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The Best Part of Waking Up: RumChata Iced Coffee

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Rumchata Iced Coffee

 

Rumchata Iced Coffee

The Best Part of Waking Up: RumChata Iced Coffee

But First Coffee…

You’ve probably seen or heard this phrase before; on Instagram, on a hanging sign somewhere, or even at Target on a woman’s tank tee. “But First, Coffee” is kind of a lifestyle for us right now. I’m a creature of habit, it’s my morning, midday, and typically late afternoon ritual to have a cup. Don’t judge me though and to be fair, I work 60+ hours a week AND am halfway through finishing my master’s degree right now, so I think three sessions a day is excusable at the moment, mmk?

Now I’ll probably get hate mail for this, but I’ve NEVER been a fan of hot coffee. Keep in mind I live in Florida where we only have two seasons: Summer  and  Summer-lite. So it’s a bit of an overkill to have three hot cups a day when the thermometer shows it’s half passed hell by 9 am every day. So, I’ve grown to love Iced coffee. No, like seriously, to the point of obsession. And I’m not the only one, have you seen how popular cold brew has become at your local coffee shop? Check out the refrigerated coffee section at your grocery store too. I’m glad everyone’s finally coming over to the dark side because now I have SO many choices to choose from when I don’t feel like making it myself at home.

Here’s my little secret though: On the weekends (or, you know, Mondays), I like to add a little pick me up into my iced coffee in the form of some booze. Think of it like a special creamer, but better. Is it coffee? Is it a cocktail? It’s both! Try it at you next weekend party, and if you’re a brunch regular, try swapping out that Bloody Mary or mimosa with this. I’ve tried a few different versions over the years but last week I fell in love with one and decided I just HAD to share with everyone.

RumChata Iced Coffee!

Rumchata Iced Coffee

If you’re not familiar with RumChata, we’ll catch you up. RumChata is a cream based liqueur that’s based on Horchata, a popular summer drink enjoyed throughout Spain, Latin America, and many other Spanish speaking countries. They blend a delicious five-time distilled Caribbean rum with a premium Wisconsin dairy cream and then add in their own special mix of spices to give it the finishing touch. It’s light, sweet, creamy, and boozy. It’s pretty much the greatest coffee creamer ever.

Rumchata Iced Coffee

So right now, we’re obsessed with RumChata Iced Coffees and we’ve whipped together what we think is the perfect recipe for you to try at home. It’s not just great tasting, it’s super simple. If you’re brunching, or at a party, you don’t want to spend too much time playing with a bunch of messy ingredients, so this simple 3-ingredient cocktail (4 if you include ice!) is so refreshing and so simple that you might have to pace yourself.

RumChata Iced Coffee 

  • 4 oz Sweetened or Unsweetened Coffee (We prefer unsweet)
  • 2 oz RumChata
  • 1 oz Hazelnut Liqueur

Directions: Start with a tall glass filled with ice. Next, pour in your chilled coffee followed by your hazelnut liqueur. Lastly, top off your beverage with the RumChata. For a totally Instagram-worthy photo, pour the RumChata slowly and watch it trickle down the drink. Your Starbucks baristas aren’t the only ones with skills. Now sit back relax and enjoy!

Rumchata Iced Cofee

For more information on RumChata, including recipes and where you can grab a bottle, visit their website HERE or follow them on FACEBOOK.

Disclaimer: RumChata sample provided courtesy of the brand, opinions are 100% mine.

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Reviews

Review: Hornitos Black Barrel – The Tequila for Whiskey Drinkers

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Hornitos Black Barrel

Hornitos Black Barrel

Review: Hornitos Black Barrel – The Tequila for Whiskey Drinkers

I‘m not exactly sure why we equate tequila and Summer together, it’s a year round spirit in my house, but I guess it’s not for everyone. The tequila producers definitely know when their peak months are though, and I suppose that’s how a bottle of Hornitos Black Barrel tequila ended up on my desk. If you haven’t heard of it, turn on the tv, Hornitos has been pumping some serious money into advertising, especially during sports like the NBA playoffs. I’ll admit I’ve seen it several times and never really gave it a thought. Here’s why:

A) Every year, some brand goes “Black”. They promise bolder flavors, slap a new packaging on it, and bam: another ordinary spirit trying to be something it isn’t. 

B) We’ve had a lot of “hybrid” spirits and haven’t been that impressed by many. The Gin aged in american oak barrels was pretty good. Even the premium vodka that was aged like a cognac was good, but that’s a short list. The list of one’s that didn’t get it right is much longer.

That’s not to say that my mind is made up, but I just haven’t gone out of my way to try another one. Thankfully our partners at Hornitos thought I should try Black Barrel and see if I couldn’t be persuaded. So what do you get when you take an 100% agave tequila and age it like a bourbon? Apparently you get a tequila that wins a lot of awards.

First Impression: As previously mentioned, with the “Black” label comes a common theme, a sleek and bold bottle that screams “powerful”. The tequila itself has a rich brown amber color but the aroma might win you over before you even get a taste. It’s spicy with notes of vanilla, oak, agave which is a pretty tempting combination. To someone who doesn’t drink nearly as much as I do, you might mistake this for a whiskey if you were smelling with your eyes closed.

Tasting Notes: This is a hybrid in every sense of the word. There’s no mistaking the fact this is a tequila, it’s got a great agave taste to it, but to add to that is the blend of caramel, oak, vanilla and spice from it’s aging. The agave actually does a great job in balancing the spiciness. There’s a bit of an after taste that lingers but overall the finish is very smooth. That’s important because if you ask most people that don’t like tequila why don’t they like it, they’ll usually say the burn at the end. This is a great way to bring a whiskey fan over to the other side.

