Southwest Cosmo

Time for another Recipe: Trust me on this. One sip of these and you'll be spanking your mama.

This unique cosmo has a spicy kick that will keep you sippin’! Featuring Zodiac vodka, Monin spicy mango syrup, cranberry and fresh lime juice.

Glass: Martini
Method: Shake w/ Ice & Strain
Garnish: Thin Jalepeño Slice & Lime Wheel
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 ounces Zodiac Vodka

1/2 oz Spicy Mango syrup
1 ½ oz. Cranberry Juice
1 Lime Squeeze, discard
Combine ingredients in shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into martini glass. Garnish and serve.

Spicy Mango is usually from Monin or Torani. YOu might be able to get a Finest Call version of this too, but look for Monin. This drink, when made right will earn you the "Mixologist" title with your friends.

Korean Food in Dallas...Can it get any better?

Kids! Can there be any better food than Korean food. American's still haven't discovered it, and I know it's just a matter of time until someone "PF CHANGS" it and make it a chain nationwide. Nothing like any other Asian food you can have, you need to find one in your city and make it a destination.

You want spicy? They can take it to degrees of delicious spice that will make you scream in pleasure as you sweat while your savoring every bite. You want it sweet, pluck yourself down at one of the Bar B Q's and ask for Kal Bi or Bul Go Gi and go at it. Trust me, you've never had beef served this way. It will make you wonder why you never went there in the first place. Noodles? Ask for Jhap Chae, made with sesame oil, the noodles slide all over the place, but it's worth the effort to get everyone into your mouth.

In Dallas, you MUST go to Gui! Located on McKinney in trendy Uptown, the owner Kevin will guide you through the "Americanized" menu, but it's still the same food. Ask for the Tofu Stew, (Chigae in Korean) and you will taste something like you never have before. they also have sushi so you can take the timid. They will have something to eat.

If you're in the SAM MOON part of Harry Hines, you're surrounded by Korean Restaurants. There are over 30 in "Korean Town" and you really can't miss. For fun, head down Royal Lane and find Komart. A korean shopping store that has a "Deli" in it that will serve you amazing portions of several menu items for $5.00. Yes, $5.00. It's ridiculous. Order the Bi Bim Bap, which is a bowl or marinated vegtables with some bul go gi on top and a perfectly cooked egg. Add some of the red spicy sauce, mix it up and then devour. I mean DEVOUR this sucker. It's $5.0o. EAT IT! Don't like it, get something else, it's $5.00! WHO CARES! On Saturdays, they have this open market, that can't possibly be legal, with little housewife's standing behind home made "Side dishes" that I have no idea what most of them are, but damn they are good! Caution: it's it's RED, it's spicy. Very!

Trust me on this one, you want to try these places. You won't be sorry

Chicago, Part Deux

My god, what a town. Especially during the National Restaurant Show, which attracts close to 100,000 people to come to Chicago. (Try getting a hotel room) Of course, when you get restaurant people into town, dinner reservations are made way in advance. I had the opportunity to have just incredible dinners while i was here: Devon's Seafood Grill, located at Chicago and Wasbash was a great surprise. Great seafood and really realistic prices and an incredible bar. Order the Cippino! YUMMY!! Make sure you ask for a Zodiac and Cranberry with a lime. They serve big drinks there! The next night was Charlie Trotters. Of course, bring the Amex. But damn, what an incredible way to spend a night. I had clients with me and trust me, they will be clients forever: Warning: dinner for 6: $1300.00 OUCH!!!

The show...I'll write on that next. Amazing. See you soon!

Chicago! Seriously, my kind of town

What's not to love about this city in May? The weather is perfect, people are everywhere and the bars? SLAMMED! People come out in this city!

Last night I had the great experience of going to Sushi Samba on Wells in the city. Can there be this many pretty people in one location? Standing room only, forced my buddy and I to eat at the bar, which, when eating with chop sticks can be lethal as people are bumping into me and I'm stabbing various parts of my face. You want unusual sushi, you have to stop by this place. Bring a clear credit card, cause pretty people eat expensive sushi, but it's well worth it. I had a Kobe Beef roll, which was lobster on the inside and kobe beef on the outside. Are you kidding me? Just typing this makes me want to order in! I could eat this for breakfast! Amazing. It was also $18.00. Did I mention I travel on an expense account?

Ok, this is a vokda column, so let me get to that. The bartender, one "Clint" a handsome chap, who has been a bartender there for 2 1/2 years and I can understand why. He was amazing. He strongly suggested that I have one of his Vodka-based mojitos and I'm glad I did. The wizard squeezed, shook, strained and poured in less than 30 seconds and I had one hell of a great drink. Sour at first, but with a strong minty finish, this was a perfect match to our sushi. He made it with Chopin since they didn't carry Zodiac. it was awesome.

This is night one of 5 in Chicago. Look for more before I head back to Dallas!!

The True Magic of Vodka

I witnessed the power of Vodka last night. In Chicago, for the Restaurant Show, one of the biggest conventions in the world. 100,000 new people in town for one show. Anyway, it becomes a "Hump Fest" to see which company can outspend the other company to try and get the most Buyers out on the town. And what a town it is. Fishbowl, an online marketing company, started off the weekend right: they rented out the House of Blues. Shut it down and invited 300 VIP guests. So, while it's no Red Carpet, in the restaurant business, it's the Who's Who.

