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Liquid Xanax

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Liquid Xanax

1/2 oz.       Jagermeister herbal liqueur
1/2 oz.       Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps
1/2 oz.       Crown Royal Canadian whisky
1/2 oz.       Bacardi 151 rum 

Mix all of the ingredients together in a double shot glass. Serve. Enjoy !

Once I reached the age of 30 or so, I abandoned taking all pills. I’m hardpressed to even take a Tylenol now when I have a headache. This is because up to the age of 30, I was a little bit like Elvis Presley. And I don’t just mean fat. There was that…..and then there was the pills. If you had one and said that it made you feel good, I was swallowing it. Not a very healthy way to live….as Elvis demonstrated.

But I gave that sort of lifestyle up. Now I’m just a “shot man” . And today’s shot is called Liquid Xanax. Now I’ve never taken a dose of Xanax in my life; at least to my knowledge. But if it is a pill that has only hit the market in the last 8-10 years, then I can safely say that I have never taken one.

Xanax is a trade-name for a short-acting drug that is primarily used to treat moderate to severe anxiety disorders and panic attacks. It is used as an adjunctive treatment for anxiety associated with moderate depression. I didn’t know this information from the top of my head….it comes courtesy of our research and development department.

So today we are sharing the recipe for Liquid Xanax. It’s probably healthier for a person that the damn pill. Let’s see….

The shooter Liquid Xanax is a combination of four pretty heavy hitters in the liquor department. We have the powerhouse Bacardi 151 rum, and we have Crown Royal Canadian whisky which has a habit of really creeping up on unsuspecting people.Toss in a couple of deceivingly powerful libations such as Jagermeister and Goldschlager and you have a real knockout punch. This concoction would cause most people to fall into a more sedate disposition. Unless they are a rowdy, mean dinker. But for most people, I think it would help to subdue any manic feelings they are having.

The true question is how this quadruple bad boy tastes.

The answer to that question was debated pretty well by the taste team panel. Nobody thought it was one of the best shots they have tasted in a while. About half of the panel thought it tasted anywhere from satisfactory to savory. The other half of the panel didn’t really like the taste much at all. The Goldschlager was the only ingredient that clawed its way past the others and was still pretty discernible. The other ingredients seemed to be blotted out by their compadres.

ShareMyShot gives this calming influence of a shot a 3 on a scale of 5. It packs a good whallop. Like we said, unless you are a mean drinker who gets riled up when buzzed, this Liquid Xanax definately settles a man down. But the taste was a little suspect. So overall, it earned a middle-of-the-road ranking.

We still recommend you do the shot rather pop the pills. After all, this is ShareMyShot.

Cheers !!

Posted in 3 Star Shots, Aftershock cinnamon schnapps, Bacardi 151, Canadian whisky, Chartreuse herbal liqueur, Crown Royal, DeKuyper Hot Damn cinnamon schnapps, DeKuyper cinnamon schnapps, Firewater cinnamon schnapps, Goldschlager, Hiram Walker cinnamon schnapps, Hiram Walker schnapps, Jagermeister, flavored liqueurs, herbal liqueurs, liqueurs, schnapps, whiskey | No Responses »

Just Shoot Me

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Just Shoot Me
 
1/3 oz.         Jim Beam bourbon whiskey
1/3 oz.         Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey
1/3 oz.         Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky
1/3 oz.         Jose Cuervo Especial gold tequila
1/3 oz.         Jagermeister herbal liqueur
1/3 oz.         Bacardi 151 proof rum 

Mix over ice and pour into a large shot glass. Enjoy !

Today ShareMyShot.com is very proud to share their 100th recipe with their readers. We’ve been around about 5 months now and when you start a new business as unique as this one, no one is sure exactly how long it will last. When I was first approached to come and work for ShareMyShot and they told me what the job entailed, I was a non-believer. I mean, really? Someone actually wanted me to come into work every day and suggest alcoholic shots to sample? And then give them a write-up/review based on what the entire panel of taste testers felt about the shooter?

It sounded like that episode of Cheers when Norm Peterson was given a job at the beer brewery as a taster.

