White Russian’s are a staple cocktail and will continue to be a very popular with to consume vodka and coffee liqueur. It only seems appropriate to test it against our coffee liqueurs: Kamora, Kapali, Kahlua, Tia Maria and Patron XO Cafe.

They all have their own flavor profile, which one is worthy in the cocktail?

Saint Patrick’s Day is coming, the Irish Flag Shooter is here today. This cocktail would make a good start or finish to a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. You’re getting a minty freshness with a coating of creamy orange all wrapped in a celebration of the Irish Flag.

The nose has a remarkably bold agave profile with bright ripe pineapples and hints of caramel mingled with mint and banana. The banana took a bit to find, but several sniffs later and it become quite distinct and obvious.  There was only the slightest of burn on the nasal passages and only when you dive your nose in deeply.

The taste is quite a flavorful experience as well which begins with a light touch of sweet agave and pineapple with a nice round smoothness. The mid-palate transitions into the spicy fire that was seen in the younger less tame Blanco. I found some nice earthy tones in the final quarter of the sip which ends cleanly without any real burn-factor and leaves a long pretty agave finish.

I found the beginnings of the butterscotch flavors from the añejo but much more muted and less involved, perhaps reflecting itself in a caramel-like flavor towards the finish. In many ways, the Reposado shows where the El Gran Jubileo spirit has grown from the Blanco and a bit of where it’s going in the Añejo. It’s a more relaxed version of the Blanco and arrives without the cream/butter flavors found in the older spirit.

The end result is a very suitable drinking experience for mass appeal. The reposado really tells the story of the agave best out of the three spirits but the spicy punch of the Blanco was an invigorating tasting experience and the complexity of the anejo was exciting as well. This reposado will touch the taste buds by drawing both the Blanco drinker and the Añejo sipper under one canvas of awesome.

Oak and peppermint, a combination many of us are probably not used to combining together. The Ground Zero cocktail is something I was hesitant in building because the ingredients seem to go against all that is natural. Will it all work together in a cocktail? Will we like it? Watch and find out (woah! teaser!)

A smooth creamy milk chocolate and caramel cocktail with a butterscotch finish. If that sounds interesting to you, checkout the Butter Cream Cocktail with its Irish Cream (we’re using Emmets), Butterscotch Schnapps and a couple ounces of milk.

Get your daily dairy intake while relaxing with a sweet little dessert cocktail.

Jennifer and I both love coffee and what better way to work the coffee angle than with Coffee Liqueur. We’re busting out five unique brands of coffee liqueur including: Kamora, Kapali, Kahlua, Tia Maria and Patron XO Cafe. In a showdown of taste sensations, we’re pitting each coffee liqueur in the ultimate taste-off. Which coffee liqueur is better?

It’s time to put our Irish cream to the test in the extremely tasty mudslide recipe. Our Irish Cream brands include Emmets, Baileys, Irish manor, Ryan’s, Saint Brendans Irish cream. Our reviews aren’t exactly the same as the ratings we gave for the blind tasting, but when have they been!?

A late Sunday breakfast isn’t done right until you’ve had some big buttery pancakes. And, what compliments pancakes better than orange juice. Now, on to the show… the Howl at the Moon shooter should really should be named The Pancake Shooter from its taste profile.

Some Fridays we just like to get stupid, we’re getting stupid today. The Graveyard Cocktail has more ingredients than it needs for the purpose but it’s just not a crazy episode unless we fill the table with spirits. From vodka, gin, tequila, scotch, bourbon, triple sec, beers, you name it this cocktail will exercise the broad depths of your alcohol collection.

But, yes, it’s stupid to attempt this “trick.”

Of course it should go without saying,  I am only drinking 100% de Agave tequila here; this isn’t some pretend tequila spirit. The Azuñia is aged 12+ months in aged American oak barrels so I’m hoping it brings a lot of character to the palate.

My initial impression of the bouquet of the Azuñia Añejo is definite sweet agave and over-ripened salty pineapple skins. Diving my nose deeper into the glass brings strong caramel flavors, sea salt, vanilla bean and even a bit of mineral “soil” like impressions. The nose contains some citrus-like freshness, perhaps a dash of lemon or perhaps a bit of lime, it’s hard to define exactly which citrus flavoring but it is present and appreciated.

The taste introduces a light sweetness with a spicy mid-palate transition that drives right into the agave farm on your face. You can almost taste these agave planets baking in the rich soils of Mexico when you take a sip. The finish is clean and spicy and its flavors fade off just a bit too soon. I find myself taking multiple sips to relive the complex tasting experience with a second sip getting a bit of white pepper, a buttery charred oak and dried tropical fruit.

The finish still seems to end a bit quick, I would love the finish to extend 30-40 seconds but seems to escape a few seconds early. There is a slight bright mint, perhaps from the alcohols evaporating on your tongue without any abrasive burn to sour your face. This clean evaporation leaves a cool mint feeling in the mouth.

The Azuñia Tequla Añejo is definitely targeting a broad demographic with a strong focus on the “common man” profile. Often times people think “tequila makes me do bad things” and they have not yet grown to respect the true 100% de agave tequilas in silver, reposado and añejo. Azuñia seems to strive to find those nonbelievers and show them that tequila can be just as complex as a bourbon or scotch with less oak and more pepper.

I say broad demographic because Azuñia Añejo is very well rounded with just the right complexity without an intense single focus. This is a clean, refreshing and mature spirit and it’s exciting to sip. The only two faults I can really point out is that it is a bit light/medium bodied without a big thick viscosity I often see in an añejo and the finish is too fast. If the finish was less tasty I’d not be sad to see it go, but I’d love for it to linger longer.

Azuñia Tequila Añejo will no doubt be a huge contender for some of those “ultra-premium” big market brands. Arriving at around USD $50-55, you’re getting a worthwhile bottle of Tequila that would easily contend with a $60 Scotch. Definitely checkout this brand, they’re going places.

The green color and flavor of mint all wrapped up in mint layering with a minty center. The Green Dragon recipe is all about mint and freshness. While there are other recipes called the “Green Dragon” this one really focuses on the Creme de Menthe backbone. If you’re into a fresh mint taste, this cocktail is a must try.

This is probably a very “one serving” style of cocktail, perhaps to start the night (or finish one).

Sweet Amaretto awesomeness, we’re building a cocktail with amaretto, vodka (absolute), light rum (Don Q) with some cranberry juice and a touch of sweet/sour mix that’s been freshly squeezed. Amaretto lovers may fall for this drink while everyone else will just recognize it as a mildly sweet cocktail of awesome.

For whatever reason, I found this cocktail to taste like a less potent maraschino juice. Anyone else?

Get the Recipe Now.

We’re focusing on an unsung hero: Apricot Brandy. WIth the nice thickness of a shaken orange juice to the sweet apricot tastes all arounded out with a bit of sweet & sour mix really builds a delicous beverage. While it can be enjoyed all year, I can see this being a great cocktail for sitting by the pool, if you have a pool (or someone elses pool if they’re not looki

Get The Recipe

Ryan’s Irish Cream may be a product of Maine, USA. That may not be fully available across the US and abroad, we found that out after reading the label post-recording.

