Booze News
• Dstkrt promises the ultimate in luxury : Ice cubes containing gold flakes
For the rich in London, Dstkrt would be a name that they recognise. The new bar in London has cost 25 million pounds to furnish – no wonder then it lays claim to the tag of a VIP area within the club that is the worlds first bar made of precious black stone. Dstkrt [...]
• Tobacco – the new ‘it’ cocktail ingredient
Tobacco – reduced through distillation – has become the latest ingredient in bartenders’ recipe books, reports Daniel Tapper. It’s a freezing cold weekday night and I find myself in a place called Barts – a discreet, prohibition-style cocktail bar in the heart of Chelsea, brimming with stuffed animals, quirky antiques and young professionals – many [...]
• Why I’m turning my nose up at vin de Barrymore
“For a reason that escapes me now, I follow, along with almost five million others, Sean Combs AKA P Diddy, on Twitter. While this week he’s been alternating between sad Whitney tweets and shout-outs to his kids, his usual output is inspirational quotes interspersed with fulsome praises of Ciroc, the vodka brand he is ambassador [...]
• More celebrity booze: Drew Barrymore to release wine
Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore has joined the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Dan Aykroyd and Antonio Banderas by launching her own wine. Barrymore 2011 Pinot Grigio, Delle Venezie IGT, a 12% abv crisp, dry and fruity white, is made from grapes grown in the Veneto, Friuli and Alto Adige in northern Italy. Barrymore, known for her [...]
• University of Edinburgh Students Ban SABMiller Beers
Students at the University of Edinburgh have banned the sale of all SABMiller beers on campus in protest at the brewer’s perceived treatment of poor countries. The move follows extensive campaigning from the ActionAid student group, Activista Edinburgh. ActionAid’s research alleges the multinational beer giant avoids paying millions in tax by shifting profits out of [...]
• Never Hungover introduces natural hangover preventative drink
US-based Never Hungover LLC has formally launched a natural, sugar free and calorie free hangover preventative drink Never Hungover. The drink, which consists of natural antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, helps the body process acetaldehydes – the toxins produced by alcohol – into acetic acid so it can quickly leave the body, preventing a [...]
• Wow. Gadget to detect fake alcohol invented without opening bottle
UK scientists have developed a gadget that helps users detect fake alcoholic drinks without opening the bottle. As the battle continues against counterfeit alcohol, a team at the University of Leicester Space Research Centre have invented a device that uses a beam of light to analyse a bottle’s contents through the glass. The device provides [...]
• Iceland bans Motörhead wine…tsks naughty lifestyle
The State Alcohol and Tobacco Company of Iceland (ÁTVR), has banned sales of Motörhead Shiraz in the country because the name “Motörhead” is apparently a nod to amphetamine abuse. Launched by the British rock band’s frontman Lemmy Kilmister, ÁTVR has refused to sell the Australian wine in the 48 Vínbúðin off-licences it owns across the country. [...]
• Sioux tribe sues brewers for alcohol woes
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation photo by Aaron Huey The Oglala Sioux Tribe is suing some of the world’s largest beer brewers, saying they knowingly have contributed to devastating alcohol-related problems on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court of Nebraska, seeks $500 million in damages for the costs the [...]
• Precious old booze collection up for sale
THOUSANDS of bottles of rare cognac and other drink have been put on sale yesterday by a Dutch collector. Some bottles date back to the French Revolution, and the collection is expected to reap several million dollars. Describing it as the “largest collection of old liquors in the world”, a spokesman for Breda publisher Bay [...]
• Caorunn Gin Launches Storytellers Cocktail Competition
Bartender Who Best Combines Cocktail Creativity and Storytelling Talent Wins Trip to Scotland to Compete in Global Finals. PRNewswire/ — Caorunn Small Batch Scottish Gin knows that a drink is only as good as the person who makes it and is on a worldwide search to find the bartender who does just that. Beginning February [...]
OF BOOZE AND BANDS: Trader Joe’s Tequila takes on the Mighty Patrón
Intrepid reporter, D.R. Stewart, reviews TJ’s tequila with the help of the J. Scott Bergman band. “My old 90′s band loved Patrón. We loved it so much, we married it to Corona. We would ask – “Would you like a Pa-trone-ah?” A Frosty Corona, with a shot of Patrón at the ready. Kismet! Tequila has moved on. There’s an [...]
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• Mexican Distillers Fight Over the Word ‘Agave’
Who owns the word “agave”? A select group of tequila and mezcal producers would if a controversial piece of legislation in Mexico wins approval. Both tequila and mezcal — tequila’s older, smokier cousin — are made from agave, a breed of succulent that has been grown and distilled in Mexico for centuries. But agave is [...]
• Death by Flavored Vodka
If spirits writers and apocalyptic cults are right and the world actually ends in 2012, it will be because of the new wave of flavored vodkas that evoke a stream of childhood memories. “Whipped cream vodka tastes like, well, whipped cream vodka, which mostly tastes like whipped cream.” According to the Mayan calendar, 2012 may [...]
• Hotel in London offers Champagne bath menu. Shall I run the DP for you, Sir?
The Cadogan Hotel in London’s Knightsbridge has launched a Champagne bath menu, offering a Dom Pérignon 2002 bath for £25,000 ($39592.50). Available to hotel guests from Valentine’s Day and running for a year, the 122-bottle Champagne bath starts at £4,000 for a soak in Louis de Custine Brut 1998. While the bath is drawn, an [...]
