Image: Three Olives Vodka

Jingle Bell on the Rocks

• 2 oz. Three-O Grape Vodka
• 4 oz. cranberry juice
• Splash club soda

Mix in a glass with ice and garnish with a lime wedge.

Ho-Ho-Mojito

• 2 oz. Three-O Pomegranate Vodka
• 10 Fresh Mint Leaves
• 1/2 of a Lime
• 2 tablespoons simple syrup
• Club Soda

Muddle mint leaves and lime in a tall cocktail glass. Pour in simple syrup and fill glass with ice, add vodka and soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime.

Blue Christmas

• 1 ½ oz. Three-O Cherry Vodka
• ¼ oz. black raspberry liqueur
• ¼ oz. Blue Curacao

Shake with ice and pour into a shot glass.

Snowy Night

• 1 oz. Three-O Triple Shot Espresso Vodka
• 1 oz. white chocolate liquer
• 1 oz. half and half

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with three espresso beans.

Post from: EveryJoe

Holiday Cocktails from Three Olives Vodka

Image: ABSOLUT

ABSOLUT Spiced Pear Mojito

Ingredients:

• 2 Parts ABSOLUT Pears
• 2 Parts Apple Juice
• 1 Part Cinnamon Syrup
• 1 Part Lime Juice
• 8 Leaf Mint Leaf

Directions:

Fill a shaker with ice cubes. Add all ingredients. Shake and strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice.

Peary Afternoon

Ingredients:

• 4 Parts ABSOLUT Pears
• 1 Part Dark Rum of Jamaican Type
• 2 Parts Simple Syrup
• 2 Parts Lemon Juice
• 1 Part Vanilla Liqueur
• 1 Dash Bitters
• Melon

Directions:

Fill a shaker with ice cubes. Add all ingredients. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with 1 quarter melon.

Post from: EveryJoe

ABSOLUT Pears Cocktails

Image: Blue Ice Vodka

Chilled Pumpkin Latte

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce Blue Ice Vodka
• 3/4 ounce coffee liqueur
• 3/4 ounce DaVinci Pumpkin Pie Syrup

Directions:

Build over cubed ice in a 12- to 14-ounce Collins-style glass

Image and recipe courtesy of Blue Ice Vodka

Pumpkin’s Passion

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit
• 3 oz. Sauvignon Blanc
• 1 1/2 oz. Monin Pumpkin Spice
• 1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

Directions:

Combine ingredients in mixing tin with ice, cap and shake. Pour into a margarita glass and garnish with a wedge of orange and a dash of cinnamon.

Recipe courtesy of Skyy Vodka

Post from: EveryJoe

Thanksgiving Vodka Cocktails

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 of yourself as well as download a full body picture. At least minutes of enjoyment.

If you happen to be a dude, don’t be too sad. There’s fun for you as well. But, based on some of the tweets that I got today on Twitter when I tweeted the link to the bot builder…well…let’s just say that the guys weren’t exactly happy at how “womanly” they looked in bot form.

Picky boys.

Go to the website, bot yourself, get some Svedka vodka and enjoy the bot show.

Post from: EveryJoe

SVEDKA Bot Builder

Image|Luxco

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 other go-to drink of that age set].

Mint Lip Gloss got me started thinking about the grape goodness with, “Is Purple Passion considered hard liquor? Do they even still make that stuff? That stuff was a staple in college! :)” after I conducted an unscientific survey on Twitter about everyone’s favorite hard liquor.

Red Jade summed it up rather well: “We drank that crap like pros. And barfed it up like amateurs”.

Spoken like a true lover of Purple Passion.

What I didn’t know back then is that Purple Passion is made by Luxco and contains Everclear. No wonder our young butts were knocked on the ground by that stuff.

