Dubstep Is Now Officially Soundtracking a Southern Comfort TV Commercial

By Ian S. Port

From http://blogs.sfweekly.com/

You're a wild type. A rebel. The kind of person who likes life a little spicier. The kind of person who wants a flash of Tabasco™ lighting up your shot of Southern Comfort™. Like a fling between liquor and pepper sauce, you're a radical -- you probably even listen to that dubstep music.


​

Er, sorry, fans of bowel-shuddering wobble, but your favorite sound has just become a hipness signifier for the desperately uncool. Showing up in songs by Britney Spears and Maroon 5 probably told us dubstep was on its way here (along with brostep's ubiquity and Skrillex on the cover of SPIN, among many other signposts). But at least Skrillex looks a little scary, and -- real talk -- "Hold It Against Me" isn't so bad. Much worse, at least if you're dismayed by the distance dubstep has come from its gritty south London roots, is the gutbomb of subterranean rumble now bringing a Southern Comfort TV spot to its climax. Witness:






The track is an instrumental version of Crush Effect's "Burn it Down," featuring Vokab Company (here's the original), but does it really matter? Capitalist America found one of the darkest, most uncompromising movements in recent music, got it drunk on sweetened booze and watery hot sauce in a New Orleans bar, and is now fucking it senselessly for as much cool juice as possible. The worst part is that it's brilliant -- SoCo was a preferred slurp of the rubgy-shirt-and-golf-visor set where we went to school, and aren't those same dudes right now torturing their dorm-mates with Rusko?

Dubstep purists, we know you are dismayed, but deal with it. The best underground movements are only hot stars being inevitably pulled into the black hole of commercial usefulness at the center of the musical galaxy. But it probably didn't help that Burial titled one of his tracks "Southern Comfort."

The 10 Craziest Liquor Bottles

From: http://www.complex.com/
By Jian DeLeon

Milagro Tequila

Milagro celebrates the origins of tequila (the noble agave plant) in their premium hand blown bottles. These bottles house the brand's trio of Barrel Reserve offerings.

Remy Martin Cognac Louis XIII

Old world French luxury is the spirit of this bottle from Remy Martin. This cognac hits at around $500, so logically the bottle are appropriately opulent.

Medea Vodka

What's wild about this bottle? How about the fact that you can broadcast your favorite phrase (or ladies birthday, or whatever) via the LED screen? Medea claims it is the first interactive bottle. We can't think of any others.

Crystal Head Vodka

Crystal Head Voda is crazy for two reasons. 1. The skull bottle. 2. It is owned by Dan Aykroyd.

Jazz Vodka

Nothing wrong with literal design. Jazz Vodka, which comes from Poland, employs a trumpet shaped bottle. Fittingly, the brand debuted at the 1991 International Jazz Fest. Smooth.

Armenian Brandy

This brand has served up some really insane bottles over the years — dragons, bulls, ships, etc. The sword is the craziest. Brandish this at a party and be guarenteed some degree of drunken knighthood.

Tommy Guns

Again, literal design never hurt anyone. Tommy Guns works with a 1920s era gangsta feel (think Al Capone) and pushes that with its eyecatching bottle.

Hijos De Villa Pistol Reposado Tequila

Wild inappropriate or awesome? The brand claims this limited bottle represents the courage of the revolutionary era (and it was released on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution).

Kalashnikov Vodka

Two legendary Russian inventions combined in a single product. Bang! 

Brew Dog The End of History

Scotland's Brew Dog takes no shorts when crafting inventive drinks. Their "The End of History" was a limited edition 55% abv (CRAZE!) brew presented in bottles housed in road kill. The bottles were limited to just 11.

World's 50 best beach bars

Drink in hand, toes in sand: These classic beach bars do it better than anyone 

 

Anyone can stick up a shack on the sand, stock it with beers and call it a beach bar.
But what makes a great beach bar?

It could be the sand-in-your-toes factor, or the washing and hissing of the waves nearby, or the sunsets or the people you meet.

But the truth is there’s no formula, no magic ingredients that will guarantee a place in a list of the world’s best beach bars. 

We’ve included spots that range from the chic and the elite with smooth lines and mesmerizing cocktail waiters, to the haphazard, thrown-together shacks constructed from scavenged driftwood.

The only thing these places have in common is that once you’ve been, you inevitably start planning to get back there someday, somehow.

We know this list won't hit all the great beach bars around the world, so let us know -- which beach bars did we miss? Leave a comment.

50. La Plancha, Bali, Indonesia

Kind of like a teen's dorm room, with less booze.

