July 7 – Watermelon Mojito

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Summer in the City

With summer upon us, it’s time to throw out some ideas for things you can do with the missus or the little ones. Here are some treasured Sip Advisor summer activities!

Drive-In Movie

The whole experience might as well be called, “How to Gorge Yourself on Snacks in a Few Hours,” but that’s all part of the fun. Our local drive-in presents two or three movies each night for the low price of $12.50! Because you’re in your own car, you can chat with your car mates without being shushed by other moviegoers and can even get a little naughty with your best gal, should the inspiration arise.

That’s one hell of a line-up!

Swimming

I’ve been lucky enough to grow up my entire life with a pool in the backyard, first an above-ground tank and later an in-ground swimming hole. It’s hard to see my life without easy access to water and a place to hang out with drinks, sun, and fun. Over the years, the pool has been home to some crazy behavior, such as backyard wrestling, balcony jumps and skinny dipping!

Fire Pit

After a day in the cement pond, we’ll often light up the fire pit at the Sip Advisor headquarters, where roasting marshmallows and building smores are the first order of business. Talk around the campfire is always entertaining, especially when one member of the Sip Alliance can’t control an Irish accent he’s never exhibited before and it only comes out when he’s tanked!

Camping

Ah, the great outdoors… where people stupidly risk the elements for the sake of “getting back to nature”. I’m just thankful that I’m a dude and I can pee wherever I want, while the ladies always have to have good facilities within walking distance. Food while camping is certainly a highlight of the entire experience, with so much junk that it would make any healthy person question the entire practice.

Baseball Game

While I prefer other sports more, the ‘boys of summer’ experience is one not to be missed. It’s a great night out to hit the diamond and support your local team, whether professional, amateur, or beer league. The snacks and beer at a baseball game often overtake the actual sport itself in attention spent, but sometimes you get that special experience where your team ties the game late and wins in extra innings prior to a fireworks show (true story!).

Picnic in the Park

Very few things are as relaxing and peaceful as a picnic in the park. Just throw your blanket down wherever you’re comfortable and lay out, enjoying a spread of sandwiches, salads, chips, cookies, and wine or beer if you can sneak your sips in. You can even combine your meal with a rollerblade, bike ride, or top it all off with some playground activity!

Drink #188: Watermelon Mojito

Muddled Watermelon, Lime and Mint
1.5 oz Appleton Rum
Top with Lemon-Lime Soda
Garnish with Watermelon Cube, Lime Wedge and Sugar Cane Stir Stick

While those are my favourite activities, there are a number of things I’d like to try again from the days of summer past, like busting out the ol’ slip and slide and getting soap in my eyes or a concussion from smacking noggins with another slider. Good… no, scratch that… GREAT times!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (4.5 Sips out of 5):
I love Watermelon and I love Mojitos, so put the two together and you have a winning combination. I subbed Appleton Rum in for White Rum and it was a perfect choice given Watermelon’s light taste.

July 5 – Evil Minion

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Despicable You

Through the course of history, there’s been some real low-down, dirty, appalling tactics employed by people and groups. I have taken it upon myself to expose these despicable degenerates. Together, we can stand up to these scumbags and make sure bad stuff like this never happens again. Are ya with me!?

Airlines that Overbook Flights

This is the most absolute bullshit thing in the world. To turn away a paying customer and tell them “Sorry, the flight is full” should be punishable by death. I remember flying out of Toronto once (one of the worst airports in the world) and approaching the agent because I hadn’t been assigned a seat. She told me the plane was overbooked and I might not get on and if I really wanted to make sure I was on the plane I had paid for, next time I should pay the $30 extra for an assigned seat… Excuse me? Did I not already pay over $500 for this exact itinerary? If that’s the case, I better receive compensation and be guaranteed a spot on your next scheduled departure. Nothing like that was offered. This concept has ruined many vacations for people who don’t deserve this shoddy treatment. Go screw yourselves Air Canada and any other line that pulls this crap with its passengers!

Disneyworld Guests Hiring Handicap People to Jump Queues

I still can’t figure out if I deplore these people because they’re line jumping, usually ahead of me (a frequent Disney traveler), or if I commend the employees for his or her entrepreneurial spirit. Scratch that, I hate them. I think these people should be stripped of their disability payments, since they’re making more money than the average person and get to spend time at the happiest place on earth while doing so. Even worst are the people who hire them. Shame on all of you!

People Who Take Advantage of Tragedies

It seems every time one of these disasters (9/11, BP Gulf Coast Spill, Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon Bombing, etc.) takes place, stories eventually come to light of people trying to exploit the victims and heartbreak of the situation for their own financial gain. Whether it’s people setting up fake charitable organizations or committing other crimes, such as looting, in the middle of the chaos, it’s just not cool.