Another thing that I wasn’t aware of when I was drinking Purple Passion is that “Purple Passion” is the name of a mixed drink. I’m not sure which came first [I figure it's a chicken and egg kind of deal] but after reading a couple of recipes, I say leave the pre-made Purple Passion to the kids [the 21 and over kids] and go get the stuff to make the cocktail.

Purple Passion Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Vodka
• 2 oz Grape Juice
• 2 oz Grapefruit Juice
• 1/4 oz simple syrup

Directions:

Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Recipe courtesy of: Cocktail Times

Post from: EveryJoe

A Grownup Purple Passion

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 were certainly the exception, rather than the rule; the fact remains, it does happen occasionally, so don’t accuse your favourite bar of serving you swill just yet.

In all honesty, many folk can’t tell the difference between premium liquor and a less than premium brand, however, there are plenty of single malt scotch drinkers and small-batch bourbon drinkers who know when they aren’t getting their brand.  For each small-batch bourbon drinker you find, there are 3 times as many vodka drinkers who care not because the drink tastes different with Grey Goose over Absolut but because ordering a Grey Goose makes you look like a hot shot.

The whole point of vodka is that it doesn’t have a ton of flavor. It mixes easily with pop and juices, which is perfect for people who don’t want to taste the alcohol in the first place and to many brand new drinkers.

Although vodka can be made from a variety of things — including sugar beets, potatoes, grain and even hemp — after the fermented material is distilled the final product is pretty much the same no matter how pretty a bottle it comes in. Even the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives describes vodka as a neutral spirit “without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color.” To be fair, that definition first appeared in Treasury Department literature in 1949. And I’m sure there have been advances in the distilling of vodka since. But enough to warrant the price commanded by Belvedere, Grey Goose and Ciroc? [source]

That’s an age-old question, frankly. The New York Times Dining section ran a blind taste-test for vodka a few years back. The results of which were touted as the be all and end all from the winning brand – Smirnoff, which was included in the 20 odd premium brands they were trying.  Apparently when you pour vodka into frosted, decanter type bottles, there’s no perception of what it "should" taste like.

End result? The next time you’re having a vodka drink at a bar, or buying a bottle at the liquor store, don’t bother with the premium brands. Why pay three times more for something that simply isn’t going to make much of a difference in the end anyway? Personally, I’m gonna stick with Finlandia.

[image source provided by Grey Goose]

Post from: EveryJoe

Ever Been Caught in a Downpour?

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 the drink ingredients 10 minutes prior to the competition. During that time, each contestant had to invent a new drink recipe and then mix the concoction within an additional five minutes.

Every drink the bartenders crafted had to be a new creation based on Finlandia Vodka, or a member of its flavour family: Cranberry Fusion, Lime, (which is my personal favourite)  Redberry, Mango, Wild Berries or Grapefruit Fusion. After each round, the drinks were judged by an international jury on the aroma, appearance, and most importantly, the flavour of each cocktail. The winner was determined by the most cumulative points in all three categories.

When all the mixing was done, Raditya Dimas from Indonesia but working in Dubai won the contest by earning 298 points out of a possible 312, in the three drink categories: the aperitif, long drink and “Quick Mix”.

Dimas winning cocktails were:

Aperitif: THE QUICKY TINI

4.5 cl Finlandia Cranberry Fusion vodka
1.5 cl strawberry liqueur
1.5 cl passion fruit syrup
3 cl lemon juice

Method: Shake and strain into a martini glass

Garnish: Lemon slice and mint tip

Long Drink: JAKARTA RED DRAGON

6 cl Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion
1 piece apple
3 cl passion fruit syrup
3 cl raspberry puree
3 cl cranberry juice

Method: Muddle, shake and strain into a highball glass

Garnish: Red currant, grapefruit peel, and mint tip

Quick Mix: THANK YOU WITH LOVE

6 cl Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion
3 cl sugar syrup
6 cl Pomegranate juice
3 slices pink grapefruit

(1 oz (ounce) equals 3 cl (centiliters))

The two North American competitors included Jeff Schaus from Calgary AB, and Christine Misiura from Orlando. Jeff  tied for sixth in the Aperitif category and placed 13th in the Long Drink, coming in 17th overall. Christine tied for third in the Aperitif category and placed sixth in the Long Drink, coming in 13th overall, garnering one of the best U.S. finishes in the history of the Finals.

