Our latest featured review is Lovoka Caramel Liqueur. Lovoka is an extremely popular South African liqueur that features a distinct bottle design that was recently launched this Spring in the U.S. and is looking to become the next big thing in the market. If you’re one for credentials, Lovoka has multiple awards under its belt already. If the professionals don’t do it for you, ask the “amateur tasters” that are raving about Lovoka at their successful launch parties and sponsored events across the nation. We got our hands on a bottle, and can’t wait to see for ourselves.

First Impression: The first thing we (the consumer) do when looking to purchase a product is we tend to judge a book by its cover. In the alcohol industry that means picking out that shiny, interestingly shaped, unique bottle off a shelf of hundreds of other bottles. The marketing/design gurus at Lovoka obviously knew what they were doing, because they created a bottle that kills three birds with one stone: catches the eye, gives it an advantage over it’s competitors, AND pays homage to it’s rich South African roots (Johannesburg). It comes packaged in an aluminum bottle that genius-ly makes it quicker to chill (they bottle suggests its best served chilled) than the traditional glass bottle, and its bold logo also incorporates the design of a tribal African mask, tipping its hat towards its Johannesburg roots. Win, win, and win. Might I add that the packaging gives an impression of an ice cold water product rather than a liquor, perfectly themed for a brand coming from Africa, known for its heat and deserts.

The Taste: After cracking this one open I was met with what could only be described as a Werther’s Original in a bottle. It’s like walking into an old school confectionery store, getting a whiff of those sugary sweets and feeling like a kid all over again. There’s heavy notes of caramel, as the branding would have you expect, but also subtle notes of vanilla and butterscotch round the nose perfectly. Once you take a sip you’ll notice two things, a sweet beginning and a smooth transition to a warm feeling in the back of your throat to remind you there’s alcohol in this one. It’s sweet, and a bit thick in texture but not overwhelming and balances the sugar with the alcohol nicely. It shares a lot of similarities to that of another African liqueur, Amarula. Likewise, it covers a few bases that made Baileys so wildly successful. The difference here, is Lovoka is not cream based which is makes it more versatile with its vodka base than the previously mentioned brands. Chilled as a shot its amazing, but when poured over ice and sipped its equally impressive. I noticed its versatility and broke out the Breyers Ice Cream and had an adult two scoops. If your into the sweet drinks, you cant go wrong here.

Price: $26.99 (750/ML)

Final Word:   I know, we’ve had a LOT of flavored spirits and liqueurs launch over the years and for every one “Nuvo” out there, there are hundreds of “Qream” liqueurs out there. But this one’s different. I think it has what it takes to make a HUGE mark on the U.S. bar scene. I’ll be honest, when we first received this, it’s design although different (we’ve never seen a aluminum bottled spirit) gave us an opinion that it was overcompensating for its taste and was most likely horrible. Instead,  in an age of cool packaged spirits that taste like crap, and tasty spirits that are boring and go unnoticed, Lovoka wins at both taste and look. From its smooth caramel flavor down to its premium vodka base, it achieves a perfect amount of balance that is impressive. At 60 proof, this one just might sneak up on you, but trust us when we say add this one to your “mus-try” list.

For more information on Lovoka, including its other flavors,recipes,  and where to purchase it, visit their website at www.LovokaUSA.com. 

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KAPPA Punch

• 1 ½ oz KAPPA Pisco
• ½ oz Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• ½ oz fresh orange juice
• ½ oz lime juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice.  Shake vigorously and strain into a wine goblet or rocks glass with fresh ice.  Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

KAPPA Kooler

• 1½ oz KAPPA Pisco
• ½ oz simple syrup
• Club Soda
• Squeeze a wedge of lemon and lime

Combine all ingredients into a Collins glass with ice. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with lemon and lime wedge.    

Cheers!