Ponzi Scheme Operators

This includes losers like Bernie Madoff, who bilked numerous investors out of millions of dollars. Many people walk away from these schemes with their entire life savings destroyed and for those who were relying on that money heading into retirement, it’s a bitter pill to swallow knowing the comfortable golden years you were expecting to experience have evaporated right in front of you.

Reality Show Producers

I was recently flipping through the channels and stopped at the show ‘Extreme Weight Loss’. I didn’t stay for long, however, as the poor kid trying to drop massive pounds was basically mocked as he was told he may have a brain tumour, with a sound effect where they slowed down the voice of the doctor giving him the news, as if the kid couldn’t process what was happening. All the while, the cameras never stopped rolling and made sure to get tight and close for facial reactions of the devastating news that the 23-year-old kid had to receive without any family there to console him. And this is just one example from a totally rotten industry.

Talentless Celebrities

We’re talking about your Kim Kardashians, Paris Hiltons, and Snookies of the world. What pisses me off about them is that they influence so much of culture and in such negative ways. People, especially young girls, want to follow in the footsteps of their idols, but that just means they want to come from a family of means, do nothing but shop for all the high-end designer items, or have no reason for being famous except for “leaked” sex tapes. And we’ll have a whole new line of them coming with the current crop of celebrity kids. Yikes!

Bullies

With all the anti-bullying programs that are in operation now, schools that are taking different approaches with troubled kids, and parents becoming more aware of the issue, hopefully this will eventually be a problem that it eradicated. Until then, we can still try and put as much shame as possible on these folks, hoping they realize the error of their ways. It will be hard to complete eliminate the bully, as we see it in so many forms of media today, from a “news” host like Nancy Grace who berates anyone who doesn’t agree with her to “real housewives” who don’t play well with others and behave quite rudely towards people, despite being in the public eye.

Protestors

I hate most protestors with a passion. Unless they’re trying to change something like civil rights, I have no time for them. The violent Black Bloc, who spend more time destroying public property than actually trying to get a message across and the heinous Westboro Baptist Church, which has even protested at high-profile funerals in the name of attention-seeking, are among the lowest of the low.

Corporations That Hide Cures

There is more money to be made from the sick than the healthy. That is a sad, but true fact. Rumours and conspiracy theories have often surfaced that some corporations are hiding the cure to various diseases and viruses because it would wipe out their business of treating an illness gradually. If there are cases for which this is true, shame on the companies. Just think of all the pain and suffering that could be ended with their full disclosure.

Drink #186: Evil Minion

1.5 oz Citrus Vodka (I used Pinnacle)
0.5 oz Strawberry Liqueur
0.5 oz Blue Curacao
Top with Sweet & Sour Mix
Splash of Club Soda
Garnish with Lemon Wheel

Writing this post reminded me how much I love the movie Despicable Me. Thankfully, Despicable Me 2 comes out today, allowing me to enjoy more animated goodness. Here’s hoping the second installment is as good as the first!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (3.5 Sips out of 5):
I like these sour citrus drinks. They are so refreshing in the summer and this was no different. While I usually find Club Soda boring, it was nice to have some fizz with these delicious flavours and have them not competing with each other. The end result was a lemonade type cocktail.

July 4 – Firework Fizz

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Home of the Brave

Today, we salute our neighbours to the south (unless you’re from the UK… why would you salute the French!? Oh okay, they do make a fine guillotine…article to come on July 14th!) as they celebrate their Independence Day (no, not the movie, you knucklehead). Here are the pearls of wisdom I learned about American patriotism from watching years of professional wrestling, where many of life’s great lessons can be learned!

#1) You want to be a good guy? Wear the red, white and blue.

A countless number of wrestlers, including Lex Luger, ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan, the Patriot, and Hulk Hogan (as his Mr. America character), have donned the American colours as part of their wardrobe. I have to ask, though, is it really being patriotic to have the American flag cradling your junk? Regardless of whether this is actually more damaging or not to the country’s shades, it’s an instant identifier that you are, in fact, to be cheered.

I’m okay with this kind of patriotism!

#2) The flag must never be desecrated.

With the jury still out on the crotch cover issue, one thing is for sure: the American flag is off limits. You can’t even break the pole holding the flag in half or your life is in serious jeopardy. If you lay the flag over a fallen foe, that is practically sacrilegious. Wrestlers have threatened to stage a live burning of the stars and stripes, only to be attacked en masse. Other flags can be defiled without issue, such as when Shawn Michaels stuffed the Canadian maple leaf up his nose during the early D-Generation X days.

#3) Every foreigner is a bad guy.

