JACK DANIELS TESTING A NEW CINNAMON FLAVOUR

I always love to keep myself abreast with what's happening around the world. So in my usual trip around the  the net, I found out that Jack Daniels is rolling out a test version of Jack Daniels Cinnamon. It is also called the Tennessee 'FIRE'. There has been a craze for whiskey all over the world and even in Nairobi.
The proof version will launch on a limited edition in three states Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The company however did not specify how long this test run will last. I guess it is up to the public to decide whether they like it.
 I loved the ginger in whiskey and vodka and cinnamon would be great too. Cinnamon on the other hand is a flavor obtained from the inner bark of trees  from a certain genus.
The Jack Daniels FIRE is made of a red hot cinnamon liqueur+ old No 7 Jack Daniels. As seen from the poster, it will be 35% ABV (Alcohol By Volume).

mybottleshop.com.au

WINETASTING: USING YOUR EYES

I recently took up an online wine tasting course and the things I'm learning are amazing.  There's so much to learn about wine and even the connoisseurs don’t know everything there is to know about wine. The classes are fun and Ill share some tips with you.

Wine-tasting is an art that involves the senses.

EYES

Colour

To check for wine colour one is supposed to look at the glass against a white background. This reminds me of chemistry and how we would investigate the colour of a solution using a white tile.Wine is organic and it changes over time. The more a wine ages the more the colour range and becomes mature.

Clarity

All the wines should be clear. They should not have any cloudiness or haziness.When you notice haziness the wine may not be good or it might be exposed to air. However it is okay to find sediments at the bottom of white wine. White wine sometimes gets crystals at the bottom when it ages.

Body

I was always curious why people swirl their wine glasses during wine-tasting. They do this to determine the viscosity of the wine. To determine the body, one should swirl the wine in a clean glass and then look art the drippings/ the treads left by the wine. A dry and light wine has thin legs that flow freely while a heavy wine should have thicker and solid legs.

In the next post I will share about how to use your nose when tasting wine.

Enjoy...

VERSUS WINE REVIEW

I am not good with dates and so I forgot a special persons birthday. After cursing I decided to just get him a gift. Buying a gift for a guy is the hardest thing in the world and so I decided to go the easy way and buy a bottle of wine. I have this wine connoisseur at Nakumatt Thika Road wine store who knows about my blog and is always happy to help. So This is what I told him, " Hey, I need you to hook me up with one of your finest apology wines".
He asked me, "What did you do?"
I said, "I forgot a birthday".
He looked shocked like I just told him I killed someone and hid their body.
I love this place because they have a wide selection of great wine. There is the liquor compartment the size of a whole room with wines from all over the world.
After some tour in the little liquor store  he came back to me with three bottles. I wanted red wine because the recipient of the gift loves red wine. I settled on Versus. I have never drank it before. I chose the velvet honey Red wine. This retailed for around Kshs 950 if my memory serves me correctly. The gift was appreciated and he even asked me to share it.
>>>Fast forward to the part where we drank the wine.

The wine was great. It was mildly sweet with no tannic aftertaste.  It was great. Tastes great when chilled. tastes great with sprite. This is great for people who love mild tasting wines. Its alcohol percentage is 8% and it is made by Versus South African wines. I paired it with mashed potatoes and beef stew. It is definitely a delight. It was the perfect apology wine.

Enjoy...

SOUTH AFRICAN SMOOTHIE

Apart from South Africa being my dream country it is also home to this great drink. South Africans are known to be enthusiastic beer drinkers and they also have the best wine. S.A is home to  to Amarula cream liqueur which mostly taken after dinner. It is made from the fruit of the Marula tree.

To make the  S.A Smoothie you need:
 1.5 oz Amarula Creme Liqueur
1 small banana.
I small cup choclate ice cream.

Procedure
Blend until smooth.
Pour into Collins glass.
Garnish with Chocolate shavings, a banana and serve.

This is great on a boring Saturday or any other day when you just wanna relax. Remember you can serve it chilled too. So travel to S.A with me for a few minutes.

 Enjoy...

TAKE YOUR TASTEBUDS ON A JOURNEY

Most people ask me whats with my new found love for beverages and I tell them it is not a new found love. Its always something I've loved to do, I just didn't know that I would be interested at this point.Ever since I could remember, I could always tell the difference between different coffees and other drinks.I didn't know that this would develop into an entirely new venture where I would be told to make drinks for a small party. Of course in the Long run I want to mix a perfect wine cocktail for someone great or a major cocktail party.there is no doubt that a well mixed cocktail is sophisticated and it sparkles with mysterious appeal.It has the tendency of making a bad day better. Very few people indulge their senses in a well mixed drink.In fact few people know that making a cocktail requires balance between sweet, sour, salty, umami and bitter (that is a biology lesson for another day). I am not there when it comes to making the perfect drinks. In fact, I am barely there.Endless seduction lingers in a cocktail glass. This is accentuated by the setting that you are in. If you are having a good time you should be sipping something fine.

