by admin on September 27, 2010
This summer I was again caught up in one of my favorite TV shows, HBO’s Entourage. The adventures of Vince, Ari and the rest of the gang has been a staple in my house since the very first episode.
This season had the guys moving in different directions, doing that growing up thing we are all forced to do (that’s why my wife makes me wear pants around the house..really…pants around the house is a prerequisite for growing up? Growing up sucks!) One story line had Turtle looking for a business opportunity that would help him strike out on his own…enter Avion Tequila.
While watching Entourage, the characters are doing shots of Avion, talking about how much they loved Avion. I started saying to myself, “Damn, I want some Avion”. But you can’t drink a tequila that only exists on TV. WRONG!! Avion is real! Not only is it real…it’s real good. I had the pleasure of sampling the Avion Reposado and it blew me away! It is very rare that a tequila is smooth enough to be enjoyed just on the rocks, so I put Avion to the test. Nailed It!! Smooth doesn’t begin to explain it. There’s not much I would mix with this tequila. If you are going to make margaritas…fresh squeezed lime juice only! If you want to top it off with a little O.J…less is more with this tequila.
I read the article in the New York Post of how Avion got into the storyline of Entourage…very cool! I actually have seen how agave is grown, my friend Tom Cruise grows it. Watching him walk through his garden, is like watching a scene from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”. He should remake that movie, they would save a ton of money by not using CGI effects.
One downside to Avion, it’s only available in LA and New York City. Just go on their website and they will let you know how to get it. I want to send a big shout out to Avion Tequila for sending me a bottle on their dime! Don’t hesitate to send another bottle- nudge nudge, wink wink.
So if you want to party like a movie star, albeit a fake one, pick up some Avion. You’ll toast me later.
by admin on September 8, 2010
As most of you well know, flavored vodkas are INSANELY popular in the world of booze. Soon after they began to flood the market, flavored rums began to enter the market as well. So you know it was only a matter of time before the brown liquors were going to follow suit. Anyone for acai flavored Johnnie Walker…umm sounds delish!
I have been a bourbon drinker for some years now and I have very fond memories of sitting on my Uncle Tom’s back porch sipping green label Jack Daniels. It was a right of passage for me and it taught me to “respect the bourbon”. So when I found out Jim Beam was coming out with a black cherry flavored bourbon… I was a little hesitant. “You’re trying to tell me, Mr. Jimmy Beam is up in Kentucky harvesting black cherries?”, I said to myself. “Well I’ll bet my left black cherry, that he’s not!” (Partially that line is courtesy of Dennis Leary…LOVE HIM!)
Jim Beam Red Stag really kinda blew my mind! I have to apologize to Mr. J.B., this is a very versatile spirit. It’s very rare when you can mix a brown liquor with a myriad of juices, sodas, teas or just on the rocks. The black cherry flavor isn’t overwhelming…it’s just right. You still get the nice bourbon flavor that Jim Beam is known for, but there is no bite on the back end. Usually this “bite” is what attracts you or repels you from a nice bourbon. Red Stag really is a product I think anyone, bourbon drinker or not, will really enjoy.
Play with some recipes, see what your crazy little mind can come up with. I’m letting you know now R.O.T.R. readers, I wanted to “mount up” and put the Red Stag in my cross hairs (I even took my good friend Tom Cruise hunting with me…he looked adorable riding his Shetland pony!). But I have to tell you, I think the Red Stag shot me…and it felt good!
Here’s a recipe to get you started. ENJOY!
O Deer Me
1 1/4oz Jim Beam Red Stag
1/2 oz chambord
2oz orange juice
2oz lemonade
Shake, strain over ice
Top with Sprite
by admin on August 27, 2010
One of biggest trends in the world of liquor for the past ten years has been flavored vodkas. Vodka itself is the top selling liquor on a worldwide level. There is a flavored vodka for just about everyone. Pomegranate, apple, acai berry and even bubble gum. That’s right bubble gum. Somewhere tonight a drunk sorority girl will let out a technicolor yawn into her best friends toilet and its gonna smell like juicy fruit!
A big trend in the flavored vodka market as of late has been sweet tea vodka. Now, I’m not a fan of sweet tea. In fact my very southern mom has considered me a bit of a disappointment because of this. When I was a kid the rational went as follows… tea rhymes with pee and anything that rhymes with pee can’t taste good! But lately I’ve been feeling like a bit of an outsider. Every bar I go to this stuff is selling like crazy. So I took it upon myself to sample a few.
I gotta be honest R.O.T.R. readers, I didn’t care for most of them, but then I tried Original Mothers Sweet Tea Vodka. This stuff is good! Very smooth, very crisp and very mixable. The only thing I can come up with is that because Mothers is 60 proof instead of 70 or 80 it just goes down better. You can mix this with darn near anything or just sip it on the rocks. My friend Tom Cruise puts it in a tiny thimble and gets his party on (Tom Cruise short jokes just keep flowing out of me!).
I’m gonna throw you a quick recipe, but definitely go pick yourself up some Mothers…you’ll be toasting me later.
Southern Hospitality:
1 part Original Mothers Sweet Tea Vodka
2 parts Lemonade
Splash of Soda Water or sparkling water
Put it over ice and enjoy!
