Tag Archives: Snickers

Love & Hate – Chocolate Obsession

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The Sip Advisor is a certified chocoholic. But, not everything that glitters is gold. In recognition of Valentine’s Day, I decided to look at some of the chocolate-based products I love and hate – or at least dislike, as hate seems too strong a word here. First, here are some of my favourites:

Snickers

When I have a Snickers, I feel like I’m having a complete meal. Between the peanuts, nougat, caramel and chocolate, there’s a lot to like. As one of their old slogans says, “it’s so satisfying”. Now, I just need someone to make me Snickers Salad, which consists of Snickers bars, Granny Smith apples and whipped topping, an apparent essential dish of potlucks and parties in the U.S. Upper Midwest.

Twix

As a cookie aficionado, how could I not fall in love with a chocolate bar that boasts a cookie crunch with each bite. Add in a delicious layer of caramel and you have yourself one hell of a combo. Mrs. Sip and I have been lucky to try some of the limited edition Twix offerings over the years, with Salted Caramel and Cookie Dough being particularly memorable.

Twix

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

I have always enjoyed peanut butter cups, with the rare crunchy version being my favourite. I have also liked many of the recent Big Cup releases the Reese’s company has come out with, such as Potato Chip and Caramel. No matter what holiday is on the horizon, you can bet the Sip Advisor is tracking down the Reese’s offering for it, whether it be hearts for Valentine’s Day, eggs for Easter, pumpkins/ghosts/bats for Halloween or trees for Christmas.

Some honourable mentions include Oh Henry!, Wunderbar, Take 5 and Butterfinger. Now that I have your salivary glands watering, it’s time to reel you back in and down to earth with some not-so-pleasant chocolate bars. Here are a few the Sip Advisor dislikes:

Milk Duds

Whenever I have a Milk Dud, I immediately regret the experience, as I try to choke down the little ball of chocolate-coated caramel. Mrs. Sip loves adding Milk Duds to popcorn and often leaves me to pick this addition up for her – typically as we’re rushing to attend our show. Perhaps that has fostered the anger I have towards the product.

Milk Duds

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate

These are so plain, boring and unappealing, one wonders how the company ever lasted as long as it has, with this as their core offering. As seen above, the Sip Advisor likes complex, ingredient-rich chocolate bars and this doesn’t jive with that. Same goes for Hershey Kisses, which despite their cute shape, don’t bring much to the taste game.

Whoppers/Maltesers

Another Mrs. Sip favourite that I don’t particularly appreciate in the same way. I think I overdosed on these malt balls one Easter, when in the form of Robin Eggs. Since then, I haven’t looked at the product the same and prefer not to have them around. Still, I’m an upstanding person and will let the Sipplings make their own choice regarding them.

Narrowly avoiding entry on this list and my venomous treatment are creations such as Nestle Crunch, 3 Musketeers and coconut-based bars like Almond Joy/Mounds/Bounty. Looking at the items above, apparently, I don’t like chocolate in ball form.

Love & Hate: Chocolate Obsession

Chocolate Obsession

  • Decorate glass with Chocolate Syrup
  • 1 oz Coffee Liqueur (I used Kahlua Vanilla)
  • 1 oz Irish Cream (I used Bailey’s Red Velvet)
  • 1 oz Raspberry Vodka/Liqueur (I used Tumbleweed Raspberry Moonshine)
  • Top with Milk
  • Garnish with Chocolate Sprinkles

I’ll admit, putting together a list of chocolate bars I don’t like was difficult, as I’m pretty lenient when it comes to treats. I’d say the ones listed aren’t horrible, but they would be my last resorts to feed any chocolate craving.

Mixer Mania #15 – Going Nutty

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The Sip Advisor feels bad for folks with a peanut allergy. I don’t know how I’d cope with existence if I wasn’t able to enjoy the legume. Not to rub salt in the wound, but here are my favourite peanut-based products that they’re missing out on:

Peanut Butter

Of the crunchy variety, of course, this glorious spread is best enjoyed in making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I have also come to like using the substance on crackers, as well as mixing it with a handful of Honey Nut Cheerios.

Trail Mix

The Sip Advisor is a trail mix fiend, particularly of the variation that includes Smarties or some other chocolate treat to complete the experience of salty nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds) and raisins. That sweet touch is just right to balance the blend.

Trail Mix

Chocolate Bars

Among the peanut-packed confections I enjoy are Reese Peanut Butter Cups, Pay Day, Take 5, Snickers, Oh Henry!, Peanut M&Ms (as well as other chocolate-covered peanuts), and Butterfinger. Did you know, the Reese behind Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups was Harry Burnett “H.B.” Reese, who invented the treat in 1928. Amazingly, he did this while raising 16 children!

Peanuts

Although I adore potato chips, during times while I’ve tried laying off the snack, I have often relied on peanuts to get my salt fix. Whether that be through barbecue, honey roasted, or mesquite mustard-flavoured releases, it gets the job done.

Cookies

There are few things as satisfying than a fresh-out-of-the-oven peanut butter cookie. If you add chocolate chips to the cookie, you’re in heaven. I have never tried to add jam, however, so this may be a future experiment.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Alcohol

Whether it be a Peanut Butter Stout or Van Gogh PB&J Vodka, I welcome peanuts in liquid form. One of my most favourite cocktails of all time used a peanut liqueur and it was to die for. As for nut-based brews, I’m always in for a pint… or pitcher… or keg!

