New Orleans By The Glass

On April 2, 2016March 26, 2016 By The Boozy NewsieIn To GoLeave a comment

I have already mentioned my trip to New Orleans, the birthplace of many a cocktail, but all I’ve given you so far is a review of one of their breweries. Here’s everything else that I drank while I was there. This is in theory a response to this prompt, but it’s also a travelogue of many drinks. I figure that’s pretty far from normal.

We got in to New Orleans in the afternoon, and took a walk around the Garden District and French Quarter before arriving at Three Muses, a tapas bar where we had some great food (falafel wrapped mozzarella balls, among other things), nice unobtrusive live music, and some nice drinks as well. I had the Knight Takes Bishop (“Silky Irish Whiskey take on a sour using egg white, honey, apricot, dry sherry, and tarragon”– $11), and the PiC had the Minor Swing Margarita (“Hibiscus, jalapeno and blood orange liqueur reinvent this classic drink finished off with grapefruit soda”– $11). We also tried the Flying Squirrel (“A smooth whiskey sour with subtle pine notes and hints of walnut make this anything but predictable”– $11) and The Other Redhead (“Ginger and ancho chili liqueurs spice up this bold Jameson sipper” – $10), which my brother and his wife had. I was impressed by how well the less powerful flavors came through (the tarragon in mine, the walnut in the squirrel, etc.) to bring a new twist to mostly classic drinks. The margarita barely tasted like alcohol, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. And, I like anything with egg whites, so mine worked well too.

The next day we wandered over to Galatoire’s for lunch, primarily on a quest for what are called soufflé potatoes, basically twice fried potato chips that we had seen once on an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate. We also had our first bowl of gumbo here (our goal was to have at least five). The potatoes were… fine? As a vehicle for the béarnaise sauce they were very useful, but didn’t have much to them. The duck and andouille gumbo was delicious. And, of course, we had drinks as well! I had Galatoire’s Special Cocktail (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Herbsaint, Peychaud’s Bitters, simple syrup and a twist – $7), and the PiC had the 209 Cocktail (Pimm’s No. 1, Pearl Cucumber Vodka, sour mix, and a splash of ginger ale – $8). I didn’t love mine, to be honest — it was essentially a Sazerac with bourbon instead of rye, and I felt like the bourbon overpowered the rest and it mostly just tasted like whiskey. The 209 was basically a Pimm’s cup, and was pretty good.

We next investigated the amazing beignets at Café du Monde but didn’t drink anything so I won’t dwell on it. They are famous for their cafe (and chicory) au lait, I guess? I don’t like coffee. At this time we discovered that my brother and his wife had holed up at a nearby divey bar, Coop’s Place, where we joined them. We had another cup of gumbo (#2, not as good as Galatoire’s), and our first Abita beer, Turbo Dog ($4). It was very nice, a dark brown ale that cut through the gumbo’s stickiness well. I almost thought it was a stout, based on texture and the darker coffee and chocolate notes, but apparently it is not.

We did various things throughout the day (it’s very odd to only focus on the drinkable parts of the vacation) and ended up at Jacques Imo’s for dinner. If you go there, get the Shrimp and Alligator Sausage Cheesecake. We also had gumbo #3. I had the Abita Andygator ($5), a Helles Doppelbock which was sweet and malty as well as being strong. Both the Abita website and our waiter were very cautious about the high alcohol content (8%) but really that’s not that bad… The PiC had the Abita Purple Haze ($4.50) which was a little fruity for my tastes but she enjoyed it. It’s a raspberry flavored lager, and I do remember that it tasted like actual raspberries more than it did like raspberry flavor, so at least there was that.

Day 2’s lunch was Commander’s Palace, and their famous 25-cent martini lunches! Honestly, the food here was much more of note than the alcohol, except for the price. I wish I could have eaten more, but I had had a donut breakfast sandwich earlier in the day and was still recovering. Anyways, to the alcohol! There were actually four variations of martinis that we were allowed to have for the 25 cent price (three max per person). The classic (gin or vodka), a cosmopolitan, a blue curaçao and vodka mix that I think was called the Commander’s martini, and something with melon liqueur that none of us tried. We had all versions of the first three though. They were fine for what they were – very alcoholic. I don’t really like martinis (I had mine very dirty and still didn’t really enjoy it). I don’t have pictures of these because we didn’t think we were supposed to use our phones, but you can imagine them. They look like what you’d expect.