I knew that the people behind the concept for ShareMyShot had a big office building in the ‘burbs where they actually oversee about 125-150 various websites. They have bloggers and researchers and IT experts and all that good stuff. So I knew it wasn’t some little upstart looking to throw out a little website. I knew they were serious about the concept. But to have a 6 person taste team comprised of three men and three women just to taste shots? Sounded like Xanadu.

Well, it turns out that the shot tasting (and my posts about them) are just a fraction of the job tasks we perform. The taste panel does contribute to several other of the websites on the company roster in various functions. But I’ll be damned if the initial invitation wasn’t true. Come in each day and sample a shot recipe and then share it with our readers.

God Bless America !!

So today…..for our 100th shot recipe…….we give to you the Just Shoot Me shot. We wanted to come up with something a little special. Something creative. Not just your two-ingredient basic shooter. Or something that involved whipped cream or milk or even 7-UP. We thought we owed it to our reader to offer up something today with some balls.

And Just Shoot Me has some balls, lemme tell ya.

The shot could almost be called the Five J’s if the Bacardi 151 wasn’t in the recipe. The first five ingredients all are labels that start with the letter J. But I think the monicker it does have is pretty appropriate. Do not deviate from the exact recipe. It calls for three of the kings in the bourbon/whisky market. It doesn’t get much better than Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, and Johnnie Walker. They’ve been good buddies of mine going back to high school.

Then we have the most recognized name in the tequila market. Many people have a more preferred brand of tequila (I think Patron is the best). But one has to admit that when you ask a ” lay person ” to name a brand of tequila, Jose Cuervo is often the first answer given.

And what would a shot called Just Shoot Me be without a little Bacardi 151 proof rum and some Jagermeister in there?

This is the type of shot that we used to call rocket fuel when we were teenagers. We’d pour a little bit of five or six liquors into a container so the parents wouldn’t notice the lower levels in their stash. All of it mixed together. It was tough as hell to drink, but it accomplished its goal for some 16 and 17 year olds looking to party. This shot reminded a few panel members of those days.

This was a tough shot to assign a ranking. The overall taste was rather spotty. When you mix six different types of liquor together, it’s tough to end up with an awesome tasting shot. The three types of bourbon/whiskey weren’t so bad blended together. But the other three components are so unique in their flavors that it created a hodgepodge that ended up pretty rough.

However, we assign a ranking to a shot also based on creativity, the quality of the ingredients involved, and the kick the shot has. And in these three categories, the shot really shined. So there was a lot of debate on whether to give this bad boy a 3 or a 4 on our scale. So we decided to let our guest panelist for the week Keith make the call.

ShareMyShot gives Just Shoot Me, our 100th shot, a 4 on a scale of 5.

And if you disagree, please send all hate mail to office lackey Keith.

Cheers !!

Posted in 4 Star Shots, Bacardi 151, Jack Daniels, Jagermeister, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker Black, Johnnie Walker Red, Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky, Jose Cuervo gold, bourbon, flavored liqueurs, herbal liqueurs, liqueurs, rum, tequila, whiskey | No Responses »

Homeless in Beijing

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Homeless in Beijing

2 oz.                Dynasty (Chinese) medium dry white wine
1/2 oz.             1800 Tequila
1/2 oz.             Romana Sambuca
1 splash           lime juice 

Layer the (chilled) Chinese wine in the bottom of a large shot glass. Add a mixture of tequila, sambuca and lime juice on the top from a cocktail shaker (either chilled or unchilled). Enjoy !!

We thought it was time we tried something really daring today. Not necessarily daring in the sense of Everclear. And not daring in the sense of another 4-5 ingredient shooter of traditional libations. Yesterday we tried a recipe that didn’t have any of the hard hitters in it like vodka or rum. That wasn’t really the goal today either. We didn’t mind if today’s shot really packed a punch.

But we did want to sample something that didn’t have Bailey’s Irish Cream or Kahlua in it. We wanted to try and avoid rum as many recipes call for Bacardi 151 or another variety. We were seeking a recipe that didn’t call for banana, raspberry, or hazelnut liqueurs. We just sought a real change of pace….such as when we tried Ouzo a few weeks back. We try to keep things evolving here at ShareMyShot and after some scouring of some of our in-house literature and a few phone calls to some of our bartender friends, we believed we found something really unique to share.

