Martini Groove

As some companies launch with a brand new vodka, or a re-branded vodka from another country, Orzel launches in to the US using it's own name and history. The formula's been around for about 100 years in a country that vodka was born in and loves it's vodka like few others. The company that makes it accounts for 11 per cent of all the spirits sold in Poland. The vodka is spelt (wheat) based and is distilled 6 times and then mixed with water from their own reverse-osmosis system. They say that the vodka was originally guarded by secret agents and you had to know the password to get some. I do not know the password so they just sent me their press release. Look for Orzel right now in Florida and soon in New York, New Jersey, Texas, California, Illinois and Georgia. Expected retail is $34.99 which puts it in a pretty good place for a premium vodka. Orzel Vodka

Finally, an airport bar that speaks to me.

Looking for a spot to put all of your alcohol? How about all of the alcohol in your whole house? The World's Largest Flask doesn't hold quite that much but it does have enough for two Big Gulps or 8 very thirsty guys. At 64 ounces it's the world's largest flask that you probably can't fit in your pants to sneak in to the ball game. Though it will allow you to share with the entire crew on the ski lift. World's Largest Flask - $24.98

I've been waiting to announce Snooth until they got some time under their belt and went to a worldwide audience. Now, their time is here. Snooth is, at heart, a social shopping site, not like MySpace where you have to be blinded be a Geocities-like page circa 1996 and some song by the local garage band, but one that's useful and recommends wines based on what you've already stated you've liked and reviewed. They now work in the US and in 40 other countries and has added a worldwide price and merchant database and connects users with local merchants in their area. If you're looking to focus your online social activities with a bunch of other wine-lovers, then this is your place. Snooth

Grape-based vodkas are not stranger to us anymore. Some suck pretty hard and others...well, suck a little bit less . So really, the new Primo Vodka doesn't even have to do that well to be a credit to its category. The vodka is imported from Argentina and made from their famous Malbec grapes, but they don't stop there. They also have a Chardonnay variety as well as a Cabernet offering. They've already won a Double Gold Award at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition in March 2008 and a Silver Medal at the International Spirits and Wine Competition in London in July 2007, so there's somewhat of a pedigree already starting there. There are just over 10,000 bottles of the 3-times distilled Malbec version are coming to the US, so be on the lookout for it soon. Primo Vodka

The Ministry of Sound has been kicking ass with music that gets inside your head and kicks your head's ass for years. From Frankie Knuckles in London to just about everybody in Ibiza they have showcased more of music's best acts than any other club in the entire world, without exception. They now have launched their own vodka to serve in their clubs and it comes in a slightly-smaller-than-average 70cl bottle that has slightly-less-than-average 38% alcohol in it. The bottle comes with their ultra-cool logo on it and has a label with a code that allows you to access exclusive music and other downloads on their site, you can even upload content of your own. To get some, you'll have to hit up the ultra-hip London hotspot for the near-term and a small UK chain later on. Be careful of the site, if you say you're too old, you won't get in unless you can prove that you have your finger on the pulse of the music world. Ministry of Sound Vodka

I cover some sort of mobile bar in here around once a month or so and here's an addition to the prestigious line of mobile bars that we cover in here around once a month or so. (I'm a word smith). This baby comes with a built-in refrigerator, ice machine, flute holders, bottle bins and wooden serving shelf. You have to fill the water reservoir for the ice machine manually, so you can't run your garden hose to the back of it, but think of the envious stares from your drunken neighbors as you wheel it around. For the $10,000 that the drink station costs you could probably build your own bar with a stripper pole and a stripper on it, but this gadget one ups you by having German engineering, something you just can't get out of a stripper. The Drink Station - US$10,000

Adding alcohol to food is pretty much like a Reese's, two great tastes that taste great together. Trying to get the right alcohol with the right food is the real pain in the ass. It seems right now that every recipe in it has tequila or bourbon because those two seem to work so well with a lot of meats. The Revolution bars in the UK have paired good old hamburger meat with vodka to create the Vodka Burger. If Vodka is odorless and tasteless, does that mean that the burger is too? No sir, the chain of 55 bars actually uses their home-grown Chili Pepper Vodka in the burger and garnishes it with their vodka chili salsa. It remains to be seen if the burger actually has some sort of vodka taste to it as I'm sure the pepper and chili taste overwhelms most of the other flavors, but until they come out with a Vodka Burrito, I'll give it a whirl.

Okay, you know that booze news is slow when I'm doing a freakin' roundup on the freakin' blog. Before I get in to my content which may or may not be interesting, let me link you to something that is almost definitely interesting. Neyah White is a *real* bartender at a *real* bar that is extremely popular. Not one of those people who just sits around making up drinks for people's signature cocktail at their wedding. He's blogging and, much like his great drinks, it also doesn't suck. Read his blog here: http://ohgroup.blogspot.com/ Eh, fuck the content. Go read his stuff. It's better than the ridiculous hooplah about Absolut pissing people off that can't seem to take a joke or Canadian Whisky that can't use "Glen" in it's name, or Svedka's mascot running for president . Or read about Danny Devito's Limoncello and the product that makes his rum, vodka, and gin. Crap, I did the roundup anyway.

It seems like just about any fruit is ripe for the picking when it comes to being made in to something that will quickly get you past your ability to speak coherently and apple's are turning out to be no exception. Look for eggplant vodka from New Jersey, coming soon. Core vodka is from the state of New York (The Big Apple) and actually starts out as Cider, then is transformed through distillation (3 times) in to a 95% alcohol concoction, blended with filtered water, and then stuffed in to a bottle. The apples and distillery are right next to each other so the source is not far from production. It takes about 20 gallons of the hard cider to go in to each 750ml bottle, so don't be expecting to see this on sale at your local BevMo. If you're lucky enough to be in the launch area you can expect to be able to pick up a bottle for about US$35. Core Vodka