Alcoholic or Non alcoholic drinks?
I don't see any big deal with taking either. It all boils down to personal preference and tastes.I have tasted the best of both worlds. There is a mock-tail called the raspberry faux-jito that has no alcohol and its great.Alcohols have a wide variety to chose from (wines, gin, vodka etc.) Whether your drink is alcohol based or not, you should indulge your taste buds. Get a cold Martini or a Sangria.Get champagne or sparkling wine. Let the bubbles kiss you and thrive on the satisfaction that comes forthwith.
It is impossible to learn everything about beverages as there are thousands of drinks and people continue to brew their own liqueurs and concoctions. However its a great journey of discovery.I am yet to try some glow in the dark drink that I saw. (Sounds potent). A well balanced drink is always a delight. You probably don't know this because you are stuck on the conventional tea, coffee, soda , juice and water.Variety is the spice of life. Try different things. Challenge your taste buds.

WHAT YOUR DRINK SAYS ABOUT YOU

When you go to a party or an event. what do you order most of the time and what does it say about you?

Scotch
You love sweaters a lot. V-neck or round neck. You are a bit reserved. You are comfortable with your life. You are a person to make plans but you never talk about them until they follow through. You are not the perfect company to drink with because your talks revolve around mergers and acquisitions, newspapers or the like. You are somewhat important in the society but we wouldn't know by just looking at you.You consider yourself rich.

Gin and Tonic
You are realistic about life. You weigh pros and cons of every situation.You are comfortable. You are not shy to express your opinion. You are an ordinary man in the street but you believe someday you'll be great.

Margarita
You are a ticking time bomb. You want to eat, drink,sleep, rave ,repeat. You live for the moment. These people yell and shout when you are having a conversation or walking with them in town. You are not afraid of anything.

Mint Julep
You are sweet, calm and collected. You are a nice person to date. you are drama free and you love watching the sunset or enjoying  a cold breeze in the beach.

Beer
You love being respected. You command it. You want to be important. Your talks revolve around cars , sports and football.Nothing can bring you down because you believe you have your act together. I don't Know what to say about a girl who orders beer.

Brown Bottles
Anything goes. You just want to have a good time. Hakuna matata. You want to watch the game with your boys, laugh and call it a night. You blow money fast, Tomorrow will take care of itself.

Wine
It depends on the type. You love finer things in life. You are probably energetic and a free spirit but you are serious on most occasions. You are a workaholic and ambitious but you still love to have a good time.

Daiquiri
Bold and Brilliant. King/queen of your castle. You know what you want.

Long Island Iced Tea.
You are strong willed and not afraid of anything. You go hard!

Rum and Coke
If you are not in college you are college at heart. You are experimental. You hate routine. You are the kind of girl/guy with a bucket list that is halfway done.

Apple Martini (Appletini)
You are a health freak. You probably do yoga or zumba. You love fashion. When cleaning the house you wear short shorts or leggings and put Rihanna/ Beyonce on repeat. Drama Queen!

Vodka
So many people fall in this category. You are self centered. You love being in charge. You are independent. (You can take random trips alone). Your fashion sense is t-shirts , jeans and rubbers. Very intelligent and creative and you rarely keep grudges.

Heineken
Extroverted, free spirit, Intellectual and open minded. You have 1001 ideas.

Tequila
Very fun. You drink all weekend. You love making friends and you do that with so much ease.People like you.

Mai Tai
You are probably a model or you think you can model. You love exotic people. You think they are sexy. You love foreigners but not enough to move out of your country. Yet you say you will marry one.

Champagne
You think you are accomplished. You have money. You love briefcases and boardrooms. Crisp suits and nice cars.

So what are you?

STORING WINE CREATIVELY

Every wine lover looks at the best way to store his/ her wine. Here are a few ideas you might wanna consider. You will need to run to the hardware store . You will need to consult your carpenter if you don't want to get your hands dirty.
1. Get a wooden plank . Drill holes through it. Find a way to secure it on the wall.

2. Get these supporting rods from your local hardware. Secure them on the wall

etsy.com

 3.Get your carpenter to do this for you.

architectureanddesign.com

 4. This is an easy one to make. You can convert an old shelf to a wine stand.Enhance the lighting on the shelf to give it appeal.

architectureanddesign.com

 5. Use an old crate.

  6. the following are simple ideas to use with wood. Once you take the design to the carpenter he will know what to do. Be sure to use hardwood.

 7. Use a normal shelf to store your bottles.

 8. Get old PVC pipes. Cut them in equal lengths. Join together with screws and nuts or rivets. Use different colours. Get creative.

cdndecoist.com

au.lifestyle.yahoo.com

 9. Another great idea that uses wood.

Transform your space with these ideas.