Since I’m a fan of Bacardi and I’m a fan of Mojitos, I assumed that the Bacardi Silver Mojito Original would be a safe and satisfying selection.

Oh, dear God was I wrong.

My first thought was Zima. Remember that stuff? Every yuppie party in the ’90s was stocked with it and I’ve only met one person who was brave/stupid enough to admit that they liked Zima.

After a drink or two, I noticed an odd “mint” taste. The first two drinks I had mistaken the “mint” for some kind of chemical substance on the rim of the bottle. Maybe I had spilled something on the bottles before I opened them?

The longer I drank on the bottle, the less repulsive the drink became. While I don’t think that I was getting a buzz off of 1/2 a bottle of the “premium malt beverage”, maybe my taste buds were taking their toys and going home?

Whatever the case, I finally poured the stuff over some ice in a red party cup [I had to do it up right] and it became a bit more palatable. The stuff also sat heavy on my stomach and I felt like I had eaten a five course meal by the time I was done with one bottle.

There are two other flavors and I’ll have to give them a go since I figure they have to be better than the “original”.

Image courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

Post from: EveryJoe

Bacardi Silver Mojito Original Review

According to The Telegraph, Brown-Forman has hired investment banking advisers to look into the idea of acquiring Bacardi.  Of course no one at either company was available for comment. But a “drinks industry insider” said, “A deal would make sense as it would allow them to work through the tough times.”

Should this really concern your average drinker?

Probably not.

However, a partnership/merger might equal a more stable environment for both companies and, in-turn, a guaranteed supply of your favorite alcoholic goodies.

Image|Kradlum, MerlinStoll and Amy Tucker

Post from: EveryJoe

Jack Daniel’s Thinking of Buying Bacardi

One of the bloggers I’ve been following for some time, and finally got to meet face to face at Blog World Expo, Average Jane, has two yummy sounding martini recipes, and they sounded too good not to share!

Tootsie Roll Martinis

1 cup creamy chocolate liqueur
1 cup Irish cream liqueur
1 cup vanilla vodka
1/2 cup clear chocolate liqueur (optional)
1/4 cup Grand Marnier

Mix together in a pitcher and add ice to chill and provide a little much-needed dilution of the alcohol.  Don’t skip the Grand Marnier – it’s the secret ingredient that makes these martinis taste like a Tootsie Roll instead of just chocolate alone.  Garnish martini glasses with actual Tootsie Rolls or chocolate syrup-coated rim.

Bomb Pop Martini

DeKuyper Island Blue Pucker
Bacardi Razz Rum
Sweet & sour mix
Grenadine

Mix equal parts of Island Blue Pucker, Bacardi Razz and sweet & sour mix.  Shake WELL with ice and pour into martini glass.  Then take 1 capful of grenadine and slowly pour down the inside of glass until it settles to the bottom.

(Image source: (CC) Gep, on Flickr)

Post from: EveryJoe

Sweet Sweet Martinis

Hatuey was a chief from Hispaniola, who lived in the early 16th century. He is celebrated as Cuba’s First National Hero, and the Bacardi family named their beer after this hero. When Castro moved towards his pledges for change and in particular, nationalizing and banning all private property and bank accounts on the island. The  Bacardi family, and therefore the entire company, who had already started foreign branches years before the revolution, moved all the important international trademarks out to the Bahamas and started to build a distillery in Puerto Rico. (Image source: Wikipedia. CC Michal Zalewski)

Today, Cuban refugees in Miami and along the  Southern States can enjoy the traditional brew their parents drank.  Hatuey beer has returned.

Bacardi is promoting the beer through Miami at the moment, and proclaiming it “cerveza con el sabor original de Cuba” (the beer with the original taste of Cuba). Hatuey was the main beer in Cuba from 1927 until the 60’s when Castro incited revolution.

“There’s a folklore to it. They know it might not be the same, but they can at least relate to it through the logo,” said George Hoyos, general sales manager at Eagle Brand Sales in Miami.  “They recognize it from when they were there or when their parents spoke about it. The goal should be to try to get that old consumer and second- or third-generation American to associate with it.” [source]

Post from: EveryJoe

Old-School Cuban Beer Returns

I’ll admit, I favor a good glass of wine over a cocktail any day. But at the same time, I can certainly appreciate when a tasty mixed drink is passed my way.

The highlights included…

Perfect sample sizes. Granted, it took my friend and I a few times to realize that just because they are about the same size of shot glasses, doesn’t mean they should be kicked back in one gulp that way.

High quality recipes: Everything I tasted was good. Now, I happened to be traveling with a few other cocktail connoisseurs who had some additional legwork testing out far more varieties than I could manage. But every single drink I tried was incredibly good and delightfully inventive. Lots of fresh mint too, which I find particularly yummy.

Good hosts: The people behind each drink counter were consistently talkative, friendly and helpful. If they had more than one type of drink, I’d ask for their recommendation – they always had a favorite, with clear reasons why, and not one of their choices were disappointing.

Some things I’d have liked to have seen…

Better food prices. This was one complaint I heard from a few people, though I fortunately came full of dinner and ready to focus solely on the drinks. But the cost was quite high for such small portions of finger foods…I wonder what making hors d’oeuvres complimentary would have done to entice people to stick around and keep buying tickets for more cocktail samples.

Brighter Lights. Okay, this is just because I happened to be carrying around a camera. I suppose if you’re setting the lights on dim to offer a little bit of a club-y vibe, that makes sense….but this is just what I want, right?

Here are a few of my absolute favorite recipes from the show:

The Maple Mile
1.5 oz. Centennial 10 Year Old Whiskey
1 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. maple syrup

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add whisky, lemon juice, lime juice, simple syrup and maple syrup. Shake and strain into a rocks glass and garnish with frozen cranberries.

The Lakeview
1.5 oz Bacardi Superior Rum
1 fresh lemon
5 oz. white grape juice.
1 sprig of rosemary

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add rum, the juice of 1/8 fresh lemon and top with white grape juice. Garnish with rosemary sprig.

The White Berry
1 oz. Bols white creme de cacao
3 oz. Ocean Spray white cran-strawberry juice
1 fresh strawberry

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add creme de cacao and white cran-strawberry juice. Shake until icy cold and strain into martini glass. Garnish with a strawberry slice.

[Images: Rachel Segal]

Post from: EveryJoe

The Drinks Show: Cocktails, Cocktails and more Cocktails