Martini Groove

A mini-bottle gets yet another mini-review.  Here's the bottle next to a lemon from my lemon tree.  Granted, I grow HUGE lemons. On to the review: It tasted orangy.   Combier Orange Liqueur - US$39.99

Don't be fooled by my tough exterior and manly voice.  Or my well-rounded ass and formed biceps.  Don't even be fooled by my sexy walk that makes grown women feel like schoolgirls.  And don't let it slip by just because of my dazzling intellect or rapier wit.  Let none of these things stop you from believing for a second that I like what are considered "girly" flavors in drinks. The Setup I planned on having some friends over and trying Veev with them but, thanks to an unfortunate incident with a goat and several restraining orders, I quickly realized I had no friends.  I now have lots of stuffed animals and none of them were even interested.  All except one, shown here.  The name knitted on his adorable little jacket has been professionally blurred to protect his identity.   The Tasting Veev Açai is 60 proof which is a bit strong but it's not quite a liqueur either.  Drinkhacker called it a flavored vodka and I think I'm going to go w...

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

TY KU is a sake liqueur that has more than 20 ingredients in total and some of them claim to be aphrodisiacs, health supplements, and fruit extracts. It's also made with Shochu and about 18 other things. The product came about as a project of two students at Columbia University though the product itself is made in Japan. What's in it? It's the V8 of the liqueur world. The blend of 20 plus ingredients used to flavor TY KU include some power-packed names among the health conscious: pomegranate (antioxidant), Asian pear (hangover remedy), honeydew, yuzu (twice Vitamin C of oranges), plum (Vitamin C), fuji apple (lowers LDL, increases HDL), white cranberry (antioxidant) and oolong and green teas (antioxidants). The spirit is sweetened with elderflower syrup which reduces the sugar factor common among liqueurs and the effects of the aphrodisiacs ginseng, damiana and dragon's eye are thrown in as an added little bonus. What's the other gimmick? Oh yeah, the bottle fre...

Two new liqueurs are making their way to the U.S. in order to help us have yet one more specialized ingredient for our cocktails. Heering Cherry Liqueur has been around since 1818 and off and on in the US for the past few years but has now found a steady importer in order to help us better make a Singapore Sling . I can't think of a better cherry brandy to use. Xante is a pear-based liqueur mixed with Cognac that is rather hip in Europe. It works excellently with champagne and might also give you the capability to breed miniature horses. What's that about? Heering Cherry Brandy Xante Liqueur

After drinking Fever-Tree's Ginger Ale , I was wondering why there wasn't more stuff made out of ginger out there? Canada Dry's Ginger Ale and sushi have given it a rather narrow focus. Canton is jumping on the Asian fusion train and launching their ginger liqueur which brings together rare baby ginger with a blend of VSOP and Grand Champagne Cognac, ginseng, vanilla beans, and a touch of honey. The product was actually introduce here in the U.S. in 1992 and lasted through 1997 but didn't take-off like they hoped as it was well before the Asian fusion craze. Baby ginger is rare because it doesn't like to breed in captivity and much of it's nesting grounds have been eradicated to make way for glorious tractor factories. This sounds like some great flavors and should open up some pretty interesting cocktail recipes. It's available right now in New York with an LA launch next. The rest of the U.S. should get to see it through 2008. Canton Ginger & Cognac...

Green Mountain distillers has announced that they're going to be Vermont's favorite drink by making a Maple Syrup Liqueur. The spirit is made from organic maple syrup (not that Mrs. Butterworth crap) and their in-house organic vodka, which is made from Vermont spring water. They're obviously pushing for "State Alcohol" designation. In honor of this, I made up a drink that is purely for the purposes of this blog and I have not tried to actually make it as a) I don't have any of their Maple Syrup Liqueur and b) I'm afraid. The French Toast 1 Part Maple Syrup Liqueur 1 Part Vanilla Vodka 1 Part Bailey's Irish Cream 1/2 Part Goldschlager Pour all items in to an ice-filled shaker and shake vigorously. Strain in to a martini glass and top with a dash of cinnamon. It's Sunday Morning in a Glass!© Green Mountain Distillers via Luxist

Campari is a mild bitters-type apéritif, often drunk with soda, orange juice, or in mixed drinks and it's development is a pretty big secret. It's built to make some pretty interesting drinks and has a flavor profile that keeps you guessing. Salma Hayek is hot as Hell and from what I've been told by people who believe in Hell, that's pretty hot. They've come together for a limited edition calendar called "Hotel Campari" that features our favorite Mexican actress, producer, hottie in several scenes. Don't expect to get your hands on one though, only 9,999 were made. They were going to make 10,000 but shipping was just too expensive. Hotel Campari

Centerra Wine, who owns just a ton of stuff like Woodbridge wines, Mondavi, and Almaden, has launched a liqueur perfect for the comfort feeling. Kajmir is a mix of brandy, vodka, and warm vanilla, which seems like a great combination of flavors. I imagine that this is one of those that's going to best be served on the rocks but might be nice straight-up or mixed with something like a bit of Goldschlager to give it some cinnamon. Introducing Kajmir - US$18.99 for 750ml