Limoncé Limoncello Launches Loudly

Limoncello is really starting to take off, especially since Danny DeVito showed up to a talk show plastered from drinking the stuff. Hey, it takes these things to put stuff on the map, don't knock it.

Limoncé Limoncello is a new product launch that takes all of the pain-in-the-ass out of making limoncello yourself. Believe me, I've tried. If you want a glass of the stuff, you've gots to think ahead! Like, 7 months ahead.

Limoncé takes the patience out of the equation and offers up a cold, light drink that has won Gold at the San Francisco Spirits Competition and gives you a bit of pucker, because if there's one thing that you don't have enough of, it's pucker.

Availability is growing and it sells for US$19.99 for a liter. They're doing a big Indy promotion for this weekend including this recipe:

WINNER'S CHOICE
Created by Curtis Parker, Mixologist/Bar Manager, Mudsocks Bar & Grill, Noblesville, IN

1.5 oz Limoncé Limoncello
1 oz Stella Citrus Gin
1 oz fresh lemonade
1/2 oz sweet and sour mix
Lemon twist – garnish

Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Pour into a tall rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Limoncé Limoncello

Camitz Swedish Sparkling Vodka

O2 Sparkling Vodka has recently started it's nationwide launch and now Camitz is coming in, hot on its heels as the next sparkling vodka.

The vodka uses a patented carbonated process that helps it retain the same "chemical dna" as the original vodka, except with bubbles. "Chemical DNA" is their term, not mine. If I was going to pick a term it would be "Cheeseburger with Avocado."

The vodka has already been picked up in NY by such great restaurants as Aureole and Le Cirque (You know, the restaurant where they secretly replaced the diners' regular coffee with Folgers Crystals). Maybe they should have made it pink, to increase attraction? Wait, someone already did that.

Camitz is rolling out everywhere soon for US$45 for a 750ml bottle.

Camitz Sparkling Vodka

Dos Lunas Tequila Video Winners

Dos Lunas Tequila recently ran a contest for some home made videos that promote their product. The videos were voted and commented upon on their website and the winner got $5000, with runners-up getting various prizes.

The winning video is below, you can see the rest of them here.

Cruzan Guava Rum

In an effort to bring you a post that is not about vodka, gin, or the parts that my bathing suit covers, I bring you Cruzan Guava Rum.

Cruzan (sounds like Cruisin') already has nine flavored rums and their latest has flavors of fresh guava, tropical fruits and berries. Guava's are taking off in general as the latest fruit that Americans think will solve global warming (The Lychee didn't seem to do the trick though Acai seems to hold some promise).

Look for it soon at US$11.99 for a 750ml bottle.

Cruzan Guava Rum

New Amsterdam Gin Launches

Yay! More and more gins are popping up and I couldn't be happier.

New Amsterdam (the original name for New York) is based on gin's Dutch origins and comes from...Modesto? EJ Gallo are launching the gin that has a lighter emphasis on the juniper berries and includes light citrus flavors to balance it out. Sounds like it'd be another good "crossover gin" for those vodka lovers who think they hate the stuff.

I'm not sure if the PR for the gin will crossover in to Fox's hot new show "New Amsterdam" which is about this guy who is immortal until he finds his true love and marries her. Whoever put that show on after American Idol was DOING THEIR JOB! Anyway, the character is in A.A., so maybe the crossover's not such a good idea.

The gin has already won Gold Medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and is priced to move at US$13.99 for a 750ml bottle. It launches nationwide on June 1.

New Amsterdam Gin

Double-Cross Vodka Launches

With the massive amounts of vodka for sale on the market, a company has to be creative about how their product looks in order to grab your attention. The bottles are getting to be more and more unique and now Double Cross Vodka has launched with yet another design award winner.

This vodka out of Slovakia has already won Double Gold for bottle design but there hasn't been any mention of it winning anything for taste. Very little is known about it's makeup right now as the press release is pretty thin on details, except for how proud they are of it's design.

Look for Double Cross to be hitting the states soon.

Double Cross Vodka

Victoria Gin Launches

British Columbia isn't known for it's wine or it's gin but in the heart of Vancouver Island is a new distillery that has become BC's first gin.