Well, we all knew this! The easiest way to draw heat onto a heel in wrestling is to make him a foreigner. They don’t even have to despise the good ol’ U.S. of A. at first, as long as they eventually get there. Even if the foreign character is simply being as patriotic towards their own country as any American hero would be towards his nation, the crowd will turn on them in a heartbeat. The ironic thing is that many of the greatest foreign heels were actually played by Americans. Nelson Simpson from Minnesota portrayed Nikita Koloff, who marched to the ring wearing the U.S.S.R. colours and competed in Russian Chain matches. The dastardly Yokozuna, a Japanese sumo wrestler, was depicted by Samoan-American Rodney Anoa’i. And the list goes on and on!

#4) If that foreigner converts, they become lovable.

When Nikita Koloff joined forces with longtime foe, ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes, he became one of the company’s most popular stars in an instant. Similarly, as the Berlin Wall fell to the ground and the Cold War ended, Nikolai Volkoff went from U.S.S.R. anthem singing baddie to a man who embraced the coming together of the two rival countries, even wearing a jacket that featured both nation’s flags.

#5) Turncoats are worse than foreign bad guys.

When Sgt. Slaughter began empathizing with Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi side of the Gulf War, he was hated so much that WrestleMania VII had to be moved from the outdoor Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the indoor L.A. Sports Arena because of security worries, including death threats against the former G.I. Joe character (although most insiders contend that poor ticket sales were really to blame). Other Benedict Arnold’s, if you will, include staunch American flag waver Jim Duggan, who joined a Team Canada faction for a time and looked out of place flapping the Canadian maple leaf and wearing a red and white tracksuit, sans the blue.

#6) Canadians are anti-American.

It has been done countless times in wrestling, where a group of Canadians have banded together to take on the entire and overwhelming American roster. A Team Canada unit existed in both WCW and TNA, while WWE hosted the pro-Canadian Hart Foundation and the Un-Americans. While I’m all for Canadian patriotism myself, it is usually only seen in the realm of hockey. I have to give credit to the Canadian mat stars that align together in the name of our country… sadly, they always wind up on the losing end of things.

#7) Politics makes strange bedfellows.

When there aren’t enough members of one nationality challenging an American troupe, odd groupings can result. At the 1993 Survivor Series, the team of Japanese monster Yokozuna, Finnish strongman Ludvig Borga, and Canadian tag team The Quebecers, did battle with the All-Americans, putting to end a number of feuds that had lasted throughout the year.

#8) The “U-S-A, U-S-A” chant is devastating to foreigners.

This seems to be a foreign heel’s kryptonite. They can take ample amounts of physical punishment from their opponent, but if the crowd revs up and starts chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A” it sends the bad guy into a panicked rage, searching for relief by manically covering his ears, violently shaking his head, and searching for all ways to relieve the stress of being chanted at. Ironically, I’ve even heard the U-S-A chant directed at a bad guy while he was facing a Canadian grappler.

#9) Forgive and forget.

I have to give credit to the Americans, when a wrestler wants to make amends for his evil deeds and return to his patriotic roots, he is accepted back into the fold without hesitation. For example, after his Iraqi sympathizer stint, Sgt. Slaughter was featured in a series of vignettes, demanding his country back. Similarly, turncoat Jim Duggan has gone back to his flag waving ways and shouting “U-S-A,” sending crowds into a frenzy of patriotism, as they eat up the decades old act, once again.

Drink #185: Firework Fizz

Muddled Peeled Ginger and Blackberries
1.5 oz Vodka (I used Bols, infused with grape powder)
1 tsp Sugar
Top with Ginger Ale
Garnish with Ginger-Wrapped Blackberry

The most patriotic Americans seem to be wrestlers. There was even a wrestler named The Patriot, who wore an American flag-themed mask and tights, wrestled as part of a tag team dubbed Stars and Strpes, and incorporated finishing maneuvers like the Uncle Slam and Patriot Missile. Only in the world of wrestling!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (4 Sips out of 5):
The Muddled Ginger is certainly an interesting flavour to have in a cocktail. The blend of Ginger and Blackberries is good and Ginger Ale has still yet to fail me. The original recipe calls for Grape Vodka, but personally I have been unable to find it in any of the liqour stores in Canada. Despite this fault, the Grape Powder Infused Vodka worked pretty well, if I don’t say so myself!

