March
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Dear Dan, Welcome to the March Bar None Drinks Newsletter. I hope everyone had a great March. Things are progressing around here. We're finally back on track and working on the new site. The games are up, as are the new recipes. Won't be long before we can give you all a sneak peek. Please be smart, don't drink and drive! Enjoy the following recipes in moderation and take a cab if you need one. Please forward this email to a friend who might enjoy our newsletter. Cheers! Dan Hutchinson
ABSOLUT 100 is the new potent member of the ABSOLUT family - a premium vodka representing an entirely new and innovative concept. ABSOLUT 100 caters to a primarily masculine global audience who appreciate a little extra premium power in their vodka, on the rocks and in cocktails. "Innovation has always been the main driving force for ABSOLUT, and with ABSOLUT 100 we will continue to pioneer the market," says Eva Kempe-Forsberg, Vice President Marketing at V&S Absolut Spirits. "ABSOLUT 100 is innovative in that it is a brand new concept targeting a specific audience. It is also the first time ever that we have initially launched a new product exclusively for the progressive - and truly global - Duty Free and Travel Retail market." The unique qualities of ABSOLUT 100 have been created by adjusting production processes to achieve a smoother high proof vodka. ABSOLUT 100 is rich and full bodied. The taste is distinct, yet smooth and mellow, with a grainy character and notes of dried fruit. The stylishly rustic, masculine qualities of ABSOLUT 100 are emphasized in the tough design concept and imaging, based on a bold minimalistic color palette of opaque black, chrome silver and subdued gray. The world premiere will be held in Singapore in March. The launch of ABSOLUT 100 will then be rolled out in Duty Free and Travel Retail worldwide throughout 2007. ABSOLUT 100 will be supported by a tailored marketing. During the introductory phase of the launch, ABSOLUT 100 will only be available in 100 cl. bottles. Enjoy ABSOLUT 100 over ice, or in mixed drinks and cocktails. For further inspiration on drink recepies, go to absolutdrinks.com 
The Raven is enjoying a well deserved holiday on a luxurious cruise ship floating on some warm water. So, I've had to dig something out of the Raven's archives from a past issue. This week I wish to take you on a journey through the myths of alcohol. It is not unthinkable that in the thousands of years of human existence during the hundreds of years or so of alcohol existence, that alcohol, in some form, has produced a few urban legends. While some are based in fact, they all have strayed from the truth in their own way. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it may shed some light on a few things. The first myth actually comes from outside the realm of alcohol. Many people who use cannabis are quick to tell you that the drug is non-addictive, unlike its more widely used cousin, tobacco. This is true as far as physical addiction is concerned. You may also have heard that absinthe is non-addictive for the same reason, as the psychoactive chemical in absinthe is the same as that which is in pot (THC). This reasoning fails to take into account that absinthe is addictive because of the alcohol, not because of the thujone. People are fond of trying to secure genuine absinthe because of the visions it is supposed to provide. All the greatest artists in France drank absinthe at some point, they cry. But you never really hear the stories of how many lives it ruined. Take a look at what absinthe addiction can do to you before you chance getting hooked on it. If you want to taste this taboo libation, try Absente or a pernod. These are made exactly the same way that absinthe used to be made, except that they use southern wormwood instead of botanical wormwood, thus removing the harmful substances all while maintaining that old world flavor. Tequila and the Worm. Many of those reading probably already know this, but tequila never has a worm in it. Well, except maybe a few novelty brands. The association of Mexican liquor and worms actually comes from the parent group of tequila, mescal. Properly defined, mescal is any liquor fermented from the agave plant. Tequila is any mescal distilled entirely from the blue agave and produced in the Tequila region of Mexico. Much like champagne, tequila is simply a regional instance of a larger type of booze. The worm comes from a mostly unrelated mescal, and was not put in the bottle so you could prove how tough you are. The worm was used to prove that the liquor in the bottle was the strength that the salesman was telling you. If the booze had been cut with water, the worm would still be alive. If you follow the logic, the booze in the bottle is strong enough to kill a worm. Makes you want to drink a whole bunch, doesnt it? Speaking of champagne, heres another interesting tidbit. People who want to sound like theyre in the know will let you know that champagne has to come from the Champagne region of France. To put it succinctly, this is only true in France. If sparkling wine is made in California, or Sydney, or anywhere else in the world, the vintners can call it champagne if they want to. That being said, adhering to appellative tradition is the mark of a respectable winery, and many would never dream of calling sparkling wine champagne unless it was truly from the appropriate place. That being said, respectability often has little correlation with the palatability of a particular wine.