We’re mixing the Woo Woo recipe with our vodka brands: Tito’s, Christiania, Absolut, Smirnoff and Gray Goose. The recipe we’re using for this tasting is:

Woo Woo

• 1 1/4 oz. Vodka
• 3/4 oz. Peach Schnapps
• 3 oz. Cranberry Juice

You can watch Common Man Cocktail’s version of the video at everydaydrinkers.tv.

The taste of southern comfort with hints of nutty amaretto and a nice smooth finish. You’ll get a fairly sweet herbal flavoring on your tongue with a warm smoothness but you’ll want to be a fan of both Southern Comfort and Amaretto to really appreciate this little shooter.

We’ve just received some very tempting little samples of the Perfect Pureé product line for making mixology simple. The product came shipped in complete in packed ice (dry ice mind you! So much fun with dry ice!). Here is the press release they sent us last week, just to give you an idea. Reviews and video’s to come soon! Hopefully Perfect Pureé rocks!

THE PERFECT PUREE OF NAPA VALLEY PRESENTS BEVERAGE ARTISTRY
Unique, Premium Bases and Blends Offer Bar Professionals of all levels “Mixology Made Easy”

(NAPA, California – February 11, 2010) – The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley announced today the availability of Beverage Artistry, a premium line of eight unique blends and nine fruit bases that embodies the latest trends in mixology.

Beverage Artistry is mixology made easy. With unique blends and high impact flavors, beverage professionals can now easily create the perfect cocktail or mocktail, regardless of season or locality, to suit the most discerning palette.  The line’s ready to use flavors offer a convenient and cost effective solution for bar professionals that compliments and elevates existing beverage programs while saving on time and resources.

Since 1988, The Perfect Puree has built a loyal following amongst the country’s top chefs, pastry chefs, and beverage professionals with its premium line of fruit and vegetable purees. Responding to customer requests for a bar line, the company focused new product resources to develop Beverage Artistry, which is formulated specifically for beverage use.  The Perfect Puree’s commitment and focus on the beverage market is highlighted through a partnership with mixology maestro, Adam Seger, who consulted with the brand on the creation of three unique blends: Yuzu Luxe Sour, El Corazon and Passion Colada.

Beverage Artistry blends include: Yuzu Luxe Sour, Classic Sweet & Sour, El Corazon, Mojito, Passion Colada, Red Sangria, Rum Runner and White Sangria.  Additionally, Beverage Artistry bases offer fresh single flavor varietals including: Banana, Cranberry, Guava, Lemon, Mango, Passion Fruit, Peach, Raspberry and Strawberry.

The versatile blends and bases can be flawlessly paired with spirits, wine and Champagne, or used as an ideal base for inventive non-alcoholic beverages.  Now, establishments without a seasoned mixologist at the helm can create quality signature beverages with ease. Details on the eight blends are listed below:

 El Corazon:  This melange of passion fruit, blood orange and pomegranate concentrates were developed exclusively for The Perfect Puree’s Beverage Artistry by Adam Seger, mixologist of Nacional 27 in Chicago, Illinois.  The blend, inspired by his celebrated signature cocktail of the same name offers interplay of these three concentrates, culminating in a bold, intense flavor as rich and deep as its vibrant crimson color.  El Corazon partners well with tequila, bourbon and vodka.

 Yuzu Luxe Sour:  This luxurious sour blend was inspired by Asia’s exotic citrus fruit, Yuzu – one of the hottest flavor trends in food and beverage.  The aromatic botanical flavor from lemongrass and Kaffir lime complements the tartness of the Yuzu juice.  Yuzu Luxe Sour pairs wonderfully with vodka, tequila, gin and bourbon.

 Passion Colada:  The addition of passion fruit concentrate to this blend of pineapple and coconut elevates the traditional Pina Colada to new heights while partnering attractively with rum, spiced rum, bourbon and vodka.

 Mojito:  This refreshing spearmint and lime blend provides an easy, no-muddle solution to making the classic Cuban cocktail and saves time behind the bar. Mojito partners well with rum and cachaca.

 Classic Sweet & Sour:  This lime and sugar combination offers the ideal base for iconic cocktails and twists on the classics. This versatile blend combines pleasingly with tequila, vodka, bourbon and gin.

 Rum Runner:  This classic cocktail flavor has been updated for easy execution with banana and blackberry flavors combining to provide the foundation for the classic Rum Runner.  The blend partners deliciously with rum, spiced rum, vodka, cachaca and tequila.

 Red Sangria: Inspired by the traditional punch of Spain and Portugal, this fruit-based mix is ideal for pitchers of red wine and allows a restaurant to serve Sangria immediately, rather than waiting for the flavors to meld.

 White Sangria:  A lighter take on the traditional punch of Spain and Portugal, this citrus-based mix is ideal for pitchers of white wine and enables immediate serving of this refreshing drink.

The new Beverage Artistry premium beverage bases are available for bar professionals and foodservice.  Packed in convenient frozen, 32 fluid ounce (quart) gable top units, with six units per case, the product can be stored frozen for up to two years.  Once thawed, the product keeps refrigerated for 14-21 days at 36-40 degrees F. Beverage Artistry is distributed in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.  For on-line consumers, Beverage Artistry is available on The Perfect Puree website. The online purchase price is $25.00 per 32 fluid ounce carton plus shipping.  For more information and recipes, please visit: www.perfectpuree.com.

About The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley

The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley is the leading U.S. producer of premium fruit and vegetable purees.  Since 1988, The Perfect Puree, through its Culinary Traditions line, has introduced more than thirty exceptional flavors, ranging from the staple raspberry, strawberry and banana to the exotic lychee, passion fruit and pink guava. The fruits are harvested at the peak of season, pureed and packed frozen to maintain the ultimate in fresh flavor and color.

The Perfect Puree sells primarily to high-end restaurants, bars, hotels and cruise lines. In 2008, The Perfect Puree launched eight flavors into specialty retail markets.  In April 2009, the company launched Beverage Artistry, a line of premium, ready to use beverage bases specifically formulated for beverage use.  The high impact flavor profiles can be used with spirits, wine, Champagne or as a base for non-alcoholic offerings.

I’ve been talking about this for a long time and I finally got all the parts I needed to show off a fairly extensive bar tools episode. We’ll bust through some fairly desired and needed bar tools like the cocktail shaker to the swizzle stick, zester, lime squeeze, sodastream carbonator, strainers, jiggers and all the other fun stuff you can find for cocktail making.

Not all is required, but I tried to find a bunch of stuff to show off so you had an idea of what was out there on the market. Check out UberBarTools for some of the products seen in this show. Also, checkout the SodaStream to carbonate your own beverages as home.

A fairly simple idea behind this cocktail, we’re really talking about midori and orange juice but we’re kicking up the notches with some vodka. This is probably the most delicious way to drink orange juice all while making the cocktail a nice shade of green, a good St. Patrick’s Day suggestion? Probably!