July 3 – Karma Killer

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Liquor Karma

I am a strong and firm believer in my self-created concept of liquor karma. Being the owner and proprietor of a well-stocked home bar, as well as having a relatively full social calendar, there is much drinking to be done. I feel that if I am good with my duties, keeping my friends and family well-lubricated, then that will be rewarded to me when the time comes for the tables to be turned. Here is my manifesto of liquor and party laws:

If hosting a small gathering with close friends, you should expect people to tap into your stash. If they bring their own goodies, that is great, but unless otherwise stated in your invite, you must always be a good host. If your get together is impromptu, this increases your odds of having to provide. As a guest, “never arrive empty handed” is a good mantra to live by, even if it’s just a couple of beers for yourself.
If your invitation has any semblance of mentioning BYOB, then your guests should BYOB. Sadly, if you are a regular entertainer and have a really good bar, people will rely on you to just take care of them.
Never decimate a friend’s bar. No matter how generous the person is and regardless of what others are doing, show some respect. I’ve seen people drink a host’s expensive scotch… and we’re not talking about having a small glass or two.
When out at the bar, don’t nickel and dime your friends when it’s time to pay the tab. Also, make sure you take your proper turn in paying for the next pitcher of beer or round of cocktails.
Make sure to host the occasional event and take your turn at providing an evening’s worth of entertainment. Not only is it fair to share the responsibilities, but it can be an eye-opener to see how much work actually goes into hosting.

These lessons, as they are presented here, apply to drinking, but they can really work with anything in life from dinners out with friends, to chipping in for transportation, to any number of social events you may be invited to.

Drink #184: Karma Killer

1.5 oz Dark Rum (I used Captain Morgan)
0.25 oz Triple Sec
0.25 oz Peach Schnapps
Top with Fruit Punch
Garnish with Lemon Wheel

I’m happy to report that I have a good core group of friends that do follow this trend. There’s only one black sheep in the group who never brings anything, drinks all my good stuff and doesn’t offer returns when he hosts on rare occasions. So, Fred… you are the weakest link and are no longer allowed at the Sip Advisor’s bar. We’ve put your picture up at all entrances (there’s only one) and you will be escorted off the property if you try to get in.

Sip Advisor’s Bar Notes (4 Sips out of 5):
The original recipe called for Fruit Punch, as well as Orange, Pineapple and Grapefruit Juices, but doesn’t Fruit Punch largely cover all that on its own? So, I nixed all the seperate juices. I also changed the Peach Brandy to Peach Schnapps, so this is really going the way of the adapted screenplay. The Peach Schnapps substitution was well worth it, as it is the sweet aftertaste you get with each sip and that’s quite enjoyable.

July 1 – Red Maple Sunset

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Welcome to Canada

To celebrate Canada Day (my home and native land) I decided to take a look at the pros and cons of this country’s make-up. Why bother looking at what needs improvement, you ask? Well, I feel we should all be always striving to better ourselves and I expect no less from my country. That, and I’m a massive jerk, who likes to rant about things that displease me. On with the ranting!

Pro: Hockey

If you are ever in need of defining what an athlete should be, look no further than a hockey player, preferably of the Canadian variety. There, you will see true glimpses of sportsmanship, humbleness, work ethic, ruggedness, and manliocity. Think of icons like Steve Yzerman, Joe Sakic, Gordie Howe, and ‘The Great One’ Wayne Gretzky.

Con: Expensive Alcohol

Do you know how much easier this 365-day liquor challenge would be if I lived in almost any other country, rather than Canada. Even Canadian manufactured products are ridiculously priced. Whenever Mrs. Sip and I travel south of the border, we make sure to grab a ton of booze because it is just so much more reasonably priced. Sadly, we have limits on what we can bring back and as a law-abiding citizen, I actually follow these allotments… for the most part!

Pro: Good People

Canada has a reputation for its citizens being overly nice and helpful population. This standing is well-earned and as a fictional leader of this great land, I must say that I’m proud of our people and the work we all do to not only make our home a better place, but to welcome strangers from foreign lands.

Con: No Dill Pickle Round Slices

There are a lot of products that I can’t find in Canada, that are available south of the border (in fact, I wrote an entire article about this phenomenon). But one that absolutely flummoxes me is the absence of dill pickles in round slices. If it can be done for sweet pickles, why not dill? Clearly dill pickles can be sliced, but all I ever see is the elongated variety. It has driven me to become an ex-pat of this great nation and must be rectified.

Pro: Beautiful Women

I can say with full conviction that Canada has to have the most beautiful women in the universe. A long walk on a glorious summer day – with dark shades fully ensconced on my noggin’ – is an absolute treat with all the eye candy available to every red-blooded male. Sadly, that beauty gets hidden away during the cold winter months, when everyone is bundling up in toques, scarfs, and jackets, but it’s all worth it again on that first patio-suitable day of spring.

Con: Inclement Weather

As mentioned above, it can get cold and nasty during the winter, up here in the Great White North. Even here in Vancouver, where we have much more mild temperatures, we live in an urban rainforest where we get drenched by buckets of cold rain every year. I know we’re not alone in the not-so-nice weather department, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bitch about it. On the bright side, if you like to ski (or just enjoy watching snow bunnies), we’ve got you covered!