About The Raven J.T. "Raven" Centonze has been a long time student of the art of alcohol. Initially interested in keeping conversation at parties, his love for alcohol grew to an obsession in college. In between his real job of running a college bookstore or two, he is the part owner/operator of his own winery. He bartends at private parties which allows him the innovation of many new, unique drinks.
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PHOTOS: Anthony Geernaert
Men, women and drunken rude
stuff... Ben Canaider explains how wine's
powerful smells can bring men and women
together and turn the dull stocky accounts
girl into Cindy
Crawford.
Wine has this power for two reasons. One is
to do with alcohol, as you would expect; but
the other is more concerned with smell, and
this is the more fundamental reason behind
the whole men and women and wine and sex
equation. To understand this more completely,
we need to go back to the primordial swamp,
or as Catholics call it, the Garden of Eden.
When men and women were mere prototypes and
God was playing around with them (a bit like
the winemakers at Penfolds do with their
experimental reds and whites), He decided to
connect the frontal lobes of our brains
directly to our olfactory bulb. The olfactory
bulb, or organ as it sometimes called, is
that bit of equipment behind your nose and
between your eyes that processes smells. Its
tiny receptors sort of dangle down into your
retro-nasal passage and pick up the aromas
that pass that way either during in- or
exhalation. This is how we smell.
This information is then fed straight into
our frontal lobes, which are the parts of our
brain that do all the hard mental work. No
other electro-chemical information is
processed as directly or as quickly as smell;
smells all have VIP passes backstage, no
questions asked. This connection,
incidentally, suggests something important
about how we came to perceive our
surroundings: through our sense of smell we
came to understand the world. Indeed, from an
evolutionary point of view, our olfactory
bulb could be said to have helped develop our
frontal lobes' size and sharpness. And it's
in our frontal lobes that the emotional part
of our brain also resides, so it's no wonder
smells can trigger off such powerful
memories. Like love and sex and lust and
desire and heartbreak and rejection...
With a certain air of fascinating mystery,
the smells of wine (of which there are
myriad, and all generated by the combination
of hundreds of organic compounds that reside
in every single glass) help unlock these
desires, feelings, and all-too natural urges.
Descriptors such as earth and hay, game,
briar, blackberry, nettles, bacon, bay leaf,
nutmeg, and cinnamon might not read like some
sort of erotic story, but when coupled with
the physiological and psychological effects
of alcohol they can turn the short, wide and
mousy blond accounts girl into Cindy
Crawford. And it doesn't necessarily take big
buck wines to do it.
Of course much of this potential attraction
depends on the chemical messages flying
between you and Cindy. These little chemical
signals are called pheromones: they're the
external equivalent of hormones - the
chemical messages that bounce around on the
inside of your body.
Pheromones travel by air or water, and they
serve to attract members of the same species,
or to deter or even frighten them away ...
Recent research and unfounded marketing hype
in the US has suggested that the pheromones
in certain grape varieties - particularly
pinot noir - are remarkably similar to some
human sex pheromones. All those smells you
get in the pinot noir grape - spices, earth,
musk and the slightly feral, barnyard notes -
are very similar smells to those associated
with the principal male smell, androstenone.