We’re creating the Blood Winter cocktail, which is a jäger cocktail with equal parts peppermint schnapps–what?! Yep, jager and peppermint and it’s all you thought it could be and more.

Of course, we’re also filling it with cranberry juice to get some darker fruity structure with good color.

Today we’re tasting five different styles of vodka looking for a few specific features: quality and price. We tried to grab a few brands from each category of quality spirit. For the low-cost effective vodka fans (probably the majority) we’re putting Tito’s Vodka up against its closest competitor, in our minds, Smirnoff. We’re pitting them with Absolut and Grey Goose a few big marketed brands and Christiania which is a higher end brand here in the United States that’s probably cheaper and more prevalent in Europe.

We know the Europeans are watching and wanted to get a few brands they’d have access to purchasing (we know Tito’s won’t be found). However, these brands are all going up against the more “American Standards” of vodka which tend to be that of clear, crisp and very little flavor to the spirit. The idea that you want to distill them down so they hide extremely well in cocktails and such.

For those vodka-belt viewers, try not to cringe!

We’re taste testing our gin spirits against the tom collins cocktail. The four gin brands include g’vine, martin miller, tanqueray and bombay sapphire; will they change the cocktails taste and will the one we loved best “neat” taste best in a cocktail?

A minty cocktail for Sunday–we’re making a shooter that takes like an after dinner mint known as the After 8. This can be served at any time, but an after dinner cocktail of this cocktail is a pretty fine after dinner shooter. Have you ever had the chance to taste an after 8 mint cookie?

While we’ve never met Satan, here are his whiskers! Not sure where the name arrived from but this is a gin-style cocktail with both sweet and dry vermouth and a bit of grand marnier (yes, the recipe notes spelled it wrong).

Got beer?

Caramel Bailey’s Irish Cream is put to the test in this cocktail of chocolately proportions. We’re mixing a cocktail that will remind you of a sweet and smooth creamy chocolate bar. The tastes reflect its ingredients well and each ingredient compliments the next.

Sweet candy cocktail with a bright and cheery color. We’re talking a rainbow of flavors from pineapple to orange, to muted vanilla and a big butterscotch attack (and scent). Very intense in flavor and color; a definite must try for those that have pineapple vodka on hand.

Regardless, checkout our contest: answer us a few questions and you’re entered to win a Party Paddle.

• Would you like to see a Common Man Cocktail book, “teaching ya how to drink”? What would you think is a fair price? I’ve found the non-color versions are much cheaper (over 75%) than using a color version.
• Anyone interested in DVD sets of the shows?
• T-Shirt ideas? We’ve got a few, would love to know more.

This is a five year aged tequila in brand new American oak barrels so I’m not expecting to smell or taste any whiskey or cognac flavors but what do I know? It’s time to put it to the test!

The nose is that of brown sugar with a very fresh muted pineapple flavor and a slight vanilla bean. You can dive your nose right into the glass and get almost no hints of strong alcohols, much different than the El Gran Jubileo Blanco. The nose just gives me a nice warm and tender flavor with no single aroma dominating the party.

The taste is an entirely different experience. The attack is warm and inviting sweet vanilla with a great smooth viscosity. As I swirl it around my mouth I’m revisited with the brown sugar sweetness followed by a very light black pepper spice and a numbing on the tip of the tongue.  Much like the aroma, no single flavor jumps out at me, requiring me to play games with this añejo to look for the unique flavors with my eyes closed. It took many sips to pick out the butter, oak, lime and the most unique of profiles… butterscotch.

The butterscotch arrives in the finish, often times after exhaling. While we’re not talking schnapps intensity of butterscotch this definitely draws from a different pool of añejo experiences. I’ve had caramel intensities, spicy white peppers and rich agave and pineapples but nothing with butterscotch before! I believe this flavor arrives from the fresh oak flavors, which usually pop out as buttery smooth combined with the sweetness of this spirit.

El Gran Jubileo Añejo is a great after-dinner sipping spirit. If given the option between this and a Grand Marnier, I’d choose the slightly sweeter style of this Añejo because it offers more than an orange flavored cognac. Now, is it worth USD $64.99? I’d be hesitant as a consumer who’s never had the spirit before because of the expanding selection of Tequila’s on the shelf, but the cost is definitely worth the unique experience if just once, especially for those that find my tasting notes desirable in a tequila.

Overall, think sweeter brown sugars, butters and muted spice and you’re focusing on some of the fine features of the El Gran Jubileo Añejo. It doesn’t have the salty agave intensity I’m used to seeing in an aged Tequila but often times I yearn for someone doing something different with Tequila. There are so many brands, how else should one brand make their mark?

We’re fooling around with a SKYY Vodka Infusion, pineapple flavored vodka. The Banana Night Martini will have a slight hint of banana but overall we’re hitting the pineapple hard with a mingling of sweet raspberries from our raspberry vodka. Oddly enough, the name suggests much more banana than you’ll find in this cocktail using some off-the-shelf banana liqueurs.

We’re also not sure where the “night” comes into the cocktail…

Based on the “deliberately simple” description, I’m fairly impressed with El Gran Jubileo Blanco’s nose because it smells of white pepper and pineapple. Dipping my nose in deeper reveals a fairly intense alcoholic burn, this blanco is definitely showing its purity as its not aged long enough or in any wood to assist it in adopting caramel or sweeter flavors. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a silver style tequila: true agave.

Initial tasting brings me something you just don’t always get in a silver tequila: fire and spice. The mouth-feel is very smooth and the black pepper starts early on the palate and climbs its way down your tongue. Of course, wrapped in this black pepper are the warm agave notes with tickles of fiery alcohols. I love the smoothness in the liquid and the spicy attack really makes me yearn for some flavorful salsa, sour cream and salty nachos. Definitely some salty nachos.

The finish is crisp and lasts about thirty seconds–not too long. However, the spicy lingering lasts just long enough to appreciate it without being overbearing. I’m left with essences of ripe pineapple skins and black pepper but nothing overly spicy.

Overall, El Gran Jubileo is not a weak little tequila. We’re talking about a brand that is going to wake you up fast and hit you in the face with hits spicy power and big agave flavors. Is it simple and not overly complex? Probably. You’re not getting too much outside of the spice and agave but that’s really the story a blanco tequila should be telling anyway.

The best part? A suggested retail price of USD $31.99, imported by Central Texas Spirits. You can find some fairly good blanco tequila’s between USD $24 and USD $40 in the United States but this tequila shoots more for the low cost spirit with a black pepper punch.

Today we’re looking at a few select brands of gin that run the price range from USD $16 all the way to USD $45. The gin brands include: G’Vine Nouaison, Martin Miller, Tanqueray and Bombay Sapphire. A taste of the London Dry!

This week we’ve picked a little valentines number that is sure to please your palate. While not exactly pink and exciting in that direction, it’s definitely a cute little shooter for your Sunday. This recipe was build from an original cocktail recipe, in a smaller glass. You can always make a big ol’ glass of them.

Of course, you can also load them up in a Party Paddle as we did!