We finished up that night at Cochon Butcher, where I had a beer. Unfortunately, I did not track what it was. But it was good! And looked like this:

The next day we were all on our own. My brother and his wife had gone back to the wilds whence they came. So, we went to a wine bar, Bacchanal, for lunch, and did what you would expect us to do at a wine bar — get a beer! Actually though, this place was pretty awesome, and was recommended to us multiple times before we went. It’s a little out of the way, but it’s worth it. You walk into the wine/cheese shop, and pick your drinks and cheeses (and meats, if you like), and they make a really nice plate with it, full of spreads and breads and all sorts of things. Then, you sit outside in their huge patio with live music and eat it. It’s great. Anyways, we got a Californian, so sue us, beer from the Bruery — The Terreux Gypsy Tart. It wasn’t quite a sour, but was on its way there, sort of a gateway sour. If I haven’t used that phrase already, which I may have. It was nice to have the sourness without the fruit, as well.

On the long way back from Bacchanal (a nice walk along the river in a fancy park), we were in need of refreshment, so stopped in the French Market for a mango rum punch (ingredients what you would imagine, with a bunch of miscellaneous juice added that I’m not sure what it was). Didn’t taste at all like alcohol, and was very refreshing and fruity. Not something I’d want to drink with a meal, but on its own, it was perfect. Also, had very tieable cherry stems.

After another beignet and a display of chinese lanterns, we found ourselves getting dinner at Parasol’s in the Garden District, including an Irish Channel Stout (NOLA Brewing Company) in a to-go cup. I still find the concept of to-go alcohol crazy, but hey, it’s New Orleans. Or Vegas. The stout was a good classic coffee-esque stout, not hugely remarkable other than the fact that we walked around with it on the street.

Sadly, it was then our last day, but we were determined to drink it to the fullest. We stopped by Pat O’Brien’s, the home of the Hurricane, and got, well, a Hurricane. We had been warned against this by my brother but it was actually pretty good. Very similar to the mango rum punch in that it was sweet, fruity, and deceptively alcoholic. It has dark rum, light rum, passionfruit syrup, and lemon, according to Wikipedia, and Pat O’Brien’s serves a mix that you can use to make your own so it’s probably somewhat proprietary. If you’re eating in, you get it in a classic hurricane glass (shaped like a hurricane lamp, apparently), but we were getting it to-go so weren’t as fancy.

We got our final bowl of gumbo at The Gumbo Shop (Galatoire’s may still have been best though), and accompanied it with a Brandy Milk Punch, which tasted like a not-nearly-as-cloying eggnog. It was cold, light, and nutmeggy, and the milk really smoothed out the brandy which can sometimes be a little too sharp. It also had the distinction of being one of the nicest looking drinks we had.

And then, with only a few hours left to kill before the airport, we went to NOLA Brewing Company. But you already know about that.

So that was New Orleans. 19 drinks, or more if you count both mine and the PiC’s. Which you really should. But for one of the few places that’s actually known for cocktails, I think that’s a perfectly acceptable number. One side note: there is an antique gun shop that was the original home of Peychaud’s apothecary shop, where potentially the first cocktail was served. Unfortunately it was closed when we stopped by. But we were this close to a piece of bartending history, and I think that still counts!

And I will say, also, that even if you don’t drink, New Orleans was awesome. We will definitely be going back someday, and I totally understand why my brother has now been 5 times.

12. Champagne Punch

On March 12, 2016March 11, 2016 By The Boozy NewsieIn Bon Vivant's Companion1 Comment

Champagne Punch Hero

We were going to have a dinner party a few weekends ago. The party didn’t end up happening, due to the flu (LOOK OUT!), but that meant we had a lot of ingredients lying around. So why not still make a drink? We weren’t the ones that were sick, so we could have all the alcohol we wanted.

Easy to find news this week. A 78-year-old Trump supporter punched a protestor for essentially no reason at a rally on Wednesday. Thankfully, he’s now been charged with assault and disorderly conduct, even though he wasn’t detained at the event itself. He said, after he punched the protestor, “We don’t know who he is, but we know he’s not acting like an American…. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him.” I will refrain from being political. Mostly. Let’s hope Trump never drinks champagne to celebrate a nomination.