Truffles and the sort of oaky smells in so
much wine fermented or matured in new oak
barrels are similarly androstenone-like. Can
this explain the world-wide love affair for
heavily oaked wine? Is Roxburgh Chardonnay
like wine porn - all cleavage and lipstick
and a loose adductor muscle? Is this why
cabernet sauvignon became so popular all
around the world in the opulent 80s - because
it was full of that gradually rotting
vanilla/wood odour? Talk about going back to
the primordial swamp... But whilst
androstenone is the key male smell (women
produce it in tinier amounts), what about the
female, or girl smell, as we say in these
times of greater gender equality?
According to the seminal work conducted on
human olfaction by American doctor, the
appropriately surnamed John Amoore, the key
female smells are thiethylamine and
isovaleric acid; these are characterized by
fish and cheese odours respectively... Fishy
smells are a bit tricky to find in wine, it
must be said, but Australia's randiest
wine-making doctor, Max Lake, has suggested
that isovaleric acid can be simulated in
sparkling wine - and Champagne in particular
- and soft cheeses.
Of course, what all this science and
olfaction hocus-pocus does is prove what
folklore and tradition have known for years:
Champagne and fantastic Burgundy gets you on
a sure thing; and if it wasn't for wine and
all those pheremonic characters bursting out
of the glass, we wouldn't be here. Sex would
remain the deed of darkness committed between
mere brutes. Sober brutes, it must be said,
but brutes nevertheless.
***** This article has been submitted by the great people over at Wine X Magazine. Wine-X has agreed to bring you a new article every month from their amazing writers. It was written by Ben Canaider. If you like living out on the edge and feel the Gen X isn't well represented in the world, have a really good look at Wine X magazine. They've also given us an offer you can't refuse if you're looking to subscribe: $15 for 6 issues. To experience the full magazine, Subscribe Here.
Ruby Riviera
Build equal amounts of Ruby Red, wine and orange juice over ice in a wine glass. Add a splash of club soda. Garnish with a ruby red grapefruit wedge.
Our latest Rober Plotkin article talks about the return of the Daiquiri. Robert is the founder of BarMedia.com For the past 17 years, Robert Plotkin, has been working to provide beverage operators with the right career tools they need to attain success. He has created the best management systems, tools, software and books available in the hospitality industry. His nationally acclaimed products are in the offices and behind the bars of the most successful hotels, nightclubs, restaurants and hot spots worldwide.
The Daiquiri is the quintessential rum libation. No, were not talking about the syrupy-sweet, blended concoction that many establishments now serve, but rather the classic daiquiri, the drink that originated back in the 20s and 30s, when the island was renowned for having the most capable, professional bartenders in the world. The Daiquiri cocktail swept through the Caribbean and eventually the world like a blast of good news. Crisp, refreshing and amazingly delicious, the Daiquiri is experiencing a resurgence in the United States that borders on the phenomenal. This is a trend worth riding. It mirrors the booming popularity of rum, which has quietly become the hottest growth spirits category in the nation. The drink enjoys all of the attributes requisite for longevity. Its easy to make well and loaded with exotic appeal. The Daiquiri is a perfect balance between sweet and tart, and loaded with flavor. The original was made with light rum, sugar and fresh lime juice, shaken and then strained into a chilled cocktail glass. The classic hand-shaken Daiquiri is an excellent way to enjoy a wide array of rums. The Daiquiri is also an extremely versatile drink, capable of being modified in a number of different ways. For example, at the legendary La Floridita Hotel in Havana, the signature of the house is the La Floridita Daiquiri, which adds 3/4 oz. of Cointreau to the original recipe. The Charles Daiquiri is made with light and dark rum, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, and sugar. The Florida Daiquiri is made with a splash of grapefruit juice, the Pink Daiquiri with a dash of grenadine. Tweak the recipe as you wish. Keep the ingredients to a minimum, maintain a clean taste, and create your own classic daiquiri. Light rum is traditionally used as the basis for fruit daiquiris because its subtle flavor will not overwhelm the taste of the fresh fruit. On the other hand, using a dark, full-bodied rum such as Bacardi 8 or Appleton Estate V/X, in a strawberry Daiquiri adds a thoroughly delightful, caramel essence to the drink. Dark rums are also excellent in banana or raspberry daiquiris. Adding spiced rum will lace a fruit Daiquiri with flavors of clove, allspice and cinnamon. Dark rum is also ideal for drizzling on top of a fruit daiquiri. It adds a great flavor and enhances the drinks presentation. Drizzles are especially effective on light-colored, light-flavored drinks, such as banana, pineapple or peach daiquiris. Swirl daiquiris are another creative way to enjoy different rums. Swirls are frozen drinks prepared simultaneously in different blenders. The concoctions are then layered or swirled together in a house specialty glass. Each component can feature a different type of rum. For instance, one layer could be a raspberry Daiquiri made with Mount Gay Eclipse, an aromatic, amber rum from Barbados, and the other a banana Daiquiri made with dark rum, such as Cruzan 5-year or Goslings Black Seal. Serve with a drizzle of Jamaican rum over a dollop of whipped cream for a superb specialty.
