Virginia Black Whiskey [BUSINESS]

Be one of the first people in North America to taste Virginia Black Decadent American Whiskey, the long-anticipated collaboration between Brent Hocking, founder and creator of DeLeón Tequila and the LCBOVO boys.

Virginia Black is a rich, smooth bourbon available at a decidedly reasonable price (because its founders believe that "everyone should have access to glamour, swagger and soul").

Pre-order your bottle online here to have it shipped in advance of the product launch later this summer.

The Bar Chef [BOOKS]

One of the world’s pre-eminent mixologists serves up the theatre, mystery and science behind his signature modern cocktails.




Vanilla-and-hickory smoked Manhattan, anyone?




`BarChef is a cocktail lounge on Queen Street West in Toronto. Dedicated to the art and science of the cocktail, its beauty lies in the colours and details behind the bar—from apothecary jars filled with bitters and syrups to bell jars and 100-pound blocks of ice. Owner Frankie Solarik holds court in his fedora, chipping ice, talking to patrons (a mix of rockers, hipsters, business people, locals and celebrities) and enjoying his craft thoroughly.




Solarik is a leading figure of the global cocktail renaissance. His book, The Bar Chef, explores the importance of engaging all the senses when creating modernist cocktails. Depth and balance—the ideas behind great wines, and great food and wine pairings—are vital to a magnificent drink. Chapters detail the elements of the set-up, the art and craft of mixology and, of course, include recipes for syrups, infusions, bitters and the cocktails themselves. A chapter for non-alcoholic drinks rounds out the book.




This book is aimed at adventurous mixologists, enthusiasts whowant to hone their skills and taste, and who want to experience something of Solarik’s genius at home. This book is neither comprehensive nor “general.” Rather, it is a carefully curated sampling of Solarik’s creations, featuring recipes that are challenging but achievable, and oh so delicious.




Pick it up on Amazon HERE or stop by the Bar.

Taiwanese "Kavalan" Whisky > Scottish Whisky [BOOZE]

An unlikely competitor in a blind taste test organized inconjunction with Scotland's Burn's Night festivities, Taiwanese "Kavalan" kicked some United Kingdom whisky ass.

The contest took place in a hostelry north of Edinburgh and when the results were announced whisky connoisseur Charles MacLean exclaimed "Oh my God, is this an April Fools?" The scores tallied up with Taiwan's Kavalan receiving 27.5 points out of a possible 40, with the next place (the premium Scottish brand Langs) scoring only 22 points. The other competitors were Scotland's King Robert (20 points), England's St George (15.5 points), and Scotland's Bruchladdich X4+3 (only 4.5 points out of the possible 40).

Kavalan comes from Taiwan's first distillery, which was built by a firm from Banffshire, and uses Scottish malt in its production.

I must give this a try...though I don't see myself relinquishing my crown. I'll sip Crown Royal until we run out of it.

via Luxist

A "What Beer To Drink?" Flowchart [BOOZE]

This is pretty damn accurate...and equally hilarious.

via geekologie

Hennessy Black Cognac [BOOZE]

Hennessy, a brand under the LVMH conglomerate, is launching a new cognac called Hennessy Black in 10 markets throughout the US. In addition to having a dramatic black bottle it’s also different inside. It is a blend of 35 to 45 pale and gold colored eaux-de-vie selected for their floral characteristics and aged in French oak barrels previously used by Hennessy for at least five years.

My New Year's Eve drink...Henny "Royale": Mixed with champagne, a dash of lemon juice and simple syrup.

Cheers!

Absolut Rock Edition [COOL]

More like Absolut x 2BD!!! This would be dope in photoshoot or something.

Absolut Vodka's latest adventure in packaging pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock with a celebration of rock music. The Absolut Rock Edition will go on sale next month at Selfridges of London before becoming more widely available in October. Absolut worked with designer Natalia Brilli to create the leather and studs design. To celebrate the bottle the vodka company held a launch event in Berlin showing guitars and other Natalia Brilli designs. Music at the event included Wolfmother, Smith & Drums and DJ Alex

via Luxist

Vybz Kartel Rum [LIQUOR]

I really wanted to think of something witty to say regarding this...but meh...I'll try it, and let you know how it goes. I actually think its an ingenious idea. Jamaica can stand to have more than Appleton and Wray & Nephew in the rum department.

