The experiment grew out of us all asking, what can you do with SoCo Pepper, other than shots? Now obviously, making a Bloody Mary from scratch, with fresh ingredients, is the aficionado’s way, but the fact is most people who make Bloody Mary’s at home make them with a bottled mix such as Zing Zang or Tabasco’s official mix. I decided to go a little on the higher end and used Charleston’s Bold & Spicy mix. That way the mix wouldn’t be as much as a factor, as it is a quality mix that is receiving rave reviews.

So now the two challengers: my preferred vodka, Sobieski, and of course, Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper. For those wondering, the cocktails were 2:1 ratios (2 parts mix, 1 part liquor).

I did this as a blind tasting, so my co-workers didn’t know what was what. Up first was the Bloody Mary with Sobieski Vodka. For those wondering why I chose a relatively cheap vodka, it’s quite simple – premium vodkas = premium hype. Over the past year I’ve seen blind tastings at work involving premium, mid-range and cheap vodkas, not to mention I’ve ordered and made drinks for friends with the same range of vodkas and the consensus has been clear: when people don’t know what vodka they’re drinking, they almost always prefer the non-premium labels. Every customer I’ve introduced to Sobieski has yet to go back to Ciroc or Goose. Same goes for Luksusowa, 360 and Frozen Ghost – and while those 3 are excellent, my personal preference is Sobieski.

The first thing everyone noticed was, well, the Charleston mix. It wasn’t even remotely spicy, but the flavors were definitely bold. It tasted about as close to “fresh” as one can get without actually making a Bloody Mary from scratch. Everyone loved the mix, and several people asked if I’d forgotten the liquor (proving just how smooth Sobieski really is). But that was part of the problem too – no one really noticed the vodka, which is great for most people.

On the flip side, when we tried the Bloody Mary made with SoCo Pepper, the first thing everyone noticed immediately was the smell – you could smell the Tabasco before you ever even tasted the cocktail. However, much like the first Bloody Mary, there was no alcohol bite, and you couldn’t even taste the SoCo, just the Tabasco in the SoCo. SoCo Pepper returned the “spicy” to Charleston’s Bold & Spicy, giving the cocktail a rather enjoyable kick.

While everyone liked both Bloody Mary’s, the verdict was rather surprising – the one made with Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper won 6-2. Sacrilege, I know; but it does make a great option for those who love Bloody Mary’s, but want to add a bit of a twist every now and then. And for those who like Bloody Mary’s with a little less spiciness, give Charleston’s mix a try with your favorite vodka – you might just like it.

Speaking of heated, this is one of Christianity’s hottest debates – Calvin or Arminius? Keep in mind these two articles are only a snippet of a larger piece presented in the January/February 2012 issue of Relevant. To hear the entire discussion between Michael Horton & Roger Olson, which was originally recorded as two broadcasts of the White Horse Inn, click here for part one and here for part two.

Church stages kidnapping of youth group members. Sadly, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this happening. As one pastor wrote, “True religious persecution is not something that can be simulated – attempting to do so only cheapens our understanding of persecution and does little to prepare us for it.”

Should you divorce your spouse from an unbiblical remarriage?

Bipolar Christianity

Are you willing to pray this prayer?

Anti-bullying activist resorts to bullying.

Can we prove the existence of God?

A great explanation of the doctrine of common grace.

Are we a nation of heretics?

Death by Faith Healing: A Church & State Separation Dilemma.

NYC to replace pay-phones with 32″ internet-enabled touch screens.

R.I.P. Chuck Colson.

Does God exist?

A systematic theology of God’s love.

All truth belongs to God.

Where people get scripture wrong.

The future of discipleship.

Why Christians need to care about autism.

Our leading Presidential candidates: self-professed Christians whom many Christians don’t believe actually are Christians.

Right up front I need to state that personally and professionally, I have never experienced a problem with the 3-tier system of alcohol distribution. The distributors we have in NELA are excellent and work their asses off to get us (the retailers) the products our customers request. That being said, not everyone has had such a wonderful experience. Here’s an example of how easily and quickly the system can go wrong.

The devastating power of lies in a relationship.

God is most glorified in us when we are most dependent on Him.

It amazes me there are still people who believe demonic oppression and/or possession are to blame for conditions such as Bi-polar Disorder and Asperger Syndrome. Christian shares a bit of encouragement for those who’ve been spiritually abused by others who tell them those lies. While you won’t find it in that post, I believe Matt Chandler said it best in a sermon a while back: “Everything was broken in the fall.”