Pro: Strip Clubs with Alcohol

Imagine my shock when my crew saddled up to a strip club in Seattle, Washington for my stag last year and were told that we had a choice: either see naked ladies or keep drinking. Before my friends could answer, I’d already left the lobby, en route to the next liquor establishment. Truth be told, I’m not a strip club regular, but if I do go, I want to be able to have an overpriced brew or cocktail while a young lady makes love to a pole!

Con: No Singles ($1 bills)

How are you supposed to get your money’s worth at the strip club!? The smallest denomination you can tuck into a dancer’s G-string is a fiver. That means you can go through a lot of money in very little time. And don’t even think about making it rain. A small wad of fives, tens, and twenties will pale in comparison to a massive wad of American ones. I guess you could take a jar full of loonies and toonies and toss it into the air and do some serious damage!

Drink #182: Red Maple Sunset

1 oz Campari
1 oz Maple Syrup
Top with Lemon Juice
Splash of Egg Whites
Garnish with Canadian Flag

So, happy birthday Canada! I hope you get all the gifts you’ve wanted and that your next year is as fabulous as the last!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (3.5 Sips out of 5):
This was my first opportunity to play around with not only Campari, but also Maple Syrup. The drink was a nice mix of sweet and bitter, as the Campari has a fruity taste, with a bitter finish. The Maple Syrup actually worked well with the cocktail, which was a pleasant surprise given it’s a bit of an odd ingredient.

June 30 – Flamingo

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Only a Mother Could Love

I’m not a big fan of flamingoes. I think they look weird and smell ever worse. I do like the hotel in Las Vegas, however, home to many Mr. and Mrs. Sip adventures, but I digress. Here is a quick look at some of earth’s other weird, odd, and not-so-attractive wildlife:

Vulture

The vulture is so ugly that they make the perfect villain. Add that to the fact that they scavenge prey that is hurt or sick and eat dead flesh (even letting other animals go first to make their job easier) and you really have one nasty bird. If their eating habits weren’t bad enough, vultures are known to vomit when approached or threatened. Can it get any worse? Of course it can. Vultures urinate down their own legs to kill bacteria from all the carcasses they wade through and also to cool themselves.

Camel

They spit at people because they know they’re ugly and won’t ever be able to repair their image. Camels aren’t even easy to ride on thanks to their humps, their humps, their lovely lady lumps. I would know. Sure they can survive forever in the desert without water and other amenities, but so can sand and I hate that, too. Apparently eating a camel’s hump is considered a delicacy in some parts of the world (you know, the crazy ones) and I’m not sure I could stomach it.

Turkey

These creatures are lucky they’re delicious, or else we would have made sure they went extinct years ago. What’s with the whole bug-eyed giblet look? It’s like they’re not even trying and have made peace with the fact that they look best cooked and served at Thanksgiving or Christmas. At least they have some self-worth, I suppose. I hope the one that is saved every year by the American president enjoys its temporary safety… for now!

Aye-Aye

These bat-rodent crossbreeds are apparently killed on the spot by natives in Madagascar, as they’re viewed as bad omens. Take one look and you can kind of understand why someone may think the little oddity brings bad luck. While I’m completely against animal cruelty, I have to admit that the Aye-Aye is one creepy looking being. As a general nuisance, myself, I kind of have a soft spot for these little freaks, who villagers believe can puncture a victim’s aorta with their little fingers.

Star-Nosed Mole

While regular moles don’t look half bad, the star-nosed mole just looks odd thanks to its tentacle-like nose, which helps the blind as a bat animal do everything it needs to, like see, taste, touch, etc. Thankfully, this isn’t the type of mole depicted in my beloved Wind and the Willows, as I don’t think Ratty would want to live with a star-nosed mole and it certainly wouldn’t be welcome at the prestigious Toad Hall.

Soft-Shell Turtle

I’d rather be viewing soft-serve ice cream than a soft-shell turtle and here’s a little TMI: these turtles pee through their mouth! While your normal everyday turtle can also have its critics, at least we’ve turned them into the loveable Teenage Mutant variety, causing a generation of kids to ask their parents for a turtle, only to find out it doesn’t eat pizza and whip out catch phrases like “radical”, “gnarly”, and “cowabunga”!

Blobfish

What a nightmare this creature is. It looks like a slug with a bitter beer face. If Jabba the Hut was ever to be a real living being, this would be it. All it does is float around and eat whatever is right in front of it and happens to get swallowed. I can respect an animal that works hard and catches its own food. One that doesn’t do much of anything will have to work harder for my endorsement.

