Review: Latvijas Balzams Riga Black Balsam
Bitter spirits week (month? there’s no end in sight, really…) continues here at Drinkhacker with an obscurity: Riga Black Balsam, a Latvian liqueur made by Latvijas Balzams. “Black” is an understatement. Black Balsam pours with the opacity and color of dark coffee, and it isn’t out of line to suggest there are similarities in the…
Review: Exclusiv Vodka
Can you find Moldova on a map? (Hint, it is neither an island nor part of what was Yugoslavia.) Never you mind, sir, for the vodka made there, Exclusiv, is imported to our shores. Distilled from wheat, this is simple, Old World vodka without a lot of fuss. Intensely medicinal on the nose, it offers…
Review: Samovar Tea Blood Orange Pu-erh and Nocturnal Bliss
We don’t just get wine and whiskey here at Drinkhacker. Sometimes we get (and drink) tea. Here are two new varieties from the pros at Samovar, both in closeable bags (not a fan). Samovar Tea Blood Orange Pu-erh – Pu-erh is named for a shopping area in Yunnan Province, China and it encompasses a variety…
Review: Cynar Liqueur (2011)
Most shoppers and bargoers don’t get past the label when checking out Cynar. Yes, that is an artichoke, and Cynar is indeed a liqueur flavored with, among other things, artichokes. (Most shoppers mispronounce the name, too, by the way: It’s (roughly) “chee-nar.”) Launched in Italy in 1952 and bought by the Campari group in 1995…
Super Bowl Punch Cocktails, 2011
Tired of Budweiser on game day? Our pals at Exclusiv Vodka (review coming later this week) sent us these Super Bowl themed punch recipes, both of which sound, if not complex, quite drinkable. Packer Bowl 750 ml Exclusiv Citrus vodka 500 ml melon liqueur 1 can of frozen lemonade 2 liters of lemon lime Soda…
Review: Absolut Wild Tea Vodka
Absolut flavored with elderflower and black tea. Hmmm, where have we heard this one before? Ah yes, about a year and a half ago, when it was first released as the limited-edition Absolut Boston. Absolut must have had a hit on its hands with Boston, and I can back that up: It’s the only one…
Review: Vodgria
Is this sangria-flavored vodka? Or vodka-infused sangria? The world may well debate it forever, but while you noodle over that one, we turn our attention not to Vodgria’s name but its very essence. At 30 proof, it’s a touch stronger than most wines (and considerably stronger than most sangria, which is wine cut with fruit…
Review: Campari and Tempus Fugit Gran Classico (2011)
It’s a bitter bitter spirits battle here at Drinkhacker tonight! In one corner we have Campari, the classic, bright-red bitter spirit that’s a key part of the Negroni and other ultra-bitter cocktails. In the other, cross-country foe Gran Classico, from Tempus Fugit Spirits. How do these bitter aperitifs measure up? Let’s find out! Campari is…
