Booze Reviews: Ron Abuelo Anejo & Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka

Hot, Sticky, Sweet…

I’m always pleased to find booze news and cocktail recipes in my inbox. However, coming home to find a package containing bottles of booze to review is a definite day maker. The most recent box contained these two bottles:

 












Tomorrow is National Hot Buttered Rum Day, so the bottles were accompanied by a cocktail recipe (which I’ve shared at the bottom of this post). However before I could combine them, I had to taste them individually.

Ron Abuelo Añejo: Slightly sweet and a bit spicy with notes of vanilla and a hint of nuttiness. Ladies, it’s pretty strong in taste AND alcohol content (just about 80 proof). If you’re not a serious drinker, I suggest you keep this one for making mixed drinks (or serving to gentleman callers). I actually like sipping it neat (no mixers and no ice) in the evening.

Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka: Tastes just like I piece of caramel candy, but with a kick (a 70 proof one). This is a drink for someone who likes their drinks sweet, but still wants the feel the warmth in their chest. It plays nicely in cocktails, hot chocolate and coffee, but it’s also a delightful treat on its own.

Put them together, add a few more ingredients and you get:

HOT CARAMEL BUTTERED RUM 
 


3 oz Ron Abuelo Añejo
1 oz Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka
2 Tbsp stick Unsalted Butter, softened
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
Cinnamon Stick

Add all ingredients (excluding rum and vodka) into a hot drinking cup or mug.  Mix the ingredients together until they are well combined and have formed a batter.  Add Ron Abuelo Añejo rum and Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka.  Pour in hot water (1 cup or more to personal taste) and stir vigorously until the mixture has dissolved.  Garnish with cinnamon stick.

I actually made myself a batch, and it was deliciously naughty! Oh, and the perfect shoe pairing for this drink is either a cozy pair of slippers, or…

Samanta Viv Boot (via CSNStores.com)

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In it to Win It: How to Score $500 and a Night of Fun from Van Gogh Vodka

Cocktails, Confessions and a Celebrity Chef

Do you remember playing Mad Libs as a kid? Were you good at it? Well, if you’ve held on to those skills, they can earn you and 24 of your friends an ultimate Girls’ Night In from Van Gogh Blue Vodka. Just visit the Van Gogh Blue Facebook fan page, become a fan and enter the “Cocktails and Confessions” contest. Here’s the fun part, you enter by filling in the blanks on a Mad Libs-like story about you and your friends. Entries will be judged on originality, humor and creativity, so get cheeky with it. The winner will receive a $500 American Express gift card and a night of fun and fine dining on food prepared by celebrity chef, Jon Ashton. Just promise to invite me if you win, OK? (This contest ends December 13th and is only open to US residents 21 years of age or older)

Technorati Tags: Vodka,Van Gogh Vodka,Facebook Contest

Sweet Sunday: Mother's Day in Gianmarco Lorenzi Satin Platforms

Mommy, Dearest...

You wipe runny noses, drive the carpool, sit through recitals and/ or wake up for midnight feedings. You do more in one day than many people do in a week, and like Victoria Beckham, you do most of it in towering stilettos. Today, you deserve flowers... not the kind that wither and die (and require effort on your part to keep alive), though. Instead, you're entitled to a floral pair of shoes. These satin Gianmarco Lorenzi platforms are like a corsage for your feet... and then some. With a needle thin 5.1 inch heel, 1.5 inch platform, they say you have no intentions of running around today. Instead, you'll strut, and the royal blue color, combined with the magenta and blue florettes will have all eyes on you.

Though you'd normally drink mimosas at brunch, replace them with Wild Hibiscus Sea Urchins today (recipe & image by Danielle Tatarin via inovision.ca). The name may sound odd, but there's nothing fishy about the taste of this cocktail made from Van Gogh Vodka, Campari, Hiram Walker Blue Curacao, lime juice, soda water, honey foam and Wild Hibiscus syrup. It'll be semi- sweet, a bit floral and a tad bit tart. Send the kids out with family members and sip away all day. Remember to hydrate, though, because tomorrow's back to the normal chaos.


Happy Mother's Day!


Yours Shoely, 


Me