Proboscis Monkey

While I hate to put any monkey on this list, I just can’t let this species slide under the radar. It demeans all other primates if I don’t out them. The schnoz on these beasts is pretty epic. It looks like a giant yam, except you wouldn’t be able to get yummy fries out of it. The proboscis monkey does have a wild sex life, but unfortunately isn’t very long-lasting, another mark against it.

Naked Mole Rat

And the mole makes the list twice… well done genus… or is it phylum? Ah, who cares! I normally love hearing the word ‘naked’, but in this case, all I can do is close my eyes and shed a tear. Why didn’t anybody ever tell this creature to put its clothes back on? Perhaps if it ran around wearing a miniature Hawaiian shirt and khakis it wouldn’t be so bad to look at. Add some shades and you might even have a loveable creature.

Monkfish

I can’t believe these things are actually edible and their tail meat has been compared to that of the uber-delicious lobster. It has even been dubbed “the poor man’s lobster”, but can sometimes command market prices equal or even higher than lobster. All this talk about lobster has got me all hungry. Then I take another look at the monkfish photo and adios appetite.

Drink #181: Flamingo

1.5 oz Gin (I used Tanqueray)
0.5 oz Apricot Brandy
Dash of Lime Juice
Splash of Grenadine
Garnish with a Flamingo Stir Stick & Lime Wedge

After viewing all that ugly, I have to flip through cute kitten memes before bed, just to make sure I don’t have any nightmares. Here’s a site I suggest for some happy viewing. Thanks for reading!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (4 Sips out of 5):
There is also a Flamingo recipe that consists of Vodka, Triple Sec, Peach Schnapps, and Cranberry Juice, as well as a blend that involves Apple Schnapps, Melon Liqueur and Cranberry Juice. Why there are so many different Flamingo drinks, we may never know. This drink has a little of everything. It’s sweet with the Apricot Brandy and Grenadine, sour with the Lime Juice and bitter with the Tanqueray Gin. The taste is complex, but it works and you can’t say anything bad about the colour that results from the ingredients mixing.

June 28 – Strange Brew

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Morning Dew

Well, we’ve reached the end of our Mountain Dew experience. I think I’ve drank enough of the pop in the last few days that I should be signed to an endorsement deal. Seriously, Mountain Dew… come search me out and sign me up! You’ll learn quickly that I’ll do anything for some cash! Here are some more alcohols I’d love to spend that sweet money on:

Absolut Grapevine

Like I wrote yesterday about Absolut Exposure (found in the Copenhagen Duty Free), Absolut Grapevine is another “Traveler’s Exclusive”, forcing alcoholics like myself to constantly leave the country in search of booze. This liquor combines white grapes with sweet papaya and dragon fruit. Colour me interested!

Cocoribe

This spirit, found in United States (although its name and ingredients make you think of the Caribbean), combines coconut milk with rum. I’m assuming it would be very similar in taste to Malibu Rum, but with the coconut milk, it might be thicker and, of course, the colour would be white instead of clear.

Smirnoff North

What do you get when you combine Russian vodka practices with Nordic berries? Well, Smirnoff North for one and probably some other crazy KGB type stuff. I definitely want to give this vodka a run for its money before going on a rampage destroying Fabergé eggs and Matryoshka dolls.

Forbidden Fruit Liqueur

Everyone wants to taste the forbidden fruit, which in this case, is made from a particular type of grapefruit called shaddock and mixed with honey and brandy. Apparently, the alcohol hasn’t been made for some time, so this one may be harder to track down than originally thought. *sad face*

Williams Chase Elegant Crisp Gin

This apple-flavoured gin comes highly recommend from a friend living in the U.K. Gin hasn’t seen the explosion of flavour options that other liquors like rum and vodka have and perhaps that’s because the juniper taste of gin is hard to alter or overcome. When a flavoured gin product does come out, like Hendricks cucumber-flavoured gin, it should be tried just for the sake of experimentation.

Drink #179: Strange Brew

Rim glass with Grape Fun Dip
1.5 oz Vodka (I used Grey Goose Cherry Noir)
Top with Mountain Dew: Supernova
Splash of Orange Juice
Garnish with Red and Green Grapes

Well, that wraps up our four-day tour of liquors I want to taste. How desperate am I to have these substances meet my taste buds? Let’s just say that I’m working on plans of world dominance and ransom, in exchange for booze. It can’t fail!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (3.5 Sips out of 5):
With every sip of this cocktail, I felt like I was drinking an energy drink. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. I don’t know if that was because I was using the Cherry Noir Vodka or if the Mountain Dew itself was to blame. A large portion of this drink’s points come from the wonderful job I feel I did with presentation. From the goblet glassware choice to garnishing the drink with Red and Green Grapes and Fun Dip, I feel it’s one of the most comprehensive cocktails I’ve put together! The Supernova flavour on its own isn’t that bad, with notes of berries and I really like the colour of the pop, a violet hue you don’t often see, which inspires me to experiment.

