VEEV vodka is AWESOME! first of all, let’s discuss its uniqueness.

Made with the trendy super-fruit, the acai berry, VeeV is not certified organic itself, but since the fruit is essentially wild-crafted it is pretty darn organic. that awesome little berry Acai grows only in the Amazon rainforest and has 57% more antioxidants than pomegranate. sign me up, mix me a drink–i’ll have it for breakfast! so not only is VEEV good for you, but it’s also good for mother earth. VEEV takes impressive strides to give back to the environment from whence it came, with $1 from the sale of each bottle going towards green initiatives. VEEV is a carbon-neutral company, thanks to their wind-generated power, hybrid cars, and recycled paper packaging printed with soy ink from everything to the company’s business cards to cocktail napkins. also, their bottle is partially recycled – no word on whether that is POST-CONSUMER recycled or POST-INDUSTRIAL recycled. this makes all the difference in the world, as almost all glass produced is in some way recycled (post-industrial only).

VEEV is blended with exotic ingredients, such as prickly pear and acerola cherry, that lends it a subtle sweetness reminiscent of dark chocolate. it’s really, really, really good. so, don’t be a VODKABOT and go drinking REGULAR vodka… be a discerning, adventurous and philanthropic connoisseur–drink VEEV. not your ordinary vodka. oh, and if you’re unsure what a VODKABOT looks like, you can check one out at TheEndofVodka.com.

it’s that time of year again– the time of plenty, the reaping of nature’s bounty, the reward for your hard work… autumn harvest. there is such as vast wealth of produce available at this time of year that i find it’s simply not possible to keep up with it all. it’s a crime against nature and humanity when those beautiful plums go rotten, just because you were too full from peaches and raspberries to eat them. a crime it tell you, but fret no more! good ‘ole mom has the solution… and that solution is STEWED FRUIT.

when mom sees the contents of her fruit bowl sliding down the slippery slope of rottenness, she takes the whole lot and dumps them in a pot. she then adds some sugar, with a little bit of water to prevent the bottom from sticking, and simmers on low until what’s left is a big pile of wet lumpy fruit. trust me, this will taste much better than it sounds. after you finish stewing the fruit (20 minutes or so), strain (be sure to squeeze out all the valuable liquid), and add a splash of vodka as a preservative. store in fridge until you are ready to use. voila–no wasted bounty, and a fresh cocktail to boot!

while most but not all fruit falls under the dominion of delectable venus, the very nature of this cocktail is scorpion. taking something whose vital force is all but gone… and giving it an entirely new life in the form of a cocktail–well, that’s scorpio for you. the sign of life and death, and that of the greatest healer as well. like the phoenix rising from the ashes, scorpio will have your near rotten fruit smelling like roses and tasting like heaven. cheers to you all powerful scorpion.

STEWED FRUIT COCKTAIL:
1 cup stewed fruit juice (mom used plum)
3 oz fresh squeezed lemon
4 oz tequila
1 cup or so simple syrup* (sweeten to taste)

add all ingredients to small pitcher and stir. cool in fridge and serve straight up, or over ice if the mixture is very thick. (the ice will water it down). garnish with a piece of non-rotten fruit.

simple syrup is a mixture of equal parts sugar and water. no need to heat, simply stir, shake or agitate until dissolved and store in fridge.

THANKS TO KOCHTOPF HOSTING WEEKEND HERB BLOGGING.

i have honestly never tasted infused vodkas whose flavors were so intensely like the real thing. those brits got this infusion thing down pat…

you’d almost be hard pressed to differentiate the real espresso from THREE OLIVE’S TRIPLE SHOT ESPRESSO VODKA. it is that flavorful, and if you love the coffee the way i love coffee, then it is that delicious. if an espressotini is in the plan, so should be this vodka. wow. yummy. you could potentially even skip the chilled genuine espresso in a pinch and just serve this up with some simple syrup and cream for you woosies. anyway, this CAPRICORN approves of this capricornian flavored espresso vodka.

soldiering onto the next creation… THREE OLIVE’S ROOT BEER VODKA. and yes, it is certainly root beer. no mistaking this for coke, dr pepper, or what have you. this baby screams out, I AM ROOT BEER, HEAR ME ROAR!!! if you are a fan of this rather odd flavor, then hands down, you will be a fan of this vodka. it packs a punch. i’m not root beer’s biggest fan, but i’m thinking cream soda on the rocks with a shot of this savory stuff would be quite drinkable. did i mention that the notoriously odd sign of AQUARIUS rules root beer?

and last but not least… we have THREE OLIVE’S TOMATO VODKA. and yes, it certainly does taste just like LEO’s regal tomato. i love tomatoes, and i love bloody mary’s even more. not that you have to mix this bloody… you can always dress up your martini with some tomato flavoring. i certainly wouldn’t mind having a little extra tomato umph in my next brunch time bloody mary.

Approx $20 bottle… Visit THREEOLIVES.com

my dad is the king of ice cream sodas. his uncle was a soda jerk and operated his own parlor in new york city which served this now famous kaiser treat. upon hearing that i intended to post his recipe, with added alcohol, on my blog got my dad slightly irritated. there was no way in hell his daughter was going to bastardize his secret recipe by adding vodka. in fact, he refused to make me one if i did so. stubborn insane aquarius that he is, i knew he meant it. my illicit vodka had to be added in secret. i ran into my kitchen, and added the vodka to the finished product, which did get a little messy, stirring with all that whipped cream all ready on it. i therefore recommend adding the vodka in the initial stages, all though i have not actually tested how it effects the carbonation. somebody wouldn’t let me, but i highly suggest you do just that the next time you find yourself wanting to be a soda jerk. the vodka gave an extra kick to an all ready out of this world treat. in the same way that a brandied chocolate covered cherry beats the hell out of a regular one, so does this bevvie beat the hell out of dad’s old fashioned version. i’ll not drink a virgin ice cream soda again. sorry dad, oh and thanks for the recipe!

this obscenely decadent snack could only belong to one sign, and that is Sagittarius, the zodiacal hedon. savorer of the whole pint of ben and jerrys. drinker of the whole pitcher of frozen margaritas. eater of all the leftover birthday cake. polite acceptor of second helpings. Sagittarius knows no bounds and her generous below offering super cedes any level of decadence you think you may have known. taste this, and taste gluttony’s broken sin.

NAUGHTY ICE CREAM SODA
vanilla organic icecream
chocolate syrup
fresh organic whipped cream*
seltzer
cherry*
organic whole milk
oh, and vodka

NO COOL WHIP: make fresh whipped cream by adding 1 cup cream to mixing bowl and beating on high until stiff. add sugar to taste. be sure not to over-whip or you will have made butter! you can also beat by hand using a whisk.

CHERRIES: i don’t feel cadmium red dye #9. trader joe has some really great sour morello cherries, or i hear brandied cherries are easy to make. (ashamed to say i’ve not made them).

start with whole milk. of course organic is recommended as there is no RBGH3 growth hormone in it. better for the cows, and better for moo.

add chocolate syrup. dad says be sure that too much milk will flatten the carbonation so BE CAREFUL : )

stir very well with a long-handled spoon or bar spoon.

add more soda and stir again.

add yet MORE seltzer and stir again.

add 2-3 scoops of icecream. again, organic is best cuz there’s no RGBH3 growth hormone.

at this point things will start to get messy so be sure to have RECYCLED MARCAL napkins on hand!

perhaps a little too messy.

/> pop a cherry on that baby and enjoy!