Champagne Punch Ingredients

12. Champagne Punch

(Per bottle.)

1 quart bottle of wine. [This is, annoyingly, 1.25 750ml champagne bottles. I ended up roughly proportioning everything else in 4/5ths as well. My guess is it would work fine if you just took this as a regular champagne bottle.]
¼ lb. of sugar. [~half a cup.]
1 orange sliced.
The juice of a lemon.
3 slices of pineapple. [I took this to mean rings? Up to you.]
2 oz. raspberry or strawberry syrup. [I used the syrup I made for the Brandy Punch!]
Ornament with fruits in season, and serve in champagne goblets.
This can be made in any quantity by observing the proportions of the ingredients as given above. Four bottles of wine [So five of OUR bottles] make a gallon, and a gallon is generally sufficient for fifteen persons in a mixed party. For a good champagne punch [Umm… Is this one NOT good? Sending mixed signals here, Jerry.], see “Rocky Mountain Punch,” No. 43.

Champagne Punch Creation GIF

Tasting Notes:

BN: First, we really need champagne glasses… I liked this a lot. He stuffs a lot of his drinks (or at least the punches) full of fruit, which is often a little much for me, but all of these have worked out well so far. It actually tastes very different from the brandy punch, which is surprising since it’s almost the same exact ingredients. I wish it were a little bubblier, and a little less sweet, but that could just be the André.

PiC: I really liked it. I imagine it’s a deadly drink because it’s very sugary and doesn’t taste at all like alcohol. It’s almost like drinking a juice. Plus, it’s very pretty – almost a rose gold which is very trendy right now.

Kopke Fine Ruby Port – News Flash

On March 5, 2016March 7, 2016 By The Boozy NewsieIn News Flashes, Reviews3 Comments

I think I like port now.

That’s the main conclusion I’ve drawn, after trying this very nice Kopke Fine Ruby Port, as well as the Port Wine Sangaree from a few weeks ago.

My first experience with port was about 10 years ago now, on a cold Christmas Eve night in Aberystwyth, Wales. It was included in a prix fixe meal as an after dinner drink, and I was super excited (for some reason), but when it came I hated it. Syrupy, too sweet, too alcoholic… I just wasn’t having it. A disappointing end to a delicious meal. And so, as a first impression, it was a poor one, and since then I’ve assumed that I didn’t like port. But now more and more I feel like it was probably just bad port.

Anyways, back to the Kopke. We received this as a part of the PiC’s Cheese of the Month subscription from the Cheese Store of Silverlake (if you’re in LA, check them out!) and it was a great choice. Just looking at the bottle, I loved the design – it almost looks like a fake wine bottle from a cartoon or something (I pictured seeing XXX on the other side, like a big jug o’ alcohol). When we poured it, it was a beautiful deep ruby color. Apparently, and I just learned this, ruby port is aged in stainless steel, so doesn’t oxidize or change color (unlike tawny, etc., aged in wooden barrels).

Tastewise, it was very nice, fruit-forward and not too sweet or alcoholic tasting. Paired perfectly with the cheese that we had, and you could sip on this for a long time without getting tired, or it turning saccharine. A very fine ruby port. (See what I did there?)

It seems to retail for around $14.99, and a bottle would last you a fair amount of time (you wouldn’t want to drink it all in one sitting).

143. Gin Sour

On February 27, 2016February 22, 2016 By The Boozy NewsieIn Bon Vivant's Companion1 Comment

There are a large number of drinks in The Bartender’s Guide that are modifications on other drinks that he lists, and there are also some pretty classic ones. The Gin Sour manages to be both. I stupidly didn’t also make the Gin Fix (141) which is literally the exact same as this, but with seasonal fruits on top (and no lemon juice). I probably will wait a while to make that one, though, so you can just imagine it for now. In terms of sours, I’m much more used to whiskey and amaretto sours, but it stands to reason that you could make them with other spirits as well.

I couldn’t find anything super relevant for Gin or Sour on the news front, but I did find this cool article from The Daily Beast from a few weeks ago talking about the rise of gin‘s popularity in 1700s England. They equate it to meth, in that everyone was making it in their basements, and it was causing all sorts of trouble in society (more crime, obviously more drunkenness, etc.) Everyone developed a taste for it on the continent, and it was cheap and easy, so they brought it back. A fun quick read, and I’ll work on getting more punny news articles next week.