Jesus doesn’t want to heal you……

A closer look at the resurrection of Jesus as a historical event.

Why you should filter your relationships.

Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation.

How to know if you’re a controlling person.

Christ-centered Accountability

Preacher or False Prophet?

AND ANOTHER THING……

People are also shocked to find out we cannot accept invalid ID’s (e.g. outdated, not U.S. government issued). If your ID is invalid, a Louisiana state ID only costs $15!!!! We take state driver’s licenses, state ID’s, U.S. green cards and passports; if you don’t have any of these on you, cough up $15 and get a state ID!

ANYWAYS……

Every time someone comes in my store and gets miffed because we ask to see their ID, I’m reminded of the wise words of Jack Nicholson (warning – he drops a bomb):

Louisiana’s education system does need reform, but reform is defined as “making changes in something in order to bring about improvement”, not completely abolishing a system that could work if administered correctly and replacing it with another that has already been proven as a failure. Jindal’s plan to institute charter schools statewide has already shown to be a failure in New Orleans, where the only thing charter schools have succeeded at is reintroducing segregation, and while performance based pay is idyllic, it has yet to produce results in the areas in which it has been implemented – quite simply, because the “bad teachers” will find ways to keep their jobs. If you don’t believe me, ask my mother, who is in her 19th year as a teacher and is the current Teacher of the Year at her school. She’s dealt with quite a few bad teachers over the years; even when they would get fired, they’d pop up at another school, because not only do we have a local parish school board, we have a city school board, numerous private schools and a couple magnet schools. As my mother has consistently preached for the past 19 years, the biggest problem with education is the lack of parental involvement. I’ve seen this firsthand at schools on both ends of the spectrum; from $5,000 a year private schools to the poorest public school in town, many parents have the attitude that it’s all up to the school to get things done. I’ve seen parents spend tens of thousands every year so all their children can attend private school, just to arrive 15 minutes after the after-school care program had ended to pick up their kids. And it wasn’t because they were working their asses off, because I knew this couple’s schedule – they just didn’t care. As far as they were concerned, their children’s education was not their responsibility, so if any of their children started having problems, it was the fault of the teacher. Oh, how they (and others) hated being told they needed to be more involved, because decades of studies show that parental involvement leads to higher test scores, grades and graduation rates, increased motivation and self-esteem, and fewer discipline problems. According to the National PTA this is especially true when fathers (or another male role model) are involved.

One more thing…

My mother also shared with me something a few teachers at her school suggested. Seeing as how they teach at a school that is in one of the lowest income areas of Monroe, tie parental involvement to government funds. In other words, if that family is on welfare, tie their welfare check to parental involvement in education. If they’re on food stamps, tie that to education. I don’t know if it would work, but it’s an idea. And before anyone cries prejudice or racism (since minorities are the majority where my mother teaches), it was the African-American teachers that my mother works alongside of who suggested this solution.

Traditionally, unions are politically liberal, so one would think rendering the Louisiana Federation of Teachers powerless would actually be a good thing for Jindal’s political aspirations…… except for one thing. Louisiana has voted Republican in the last 3 presidential elections. If teachers are a microcosm of voters, that’s a hell of a lot of teachers who tend to vote Republican. That’s a lot of people you don’t want to piss off, especially if you’re someone with presidential aspirations. Lest we not forget, in the 1992 and 1996 elections, Louisiana swung Democrat – coincidentally, for a president who, as governor of Arkansas, actually had ideas for education reform that worked, taking Arkansas from dead last in education to top 10 in the nation. His methods were simple: provide more funding to schools and the existing system and raise teachers salaries and incentives for those who produced results. I wonder if any of that had anything to do with Louisiana voters, who had voted Reagan and Bush into office, swinging Democrat?

Blocking access to committee meetings, scheduling an entire education package of three bills and 114 amendments into one 33-hour period, sending minions to hijack a press conference are all examples of a lack of tolerance for dissent. You know who else has no tolerance for opposition? North Korea, Syria and Iran.

- Joshua Stockley

What Copernicus taught us about faith and science.

Real religion.

Northeast Louisiana’s moment in the sun spoiled by ignorance.

For the job seekers out there, Life Hacker posted a great article on how to not get hired.

16 manly last words.

I’m not normally a fan of X amount of steps to becoming…, but this post from Michael Hyatt is a must read – 7 steps to becoming a happy person others want to be around.