Endless self-promoter Kanye West -- who proves he has a sense of humor about himself after all -- spoofs his persona in a new line of Absolut ads. The first time I saw the print ad (which looked like, but didn't have the Absolut references, what you see here), I didn't get it at all, and I had no idea what was being advertised. A little research showed me the light. I can't show you much here, since you need to be 21 to get into these sites. Log on and check them out for yourself. And don't lie about your age -- it's bad karma.

Sylvester Stallone, has battled Russians in the movies but now he is happy to say "There's a bit of Russian in all of us." That's the slogan for the new ads he is doing in Russian for the vodka brand Russian Ice. Russian vodka producer Synergy announced that Stallone signed a one-year contract to promote the brand. Despite the fact that his character Rocky pummeled Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and his other iconic action hero, John Rambo mowed down Soviet troops in Afghanistan, Stallone is popular in Russia. Synergy is also tauting the fact that Stallone, though most known for his Italian heritage, does have a Russian great-grandmother, Rosa Rabinovich from the Ukranian town of Odessa. Stallone will pocket around $1 million for the ads.

In our post on the new book Havana Before Castro the other day we reminisced about Cuba before the infamous dictator ruined everyone's fun. Among the many moronic moves Castro made was expelling Matusalem from the island in the '60s, a smooth, rich rum that had been distilled there by a family of Spanish settlers since 1872.

Following the expulsion the company languished for several decades, until it was finally re-established in the Dominican Republic (as were several Cuban cigar brands) using the original secret formula brought from Spain. Today, Matusalem is flourishing once again, with its delectable blend of smooth spirit matured in French oak casks bottled as Matusalem Gran Reserva.

The rum is made using the solera system, which was originally developed to produce Spain's famed wine, sherries, brandies, and cognacs, producing a blend that's somewhere between dark and amber.

Drinking, if done well and stylishly, can lead to literary inspiration. Or at least not impede it too much. Take that great chronicler of wealth and society F. Scott Fitzgerald, for instance, whose 112th birthday is about to be celebrated; some of his best work was clearly done under the influence. Just look at Tender Is the Night (1934). Of course the intemperate author, left entirely to his own devices, might have been less poetical in his consumption of alcohol and thereby rendered a less perfect work of art. But his great friends, patrons and mentors Gerald and Sara Murphy, upon whom Tender Is the Night is based, showed him how to do the thing properly.

The beautiful, rich and clever Murphys, central figures of expatriate social and cultural life of the Jazz Age in France, held court at their villa on the French Riviera in Antibes - this was long before the Russian billionaires arrived, before there even was such a thing in fact - and dispensed cocktails at the dazzling dinner parties immortalized in the book. Gerald tried to limit his guests' consumption of same in order to prevent the gatherings from devolving into total inebriation, though Fitzgerald usually managed to down more than his fair share. This often led to breakages, shouting matches and even suicide attempts, proving Murphy right.

The Fitzgeralds of course, were legendary boozers. When they later lived in shabby gentility in Great Neck, Long Island, they would drive back and forth to Manhattan for binges in a second-hand Rolls-Royce. Their houseboy would frequently find them passed out on the lawn in the morning, the car more or less in the driveway. For Murphy, however, drink-making was a stylish ritual imparted by his father, owner of the Mark Cross luxury goods company.

Forget ordering a vodka and Red Bull, now you can have the pep in the vodka itself. V2 is vodka with taurine and caffeine, two of the ingredients that give energy drinks their punch, already added in. The vodka used in V2 is distilled five times and filtered before being infused with taurine and caffeine. V2 is produced and bottled in Holland and sells for around $35.

If you aren't into vodka, there is also R2, a light rum with taurine and caffeine. You can also get your energy from T2, a tequila from the Jalisco region of Mexico which is filtered three times before getting its taurine and caffeine infusion.

[via Examiner.com]

Recently we've waxed rhapsodic about vodka brands featuring tomato and cucumber flavors. Now one brand has both flavors and they are USDA certified organic too. Crop Harvest Earth Vodkas are made from organic grain harvested from soil free of artificial fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals. Rather than boast of a certain number of distillations, Crop Harvest Earth vodka says they distill each batch only as many times as necessary to remove impurities. The vodka sells for around $25.

In the summer, civilized people should not quaff wine coolers, light beers or novelty liqueurs; they should play croquet and drink Pimm's. Created in 1840 by James Pimm, the owner of a famed London oyster bar, the concoction was first offered as an aid to digestion, and was served in a small tankard. The gin based drink, which contained quinine and a secret mixture of herbs, came to be known as Pimm's No. 1 Cup.

From these somewhat humble origins, Pimm's became the English gentleman's drink of choice, and various other Pimm's "cups" were invented after the Great War, using Scotch, brandy, rum, rye and so on as bases. Only the No. 1 really thrives to this day, its austere bottle immediately calling to mind British officers quietly having one to many in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, and tipsy toffs doing likewise at the Henley Royal Regatta.

In the 1930s, Pimm's tried to find its market among the crumbling aristocracy who could no longer keep up their massive country mansions. One Pimm's ad featured such a troubled toff sighing, "We had to let the west wing go, but thank heavens we can still afford our Pimm's." Nowadays, like everything else, Pimm's is trying hard to be hip - it even has a Facebook group.

