Black Fly Beverages Review

Long Island Iced Tea

This one is lightly carbonated and surprisingly heavy on the tequila...and I love tequila. Shockingly, it is not very sweet. I kept drinking and expecting the sweetness to hit me, but it never happened. Yeah, I guess the claims are correct.

Anyways, back to the taste - the tequila is the heavier of the alcohols while the vodka takes a backseat. Normally long island iced teas also have gin, rum and triple sec, but in most you cannot tell the gin and rum are present...OK, maybe a bit of the rum. The triple sec really gives the beverage a touch of sweetness and an orange note, which this cocktail does have so I guess this one has been pulled off successfully.

Soon after the tequila comes a sour, and slightly sweet, lemon flavour which lingers well into the finish cleansing a good chunk of your palate after each sip and hiding traces of the booze very well. The coke (which is another standard ingredient) comes in the form of a caramel note towards the end.

I also got a bit of salt which comes immediately after the tequila. That came as a bit of a surprise, but it goes very well with the tequila.

Overall, a very decent pre-mixed long island iced tea, which yes, is not very sweet.

Vodka Cranberry

Well, the title should pretty much explain this one...also the color gives it away.

Or does it? When I first got a whiff of the drink from my glass I was expecting a strong cranberry note, but what I got instead was Sprite. Oh yeah - Sprite. Or maybe like the red Mountain Dew...with a little bit of vodka.

And does it taste like Sprite or Mountain Dew? Nope, it actually tastes like a strong vodka cranberry mix. The cranberry flavour comes in light both before and after the vodka hits you. After the vodka appears, the cranberry taste becomes very tart and dry as it should and helps the drink finish on a very refreshing note with lingering flavours.

The taste is light and comparable to mixing vodka, cranberry juice, club soda and some lemon/lime at home. I kinda liked it...I actually liked it very much. And if you don't normally add that much vodka to your mixed drinks, add a splash of cranberry juice to tone it down.

Nice!

Tequila Margarita

The beverage does look like a margarita with its hazy, pale lime green color. Poured in a blender with ice, and then blended gives it a picture perfect margarita look. I strongly recommend the blended approach, but if you are feeling lazy, drink it out of the bottle.

Black Fly's aroma is very inviting with salty, lime and tequila infused scent. The taste is pretty solid, in fact, better than the Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita we reviewed a while ago. The cocktail is salty with a strong tequila lime punch which develops into a very sour and refreshing finish with a warming tequila sensation.

There is very little sweetness at first, but with time, it does start to build up. I do not recommend drinking more than a few of these unless you are planning on ending your night prematurely.

The saltiness adds another dimension to this drink, one that could not have been achieved with the Jose Cuervo if your glass wasn't salt rimmed.

Overall, this is a pretty decent margarita cocktail which I recommend if you are feeling too lazy to make your own.

Vodka Citrus

And last, but not least - Black Fly's Vodka Citrus. Vodka citrus is one of my favourive mixed drinks and I make it as so - 1 part vodka, 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice. That's it. At these proportions you will not taste any of the vodka, but your stomach will probably pay a hefty price with all that acid you are ingesting.

Now, onto the beverage. The aroma tells me that there is a lot more than just lemon - like lime and maybe some orange here and there. The flavour is refreshing, and yes, it mostly consists of lemon and lime...with some boozy vodka notes here and there. There is a bit of sweetness to balance out the sourness, but it lays low at the start and does truly emerge until you are half way into a bottle.

This is a simple beverage, but it is extremely refreshing and will get you good. I liked this one the most so I strongly recommend it.

Crazy Uncle Basil, Honey & Lime Daiquiri Review

Just in time for the hot summer weather comes the next Crazy Uncle, except this time instead of trying to warm you up this premixed cocktail is trying to cool you off.

I know that many of you did not like the Christmasy Crazy Uncle Blood Orange Rosemary Maple Punch, but this is a completely different monster. Before you even consider buying this beverage, I do have to state that both the aroma and the taste are heavy on the basil so if you are not a fan, do not get this.