June 27 – Redneck Zombie

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Dew-mocracy

We’re back to rocking and rolling with our Mountain Dew challenge and I’m having a lot of fun exploring and researching unique alcohols. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride, thus far, as well!

Captain Morgan Tattoo

While I’m not exactly sure what “Caribbean heat” means, other than the pitch speed of Dominican baseball players, I am intrigued by the idea of a Spiced Rum that leaves a little tingle. According to ads, the liquor is infused with blackberries and dashes of jalapenos and black pepper.

Malibu Red

This alcohol would be quite similar to the Captain Morgan Tattoo, with coconut rum subbed for spiced rum and with tequila advertised as the “heat” portion of the mix. No ambiguity here! I like the experimentation the Malibu folks are willing to do, never happy to just rest on their laurels.

G’Vine Gin

This would be France’s take on gin. I love it when different countries take a shot at alcohols that are generally associated with one location. England is known for their large collection of gin options, but why can’t France play too? This libation strays from the typical juniper gin and subs in the rare green grape flower. Rare doesn’t always means good but it always means expensive!

Absolut Exposure

I found Absolut Exposure in the Copenhagen Duty Free (hands down the best Duty Free store I’ve ever been in), where it was listed as a “Traveler’s Exclusive”. Usually exposure would be a bad thing; either meaning you got caught naked or died from hypothermia or something. In this case, it means honey melon and lemon grass… sounds about as fun as the naked thing!

X-Rated Fusion Liqueur

I could take this conversation down so many dirty paths, but you know me, I like to keep things classy (don’t look above)! This alcohol combines vodka with exotic fruits like blood oranges, mangos and passion fruit. It comes in a hot pink colour and targets women, but I don’t mind girly drinks.

Drink #178: Redneck Zombie

1.5 oz Bacardi Limon
1 oz Blue Curacao
Top with Mountain Dew: Voltage
Garnish with Pepperoni Stick and Pickle Slice

We’re close to the end of the Mountain Dew challenge and I’m still going strong. Perhaps it’s because I’m actually a redneck zombie. Or maybe I’m just having too much fun!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (3.5 Sips out of 5):
This drink was pretty good. It was perfect for a warm summer afternoon and looks neat with the Blue Curacao and the Mountain Dew I used is also blue. Given the name, I decided to get a little crazy with the garnishing, grabbing a Pepperoni Stick and Pickle Slice to literally spice things up. The Voltage Mountain Dew was tasty with a blueberry flavour that didn’t overwhelm, but was very refreshing.

June 26 – Lemon Cry

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Just Dew It

We continue our four-part series examining the new Mountain Dew flavours today, tasting the White Out selection. With a name like that, this mixer is sure to be a favourite of white supremacists everywhere, but how will it fare in the Sip Advisor headquarters? Carrying on yesterdays theme, we again check out another smattering of liquors that look fascinating to try. If anyone wants to be my rich benefactor and allow me to sample these alcohols, I am open to a quid pro quo arrangement (*wink, wink*)!

Malibu Fresh

Most people wouldn’t think of combining coconut and mint, but that’s one of the greatest things about mixology: experimenting with different ingredients and stumbling upon something that is delicious, despite conventional wisdom saying those elements shouldn’t blend together very well. If I could get my hands on some Malibu Fresh (I saw it in stores briefly last year), I would put it straight to work in some coconut mojitos!

After Shock Liqueur / Fire & Ice

These two spirits combine cinnamon and peppermint liqueurs, which I find to be such an interesting contrast. I guess you could just put together ingredients like Fireball Whiskey and Peppermint Schnapps, but I don’t think the results would work out as well. I like the names of each alcohol, too, with Fire & Ice perhaps being one of the most aptly-named spirits in libation history!

Bombay Sapphire East

This alcohol takes the already wonderful Bombay Sapphire Gin and adds a couple “eastern” elements to alter the flavour. Lemongrass and black peppercorns join the party, apparently to offset the sweetness of American tonic water. I’m very curious to try this spirit and can see it working well in a number of cocktails. Let’s make all our dreams come true and track down this mysterious treasure.

Hot & Sweet Cactus

As I’ve mentioned on this site before, Hot & Sweet was one of the liqueurs Mrs. Sip and I found in Norway. It can best be described as a salty Black Sambuca. I have since found other flavours put out by the company including Hot & Sweet Cactus. I have no clue how the flavours of salt, licorice and cactus will all come together. I only hope that the prickly needles aren’t part of the alcohol, as it may be punishment enough just to swallow the concoction.