This weekend we come together for one big tribute to mom and there’s no better way to let mom know you love her than by giving her a bunch of booze and spending some quality time with her. We’ve managed to turn every other holiday into a drinking extravaganza, so why should we leave mom out of the fun? After all, she did birth us right? Just in time, we received a few awesome cocktail recipes courtesy of SkinnyGirl Cocktails and wanted to share them with our fans. If you make mommy a drink she’ll love you, if you make her a drink that still helps her keep her figure she’ll love you FOREVER. For those of you a bit unfamiliar with the Skinny Girl Brand, they’re the low calorie cocktail kingpins that started out from an idea for a healthier margarita from author, chef, and reality TV star Bethenny Frankel. Ironically enough, one of the first articles we wrote here at 101 was on the Skinny Girl, before they exploded into the brand featuring 16 different “skinny drinks” that they are now.  To be honest, our philosophy has always been to make things fresh and from scratch, and with Mrs. Frankel being a chef herself, I’m sure she would agree. But not everyone can get as artisitic in the kitchen (or bar) as some of us, nor find all the right ingredients. Sometimes it’s just a matter of time and convenience. For those situations, read-to-drink or “pre made” cocktails are always an option. But be weary, the pre made stuff usually is LOADED with calories, even more so than the fancy colorful drinks you order at the bar. So knowing that you can take a short cut in your boozing and not worry about tipping the scales the next morning makes Skinny Girl a Plus. So if you haven’t already made plans, pick up a bottle or two of Skinny Girl and try one of these cocktail suggestions with mom this weekend.

Cos”mom”politan

Ingredients

• Skinnygirl™ White Cranberry Cosmo
• Frozen cranberries for garnish

Mix Skinnygirl™ White Cranberry Cosmo and ice in shaker glass. Strain and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with frozen cranberries and enjoy!

Hot Mama-rita

Ingredients

• Skinnygirl™ Margarita
• Sliced jalapenos, muddled
• Lime wedge for garnish
• Salt for rim

Salt the rim of margarita glass. Pour Skinnygirl™ Margarita over ice. Add muddled jalapenos. Garnish with lime wedge and enjoy!

Cheers!

I‘ll admit, I’m a sucker for a well marketed or gimmicky brand of anything, especially when it comes to alcohol. So when I originally heard of and saw the advertisements for Crown Royal Maple Whisky I pretty much mentally crowned it champion of its kind before even tasting it. The results, underwhelming, but still a good sip-able whisky that bordered on becoming a liqueur because of its sweet intensity. Then a few weeks back  I was surfing on Caskers.com, an awesome site that creates a platform for customers to find and buy some of the finest craft spirits available, and heard about Tap 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whisky. I salivated a bit I wont lie, but resisted the urge to order one. They’re sold out now, but fortunately a representative of the brand reached out to us and allowed us the chance to taste and share our experience with you.

Tap 357 is the result of taking two things that are synonymous with Canada, and fusing them together to create bottle of awesome. So how do they bottle awesome exactly? Well you start distilling your expertly selected blended whiskies four times before maturing them in a combination of new and used bourbon barrels at one of Canada’s oldest distilleries. You then combine them with pure maple syrup, Canada 1 Light to be exact and finish off the process by leaving the whisky to rest for additional time until deemed ready for consumption. If you were wondering where the name 357 comes from, no they didn’t just throw it on the end like your buddy did his twitter name. Tap is crafted from cask aged 3,5, and 7 year old blended rye whiskies. Thirsty yet?

First Impression: Standard “small batch” bottle with artwork and labeling that puts a nice touch on the image their brand wants to convey. We popped the cork and what a perfectly satisfying aroma. Easily identifiable maple aroma that’s still subtle enough that it doesn’t overwhelm your nostrils. This right off bat is a one-up on commercially marketed competitor, crown royal maple. The first impression is this is a maple flavored whiskey, and not whiskey infused maple syrup.

Tasting Notes: Here’s where the party begins. We poured a few warm glasses to really let the flavors and aromas reach potential. It’s got a beautiful light amber color by the way, and we’re visual drinkers, so you know by then we were pretty anxious to take a sip, or two, or three. It’s got a slightly sweet maple beginning followed by a spicy finish brought on from the rye. Just the right amount of maple influence in my opinion.Canadian whiskies are typically easier on the finish by rye whiskies tend to be the opposite.  The maple works perfectly to soften the intensity of the whisky bite. Add in some subtle notes of honey and a smokey finish and you’ve got yourself a well crafted whisky that is good enough to remind me of Sunday morning pancakes, with out completely tasting like it.

