I am a fan of cooking shows on TV. Well, not really cooking shows, but shows with cool chefs or great competitions. None of this EVO crap from Rachael Ray. Give me Bourdain’s No Reservations, Tom Colicchio’s Top Chef and of course Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen. Ramsey also has the show Kitchen Nightmares which I began watching a while back on the BBC, and it has surfaced now here in the states. Great fun to watch, and it currently is clogging up my TiVo with some brilliant TV.

This morning I ran across Little Gordon Ramsey. I know nothing about this kid, except that his take on Ramsey is spot on. Watch episode one, and then head over to YouTube for episodes two and three.

So I think it all started with Absolut New Orleans, this God forsaken mix of Mango and Pepper that caused me to to become an alcohol abuser and pour a perfectly good, no great, bloody mary down the sink. Well, it was perfect except for the Vodka. Having been to The Big Easy before the Dark Times, and hoping to return soon, I as so curious as to who over at Absolut thought this would be a good idea. Mangos and vodka? In heartbeat! Pepper and Vodka, and what ever else you can find EXCEPT Mango and its a Storyville Bloody Mary helping you shake off night before, or morning, or when ever you came to your senses.

Now Absolut, instead of firing the guy that put Mango and Pepper and Vodka together (I must admit, the label was cool) has struck again. Blueberry? Pomogranate? And what the fuck in an Acerola and what is it doing in my Vodka? Seriously, Absolut - you got this absolutely wrong.

This is Hollywood, land of dreams, baby! It’s Sunset Blvd, its KROQ, its that all night waffle house that I can’t remember the name of. It’s PINKS! for God sake. Its The Standard for starters, for the main its The Whiskey and for dessert you have a choice of the Body Shop or Chateau Marmont, or both, but it sure as hell isn’t blueberries.

Think Salty and Dirty. Think Hookers, Marlboro Reds and Marshall Amps that go to 11. Think exceptional Sunsets while driving west on Santa Monica Blvd. Think Brad and Angie, Kat Von D and Nikki Sixx, Paris and well, anyone.

My point is, and I do have a point, it that Absolut Los Angeles should have been left alone. Simple, perfect Vodka. It can be dirty with some olive juice in a chilled glass. It can be made into shots with some lime and triple sec and peach schnapps. It can be splashed with some tonic on the rocks or drank neat and tidy in a bucket.

After all, it’s the City of Dreams. and you should be able to have it any way you want. Adding blueberries sent it packing to the strip mall bars in Fresno and points east.

Slightly off the topic of wine, but heavy on my radar is Absinthe. As most of you know, I am huge cocktail fan, partly due to the 10+ years of tending bar (I was once a bar trainer for TGIF in their hey day), and partly because, well, I like cocktails. This summer has already seen many Mojitos, Tequila Gimlets, and as many varieties of drinks as there are glasses to put them in. The one thing I have yet to do this year is to dance with Le Fee Verte.

Absinthe has a very storied history There are some good accounts of it’s legend and lore all over the internets, but since we are talking about Flavorpill’s recipe, I’ll link you there. I also think they have a cool site, so visit early and visit often.

Flavorpill puts together a recipe that sounds quite tasty, and I am going to scout the liquor stores in Portland this weekend for a bottle of premium Absinthe to “field test”. If you are in the Portland area, I will be around Thur - Sun. Find me using @drinksomewine in Twitter. Made with

One part Le Tourment Vert Absinthe
Two parts Club soda
Fresh orange juice
Shake well and pour over ice
Garnish with an orange wedge

This cocktail is sure to please the palette, but what about the mind?

I received an email last night from B. Alex, the Master Distiller at Esmeralda Liquors in Spain, the makers of Obsello Absinthe. Although the product is yet to be available in the US, he was quite generous in providing me a few answers to my questions about the once banned product. He is trying to insure that the American consumers are educated about Absinthe, and in doing so he debunks some of the myth of the green fairy.

Here are two specific points he made that I thought are valuable insights.

What makes an absinthe authentic?
Real absinthe is distilled from the purportedly psychotropic wormwood
(artemesia absinthium) plant, green anise and fennel as well as any number
of additional herbs. After the first distillation process the product can
then be bottled and sold as a clear absinthe (Blanch absinthe) or it can be
colored by macerating additional herbs in the alcohol before bottling. A
high-quality green absinthe will come in a black bottle in order to preserve
the color from the harmful effects of sunlight. Absinthe is typically
bottled between 45% ­ 70% alcohol by volume. When watered down; three or
four parts water to one part absinthe, the clear beverage will turn to a
cloudy milky green.

