When the fill level reaches the monk's feet, it's time for a new bottle.

With a great meal at Meat and Potatoes in Pittsburgh in July, my wife had an incredible Sloe Gin Fizz. For the last couple of months I have been trying to recreate it but the quality of sloe gin available in my area is poor. Low end brands like McCormick's and Mohawk do not come close to the quality of the imported sloe gin used in that cocktail. Fee Brother Sloe Gin Syrup combined with gin made an interesting drink but it was not close to the high standards of the original beverage.



Plymouth Sloe Gin is not available in Ohio so we had to wait until a trip to Buffalo, where I finally tracked it down. It's about three times what you pay for the cheap stuff, but in this case the price is equal to the quality. It makes a great drink and I'm looking forward to trying it in other cocktails or with some inexpensive sparkling wine. Plymouth also makes an outstanding gin, it's a fine distillery that's been operating since 1793.



Now to find a decent cocktail shaker as I'm not keen on the one we currently have. I'll know it when I see it.

What I'm Drinking, Episode 21

What I'm Drinking, Episode 20

What I'm Drinking, episode 9

Here's the prologue.

What I'm Drinking 8

What I'm Drinking, Episode 5

What I'm Drinking - episode 4

What I'm Drinking - Three

Sporadic Beverage Review

On our trip to Jungle Jim's over the weekend, we found a bottle of soda we'd never seem before.



Almdudler,it is said, is the national soft drink of Austria. It comes in a striking bottle with an attractive etching.

The drink itself s very light, with moderate herbal flavors and some ginger. It is easily described as a ginger ale, but there is a very light ginger element than what most Americans are used to. It's certainly pleasant, refreshing and light in flavor. I imagine it's a decent mixer as well. Over here, it's over three bucks a bottle, and that's for a pint.

Far from the worst imported soft drink I've had, but pricey.

A couple more seconds of the fifteen minutes, gone

I'm quoted in today's Columbus Dispatch in an article about sweeteners.

Popping open a can in the spring

You know if you eat chocolate pudding and chase it down with some Throwback Mountain Dew, you get a flavor like a Jaffa Cake in your mouth.

This is good.

Now, you may be asking, what is Throwback Mountain Dew?



It's a limited edition product that is available through early June. It's made with natural (cane and beet) sugar and has fewer ingredients than the yucky high fructose corn syrup product that's been out there for years.

It's made the way God intended it. The aftertaste is a wonderful, lingering flavor of citrus and it's tastes less fizzy and chemical.

In short, it's great. Tastes the way it did when I was a kid. It's available in 12oz cans and 20oz plastic bottles, although I have not seen those yet.

For you cola drinkers there is also a Throwback Pepsi available. I've never been a Pepsi drinker, I'm a Coke guy. This stuff though, if it was offered year round, would convert me. It's that good. Even if it does not encourage other companies (Hey Coca-Cola!) to put out a retro sugar based drink, it's a cool gimmick

HFCS has really ruined the taste of soda in this country. Try Mexican Coke. Try some Jarritos. Go to Canada and drink their soda. It's better, and possibly better for you.

Afternoon Snack

Called off work today so I kept sleeping this morning. Feeling better, still a bit out of balance.

When I went to Wise Choice in Huber Heights a couple of weeks back I picked up something I may have heard my girlfriend talk about in passing, or maybe some other Brit. Jaffa Cakes.



I saw the box and was intrigued by the prospects of putting "orangey center yippee!" cakes with "the squidgy orange bit" into my body. But life is all about risks, especially when it comes to British food. Do Jaffa Cakes come deep fried?



They're pretty darn tasty, and all the orangey goodness on a cake is there as advertised on the box. You can't have one of them at a time either, and I only have two left!

Washed down with a fresh can of Lilt, and your late day sugar rush is complete.



I first tried Lilt over the summer after finding a can at Jungle Jim's. Was not sure of the freshness of the can as it was the last one there. It was also dented and tasted a bit off.

Not so this one. All the tangyness of the grapefruit is balanced with the pineapple and citrus to make a perfectly refreshing beverage. This can was made in Ulster (with real sugar) and I'm not sure if it's made anywhere else besides Northern Ireland.

Still have a couple of untouched bottles of Irn-Bru and she's bringing more when she gets here, maybe with extra Jaffa Cakes too.

I'm lucky to have found some Passover Coke this year as well. Look for the two liter bottles with the yellow cap (they're Kosher) and send me one!

Drink me

A few months back, my gal and I went to Trader Joe's north of Cincinnati, a foodie's paradise, to check it out. It's a massive place, filled with food and drink from all over the world. I was especially interested in the beverages. Like Letterman, I enjoy a good beverage. We stocked up on IRN-BRU, which is more popular that Coke in Scotland. We also bought Thum Up, which is a form of Coke in India. It tasted like mud.



There was also Vimto, which she thought was a watered down orange/pineapple thing. However, after the Thum Up, it tasted like nectar of the Gods.



On Monday, we went up to Whole Foods to look around. They have beverages there too and I found a Kolsch, a beer from Cologne that I do not think I had ever tried. A very pleasant, snappy tasting lager.




It's Wednesday, right? All the time off, planned and unplanned has messed with my schedule. Could not even stay up late enough to watch the Blue Jackets lose last night. Hemsky beat them. That guy's good.