Martini Groove

This has nothing to do with booze or bars or things like that. But it's got more awesome than any post I've ever done.

Though I have no doubt that bartenders can be just as catty as chef's or models, we put up with it from chef's because the food is so good and we put up with it from models because...wait.  Why do we put up with it from models? If the bartender is making me something completely delish then he or she can give me all the attitude they want, this is the main reason I still tolerate Alembic in SF.  However, there's a new show that is being launched to find America's Top Bartender.  Absolut and LX.tv are sponsoring. via Drink of the Week 2.0

There's nothing quite like going to a wine tasting with potential investors or a first date, sucking down loads of red wine and then dropping your pants and telling everyone that it's "Mr. Winky Time!"  Also, you might have stained teeth.  Wine Wipes solves the latter problem with their orange blossom flavored wipes that you can use to wipe away wine stains from your teeth.  It's kind of like Oxy Clean, except for your mouth.  The container even has a little mirror inside the lid so you can see just wear those pesky spots are.  Unfortunately, they haven't developed a product that can wipe away the shame of having Mr. Winky Time.  Wine Wipes - US$6.95 for 20 wipes

When any alcohol launches you are immediately inundated with a huge amount of PDF's that have recipes in it for the same old drinks you've always made but with the brand name put in to the recipe.  Either that or you get a slew of recipes with such obscure ingredients that you'll be traipsing through the Amazon looking for the proper flower to infuse. Brockman's Gin cuts to the chase.  They want you to drink it.  Maybe with some ice.  Probably in a glass.  But whatever works for you, just don't put a bunch of crap in it that kills the taste of the gin. Am I looking forward to an evening out with this gin?  Hell yeah.  I'll get it to go home with me, count on it. Brockman's Gin

Belvedere is coming incredibly close to moonshine with their latest offering of 100 proof vodka. The vodka has flavors of crème caramel, dark savoury spice, and rich bitter chocolate.  Did I mention it was 50% alcohol? I bet you want it, don't you?  Well, if you're a world traveller then you might have a chance.  It's only being sold at International airports like London Heathrow Terminal 5, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Warsaw Frederic Chopin, Hong Kong International, Singapore Changi, Sydney, New York JFK and Buenos Aires Ezeiza. Belvedere Intense - €45 (US$66.08) via Luxist

Hey!  How about them reviews!  There is so much booze sitting at my house right now that I could probably go through the rest of the year on nothing but alcohol reviews. Tell me about it Oval Vodka's key tag line tells us how their vodka is "structured" through an 11 day process.  The process doesn't just combine water and alcohol like traditional vodkas, but actually surrounds the alcohol with water, much like a group of Cougars surround the Sex and the City DVD release. The process is supposed to create a smoother, easier to drink vodka with a better mouthfeel. No, I don't know if this is all true. Dammit Jim! I'm a blogger! Not a molecular biologist with a minor in fundamental chemistry! The smell and taste The best part of Oval Vodka is just how interesting it really is. Aside from your belief in the ability to surround an alcohol molecule with water molecules, Oval has got your attention. The smell fascinated me with it's sharp bite and...

I've got really high expectations of wine bars.  I know, they're not easy to do.  You have to keep the true wine snobs happy but also be approachable enough to the other 99% of the population that they'll walk in and not know what to order.  Bon Appetit has come out with their top 10 wine bars in the U.S.  Now, I don't truly believe that all of these deserve to be in the top 10, but they did a good job of not just showing ones in SF and NY and spreading the love around a bit.  Find the one nearest you and go have some fun.  You need it.  The Hot 10:  Raising the Wine Bar via Liqurious

It's so funny that stars will pimp stuff overseas that they'd never do over here. I'm not sure what the reasoning is but at least we can still see them on YouTube.

Though you won't be able to show off your beer drinking skills in Das Boot (turn the boot and avoid the bubble!), The Great American Beer Festival takes place over 3 days in Denver and starts on October 9. 400 breweries will be serving up 1800 beers among 46,000 of your closest friends.  You can drink your way across the place but even if you only take a 1 ounce sample from every beer it would be the equivalent of drinking 26 six packs. Now, I'm not saying that it's impossible, I'm just saying that you may want to try to spread it out. Tickets are close to sold out so you'll be wanting to check Craig's List for additional ones. Great American Beer Festival

Because sometimes, you just can't serve drinks fast enough, you can now turn the gin on and off just like a trough so that everyone can feed at Happy Hour time.  This design was built by 10 Swedish designers in response to a Beefeater compeitition that was put out to find problems to modern bars trying to serve customers faster.  I know what you're thinking "It took 10 people to think of that?"  Sure, but you didn't think of it, did you.  How's that book you're writing coming? You can see it for the next few weeks ath the Design Galleriet in Sweden. 