What is an absinthe buzz and is it hallucinogenic?
At this point no official studies have been done on the effects of absinthe
vs the effects of ordinary liquor. However there is significant anecdotal
evidence that absinthe does induce a creative and alert feeling. Many of
the famous artists of 19th century France and Spain attributed their
creativity to the drink. Most consumers describe an alert intoxication or a
feeling of super awareness combined with the effects of the alcohol. It is
also purported to be an aphrodisiac.

Absinthe is not, and never was, a Hallucinogenic drug.

Have you flown with the Green Fairy? Do you have an absinthe I should try? Can you recommend a dish to order at Jake Famous in Portland, where the chick and I will be dining? I look forward to your comments below.

After not being involved in the win blog community for a couple of years, it was with some sadness that i came across this posting over at WBW.org. Wine Blog Wednesday is holding a logo design contest and retiring mine.

I designed the WBW logo, obviously taking inspiration from my own mark, and was very happy over the years to see is pop up on various web sites as the WBW community grew to now include as many as 50 bloggers each time posting about a predetermined wine “type”. This month’s WBW is inspired by the letter “S”.

[UDATED: it seems that the logo is still in use for the July's postings, and that although there was a semifinalist round of designs a few months ago, no decision has been made to change logos. There is life after all! woo hoo!]

I am involved in media, advertising, and blogging and am always looking at ways to connect with people and ideas. One of the ways we will explore here is the use of Twitter.

A few things to get this going in the right direction. Follow us on twitter. If you are unfamiliar with Twitter, its a micro-broadcasting platform that sends out “tweets” to a community of people that have chosen to follow your broadcasts. You can sign up for twitter here

Each time we post a new article, we will send a message out via twitter, which only allows 140 characters per message, so it will be a little tricky getting a good review in such small space. It also means we have to drop a lot of the bullshit that accompanies most wine reviews. We will work to keep it simple, and honest.

So PBS is shooting a new reality series in my backyard. Filming for the reality series “The WineMakers” will begin in Fall of 2006 in Paso Robles. The show will follow six future winemakers as they work for the chance to launch their own wine label. Cast for the show start February 1st in Atlanta at the Fox Theater. Casting calls will also take place in Dallas, Austin, NYC, SF, Boston, Chicago,Miami D.C. and LA.

If you are interested in becoming a candidate contact Doc City Productions at casting@doccitytv.com

Over at Vinography, and inspired by similar posts from a variety of wine bloggers, the question came up regarding just who is your wine critic. We have moved from the age of information to the age of recommendation. There is just too much data out there to sift though. So we look to our network of friends and colleagues, and critics, and bloggers to help us make sense of all the choices. I thought that in order to understand my recommendations a little better, you should know me a little better.

So here is a list of things I think you should know.

• I was born in the Year of the Dragon, the Month of the Bull and the day after payday. May 16, 1964.
• I love my wife very, very much.
• I have been a waiter, a bartender, a designer, a DJ, a strategist. I have worked in the hospitality industry or the internet industry for most of my life.
• I love music, especially the kind that makes you want to sing out loud in the car even while you are taking clients to dinner.
• If I were a wine I think I would be a Barbera.
• I play the Lotto. Every week.
• I have lived in NYC, LA, SF, and a few places in between. Grover Beach is my home now.
• I use a 15” PowerBook to do my work with and am a fan of all most things Apple.
• I once saw Johnny Cash in concert. In Reno.
• I know my way around a kitchen as well as I know my way around a speedrack and cocktail shaker.
• I have 5 tattoos and plan on getting more. A full sleeve Dragon is next.
• I took courses with Ann Noble at UC Davis.
• I smoked a cigarette once with Paulina Periskova in the Village in the 80’s.
• I like to read magazines more than books.
• I believe in God, long legs, Rock and Roll, forgiveness. In that order.
• My favorite movie is High Fidelity.
• I drink wine because I really enjoy it. But nothing beats a great tequila.
• The older I get the more I respect my father for the things he set aside to raise his 5 sons.
• Karaoke is cool