Veev - A New Way to Think About Cocktails

I recently received a bottle of Veev Acai Liquor to review. Being made from the Acai Berry (Pronounced ah-SIGH-ee) I was immediately interested. The Acai berry is being hailed as the new "Super Food" and I thought, "Wow, healthy Booze...".
Upon opening and pouring a small shot, I noticed a nose of fruit and freshness. The taste is unlike any other liquor I have tried. Having a lower alcohol content it is not as harsh as clear liquors such as vodka. It can be enjoyed chilled straight up but, I believe its real value is as a cocktail ingredient. It adds a new twist to several classics. It works very well with gin, vodka, and fruit liquors.
Veev also prides itself on being a VERY GREEN Company. They donate money to the rain forest and use energy efficient distilling. All of their packaging and bottles are made fron recycled materials.
After visiting their website http://www.veevlife.com/ I was impressed by the amount of info there. Be sure and check it out.
Below is a recipe from there site they do have a lot more that I'm looking forward to playing with.

This is from Duggan McDonnell of Cantina in San Francisco

1.5 oz VeeV, 1.0 oz Beleza Pura Cachaca, crushed mint, ginger, lemon, agave nectar, and ginseng drizzle

Muddle the mint and ginger then combine 1.5 oz VeeV, 1.0 Beleza Pura Cachaca, the juice of a lemon, a touch of agave nectar and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain into cocktail glass, and squeeze an orange peel over the drink. Next, make a reverse \'boat\' with the peel, drop in pith side up, and squeeze a few drops of ginseng into the boat.

On closing I must say that with all the positives of Veev how can you go wrong. I hope you get some good info from this little post. Go get a bottle Veev and enjoy.

Bombay Sapphire Holiday Glasses

I assume most everyone has heard of and probably tried Bombay Sapphire Gin. It is a wonderful gin and one of my favorites. Most of you probably also know that every year around the holidays they package a bottle of Bombay with a designer cocktail glass.
I have been collecting Bombay Sapphire Holiday glasses for 8 years now. I also have a bunch of other Bombay stuff.
Recently I made another purchase of a Bombay glass (to fill a hole) and the seller asked if I had a definitive list of the glasses and the dates they came out. Well I did not. So I spent the next two days digging around Google trying to find some answers. I had totally no luck. Oh maybe I did confirm a couple of dates but overall no.

So now I'm reaching out to the Cocktail Community to try and get some answers.

Below I have pictured what I have and what I know. It starts with, what I'm told, is the original by Ulla Darni in 1994 and the date is on the bottom so I'm pretty sure that is correct. The Richard Jolie 1996 I believe to be correct. The Patricia Heller 1999 is also marked and is probably wright. I also believe that the 2002 was repeated in 2003. I am confidant in the 2006 & 2007 glasses. (Even I can remember buying those). The 2007 Promo was handed out at Tales in 2007. The original of that shape 2002-2003 did not have Bombay Sapphire printed on the stem. Also you will notice I'm missing 2001. This why I need help. I'm not at all Positive about the dates of the earlier glasses. If you click on the picture it will give you an enlarged version that much more readable.
So if you can help please email me martiniworld1@verizon.net or my contact in blogger.

Here are a couple of other pics of my Bombay collection.

So again I ask if can be of any help please let me know and I will disseminate this info across the web to other collectors.

So in advance...Thanks for all of your help.

Toulouse Lautrec - Mixologist?

I love trivia and this is just a little bit of historical trivia that I found. Who knew that Toulouse Lautrec was quite the amature chef & mixologist. When he was in Paris, his family would send him a weekly crate from the south of France filled with ingredients they'd shot or trapped or fished. The opening of this tuck-box was one of Lautrec's greatest weekly pleasures and every Friday he would invite his friends over and cook for them. Preserved in the Musée Lautrec in Albi are some of the menus he drew for these notorious dinner parties. As the recipes grew more and more ambitious, so they took longer and longer to prepare, leaving more and more time for cocktails. And it wasn't only fine wines they consumed. Lautrec was one of the first Frenchmen to develop a taste for American cocktails. He'd mix them in a shaker he'd had specially made, and would take great pleasure in inventing new drinks and giving them terrifying names. His most notorious cocktail he called The Earthquake, which consisted of four parts absinthe to two parts red wine with a splash of cognac. I would really love to see that shaker.
The poster at the top is showing Gentlemen at the Irish & American Bar in France. Notice the bartender using, what appears to be, two glasses as a cocktail shaker.

Luxury Experience Magazine artical on Tales...

My friends at Luxury Experience Magazine have devoted their October issue to the 2007 Tales of The Cocktail. Debra and Ed do a wonderful job with this rather impressive On-Line magazine.
(that's them above right)
If you have never read this mag you need to go NOW! Here is the link http://luxuryexperience.com/
Not only are there very informed articles on food & drink from around the world, they also always include beautiful photography to highlight and help make your Experience more enjoyable. This magazine goes above and beyond also to include Music, Art, and numerous other topics. Another great point to bring up is, Luxury Experience is FREE! Just sign up and your in on the fun.

I also included a couple pics from The 1st International Symposium of Cocktail Shaker Collectors held at Tales this year.
(That me on the left talking about recipe cocktail shakers)




On the right are a couple of the shakers displayed during the talk.




I hope you will Check Out Luxury Experience & also hope to see you Next year at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. Next year it will be held from July 8th through July 12th. I have also included a link to their website. http://www.talesofthecocktail.com/corporate/index.html
Go check it out! I highly recommend this festival, especially if you enjoy Great Cocktails, Great Food, and Tons of Fun!