Hangin' Loose

Winter is here and the cold and rain make me think of warm summer days on a recent trip to O’ahu. On the island I found vodka, not just any vodka, one distilled in downtown Honolulu, made from local island sugar cane, and then filtered through lava rocks. Hawaiian Vodka has a creamy viscosity a unique sweetness backed by a rich maple, almost rum like note with a minimal burn and small wisps of mint. Sounds like hype, but it’s not. The lava, actually a large cube of crushed lava rock, and the copper pot still work their magic to create a very fine and unique version of how cool vodka can be. Currently it’s only available on the islands but will hopefully make its way to the mainland, and beyond. But distiller Dave Flintstone is having a tough time keeping up with demand. And that’s a good problem to have. Once you taste it, you’ll understand why. Typically vodkas suffer from having no personality: benign, tasteless, insipid – a trait I abhor, so when I find vodka that tastes like something, I get excited, and Hawaiian Vodka tastes like Hawaii. So when you visit the Islands get Hawaiian Vodka and you’ll be hanging loose all day.

$25/ 750 ml – Alc: 40%    HAWAIIAN VODKA

BOOZEHOUNDZ RATING: 89 POINTS

Savoring Summer Sangria

It’s getting away from summer but that doesn’t mean you have to give up drinking summer. I make sangria every year and I love its lively, fresh, pungent, fruit-forward (literally) nature. But often if you get sangria in a restaurant or bar it’s some peculiar overtly sweet viscous liquid that may or may not be made with real fruit. Well, my supplications to the Sangria Savior have been answered. Eppa Sangria, already made and put into a bottle, is here to save winter from feeling too wintery. This is a bright, expressive wine with minimal alcohol (which means you can have two bottles) of soft and easy fruit and wine, actually way too easy to drink. Made with organic fruit, there’s lots of ripe juicy fruit, tangy and tart while being mildly sweet. Mendocino County Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah is mixed with fruit juices including pomegranate, blueberry, Mediterranean blood orange and…steady…acai (I’ve only ever had acai – a Brazilian tree fruit known for its intense antioxidants- in acai bowls here in Santa Barbara and Oahu). It’s kind of an odd combination, but it works quite well and it’s certified organic – not that that is a huge issue, but fewer chemicals consumed means better long term health. Honestly, I have not found a bottled sangria I like better and though I will still laboriously make mine every year in August, the Eppa is a welcomed addition to my wine routine.

$11.99/ 750 ml – Alc: 8.5%  EPPA SANGRIA  

BOOZEHOUNDZ RATING

4 Bonz – Good Dog!