Of course, the gin has juniper berries, but it also has an extensive recipe that includes things like rose petals, cinnamon bark, and star anise, plus 7 other ingredients including a super secret special ingredient that they want you to guess at. I'm guessing that it's chicken nuggets, but I've been wrong before.

The gin is distilled in small batches and only the "heart" of each of the batches is taken out, leaving a gin for the gin connoisseur in all of us. It's available in a select few places until June 1, then other select few places after that. How's that for vague?

Victoria Gin

Cork recycle

I'm a huge fan of corks made from cork. Not only is cork sustainable, it also makes up for a large forest that would have been mowed down a long time ago had it not been for the fact that it can make more money as a forest than a master-planned community.

Now, instead of making a coffee table out of the little plugs, thus professing to the world your ability to drink yourself under the table every night, you can recycle the corks so that they can be broken down and used for useful things. Like....coffee tables.

ReCork America is a program that is sponsored by a cork producer in Portugal that allows restaurants and the like to put a piece of their overpriced wine selections in to the recycle loop. The program has people picking up corks and taking them to collection centers. San Francisco is the model city for it right now but they're planning on bringing more cities online as time moves on.

ReCorked
via Luxist

The high cost of beer

With prices of pretty much everything going up (Except this blog, which remains committed to reducing costs in the face of an uncertain economic environment) the CEO of Miller Brewing says that people are starting to buy their beers that run on the cheaper side.

Just in time to help you face the economic crunch, Pint Price allows you to find out what the average cost of a pint is in countries around the world. You can input the country and the denomination you want to see the price in and you're set.

Once you pull up the country you can even make comments about specific cities inside the country and let others know just how much you overpaid because the bar owner knew you were a tourist.

The Price of a Pint

2008 Spirit Awards

Tales of the Cocktail is right around the corner in July and they've recently sent out their nominations for their 2008 Spirit Awards (No, this one is not about racial unity. It's "Spirit" like cocktails. Just FYI).

I'm not going to say a lot here except that I know a lot of these and I'm surprised by some of the bar choices as I know there are definitely better ones out there, but all award ceremonies tend to suck, so why fight it?

Best Drink Selection
Criteria: A venue stocking an outstanding range of spirits and liqueurs. The judges will favor discernment as well as sheer numbers of bottles stocked.

Cantina - San Francisco, USA
Death & Company - New York City, USA
Der Raum - Melbourne, Australia
Doheney - Downtown Los Angeles, USA
The Merchant Hotel - Belfast, Northern Ireland
Salvatore's Bar at Fifty - London, England
Trio Bar - Berlin, Germany
Matterhorn - Wellington, New Zealand