Today we’re putting our orange liqueur cocktails to the test with the Orange Bomb cocktail. We picked this cocktail because it’s not simply one ingredient yet it’s not overpowered with too many spirits. The orange liqueur’s being tasted include: Senior Curacao of Curacao, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Patron Citronage and Combier Orange Liqueur.

Orange Bomb Cocktail

A dry champagne cocktail with slightly sweet hints of cherry. Expect some orange fruit with a potent attack and a slightly sweet off-dry cherry finish. Something a bit sexy for Valentine’s Day in terms of cocktails, with champagne to kick off the celebration.

The carbonation tickles your tongue and who doesn’t want that on Valentine’s Day?

You know what really makes a guys day when he’s had a rough one (which I have)? Getting this in my inbox a few minutes ago, a fan video of the Incredible Hulk Cocktail that we created on Common Man Cocktails awhile back. Nothing can be more flattering, nothing!

A huge thanks to wreckermaster13 on youtube for this!

Here is our original:

I believe the only 100% guaranteed method of safety when drinking is to call a cab or ask to sleep on the couch. However, the second best idea is to test yourself ahead of time with a breath tester such as the Arrive Alive Alcohol Breath Tester. We got our hands on a few of them to give them the trial and we did just that!

The product consists of a balloon-like device and a breath tester component that you attach to the balloon after filling the balloon with your breath. Quite simple to use, you breathe into the balloon then press the edges of the air tester together to trigger the chemical effect needed to “test” the air. Once you trigger the tester you plug the blue-end into the blue-tip on the balloon and push out the air through the little gauge.

As the air rushes over the chemicals in the tester it will begin to change color. The little white gauge inside changes color as it reacts to the alcohol on your breath. If the color change exceeds a length of the tester (measured by a black bar on the device) then you’re not in any good condition to drive.

The product is disposable, once you’ve used it, you just toss it in the garbage and go about your business. The all-in-one disposable design helps keep the price down to something a bit more realistic, giving you a 30-pack of testers for USD $74.99 which is about $90 to $125 less than a hard-bodied reusable device. However, even the reusable devices have a mouth-piece that requires replacements which can run you USD $30 or more for a new pack of testers.

Over the course of the last six months we were able to go through a pack of five of the Arrive Alive testers and that includes showing friends and family the neat-factor to the device. If you find yourself utilizing the products frequently and begin blowing through the 30-pack it may be time to consider a healthier way to pass your free time, your liver isn’t immortal!

Overall, the product proved its usefulness. Although we were never making the decision to leave our house, the goal of the testing was to see how we felt when blowing into it. A mild buzz resulted in a passing grade, albiet barely, while a couple beers resulted in almost no discoloration of the gauge at all. One night of five cocktails left us with full colored bars telling us that driving was far out of the question!

The only major issue I can see with the Arrive Alive product is its directions and need to activate the gauge before squeezing the balloon into it. If you’re extremely drunk, reading and following the directions can be a challenge; even plugging the blue color tip into the blue colored hole on the ballon could get difficult. However, if you’re having trouble understanding how to activate the device then it’s already done its job, correct? You shouldn’t be driving if you can’t read a four step process!

The price may make me hesitate but that’s because I don’t find myself in situations questioning my state of mind from drinking anymore (college days are gone.) However, if you’ve recently sent a child away to college this may be a great way to keep them safe and allow them to truly understand their own physical tolerance. Sure, you don’t want them to go drinking, especially underage, but kids do what kids want to do and keeping them safe is always in our best interest as parents.

The Arrive Alive device is neat, can be fun and may save a life. Consider its results a guide to making good decisions as this is not standardized in all regions of the world. As the bag states: “The Arrive Alive Alcohol BreathTester does not replace standard field sobriety tests used in the field today. Arrive Alive we provide officers with a reliable, easy-to-use tool in determining probable cause.” It’s always a great general rule to plan ahead when you know drinking could get out of control.

Checkout their website for product specifications and store.

The Martian Orgasm cocktail is heavy on the Midori, so much so that we’ve run out! Don’t worry, we ran out and bought more after the taping. We’ll add a bit of peach schnapps to really “sweeten” the drink up again and add a bit of vodka just to push up the insane factor.

Also, stay tuned for our giveaway of the Party Paddle.

We’re adopting a southern recipe this week: the Texas Tea. Okay, the origins probably do not lie in the area of Texas as this is yet another “tea” style recipe that no doubt branched off of the Long Island Iced Tea. The big difference in this cocktail is the inclusion of Bourbon as a spirit. Bourbon brings its own flavor and finish to the drink making this a cocktail all its own.

You don’t have to be from Texas to enjoy the potent flavors of the Texas Tea Recipe.

That’s correct, a portable and inflatable beer pong table with built-in cup holders to keep your beer pong cups stable during rough game play… waves. The table is fairly long in size at six feet and is designed to hold up to a 20 oz. cup, I tested it with my ReRack cups and they fit very snug–almost didn’t fit but you can get them in without too much pressure.

It took approximately four minutes to inflate for the first time using a very low-end basic air pump I purchased at Wal-Mart. Yes, you’ll want to have a pump handy because this is a thick durable inflatable material and not even all my hot air will fill this product.

They’ve thought of everything, it’s heavy enough to take some incoming damage from crazy beer pong players and contains an additional beer pong cup hold off to the side of the “game board” for rinsing the ping pong ball. You can hang your portOpong from a tree or tent using the rings (grommets) built into the side of the material, so you can take it camping with you as well. You can buy a variety of colors such as pink ones or white ones if you’re not into the blue portOpong I’m reviewing.

As for practicality? If you’re in the market for a beer pong table or a gift for someone hitting 21 (or any age above that!) then practicality really isn’t part of the equation. Of course, it deflates for easy storage so you won’t have to work hard to find a place to put it during the off-season. I’m really looking forward to using it at some parties at a friends house during the summer months if they don’t mind a little spilled beer in the pool!

The portOpong will cost you $49.99 at regular price at portopong.com. I see a sale going on right now at Frattoys.com for $44.99 if you’re looking to save a little green and have a special someone that needs a portable pong table. Of course, you can always treat yourself to one if you’re a big beer pong player.

The only major downfall is the powered air pump that you’ll have to buy separately. However, given the fact that this would raise the cost of the product when many people already own such pumps makes it a very small issue. You can also try saving money by buying lower-end models as I did.

I imagine you can also use the portOpong to save your bacon in case of a water landing, with plenty of beer to keep your thirst quenched while you wait for help to arrive! I kid…

We’re adopting a southern recipe this week: the Texas Tea. Okay, the origins probably do not lie in the area of Texas as this is yet another “tea” style recipe that no doubt branched off of the Long Island Iced Tea. The big difference in this cocktail is the inclusion of Bourbon as a spirit. Bourbon brings its own flavor and finish to the drink making this a cocktail all its own.

You don’t have to be from Texas to enjoy the potent flavors of the Texas Tea Recipe.