Today we offer you Homeless in Beijing.

This is the first recipe we have shared that employs Chinese wine. China has been known for its grape wine for not just centuries…it has actually been traced back thousands of years. Typically rather strong, Chinese wine is itself evolving as there has been a recent French influence that has many more varieties penetrating the marketplace. The shot Homeless in Beijing calls for a pretty popular label known as Dynasty. They offer white and red wines along with a few other varieties. For today’s shot, you need their medium dry white wine.

Office lackey Keith had to go to three liquor stores here in the city before he could locate it.

And after trying three rounds of Homeless in Beijing, we could see why not too many liquor stores carry this crap. The shot tasted like I took a big glob of hair gel and shoved it in my mouth. It sucked big-time. I mean, expectations were a little reserved when we saw the recipe and the odd assortment of ingredients. But at the same time, we were seeking a new experience; something radically different. So we did go in with an open mind.

We should have stuck to a recipe that had some rum or something in there. This combination of Chinese wine, tequila, and sambuca was like chewing on a dirty dish towel. The kind of shot where even our toughest panel members were reaching for the salt crackers we set out to cleanse our palates. And reaching for them quickly I might add. Before they dry-heaved.

We even tried the wine by itself and while much better than the shot, it didn’t score high with the more educated wine drinkers in our group. And Dynasty is one of the more popular and rising labels in the Chinese wine market.

ShareMyShot gives this worldly wickedness a ZERO on a scale of 5. This tasted like we took a black marker and licked the tip for a couple of minutes. Like licking the blackboard in a schoolroom. We couldn’t figure out how the name applied until we had tried a few rounds of this nasty nectar. But now we know.

You would be better of being dressed in rags, starving, and Homeless in Beijing than drinking a bunch of these sorry shooters.

Cheers !!

Posted in 0 Star Shots, Black Sambuca, Chinese wine, Dynasty Chinese white wine, Romana Sambuca, Sambuca, Tequila 1800, flavored liqueurs, fruit juices, hangover remedies, herbal liqueurs, lime juice, liqueurs, tequila, white wine, wine | No Responses »

G Spot

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

G Spot

1 oz.             Jagermeister herbal liqueur
1 oz.             Bacardi O (orange) rum
1/4 oz.          99 Oranges schnapps
2 oz.             cranberry juice 

Add all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and pour into large shot glass. Enjoy !

The name behind today’s shot is one of those entities that sometimes causes great debate. The debate is whether it really exists or not. Is it a very sensitive, true part of the female anatomy? Or is it just as mythical as unicorns and the pot of gold at the end of every rainbow? Personally, I’d have to say that it is a mythological concept. Or at least that’s what the handful of women I’ve known in my life would likely tell you. Much like the Fountain of Youth, I’ve never seen it or knocked on its door.

But then again, perhaps that’s just a personal problem. I mean, give me a break ! I work for an organization called ShareMyShot, I do drink like Dudley Moore in Arthur, and I can’t exactly claim to be 100% on top of my game all the time. OK ??

But the female members of the taste team claim it is a non-fictional, true place. A wonderful place. A fabulous place. Although they said I shouldn’t feel bad because very few men have ever entered thru the elusive gates. That was a unanimous claim by the women.

Regardless, the shot called G Spot does exist and we were intent on exploring this one. Dammit, there is nothing we won’t do in the name of research for our loyal readers.

A few weeks ago, while doing some similar research on Spank the Monkey {see 1/13/10 post}, we tried the very fruity schnapps called 99 Bananas. It made a really strong contribution to the shooter as that shot earned our highest mark; 5 on a scale of 5. The G Spot calls for another flavor in the 99 family distributed by the Barton/Sazerac people. This time it is 99 Oranges and is accompanied by Bacardi O orange rum.

We figured that the orange rum, the very orangy schnapps, and the cranberry juice would make a fresh, fruity flavor with some zest to it. What we were curious to see is how the Jagermeister component influenced the shot.

