July 2, 2009

I Survived the Drought of '09

We got a package in the mail yesterday that should have had booze in it. It said Knob Creek on the side, and that usually means we're going to be able to whet our whistles. But no. It contained a T-shirt that said "I Survived the Drought of '09" and a letter that started with "Thanks for nothing."

Yeah, exactly. Thanks for nothing to whichever one of you bastards who drank more than your share, because there's apparently no Knob Creek left for the year. Well, they're not exactly out, but they're expecting to run low this year because they didn't put enough whiskey aside for this year and demand has been higher than expected.

Some may think it's more marketing nudge than dire shortage, but we say if you're a big Knob Creek lover you may want to go lay some aside while the getting's good, just to be on the safe side.

@KnobCreek.com

July 1, 2009

Liquor Snob Monthly Roundup: June 2009

Our focus this month has really been on the Three Penny Taproom. Like, to the exclusion of posting to this site. Their beer...it's just so good when it touches our lips, you know? And then when we're full of beer we lose the motivation to write. We just want more beer. It's a vicious cycle. But it includes beer. So that's OK with us.

Don't worry. We'll get back on track now that the hazy, lazy days of summer will make it too hot to trek all the way to the bar. We think so, anyway. While we're drying out, check out what we found for you during the lovely month of June!

Continue reading: "Liquor Snob Monthly Roundup: June 2009"

June 30, 2009

The Soup of the Day is Whiskey

Excuse me, miss, what's the soup du jour? The Soup of the Day. Mmmm...sounds good, think I'll have that.

via Top Cultured

June 29, 2009

Diageo Resets the Bar for Economical Drinking

Ah, the times, they are a changing. Diageo has relaunched TheBar.com, and instead of focusing on high end cocktails and flashy Webitude, they're rolling toward the economical home bar. It turns out people are drinking in bars less thanks to the recession, in the parlance of our time. Diageo's new website reflects that, with Bar Basics for home bartending tips, Barnomics for figuring out how many drinks you can mix per bottle, and information on premade cocktail mixes.

Hopefully this new information will help you with the drinking at home, but alll we can say is - we miss Jack.

@TheBar.com [via] Business Week]

June 24, 2009

Three Penny Taproom Montpelier, VT

You know that one place you always want to show off when you have visitors in town? You say "Oh, so and so are going to be here this weekend, we have to take them to such and such place." We've found our place here in Montpelier, and it goes by the name of Three Penny Taproom.

Nestled into an old storefront, this place has only been around for a bit over a month but it's already burrowed its way into our cold little hearts, and not just because of the stellar beer selection either. The staff is friendly and courteous, always willing to sling a small sample of a draught you might not have tried, and the selection is adventurous to say the least. With 16 constantly-rotating taps you're never going to be hard up for a beer, whether it's IPAs, Belgians, Lagers, Stouts, or brews further off the beaten path. Most of the beers are pretty high test, some up near 10 or 12% ABV, so just keep that in mind.

Also, if the taps aren't your thing, they've got a bunch of bottles, a wine list, and a fully-stocked bar. And yes, they serve PBR, but no, that's not why we go there.

@Three Penny Taproom, and don't forget to check out their tap list, which is updated weekly.

June 23, 2009

Football Cocktail Shaker: Go Long Into Drunkenness

This little gizmo might seem a bit off-season, but just think about how popular you'll be this fall when you hit your friends with a long bomb and get them blitzed. Did we just actually type that sentence? Oh, and you can actually lock the halves together and throw the thing, full of booze, across the room. We can't see that ever being a bad idea.

@Firebox [via Random Good Stuff]

June 22, 2009

PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur Arrives for Review

PAMA is one of those liqueurs we've heard about for quite a while but we haven't gotten around to tasting it yet. Well, we've had it in cocktails while we were out, but never had a bottle of our own to experiment with. That's all a thing of the past, because we've very recently gotten our hands on a bottle. Review is forthcoming and we're excited to whip up some cocktails in time for the summer months.

PAMA is a pomegranate liqueur and our first impression when we uncapped it and took a sip was that it was a bit more tart and less sweet than we expected...definitely a good thing. It strikes us as a good candidate for margaritas, mimosas, and many other cocktails that don't begin with M.

Learn more @PAMAliqueur.com, and check out the PAMA blog if you're looking for cocktail recipes and more tidbits in the meantime.

June 19, 2009

Bottle Throttle for Shotgunning Arrives for Review

During our long and storied career here at Liquor Snob, we've dedicated some serious time to technology dedicated to filling you up with beer really, really quickly. From the Bottle Blaster to the Shotgun Key, from Flabongo to Bongxedo, we've done considerable damage to our collective livers in the pursuit of the best way to shotgun beer.

A gentleman from Calgary claims our search is over. Clint Franklin, creator of the Bottle Throttle, claims his doodad is better than all those other doodads out there. Does the Bottle Throttle get you from zero to twelve ounces as quickly as he claims (averaging about three seconds)? There's only one way to find out...testing, testing, testing. And he sent us two for racing purposes!