Now...feed the masses vodka.

Next thing you know, you have the CEO of this company locked in a showdown with the Food Manager of a competing company in a Battle of Geriatric Guitar Hero. And let me tell you, both are into it. Gray hair flying, somehow CEO boy has rediscovered his youth and is competely rocking out to "Hit you like a Hurricane" by the Scorpions. One look at this guy rolling back and forth and suddenly I need a drink myself. Martini please!

As I get to the bar, of course it's sponsored by one of the giant vodka companies and they have this contraption: at the top of a giant ice sculpture, there are two very nice looking young ladies, one has a litre size bottle of Skyy Vodka, the other has either Pomegranate or Prickly Pear "Finest Call" mixes. You get to choose. I pick Pomegranate, well of course, it's the Healthy Shot. They both begin pouring, in different holes, the product runs thru this very cool path on the inside of the sculpture and they have this mid-ice collision and then out comes your shot, red of course, chilled perfectly. A few of those and suddenly I want to talk politics.

Everywhere I turn, people are playing trivia games (What's the name of Maddonna's first book?) eating pretzels with rock and roll pepper on them, and just laughing. It's the bar. the bar made them do it. And what is one out of every 4 drinks made from: Vodka. Vodka made them do it

Recipe 1 (Look for these often)

Hey it wouldn't be a blog about Vodka if we didn't have some incredible recipes for you

We call this one the SUN BURST TINI!!!

Glass: Martini Glass

Method: Shake with Ice and Strain

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounce of Zodiac Vodka
1/2 ounce strawberry puree (Slam a few strawberrys in the blender first)
2 fresh mint leaves
2 lime squeezes, discard
1/2 ounce simple syrup (can be bought or make at home)

combine ingredients in a shaker w/ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a strawberry!!

Vodka....what you've heard and then the reality

There are so many stories about Vodka nowadays, I thought my first post should be about some of the vodka urban legends that are out there. Let's face it, guys try to impress their friends on Friday nights showing off the only time of the week they can afford to buy Zodiac Vodka, or Grey Goose, but they have their facts all wrong...very very wrong....



“Times distilled” vs. “column distilled”?
Technically, “times distilled” refers to a pot-still operation. “Column distillation” obviously refers to a column. Each time alcohol is “distilled”, it goes through a heating and cooling process. Too many of these cycles may “bruise” the alcohol much like a beer may be “skunked” when heated and chilled. Column stills may be considered one continuous distillation. Zodiac uses a column still and distill it just once… They basically get it right the first time! Chopin can make the same claim (Also due to the quality ingredients, let's face it, Idaho is still an untouched wonder in this great country of ours, water source and filtration process goes through – multiple distillation is just not necessary for Zodiac. They could – just choose not to. This contributes to the unique character and subtle flavor profile that accompanies each sip of Zodiac)

4 times filtered? 10 times filtered? Does it really matter?
For vodka in particular, some filtrations are not only necessary, but for quality control purposes, it's required. Charcoal filtration adds a clarity, crispness, and sparkle to the blended alcohol and water combination, a.k.a. vodka. Zodiac goes one step further using a birch charcoal filtration – hand cut birch from Canada. This gives it even more clarity and contributes to the naturally smooth taste of Zodiac. Other filtrations that are necessary include filters for removing the charcoal, as well as paper filters prior to bottling. However, if you have to filter a product 20 times, you likely have a problem.
Does water matter?
Word plays on water source and type that can make up as much as 60% of the volume of a bottle of spirits can be extremely important to the flavor of the product, but don’t be fooled by gimmicks. All water blended with spirits must go through a de-ionization treatment process to ensure that the water and alcohol blend properly, or they may separate. Water sources from mountain wells may, however, provide different quality water from those used from a municipal water system where treatments may have already been added. At Zodiac., where we actually make the alcohol that we sell, the same water is used in cooking, cleaning, steam generation for distillation, and bottling, all of which comes from our 200 ft. deep well tapping into the Snake River Aquifer
“Premium”, “Ultra Premium”, “Super Ultra Premium” and other descriptive terms
These terms may sound like grades of gasoline, but they are commonly used for “high-end” spirit brands. What defines a product to be qualified to use these terms…? Price? Bottle quality? Whether it is imported? There are no federal or state guidelines on the use of "premium" descriptive terms. In reality, the only true descriptive definition of a good quality vodka is how it feels on the palette. When tasting vodkas, look for four attributes; 1) a tinge on the front of the tongue, 2) a lasting burn down the back of the throat, 3) how it feels in the back of the mouth, or, "gills", 4) overall flavor. The best vodkas will leave no tinge or burn, will feel smooth in the "gills" and finally, will have an overall sweet and smooth flavor that makes them delicious.
Oh you can tell the difference, those gallon jugs made out of plastic on the bottom of the shevles that sell for less than $10.00 a gallon. Are there for a reason. Buyer Beware!! You're body will remind you the next day!!