Sourz Apple Review and Cocktail

I have decided to try a new approach to trying alcoholic beverages. I will start buying more spirits and liquors that come in small bottles. That way I can spend less, try more and not have to suffer through alcoholic beverages I don't quite enjoy like the time I had to force myself and drink that 750 mL bottle of Centennial.

Today I am writing my first review for the year 2010 so I decided to apply my new approach. I went to an LCBO in my area which had a great selection of small 50 mL drinks and got myself 3 apple Sourz. This looks a lot like Sour Puss and even has the same alcohol by volume content - 15%. Each of the 50 mL bottles set me back $1.90 CAD. The large, 750 mL, bottles of Sourz cost $19.10 and $19.55 depending on the type of flavour you are after. So, so far I know that Sourz looks a lot like Sour Puss and costs almost as much. Now all I have to do is try the liquor and mix it with some juices and soft drinks I have lying around.

As you can see, this Sourz has a light, lime-green color. The smell is comparable to an apple Jolly Rancher, but with strong hints of alcohol. For those who haven't experienced the joys of the apple Jolly Ranchers, the scent is of Granny Smith apples, but a bit more sour. The drink has an oily mouth-feel and has a sweet and sour apple taste similar to the smell. The alcohol is, of course, much more noticeable in the taste, but overall this liquor is smooth. These 50 mL bottles are great for trying various alcoholic drinks. One is enough to grade the smell and taste and another one should be enough for 1 or 2 small cocktails.

OK...the mixing. Right now I have a can of Coke sitting on my desk so this is what I will start with.

I mixed 25 mL of Sourz apple with 25 mL of Coke and the final result tasted pretty good. The sour taste of Sourz nicely compliments the sweet, caramel, acidic taste of Coke quite well.

Next, I used some carbonated water we had left over from the wine spritzers we were making around the holidays. So 25 mL of carbonated water and 25 mL of Sourz also resulted in an OK beverage which lowered the sweetness and sour level quite a bit, making the beverage tolerable for sipping all night long. I added a splash of blueberry and pomegranate juice which made the cocktail even better. I wish I had some more Sourz so I can try this:

• 1.5 oz Sourz Apple
• 1.5 oz Blueberry and Pomegranate juice (or just one or the other)
• top it up with carbonated water

I believe this has some potential but I guess I won't know for sure until the next time I get Sourz.

Scores:
Cost - $19.10 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.90 for 50 mL
Taste - 7.7/10 for Sourz, 7.9/10 for the coke drink and 8.2/10 for the one with carbonated water

Overall - 7.7 to 8.2...this is a great Sour Puss alternative, except that Sour Puss is much more popular and can be found in almost all LCBO stores