You can pick up your own Throttle for about ten bucks; we'll hit you with a full review once we've put it through its paces.

@Bottle Throttle

June 16, 2009

Booze Cruise Watch

This isn't the kind of thing we usually post, but we need a new watch, and something overcame us to search for booze watches. We came up with this Tommy Bahama Booze Cruise watch, which sort of fits the bill. The price is right, it looks durable, and it's water resistant in case you fall off the side of the boat while doing a keg stand. Not that that's ever happened to us of course...

Tommy Bahama Men's Booze Cruise Watch

June 15, 2009

CarboPouch Beer Pouch

Craft brewers rejoice at the CarboPouch. This little doo-hickey is designed to let smaller shops sell their beers onsite without having to buy all kinds of bottling equipment. Maybe in the future you'll get these instead of growlers at your local brewery. We know we'd use them...they're kind of like Go-Gurt for grownups.

CarboPouch [via DVice]

June 12, 2009

Red Stag Cocktail Recipes

We spent some time down in New York this week, and the main attraction of our whirlwind trip was sitting down with Bobby "G" Gleason, Master Mixologist for Beam Global, so he could trot us through some of his favorite Red Stag cocktails. In a masterly fashion, he mixed us a batch of cocktails that surprised us on multiple fronts, and most importantly, gave us a minor buzz at 10 AM.

We were fascinated by Bobby's patter about flavor profiles and his enthusiasm for experimentation (he told us of a bacon-flavored tequila he created), and we dug the drinks too.

We're including the recipes for our favorites - the Manhattan is one we'd drink with enough regularity to be worrisome, the Mating Call moved Red Stag from sweet to tart, and the addition of Tabasco to the Red Hot Stag worried us a bit, but turned out to be one of our favorites of the bunch. See the recipes and our take after the jump.

Continue reading: "Red Stag Cocktail Recipes"

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June 11, 2009

Whiskey Stones for the Win

If you're ready to really take your whiskey on the rocks, you might want to think about getting yourself some Whiskey Stones. It seems like years ago that we covered sippin' on the rocks, a snooty-seeming product from Scotland, but these newest whiskey rocks are from a bit closer to home - our native state of Vermont. Stick 'em in the freezer and plop 'em in your drink to get the chilling effect of ice without watering it down.

A win no matter how you tally it, and we're thinking Dad might want some for Father's Day.

@ThinkGeek

(Thanks Tom and Christina)

Sloe Gin Fizz

We've got a friend who's getting into the Sloe Gin Fizz of late, and sent an envoy to us asking if we knew any good recipes. Truth be told, we didn't, because while we've heard of this particular cocktail we've never sought it out. However, being the liquor nerds we are, we were able to dig through our many cocktail recipe books and come up with a few recipes that might fit the bill. We also found a recipe for something called a "Sloe Comfortable Screw," that we had to include just because it had an awesome name.

Find the recipes (and their sources) after the jump.

Update: We just found an article on Esquire that hints the reason for sloe gin's decline in the States - we don't have access to the real stuff, just artificially-flavored knockoffs that don't do the drink justice. Has anyone found a truly good sloe gin out there to combat this claim? Anyway, maybe that's why, as reader Megan puts it in the comments, "old people like sloe gin." It's because they've had the good stuff we don't have access to, and know what the drink can really aspire to.

Continue reading: "Sloe Gin Fizz"

June 10, 2009

LiquorSnob Presents: America's Best Dive Bars Volume 2

Well, we suppose we've given you enough time since America's Best Dive Bars Volume 1 to keep you wanting more, so here we are with volume two. This series is currently being written by one of our road interns, and while he usually spends his time writing about music festivals we find he knows his way around a bar too, the divier the better.

He rates the bars he hits on his travels on the things we think qualify a good dive bar, both objective (how's the jukebox? how greasy is the food? and most importantly, do they serve PBR?) and subjective (does the bartender have a drink named after him or her? are you slightly afraid you'll get stabbed or catch Hep C there?). Check out how LA's Power House, the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Bozeman, and Seattle's own Night Lite measure up after the jump. And as always, if you know of a great dive bar, make sure to let us know about it in the comments.

Continue reading: "LiquorSnob Presents: America's Best Dive Bars Volume 2"

TY KU Sake Bomb Kit - Y'know, for Dad

As you probably imagine, when we think "Dad," we usually think "sake bomb." Thankfully, TY KU sake has finally made that connection explicit with their Father's Day sake bomb set.

With no need to heat this premium sake, TY KU encourages experimentation and invites you to 'Sip it, Mix it, or Bomb it!' - Perfect for your dad who has taught you to remain flexible and versatile throughout your years.

So if you're looking to get your dad bombed on sake this year, you know where to turn for about $30. Finally!

@TryTyku.com