How did a simple beach shack beat out ultra luxe bars such as KU DÉ TA and Potatohead? By keeping it real. La Plancha’s laid-back reggae beats, ice-cold beers, oversized bean bags and jugs of potent sangria have made it the spot to be from 4 p.m. every day.
Surfers use the spot as a strip-down, wax-on spot before catching the last waves of the day. But La Plancha’s biggest draw is the sunset.
An uninterrupted view of the changing pink-to-red-to-orange sky will have you seriously considering retiring here, even though you’re only 28 and broke.
Double Six Beach, Bali; +62 0361 890 0000; www.laplanchabali.com. 

49. Nikki Beach, Miami, United States

Reservations and good-lookers only.

This cool club with a rep for its strict door policy -- be irresistibly beautiful or don't turn up without a reservation -– didn’t invent the beach bar, but it did reinvent the genre for a generation who may never have felt the sand between their manicured toes. St. Trop-style chill joint by day, with raised “opium beds” and linen-covered loungers, it turns into an alfresco nightclub after dark, when international DJs man the decks at weekends.
There are now Nikkis from Koh Samui to Cabo San Lucas -- not to mention the desert resorts of Las Vegas and Marrakech, where Nikki has created a modern-day mirage.
1 Ocean Drive, South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, United States; www.nikkibeachmiami.com

48. Tortilla Flats, Dominical, Costa Rica

Rustic, cluttered, perfect.

This long-standing beach hut is a surfer hotel, seaside restaurant and happening night spot all rolled into one. The two-story establishment is located right on the sand in the laid-back surf town of Dominical. During the day, the crowds (mostly comprising dripping wet surfers) flock to Tortilla Flats for the surprisingly good food.
As the day winds down, you can grab a drink from the well-stocked bar and watch the waves roll in against the sunset.
Tortilla Flats, Playa Dominical, Dominical, Costa Rica; +506 2787 0033; www.tortillaflatsdominical.com
Also on CNNGo: 30 of the world's best hotel bars

47. Pelican Bar, Jakes Treasure Beach, Jamaica

One drinking session you can never claim to have forgotten.

When a place claims to have “the best cocktails in the sea” it’s easier to be cynical. But Pelican Bar really could have the best, because it really is in the sea.Part of the Jakes Treasure Beach resort, the Pelican is built out on a shoal requiring a short boat ride for a visit.
No Internet, no TVs, no pool tables -- just thatched roof, seats and booze. No wonder it’s considered by fans to be the single best beach bar in the Caribbean.
Calabash Bay, Jakes Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, W.I.; www.jakeshotel.com

46. Purobeach, Mallorca, Spain

A beach bar for the aesthetically minded.

If, upon setting foot in Mallorca's Purobeach, you feel as if you've stepped into a design magazine, you're exactly right. The gorgeous beachfront property, run by Swedish entrepreneur Mats Wahlström, has been featured in countless fashionable glossies.This no doubt accounts for its popularity among the international jet set.
At Purobeach beautiful bodies lie perennially on white loungers, sipping passion fruit mojitos under the shade of white beach umbrellas and potted palms.
During the day, Purobeach offers spa and yoga sessions to its designer swimwear-clad patrons. Come nightfall, clubbers gather around the large pool to dance to tunes from Wahlström's music label.
Montenegro, 12 Palma, Mallorca, Spain; +34 971 425 450; www.purobeach.com

45. Tamboo Tavern, Rincon, Puerto Rico

Sometimes beaches are better at night.

Imagine a bar where you spend lunch time bathing on the sands and drinking pina coladas, the afternoons watching old black and white movies in a cozy corner and the evenings listening to live Latino music while humpback whales break the ocean surface in front of the glowing sun. It's not a dream -- this place exists on the idyllic coastline of Puerto Rico. It's chilled out, but lively, it's popular but roomy. If you're planning a visit to the Caribbean, make sure you visit.
Open from noon. Sandy Beach Road, 413 Interior, Puntas, Rincon, Puerto Rico; +787 823 8550; www.besidethepointe.com
Also on CNNGo: World's 50 most delicious foods

44. Cary Arms, Babbacombe, England

It's England; the beach umbrellas are in case it rains.

Now into its third summer as a posh people's gastropub, the once-derelict Cary Arms is like a little glimpse of English heaven -- as long as the sun’s shining. One part traditional British watering-hole with beamed ceiling and stone fireplace, non-diners can settle into a pint of Otters Ale or Bays Gold among the specialty beers.
For the hungry there's lobster and chips, the best crab sandwiches in Devon, all manner of gourmet fish dishes and the county's famous Devon cream teas. Chill to a view of the coastline in one of the Adirondack chairs on the terrace, or move fast to grab a lunch table in the high-perched pergola known as the Captain's Table.
Beach Road, Babbacombe, Devon, England; www.caryarms.co.uk

43. Catch Beach Club, Phuket, Thailand

The world's most purple bar?

