Hall of Shame

The Village Voice has a funny Overpriced Cocktail Hall of Shame. There are a lot of places in Manhattan serving $16 drinks.

Blood Money

Finlandia vodka will give $1000 to the person with the best Bloody Mary recipe.

A New Favorite

I have discovered a drink so simple and fantastic I had to take a break from my Top Secret Project to share it. I don't know if it has common name, as I adapted it from a recipe called "Spiced Tea" on the Captain Morgan's website.

The ginger ale and iced tea together are nice but not all that special, yet somehow they combine to make the perfect platform to showcase the coffee and chocolate flavors in the rum. It doesn't sound right and it doesn't even smell right and as the first of the rum hits your tongue you'll think, "This is going to be gross," but then you swallow and that's when the magic happens. It's as if the ginger ale makes the rum buoyant and the lemon iced tea gives it a smooth, sweet base to ride on. Maybe that's just crazy talk, but I think if you try it you'll understand.

Yummy Drink That Probably Has a Real Name,
Temporarily Named "Magic All Up In Your Mouth"
3 ounces Snapple lemon-flavored iced tea
4 ounces ginger ale
1 1/2 ounces Bacardi White rum

Serve over ice.

Happy Beerthday Ben!

January 17th, 2006 is Ben Franklin's 300th birthday! Ben Franklin is one of my favorite people in US history and the Brewers Association has found a great way to celebrate.

On this day, breweries in about 30 different states around the country will tap kegs of beer called Poor Richard's Ale, brewed up according to a standardized recipe they developed to mimic an old-time American formula Franklin would have enjoyed. Check this website to see where it's being served at a brewery near you. (Note: the locator doesn't work with all browsers. If the list doesn't populate, try another.)