The shot is served chilled, which is somewhat obvious as a cold glass of orange juice is much more tasty than a warm glass that’s been sitting out for a while. It went down very smooth and the thick, sometimes syrupy nature of Jagermeister was thinned out by the other ingredients. And those other ingredients lent such a distinct orange flavor to the mix that the Jager was quite tolerable and contributed to the overall taste rather than dominated it. The cranberry juice toned down the black licorice tang to acceptable levels.

ShareMyShot gives this evasive, sexy shooter a 4 on a scale of 5. It may have just been my imagination running wild, but after our 4th round in the taste room, I thought I noticed the girls squirming around a bit more than usual. And in a really good mood too. This just may have been the closest I have ever come in contact to a true, verifiable G Spot.

But I am willing to do as much field research as necessary to actually confirm a “hit”.

Cheers !!

Posted in 4 Star Shots, 99 Oranges schnapps, Bacardi O, Bacardi orange rum, Jagermeister, comfort shots, cranberry juice, flavored liqueurs, flavored schnapps, fruit juices, hangover remedies, herbal liqueurs, liqueurs, rum, schnapps, tropical fruit shots | No Responses »

Vulcan Mind Meld

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Vulcan Mind Meld

1  1/2  oz.       Ouzo (anise) liqueur
1  1/2  oz.       Bacardi 151 rum 

Pour the two ingredients into a double-shot glass and drink quickly. If you’re smart.

When a shot has a name like Vulcan Mind Meld, you figure it is going to be a real haymaker without even knowing what’s in it. After hearing the ingredients in this shooter, we asked research and development to educate us just a little bit on ouzo anise liqueur. I’ve heard of Ouzo before and know it’s origins to be Greek. But beyond that, the entire taste team was pretty unfamiliar with this centuries old potation. Only one team member could ever remember trying it.

The R & D department came back with this helpful summary. Ouzo is an anise-flavored drink popular in Greece and it’s taste is often compared to Sambuca (a slight licorice taste). Ouzo is often referred to as a particularly strong drink, although its alcohol content is not especially high compared to other liquor. The reason mainly has to do with its sugar content. Sugar delays ethanol absorption in the stomach, and can often mislead a drinker into thinking he can drink more since he doesn’t feel too tipsy early on. Then the cumulative effect of ethanol comes on and the drinker can get shit-faced rather quickly. In Greece, it is considered poor form to drink Ouzo on an empty stomach. It is usually consumed with heavy meals because food prolongs the absorption of ethanol and a person can hold out longer before getting wasted.

Leave it to those Greeks, God bless ‘em.

And thanks, research and development !

We had to send Timmy the office lackey down to the liquor store to get a bottle of Ouzo. There are three of four brands that are commonly sold in the States. Feel free to go with any one of Boutari Ouzo, Metaxa Ouzo, Sans Rival Ouzo, or Ouzo Plomari. You can likely purchase any of these labels for around $15-24 for a 750 ML bottle.

As far as the rum component, just make it easy and go with Bacardi 151.

The other day, we were in search of a shot with some balls to it. And we found it in the Slippery When Wet shot which had Everclear in it. And now we found it again with the Vulcan Mind Meld. We tried four rounds of this shot. However, we somewhat showed the bad form that the Greeks frown upon. I usually only eat breakfast when there are bagels or muffins here at the office. Luckily, today we did have some awesome bagels someone generously brought in. But a bagel and cream cheese proved to be a little light as far as warding off the effects of the Vulcan Mind Meld.

The taste was very unique. There was a trace of the rum flavor intertwined with a very slight and subtle wisp of licorice. Nothing like the licorice taste of Jagermeister or straight Sambuca. But the shot is rather small at 3 oz. as compared to some shooters that we sample. I tossed it down and got more of an aftertaste rather than a full-embodied taste.

ShareMyShot gives this Greek delicacy a 3 on a scale of 5. The taste wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t overtly pronounced. And other than the novelty of trying Ouzo for the first time for most of us, there wasn’t a whole lot of creativity to the shot. It did have some kick. Definately had some kick. Friggin’ bagels.

Now we have a mind to try another unique alcoholic beverage on our world tour……….saki !!

Cheers !!