Jeff’s Aperitif and Long Drink recipes:

Aperitif: Mango Zen

1 oz. Finlandia Mango Fusion Vodka
1 oz. Mango Puree
4 oz. Ice Cold Green Tea with a hint of Honey

Shake and strain into a glass

Garnish: Orange and Lime Rind

Long Drink: Name of drink: Limestone Lemonade

1 oz. Finlandia Lime Fusion Vodka
1 oz. Fresh Squeeze Lemon Juice
1 oz. Simple Syrup
4 oz. Water
1 Sprig of Fresh Rosemary

Shake and strain into a glass.

Garnish: Long Rosemary Sprig/Long Lime Rind/Lemon Wheel in center of glass

Christine’s Aperitif and Long Drink recipes:

Aperitif: Lemon Bliss

1 3/4 oz. Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion
1 1/2 oz. St. Germain
3/4 oz. Fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz. Simple syrup
Lemongrass

Muddle lemongrass, syrup, juice. Add Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion, St. Germain. Shake and strain

Garnish with Lemongrass and grapefruit flower

Long Drink: Pomegranate Crush

1 1/4 oz. Finlandia Wild Berry Fusion
1 oz. Pomegranate juice
2 fresh orange slices (rind removed)
3/4 oz simple syrup
Splash fresh sour mix

Method: In glass to be used for serving – Muddle orange slices, pomegranate juice and simple syrup. Add Finlandia Wild Berry Fusion and splash of sour. Add ice and shake.

Garnish with Orange/Raspberry/Blackberry pinwheel.

The 11th Annual International Finlandia Vodka Cup Finals was held in Kittila, Finland, in a specially designed Snow Dome for the competition made completely of snow and hand-cut ice pulled from a nearby river. Inside the dome, hand-crafted Ice Bars lined the inside of the 16-meter diameter, 10-meter high igloo. Competitors not only had to deal with the pressure of the competition but also the cold, making ingredients react differently.

[images provided by Finlandia Vodka]

Post from: EveryJoe

Finlandia Cup Winners

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 in 2.0 form, which is actually kind of unfortunate…it’s a lovely room, but the old jail and gallows it was housed in was much better) Shabeen, (also in it’s 2.0 form), The Blarney Stone and a few other pubs, all within a stone’s throw of Blood Alley.

I asked our waiter about the history around Blood Alley, and found out that there are a few different theories about the ominous name. I’d always thought that there had been a series of grisly Jack-The-Ripper-Style slayings in the area during the early days of Vancouver, and that the name was an historical call back to that. Turns out, my Stephen-King-fed imagination was a little off the mark.

The two schools of thought are that Gastown was essentially the center of Vancouver in the early 1900’s, and of course, the site of many of the city’s pubs. When the men came back from work on the Friday after being paid, their first stop on the way home were the pubs. Ruffians (yes, he actually used the word ‘ruffians’) gathered in this alley to jump, pummel and otherwise mug the working men coming in for a drink, knowing they had fistfulls of cash in their pockets.

The other school of thought is that this was the area of Vancouver’s first Civic Buildings (which would make some sense, given the fact that the original Irish Heather was housed in an old jail, and is on Gaoler’s Mews), and also, inexplicably, a butcher shop. At the end of the day, the butchers would dump their buckets of blood into the alley, letting it run through the cobblestones.  The public hangings were said to be here as well, which seems interesting and all, but the thing is, that a hanging doesn’t generally produce a lot of blood. As my dear friend Mr. Lady says, bygones.