Tongue Tied
1.5 oz. X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
1.5 oz. SKYY Infusions Cherry
Splash of Grenadine

Shake X-Rated and SKYY Infusions Cherry over ice. Strain into a martini
glass. Slowly add a dash of Grenadine so that it sinks to the bottom.
Garnish with a cherry with a knotted stem.

Hopeless RomantiX
1.5 oz. X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
2 oz. Prosecco or Champagne
0.25 oz. Lemon Juice
0.25 oz. Orange
0.25 oz. Pineapple

Muddle pineapple, orange and lemon. Add prosecco and X-Rated Fusion
Liqueur. Strain and serve in a highball glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

X-Rated Passion
2 oz. X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
2 oz. SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit
Splash of Club Soda

Serve on the rocks and garnish with a lime.

Love EliXir
1 oz. X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
1.5 oz. SKYY Vodka
1 oz. Orange Juice
1 oz. Pineapple Juice
0.5 oz. Grenadine

Serve on the rocks and garnish with a lemon twist.

Hopefully your Valentine’s Day goes great and you get a chance to really bust out some great red cocktails, stay tuned for a champagne style cocktail video this upcoming Friday, just in time for Valentine’s Day cocktails!

There is no doubt, orange liqueurs help build some of the best cocktails on the planet. In order to find the best orange liqueur in the top-tier and mid-tier price point we’re tasting five unique brands: Senior Curacao of Curacao, Patron Citronage, Grand Marnier, Cointreau and Combier Orange Liqueurs.

This orange liqueur episode was fun, eye opening and covers a lot of awesome brands.

We’re putting the bourbon whiskey to the test, utilizing the brands in the famous Whiskey Sour cocktail. We’re making four cocktails, one with each brand of bourbon: Buffalo Trace, Marker’s Mark, Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek kentucky bourbon.

What’s your favorite bourbon?

Here is our recipe:

• 2 oz. Whiskey
• 1 oz. Lemon Juice
• 1 oz. Simple Syrup
• 2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters
• Garnish with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry

Mix all ingredients in an iced shaker and strain into an iced rocks glass and garnish with a slice of orange and maraschino cherry.

This fun little shooter tastes a bit like a sweet hazelnut coffee with a nice nutty flavor. Perhaps good as an after dinner shooter if that’s your thing. Each ingredient has its own distinct quality from Kahlua to Creme de Cacao, you’ll have to try the shooter to find them all!

Also, checkout the cool shot glasses we got from Frattoys.com, we’ve been trying for months to find someone to send us some of these! A good conversation starter at parties.

A creamy textured cocktail with great pineapple structure. The Pineapple Bomber is like its own unique brand of alcohols in flavor style, while warm and inviting (in a cold way) the cocktail brings its own unique style and grace to the collins glass without tasting like any one spirit.

Sure, you’ll get some flavors of nuts and a hint of spice but you cannot specifically pick out any one spirit which makes this a winner in our book! Well crafted.

After pouring, the Semental Añejo Tequila is definitely holding a great dark color, almost like a clear apple cider. The color is inviting and rich like its nose from afar, so it’s only appropriate to dig my own nose into the glass! Up close, there is a thick spice with a warm burning sensation throughout my nasal passages. Salty white pepper and dried tropical fruit essences. I believe there is even a bit of a chocolate hint in the nose, nice.

Semental Anejo Tequila reminds me much of a cognac or brandy, a subtle sweet darker french oak style play on tequila. The taste is warm, inviting with hints of white pepper, lime and a neat acidic finish. The texture is smooth and subtle while the finish does bring some heat on the palate the elegant scents that rise into your nose on the sip brings it all around to a full bodied flavorful experience.

The finish reminds me of a cream soda, vanilla with a mix of cocoa beans and agave. It lingers nicely on the palate and allows you to continue to appreciate its livelihood.

The Semental Añejo Tequila will cost you roughly USD $59.00 at retail and it’s actually very much worth the cost. When the product arrived I took a short sip and found it a bit light with little flavor, but then when I sat down with a proper sipping glass and let it breath for a minute the experience changed . This tequila sets a mood, brings new excitement and makes you recall why you love to taste well crafted products–no doubt.

The cocktail of champions, the Sandstrom cocktail is like a beautiful pink lemonade with lime and lemon/lime soda. It’s sweet but keeps a nice strong acidity to help cut through the sweetness and bring a more complex cocktail to life.

This slightly sweeter cocktail may be a great introductory cocktail as well as a nice after dinner cocktail that brings a bit of that coffee-like attitude in a sweeter sundae style alternative to ice cream. While it brings a dessert quality it doesn’t use juices, sugars or sweetners to get to the end result.

Although, some might say butterscotch schnapps is a dessert all its own.

In this episode we will blind taste four bourbon whiskeys: Buffalo Trace, Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve and Maker’s Mark to find the best kentucky bourbon whiskey. Of course, there are many bourbons missing from our tasting and that is okay, because we can buy more and taste them along with whoever we find “the best” in this blind tasting.

Midori makes a return today (but not all week) for the Green Eyes Cocktail. This cocktail brings more of a sour bite than we typically seem to be making (not on purpose). The taste is deliciously sour, it won’t tear your face off with sours but it will nip at your tender cheek loins.

Great little cocktail, nice color and presentation.

You gotta love the novelty shooter that tastes like a food stuff. This time, we’re baking a carrot cake in a shot glass. Mixing a bit of coffee liqueur with butterscotch, irish cream and cinnamon schnapps. What does it taste like? What do you think!?

Everyone, I believe, is a bit skeptical when it comes to hangover cures. Perhaps it’s the word “cure” that makes us skeptics since there is very few “cures” that do as they suggest.  The only cure to a hangover I’ve used and seen used is the recipe of “lots of water” before bed to rehydrate your body. However, sometimes that’s just not enough. Granted, it’s always a good idea to consume water to hydrate your body, but it doesn’t always do the trick when you wake up with a headache. You don’t need to be drunk to consume water, I suggest you do it everyday!

The Hangover Cure, thus far, has been very successful in killing off any hangovers in the folks I had test the product. Nobody has woken up the next day with a hangover and I’ve seen them days after a hard night of drinking and they’re a wreck. So, the product works as advertised regardless to my skepticism. Of course, the best way to beat a hangover is not to drink to excess but, let’s be honest, everyone makes a bad decision every now and again.

What is the magic in the little test tube?

It’s fairly straight forward, the bottle contains lots of essentials vitamins and “healthy stuff” your body loses when alcohol comes into the party. I don’t claim to be a scientist but it seems pretty straight forward: pack your body full of the stuff that was taken from it. You mix the product with a glass of water (duh!) and take it before bed. This gives your body a chance to rebuilt the essentials it lost in the late night party.

The downside? It might not be the most tasty think you’ve had that night. When my brother tried it he said it tasted pretty bad but he woke up without a hangover. This isn’t too surprising as everything I’ve had that has been good for me in a form of a cure has always tasted less than awesome. The only other big hangup to taking The Hangover Cure is remembering to take it before bed and knowing you need to mix it in a big ol’ glass of water. Not extremely aggressive instructions but when you’ve been drinking you’re at a severe disadvantage to common sense.