Mekhong is a golden spirt that has been available in Thailand since 1941 ad is now ready to compete for attention on the world stage. International Beverage Holdings Ltd.,is importing from Thailand and selling it in the U.S. Mekhong, named for Thailand's Mekhong River is made mostly from sugar cane and rice and infused with a blend of Thai herbs and spices. The Mekhong recipe was developed to complement the taste and flavor of Thai food and has hints of ginger, honey, toffee, vanilla, floral, herbs and citrus.

The most popular Mekhong cocktails are the Sabai Sabai, the Thai welcome drink, which seeks to compete with mojitos and margaritas in the U.S. Sabai Sabai calls for 1.5 shots of Mekhong, 1.5 shots fresh squeezed lemon juice, .75 shot simple sugar syrup, a finger pinch of sweet Thai basil and club soda. More Mekhong recipes and its history is available at the Mekhong website, The Spirit of Thailand.The importers are hoping that Mekhong might be the next cachaca.

About six months ago Deidre noted that Dr. Dre announced a new beverage venture. And just a few days ago the official announcement was made that it's come to fruition. Dr. Dre's cognac and vodka brands will hit liquor stores in the next 60 days, according to celebrity liquor marketer Drinks America Holdings Ltd. The products are the fruits of a joint venture between Wilton, Conn.-based Drinks America and Dr. Dre's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label. The marketing for the beverages will be tied in with the release of Dr. Dre's long-awaited "Detox" album. In late July, Dr. Dre told USA Today that the album would be out in "November or December." Aftermath Congac will come out first, followed by an 80-proof flavored and unflavored sparkling vodka.

[Via The Washington Post via Reuters/Billboard]

Glenlivet has stepped up their game with the release of The Glenlivet XXV, a new premium 25-year-old whisky. The whisky is finished in first-fill sherry casks for two years for extra flavor and sweetness. The whisky has a notes of honey and malt with a fruity palate. Recently Malt Advocate tasted it and ranked it a 93. It comes in an impressive wooden gift box with a slab of limestone with the name inscribed on it. The box also includes a booklet detailing the history of the whisky and a certificate of quality. It will sell for $350 and will be available this fall.

[via Wine Spirits Daily]

Maestro Dobel, just launched this month, is the first ever diamond tequila. What does that mean? Apparently it means that it's incredibly clear, incredibly strong, and incredibly expensive. It's a blend of 3 different types of tequila, and in keeping with the diamond theme the creators of Maestro Dobel measure its superiority according to 4 C's: clarity, complexity, crispness, and craftsmanship.

Look for Maestro Dobel starting this month in select establishments in Los Angeles, Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta with a suggested retail price of $74.99.

Molecular mixology, or the creative construction of cocktails through texture and viscosity changes, has been highlighted before but Grand Marnier's Cocktail Macaroons are the most edible of these inventions to greet our palates yet. Inside a carefully crafted macaroon will be one of four cocktail gelées mimicking either a Grand Marnier mojito, margarita, cosmo, or orange crush depending on the flavor you choose. Created in part by François Payard, of Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro in NYC, these little gems will be exclusively available in the city and online come mid-September. Spend $18 and you will receive a custom package with four macaroon treasures inside -- one of each flavor. It will be like a dessert and beverage tasting all in one!

For a while it seemed that vodka flavors were stuck on the sweet. We saw just about every fruit under the sun get an infused vodka of it's own while the few savory flavors like Absolut Peppar became harder and harder to find. But lately thing seem to be shifting. Recently Square One came out with a cucumber vodka and now Three Olives has launched a tomato vodka. The vodka includes the tastes of tomatoes, pepper, horseradish and spices.

I haven't tasted it yet but the Intoxicologist tried it out and found that while it has heavy tomato flavor but is a flat and lacks proper support from the other infused flavors. If you love tomatoes though, this might be the one for you to try out.

When you think of bourbon you naturally think of Kentucky, but in fact they were making sour mash whiskey in Pennsylvania long before Kentucky was even settled. Michter's in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania, originally known as Bomberger's, was the oldest licensed distillery in America when it closed down for good in 1988. A prescient fellow named Adolph Hirsch bought up Michter's' cask aged reserves of its precious 16-year-old pot-stilled sour mash bourbon years ago and stored them in steel vats for preservation. Distilled in 1974 and labeled as A.H. Hirsch Reserve, what's left of the stock is now owned by importer Henry Preiss, who plans to sell it off in a final edition of 1,000 bottles. Each one will come numbered in a special mahogany humidor with a booklet on Michter's' history, two hand-blown glasses and a custom heavy metal tasting cork from France, and is expected to sell for $1,000 - $1,500 when it becomes available in the fall.

[via Men.Style]

Snow Queen, the organic vodka from Kazakhstan with a fantastical flair, is expanding its U.S. distribution following two big wins at the recent 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Snow Queen, which was awarded both Top Vodka honors as well as a Double Gold Medal at the event, has only been available in a handful of states since its introduction to the U.S. in 2006. It is now being sold in California for the first time as well as others and plans to be available nationwide by the end of the year.

Made with organic wheat and pure spring water from the foothills of the Himalayas, Kazakh birch charcoal is employed in the vodka's five time distillation process. That makes it one of the highest distilled vodkas on the market making for an enviable purity and smoothness in the finished product.

Just in case that isn't enough for some people, Snow Queen has also made a name for itself by throwing fancy parties featuring busty babes like Carmen Electra and its signature snow bunnies.