Oddka Electricity Vodka

When I first found out about Oddka Electricity, I immediately thought the taste would be similar to licking a battery. Now, Mrs. Sip will tell you that I do a lot of pretty stupid stuff, with a complete and utter disregard for my own body and well-being. That is why I must taste this vodka (licking the battery wasn’t enough to quell my curiousity!) and report to the world about its notes and highlights.

Drink #177: Lemon Cry

1.5 oz Whiskey
Top with half Sweet & Sour Mix and half Mountain Dew: White Out
Garnish with Lemon Wedges

Well, we’re now at the halfway point of the Mountain Dew discovery challenge. Two more days of liquors I want to taste and Mountain Dews I must taste are right around the corner. Won’t ya be my neighbour!?

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (4 Sips out of 5):
I found that this was a very good drink. My decision to use Honey Whiskey was amazing (no surprise there) and the other ingredients provided a fun sour martini experience.
The White Out Mountain Dew is probably the closest to the original flavour and works well as a refreshing soda and mixer.

June 25 – Crimson Tide

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Daniel Wilson

Do the Dew

Recently, the makers of Mountain Dew began a new promotion where the company released four new flavours of its pop, asking customers to decide which was the best and the winner would stick around. I picked up a mixed pack of the new releases and decided to do my own little taste test, cocktail style. So, I present to all you little sippers, the first in a four-part series of comparing sodas, while also looking at liquors I would love to try… talk about harmony and synchronicity!

Absolut Cities

How do you bottle the essence of a city? Well, Absolut Vodka seems to think they’ve found the perfect blend to describe major hubs around the world, such as Los Angeles and New Orleans, in their Cities series. The LA bottle, for example, features blueberry, acai berry, acerola cherry, and pomegranate, a nod to the city’s healthy lifestyle, while N’Orleans brings together an interesting blend of mango and black pepper. At least the flavours don’t taste like race riots and broken levees.

Cool! Even my hometown of Vancouver has been bestowed a vodka in its own name… the first Canadian city to earn such an honour. Take that, Toronto!!!

Celtic Crossing Liqueur

It is a well-documented fact that the Irish love to drink… and for that reason alone, we love them. I’m pretty sure the small segment of Irish in me is the reason I run this site and enjoy the caress of sweet lady liquor so much. This liqueur is advertised as a blending of Irish spirits (not ghosts, whiskey of course) and cognac, with a taste of honey. It may only be available in Ireland, but with popularity, the drink will surely make the Celtic Crossing, as well.

Dragon Berry Rum

I feel like this spirit would be best enjoyed while watching Game of Thrones and cheering on Daenerys Targaryen. What exactly is a dragon berry, you ask? Well, it comes from exotic dragon fruit, of course. This Bacardi offering combines strawberry with the dragon fruit for a bold flavour that is unmatched by any other liquor. This bottle should be easier to track down than most others thanks to Bacardi’s wide distribution of it.

Oddka Fresh Cut Grass Vodka

This may turn out to be completely disgusting, but I think if given the chance, you’d have to see what it tasted like. Fresh cut grass definitely smells good and is a welcomed sign that summer is here, but how exactly would it taste as a vodka? Along with notes of grass, drinkers have found tastes like honeydew melon, strawberry, kiwi, and aloe while sipping the alcohol. I wonder if it’s all blended together via lawnmower!?

Van Der Hum Liqueur

This South African liqueur is made from Cape tangerines, brandy, plants, seeds and barks. I’m intrigued by it simply because it’s from South Africa (at the top of Mrs. Sip’s current travel wish list) and I need to have a souvenir to look out for when I’m dragged there with her. Hopefully I can get one drink of the sweet stuff in before any number of wild animals gets to me. If I don’t have a rhino or elephant charge at me, I’ll consider it a disappointing vacation!

Drink #176: Crimson Tide

1 oz Tequila
1 oz Whiskey
Top with Mountain Dew: Code Red
Garnish with Strawberries

Join the Sip Advisor tomorrow for another new Mountain Dew flavour and the continuation of liquors I want to try. Perhaps we can go halfsies on a bottle, in the name of friendship, discovery, and getting stupid drunk!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (2.5 Sips out of 5):
This was another one of those cocktails that tasted better after the ice got a hold of the mix and diluted it a bit. The Strawberry Slices I scattered throughout the cocktail also helped with flavouring. I’m not sure what exactly was off with the drink, but something was up.
As for the Code Red on its own, it’s much better than in its cocktail form. There is a strawberry taste to the soda, so at least I got that guessing game right. I think the mixer would be better in a drink involving citrus flavours.

Sip Advisor

The Good, The Bad & The Bubbly

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