Price: $29.99 (750ML)

Final Notes: Nothing much to say here that we haven’t already made clear. This was one of our favorite spirits in recent time to review. Great taste from start to finish and a lovely aroma that sets the mood. Drink it near, on the rocks, or use it with some of your other favorite mixers/ingredients and see where it takes you. At 81 proof, its got just bite to match it’s bark. It’s deceptively smooth so just known you’ve been warned now. For more information on Tap357 including where it can be purchased, visit their them at www.Tap357.com. In the meantime check out below for a few recipes to try with it. That’s all for now, Cheers.

The Montreal

• 2½ oz. TAP 357
• ¾ oz. sweet vermouth
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir ingredients well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Golden Apple

• 1½ oz. TAP 357
• 1oz. apple cider
• ½ tsp. maple syrup
• 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
• Lucid Absinthe rinse

Shake the first four ingredients very well with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass that has been rinsed with Lucid Absinthe. 

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Did you know that most of those that celebrate Cinco De Mayo are under the assumption it is Mexico’s Independence Day? That would be September 16th. It is actually a multinational celebration of Mexican tradition created in honor of Mexico beating the French in the mid 1800′s. But most of us just know it’s another excuse to drink and leave it at that…

Keeping that in mind I just HAD to share an amazing margarita I had while traveling through the West Coast of Florida. We stopped at a nice little place near the water and figured we would see what they had to offer. I tried the Marion Ave. Margarita and got a mouthful of awesome that I wasn’t exactly prepared for. The perfect amount of sweet, tangy, and alcohol bite. Sound like the components of a good drink right? So what makes it work? Well besides your typical base spirit of tequila, it incorporates a blood orange flavor using Solerno, a blood orange liqueur that has a wonderful aroma, taste, and finish to it. In addition, the sweet and tangy is rounded out with Blue Curacao and Orange Juice. Thats 3 ingredients that include alcohol in case you’ve lost count. So this fruit concoction doesn’t come up short in the “buzz” department. Unfortunately we didn’t ask for the measurements, because after all we know some take offense to being asked their “secret” recipes, so we’ve played with it a bit to re-create the flavor. Give our version a try and tell us what you think.

Marion Ave Margarita

• 1 1/2 oz Milagro Silver Tequila
• 1 oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
• 3/4 oz Fresh Squeeze Lime Juice
• Splash of Blue Curacao (to taste)
• Splash of O.J. (to taste)
• Salt (Optional)

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain over fresh ice into a optional salt-rimmed glass. Garnish with an orange wheel and a lime wheel.

Cheers!

I

Mint Julep Lemonade

• 2 oz. mint-infused Woodford Reserve®
• 2 oz. simple syrup
• 1 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Top with lemon-lime soda

Add the first three ingredients to a glass filled with finely crushed ice. Stir, add more crushed ice and top with lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon wedge.

Tropical Julep

• 2 oz. mint-infused Woodford Reserve®
• 1 oz. crème de banana
• 1 oz. pineapple juice

Add ingredients to a glass filled with finely crushed ice. Stir and add more crushed ice, as needed. Garnish with mint sprig and pineapple slice.

Ginger Julep

• 1 1/2 oz. Woodford Reserve®
• Juice of 1/2 fresh lime
• 1 medium piece of candied ginger
• 1/4 tsp. molasses
• 3 oz. bitter lemon soda

Muddle all ingredients except the soda in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Transfer to a rocks glass with ice. Fill with bitter lemon soda. Garnish with a lime twist.

Ginger Peach Julep

• 1 1/2 oz. Woodford Reserve®
• 1/2 oz. peach liqueur
• 1 bar spoonful ginger puree
• 10 Mint leaves
• Splash of filtered water
• Crushed ice

Muddle puree, syrup, and mint leaves lightly in a mixing glass. Add ice and bourbon and mix well with a bar spoon. Double strain over crushed ice in a Julep cup or old fashioned glass. Garnish with ginger and large mint sprig.

Watermelon Julep

• 1 1/4 oz. Woodford Reserve®
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 5-6 mint leaves
• 5-6 squares of fresh watermelon
• Crushed ice

Muddle simple syrup and watermelon in a mixing glass. Add mint and press lightly to release oils. Add Woodford Reserve and mix well with cracked ice. Strain over crushed ice. Garnish with watermelon and smacked fresh mint.

