Martini Groove

High gas prices were annoying but didn't bother me much until I learned about this. High gas prices means that more people are interested in alternative fuels (this is good), that means ethanol is starting to take off (also good) which, in turn, means that corn is in much higher demand (okay), which means that farmer's are burning their agave crops in order to plant corn instead. This is very, very bad. Tequila's popularity created a gold rush of sorts with the agave plant, which takes about 8 years before it can be harvested. There was so much agave planted that it drove down prices to rock-bottom levels, which also made it very easy for smaller players to enter the tequila market. Now that ethanol is popular, it's driving corn prices up and making it more profitable to burn the agave. No good will come of this. Mark my words. NO GOOD! Ethanol boom may fuel shortage of tequila

Wine writer, Wink Lorch, has developed a website that is independent of any company that has over 40 travel guides for helping you to get the most out of your French wine tour. Initially covering French wine regions, there are more than 40 Guides available to view or print. Using experienced contributing writers with the inside knowledge of their area, the Guides provide recommendations on which wine producers to visit, where to stay and eat, wine and food shops, interesting attractions and much more. The site is based on a subscription model rather than relying on advertisers, which I rather like. If you're the type that's traveling to France for a wine tour then purchasing a single guide for €11.01 or unlimited access including Michelin Green Guides and micro-region guides for €71.92 is not a big price to pay and more than worth every penny. Expect to see other wine regions included as the site takes off. Wine Travel Guides

One of the most popular Ready-To-Drink (RTD) beverages in the world is the Vodka Mudshake. It has a unique blend of vodka and...milk, if you can believe that. The drink is sold pretty much everywhere but in the U.S. and has just entered Mexico, which could position itself pretty well for an entry in to America. It has a fairly light consistency so it's not coming across like a protein shake and tends to be fairly sweet. It comes in Chocolate, Strawberry, Caramel, and Banana flavors. Could be some mixing even in between flavors there. You can't really taste the alcohol in them and they have screwtops, which means they could have a hard time in the U.S. on the heels of Spykes being pulled . Prices are all over the map in different countries, so who knows how much they'll cost here. Vodka Mudshake

Phillips Union found a way to create an unholy union of Canadian Rye with Kentucky Bourbon and have it come out smooth without breaking the bank. They then went one step further and added some flavors to the whiskey in order to stand out from the tons of other flavored spirits out there. Chapter the First: In which we find our young taster looking at the bottle then decides you've already seen it The bottle looks exactly like the damned picture you see here. Why do people comment on this? Seriously. I should stop but it's so trendy to tell you what I think of the bottle! It looks like a big freakin' bottle of whiskey. Chapter the Second: In which our hero smells the drink and wonders how they put stripper perfume in there and still be drinkable As always, I started it off in a glass all by itself. I put in a couple of ice cubes and started sniffing away. The smell of vanilla was so unbelievably strong that I probably could have used it for a linen spray. I'm a...

Jaguar Vodka's primary goal is to make a good vodka but if they make some money in the process, that's a nice thing and some of the money even goes to help preserve the native habitat of the jaguar. This is no sex panther: Rather than use potato or grain to make their alcohol, they use sugar cane molasses which is what most people call "Rum" but it doesn't have the sugar and spices added and uses a proprietary process to reduce the molasses taste. Mix it with Barbados' finest water and a five-time-distillation process and you have a vodka without the burn of a lot of other vodkas. Their site says they've saved 2,500,000 sq feet of rain forest through proceeds from Jaguar Vodka. Though that only works out to less than a tenth of a square mile, it's a start. The vodka is available in 12 states right now and gaining steam. Use the store locater on their site to see if it's near you. Jaguar Vodka - US$30

There always seem to be two factions in the drinking world, the beer drinkers are on one side and the mixed drink lovers are on another. When their worlds collide, someone will pay and the price will be justice. Drinks like the Beerita are bringing the worlds together in a total affront to all that is holy. Instead of adding Triple Sec in to the classic margarita recipe, add some beer. It supposedly lightens up the drink and, of course, makes it bubbly. BUBBLES! One mixed beer drink that I've had is mentioned in the article. The Chelada is a light lager with lime and salt served over ice. Miller Brewing is even trying to cash in on the drink by offering Miller Chill, a bottled version off the drink. So, when your summer party goes horribly awry with threats of violence as mixed drinkers once again confront beer fanatics, hose them down with the sweet taste of compromise. Bartender, we'll have a round of Beeritas

Wine Spectator has published their top 100 wines of 2006 and it's a good one. Sure, it has a few we'd expect, but it has some great deals that I like a lot including the Mueller Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Emily's Cuvee 2003 and the Matetic Syrah San Antonio EQ 2004, both under US$30. Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2006 via Cheap Fun Wines