Gin Sour Ingredients

143. Gin Sour

(Use small bar glass.)

1 tablespoon of sugar.
¼ of a lemon.
1 oz of water
2 oz of gin.
Press the juice of the lemon in the glass. Fill two-thirds full of shaved ice. Stir with a spoon. [Technically I’m combining two recipes, the Gin Fix and the Gin Sour, to make the one understandable without the other. Don’t worry about it.]

Gin Sour Process

Tasting Notes:

BN: This was pretty good. It’s pretty sweet (I wonder if a tablespoon might have been smaller back then and I therefore put too much in), and I’m not the hugest gin fan. The herbal notes of the gin, though, might distract from how sweet it is (a good thing), so maybe with another spirit it would be too much. If I made it again, I’d like something to cut it, maybe a bitters?

PiC: I liked this. It tastes like what I might imagine a lemon drop martini would taste like, or one of those lemon drop candies. It’s a little medicinal (the gin, probably). I’d drink this — but I’d like a sugar rim on it! [BN: Jerry Thomas actually does do this for some drinks, which he calls “crustas.” Stay tuned!]

205. Scotch Whiskey Skin

On February 20, 2016 By The Boozy NewsieIn Bon Vivant's Companion2 Comments

Hoo boy. Well, you can’t win ’em all. That’s really the only intro I have for this drink.

On the current events front, in something that will be old news by the time this goes up, Scotland is really sucking in the Six Nations rugby tournament. Sucking almost as bad as this drink does (eight straight losses). Rugby, though, is really cool actually, and the USA’s own Pro Rugby league is starting up this spring! Just don’t drink this while you’re watching.

205. Scotch Whiskey Skin

(Use small bar glass.) [Or a mug, because it’s hot. Or just don’t make this.]

2 oz. Scotch whiskey.
1 piece of lemon peel.
Fill the tumbler one-half full with boiling water.

Tasting Notes:

BN: In case it wasn’t abundantly clear, I hated this. It tasted like really hot watered-down scotch that was slightly bitter (from the lemon peel). So, exactly what it was. I generally like toddies, but they really need a sweetener in there. I’m not sure how anyone can drink this. There’s a small chance a stronger-flavored scotch could have made it better, like a Caol Ila, but I sincerely doubt it.

PiC: Eugh.

2. Brandy Punch

On February 6, 2016February 7, 2016 By The Boozy NewsieIn Bon Vivant's Companion4 Comments

In theory, I would start with the first recipe. But this book has the confusing method of starting the section with a vague description of how best to make whatever particular type of drink it’s discussing (in this case punches) and then with the first real recipe ignoring everything that came before. But since this is the first concrete recipe, I’m going to do it, and then maybe go back to #1 once all of the punches are complete. Then maybe I’ll understand what he’s trying to get me to do. Maybe.

In the real world, Brandy Clark released a new single on Friday. Brandy Clark is pretty much the greatest — she’s written songs for essentially all of the biggest country stars (and the ones who are less huge but probably better, like Kacey Musgraves), and also has a really good album, 12 Stories, which you should check out. It’s on Spotify! Her new album is coming out in April. This has been a PSA from your friendly Boozy Newsie.

2. Brandy Punch

(Use large bar glass.)

1 table-spoonful raspberry syrup. [Made this from this Imbibe recipe.]
2 do. white sugar. [so as not to have to put a note every time from now on, I’m going to replace the do. (ditto) with the actual amount.]
1 wine-glass water. [2 oz.]
1½ wine-glass brandy. [I’m also going to adjust to modern measurements. This one’s 3 oz.]
½ small-sized lemon.
2 slices of orange.
1 piece of pine-apple.
Fill the tumbler with shaved ice, shake well, and dress the top with berries in season; sip through a straw. [Again, no straw, and I used some raspberries to match the syrup.]

Only thing I’d add here is that I decided rather than using the lemon as a garnish, he meant to squeeze the juice in. The pineapple I put in the glass early so some of the juice should have gotten in as well, but everything else was garnish.

Brandy Punch Prep

Tasting Notes:

BN: You can taste all the elements and they meld well. It’s not super sweet, which is odd because there’s both syrup and sugar in there, but I really like it! The best of the ones I made today.

PiC: It’s almost whiskey sourish, but fresher. That’s GOOD. It’s like a Sour Patch Kid in a drink! The raspberry and the sourness match to be just like the candy. We should remember this one.