OK, so basil fans, read on. As I mentioned, the aroma is heavy on the basil, but a nice lime undertone is present. Take a sip and right away you will get a huge burst of basil, some honey and lime, which is probably the longest lasting and most intense flavour once the basil dies down a bit (it never truly dies, but it just gets overpowered by the lime). OK, now, here comes the bad part - the nasty medicine taste. No worries it only comes for a few brief moments until the lime takes over the flavour again. And also, the medicine taste came at random times because the first cocktail I had didn't have much of it, but the second one had some. Third one...not so much. Also, drink it cold and you will not feel any of the alcohol in the flavour, you also may not get the medicine taste (I haven't fully confirmed this yet), drink is warm or just a little chilled and you will sense the roughness.

As many other premixed cocktails, this one is sweet and the more you drink of it, the sweeter the taste gets until it becomes a little too unbearable and not from the drink being too sweet, but also by the fact that there will be a sugary headache hell to pay later (some extra lime or lemon does cut the sweetness down).

Overall, I enjoyed this a little more than the initial version, but I think that if you have the ingredients, you can probably create a more balanced and better tasting mix at home. For the lazy looking for a refreshment, I say give this one a shot (also I recommend you add some more lime or lemon and definitely use the rimmer).

Scores:
Cost - $18.95 from LCBO
Taste - 7.6/10
ABV - 14%

Overall - 7.6/10...basil, honey and lime....and some booze...some medicine...a lot of confusion

Crazy Uncle Blood Orange Rosemary Maple Punch Review

This is a new LCBO release part of the Christmas specials and with a name like "Crazy Uncle" how can I resist buying it?

The bottle comes with a small packet filled with a blend of cinnamon, sugar and some other spices to be used as a rimmer. I decided to do this the proper way and poured the contents of the packet onto a plate. With a small lime wedge I used the rimmer and poured myself a glass.

The drink has a very strong rosemary with a sweet blood orange undertone. The taste is very herbal with a nice orange base. The sweetness builds up and there is a strong alcoholic note with with every sip. The finish is warm and sweet yet refreshing with a lingering orange note. Overall this is a pretty decent pre-mixed drink and with its herbal character it might be a good Christmas drink.

Scores:
Cost - $17.95
Taste - 7.5/10
ABV - 14%

Overall - 7.5/10...pretty decent pre-mixed drink

The Kraken Black Spiced Rum Review and Cocktails

About a month ago I bought a bottle of The Kraken, one of the very few black rums sold in Ontario. By the end of the day the bottle was gone and so were my hopes of reviewing it. Fortunately, one of the people who enjoyed the rum with me gave me a bottle for my birthday, so here is the review and a couple of cocktails I prepared.

The Rum

For a black rum, it has very deep amber, brown color with a strong rum aroma emanating. A swirl kills the alcoholic smell and brings out its spicy-sweet character. The mouth-feel is watery, but the flavor is there. It starts off sweet with some caramel and quickly changes to a spicy, oaky note. The finish is spicy, a bit earthy with quite a bit of toasted character. Though I am not a huge fan of drinking rum straight, but this one has enough character to justify pouring a couple of fingers.

The Cocktails

I came across the cocktail Dark and Stormy which is a mix of ginger beer and dark rum. I bought a bottle of Reed's Original Ginger Beer to put my spin on the recipe:

• 2 parts The Kraken black rum
• 6 parts ginger beer
• ice

I added a handful of ice to and measured out 2 oz of the rum. First off, I am not a huge fan of ginger beer, but the drink is pretty damn refreshing. I squeezed a lime wedge in which kicked up a notch and made this drink even better.

And for the second cocktail, I got myself a bottle of Reed's Spiced Apple Ginger Beer, which I mixed with the rum in the exact same proportions. Now, this is a cocktail. I absolutely loved this twist to the Dark and Stormy. It made the cocktail taste like apple pie which made it very enjoyable to drink. I strongly recommend this cocktail.

Scores:
Cost - $29.95
Taste - rum - 8/10, Dark and Stormy - 8.1/10, Spiced Apple Dark and Stormy - 9/10
ABV - 47%

Overall - up to 9/10...I loved the spiced apple cocktail and strongly recommend it

Martini Bianco Review and my first infusion

I always keep a couple of bottles of Martini at my house in case I want to make a Martini or a Manhattan. It is always sweet and dry, but I never stock on other Martini products. Once per year I grab a bottle of Bianco for some easy sipping, but I don't bother reviewing it...or any of the other Martini products that I have, in fact. This time is different. I am only going to add a short review and move onto something more important - my first infusion.

The Review

The Martini products are very cheap at the LCBO stores in my province. I paid only $12.95 CAD for a 1 L bottle of Martini Bianco. The back of the label suggests a cocktail, but I will not try it as this is not the focus of this post.