The lesson is simple, if you’re planning a long night of aggressive partying (say, a bachelor party) I highly suggest you take along a few bottles of The Hangover Cure for you and your closest friends. Even skeptics will have to admit, what do you have to lose?

You can buy vials in sets of six for USD $19.99 or ten for USD $29.99. The cost isn’t cheap but when you add up how much you probably spent on beers and cocktails at the bar it’s not a bad deal.

We know which rum was our favorite from last episode, but we don’t know which one tastes the best in a cocktail. Presumably the cocktail that tasted best when tested straight should be the winner, right?

After all, the best spirits make the best ingredients for a cocktail. Of course, all of these coconut rums are good, we are just looking for the one that is the tastiest! Once again we’re bringing Parrot Bay, Cruzan, Don Q and Malibu coconut rums together in a competitive cocktail competition.

The Surf Rider Recipe:

• 1 ½ oz. Coconut Rum
• 1/3 oz. Pineapple Juice
• Splash of Cranberry juice

Mix all ingredients in an iced shaker and shake for 10-seconds, strain into an iced rocks glass and serve.

Oh yeah, Tequila. We’re making a cocktail with añejo tequila this week. This is a very complex little cocktail with creme de cacao, chambord and some heavy cream. While this cocktail is great for tequila fans, the complexity and maturity of the añejo really makes this a fun drink for a wide audience (especially those that like more mature whiskey and scotches).

If you don’t have añejo, try it with what you’ve got and let us know.

We’re test driving a new form of vodka today, sweet tea vodka. We’re taking one of the recipes from Jeremiah Weed and putting it to to the test, mainly because it also included Bourbon. It’s a full new day, we’ve never had Knob Creek bourbon before and picked that up at the store as well (to use in an upcoming tasting on AlcoholsbyVolume).

We’re test driving a new form of vodka today, sweet tea vodka. We’re taking one of the recipes from Jeremiah Weed and putting it to to the test, mainly because it also included Bourbon. It’s a full new day, we’ve never had Knob Creek bourbon before and picked that up at the store as well (to use in an upcoming tasting on AlcoholsbyVolume).

We’re tasting coconut rums this week. We’ve got Cruzan, Malibu, Parrot Bay and Don Q coconut rums. What’s your favorite? What cocktails do you create with it? Don’t forget to checkout the show now showing at AlcoholsByVolume.com.

The Bravo Cocktail is fully of juicy flavors from orange juice to apple schnapps. For potency we’re using some flor de caña light rum and a bit of christiania vodka finished with some creme de banane (banana liqueur). This is a good example of an island cocktail with lots of fruit flavors.

Simply sweet, banana with tequila. Tequila fan’s rejoice as we bring a new twist to an old spirit. The shooter arrives with nice yellow looks with lots of brightness. Perfect for those experimenting with different tequila recipes.

The Żubrówka Bianco is a cocktail that reminds me of a warm apple pie baking in the oven. This cocktail tastes like warm apple pie smells without the sweetness of cinnamon. The finish is slightly dry and brings a nice classy look to your hand while holding the cocktail.

A great cocktail to try if you get your hands on some Bison Grass, also known as Żubrówka.

The original cocktail name has been protected to save grief from our distribution channels. The “Flying Pud Rubber” renamed from the original “Flying Masturbator” recipe is much better than the name describes. The cocktail is very much a creamsicle flavor as it brings amaretto and vodka together with a juicy orange juice and a tangy cranberry juice.

This is a slightly sweeter cocktail that would make a great dessert drink or all around good time.

A cocktail with nice sweet flavors which brings up the class of standard soda. Parappa The Drunk Rappa, as the name goes, is a Cherry Coke based recipe with bacardi 151 (ouch!), Southern Comfort and some Amaretto. This cocktail brings great flavor to an otherwise standard tasting soda.

We’re using Cherry Coke Zero because we’re in love with it. What’s your favorite soda?

Tequila Semental Reposado has a pale gold color, mimicking that of a Chardonnay, a lightly golden apple juice. Like its little baby brother, the Silver, this glass radiates the essence of agave across the room with its aroma. Strong white pepper, salty brines, pineapples and the flavors of agave fill the air around me in Tequila Semental Reposado.

Dipping my nose deeper in the glass gives me the impact of potent alcohols and agave mingled together in some loving embrace. Okay, I embellish… time to drink.

Initial impressions on Tequila Semental Reposado: thick viscosity on the palate. Very sexy silk like textures. Then, I’m hit with a creamy oak like flavor that attacks like a sweeter bourbon but laced in spicy white pepper. The mid-palate attack is fierce and potent with a burning sensation of hot agave and the alcohols rise into the nasal passages and warm the mouth with a sweet burn. The aftertaste of ripe pineapple lingers for minutes and the numbing of the tongue persists for thirty seconds or more.

This is definitely a spicy little tequila, the fifth sip continues to bring the potent pepper even as my palate gains a higher tolerance to the slight alcohols. When it comes to selecting a tequila, Semental Reposado will bring a nice spicy pleasure to your palate. If you’re looking for a spirit that will make a warming margarita or sip nicely with a mildly spicy burrito or enchilada this is the spirit for you. The slightly acidic finish should help cut through some great meals and really bring a new invigorating appeal to food.

Sometimes the best part of Tuesday’s show is to just get crazy and make silly stupid cocktails. This Tuesday is such a day, it’s always crazy to pull out the beer cocktail but we’re doing it again. This beer cocktail has peppermint schnapps, vodka, tequila and southern comfort… now do you see what it’s crazy?

If you like the peppermint taste and you like beer, this cocktail is a must try.

Delightful honey and nut mingled with a vanilla orange delight, the Honey Pot Shot is the epicenter of happiness on this Sunday night. You’ll find a super sweet flavor, potent punch and the perfect blend of warming ingredients.

Why would you want to try this? Why wouldn’t you!?

The Illusion cocktail has a fabulous color using some basic alcohols each having their own cool coloring. You’ll get a nice slightly sweet cocktail with hints of midori but nothing screaming “melon” in this drink. The finish is slightly hot (presumably from the alcohols) and ends with a neat coconut finish.

Does anyone get any hints of pineapple in this drink?

We’re rimming our cocktail with salt today, something we’ve not done too often. The Green Iguana shows off some grace and style with its bright green, salt rimmed cocktail glass. The salt helps bring down the sweetness from the midori while bringing the flavors of a margarita married with a midori sour.

We’re kicking it Shochu style with the Far East cocktail. This cocktail continues our exploration into the workings of Midori along with the smooth textures and flavors of Shochu. The color is wonderful, great presentation and taste all in one cocktail–perfect.

Do we need a niche product like a protein infused vodka? Technically, the best diet for working out would not contain alcohol but everyone likes to break away and party every now and again, right? I’m not a work-out type of person and my schedule is a bit busy for that lifestyle right now. I respect it, but I don’t see it happening to me.. I jumped into this review asking myself, “would I specifically buy a protein infused vodka because of the protein?” My answer: no.

