Review: Ypioca Empalhada Prata & Ouro Cachaca
After my recent review of Beija cachaça, the good souls at challenger Ypióca (don’t ask me how to pronounce it) sent a volley across my bow, obliquely throwing down a little smack by claiming “every day there seems a new U.S.-made designer brand… wanting to be the next Grey Goose of the category.” Them’s fighting…
Review: Russian Standard Imperia Vodka
If you aren’t familiar with Russian Standard’s Imperia vodka (its highest-end of three bottlings) due to its ubiquitous print advertising, you won’t miss the angular, hexagon-bottomed bottle at the liquor store. It looks like something that ought to have been erected on the outskirts of Moscow during the Yeltsin years, a stark monument to drowned…
Review: 360 Vodka
The world’s first “eco luxury vodka,” 360 Vodka is bottled at 80 proof in 85% recycled glass, labeled with chlorine-free paper, and even uses a twine string to attach a postage-paid envelope to the top of the bottle: You use it to return the metal closure on top of the bottle (like a Grolsch beer…
Review: Gran Gala Orange Liqueur
We did a rare experiment tonight and put Gran Gala to blind test vs. the liqueur it’s designed to imitate: Grand Marnier. This Italian liqueur even has the red ribbon and circular wax seal, just like Grand Marnier, and it promises it’s blended from “triple orange essence from the choicest oranges from Sicily.” So, how’d…
Original Recipe: The Oscar Cosmo
For Hollywood’s most glamorous night, here’s what the Drinkhacker crew is imbibing: The Oscar Cosmo 1 1/2 oz. vodka 1/2 oz. pomegranate liqueur 1/4 oz. orange liqueur 1 oz. cranberry juice Shake first three ingredients with ice in a shaker. Pour into a cocktail glass. Top off with cranberry juice. Related posts: Recipe: Fancy Free…
Review: Cafe Boheme Coffee Creme Liqueur
Inspired, so they say, by the cafe scene of 1920s Paris (it says so write on the bottle: “1920’s Paris”), the folks behind Alizé bring us this curious liqueur, a blend, again so they say, of coffee, vodka, cream, and vanilla. Sounds like four great tastes that go great together! Café Bohême muscles into a…
Original Recipe: The Healthberry
The Healthberry 1 1/2 oz. vodka 1 oz. VeeV açai spirit 1/2 oz. Chambord 1 sugar cube Put all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. It looks a lot like a Cosmopolitan, but the taste is quite different (letting the açai come through), and much stronger. Just…
Review: VeeV Acai Spirit
Açai (pronounced ah-SAH-eee) is the superfood of the moment, so it was only a matter of time before it became a spirit. VeeV is the only açai spirit on the market, but there’s more to it than that. Not quite a vodka and not quite a liqueur, VeeV is a 60-proof spirit that’s clear and…