The latest in organic vodkas is giving us full organic love but also with flavors that the masses actually may want.  Crop is a grain vodka made in Minnesota and made from certified organic grain and rather than tell you how many times it's distilled, they distill it however much or as little as it needs to remove the impurities in the vodka. They also claim that their distillation is so efficient that no carbon treatment or carbon filtering is required. It comes in three varieties. You have your standard vodka. You have your cucumber-infused (Gimlet!). You have your tomato-infused (Bloody Mary!). That should give the cocktail nerds something to play with for a while. Bottles sell for US$19.99, making your cocktail experiments that much more affordable. Crop Organic Vodka

Do you want a set of icons that have your favorite social networks as cocktails? Me neither! But here's the link to some. Free Social Icon Set

I thought the whole vodka launch thing had slowed down but there seems to be a few sputters of life left in it. Dannoff Vodka launched a few days ago in the UK but is made in Latvia (Home of Dr. Doom?).  The vodka is four-times distilled and then charcoal filtered.  They use a process that the distiller acquired (read: accidentally found) over 100 years ago. Look for it in the UK at a super cheap price.  That's right, cheap, good vodka.  The stuff sells for £9.99 (US$17.54). Dannoff Vodka

Dating can be very hard. Why, just the other day I was on a date and I was so happy as to the joyful occasion that I ordered a bottle of fine champagne, though it may have been sparkling apple cider, who can really know? The waiter poured our champagne/sparkling apple cider and set it on the table wrapped like a swaddled baby. Conversation ensued and our glasses emptied. I poured my date some more champagne/sparkling apple cider and the towel our waiter had carefully wrapped around the bottle came undone. I tried in vain to re-wrap the bottle with the towel but to no avail. The disdain on my date's face became clear as day and she finally stood up in anger and frustration and left the table, never to be seen again. Also, I said that I thought her mom was a lot hotter. But have no fear! Lifehacker has the simple instructions for you to wrap your bottle in a towel like a pro. No more embarrassing moments! How to wrap a bottle, restaurant style

That crappy bottle opener you have that plays your Junior High fight song every time you touch it to your beer's bottle cap just downright sucks. You have to push on it multiple times, it slides all over, and you can't ever find it in your drawer. Bottle Strong wants to give you a bottle opener that doesn't suck. Just like the kind that your favorite bartender uses to open bottle after bottle in an instant and without bleeding in to your beer. No, it won't stick to your refrigerator, but there are already enough strange things stuck to your refrigerator. Bottle Strong USA Free Bottle Opener

Sobieski Vodka put a camera booth in a club and instead of just recording drunken people rambling on, they actually asked them some questions, including "Are you going home alone tonight?"  Here's one of the videos, click on this link to see them all.

Last February I showed you a short video on how to make your vodka glow in the dark .  Everglo has helped sort out your lazy ass by giving you a vodka that already glows in the dark when you get it.  Well, the bottle does. In order to simplify your drinking needs even further, they've also blended in tequila in to the mix and added ginseng and caffeine, because nothing is more fun than a wide-awake drunk. All of this with a pleasing, melon taste. Everglo is available almost everywhere and sells for US$24.99.  It's only 20 proof so makes for a good mixer and there are plenty of recipes on their site. Everglo Liqueur

As every flavor vodka that can be imagined has come out (though I'm looking forward, with great anticipation, to vodka flavored vodka) it's time to shift our attentions to flavored tequilas. Tabasco fires the latest salvo in the flavored tequila war with their spicy tequila that gives you the tasty jalapeno flavor of Tabasco with the drunken antics that require you to register as a sex offender that only tequila can offer. At US$21.99 this bit of tequila isn't going to break the bank but it's only available in 5 markets.  They won't tell me which 5 markets, so just go out there and start asking for it and see if that works .  Edit: The markets are Dallas, Houston, Georgia, Indiana, and North Carolina. Tabasco Tequila