Posted by community member JennCadd:

This faux mini beer is a lush after dinner drink, made to look like a tiny pint of Guinness! I’m not a beer drinker, so this is the closest pint-like drink I’ll enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS

• Kahlua… or your favorite coffee liqueur.
• Bailey’s Irish Cream… or your favorite Irish Cream.
• One or more clear standard shot glass.
• Teaspoon

DIRECTIONS

• Fill a little over half of each shot glass with the coffee liqueur. The idea is to look like a glass of Guinness, so fill approximately 3/4 of the shot glass. (2 parts Kahlua to 1 part Bailey’s)

• SLOWLY & GENTLY pour the Bailey’s over an inverted teaspoon on top of the coffee liqueur. This resembles the head of the Guinness, so be careful not to mix the two ingredients. (I have tried just pouring the Baileys in straight but it ends up looking very cloudy! The spoon trick will work!)

• Serve with an Irish Smile;) ….and always remember eye contact!

Posted by community member Robert:

First we had vodka, and it all pretty much tasted the same.  Then we were introduced to “Premium” vodka through massive marketing campaigns that brought us brands like Absolut, which tasted like your basic Smirnoff, but came in a different bottle format.  The next phase in the market brought us product that was distilled multiple times to smooth out the rough ends of the spirit, and gave us high end brands such as Grey Goose, Belvedere and the “Ultra Premium” Ciroc… which is actually made from grapes. And now, behold the “Luxury” designation of vodka found only in Double Cross™.

In a market already saturated with dozens of choices, why would the makers of the new Double Cross™ Vodka even consider taking on the massive advertising budgets of global liquor giants Diageo and Allied Domecq?  I guess they wanted to make a better beverage, and to be brutally honest, I think they have succeeded.

Double Cross™ is distilled in Slovakia, half of the former Czechoslovakia, from 100% organic winter wheat using pure spring water from nearby Tatra Mountain.  It is distilled seven times and then filtered another seven times using limestone, active charcoal and micro diamond dust… yes I said it, it is filtered with diamonds.  Since diamonds are a girl’s best friend, you shouldn’t have a problem paying $50 retail for a bottle!  That is of course if you can find it… it’s so new it’s not available everywhere… yet.

In a very short time, this vodka has already received a Four Star rating from spirits expert Paul Pacult, the Gold Medal for vodka at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and an Outstanding Rating of 91 points from Anthony Dias Blue in Tasting Panel Magazine.  Even the unusual, yet stunningly beautiful bottle design won the Gold in San Francisco, making it the first vodka to win for both taste and package design.  The bottle is so interesting to me that I have it displayed in my house along with my collection of modern art… you have to see it to truly appreciate it.

And what of the taste?  Smooth, yes, but more importantly complex.  There is a clear hint of citrus, a touch of pepper and a slight mineral finish.  While it is easily mixed in cocktails, a true epicure will want to drink it on the rocks… perhaps with a lemon twist to bring out the natural flavors.  In a martini you’ll want it dry, so dry that you’ll need to ask for Double Cross™ chilled and straight up with a twist.  I don’t think you’ll want to sully this spectacular beverage with any dry vermouth.

To be successful in business, you don’t have to do anything extraordinary… just do something ordinary extraordinarily well.  This is what the makers of Double Cross™ vodka have done.  I hope to see it at every bar and lounge that I frequent, because Double Cross™ is now my call of choice!

For more information, please visit: Doublecrossvodka.com

Did you know that…………….

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you will have $49.00 today.

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you will have $33.00 today.

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you will have $0.00 today.

But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you will have received a $214.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg.

A recent study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a year.

Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year.

That means that, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon!

Makes you proud to be an American huh?!

Various “other” reviews of this wine suggested drinking by 2007. I disagree! While this isn’t one to hide behind the Barolo, until now the full body and structure of the wine was masked by the young fruit and acidic tannins. I am not suggesting you let this sit any longer, but the extra 18 months I sat on this case has allowed the components of the wine to truly come together. The Marques Cabernet certainly doesn’t have the gears of Concha’s premium wines like Don Melchor or Almaviva, but when you bring value into the picture, you’ll be hard pressed to find a nicer “drinking” wine from Chile at this price point. You can still find this stuff in the $13-$15 price range. I suggest grabbing a couple bottles, throwing a couple of strips on the grill and smile knowing you can still grab a nice bottle of cab for about the same price as beer at Yankee Stadium. It is just another reason why Chilean wines continue to be so hot. Value….value….value!

Region: Puente Alto Vineyard, Maipo Valley, Chile

Grape Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Production Technique: These grapes are hand harvested during April. The wine is aged for 18 months in new (35%) and used (65%) French oak barriques, then aged a further 2 months after bottling.

Color: Deep dark red

Nose: Just like a chocolate covered cherry that was served next to a heavily toasted baguette.

Mouth feel: The velvety texture of this cab coats your mouth with sweet soft fruit… until the firm and acidic tannins dry your palate.