“Launching hits that are popular in the club scene is pretty sweet and all, but until you’ve launched your own branded non-music product, you haven’t really made it in the music business.

That’s why Adidja Palmer, known in the Jamaican dancehall world as Vybz Kartel, went into the rum business. Well, that, and having your own line of premium handcrafted rums is pretty damn cool.

To make sure the bottle was sexy enough for the upscale dancehall crowd, Vybz entrusted the branding to Project 13, who knows sexy. We also know a little something about logo and label design, plus the printing and production processes, all of which helped us tackle the challenges of designing branding for a rum bottle with no flat surfaces. Undaunted, we developed a unique shoulder wrap and neck label featuring a contemporary VYBZ logo that instantly lets discriminating rum drinkers know they’re in the presence of a premium product.

Organic line work and a regal seal of excellence ensure an elegant look, while the incorporation of a small hummingbird in the design gives a nod to the rum’s Jamaican roots. We also designed with function in mind, as each label must be hand applied and numbered during bottling, a slow and exacting process appropriate to the slow and exacting process of making the triple-distilled silver rum and handcrafted oak-aged rum that are the pillars of the Vybz brand.”

Thanks Cherry!

via lovelypackage.com

Ace of Spades... Recession Proof!

Cristal still sells, but I'm not sure they are not seeing increased demand like boutique champagne brand Armand de Brignac. Ever since the co-sign from Jay-Z in Show Me What You Got video the "Ace of Spades" bottle of bubbly has garnered much attention from rappers across the spectrum. A report in the Independent states that the demand is so high that the winery could sell their 60,000-bottle production run several times over. The brand will reach its maximum production of 82,000 within three years. The Armand de Brignac Cuvees are priced from $300US per bottle and come in three varieties, Champagne Rose, Champagne Blanc de Blanc, and the Brut Gold.

Soon to be a birthday staple. Rawk...let's make it happen!


via Luxist

Pop [Bespoke] Champagne!

Moët & Chandon a division of the LVMH is offering the opportunity for folks to head to mymoet.com and order a bottle of Moet & Chandon Imperial or Nectar Imperial and in 750 ml or 1.5L personalized with a tag in either silver or gold Swarovski crystals.

There is sample feature on site, and ss you can see I've done up a 1.5L or Imperial in the call letters for the blog. This will be dope for New Years Eve...individual bottles of Mo' for the clique...for $90 a pop it's definitely not too pricey! But hey...if all you've got are $12 bottles Spumante Bambino I'll drink that too.

Ketel One Vodka...Try It!

Last week I hit this Ketel One vodka tasting event with my homegirl Yvonne and got tore up from the floor up! Actually not really...we hit cool little spot called Kultura and I sampled Ketal One for the first time and was pleasantly surprised as to how smooth it was. For most part, a lot of folks I know just grab whatver is around...for me going to the liquor store is typically a mission! Getting lost in a sea of spirits, wines, lagers, and ales...usually I'm searching for the best fit for the moment. After that event Ketel One really may have become my go-to vodka. Browsing the net I randomly stumble across a blog by New Yorker named Aiesha, and read a post where she mentioning ordering a"Ketel One and Cranberry"...on the same day I decided I was going to put this post up...so I'm presuming it's actually a drink of choice for many already.

Anyway...try it out...let me know if you agree or not.

Jack Daniels Shatter Projections...Recession? What Recession?

Well not quite shattered, but I wanted to tie in my image. I'm going to go ahead and take complete and undue credit for this...JD shots have entered into my order at the club/bar/restaurant as of late, and almost religiously. Though, I think folks stressing out from being so broke with Christmas looming could have something to do with it as well...maybe...

Brown-Forman Corporation reported that diluted earnings per share from continuing operations1 increased 13% to $0.94 and operating income increased 4% to $222 million for its fiscal 2009 second quarter. For the first six months of the fiscal year, diluted earnings per share increased 5% to $1.52, while operating income decreased 2% to $362 million. Adjusting for items in Schedule A of this press release, underlying2 operating income grew 5% for the second quarter and 4% for the first half of fiscal 2009.

Read the whole story here.