This fortified wine is almost colorless except for its very pale champagne tone. The aroma is composed of notes of ginger, some citrus and herbs, very aromatic. The taste is sweet with hints of vanilla, ginger, some sweet fruits and a very light touch of quinine. The finish is medium and bitter with a brief quinine appearance. I can see why the label suggests mixing this with some tonic water. I think it would also go well with some ginger ale. But that's for another time, lets move onto the infusion.

The Infusion

I wrote this post over the course of several days as I wanted to infuse this vermouth for a longer period of time and try the product at each step of the way...well, once each day. Before I started the infusion, I had a small glass of this stuff for the review and to make some room for the ingredients.

Not having a zester handy, I used a small and very sharp knife to get the zest off a couple of large oranges. Once I had done that, I stuffed the oranges into the bottle and let it sit for a few minutes before I took the photo.


In it, you can see that some of the zest went to the bottom, but most of it remained at the surface. Once I was done taking some photos, I placed the bottle inside one of my corner cabinets, which provided it with both a cool and a very dark place.

Originally I decided to wait for a week, but I quickly changed my mind and thought it would be better to check the daily progress by having a few sips. Below is my short log.

Day 1


Some discoloration has occurred and almost all of the orange zest is now at the bottom. The Martini Bianco now has a strong orange aroma, similar to that of orange flavoured chocolates. There is a slight change in the taste from the orange zest in the form of sweet subtle orange undertone. Not bad for a one day infusion.

Day 2


The color has gotten only slightly darker from the zest. More of it is now at the bottom of the bottle and some there are some miniature specs floating in the vermouth. The orange aroma has gotten stronger and so has the taste. Some of the orange sour bite has found its way in the drink and gives the tongue an acidic jolt.

Day 3


Not much change in the color and the same amount of zest remains near the top. There is a very slight change in the aroma with the orange now overpowering the scent of the Bianco. The orange taste has gotten a bit stronger while the finish and aftertaste have changed dramatically. The finish is more refreshing and the taste of orange lingers for a while.

Day 4


Discoloration remains the same. The orange aroma has gotten even stronger and more overpowering. The orange taste has also gotten stronger. The finish and aftertaste are refreshing and very enjoyable. I liked today's aroma and taste which is why I chose to stop the infusion process. I used a simple metal strainer to get rid of the zest, but I noticed that there are some small orange particles suspended in the vermouth. I could have removed them using a finer filter, perhaps a coffee filter, but I thought that they will give the vermouth a bit more flavour. Some words of wisdom - slice the zest into thin strips if you are using a knife. Otherwise expect to spend several minutes fishing the larger pieces out of the bottle.

I had a glass of this straight and enjoyed it very much. In the near future I will try mixing it with something and I might decide to post the recipes, but at this point I am done with the post and the infusion.

If you decide to try your own infusion, send me an e-mail with the results and I will post your story on the blog.

Hound Dog Peach Sweet Tea Flavored Vodka Review and Cocktail

LCBO released their early summer 2010 magazine some time ago and I, being the loyal customer that I have always been since the day I turned 19, bought a bottle of one of the new spirits they were advertising. This is Hound Dog Peach Sweet Tea Flavored Vodka and yes, it is a peach sweet tea flavored vodka, which unfortunately does not retain its 40% ABV. The spirit is not expensive at $24.95 CAD for a 750 mL bottle, but it is in limited quantities so by the time you read this review, there may not be any left in stock.

You guessed it, this does not have the typical vodka color, or should I say lack of. It has a bourbon-like darkness and very schnapps-like aroma. OK, I cannot simply put all the schnappses into one category, but I have only had 2 kinds of schnapps in my life - peach and mint - and this definitely smells like the former. The peach aroma is so strong, that I cannot detect any hints of vodka. The taste...wow...the taste. OK, now that I got you excited, the taste is a blend of peach schnapps and vodka, and this time you can definitely taste the vodka. The spirit starts off as a sweet peach schnapps, but quickly changes itself into more of a flavored vodka as it goes down. While in your mouth, you can detect some earthy and woody notes that can only come from the barrels, or from tea leaves. The afterburn is similar to that of doing shots of vodka. Yes, shots of vodka, because this is not the smoothest spirit I have had. I think I have to dig very deep to find a cheap whiskey or scotch with the same roughness. With the burn out of way, this is a very unique spirit which could be great on the rocks of served very, very cold. I am not a big fan of sweet peach schnapps due to a couple of incidents in the past, but I can see myself drinking this in a cocktail...which leads me onto the next section:

The Cocktail

I am not much of a mixologist so I rarely come up with creative ways of mixing alcoholic cocktails, which is why I will just follow the recipe listed on the back of the label:

• 2 oz Hound Dog Peach Sweet Tea Flavoured Vodka
• Tall glass, half filled with ice
• Water to top off
• Sprig of mint and lemon twist

I wish I had some club soda to try it fizzy, because the recipe above was a bit too flat for my taste. At first I used a lot of ice and the little water that fit in the glass was not enough to dilute the sweetness and the vodka taste so I once I finished the cocktail, I made myself a second one with only 4 ice cubes. This time there was enough water to turn this into a cocktail resembling peach iced tea. It was good, I liked it, but I think I can make the same thing by making peach iced tea and adding some plain vodka. Perhaps putting less of the vodka and some fresh lemon juice can improve this cocktail. Give it a shot.

Edit: I mixed another cocktail and this one went a little something like this:

• 3 ice cubes in a tall glass
• 1.5 oz of Hound Dog Peach Sweet Tea Flavoured Vodka
• 4 oz of grape/raspberry juice
• 3 oz of apple juice

I liked this combination a lot more than the suggested one. The acidic juices give the cocktail a nice bite and a refreshing taste while the peach flavour still makes an appearance, but it is no longer similar to that of peach schnapps. I loved this.

Scores:
Cost - $24.95 CAD for a 750 mL bottle from the LCBO
Taste - 6.9/10 for the vodka and 7.4/10 for the suggested cocktail, 9/10 for the one I made

Overall - 7.15/10...you guessed it, it is just an average of the scores from the vodka itself and the suggested cocktail

Metaxa 7 Star Review and Cocktails

Today I am reviewing something I have had my eye on for some time - Metaxa 7 stars. My dad used to drink this when I was a kid, but I didn't bother to try it until now. The local LCBO stores carries both the 5 star one and the 7 star one, whose only difference is the aging period and the bottle. The number of stars symbolizes the number of years the spirit has been aged. The 7 star one is not very expensive at $29.95 for a 750 mL bottle.

The Metaxa has a medium to dark amber color with a little bit of greasiness when swirled in a glass. Being a blend of brandy, herbs and muscat wine, the aroma is very intense and could easily fill a room. I was able to detect herbal tones similar to those in Jagermeister, with orange peel hints. On the tongue, the spirit is not as oily as whiskey. The orange hints become more apparent in the taste and a touch of the herbal bitterness can also be easily detected. The end is on a sweeter note with hints of vanilla and perhaps maple syrup. The finish is long lasting and very intense with subtle herbal and orange notes. This is definitely a unique spirit, but I cannot say that I enjoyed it very much which is why I tried mixing it.

Cocktails

The first cocktail that I made was with ginger ale from the local convenience store in the following proportions in a tall glass:

• 1 part Metaxa
• 5 parts Ginger Ale
• handful of ice

The ginger ale complimented the Metaxa quite nicely and the mix resulted in a very enjoyable cocktail. Next came the soda water. I only tried this because earlier that day I was having some scotch sodas. I substituted the ginger ale with club soda and kept the same proportions. The resulting mix was not very good and I would not recommend it.

Next was Coke:

• 1 part Metaxa
• 5 parts Coke
• handful of ice

The sweetness of the Coke was great with the Metaxa, but underneath the sharp alcoholic taste came out and killed the overall enjoyability of the cocktail.

Later that night we decided to make some iced coffee and try it with the Metaxa. Here is what we made:

• 3 oz of Iced Coffee
• 1 splash of Metaxa

The iced coffee was not made with a lot of sugar and was still a touch bitter so the overall taste was quite unique, but enjoyable. The slight bitterness of the coffee clashed with the touch of vanilla/maple syrup sweetness of the Metaxa to create a subtle taste. The milkiness and the overall coldness of the cocktail managed to subdue the sharp alcoholic aroma and taste of the Metaxa. I would say that this mix was also successful.