Posted in 3 Star Shots, Bacardi 151, Boutari Ouzo, Metaxa Ouzo, Ouzo Plomari, Ouzo liqueur, Sans Rival Ouzo, flavored liqueurs, herbal liqueurs, liqueurs, rum | No Responses »

Yelp-sponsored holiday party a blowout !

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Yelp-sponsored holiday party a blowout !

On Thursday, December 10,  2009 the ratings/reviews/networking site Yelp.com sponsored a holiday party at the 233 Gallery in downtown Chicago.

It was a loud and lively gathering that some of the staff at ShareMyShot.com were honored to be invited to. Along with the DJ and the buzz of excitement he created, there were several sponsors offering generous samples of their wares. Many of these were for fine liqueurs and elite brands of beer. The perfect atmosphere for some field research for the diligent folks here at the office. And field reserch we did………

The shot of the night for us was the smooth herbal liqueur out of Holland called Harlem. It’s actually named after the small Dutch town of Haarlem, just outside of Amsterdam. It is made by the same family who produces Ketel One vodka. The flavors at the root of this liqueur are the herbal accent of spice and black licorice. Served ice cold, Harlem is 80 proof and will run you about $18-22 in a decent liquor store.

While they share a black licorice familiarity, don’t make the mistake of putting Harlem side-by-side with Jagermeister. For those of us that can’t take too much of the thick syrup that is Jagermeister, Harlem Kruiden Liqueur is a much thinner, more palatable shot. You get a very subtle fruity aftertaste with Harlem as compared to the rougher medicine-y aftertaste of Jager.

I sampled three shots of Harlem and plan to insert a bottle into my working rotation behind the bar.

There were some other brands out for sampling such as Crispin, a premium hard apple cider. It’s naturally fermented with no added malt or spirit alcohol. Served on ice, we were somewhat split on this one. We all enjoyed the refreshing rush and taste of the cider, but two of the people in our little group said this was the kind of drink that flares up their heartburn. All of us did appreciate the flavor though, and if not for those few dissenters with the personal physical side effect, Crispin would get an all-around thumbs up.

Finally, we tried a seasonal Belgian ale called Sophie made by the Goose Island outfit. It is a tart, dry sparkling ale. And prety damn good too. The same sponsor also was offering Matilda, a pale ale made year-round. Both beers were delicious and we don’t just say that because the Goose Island Brewery is a hometown player. Both had their own personality and were smooth and refreshing in a party that was so crowded with revelers you needed a cool one to avoid overheating.

Or maybe that was the Harlem Kruiden Liqueur kicking in.

After washing everything else down with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, we headed back out into the bitter Chicago cold. But it was a nice night of meeting some very cool and knowledgable people, sampling some fine libations, and getting in a little culture.

Thank you to the people at Yelp and Nolet Spirits for inviting us and happy holidays to all of the fine people we met.

Cheers !!

Posted in Crispin, Goose Island Brewery, Harlem, Harlem Kruiden Liqueur, Jagermeister, Ketel One vodka, Nolet Spirits, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, flavored liqueurs, herbal liqueurs, liqueurs | No Responses »

Kick Me in the Jimmy

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Kick Me in the Jimmy

1/2 oz.     Jagermeister herbal liqueur
1/2 oz.     Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey
1/2 oz.     Jose Cuervo Especial gold tequila
1/2 oz.     Firewater cinnamon schnapps

Combine in cocktail mixer with ice. Shake and strain into a double shot glass.  Try to enjoy !

Here’s a shot that screams Merry Christmas, doesn’t it? It’s not exactly what I asked Santa for Christmas last year, but………

We’ve tried some shots recently that were more dessert shots and thought it was time to try another ass-kicker. At least on paper. This one has been on our “to do” list for over a month. It’s amazing how few people wanna experience a no-holds barred Kick Me in the Jimmy. I don’t know if it’s bad memories from a childhood fight or everyone racked themselves on their car door coming to work. But you don’t have to ask me twice for Kick Me in the Jimmy.

I’m down. Totally down if you wanna Kick Me in the Jimmy.

If you look at the ingredients, this shooter is meant to make men out of boys. It’s an all-star lineup of heavy hitters. You have my personal favorite brand of whiskey in the Jack Daniels. Toss in the most recognized brand of tequila in the world with the Jose Cuervo. And for shits and giggles, why don’t we pour in a splash of good old fashioned Jagermeister too?