Best Classic Cocktail Bar Criteria: Classic bars continue to uphold best bartending practices and serve drinks in relaxed lounge-like environments. The judges are looking for bars, which uphold this tradition (but are not necessarily old) and offer superb service and consistently well-made drinks. (Hotel bars are eligible). American Bar - Connaught Hotel, London, England Bramble - Edinburgh, Scotland Death & Co. - New York City, USA Dukes Bar - Dukes Hotel, London, England Experimental Cocktail Club - Paris, France Flatiron Lounge - New York City, USA Milk and Honey- New York City, USA Bar Le Forum - Paris, France The Merchant Hotel - Belfast, Northern Ireland Montgomery Place - London, England Widder Bar - Zurich, Switzerland World's Best Cocktail Bar Criteria: This award recognizes the international influence on cocktail trends and seeks to award the world's best cocktail bar. (US bars are not excluded.) The Flat Iron Lounge - New York City, USA Le Lion - Hamburg, Germany The Lonsdale - London, England The Merchant Hotel - Belfast, Northern Ireland Milk & Honey - New York, USA Milk & Honey - London, England Paparazzi - Bratislava, Slovak Republic Salvatore at Fifty - London, England Star Bar - Ginza, Tokyo, Japan Best New Cocktail Bar Criteria: Only bars which have opened in the 18 months preceding the awards may be nominated. This award aims to reward new creativity and ideas as well as well executed drinks. Bar Milano, New York City, USA Beretta, San Francisco, USA Death & Company, New York City, USA Le Lion de Paris, Hamburg, Germany 02 Lounge, Ritz Carlton, Moscow PDT (Please Don't Tell), New York City, USA Ruby, Copenhagen, Denmark Mixologist/Bartender of the Year Criteria: The absolute best drinks mixer. The winner should be proficient at making all recognized classic drinks and also have created contemporary cocktails, which have been copied by his/her peers. John Gerstern - No.9 Park, Boston, USA Kenta Goto of Pegu Club - New York City, USA Charles Joly - The Drawing Room, Chicago, USA Duggan McDonnell - Cantina, San Francisco, USA Erik Lorincz - Purple Bar, London, England Jim Meehan - PDT, New York City, USA Ago Perrone - Montgomery Place, London, England Sam Ross - Milk & Honey New York City, USA Nick Strangeway - Hawksmoor, London, England Charles Vexenat - The Lonsdale, London, England Philip Ward - Death & Company, New York City, USA Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book Criteria: The best book published in 2007 regarding cocktails, liquor, bars, bar design or bartending in general. New editions of existing works published in 2007 may also be nominated. Imbibe by David Wondrich Mixing New Orleans, Cocktails & Legends by Jennifer Adams In The Land of Cocktails by Ti Adelaide Martin & Lally Brennan And a Bottle of Rum - A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails by Wayne Curtis. Best Cocktail Writing Criteria: Great journalism is one of the best ways to communicate to the general public the value and significance of great cocktails and related products. This award is for any non-book journalism (Magazine, Newspaper, Website, etc) which promotes bars, bartender, or cocktails in general. Debra C. Argen & Edward F. Nesta (Luxury Experience Magazine, USA) Jeff Berry (Tiki God) Paul Clarke (Imbibe Magazine & San Francisco Chronicle) Ted Haigh (Imbibe Magazine) Gary Regan (San Francisco Chronicle) David Wondrich (Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whisky Smash) Best New Product Criteria: This is awarded to what the judges consider to be the best new cocktail ingredient (spirit, liqueur, syrup or juice) or piece of cocktail equipment (muddler, shaker etc.). To qualify products must be on general retail sale in at least three US states. Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters Fever Tree Mixers Lucid Absinthe Domaine de Canton Plymouth Sloe Gin Q Tonic Qi White Tea Liqueur Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur Sagatiba Pura Best Cocktail Menu Criteria: The judges seek to reward innovative and thirst inducing cocktail menus. Both the design and content will be considered. 1806 Bar - Melbourne, Australia Bayswater Brasserie - Sydney, Australia Death & Company - New York City, USA Doheney - Downtown, Los Angeles, USA The Drawing Room, Chicago, USA Bar Italia - Vienna, Austria Pegu Club - New York City, USA Ruby - Copenhagen, Denmark Tailor Restaurant - New York City, USA Best Drinks Brand Representative/Brand Ambassador Criteria: An award which recognizes the importance of personality in the promotion of drinks brands. Jacques Bezendenhout - Partida Tequila, USA Julio Bermejo - Tequila, USA Jason Crawley - Maxiuum, Australia. Phil Duff - Bols, Global John Gakuru - Sagatiba, Global H. Joseph Ehrmann - Square One Organic Vodka, USA Diego Loret de Mola - Pisco Bar Sol, USA Stuart McCluskey - Miller's Gin, UK Xavier Padovani - Hendricks, Global Charlotte Voisey - William Grant, USA Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award Criteria: The impact that some people have on the general cocktail community can span over the course of many years. There are individuals who have worked long and hard to change the industry and educate the public. This award is to provide special recognition to these individuals and the wonderful efforts they have undertaken. Salvatore Calabrese - Mixologist, writer & bar owner Dale DeGroff - Mixologist & writer Peter Dorelli - Formerly of the Savoy, London Phillip Hills - Founder of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Desmond Payne - Master Distiller Beefeater Gin Brian Rea - bararchives.com, former 21 Club bartender, etc. etc Gary Regan - Mixologist & writer

Zinfest Tickets Winner!

Congrats to Brianna who will be sipping Zins by the lake on a gorgeously warm day in Lodi. Her story was heartfelt and was for a good cause. It didn't have as much nudity as I was hoping for but you can't win 'em all.

Have fun at Zinfest Brianna!

Also, thanks to the awesome Anna at Lodi Winegrape Commission for the tickets and taking care of the ever-loyal Martini Groove.

Lodi Zinfest