much higher; fines can reach up to $250 and in some states, it is possible to lose your license for driving when underage, which makes sense if someone is caught drinking and driving, but not if someone is caught drinking next to a university campus, where everything is in walking distance.  

Have you ever gotten an MIP and if so, what’s your story?

Pic thru Creative Commons Flickr User 13 of Clubs.

Today's Burning Question: Who Invented the Margarita?

Unlike Jimmy Buffett, I am thankfully not wasting away in Margaritaville, but have enjoyed more than the occasional Margarita in my time. Today, I read an article in the LA Times exploring the origins of the Margarita, which has to be one of the most popular drinks for both new and more experienced drinkers, especially on Cinqo de Mayo.

Like every great “invention”, the Margarita has more than its fair share of those claiming to be its original creator, probably because there are no patents available for cocktails.

The most interesting version of the mystery behind the Margarita  involves Jazz singer Peggy Lee. According to the story which may or may not be true, she first introduced the Margarita at a 1948 Christmas party in Acalpuco for the founder of the Hilton hotels, Lana Turner and John Wayne. It was such a big hit amongst the illustrious crowd that she later had Santos Cruz, a Galveston, Texas bartender re-create the drink for her in the then-famous Balinese Room.

Although Peggy Lee’s Margaritas may have added more than a hint of festiveness to her now-famous Christmas party, there is significant evidence that she was not the first person to actually create the delicious cocktail mixture. An English book of cocktail recipes published nearly ten years earlier contained a recipe for the Picador, which has exactly the same ingredients as a Margarita.

This means of course, that the English were more than likely drinking Margaritas before the Americans and possibly even before the Mexicans, which I find hard to believe.  There is some speculation, however, that the author of the book could have traveled to Mexico for a portion of the recipe as he was actually one of the few people who could have afforded plane tickets back in the 30’s.   

The LA Times Margarita expert debunks the idea that the Margarita was first created in Mexico, so if you are drinking Margaritas by the pool in your sombrero, just remember that the sombrero is really from Mexico, but your Margarita is not as traditional as you might believe.  

For those of you wanting a great Margarita recipe without using the Margarita mix, try this recipe:

  • 1/3 Part Blanco Tequila
  • 1/3 Part Cointreau
  • 1/3 Lime Juice




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