Bonus shot of raspberry syrup:

88. Mint Julep

On January 30, 2016January 24, 2016 By The Boozy NewsieIn Bon Vivant's Companion1 Comment

In case you hadn’t noticed (since the first recipe was #125), I am indeed skipping around a bit. This is partially due to the availability of ingredients, and partially because I don’t necessarily want to be making punch after punch after punch, and then julep after julep after julep. What is an effective categorization method in a book is not the most fun in the kitchen.

So for this one I wanted something I had heard of before. Was this first version a classic Mint Julep? Short answer: no. It’s pretty different, except for shaved ice and mint, but is a really nice drink on its own. Score another one for Jerry Thomas.

In other news, the U.S. Mint recently announced the national parks that will be on this year’s America the Beautiful (read: fancy) quarters: Shawnee National Forest in Illinois, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in Kentucky, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia, Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, and Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) in South Carolina. The first will be on shelves (in wallets? What do you say?) on February 8th. Riveting news, I know.

88. Mint Julep

(Use large bar glass.)

1 table-spoonful of white pulverized sugar. [Powdered sugar.]
2½ do. water, mix well with a spoon. [do. is “Ditto” in ye olden days.]
Take three or four sprigs of fresh mint, and press them well in the sugar and water, until the flavor of the mint is extracted; add one and a half wine-glass [3 oz.] of Cognac brandy, and fill the glass with fine shaved ice, then draw out the sprigs of mint and insert them in the ice with the stems downward, so that the leaves will be above, in the shape of a bouquet; arrange berries, and small pieces of sliced orange on top in a tasty manner, dash with Jamaica rum, [I took this to mean dark rum] and sprinkle white sugar on top. Place a straw as represented in the cut, [I didn’t have a straw, but we’re getting some! By “in the cut” he means the image on that first Jerry Thomas post, which appears to just be in the drink. Not sure where else you’d put it.] and you have a julep that is fit for an emperor.

Fit for an emperor, eh? Pretty cool. Apart from the spirit choice (brandy instead of whisky), this started out like a pretty classic julep, but then he just goes crazy and adds all sorts of things to it. Only modifications I made (besides no straw) were to use new mint sprigs for the garnish because the muddled ones were kind of gross-looking.

Tasting Notes:

BN: I found it interesting that he didn’t use whisky, as that is a pretty common spirit back then — but I guess that wasn’t how he heard about the drink. I’ll look into when that switch occurred. The addition of the fruit and rum was really delicious though, especially the citrus — it gave it a lot more depth than I’m used to in a simply sweet and minty julep. I wanted a little more mint flavor but I should have just muddled more. I also liked the ombre (PiC is proud of my vocabulary) effect that was made when the rum was added to the top – dark rum to orange brandy to green sugar-mint water.

PiC: A little alcoholic for me, but i like it. Even making it a little sweeter would be good. I especially like eating a raspberry off the top and then taking a sip.

125. Port Wine Sangaree

On January 23, 2016 By The Boozy NewsieIn Bon Vivant's Companion3 Comments

My first thought upon seeing this particular recipe was that it was going to be like a sangria, due to the name. But it turns out that a) it’s not, and b) Sangaree is an older term for a rather vague set of cocktails from either the Antilles or Spain. Apparently, and this makes sense and I can’t imagine why I didn’t notice it before, it’s because they are usually reddish, and therefore look like blood (sangre in Spanish). Yay for etymology!

Anyways, I don’t really like port, but I thought that this might be a good start for good old Jerry, to see if he knows what he’s talking about. And he does! Though simple, this recipe brings out some good flavors and makes it easy to drink the spirit.

And, today, during a demonstration held in support of migrants, a number of protestors illegally boarded a ferry in the PORT of Calais, suspending operations. Just another event in a series caused by more and more migrants streaming into Europe from the Middle East. Luckily, this one does not appear to have been a bloody interchange. So, as the Spanish would say, no SANGRIENTA.

I’m both hilarious and informative.

This, and all recipes will be copied verbatim from the 1862 edition, with comments in italics.

Port Wine Sangaree

(Use small bar glass.)

1½ wine-glass of port wine [A wine-glass is equal to 2 oz., ish, so this is 3 oz.]
1 teaspoonful of sugar.
Fill tumbler two-thirds with ice.
Shake well and grate nutmeg on top.

