VitaminEnergy

How do you stay awake during a long night of partying? (Ok, let's stay legal, kids...) Is Vodka Red Bull your drink of choice? Coca-cola and some spirit or another? Or maybe just a caffeine-infused booze?

Well, now there's a new option on the market. Perhaps you've tried VitaminWater. (I love those!) They are formulated for Energy, Calm, Stress, and so on. Well, now the same company presents a line of VitaminEnergy drinks.

And, being a liquor-lover, I thought about ways to spike these puppies into something useful - yes, useful - for a big night out...

Here's what I came up with:

Citrus: Add some grapefruit flavored vodka (Finlandia has a good one) and a generous squeeze of lime.

Dragonfruit: A splash of gin and a slice of mango make this more than a powerful memory.

Fruit Punch: A little rum and a maraschino cherry take the party up a notch.

Just don't blame me if these blasts of energy render your Ambien inutile...

Ask The Liquid Muse

Sipster, Tzvi from Israel is looking for some unique liqueurs for his bar. Here is his question, and a few of my recommendations. If anyone has any to add, please do so in the comments!

Hi Natalie,
My name is Tzvi. I live in israel and I’m a bartender for the last 5 Years. I got a little bar in my home and now i got a great opertunity to make it bigger my aunt is coming back from NY. Can u recommend some liquers she can bring me? I’m lookin for something special like the St Germain liqueur.
Thanks, Tzvi

Hi Tzvi,
I’m happy to hear you read my post on St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur. It is one of my favorite new discoveries! Other fun new and / or unusual products you may like to try out are:

• Zen Green Tea Liqueur is very unique.
• Amarula is from South Africa and is a delicious creamy liqueur.
• Bailey Irish Cream has a decadent new Mint Chocolate flavor.
• Gran Gala is an orange-flavored liqueur made with VSOP brandy. I used this as an ingredient in the Bodog JetSet Julep I created for bodog.com’s Kentucky Derby promotion.
• G’Vine is a newcomer with a delightfully fragrant and floral bouquet.
• Finlandia Vodka has a new flavor – grapefruit! Personally, I love using grapefruit in cocktails, and this product is really versatile. Fresh and lightly citrus. Yum!

I hope that helps!
Natalie (aka: The Liquid Muse)

New Vodka Flavor Hits US

I hate it when I become addicted to something only available overseas.

Like, when I was living in Cataluna (Spain), a tapas bar down the block made the most succulent “croquettas de bacalao” (codfish fritters). When the tapas craze hit the States, I was hopeful but disappointed - not the same. In New Zealand, I got hooked on the $1 meat pies. In Brazil, I slathered their white, creamy catupiry cheese on everything from bread to fruit, daily. And, who would disagree that there is something about the luscious café crèmes in Paris that just don’t compare to any American-made latte.

So, when I was in Finland, in February, covering Finlandia’s 9th Annual International Cocktail Competition, I knew I was in trouble. Their new grapefruit flavored vodka was only available in Europe. Immediately hooked, I savored every sip, knowing I’d have to wait a few months until I could buy it (regularly) back home!

Why do I like it so much? Finnish water is among the purest in the world, so there is no need for multiple filtering at distillation. (In fact, the water is so clean that it is still "living." Even though Finlandia bottles its own brand of water, it can not be exported because of its short shelf life.) So, while Finlandia grapefruit is a great mixer, its also tasty on its own (over ice with a squeeze of lime). The fresh, citrus flavor is not too sweet or fruity but leaves a whisper of grapefruit on the tongue (and left me panting for more)!

The Good News? American Sipsters, I am very happy to tell you that, as of April, Finlandia’s grapefruit flavored vodka is here!

Below are two drinks I came up with while “playing” with my very own bottle! (By the way - these cocktails are still unnamed… if of you Sipsters want to play “Name That Drink” leave a comment or e-me. Winner will be mentioned on TLM.) Kippis!

Cocktail #1:
2 oz. Finlandia Grapefruit
generous squeeze of lime
dash blood orange bitters (I am addicted to Blood Orange bitters, too!)
2 oz. Freshly squeezed blood orange juice
Splash of soda water

Shake vodka, bitters, and juice, with ice. Pour into chilled martini glass. Top with a splash of soda water. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Cocktail #2:
1 1/2 oz. Finlandia Grapefruit
2 oz. Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
sparkling wine
sugar

Sugar-rim a chilled champagne flute, pour in vodka and grapefruit juice. Top with champagne. (Great with brunch, or an evening soiree.)

Poland Gets the Gold!

Leszek Kraszewski is the Head Honcho, Number One, International Champion in Finlandia Vodka's 9th Annual Vodka Cup.

In a blind tasting, his drinks won as overall best. They were judged by not only their taste but also aromatic and aesthetic qualities.

Leszak tends bar in Warszawa's swanky lounge, THE Cinnamon. He, like all the bartenders there, attended a 2-week intensive bartender school. Kraszewski looks at bartending as a long-time career.

In Lapland, his cocktails got him not only a gold medal, special plaque but also some hugs from the Finlandia Hostesses (whom I affectionately refer to as the Finnish Snow Princesses).

Here are his winning drinks:

ButterFly
4 cl Finlandia Vodka
2 cl De Kuyper Butterscotch
Ginger Ale
cinnamon syrup

Shake vodka and butterscotch and cinnamon syrup. Top with Ginger Ale. Garnish with a rose petal.

Now Cochones
3 cl Finlandia Redberry (this flavor is not available in the US)
2 cl De Kuyper Peach Tree
3 cl Grapefruit juice
3 cl Orange juice
3 cl Lychee juice
Shake, strain and pour into glass. Garnish with a lychee and one berry.

Passion of Cinnamon
4 cl Finlandia Grapefruit (will be available in the US in April)
2 cl DK Watermelon
1 cl Sour
4 cl Cranberry juice
Shake and garnish with a blackberry.

New Favorite Drink

Sparkling Pamplemousse (I don't know what its really called but this is the name I've decided to slap on it)

Pour 2 oz. Finlandia grapefruit into tall glass, with or without ice. Top with sparkling bitter lemon soda. Squeeze of fresh grapefruit juice. Garnish with grapefruit wheel.

Yummy cocktail - not too sweet, very drinkable. Goes down waaay too easily. This will become a staple in my house when Finlandia launches its new grapefruit flavor in the US, this Spring.