Put that in your pot still and smoke it!

Victoria Hempen Vodka

Victoria Hempen Vodka

Let me tell you a little tale of Twitter. WAIT, WAIT, don’t click away; there’s booze in the story!

There, now that I have your attention we can proceed.

So, one day I was on Twitter, nattering about gin as I do not-infrequently, and someone from Victoria asked what I thought of “the home team,” Victoria Gin. And, as is my wont, I went off on a rant, as I am all Team Hendricks, as we know, and while Victoria is a very floral gin, which I like, it is also light-bodied and volatile enough to be practically gaseous, which I do not like. And I said that, or words to that effect. I believe what I said was, “if you take the top off the bottle, the paint starts peeling from the walls,” or suchlike, for lo, I am way diplomatic and shizz.

The next thing I know, the rep for Victoria Gin is hitting me up on Twitter, saying “Sorry you didn’t like it, but we’ve changed the way we distill it and I’d like to give you a bottle to try the next time you’re in town.”

Truly, there is no better way to get my attention than to say “please may I give you a free bottle of gin,” and so a beautiful friendship was born. Sadly, while the gin has noticeably improved, it’s still a very light-bodied liquid and not as smooth as I’d like to see, particularly at a premium price point. I’ve also tried the Oaken Gin, and while it’s an interesting addition to blended drinks, it’s more a novelty product than anyone’s main choice of tipple.

HOWEVER

They have a new product, Hempen Vodka to wit, and let me just say that while I am so NOT all about the hemp products being perhaps the last person who ever worked for Greenpeace never to have touched pot (not even when I had cancer; the stuff just makes my toes curl with revulsion at that nauseating smell), and while I am so NOT all about the vodka, believing (along with all right-thinking people) that vodka is for people who want to get drunk but who don’t like, you know, drinking, I LOVE THIS HEMPEN VODKA.

The bumph from Victoria says:

On the nose there is a subtle organic sweetness. On tasting, a rich silky texture is elicited by the smooth oils of the hemp hearts. Notes of hazelnut and a hint of spice are also present. The finish is long, clean and refreshing.

Which is good as far as it goes, but I’d put it somewhat more pithily, and in fact am about to do so. I’d say:

Imagine you just had sex with the sexiest hippie you’ve ever seen. (If you can’t think of a sexy hippie, go watch Viggo in Walk on the Moon, or just some old Doors clips.) Okay, you’ve just had sex with that. Now, imagine putting your nose in the hollow of his throat and sniffing deeply. THAT is what Victoria Hempen Vodka tastes like.

Yes, please.

Yes, please.

Happy Birthday, Brando!

marlon brando is all about the Strawberry Shortcake

marlon brando is all about the Strawberry Shortcake

Happy birthday to famous foodie Marlon Brando! After all his painstaking prep work, it’s a damn shame his part in “Whip Me! Lick Me! Eat Me! The Untold Strawberry Shortcake Story” ended up on the cutting-room floor.

Happy Sundae!

Happy Sundae from Google

Happy Sundae from Google

Please join us in the Manolosphere as well as those who toil anonymously at Teh Googlez in wishing the Ice Cream Sundae a very happy 119th birthday. Darling, you don’t look a day over 110!

As befits a treat as impressive as the sundae, like the Queen it has both an actual birthday (shrouded in mystery) and an official birthday. Wired reports on the controversy:

There’s some dispute over when and where the term was invented (though there is general agreement that at first it was “sunday” instead), but Ithaca, N.Y. has the only claim with any sort of documented evidence, in the form of the first known printed mention of the term, in an 1893 newspaper ad.

Even though all that proves is that the term was invented at some point not too long before the ad was printed, Google has chosen to respect local lore that holds that the term was invented on April 3, 1892 by Chester Platt and John Scott at a pharmacy/soda fountain owned by Platt, in Ithaca.

Sure, why not? After all, if they were going to pick a completely artificial date, wouldn’t they have picked one in steamy August instead? Denny’s is celebrating with the introduction of the artery-clogging masterpiece, the maple bacon sundae. Here’s to the End Times!

Wine Not?

This pose takes years of practice. For your liver.

This pose takes years of practice. For your liver.

Say what you will about the French in wartime, they have the BEST helicopters. In related news, CnH2n+1OH Yoga is how I’m working off all the cheese and alcohol I’ve been consuming since getting my liver refreshed.

In tangentially-related news, The Brooklyn Kitchen and The Meat Hook have the most awesome roundup of cooking workshops on the interwebs. Don’t delay: sign up today!

April Classes!

Midwestern Molded Salads

April 7   $65

Knife 202: Knife Throwing

April 8   $100

Methamphetamines: Home Production

April 11   $250 and 25%

Molotov Cocktails

April 12   $75

Party like it’s 2004: Naked Lady Sushi!

April 12   $80

Pigeon a La Plancha

April 13   $75

DIY MRE’s: Using Modernist Techniques for End of Days

April 14   $75

Glass Blowing: Making your own Canning Jars

April 18   $40

Neanderthal Diet with the Meat Hook: All Raw, Half Rotten

April 19   $75

Brooklyn Business Plan: It’s ALL in the Name

April 20   $150

How to Serve Man

April 21   $40

Home Alloys: from Bronze to Steel

April 21   $50

Manifold: Make the Most of your Commute
April 25   $150

Rat Trapping, Slaughter and Butchering

April 26   $80 (rat included)

Only in New York, kids. Only in New York! (via NegevRockCity)

Branagh Muffins?

This sounds utterly filthy! Can’t wait.

I wonder if he'll use bleached flour?

I wonder if he'll use bleached flour?

Sophia Loren Eyeglasses: the first draft

Sophia still looked fabulous, but none of the other models could pull this look off

Sophia still looked fabulous, but none of the other models could pull this look off

Yeah, if you’ve got a face like that, you can pull off pretty much any look including the Axis of Eyeglasses.

Sunday Food Porn: Coffee!

I started adding milk to my coffee just so I could watch it

Long ago I started adding milk to my coffee just so I could watch it

Pretty! Don’t face your Sunday without adequate caffeination!

Rachel Ray, Cannibal!

Rachel Ray Finds Happiness in Cooking Her Dog

Manolo says, EVOO is people! And dogs!

P.S. Shopped!.

Food for Thought