MySideOfTheBar

A while back I was a host for a blind Vodka tasting for a group of the Usual Suspects. They sampled a taste of 5 different Vodkas Pinacle Crystal Head Grey Goose Firestarter Burnetts I was surprised as 3 of the 5 tasters picked Burnetts as their favorite. I decided to give this a try and choose the following seven Vodkas for my blind taste test Pinnacle Crystal Head Grey Goose Firestarter Burnetts Svedka Shpilka I choose to do the shots room temperature and took only a large enough taste so I could make an evaluation. I rated the Vodkas by , nose, initial taste and finish. I was surprised to the actual outcome as I drink a lot of Vodka and thought I had a good grasp on the differences. I should also add that I break Vodka into three groups. Vodka I use in Martinis, Vodka I use in a mixed drink and infused/flavored Vodkas. I you can see I focused my blind taste test on the Vodka from the first two categories. Here are how they finished 1. Firestarter 2. Gre...

In case you missed the first four parts of The Transgression Part I Part II Part III Part IV In case you missed the first Three parts of the Transgression Part I http://mysideofthebar.blogspot.com/2011/09/transgression-part-i.html Part II http://mysideofthebar.blogspot.com/2011/09/transgression-part-i.html Part III http://mysideofthebar.blogspot.com/2011/11/transgression-part-iii.html Part IV http://mysideofthebar.blogspot.com/2011/12/transgression-part-iv.html Tom stared into the bottom of his empty glass for sometime. I was afraid to say anything so I just kept sipping on my drink and let the silence between us build. The others that were listening to his story started to drift away and into their own conversations. I asked Tom if he was ready for another one and he said, “Why not.” I flagged down a waitress and ordered another round. Tom continued his story. Giving Jessica the rose was a huge hit. After that we became an item very fast. Spending all of...

I have posted on Whiskey, many times and a good review blog would be In a Word Whiskey. With a new year of drinking upon us and many great Whiskeys to drink I thought this would be a good time to review. I was recently at a Cigar and Scotch Tasting event at Kellys Westport Inn for the Toast Across America (and yes I did buy one of the Toast Packs)and had the opportunity to meet Jeff from one of the local distributors. Jeff and I talked Scotch for sometime and he provided me with the following: The origin of the word Whiskey comes from the Gaelic word "uisge betha" which when translated is water of life. English speakers pronounced it as uishgi, which then became Whiskey. Requirements to be called "Single Malt Scotch Whiskey" 1. Must have only three ingredients, water, yeast and barley. 2. Must be distilled and aged in Scotland 3. Must be aged for a minimum of 3 years 4. Must be aged in oak barrels 5 Must be bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV or 80 proof ...