As we have seen in previous posts, vodka is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world, thanks in part to the ease with which you can combine it with soft drinks and use it as an ingredient in countless cocktails of all kinds, although originally the habit was to drink it single, as an accompaniment to any meal and to mitigate the cold prevailing in the countries of which is the autochthonous beverage (Russia, Baltic States and Central and Eastern Europe).

Each year, by the beginning of February I start to get "Mariacaipirinha" and "Magalenha", both of Carlinhos Brown, settled in my head. It is the spirit of carnival which is also the guilty of my fondness for the most exotic drinks like cachaça.

The samba, those streets flooded of colours, men with maracas in hand, women dressed in sequins bikinis with all kinds of accessories, such as Victoria's Secret but in its most rampant version. They are for sure the best promotion of Brazil and the Cachaça.

After the hangover of the Christmas holidays, when we toasted with sparkling wine as much as we could, as much as we were allowed and even a bit more, and now that the hideous January is about to be over, thanks God, it is time to start thinking about the next celebration: Valentine Day! With or without love it is the perfect masquerade to find new wines. I suggest that together we take a look on the most special sparkling wines to celebrate the most romantic day of the year (or so they say).

Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé: tops my list because it is smooth and silky, like the your darling's mane. I have also chosen it because it is pink, the color of those little hearts that adorn the post you will dedicate to your sweetheart with words of love in such date accompanying a bouquet of flowers.

If there is a drink which can unite all cultures and lands as you cannot even get to imagine, that's the aguardiente. For example, the plum liquor has an Asian ancestry, but it is also usually consumed in the Balkans and Central European countries.

It is quite interesting to notice the geographical distance between the two locations, but it seems that in the case of spirits that is a constant. For example, in the case of sugar cane spirit, you can find it made in Brazil, the French West Indies and in Mexico.

The wheat beer is unique since it is made partly with this cereal, in addition to the classic barley, basic ingredient of all beers. The proportion of wheat used can be very different, depending on the variety, and can range from 25 to 70%. Normally, all of them are usually served at low temperature (about 4 °) and in large and elongated glasses.

The presence of this grain gives to the resulting beverage different qualities from those of other beers, especially a characteristic aroma of freshly baked bread, a somewhat fruity taste, spicy notes and also smoothness due to its lower alcohol content-making it an ideal accompaniment for short or medium maturation cheeses, seafood, fish, chicken and overall dishes with not very strong taste. They usually also have a pale color, a hazy appearance, little bitterness, high carbonation and a dense and durable foam, although there are variations depending on its origin. Basically we find the following varieties:

Drinks and poetry have always been linked and people dare to say that it was alcohol that inspired some of the greatest poets and writers of all times. Alcohol may have an influence on creativity but for  sure what doesn't make Shakespeare and Co  fall into oblivion was their great talent.(or we want to believe that!) Anyway, as expected, also poets and writers had their preferences in drinking. Some of their favourite drinks became so famous that even now and in many cases after their death, we are ordering them in bars without remembering their history. 

Let's start with the excellent poet Robert Burns who developed a great passion for Scotch whisky during his short life. As a real Scot, he even dedicated the poem "The Author’s Earnest Cry and Prayer” to this drink while he was writing the book "Freedom and whisky gang thegither!”.

If you like liquors & creams, winter is your chance to drink them hot. This temperature difference, the absence of ice cubes and the feeling of warmth that they instantly bring you while drinking them...just delicious! You will get a new perspective on your favorite drink after this experience.

When I think of some kind of liquor which can be good to drink hot, two typical winter drinks come to my head rapidly: Glühwein (aka Gloegg or Glogg, depending on the country) and the Irish coffee. Both of them extremely good, I will focus more on the second as today we are talking about spirits and the first proposal is made from red wine (although you may also find it elaborated with white wine) to which different spices, sugar and lemon peel are added.