Price: The suggested retail is around $29.99 [750/ml], that’s pretty good for what you’re getting, and considering it’s Summer you’ll likely find it on some great sales for even cheaper.

Grade: B

Final Word: For fans of whiskey and tequila, this is a must buy, for fans of Whiskey that are turned off by some of the common traits associated with tequila this is a “must try”. And for fans of traditional tequila this may or may not be for you. The barrel aging process makes a huge difference and it clearly takes off some of the edge. American Whiskey is insanely popular right now and that’s why every brand and spirit wants a piece of the pie. Hornitos Black Barrel might be the perfect tequila to persuade a few (or few thousand) whiskey fans to cross over. It’s got a great flavor where both the oak barrels and the agave are clearly present and a smooth finish. Combine that with a pretty attractive price and I think you’ve got a good product that I’d easily suggest any drinker try this Summer.

For mor information on Hornitos Black Barrel including where you can buy it, visit them at www.hornitostequila.com or check out their Facebook.

 

 

 

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Jack Daniels Winter Jack Review

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Jack Daniels Winter JackJack Daniels Winter Jack Review

H ow’s Winter treating you? We’re a bit spoiled down here in Florida, but we made the trek up to DC for MLK week and got slapped in the face with 18 and 19 degree temperatures with windchill that brought it down to -2 and 0. Ouch. Took me back though to the 18 years I lived in Chicago. Thankfully some warm clothes and a warm glass of whiskey gets the job done. This week we’re opening a bottle of Jack Daniels Winter Jack, a winter seasonal blend of apple cider liqueur and Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey. It comes out every October and then is usually gone by February. If you haven’t noticed, we’re big fans of JD around here. Tennessee Honey is a Summer favorite and even goes great in egg nog around the holidays. Jack Fire Cinnamon Whiskey makes for a hell of a party starter (shots anyone?) and classic Jack Daniels always makes sense to keep in your liquor cabinet.

We’ve partnered up with Jack Daniels plenty in the past and they were kind enough to reach out to us for a chance to try Winter Jack. We’ve never had it, but it’s been staring us down at the liquor store for a few years now.

First Impression: Classic JD packaging with a winter makeover in the graphics department. You can’t miss it and probably shouldn’t.

Tasting Notes: Be careful, the aroma alone makes you wonder if there’s even any alcohol in there. It’s like a freshly made batch of apple cider, definitely dangerous around my household. We tried it at room temperature, and then over ice but the real winner here is when it’s served warm as the bottle suggests. Once it’s heated we REALLY got the feeling we were in a log cabin somewhere in the middle of nowhere on a Winters night. The apple aroma is already strong but intensifies when warmed and you notice the cinnamon and orange citrus notes pretty clearly. The taste reminds me of an apple pie. Who doesn’t like apple pie? It’s just not American if you don’t. This winter seasonal is about as smooth and easy to drink as it gets and a lot of that has to do with it being much more of a liqueur with whiskey than a flavored whiskey itself. At only 15% abv (30 Proof) it’s nothing too crazy but it’s very sip-able so it can creep up on you.

Price: $16.99 [15% ABV / 30 Proof / 750 ML]

Grade: B

Final Word: So you’re either gonna love this or hate this. If you’re really into whiskey and try this one with the idea that it is one, you’ll be a bit upset. It’s definitely tasty, sweet in all the right places, and goes down easy but it’s more a 2nd cousin of whiskey, it’s a liquor with whiskey added to it. I like it, it tastes just like an adult version of apple cider and this time of year it needs to stay in stock. We’ll be picking up a couple more bottles for the season before they sell out.

For more information on Jack Daniels Winter Jack including where you can purchase a bottle, visit them at www.JackDaniels.com or check them out on Facebook. Interested in trying their other flavors? Check out our review of Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey and Jack Daniels Tennessee Firefrom last year!

Disclaimer: We received a bottle of Jack Daniels Winter Jack courtesy of the brand for this review. It does not alter out opinions of the product in any way.

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News

Devotion Vodka and Uber Team Up: Don’t Drink and Drive

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DevotionVodka

Ok, i’ll be up front in admitting I’ve NEVER had Devotion vodka. I’ve heard of it, I’ve seen it on the shelf, but nothing about its price or bottle made me want to devote any of my time to it. See what I did there? But my ears did perk up a bit when I came across news that Devotion Vodka and Uber, aka every cab companies worst nightmare, were teaming up this Summer to help you make a MUCH better choice which is to not Drink and Drive.

During this Summer, first time users of UBER can actually visit DevotionVodka.com for a promotional offer code that will earn them a free Uber ride in an effort to stop people from drinking and driving. How cool is that? Now, I should mention that there is a limit on the cost of the ride. It’s worth up to $30 which depending on what city you’re in, and how far you decided to go to get your drink on, may or may not do the trick. Chicago, NY, LA might need to dish out some of their own cash with that, but here in Florida that should be plenty. Either way I think it’s an awesome idea on both Uber and Devotions part, which is always good when you’re trying to get your brand out there and noticed. I noticed and now I’ll pay it forward and let my readers know.

After digging around a bit more I actually found out Devotion might be worth a sip for the health conscious folks out there, it’s sugar-free AND gluten-free. They even list nutritional info on their Facebook page: Calories 105, Sugar 0g, Carbs 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 0 mg. That’s pretty awesome when you consider most brands are fighting the FDA RIGHT NOW to NOT have to reveal their nutrition.  It’s also 100% made in the US so the “buy local” folks should love that as well. You can find it in most grocery chains for around $19.99 so I’d suggest giving it a try. Next time we’re at the store we’ll be picking up a bottle for review.

Cheers,

Alex & Lori

 

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