The Thai resort's most fashionable beach bar is particularly popular on Friday night, when lamb and tuna hit the spit along with oysters and other seafood. There's more barbecue action on Tuesdays, and drinks are a draw every night of the week, with signature cocktails including a Sly Thai and My Thai.
While reports of the cuisine are mixed, the beachfront ambiance and live music are universally acclaimed; get there early to bag one of the day beds close to the water's edge.
Twin Palms Hotel, Surin Beach Road, Cherng Talay, Surin Beach, Phuket, Thailand; catchbeachclub.com/index.html

42. Nammos beach club, Bali, Indonesia

A private inclinator -- to get rid of those who can't walk home afterward.

Kudos for effort -- this lively watering hole aims to recreate the ambiance of a Greek island, despite being based on a bamboo platform with a roof of indigenous grass. The only access to its home on a tranquil turquoise lagoon fringed with white sand is via a private inclinator, which transports guests up and down 100 meters of sheer limestone cliff.
While the beach is the star by day (not to mention the waiters who dive into the lagoon to collect a lunch of locally farmed seafood to order), by night the bar turns on the romance with Champagne and cold beer to lubricate the prawns and lobster.
Karma Kandara Resort, Jalan Wijaya Kusuma, Bali, Indonesia; www.karmakandara.com
Also on CNNGo: Shanghai's 6 best new cocktail bars

41. Tanjong Beach Club, Singapore

A gritty piece of fun. Who called this island sterile?

This hideout on the sands does its best to recreate a relaxed beach attitude on the outskirts of the uptight city-state. It came into existence thanks to a pair of not-so-uptight Aussie brothers who saw the sands of Sentosa as the perfect environment for seafood platters, tropical cocktails and good healthy fun like beach volleyball.
120 Tanjong Beach Walk, Sentosa, Singapore; www.tanjongbeachclub.com

Click here for the Full list : http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/drink/worlds-50-best-beach-bars-709433http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/drink/worlds-50-best-beach-bars-709433

Molson Coors Knows What Women Want — Pink Beer

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Written by Christie Thompson, a blogger for Ms. Magazine

It seems ad execs at Molson Coors were looking for a new way to alienate include women. With only 17 percent of Molson Coors’ sales coming from women, company heads knew they had to do something.
But instead of, say, rethinking their exclusively male-targeted ad campaigns for Coors Light (for example), they’ve found a simpler solution: red food coloring. In London this fall, Molson Coors is launching Animée Beer , a new product aimed at that elusive woman beer customer. It’s pink! Problem solved.

In essence, Molson Coors has kept the doors locked on its “no-girls-allowed” beer clubhouse, but poked its head out to say, “Hey look! We set up a crappy flowered tent next door. You guys can hang out there.”

Jeremy Brooks via flickr

The new “beer” comes in three different flavors, clear filtered, crisp rose, and zesty lemon. Molson Coors understands that women would never be interested in drinking beer that tastes like beer. We only drink chardonnay and wine coolers. Guardian columnist Melissa Cole, who taste-tested Animee, writes, “If anyone can identify anything even approaching a normal beer flavour in any of these drinks I’ll eat my hat.”
Product development heads at Molson also know the best way to market to women is to make us self-conscious about our bodies. So their new brew is low-cal and “bloat-resistant.” (What this pseudo-scientific advertising claim actually means is unclear.)

The irony is that for a moment there, it seemed Molson had actually caught onto the fact that they (along with most other beer companies) have been alienating women for decades. A woman spokesperson for the brewery said:

One of the things we need to recognize in the industry is that we’ve effectively ignored 50 percent of the population for many years. There’s something fundamentally wrong with the relationship women have with beer.

If Molson Coors needed help rectifying this, instead of pinkwashing their product, they could have looked at recent marketing survey findings. The number one reason women said they don’t buy beer is because they’re put off by the “inherent sexism in [its] advertising and marketing.” Surprisingly, “beer is an ugly shade of yellow-brown” was nowhere to be found on the list of women’s hangups.

So while Molson Coors claims to have seen the light, this recent product launch proves they’re still as clueless as ever. All I want to know is: Was everyone at Molson Coors drunk when they thought up this latest scheme?

This post was originally published by Ms. Magazine.

Whoops! $1 million worth of wine spilled

From: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/

More than 5,000 bottles of Australian wine won't be in glasses after a forklift accident Thursday.

