Belvedere Vodka has been trying to go for the cutting edge lately. First there was the racy ad campaign with art photographer Terry Richardson, shown at left, now the company is launching a new branded gift card program with BuyYourFriendADrink.com. This is the first time that a spirits brand has offered a branded gift card for on-premise purchase through the company. The way it works is that you visit the BuyYourFriendABelvedere.com website and purchase a gift card for any dollar amount. The recipient can redeem the gift card or a Belvedere drink at participating bars and restaurants. Of course it does require knowing the email of the person you want to give the drink to so it's not so great for sending a drink to that hot stranger across the room.
Can you have a wine spritzer without the booze? Last October I tried First Blush Varietal Grape Juice for the first time, now Vignette Wine Country Soda combines the he juice of California varietal wine grapes with the fizz of soda. The drink is made from 50% varietal juice with no added sugar or colors. It comes in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Rose. You can buy it online through Hello Delicous for $35 for a 12-pack.
We've seen some pretty expensive beers before (the sippable Sam Adams Utopia springs immediately to mind) but the new brew from Carlsberg is now the proud owner of the title of world's most expensive beer. The Carlsberg Vintage No.1 costs close to $400 a bottle (2,008 Danish kroner or $396.47 to be exact). The beer will be sold in just three Copenhagen restaurants. Why so expensive? The 10.5 percent proof beer is a very limited edition of just 600 bottles. It has been stored in French and Swedish wooden casks and has a deep brown color. The tasting notes reveal prune, caramel and vanilla flavors making it a natural pairing for cheeses and desserts. So far there are no plans to export Vintage No. 1.
I'm especially liking the bottle of this Hennesy Ellipse Cognac from Harrod's, but obviously that's probably the least important part. Combining all the talents of master blenders from 7 generations dating back to 1800 and including Hennesy's very first master blender, Jean Fillioux, it combines the best of all seven masters for "an intensely complex bouquet with hints of candied fruit, wild roses and rancio."
No mention of who designed that beautiful presentation? Hm. £3350
Has it come to this, do you really need an electric martini shaker? The Waring Pro Electric Martini Shaker/Stirrer delivers your martini shaken, or stirred (Rick at Martini Groove reminds us shaken for vodka drinks, stirred for gin). The martini maker has a 20-oz. brushed stainless steel shaker and a one oz. measuring cap. Personally I enjoy the theatrical aspect of creating drinks and I don't think I'd trust a bartender who used one but this might be a fun gift for the gadget-obsessed. It sells for $99.95.
Don't take olives in your martini? Well then this is definitely not the glass for you, because this martini glass by to22 can't do without at least one olive. When designing this glass the thought was that "the olive has become the signature element of a martini, and yet it is treated almost as an afterthought." Now when to22 went to give the olive greater importance they weren't messing around! The olive is so important to a drink in this glass that you can't have one without it, literally. The olive is used to plug a hole in the bottom of the glass.
Great idea and I love it! But I will say this: this is not a glass I'll hold over my lap or walk around with...you know, just in case.
Vodka connoisseur? Or maybe I should say vodka collector? There are any number of top-of-the-line varieties out there but when it comes to style and unique design a few of them stick way out of the crowd. Here are 7 of the most outrageous luxury vodkas:
DIVA Triple distilled and filtered through crushed diamonds and gemstones, it also has a pillar containing precious gems running up through the center of the bottle.
Tommy Gun Vodka It comes in a glass bottle shaped like a machine gun. And sorry, the gun doesn't actually fire vodka (yet).
Go Wodka Extreme Comes in toothpaste tube-type bottles and is available in 3 flavors. Currently only sold in Austria and Germany.
Garlic Vodka Yikes (not a good drink for a date!). Touted as both enhancing the flavors of certain meals and warding off illness, you can also opt for horseradish flavored vodka, if you prefer.
Cactus Vodka It's the only "prickly pear" flavored vodka in the world, which means it's slightly sweet and slightly pink.
Twistee Shots Uses the idea of yin and yang and is meant to mix two distinct and different flavors in one drink.
Here's what might be the ultimate gadget for your home bar. The My Fountain can store and dispense 16 chilled liquids. Put in your mixers, liquors and other beverages and the machine can dole out both single liquids or drinks based on recipes. The machine can also be password protected for different users. The machine sells for $2,500 and is available for pre-order now although it won't be out until next year. Combine this with an Enomatic for your wine and you could open your own automated bar.
