In another life I am sure I was a fine lover of scotch, rye, gin, whiskey and beer. Unfortunately, during this lifetime, I have never really been into any of them. Many times I have put each drink to the test to see if my palate (and stomach for that matter) would change its mind and develop a taste for them - but alas have been disappointed each and every time.Along my wine journey I have explored many a bottles of white, pink, bubbly and red wine, and obviously developed a palate, and a passion for the drink. However, I can't say that the same appreciation has developed for scotch, rye, gin, whiskey or beer. I remember trying to drink beer in University, but even one beer made my stomach feel like it was filled with a giant balloon of air. I remember really only drinking it a few times to "look cool" at the local student bars, plus it was much easier to carry around a rocks glass that spills on everyone as you try to walk around them.
I used to drink vodka but never really truly enjoyed the drink - or could find a drink that wasn't full of sugar (which leads to the worst hangovers). At the time I was working at Vineland and Peller Estates and one of the perks of working in the wine industry is obviously the wine. Each month I was given an allotment of wine and in University a bottle of wine after an all nighter essay was very much needed. From there on I drank wine all the time, because every month I got it for free. At the bars I ended up drinking Vodka and OJ, but more and more over time I ended up switching completely over to Wine. I became the annoying girl at the bar asking what the house wine was or if they had a wine list. Not only did I want to know what wine I was drinking, I truly wanted to enjoy what I was drinking.
Many people drink
alcohol for the sake of bringing on the effects of alcohol not because they truly enjoy the drink. In University and high school for that matter, drinking was used as a social lubricant, to have fun at parties or the bar and more than anything I found I truly enjoyed a glass of wine. As I am sure you know Rieslings are my ultimate favourite and my top 3 favourites right now are:- 2007 Peller Estates Private Reserve Riesling VQA - $16.95, Love this wine more than life itself. It is available at iYellow Wine Store.com, some LCBO's and available at all Vineyards Estate Wines Stores (aka -Aisle43)
- 2007 Hernder Estates Riesling VQA - $8.00 a bottle, available ONLY at the winery!! A steal and great taste!
- Relax Riesling <$15 - Great Value, Cool Bottle, Good talking piece and resonably priced. Chill and Unwind. Available at the LCBO.
After finding a drink, the next step is finding your shot. You have to have your failsafe shot. For the birthday's, the parties, the gifts and all the other times you "have to" do a shot. I have had a few bad experiences with shots as Jagermeister and many other sugary shots, but now I have found my shot. My shot is Tequila. I remember enjoying it with salt and lemon at first, but then moving on to just tequila. No salt or lemon needed. Our last two wine club events have been at a bar called "Tequila Bookworm" and we even brought in Patron Tequila for our West Coast Livin' event. For Patron Silver, The finest blue agave is harvested at its peak its sweetness. The flower shoot is cut out and the sap collected and subsequently fermented. My tequila drinking started in University and has turned into an exclusive relationship. I love to have a great glass or a shot of tequila. There is something about it that just tastes so great, feels good and makes you look even cooler than a beer ever will.
I spent over an hour traveling through the Patron Website (Simplyperfect.com, or PatronTequila.com). It is ridiculously interactive and you can even find out details about your hand made bottle of Tequila with your tequila ID number. I even joined their patron social club which has its very own online concierge!
So there you have the downlow on Vino Patrona (aka, Angela Aiello). Wine and Tequila, are my two drinks of choice and maybe I am as much a Tequila Lover as I am a Wine Ev"ange"list, but what I do know is that I love the amount of work, taste, passion and thought that goes into each and every glass or shot.
What is your code name? What are your drinks of choice? Post a comment and let me know!
Cheers!
To learn more about Patron Tequila click here to visit Wikipedia or go to Simplyperfect.com/PatronTequila.com
And to see a great Tequila TV Ad, click on the YouTube Video Below
October 25th, 2008