Successful Beverage Management Proven Strategies for the On-Premise Operator This may be the best resource guide ever written for controlling, managing and operating a beverage operation profitably. Covering virtually every aspect of a beverage operation, Robert Plotkin has left no stone unturned. From analyzing bartender and server productivity to explaining how to use pour cost formulas to increase profits, it is a guide that anyone can use to increase their profits, reduce their costs and understand how to do it in a step-by-step format. Plotkin's experience has allowed him to carefully analyze all aspects of running a beverage operation, whether in a restaurant, hotel or nightclub, and apply the controls and systems necessary to generate profit from the business. This all new book is based on methods operators have used nationwide to cut thousands of dollars off their operating costs, reduce theft, and increase their sales in percentages that reach into double digits. Included in the book's 24 information-packed chapters are; maintaining health code standards behind the bar, establishing pouring procedures, analyzing the beverage operation, implementing safe-guards to protect inventory, conducting market research, the mathematics of profit, standards in bar design for efficiency of movement, and even how to select well liquor. This is a complete guide of strategies, formulas and steps to reach beverage management success. Make the most of your beverage operation and order today!
1) Fill mixing glass with ice
X-RATED on the Beach
Shaken over ice and served in a short glass with a lemon twist.
BarStore offers a wide selection of products to stock your bar.
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ABSOLUT 100 is a brand new, premium vodka
with a full bodied taste, primarily targeting
a masculine audience. ABSOLUT 100 is the
first ever ABSOLUT product to be initially
developed and launched exclusively for the
global Duty Free and Travel Retail market.
Men
and women get together for some pretty odd
reasons. Pairings of men and men or women and
women are more natural and obvious, of
course, and require less analysis, but men
and women? That's the weird one. This is why
God, Allah and Buddha got together and
invented wine; they knew that nothing else
besides this powerful elixir would help keep
bringing the two sexes together. In this
sense, if it wasn't for wine, we wouldn't be
here; apes or ants or something really would
rule the earth.
Plymouth Aviation
The New Award Winning Flirtatious Spirit
DRINK PINK
X-Rated Fusion Liqueur, the stylish new
creation receiving rave reviews from critics,
has been awarded the pinnacle trade accolade
- Best New Spirit in the U.S. for 2006 by
Market Watch Leaders. WHY? JUST ASK ANY
WOMAN! X-Rated Fusion Liqueur a unique
pink spirit, sensuously fuses ultra premium
French vodka with the highest quality
Provence blood oranges, mangos and passion
fruits for a fabulously fresh flavor. Since
its introduction X-Rated Fusion Liqueur has
quickly become the choice for social and
celebratory occasions where confident woman
enjoy fun, colorful, delicious and
sophisticated cocktails. Its bright pink
coloring, superior mixability, and fun make
it the perfect celebratory spirit for Girls
Night Out. Its also ideal
for bridal and bachelorette occasions as its
sensual characteristics abound. It is fun
and playfully sexy, yet elegant an
excellent match for the 25 to 40-year-old
stylish consumer.