When you think of environments where you might find an outrageously expensive drink a western theme with beef brisket and bull-riding probably doesn't come to mind. But then all kinds of strange things happen in New York, and the restaurant located in Rockefeller Center called Johnny Utah's is no exception. That expensive drink is a $51 margarita called the Vault, and it's made with Herradura Suprema tequila, grilled lime juice, and agave syrup. Seems pretty simple, but then usually simple is best.
There are different ways to measure it, but it seems pretty clear that the exclusive title of "world's most expensive beer" goes to Vielle Bon Secours, which is available in London in a bar called Bierdrome and sells for around $39 a pint. Anybody ever had it? Is it worth that kind of cash?
Infused vodkas are pretty much a cocktail standard now but the rise of the saketini has led to infused sakes. Moonstone, which introduced flavor-infused sakes back in 2000. Their latest is their first Nigori (cloudy) sake with the exotic flavor of coconut lemongrass. The new sake won a gold medal at the Taster's Guild International Wine Competition. The flavors make it a match for Thai food as well as anything that uses tropical fruits. The sake sells for $11.
First off, it's not a cocktail that costs a billion dollars (although I'm sure there's one out there, somewhere...) but instead a cocktail designed for a billionaire. That would be an intimidating job I think, to create a drink especially for a specific, very rich, person. Calvin Ayre, billionaire founder of Bodog.com is that person, and The Liquid Muse is the creator of his signature drink, Billion-Ayre's Bet.
Based on his choice spirit Bombay Sapphire, the drink also includes grapefruit juice, Campari, lime, and champagne. See the complete recipe here, and think: what would your signature cocktail be?
Mendis is introducing the world's first ultra-premium coconut brandy, and they're not shy about making a big deal about it. Mendis coconut brandy is an all-natural, clear brandy with delicate tones of coconut, vanilla, and chocolate and a "velvety sweet texture." It's recommended neat or on the rocks, but can also be enjoyed mixed.
The very first bottle of this very first coconut brandy is going up for sale in August for $1 million dollars. So if you're the type to collect "firsts," or really love coconut flavored drinks, or just happened to have an extra million or so burning a hole in your pocket, then you might want to hurry and buy that first fancy bottle as it rolls off the product line (well, I'm sure it doesn't actually roll, do you think?) before somebody else does. Or if you're like me, and even if you had it really wouldn't spend that kinda money on a single bottle of anything, you can enter to win the second bottle for free -- along with a luxury trip to go pick it up and personal security to help you hold on to your pricey little prize.
Tea is very popular right now and from white and green teas to black tea, consumers are switching to loose-leaf teas, which deliver more flavor per cup. Described as one of the ideal tea infusers by Imbibe magazine, the Teastick is a great little gadget to complement your favorite loose-leaf tea. It is made of a solid piece of stainless steel with tiny holes that allow water into its main chamber to soak the tea leaves. The holes are small enough to keep even the finest teas out of the cup, while still brewing it to your exact specifications. The teastick has a small hook on top to prevent it from sliding into mugs and cups and can also be used as a stirrer, if you take milk or sugar. Price: $18.
While you might not call something made of celery a luxury item, it is fairly easy to envision this celery straw making an appearance at posh brunches, on cruises or anywhere else that a refreshing Bloody Mary may be found. The straws are made of celery that has been grown with a hollow center, turning it into an edible straw. The novel swizzle sticks were engineered by Duda Farm Fresh Foods in Florida, but there is no consumer release date yet.
Which is too bad, because now I feel like a Bloody Mary.
Belvedere Vodka has been trying to go for the cutting edge lately. First there was the racy ad campaign with art photographer Terry Richardson, shown at left, now the company is launching a new branded gift card program with BuyYourFriendADrink.com. This is the first time that a spirits brand has offered a branded gift card for on-premise purchase through the company. The way it works is that you visit the BuyYourFriendABelvedere.com website and purchase a gift card for any dollar amount. The recipient can redeem the gift card or a Belvedere drink at participating bars and restaurants. Of course it does require knowing the email of the person you want to give the drink to so it's not so great for sending a drink to that hot stranger across the room.