But, it doesn’t end there. That’s too easy.

I’ve had my share of vodka’s to review and most have the very same properties: clear, clean, tasteless and fully complete with explosive ethanol finish. With those properties, I always look for the best vodka for my money since I’m not getting any taste with my spirit. Devotion Vodka stands out in more ways than protein infusion–it stands out in unique taste as well. What Devotion brings to the table is something with flavor that isn’t itself “flavored.” This vodka has a huge smoothness to it, a medium bodied thickness almost mimicking that of a reposado tequila with a finish that reminds me of Saké.

My first sip was warm and inviting; the first vision I had in my head was that of a clear saké (as opposed to the cloudy variant.) The finish was very clean and crisp with a mild burn that mainly targets the flat of the tongue and leaves behind this starch-like rice flavoring.  Devotion Vodka has a unique scent as well, a chalky sweet cocoa powder.

I understand Devotion’s idea of creating a niche for their vodka brand to really stand out as a unique product all wrapped in a USD $29.99 price tag. We’ve got thousands of flavored vodka’s and “five-time distilled” vodka’s but we’ve got very few that have a stand-out flavor that can be called its own. In a tasting competition there is no doubt you’ll be able to find the Devotion Vodka brand. While the price may be a bit high, when buying online, Devotion Vodka isn’t much more expensive than the highly marketed brand all while bringing an actual drinking experience unique to its label.

My hopes for Devotion in the future is that they find a way to not only focus on the protein infusion aspect, but force the point: this is a vodka with flavor that isn’t flavored.

The White Russian is a great foundation for cocktail building experiences. In many ways, the White Russian may start people’s adventure into cocktail making as it contains three basic ingredients and builds your confidence for more complex cocktails. We’re sure fans of the movie The Big Lebowski will agree, this is a widely known cocktail recipe with popular acceptance among cocktail fans and those that really don’t follow the cocktail scene.

It’s an age old cocktail with a tasty flavor with an alcohol punch.

A unique tasting experience that may make new fans of jagermeister and bourbon. The homemade sweet/sour recipe gives a nice flavor with good sours and sweets that taste as natural as they are! We’re building this slightly different than the recipe says, but that’s okay, do what you love.

This is a recipe worth checking out if you like either of the core ingredients in this cocktail.

Every now and again there is a drink that comes along that is way to easy to finish. You’ll probably find yourself having seconds and thirds before your good judgment kicks in. The Old Kungaloosh is such a drink, it’s sweet and inviting and asks you to stay around and chat like a friendly neighborhood friend.

And, it tastes good too.

You can test this drink up against a real lava lamp, which do you think will taste better? No, seriously, this is a very nice drink for those that like the sweeter-style cocktails and want some tropical sensations to end off the day.

As the usual, pineapple and coconut mix well together even if the spiced rum isn’t really dominating the party.

Not quite a holiday cocktail, this drink brings the essence of winter to the forefront. Honestly, I’ll be glad to see winter leave but while it’s here we might as well do a few cocktails that reflect the season. This is a play on the “Jack Frost” recipe in Manhattan form, keeping fairly classic in nature while bringing a bit of peppermint to the scene.

The notes of sweet pineapple, white pepper, rich vanilla bean and spices hit the nose from almost a foot away from the glass. Definitely heavy on sweet with a small hint of saltiness. This intense sweetness really masks any alcohol burn in the nasal passages, which can be common when you really dip your nose into a glass of most spirits but not with Semental; I don’t get alcohols on the nose.

The taste is light and fluffy, not extremely thick and has an intense front-end sweetness that crawls to the middle of the tongue and into the finish leaving a slight burning sensation. The mid-palate has a bit of spicy vanilla notes but does not have the sea-salt like taste in the initial nosing. The aftertaste reminds me of a mexican dish, perhaps with a dash of lime juice and dried fruits.

I consider this a great dynamic tequila that would work well as an introductory sipping tequila while offering huge flavor impact to a cocktail that calls for a silver. First, the flavors are not muted or dull, thus allowing them to arise outside the confines of a cocktail heavy with juices and other potent alcohols. Secondly, the flavors presented in Semental allow new tequila drinkers to understand the true diversity and sweetness of a quality tequila.

Of course, tequila enthusiasts will love the sweet scents vanillas and often-found spicy white pepper. An avid drinker may find the finish disappears too quickly on the palate or tends to be a bit lighter in mouth-feel compared to a few other quality tequilas of slightly higher price point. Of course, arriving at a suggested retail price of USD $39.99 is a very good deal when you compare it to the over-marketed over-hyped brands that pride themselves on lack of flavor–tequila’s that I believe ruin the history and integrity of a good blanco.

In my opinion, Semental provides drinkers with one message in its spirit: “You don’t have to be a tasteless and scentless tequila anymore. It’s time to grow up and see what tequila is all about.”

If anything, we hope that you were entertained by the showing and we look forward to a bigger 2010. From a cocktail standpoint, we learned a lot about making some great cocktail recipes while experiencing new tastes and flavors throughout the year. As the economy slowly bounces back we’re hoping even more companies spring up to show off some great cocktail accessories, spirits and great information.

We can’t wait for the warm weather to arrive! Until then, we’ll keep pressing on with some cool cocktails, warm spirits and great fun!

Layered shooters are always a good time, this pousse-cafe cocktail layers a mixture of hpnotiq and blue curacao (both blue) with jagermeister. It’s like a tropical fruit storm of herbs in your mouth.

And, if that doesn’t convince you, checkout the presentation both fine cut layers and crazy contrast.

Remember the summertime? For those not enjoying summer right now, we’ve got our memories of warmer times. To help remember those great times, we’ve got the suntan lotion. Oddly enough, this cocktail tastes really good if not too much like that of suntan lotion.

It’s another novelty cocktail with flavors that will make you giggle.

We’re pulling out the Don Q Limón Rum with some champagne and blue curacao. If you’re thinking about serving champagne for the evening festivities perhaps adding some fancy blue will impress the guests. This can be a good drink to get you through the start of 2010.

You’ll find this recipe a quick-to-make cocktail to bust out for New Years Eve festivities. It’s got great color, a nice gin taste with just a hint of sweetness. This cocktail contains a good gin power with the citrus flavor of sprite all while maintaining a cool blue coloring.

We’re busting out a crazy recipe for our first recipe of the week: Tokyo Tea. This cocktail has a bunch of different spirits, much like the Long Island Ice Tea, but with midori. The midori brings a good deal of sweetness to a cocktail that usually has very little.

This shooter tastes like the white part of the peppermint patty, the tasty bits of the candy. Fans of the patty will no doubt love this drink as it brings all the flavornoids right the the front of your tongue in a dancing delight.

Perhaps this would make a great after dinner shooter?

Merry Christmas! Today we’re relaxing with some lemonade, but not simple lemonade…eco-aid. This is a VeeV recipe which infuses Açaí flavors with the fun sweetly sour lemonade. Using a bit of cranberry juice to color, you can make this drink as light pink to dark red as you choose.