Finally, we have a new label of cinnamon schnapps to play with today. Yes, we’ve monkeyed around with Aftershock and Goldschlager and some of the other big boys in this niche. But we do believe this is the first recipe we’ve shared utilizing Firewater cinnamon schnapps. This is an elite brand and is 100 proof. You can probably secure a bottle anywhere from $17-22 at a decent liquor store that carries it.

Don’t change up any of the ingredients if you can help it. Other than the Firewater schnapps, you should have a bottle of the other three ingredients on-hand. If you don’t, you need to build up a more diverse stock of booze, chief. But stick to Jack Daniels because it has a bite that we feel is required to give you the full Kick Me in the Jimmy experience. And don’t deviate to Aftershock or a weaker label of cinnamon schnapps. Like we said, Firewater is 100 proof and it has the taste/kick to back it up. When you accept a Kick Me in the Jimmy, you want to feel it, right?

Drinking this reminded me of throwing down a shot of my buddy’s homemade Yugoslavian moonshine—except it tasted better than gasoline. Which is what my friend’s moonshine tastes like.

It’s like sticking a lit match on your tongue. It tasted like I took a gulp of that liquid fire that pranksters put in a guy’s jockstrap. Imagine you drank a liquid habanero pepper.

The taste is hard to describe other than what I have tried to express here. You swallow it fast and there isn’t exactly a plethora of tasty sensations. Just a burning one on your freakin’ tongue. We at ShareMyShot.com give this flamethrower a 2 on a scale of 5.

A couple of people on the taste team said they’d rather take a real Kick Me in the Jimmy than do a second round of the shot. I actually participated in a second round.

I should’ve just taken a foot to the nuts and called it a day.

Cheers !!!

Posted in 2 Star Shots, Firewater cinnamon schnapps, Jack Daniels, Jagermeister, Jose Cuervo gold, cinnamon schnapps, herbal liqueurs, schnapps, tequila, whiskey | No Responses »

Bob Marley

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Bob Marley

 
1/2 oz.     Midori melon liqueur
1/2 oz.     Jagermeister herbal liqueur
1/2 oz.     Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps 

Layer in a large shot glass in the order listed. Enjoy.

After being pleasantly surprised by the Ray Charles shot that the new kid in the office suggested, we thought we would continue the “cool musician” theme with today’s shot.

It’s a somewhat simple shot in that it is comprised of three liqueurs that we have dealt with here before. We often hear of recipes that involve the combination of Jagermeister and Goldschlager. In fact, we have shared recipes for the Classic Oatmeal Cookie and the Closed Coffin that have utilized those two brands. But this shot threw in an interesting third party. We hadn’t heard of that initial combination being joined by a melon flavored liqueur. So we thought we’d give it a try.

ShareMyShot.com is proud to present……..the greatest reggae voice ever……..Bob Marley !!!!

Jah man !!

When I was a younger man and prone to have an occasional smoke in the same vein as Bob Marley, I had a little thing I did with my shots. I used the toke as my chaser. I would take a pull on a one hitter and hold it in. Then I would throw down whatever shot I was doing. And then I would release the one-hit. Often times, it would soothe my throat a little bit as I exhaled if the shot was an especially harsh one. Like Old Grand-Dad whiskey or something “burny” like that.

I don’t partake in that indulgence anymore. And here in the ShareMyShot office, we want to experience the true, raw taste of the shots we sample so that we can best rate them and discuss them. So despite the name of today’s shot, I didn’t share my little trick with my colleagues. Only here in this forum.

The shot tasted…….different. That’s about the only word that seems appropriate. It wasn’t wonderful. It wasn’t a party for the tastebuds. And it wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t anything that made you do a bitter, sour-puss face. None of us on the tasting team stopped at one. We all did at least two to try and get a good feel for the flavor and the smoothness of it.

With the Goldschlager on top, you get the chill of that libation along with its cinnamon-y blast. But very quickly you also get a tempered sense of the licorice of the Jagermeister. The Midori melon liqueur announces its arrival more in the aftertaste. Because it’s added first, it’s at the bottom of the shot. So it is the last flavor remaining and you taste it the most as you are putting your shot glass down and doing the post-shot swallow.