Asian Dishes

I’m totally into menu items that incorporate peanuts into it for a little crunch or flavour. This includes Japanese Gomaae (spinach salad with peanut sauce) and Chinese Kung Pao Chicken. Most recently, the Sip Advisor has greatly enjoyed the Hunan Kung Pao meal at Earl’s Restaurants.

Mixer Mania #15: Peanutty Buddy

Peanutty Buddy.JPG

  • Rim glass with Peanut Butter & Jelly
  • 1.5 oz Frangelico
  • 1 oz Crème de Cacao
  • Top with Peanut Butter & Jelly Soda
  • Splash of Milk

In wrapping up, is there anything peanut-based that the Sip Advisor doesn’t like? Well, I’m not a fan of peanut brittle and I’d rather not have shelled peanuts because of the effort it takes just to get two little bits out, not to mention the resulting mess. That’s about it, I’d say.

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (2.5 Sips out of 5):
I can’t believe how hard it is to find any cocktail recipes for the Lester’s Fixins Peanut Butter & Jelly Soda. I did find this concoction and altered it to suit my needs, removing the Lemon-Lime Soda and chunk of Peanut Butter in favour of the PB&J Soda, while also lowering the milk content. The drink wasn’t offensive in any way, but there just wasn’t much of a flavour profile at all.

October 20 – Jolly Rancher

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Candy Class

Well friends, the week you’ve all been waiting for is finally here: Candy Cocktail Week! Today we take a crash course on the candy industry thanks to a wonderfully crafted infographic. This proves once again that the Sip Advisor is the only education you need!

How the Candy Industry Started #Candy #Industry #Started #Infographics

Drink #293: Jolly Rancher

Jolly Rancher Drink Recipe

  • 2 oz Vodka
  • 1 oz Midori
  • Top with Cranberry Juice
  • Garnish with Jolly Ranchers

When you go out and share your newfound knowledge with all you friends, just remember who made you the intelligent candy connoisseur you’ve now become… your welcome!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (4 Sips out of 5):
Candy Cocktail Week got off to a great start with this drink that actually tastes like the candy. It was hard to get the usual sticky Jolly Ranchers to stay on the glass long enough to snap a couple photos, but I got it done. The Melon Liqueur was particularly nice in this recipe.

February 12 – Skor Bar

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He Shoots, He Skors

There are a number of drinks named after popular chocolate bars. Today we enjoy the Skor Bar cocktail and we learn what some of The Sip Advisor’s favourite chocolate treats are:

Chocolate PayDay

The Chocolate PayDay bar has become a unicorn of sorts for myself and Mrs. Sip. We found it once, in a hotel vending machine. It was the last bar of its type in the machine and we’ve never seen it again. It took the classicly awesome PayDay bar – salted peanuts held together by chewy caramel – and covered it with chocolate. Had I not seen the bar with a witness, I’d begin to wonder if my years of drinking were taking a toll on the ol’ noggin.

Chocolate PayDay

Wunderbar

The Wunderbar is a favourite shareable for me and the little lady. Hell, she thinks every chocolate bar is a shareable… and don’t even get me started on our long standing McDonalds’ fries dispute (if I knew you were going to eat half of my fries, I would have ordered the larger size!!!). But I digress. I like to accuse her of eating more than her fair share of the chocolate bar and then she leaves me more the next time. It’s the ol’ bait and switch, executed to perfection!

Twix

Twix is another perfect “sharing” bar that brings out the Cookie Monster in me. I hate when chocolate bars are hard to share, like what do you do with the third peanut butter cup (note: in the United States, packages come with two cups, but in Canada, there’s three… yup, we’re better! …never mind the fact that you can probably buy two U.S. 2-packs for the price of one Canadian 3-pack). Obviously, you can break the third cup in half, but then your fingers get all chocolatey and delicious and such. Perfect for wiping on your loved one’s finest clothing.

Snickers

I like the new line of Snickers “you’re not you when you’re hungry” commercials, as it’s always nice to see Joe Pesci in front of the camera again. Mrs. Sip isn’t a fan of Snickers bars, so I get this one all to myself! She doesn’t like Oh Henry!, either, so I bet you can guess which treats are well-stocked at the Sip Advisor offices… that’s right, not these ones. These are the delicacies I hide around the house – toilet tank, recycle bin, among the DVD collection – for when I’m not acting myself.

Snickers

Toblerone

They were 3-D first and we have to thank them for that. While travelling through Switzerland a handful of years ago, it seemed we were buying Toblerone bars like they were going out of style. When we took the trip up Jungfrau Mountain, we made sure to have this wonderful chocolate on hand, as eating some can actually help you adjust to the altitude. Either that or you need to down some serious wobbly-pops.

Drink #43: Skor Bar Cocktail

Skor Bar Drink Recipe

  • Rim glass with Skor bits
  • 1 oz Irish Crème (I used Bailey’s)
  • 1 oz Kahlua (or Frangelico for a twist)
  • 1 oz Butterscotch Schnapps
  • 1 oz Crème de Cacao

Everybody has their favourite chocolate bar… what’s yours? I know it’s a hard choice to narrow down. Maybe it’s easier to pick one you hate. It is Fat Tuesday today, so make sure to enjoy as many bars (chocolate or otherwise), guilt-free, as possible!

Sip Advisor Bar Notes (4 Sips out of 5):
This actually tasted like a Skor Bar. I know that’s how it’s advertised, but sometimes the results don’t match the name. Butterscotch Schnapps and Crème de Cacao make an amazing pair and the Skor Bit rim was a lot of fun, too.