Scores:
Cost - $29.95 CAD for a 750 mL bottle
Taste - 6.9/10

Overall - 6.9/10...herbal aroma and taste with notes of orange peel and vanilla/maple syrup. I did not enjoy this spirit very much, but I think some people might

Glayva Liqueur Review

I got this sample with the bottle of Forty Creek I reviewed a few weeks ago. To save you the effort, a 375 mL bottle costs $19.95 CAD while a 750 mL one $35.95 CAD. I guess these prices make this a somewhat of a premium liqueur though not as expensive as Grand Marnier, which I am not a big fan of because of the sweetness.

The first thing I noticed about this liqueur was its color, a deep golden/amber one. The little bottle poured smoothly and I noticed that it wasn't as thick as Grand Marnier, though still thicker than most spirits. I was greeted by a bittersweet, warm and spicy aroma, a blend of herbs and scotch. The herb notes reminded me a lot of Jagermeister. The liqueur has an oily feel to it and the taste literally explodes. The aroma is one thing, but the taste is so much different. The taste is still bittersweet, but the scotch base really jumps out and compliments the spices and herbs to create a pleasurable experience. A touch of orange can also be noticed, which leaves a long lasting aftertaste. The finish is smooth and warm. This of course comes with a price. The sweetness does not allow you to have a lot to drink. I got a mild headache after I had this sample so I can only imagine how I will react to more than this. Other than that I really enjoyed the liqueur and might buy a bottle for guests.

Scores:
Cost - $19.95 CAD for a 375 mL bottle and $35.95 CAD for 750 mL one
Taste - 7.5/10

Overall - 7.5/10...the extra herbs and spices help make this more enjoyable for me than a glass of Grand Marnier

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

McGuinness Original Long Island Iced Tea Review

We had a craving for some Long Island Iced Tea a couple of days ago so we all got into the car and drove to the nearest LCBO to get some of the magical ingredients. At first we were going to buy 375 mL bottles of essentials - vodka, tequila, rum, gin and triple sec - but then the total would have come up to about $72.95. Sure, we would have had 1,875 mL of hard liquor to use for other cocktails or shooters, but we wanted something quick and cheap to satisfy the craving. We came across the McGuinness Original Long Island Iced Tea mix, which unlike other similar mixes, is 38% alcohol by volume. The price is not bad either at $30.50 for a 1.14 L bottle. All that was left for us to do is buy lemons, limes, Cola and some concentrated (or frozen) juices.

The mix is strong and has a strong vodka/rum aroma with a sweet triple sec undertone. The gin aroma is also noticeable, but takes a backseat. The one thing that is missing from the mix was tequila, but we decided not to add any.

The Mix

At first we made some lime juice following the instructions given on the label of the Long Island Iced Tea bottle. We opened a can of frozen Minute Maid lime juice, emptied its contents in a pitcher and added only half the required amount of water. The rest of the recipe was as easy to follow:

• pour 1.5 oz of McGuinness Long Island Iced Tea,
• add 2-3 oz of lemon, or lime mix (we used 3),
• add some ice,
• add Cola until the color changes to that of iced tea.

The recipe was OK, but the strong taste of the mix was ruining the overall experience. Since we didn't want to water down the cocktail too much, we upped the iced tea and lime parts a little. The recipe was changed to:

• 1.75 oz of iced tea mix
• 4 oz of lime mix
• ice
• Cola until the color changes
• lime wedge

The recipe works just as well with concentrated lemon juice, except the color changes faster to that of iced tea so an extra splash of coke is needed to balance the taste.

This mix is great for parties around the holidays as it cuts down on the alcohol expenses and results in a pretty decent cocktail. I would recommend getting a small bottle of tequila, say 200 mL, to add a bit to each drink for an improved taste.

Scores:
Cost - $30.50 CAD for a 1.14L bottle
Taste - 8/10

Overall - 8/10...makes a decent cocktail, cuts down on alcohol expenses, but needs some tequila

Sour Puss Rapsberry Review and Cocktail

I went to LCBO today to look for something colorful. I was going to make some slushies but wanted to add something alcohol based for the color. I was thinking something along the lines of an apple liquor, but as my luck would have it there were only large bottles of the apple stuff. The only thing that came in a bottle smaller than 750 mL was this guy - Sour Puss Raspberry. Damn it, I wanted apple. I really didn't want to buy a 750 mL bottle because I only wanted enough for 2 drinks. The little guy costs $6.95 CAD, which is not much.