If anything, you taste the Midori combined with the Goldschlager the most. The Jagermeister is the most subtle of the flavors.

We gave this mellow blunt of a shot a 3 on a scale of 5. It was nowhere near as inviting as the Ray Charles shot yesterday. But it was lip-smacking enough to garner a 3 among our scrutinizing staff. We would say that if you have Midori melon liqueur on-hand, definately give this shot a try. If you don’t have it in-house, don’t rush out special to get it.

Cheers !!!

Posted in 3 Star Shots, Goldschlager, Jagermeister, Midori melon liqueur, cinnamon schnapps, flavored liqueurs, herbal liqueurs, liqueurs, melon liqueurs, schnapps | No Responses »

Ray Charles

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

Ray Charles

1/2 oz.       Skyy vodka
1/2 oz.      Jameson Irish whiskey
1/2 oz.      Bundaberg dark rum
1/2 oz.      Chartreuse herbal liqueur
1 dash       tabasco sauce 

Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail mixer—–no ice. Strain into a large shot glass.  Add the dash of tabasco sauce last.

Here’s a nice, new recipe someone brought into the office the other day. Actually, it’s a new hire working in the mail room. This is the first recipe he has brought in to share with the staff….so he doesn’t have much of a track record yet. He disseminates the mail pretty good, I guess. But the “taste team” didn’t really know what to expect as far as his shot knowledge.

When you first hear the name of the shot, you’re not exactly sure what’s going to be in it. But you have a sneaking suspicion that it’s a “hair-on-your-chest” ass-kicker that’ll just about make you go blind. You know….like Ray Charles.

Then when he gave us the ingredients, the team was pleasantly surprised. We still didn’t know how it would taste, but at least this newbie didn’t suggest something with milk or butter or some shit. Then of course we had to send the office lackey out to the liquor store again because we didn’t have a couple of the ingredients in-house. Profits from the last few quarters have been down and we can’t always have all of the bottles in stock that we’d like. We didn’t have the Bundaberg dark rum nor the Chartreuse herbal liqueur.

We did have the Jameson in the corporate cabinet. Profits weren’t down that much.

Although now owned by a British company, Bundaberg is a dark rum produced in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as “Bundy”. The brand has actually come under some scrutiny in recent years. There have been claims that drinkers of Bundaberg tend to demonstrate more aggressive behavior than other drinkers at the pubs and sports stadiums. Imagine that……it kind of suggests that this element will be packing a bit of a punch in the Ray Charles shot.

Chartreuse is an herbal liqueur produced by Carthusian monks in the French Alps with almost 400 years of history. It used to be made at the monastery in the mountains, but is now produced in a nearby factory with the process still completely overseen by the monks. The French liqueur is composed of distilled alcohol flavored with 130 herbal extracts. Chartreuse has a very strong characteristic flavor. It is very sweet, but turns both spicy and pungent. Often, only a small amount is used in cocktails or mixed drinks; only three or four drops at times.

After learning about these ingredients and enduring the wait for the bottles to arrive, we were all rather excited about trying this greenhorn’s shot suggestion.

We can unanimously tell you this: this shot does pack a punch. Especially if you have 4 or 5 of them. Every ingredient contributes to the unique taste. The tabasco sauce at the end gives it one last jolt of flavor. We liked it very much. Every member of the team had at least four shots trying to identify which ”tang” was due to which liquor. After 90 minutes, the Ray Charles affect started kicking in. A little stumbling. Huge, toothy grins.

ShareMyShot gives this soulful shooter a 5 on a scale of 5. And we have a feeling this kid won’t be stuck in the mail room very long.

Cheers !!

Posted in 5 Star Shots, Absolut, Bundaberg dark rum, Chartreuse herbal liqueur, Grey Goose Vodka, Jameson Irish whiskey, Skyy vodka, Smirnoff's vodka, Stolichnaya vodka, Tabasco sauce, flavored liqueurs, herbal liqueurs, liqueurs, rum, vodka, whiskey | No Responses »