Cheers

I

WoodFord Reserve Sweet Tea

• 1 part Woodford Reserve
• 1 part Pepsi
• 1 part sweet and sour mix
• 1 part Triple Sec

Mix all together and serve over ice with lemon wheel garnish.

Extra Spicy Bloody Mary

• 1 46 oz. can tomato juice
• 1 cup Grey Goose Vodka
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 4-6 drops Tabasco
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds optional

Combine all, chill covered in large pitcher for 24 hours. Serve over ice. Garnish with celery sticks, asparagus spears, green onion, etc.

Watermelon Julep

• 1 1/4 oz. Bourbon
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 5-6 mint leaves
• 5-6 squares of fresh watermelon
• Crushed ice

South American Margarita

1 1/2oz KAPPA Pisco

1/2 oz Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge

1/2 oz agave nectar

1 oz fresh lime juice

Shaken, strained over fresh ice into rocks glass, garnish lime wheel.

For more great recipes, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or StumbleUpon to get our latest cocktail recipes, spirit reviews, and drink related news. For any questions, comments or concerns please email us at info@intoxicology.net

Another day, another flavored vodka.

Not really, but that’s what it feels like. It feels like everyday there is a new flavor that’s hit the market. Now depending on who you are, you love it. But for many, including bartenders, it’s a pain and a hassle. How many bars are going to have every flavor that’s being made? Or how many liquor stores are going carry all these different options? Is it lucrative? It is worth it?

If your looking at the numbers, it’s a money making business. Now don’t get us wrong… Here at 101, we love trying new flavors and testing out new products, but we also enjoy freshly muddled and mixed cocktails. What scares us is that the love of the original cocktail, is dying. Here in Orlando, we’ve seen a lot of “craft” cocktail bars boasting their real cocktails. Consumers are so drowned with artificial that they have seemingly forgotten about mixology.

Remember that word? Yeah, we do to.

This is a genuine question. Where has vodka gone? Where has the love of creating your own fresh cocktail? Or even better, allowing your bartender create one for you.

Flavored vodka is great, but venture out! Don’t be scared to grab a lemon and muddle the hell out of it. Here is a recipe we’ve come up with to help you come over to the dark side… Star Wars reference!!

Raspberry Lemon Drop

5 Raspberries

1/2 Lemon

1 teaspoon of Sugar

2 oz Vodka (We  I like Belvedere)

4 oz lemonade

Ice

Directions:

Muddle raspberries and lemon with the sugar in a shaker. Add vodka, lemonade, and ice. Shake well and pour into a collins glass. Garnish with a lemon slice.

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Pineapple Fusion is a one of a kind product that fuses the sweet notes of pineapple rum with the toasted flavors of coconut rum. With this new flavor, BACARDI^® delivers an unforgettable taste experience, fusing the attitude and energy of the Caribbean to keep the party going all night long. After all, BACARDI^® has more than 150 years of experience mastering the craft of rum-making and starting great parties. If you haven’t heard the buzz on it yet, let this be a prelude for you. In addition you can catch the “Highlight mix presented by Bacardi Pineapple Fusion” during “Inside the NBA” on TNT every week from April 11th until May 16th.It will come in standard sizes and retail at a price of around $14.99 for a 750 ML bottle. Check out a few awesome recipes below courtesy of Bacardi for you to pre-game with and plan your next tailgate or beach trip with. Let us know what you think.

BACARDI^® Pineapple Fusion Cocktails:

Pineapple Fused: 

• 1 part BACARDI^® Pineapple Fusion™ Flavored Rum
• 3 parts pineapple juice
• Pour ingredients over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge

Pineapple Arnold Palmer : 

• 1 part BACARDI^® Pineapple Fusion^™ Flavored Rum
• 2 parts lemonade
• 2 parts iced tea
• Garnish with a pineapple wedge

Fans can visit www.nba.com/bacardihighlightmix to check out the latest mix and create their own highlight reel with tunes mixed by DJ Irie. For more information on Bacardi or Pineapple Fusion, visit their website at www.Bacardi.com