A malfunctioning forklift dropped 462 cases of wine in Australia on Thursday, a spill with a price tag of more than $1 million.

The 5,544 bottles of 2010 Mollydooker Velvet Glove shiraz, with a price tag of $185 a bottle,  fell almost 20 feet to ground of a wharf in Port Adelaide as the forklift was loading it for shipment abroad, according to media reports.

"We just couldn't believe it," winemaker Sparky Marquis said in a report on Adelaide Now. "As you can imagine, this wine is our pride and joy. To see it accidentally destroyed, and not consumed, has left us all a bit numb.

"The container manager said that when his team came and told him what had happened, he was looking around for cameras to see if it was a 'gotcha' hoax. He realised it was serious when nobody was laughing," Adelaide Now quotes Marquis as saying.

Marquis told ABC.net that only one carton among the 462 was undamaged. His staff was searching through the others to see if any other bottles may have escaped.

"All of the bottles are in the cool store and we're just having to go through every single bottle, check it first of all to see if it has any cap seal damage to it, in which case it just gets immediately discarded," ABC.net quotes him as saying.

The lost wine represents a third of his company's output for a year.

Brett McCarthur of Kerry Logistics, the company which operated the forklift, told Adelaide Now his company moves tens of thousands of heavy containers each year.

"We move hundreds of pallets a day filled with sand and even stuff that it wouldn't matter if you dropped it from 50 feet in the air, but the only premium container had to be the one," McCarthur was quoted as saying.
Marquis said he was working with insurers to get compensated for his loss.

Italy: A Colorful Land of Wine

From: http://www.visualnews.com/

Vinophiles: whether your favorite Italian type is a crisp classic Chianti or a young sparkling Lambrusco, you’ll find it on Antoine Corbineau’s tasty poster ‘Incomparabili Vini Italiani.’ The map charts everything from the countries varietals, regions and types into a playful and colorful format that would make almost anyone thirsty. The illustration was created for his ongoing project with Italian production and distribution group Carniato Europe.

Via: creativeroots.org

The World According To An Alcoholic

Click To Enlarge

7 Most Potent Alcoholic Beverages And Where They Originated

From: http://www.thisblogrules.com/

So this goes guy goes up to the bar, slams his fist down on the counter top and says in a gruff tone “give the strongest shit you got…and make it double!!”. We’ve all seen this scene played out in movies but have you ever thought “the strongest shit you’ve got” is really a very relative statement and would really depend on where in the world “this bar” is located? Every country, state, region or culture has their own favorite “mother of all cures” or most potent alcoholic beverage of choice to drown ones sorrows, bond over, party with, have a meaningless conversation over and then develop a hangover with the next morning. What you get at the local bar or liquor store as the most alcoholic or potent drink poured up for you depends on where you are.

Here are some of the most potent alcoholic beverages of choice around the globe:

Poitin From Ireland

Those who have been brave enough to try and down this potent home-distiled, once illegal grain alcohol drink have stories about feeling their throat set on fire or feeling like they swallowed a fire-breathing dragon. Listed as having an alcohol content of 60% to 90% this could easily be considered one of the world’s most alcoholic beverages by far! Commonly refereed to as Irish Moonshine, this drink distilled from potatoes, malted barley, sugar and yeast this ancient version of the drink is still considered illegal for the most part with only two distilleries in Ireland still legally allowed to produce it. Available with alcohol contents ranging from 40% to 90% ABV, Poitin is the closest you can get to having something so alcoholic it’s almost clinical grade.

Spirytus Vodka From Poland

In the world of spirits (not the ghosts and ghouls one) Vodka is regarded as perhaps one of the strongest alcoholic beverages for those looking for something serious. In fact if you find yourself in a bar in Russia, Ukraine or Poland, you’ll find Vodka on your table. Ask for anything else and you’ll find eyebrows going up. If your drinking in this part of the globe, you’re drinking vodka and there will be no two ways about that. Surprisingly the purest distilled Vodka with the most mind boggling alcohol content by volume is made in Poland. The Spirytus brand Vodka sports a label which says it contains…now brace yourself….95% ABV!!! Rumor has it this kind of stuff needs to be handled very carefully and responsibly since the human body doesn’t do very well with these kind of levels. Risks include going blind (if you drink straight up) and a host of other….side effects. It’s almost strange it doesn’t come with a nuclear label or something more befitting. It comes in a simple plain bottle but don’t let that fool anyone.

