Cocktail Thought of the Day- National Vodka Day

Welp, its here. October 4th is National Vodka Day. So to all you Vodka lovers out there I raise my glass to all of you. Let's celebrate early, and celebrate often today. For some of my readers that are just discovering Vodka, I'll share with you a few tidbits and Vodka facts that you might not have known. I know  you probably thinking Vodka is easy, Vodka is a spirit that isn't that complex, but its the opposite. Vodka is labeled as a neutral grain spirit because the process of making it is fermenting and distilling grain which could be a myriad of things including Potato, Rye,  and Wheat. One of the most popular Vodka's today, Ciroc, is distilled from Grapes which makes its taste very distinct. Vodka is usually distilled a minimum of 3 times, and in some cases I've seen Vodka's distilled 10 times and more. Now once its distilled, the filtration process begins, most of the time thru Charcoal. Now Vodka requires no aging process and is ready to drink, BUT you still have to add water to bring it down to a bottling  proof. Most vodkas are bottled at 80 proof, which translates to 40% ABV, or Alcohol by Volume.


Now the fun thing about Vodka is, while it really doesn't have a certain taste( I tend to joke with my clients that  Vodka is the cocktail world's whore, it just goes with everything.. hahaha... but I digress) but each brand of Vodka has some little nuisances and subtleties about them. Here are some of the tastes I got from some of the most popular vodkas on the market today, and while I'm not a big Vodka guy I own all of these in my home bar/lab....Needless to say its been a great day in the lab tasting spirits. I must say this, when you taste you might get some different flavors. I learned from the great Steve Olsen, that when you are tasting spirits, there really isn't a wrong answer. Everyone's palate is different, some mature, some not, and everyone will pull something different out of what we are tasting.

• Belvedere- Citrus, a little Vanilla, Melon, Cherry
• Hangar One- I get all citrus.. Orange, Lime, Lemon. But a smooth clean taste
• Absolut- Dried fruit, and very Floral. 
• Square One- 1 word.. Delicious. Made from organic Rye so very rich and full, spicy,dried fruit, and earthy
• Ciroc- Smooth clean taste,  and grape

Vodka is still the worlds most popular spirit, with over 200 different brands and more and more popping up everyday. And we haven't even touched on the countless flavored vodkas that are on the market. But for today we are just going to celebrate the essence of pure Vodka. So go out today and get yourself a Martini, Moscow Mule, or a Vodka/Tonic and enjoy what truly is a great spirit...

Cheers,

Until Next Time

Mr.Mixologist

Blessed to be a Blessing Toy Drive

We have the privilege of being one of the sponsors at the 3rd annual Official Anais Toy drive, benefiting A New Me foundation. Last year it was our 1st year and was held at the Lacuna Artist Lofts and was a memorable experience. This years toy Drive will be held at Donna's Cafe at 1255 S. State Street from 4p-7p.

A New Me Foundation is a non for profit organization that provides for victims and survivors of Domestic Violence. Randi Knight from Soul 106.3 will be a special guest host and speaker at this years toy drive which including US will have sponsorships from 1604 Designs, the Hip Hop Democrat, Speak H.O.P.E., and others.

So please come out, support a GREAT cause, and help someone who is probably less fortunate than you are. Its always better to give than to receive, and we are giving back by sponsoring and providing everyone with a pretty tasty Caliche Rum cocktail at the event. Also as an incentive to my readers and to everyone who makes it out, whomever makes the largest donation(whether monetarily or gifts) will receive a FREE 4 hour in home event with DrinkxXx On Me and Mr.Mixologist. So get there, network, and help some people in need!!

Until Next Time
Mr.Mixologist

Cocktails and Cupcakes Event

Wonderful Friday night was spent doing something positive. DrinkxXx On Me Bartending was honored to be able to volunteer our time at the Blue Sky Bakery, "Cocktails and Cupcakes" fundraiser last night. Blue Sky Bakery provides homeless and at-risk youths with employment and skills to help them become productive members of society.

The youths at Blue Sky Bakery, when hired, get 12 weeks of paid employment and get skills in cash handling, cooking, baking, maintaining a sanitary work station, deliveries, and customer service. When we were approached to volunteer our time for this fundraiser it was a no-brainer. The concept of this event was to taste 1 of 4 specialty cupcakes for the night then the USBG Mixologists( DOM Boss Josh Davis, Carol Donovan, and Bryson Ryan) picked out spirits and created cocktails to pair with the chosen cupcakes.  My cocktail was paired with the sweet potato cupcake. I had Admiral's Nelson Spiced Rum. So what i did was a variation on the Dark and Stormy cocktail, and created "The Dark Knight"- Admirals Nelson, Cinnamon syrup, fresh lime, Ginger beer. Needless to say that cocktail along with Carol's,and Bryson's was a HIT!!

Alot of fun was had and we supported a GREAT cause!! To check out and learn more about Blue Sky Bakery look at their website here ---> http://blue-sky-bakery.org/


Until Next Time
Mr.Mixologist