Cocktail Hacker

Traveling to a new city can always be a bit daunting. Unfamiliar streets, unfamiliar restaurants, unfamiliar landmarks and, possibly the worst, no knowledge of where to go for a good cocktail to calm your nerves. Cocktail Town takes the guess work out of that problem and shows you around the cocktail hotspots.

This is the travel guidebook booze hounds have been looking for. The project isn’t all about books, though. It’s actually a combination of a website and a series of coffee table style books. The first book in the series covers the cocktail scene in San Francisco. Starting first with a look at the local distilleries (Distillery 209 and St. George) and followed by a look at classic ingredient producer Small Hand Foods.

Then the book gets into the meat of the topic, the cocktail hotspots of the area. Each spot has an overview of the atmosphere and the feel of the cocktail menu (i.e. classic cocktails, twists on favorites, etc). In addition, Cocktail Town includes a signature recipe from each spot. The photography and recipes alone were enough to keep me flipping through this book. The photos are stunning and the recipes highlight the creativity of the bartender’s craft.

If you’re looking for an introduction to the cocktail hotspots in the San Francisco area and some great recipes, Cocktail Town is well worth a look. The web site includes the same info as the book and supplements the recipes with how-to videos, so that’s where I’d start.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

Some might say that the premium vodka boom is coming to an end making way for other trends like premium tequila and craft cocktails. If my recent samples say anything, it’s that this belief is completely untrue. This week I’m offering up my review of Vision vodka.

The bottle design and labeling are very minimal and speak of its desired luxury status. However, I have a gripe about their award winning bottle design. The cork is a giant pain in the ass to get out. Since it’s sunken into the bottle and completely smooth you have a hard time getting a hold on it to get it out. But enough whining, how about the vodka.

Distilled in Oregon from wheat, Vision vodka has a very clean flavor with subtle notes of grain. The aftertaste is basically non-existent and I found it to have very little burn. I’m chalking this up to their five-times (quintuple) filtering process. Overall it’s a tasty vodka. Currently Vision is only available at bars and retailers in the NYC area or for order online. A 750ml will set you back $30.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.

Have you ever woken up after a night of drinking and simply felt like calling in dead for the day. Your head aches, your stomach is a bit sideways, the stupid sun is way too bright, etc. I think most of us can relate to the feeling. Now, myself, being a consumer of only the finest spirits and only in moderation never experiences such mornings. Or, better put, I don’t readily admit to it. The good news is there are lots and lots of cures for hangovers. Heck, I’ve even detailed the subject in a previous post. Problem is, all of these remedies concern treating the aftereffects of a hangover. Wouldn’t it be much simpler and less painful to stop the problem from happening in the first place? And for those of you asking the question “Couldn’t you just not drink?”, the answer is no. Sit back down.

The problem is, ethanol is a diuretic. It decreases the porosity of the kidneys which causes you to expel water that would generally be absorbed back into the bloodstream. Basically, alcohol makes you pee, which can make you dehydrated. Can’t fight that. However, four friends from my home state have come up with a simple solution, mix your drinks with an electrolyte enhanced mixer. I’m not talking Gatorade here, either. Enter iX MiXer. iX is a sparkling mixer made from all natural ingredients and supplemented with vitamins and electrolytes to help your system fight the dehydrating effects of alcohol.

iX comes in two flavors Citrus and Berrie. Both have 80 calories and are sweetened with sucrose (a nice touch). The key to iX though is the vitamins and electrolytes. Each can brings you 20% of your daily value of each: vitamin A, niacin (B3), vitamin B6, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid (B5) and zinc. On top of that you get 60% of your daily value of chromium. Sure, if you put away an entire bottle of hooch, there is no amount of vitamins that will stop you from feeling like crap. But electrolytes and vitamins are going to help you feel less like crap. It’s the small steps.

iX Citrus – Strong grapefruit aroma. The flavor in this iX is light and combines the tastes of orange and grapefruit. Reminds me a bit of Squirt…hmmm, perhaps it’s time for a Paloma. Some iX Citrus, tequila and a squeeze of lime. Why, yes. I think I might just be on to something.

iX Berrie – The aroma in this iX is very reminiscent of raspberry sorbet. Like the citrus the flavor here is light, combining flavors of a number of berries focusing mainly on raspberry. I think this could work well in a berry Mojito. You’d want to drop the sugar to compensate for the sweetness, but the flavors would blend well.

I decided the Paloma idea was simply too good to pass up and the results were rather tasty. I added a bit of extra lime juice (~1/2 oz) to punch up the sourness since iX isn’t quite as sour as Squirt. The resulting beverage was definitely on the level. Just to verify my data, I had two.

Usually this is where I tell you that the product is only available in stores on the east or west coast and bemoan my inability to procure it locally. That’s not the case this time. Since iX is a Denver based company they’re starting there push for global domination in bars and retailers there. So, I can grab some anytime I like. However, if you’re not local and you’re interested in getting your hands on some right away, you can also order it off their website. $12 for 12 cans or $23 for 24 cans. With summer coming and parties on a lot of our horizons, you should give iX a try. Your body might just thank you.

† The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.