If you haven't had this stuff before I have to warn you...this is very sour. It is as sour as the sour syrup you put in your slush puppy for $0.10 per shot. It is so sour that the alcohol taste does not hit you until a few seconds after you have swallowed. I like sour stuff, but I would not drink this straight. I would have a sip now and then just for the sourness factor, but not drink it straight. This, however, is great for mixing. Add a bit of vodka or white rum, some ice and you have an interesting drink that most people would enjoy. Think whiskey sour, that's what the combo will taste like, except for the whiskey part.

Now let me say a few words about this particular drink. I already said it was sour, but I didn't say anything about the flavour. The raspberry flavour is noticeable both while taking a sip and in the aftertaste. It tastes a lot like sour Air Heads or those Toxic Waste candies, the raspberry flavour of course.

Now for the main course. A couple of days ago I got a bunch of stuff to make slushies and have been making them since. Here is a list of what I used today:

• 4 cups of ice
• 1/3 of a tin of jack fruit with the syrup
• 4 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk or sugar
  
• 100 mL of Sour Puss Raspberry

I blended all the ingredients together and here is a photo of the result.

In reality it did not look this pale, it was more of a salmon color and in hindsight, yes, I should have added the whole bottle of Sour Puss to get a nice red color and bump up the alcohol level. All the ingredients only made enough to fill 2 of these drinking glasses and I didn't even feel warm after drinking them both. I added some rum at the end, but I think it would have been much better if I did that in the first place. So, if you want to try something refreshing and cheap on a hot summer day, get yourself a bottle of Sour Puss, a bag of ice, some canned fruits and some sugar. The bag of ice will be enough for a lot of slushies, in fact, it will be more than enough for a 750 mL bottle of Sour Puss. The total I spent for these two drinks was just over $4. Why so cheap? Because I only used half the bottle of Sour Puss, around 1/5 of the bag of ice and only 1/3 of the tin of canned fruit, leaving plenty for another 2 drinks. I could have made this cheaper if I had substituted the canned fruit with frozen juice. Perhaps a few spoonfuls of frozen juice would have done the same job. Go, try your own mix and report back.

Scores:
Cost - $6.95 for a 200 mL bottle
Taste - 7.7/10 for the Sour Puss and 8.5/10 for the mixed drink

Overall - 8.5/10...I just wish I added the whole bottle of Sour Puss

Uphoria Pink Guava Liquor Review

This product has been recently discontinued in Canada, but I decided to share my review. I got a bottle of this around half a year ago when I was at LCBO looking for something ot mix with. I was in the mood for a liquor so when I arrived at the aisle this one grabbed my attention. Once you see a full bottle of it, you will understand why it grabs the attention - the liquor is pink, bright pink, and the bottle is rather tall. Also the display may have had something to do with this. Yes, this was proudly on display with a huge "ON SALE" sign. I can't remember what the original price was, but the sale was no more than a couple of dollars off. I picked one up like a sucker because I was mislead by the label - great recipes to try, mix with vodka, club soda, juices, blah, blah, blah. It was also quite cheap - $14.95 for a 750 mL bottle.

On my way home I picked up the suggested juices, a bottle of Lime Cordial, club soda and some ice to be prepared for the night...the wednesday night that is. First of all, the liquor does not smell very appealing and second, it does not taste that great. It seemed like artificial flavour was added, not real. OK, maybe it will taste better in a cocktail. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. The "martini" that was on the label was far too weak and tasteless. I had to double the vodka content, which did not go really well with the guava flavour. OK, I tried the cocktail with the juices. That one was a little better, but I couldn't help tasting that fake guava and somehow the alcohol tasted rather weird. I thought that maybe I did something wrong so I made another one with different proportions and also added some lime cordial. DAMN, it still didn't work. I put it
on my booze shelf and didn't touch it for a few months.

Fast forward to a month ago, we bought a bunch of guava juices and decided to try and get rid of the liquor. I started adding 1.5 oz shots to each glass of guava juice I had and painfully finish the bottle. That only lasted for a couple of days. The last little bit of the liquor was used in a punch. Good thing its horrible taste was masked by the rum and tequila I also added. Good thing it is being discontinued, because it just wasn't that good.

Scores:
Cost - 9/10
Taste - 3/10

Overall - 12/20...the only reason why it's getting a passing mark is because of the price. If you are broke, or don't want to spend more on liquor for mixing, sure, try it...if you can still find it in stores.