Merry Christmas Eve! It’s not Christmas Eve without a Christmas Cosmopolitan and you’ll need some standard spirits to build this one: cointreau, cranberry juice, a bit of fresh lime juice and vodka. Expect to see our next show out a bit early due to the holiday festivities (since we’ve got kids) and we’ll be a bit busy.

It’s Toddy Time! We’re building out an italian variant to the toddy, where using some CC (canadian club) whiskey and bringing in an italian herbal liqueur: Averna. Drip some honey, hot water and freshly squeezed orange juice and you’re done.

Another egg-based cocktail, we’re mixing it up with an egg yolk, brandy and coffee liqueur. This time we’re adding the simple syrup to sweeten the beverage. You’ll get a dark and medium-thick cocktail with its heritage born of coffee and cool.

Counting down the days to Christmas, December 25th is coming up close and nothing reminds our family of Christmas more than a good Candy Cane. While I often sit down with a cup of eggnog, a Candy Cane is always a welcome snack when walking by the tree (yes, we hang them on the tree).

Having a rough day? Perhaps the Candy Cane Shooter will change that up with a little bit of relief.

Irish Coffee, is this how they drink it in Ireland? Probably not, but we’re drinking it that way. This is our restaurant style (look) to the Irish coffee using some brown sugar and Michael Collins Irish Whiskey Blend.

You like whiskey and coffee? Hot coffee seems to really bring out the whiskey flavors in a striking way.

We’ve finally got our hands on some Cachaça so it’s time to do a couple cocktails to utilize the spirit. First, we’re creating one utilizing Purista Caipirinha and the second using natural ingredients. We’ve found that viewers enjoy the tasting portion fo the show and we’re putting Purista into the mix (pun intended).

Our first eggnog recipe, this one users what I would call pre-made eggnog (since we didn’t make it). While you can mix eggs directly into the cocktail (as you’ll see later this week), it’s a long standing tradition in my family and families I know to drink eggnog during the holidays (often times non-alcoholic).

This recipe shows off some more United States tradition from a user submitted recipe that contains peppermint schnapps and goldschläger with the eggnog.

It tastes like a candy cane which is as close to this holiday season as we can get without putting an actual tree in our cocktail. Creme de Menthe with some Cherry Brandy really brings out the essence of Candy Cane with the vodka added for additional potency.

Lick a candy cane, lick this drink, does it taste the same!?

Warm and inviting, that’s today’s drink: The Disaronno Darkness. This cocktail contains all the loveliness of coffee with amaretto and cognac. It’s not a super complex design but it brings great holiday cheer. We’ve had requests for hot cocktails so here is a hot cocktail for your Friday morning, noon or night!

Nutmeg makes a seasonal cocktail shine, the Brandy Alexander has a pinch of nutmeg. Oddly enough, it also uses Cognac in the “Brandy” Alexander. We went out and got ourselves some dark cream de cacao for this cocktail and the result is a rich looking creamy drink that’s very light on the senses.

A great introductory cocktail and something that would work well if you’ve got guests coming over this holiday as it’s a good “safe drink” without too much intensity. Some folks like the idea of drinking cocktails but don’t like the “taste” of the burning ethenol present in many drinks. Here is your alternative.

It’s the “holiday season” and we’re launching our first seasonal beverage, the Blue Snowflake. It’s not a hot cocktail nor does it contain peppermint or any type of cinnamon (or nutmeg!). It does, however, look pretty cool and has a great taste and a good seasonal name so why not?

Plus, we’re launching it on the first real day of heavy snow fall here in New Hampshire.

The name says it all! Okay, we’re not sure why it’s named the White Haired Monkey besides the slight tendrils of while hair. This cocktail brings in our Spirit of the Month: Cruzan Coconut Rum with a few friends in the name of banana liqueur and milk.

Chocolate coconut coffee, if that makes you salivate then you need to click play immediately.

Republic Tequila’s Organic Añejo pours slightly gold, a bit lighter than I had expected for an Añejo but the color doesn’t always speak to the full age and maturity of the spirit. Against other Añejo’s, like our Riazul poured beside this glass, it’s still slightly lighter in color but slightly darker than their younger sister tequila Republic Tequila Reposado.

On the nose, I got some light oak mingled with agave and pineapple with a slightly sweet structure and some spicy white pepper. Some of the flavors where a bit muted but no one flavor cut through and took over the tequila’s bouquet. Even when diving my nose right into the glass I didn’t get an overall pronounced alcohol burn in the nasal passages which is nice and unexpected.

Sipping this añejo brings a light attack, medium body with a mild pineapple mid-palate and an aged oak and vanilla cream finish that ends clean and very with little burn on the throat. You do get a bit of spicy pepper as the liquid rolls around in your mouth which can be confused with a “burn” but it doesn’t have the potency to live up to a stronger over-alcohol balanced explosion of pure alcohols. This spice makes me think the añejo would pair after a nice spicy Mexican dish or perhaps bring a more dull dinner to life.

Against the Riazul, I found that most of the overall flavors where slightly muted with less to be “found” through the drinking experience. It seems you’ll get most of the experience within the first glass but that isn’t without its benefits. While tasting it I had the opportunity to share both the Riazul with a few family members that were visiting to gather their thoughts.

A great example of taste differences occurred between my wife and her sister whom both tried the añejo’s and both gave me their separate opinions without talking to each other first. My wife shared my thoughts of less potent flavors, both leaning more towards the Riazul while my sister-in-law thought Republic Tequila was the better product because of its more tame attack and clean finish.

The lesson here is that all palates are different and those that may enjoy Republic Tequila may be those that are looking for a more straight forward mature product of great quality that doesn’t leave a harsh ending. It would be unfair to call Republic Tequila Añejo an introductory aged tequila because there will be plenty of tequila fans that will be overjoyed by the experience. However, it is fair to say that new tequila drinkers will probably find its presentation suited for their palate and exceed their expectations compared to the tequila they’re used to drinking.

For my personal tastes, I was hoping for something a bit more complex with perhaps a chocolate or caramel or slightly sweeter component to the nose and taste. You’ll find Republic Tequila Organic Añejo, made from 100% Blue Agave, for sale at around the USD $46 yo USD $50 price point. You’ll find weaker less impressive brands, Patrón is a great example,  for more money than this Añejo and, if given the choice, Republic Tequila should be your spirit of choice. They go above and beyond the over-marketed brands by bringing more passionate organic feel to the tequila and less leaflets and fliers.

Tequila should stand on its own without the hype or over-the-top marketing and Republic Tequila pulls that off nicely.

Sunday is simple, today’s simple shooter only has one alcohol: vodka. Mix vodka with grenadine and milk and you’ll get a slightly sweet shooter that tastes almost like a strawberry candy. The Pink Polar Bear is light, refreshing and allots for a few shooters before you really have to worry.

A warm cocktail for your Friday drinking experience. Tequila and hot chocolate is an unlikely pair and I found it was pretty tasty while Jennifer wasn’t so impressed. You probably have to be a bigger fan of tequila to handle tequila and hot chocolate! Add some coffee liqueur and you’re on your way to warming peaceful town!