So, despite the uncertain history of this site, there’s a ton of lovely places to drink around here. And, the Blood Alley street sign is one of the most often stolen street signs in Canada. Next time you visit Vancouver, this is definitely a spot to hit.

(Image source: CC Roland Tanglao and Sturmvogel on Flickr.)

Post from: EveryJoe

Blood Alley: Drinking in Gastown

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 premium vodka industry. 

I tasted the 360 Vodka, and to be completely honest, I wasn’t completely knocked off my feet. I mean, sure, it was good vodka, but I don’t know if I would switch brands in favour of eco-friendly practices. Yes, there is 85% recycled glass in the bottles, and the distillation is 200% more efficient than the pot still method, but what I wanted to know was, does that change the flavour of the vodka?

For me, it didn’t, not really, despite the fact that it’s distilled four times and filtered five times. Like I said, sure, it’s good vodka, and I certainly wouldn’t go turning it away or anything, but I don’t know if it’s enough to make me purchase it over another one. 

I’m proud of McCormick for taking strides towards environmental stewardship, carbon offsets and eco-friendly practices. I hope more and more of the premium spirts go that route in fact. But, for me, until the quality comes up a little for me, I’m not swaying from my current vodka brand. 

[image provided by 360 Vodka]

Post from: EveryJoe

Review: 360 Eco-Vodka

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 Arctic Circle in Lapland.The Finlandia Vodka Cup arena, the “snow dome” is a construction of snow and ice, complete with a semi-circle ice bar. The pure Finnish nature provides amazing surruondings for the world’s best bartneders to show off their talents. I went to the summer Finlandia “Midnight Sun” event in the summer (where the sun didn’t set) and loved every minute of it. I’ll tell you about that soon.

And, you know, if I had the opportunity to go in February, I would, in a heartbeat!  I heard that Finland and Helsinki in the winter is gorgeous and dramatically and strikingly different than it is in the summer.

My favourite drink from each bartender had to be:

Colin MacDougall’s “long drink”

1 muddled peach (or 3 oz peach puree)
1 oz Finlandia Vodka
1 oz orgeat syrup
1 oz lemon juice
2 oz orange juice

Muddle all ingredients together, shake over ice and serve in a tall glass.

Trevor Kallies’ Cool Hand ‘Cuc’

2 oz Finlandia Vodka
1/2 kiwi, muddled
2″ peeled long English Cucumber
1 oz simple syrup
Ginger Beer

Muddle the kiwi & simple syrup, add vodka, shake over ice. Pour over ice, add ginger beer and garnish with cucumber.

Lori Poppe’s Marley Mule

1.5 oz sage infused Finlandia Vodka
.5 oz Benedictine
4 dashes peach bitters
3 oz fresh squeezed pink grapefruit juice
1 oz ginger beer

Put all but ginger beer into a shaker, over ice. Pour into a tall glass, over ice and top with ginger beer.

Brian Grant’s (Vancouver Finlandia Vodka Cup Champion) “LL” Lyman

2 oz Finlandia Lime Vodka
Good scoop of Lemon Sorbet
Healthy splash of champagne

Build drink in a martini glass, starting with the Vodka, add the lemon sorbet and then add the champagne on top.

Colin Turner’s Candy Striper

1 oz Finlandia Vodka
.5 oz Cinzani Ornacio
1/2 oz Compari
1/5 oz fresh pomegranate juice
Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Put all ingredients except for the pomegranate seeds into  a shaker, over ice. Pour into a martini glass and float seeds for garnish.

Ryan Cheverie’s Sami 75

1 oz Finlandia Mango
1/2 a pink grapefruit, juiced
1/2 oz ginger syrup
Dash of orange bitters
Top with sparkling wine

Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in a shaker, over ice. Pour into your favourite glass and top with the sparkling wine.

(Images prodvided by Finlandia Vodka)

Post from: EveryJoe

Finlandia Vodka Cup