Svedka isn’t just a nice Swedish vodka. It’s also has a kickass website where you can bot yourself to your heart’s content {that just sounds dirty}.
I love a company that knows how to make a damn good website and this website is nothing but fun.
Are You Bot or Not allows you to upload a pretty picture of your face, put it on a bot and then customize the bot so that it looks just about anyway that you could want.
Do you want pretty pink wings?
You got them.
Want devil horns and a French Maid outfit?
There’s that too.
You can even download avatars …read more

When I was in high school, I was by no means a “wild” child. I never snuck out. I never [well...almost never] broke curfew. I got good grades and I had a part-time job as a DJ. I was pretty much every parent’s dream teenager.
Now, all that being said, I did occasionally imbibe at the random after-football game party or the parents-are-out-of-town-so-let’s-party party. Purple Passion was the go-to drink back then since it tastes just like grape soda. Grape soda doesn’t offend the young [and stupid] palate like other drinks might and I didn’t have a taste for beer [the …read more

Reading through the New York Times recently, and I found an article all about getting caught in a "caught in a downpour", and while this is something that I’ve suspected in the past, it’s not something I was ever able to prove.

The working in a restaurant outside of New York City where we poured cheap booze into all of the name-brand bottles: a trick known as a “downpour.” Now it’s not like we came up with the idea. Bars have been downpouring since before the invention of the neon sign." [source]

While the writer goes on to say that they …read more

Twenty-nine of the world’s best bartenders braved the cold, -16C (3F) above the Arctic Circle in Finland yesterday in hopes of capturing the 11th Annual International Finlandia Vodka Cup.
In order to compete in the Finlandia Vodka Cup Finals in Finland, competitors had to win regional competitions in their home countries. These winners were invited to Finland for the chance to represent their country in the International Finals. During the Finals, each competitor had to demonstrate his or her range of mixology talents by crafting three unique creations in the aperitif, long drink and the “Quick Mix” categories. Bartenders were given …read more

I had the pleasure of meeting with Anthony Nicolo from Farmstead Wines last week, at Salt Tasting Room. Not only did we share some good food and some fantastic wines, we had a long, effortless conversation about one of our favourite topics – wine.
But it’s the not the wine that got me thinking today… more, it was Blood Alley in Vancouver, where Salt is. There’s a history to Blood Alley that many don’t know, speculate about and spread erroneous thoughts about as well. It’s home to a lovely little cluster of drinking hot spots, including Salt, The Irish Heather (currently …read more

Everyone’s going green these days, including the vodka you sip. 
360 Vodka, an ‘Eco-Luxury Vodka’ claims to be the world’s first environmently friendly spirit, combining superior quality with environmental responsibility. 
Truth be told, all premium and super-premium vodkas taste pretty much the same – they are all high quality products that are distilled three or four times to achieve their quality and then packaged in a pretty bottle. The only real difference at that point lies in the marketing. 
McCormick, the company behind 360 Vodka is telling me that by establishing new environmentally-sound distilling practices, packaging and marketing, they’re shaking up the super …read more

I recently had the immense pleasure of being a judge at Finlandia Vodka’s “Vodka Cup“. It was there that I talked to Ryan from Hamilton Street Grill again, and met half of the Voya team and got to drink some fantastic new cocktails.

Each mixologist made 3 different drinks, using a maximum of 5 ingredients in each. The winner from the Vancouver competition went to the North American Shake-off in Colorado Springs, and then overall winner from Colorado Spings gets to go to the 11th Annual International Finlandia Vodka Cup, which will be held at the Lainio Snow Village, above the …read more

It’s officially the silly season and that means there’s a ton of parties, events and just things you’ve got to either go to or host.
Want to find an easy, quick drink you can make and impress your friends, all at once? Try Lotus Vodka’s Merry Berry Cosmo:
The Merry Berry Cosmo
2 oz Lotus Vodka
1 oz Berry Liqueur (like Chambord)
1 oz Cranberry Juice
½ oz Grenadine
½ oz Simple Syrup
Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain over fresh ice in a tall glass.
Now sit back, slurp, sip and enjoy!

Anyone who knows me knows I have a bit of a bah-humbug streak in me, but this is one Christmas movement I can get behind!
Tim Laird, dubbed America’s Chief Entertaining Officer (CEO) has some tips to make your holiday cocktails as pretty and festive as your freaky-about-Christmas friend’s Christmas decor.
Tim recommends using Tequila and Vodka for your drink bases, because not only do they allow the greatest range of mixability, but they’re generally guaranteed crowd pleasers. You don’t need to stock a ton of mix in order to make a few different drinks which all bring the colors of the …read more

Halloween is now about a week away. I still don’t have a costume, but I know exactly what I’ll be serving to friends on Friday night.  This is the first of the Drinks After Dark Halloween Recipes – there will definitely be more!
Vampire Juice
In a tall glass with ice mix:
2 oz Finlandia Lime Vodka
4 oz tomato juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh horseradish
Splash of steak sauce (any brand)
Splash of hot sauce
Garnish with eye ball radish
To make ice “eyeballs”. Peel radishes, leaving thin streaks of red skin on to represent blood vessels (see image). Using the tip of the vegetable peeler, or a small, …read more