Everclear 190 From The United States

That’s right! Just when you thought nothing as insanely alcoholic as the drinks above could ever be legally sold let alone manufactured in the USA…we present Everclear neutral grain alcohol. Although not among the most readily available off-the-shelf drink, Everclear comes in two flavors (strictly speaking the drink itself is flavorless and neutral) the 151 proof which has 75.5% alcohol by volume and then the meaner 190 proof which has 95% alcohol by volume. Needless the say the 190 version is banned in several states across the US where the 151 is still available but that won’t stop us from tooting our horns about distilling some of the most potent hard liquors in the world! If you’re in one of the states where it’s legally available and go up to a bar asking for the strongest stuff they’ve got…be prepared for a bottle of Everclear coming your way.

River Antoine Royal Grenadian Run From Grenada

Rums are one of those drinks you take seriously and know pack a serious punch (no pun intended) with alcohol contents hovering near 40% ABV. That is till you’ve been to Grenada and sampled their local “firewater” rum. The River Antoine Rum Distillery has seen more than it’s share of tourists being on the tour map of everyone there and why not? They make one of the meanest brands of rum you’ll ever find anywhere. Supposedly, what they offer tourists is a sugarcane based rum with up to 75% ABV!!! However, the have the 69% bottles which tourists can take home because the 75% one is just so inflammable, the airlines won’t allow it. Rumor has it among circles that the locals get another version of the rum sold exclusively to them which goes way beyond the 75%ABV mark. Now that world make a lethal rum punch!

Bruichladdich X4 Perilous Scotch Whiskey From Scotland

If it’s Scotland….it’s Scotch Whiskey ….enough said! This however isn’t your everyday 40% ABV Scotch, Whiskey or single malt. This is the result of a record breaking attempt by a Scottish distillery to distill a single malt whiskey four times to come up with a finished product that will have 92% alcohol by volume. With just 5000 bottles produced and left to age for 10 years in oak casks, this is perhaps not going to be served up at every bar and more of a prized possession among Scotch lovers. Nevertheless, it makes our list of most potent beverages and rightly so!

Ouzo & Raki From Greece & Turkey

Raki, the national drink in Turkey is loosely translated as lion’s milk (milk for the brave) owing to the milky color the otherwise clear liquid takes on when you dilute it with water. When that’s a how a drink gets it’s name …you know you’re dealing with some serious stuff and the scores of tourists will tell you about their hangovers following a night out on the town in Turkey. With a distinct aniseed flavor similar to Absinthe, most popular brands of Turkish Raki are sold with an ABV of about 45% and going by our list so far, that may not seem a lot. However, the process of making Raki distills the alcohol all the way up to about 94% and then moderates the “lion’s milk” to sell-able proportions before it gets to the stores. Ouzo which is traditional in Greece and Cyprus also starts of with 96% alcohol then added to flavorings of anise seed, star anise, cinnamon and other spice flavorings. While Ouzo is also mostly sold at a 40% alcohol content level, both these drinks are not for the faint hearted.

Care to share something else that should make it to this bar menu of throat scorchers?

Drunken Dunkin' Donuts! Five Great Donut and Alcohol Combos

By Robin Wheeler
From blogs.riverfronttimes.com

It's a positively Homer Simpsonian concept with a Mr. Burns execution. Chef Zac Young of Flex Mussels in New York City and Top Chef: Just Desserts has been injecting doughnut holes with upscale booze. Of course, it's a hit. How could it not be? It's doughnuts and alcohol! But not everyone can afford handmade doughnuts infused with Maker's Mark and caramel. Or the trip to New York to buy them.

So why not visit your nearest Dunkin' Donuts, then pop by your local supermarket's liquor aisle and make your own?


Apple Crumb Donutini

You know the problem with apple-crumb doughnuts? Very little apple flavor, too many crumbs. Boost the apple to eXXXtreme and dam down the crumbs with Sour Apple Pucker and voilà -- Apple Crumb Donutini!

Bavarian JägerKreme

That "kreme" tends to congeal on the tongue, clammy and flavorless. What better way to honor this pastry's German roots than with an injection of Jägermeister? It's the perfect brunch for college bros everywhere!

Jell-Y Shot

Until Dunkin' Donuts devises a way to put actual Jell-O in a doughnut, injecting Everclear into this pastry is as close as we'll get to a doughnut Jell-O shot.

Hpno-Cruller

For something that bears a French name, these babies suffer from some serious ennui in the style department. Where's the joie de vivre? The je ne sais quoi? A soak in blue-tinted will make it runway-ready in no time!

Old-Fashioned Cake Donut

Old-Fashioned Donut, old-fashioned cocktail! Soak the dry pastry in McCormick whiskey, add a dash of bitters and a twist of lemon. It's a Don Draper Donut!