I’ve encountered this problem where he doesn’t really specify between a mixing glass (I think that’s what he means by tumbler) and the final delivery vessel. Perhaps I’ll figure it out soon, but for now I combined ingredients and shook in a Boston shaker, then poured into ice in the glasses, adding the nutmeg after.

Port Prep

Tasting Notes:

BN: I liked this — it didn’t taste medicine-y like a lot of port I’ve had (which, generally, I hate), and the sugar somehow made me like it better, even though port is usually too sweet for me. I couldn’t really taste the nutmeg, but maybe I didn’t put enough in.

PiC: I liked this. I don’t know much about port, but I could taste the nutmeg at the end of the sip. It’s good!

The Deep Blue Sea – Shark Week

On July 10, 2015July 10, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn Originals1 Comment

It’s Shark Week, the only time people care about the Discovery Channel! And so, to a drink.

I tried something a little bit different this time, taking a pre-existing drink more specifically and modifying it. And I think it worked out well! The original recipe is the “Fred Collins Fizz,” from the New Guide for the Hotel, Bar, Restaurant, Butler, & Chef (that’s a mouthful) by Bacchus & Cordon Bleu, 1885. Instructions are copied verbatim, except for the last two. Adjustments were made by the replacement of orange with blue curaçao, as well as the addition of grenadine. To bring the blood into the blue ocean water.

The Deep Blue Sea

2 ounces bourbon
1/2 ounce simple syrup
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 teaspoon blue curaçao
6 ounces fizzy lemonade
a dash of grenadine

Mix the bourbon, simple syrup, and lemon juice in an iced cocktail shaker and shake.
Strain into a large bar glass that is half filled with shaved (or finely crushed) ice.
Add the curaçao
Pour the lemonade into a collins glass, and pour the contents of the bar glass into it.
Dribble a little bit of grenadine into the top of the glass, and watch with satisfaction as it settles to the bottom
Enjoy, while deciding that you won’t go into the ocean for at least another year. Maybe July of 2016 you’ll give it another shot.

Tasting Notes:

BN: This was really good. Normally I say that because I’m proud of myself but this was awesome. It wasn’t super alcoholic, and the tartness of the fresh lemon worked incredibly well with the hint of grenadine. I tried it without the grenadine and it wasn’t quite the same. Well done, bartenders of 1885. Only disappointment was that it ended up green and red instead of blue and red, and kind of looked like it should taste like watermelon.

PiC: YUM. So tart and so tasty. *dives face into glass for more*

The Loving Cup – #LoveWins

On June 28, 2015 By The Boozy NewsieIn Originals1 Comment

The Supreme Court made a number of good decisions this week, but the one that seemed most apt for drinkifying was the Obergefell v. Hodges case, which is mostly known as the case that decided same-sex marriage was a right in the entire United States.

In honor of this decision, generally (and by me) regarded as a triumph of love over adversity, prejudice, and all that bad stuff, I decided to put things I love into a cocktail and see if it was any good. Slightly less thought through than SCOTUS’ decision, but hey, it ended up working.

The Loving Cup

1.5 oz not-too-intense scotch (Highland Park is great!)
.75 oz St. Germain
2-3 shakes rhubarb bitters (go easy on this)
juice of 1/4 lemon, or to taste
rainbow sour strips, for garnish

Combine ingredients in a Boston shaker, over ice.
Shake briefly and strain into a martini glass
Layer in the sour strip for garnish, gently.
Enjoy, while basking in the good sense (in this case) of this country.
Pro tip: eat the sour strips after they’ve had a good long soak in the cocktail.

Tasting Notes:

BN: I really liked this. Weirdly, I didn’t like the combination of the ingredients before adding the sour strip, and the sour strip itself was pretty cherry-medicinal which is never good. But together, they melded nicely (and you should probably wait a bit before drinking to allow them to do so). It had just the right amount of sweet and sour, and wasn’t too strong on any one flavor. Also, the alcohol-infused sour strip was delicious.

PiC: I really liked this! I mean, I love sour candy and I wanted this to be a good one given the awesomeness of the event that inspired it, but to be honest I thought it was gonna be super alcohol-tasting, which is not really my thing. But it actually was dangerously drinkable and went super well with the sour candy garnish, so yay! #LoveWins!