Average Retail Price: $15

The Field Score: 90

As the first of many wine reviews to come in the future on Modern Epicure, I carefully chose a little gem that has been calling me from deep within the bowls of my cellar. The 2002 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma utilizes hand selected fruit from the Russian River, Sonoma Coast, and Santa Lucia Highlands. A newer player on the California pinot scene, Kosta Brown was started in 1997 by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne who were then employees of the John Ash & Co. restaurant. Not bad for a couple of restaurant guys who “pooled their tips” to build a dream.

This pinot has a sweet but spicy nose, with strong earthy overtones. The color is a gorgeous deep garnet. At the time I drank it, it had not begun to show any amber tints, indicating it had been stored perfectly. Some other reviews have stated that the 2002 was beyond peak and on its way down. I hardly think that’s true and believe this wine can still store for another year or two; although it seems to have reached its potential.

On the palate, I found the front to be bright, with concentrated cherry, cranberry and hints of orange peel. Despite its tart fruit flavors, it has very balanced acidity. The body is silky smooth, and given a blind taste test, I would have sworn it was French if I hadn’t seen the label; with a mouth-feel found only in the finest pinot noir. The finish is long and smooth, with its tannins leaving an earthy mushroom finish. The fruit seems to go on and on forever.

I truly believe this wine in peaking now and should be enjoyed over the next 12-18 months. The 2002 Kosta Brown Pinot Noir is divine on its own, or can stand up to the boldest dish you pair it with. Now I only have two bottles left… I guess it’s off to winecommune.com to find some more!

Average Retail Price: $150

The Field Score: 94 points

What could a single anise flavored beverage contain that would cause so much controversy and outrage that the public would demand it be made illegal? While most believed the active ingredient Artemisia Absinthium, also called wormwood, was to blame, the true fact of the matter was that the extremely high alcohol content, as high as 90% by volume, was the reason Van Gogh cut his ear off! Drunk people do dumb things, and Absinthe simply allowed drinkers to get inebriated much faster than other alcoholic beverages.

The History of Absinthe

To get a better understanding of how “The Green Fairy” evolved, a brief bullet point history will bring you up to speed.

1792 French Doctor Pierre Ordinaire develops the first Absinthe recipe in Couvert, Switzerland.

1805 Commercial distillation of Absinthe begins in Pontalier, France. Demand for Absinthe quickly rises from 16 liters a day to over 30,000.

1840 In an effort to ward off disease, the French Foreign Legion was prescribed Absinthe while fighting in Algeria. Upon their return to France, Soldiers demanded “The Green Fairy” in saloons and cafes from Paris to Rouen and throughout the country.

1870 The French wine industry is decimated by Phylloxera making both red and white wines extremely scarce. This causes a boom to the Absinthe industry which last almost 30 years.

1888 On Christmas Eve, an Absinthe inebriated, mentally anguished artist named Vincent Van Gogh cuts his ear off. While not a significant moment at the time, the act was one of many poor choices exercised by Absinthe drinkers across Europe.

1890 The Moulin Rouge in Paris is in its prime and Absinthe is imbibed by millions all across Europe.

1906 Belgium and Brazil ban Absinthe due to concerns of public safety.

1908 Switzerland bans Absinthe because of public outrage due to the Lanfray-affair. A day before Jean Lanfray, a Swiss peasant, murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters, he had drunktwo glasses of Absinthe, but he had no recollection of committing the horrendous crimes. At the same time, estimated consumption in France reached 36 million liters annually.

1912 Absinthe is banned in the United States.

1915 As the scapegoat for alcoholic beverages and due to the political machinations of wine producers, Absinthe is banned in France. A similar tasting non-wormwood containing beverages called Pastis quickly replaces “The Green Fairy.”

1998 Sale of Absinthe is once again legalized in the European Union.

2000 George Rowley and Marie-Claude Delahaye distil the original recipe Absinthe in France for the first time since the 1915 ban.

2007 After extensive research, Absinthe is deemed legal in the US by the FDA

How to Drink Absinthe

Today, “The Green Fairy” is enjoyed in mixed drinks and cocktails, with literally hundreds of recipes popping up each year. For purists, there is really one way to drink Absinthe, and that is in the ritualistic ceremony known as La Louche. To participate in this experience, you’ll need a glass, a slotted spoon, some cold water and sugar cubes. A bastardized version of La Louche made popular in the Czech Republic makes for a dramatic presentation using fire… but Absinthe snobs frown upon it.

La Louche Style

1. Pour one ounce of Absinthe into a glass.

2. Place a slotted spoon on top of the glass.

3. Place one or two sugar cubes on the slotted spoon.

4. Slowly pour four to six ounces of cold water over the sugar cubes.

5. Using the slotted spoon, stir the cloudy green beverage to dissolve the remaining sugar.

6. Enjoy!

If you would like to try the fire variation, pour the Absinthe over the sugar cube on the slotted spoon and light the cube on fire, which will invariably set your Absinthe on fire. To douse the flames, pour in the cold water and stir.

However you decide to drink Absinthe, one thing is very clear: “The Green Fairy” is back and consumption is rapidly growing around the Western World. While current levels of demand are not readily available, it is only a matter of time before sales eclipse the volume of Absinthe consumed during the Golden Age of “The Green Fairy.”