19830 Wed May 15 09:57:46 -0700 2002 21 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 67088 Online they are selling one bottle limits until Sept 1, 2002. Has anyone located this product at a San Francisco or Bay Area retail store? Wed May 15 09:57:46 -0700 2002 0 Bob Savelli 1 67107 I haven't tried since I bought my two bottles at St. George's Spirits. Have you called them? Are they not selling it? FYI - If you take the Alameda Ferry, get off, walk across the parking lot to the building label "Rosenblum Winery" (open for tastings 12-4), the entrance to St. George's is in the same building, just around the corner. Its a lovely thing to do on a weekday afternoon and the view on the ferry is marvelous. Or you can drive, if you want, its probably faster. Wed May 15 12:57:12 -0700 2002 67088 0 Rochelle McCune 1 67108 Here are a couple of links that should help you: http://www.klwines.com/winelist.asp?id=57 http://www.caddellwilliams.com/html/hangarvodka_main.html Wed May 15 13:00:35 -0700 2002 67088 0 Nancy Berry 2 67119 Nancy, Way to go!! K&L is only a hop, skip & jump from my office. So if I glug a whole bottle this weekend in celebration after Bay to Breakers, I can get another easily. Plus I really like their descriptions, much better than my post. Bob, if it doesn't measure up and you think I'm cracked for giving it my "Best Ever" award, let me know! Wed May 15 14:08:11 -0700 2002 67108 0 Rochelle McCune 3 67121 My local merchant can sell me the plain for $35.95 and the flavored for $39.95. Sound fair? Wed May 15 14:11:00 -0700 2002 67119 0 Bob Savelli 4 67123 Yes. Its pricey but I think its worth it. I paid $35 for the flavored that I bought directly from the producers. So $5 for driving it across the bay doesn't seem too bad. Contrary to my previous post, this isn't a vodka to glug. It probably makes great mixed drinks, but I like it ice-cold straight up too much. Wed May 15 14:24:40 -0700 2002 67121 0 Rochelle McCune 5 67130 I'm a martini guy and my wife likes Screwdrivers, gimlets, etc. I'm thinking that the flavored Vodkas might not work for us and will try the plain one. Are there any of the 3 flavored ones that stands out from the rest and are worth another $40 investment??? Wed May 15 15:46:26 -0700 2002 67123 0 Bob Savelli 6 67133 That's a tough one. We were faced with the dilemma of only getting two bottles. It was a tough decision and we both waffled a bit. I chose the Mandarin not only because I loved it but since many large distillers make an "orange" vodka so it illustrates the huge quality difference between the large distillers use of fruit "flavors" and HO's use of real fruit. I know it sounds weird but with the HO's Mandaran, I have an easy "taste test party trick" for my next guests. (I live on Haight St. and friends frequently drop by on their way to and from the local eating/drinking establishments.) Michael chose the Citron (which will no doubt make mind-blowing Lemon Drops!!!). I know he was not a fan of the Kaffir Lime, but I think that's because our friend who was with us said it reminded him of the smell of margarita. Once that connection was made, Michael couldn't get that out of his head and said it tasted like a freaky margarita. But our friend loved the Lime and bought that as his one bottle choice. We didn't get the plain because we had just bought a big bottle of Kettle One and contrary to the implication of these posts, we really don't drink that much vodka. Anyway, I am regretting the decision to forgo the plain. There, that was totally no help at all, was it, Bob? Wed May 15 16:08:00 -0700 2002 67130 0 Rochelle McCune 7 67135 Hey Rochelle- No help, None. Hearing from you was like a conversation with my wife or kids. I'm more confused than before I started. Maybe it's just me, right? I don't see how the flavored vodkas would work in martinis, screwdrivers, gimlets or the type of vodka drinks we like. We're mostly wine drinkers except at an occasional party (we're not party animals) or at Lake Tahoe in the casino. For some reason gambling and boozing go together. Looking forward to meeting you, going to the Kirin or Alma LimsterFests? Wed May 15 16:18:22 -0700 2002 67133 0 Bob Savelli 8 67137 Rochelle McCune is hosting TWO of the LimsterFest events herself. The first one at Tommaso's is already full, but you can catch her in her element at Panchita's. Maybe we'll be lucky and see Rochelle at some of the other events too. Wed May 15 16:28:57 -0700 2002 67135 0 Melanie Wong 8 67143 ha, ha, Michael says I use 10 words when 2 would work! Here, Rochelle says - Buy the Mandarin. "don't see how the flavored vodkas would work in martinis" I don't make martinis with flavored vodkas since the idea of adding vermouth to a flavored vodka grosses me out. I store flavored vodkas in the freezer and generally serve them straight(after a shaking to bruise the vodka), in a small, cold glass with a garnish. With the Manadarin, I was planning on serving it with a Mint Twist. For me, the idea is to have ONE before dinner. If I were use Manadarin in a mixed drink, I could image using TJ's Tangarine Juice for a Super-Orange Drink. Or with Odwalla Lime Ade and/or Lemonade for a refreshing Lemon/Orange or Lime/Orange Ade. I haven't fully thought through mixers ideas yet so these are just off the top of my head. Since I always have seltzer in the house, I'll be taste testing a Seltzer/Mandarin drink sometime soon. Hmmmmm, that sounds good, maybe tonight. Re Limsterfest - I'm trying to talk Michael into the Victorian walk and Alma, but he keeps citing our financial situation. Wed May 15 17:01:50 -0700 2002 67135 0 Rochelle McCune 9 67144 Hey R - I drink my vodka the same way as you - but I've never heard of "bruising" the vodka. Explain, please? Wed May 15 17:18:19 -0700 2002 67143 0 Fatemeh 10 67147 OK - Disclaimer: I got this from Bruno of Persian aub Zam Zam fame. He said that you don't just put vodka & ice in the shaker to get the vodka colder, you put it in there and smash it around because the ice "bruises" the vodka and little tiny, tiny amounts of newly created water from the ice joins the vodka, smoothing it out. Of course, since he was making martinis, he also added vermouth to the shaker. He specifically used the term "bruise". I've never really paid attention to whether or not that was unique to him or a common term. Wed May 15 17:32:24 -0700 2002 67144 0 Rochelle McCune 8 67159 Okay, I'm jumping in here never having tasted any of the Hanger One vodkas, but I do have a great drink recipe for mandarin flavored vodka (I've always used Absolut because that's the only mandarin I've found. Orange is okay, but lacks the bitter edge of mandarin). And maybe I should add that I'm not a vodka drinker, primarily -- I prefer gin for most drinks and occasions. All that having been said, if you want to try a drink with the mandarin Hanger One, first go out and buy a bottle of Lillet Blond (white) -- which, of course, will set you back another $20 or so. Mix, as you would a martini, 2-1/2 ounces of the mandarin vodka and half an ounce of the Lillet. Serve with an orange twist. Sublime. But, if you're not crazy about the drink, you can still drink the Lillet on the rocks or with soda for a very refreshing aperitif type drink. I've also got a gut feeling that mandarin vodka paired with meyer lemon juice (in something akin to a lemon drop) has got to be a great combination, but haven't yet tried it out. Wed May 15 19:06:57 -0700 2002 67135 0 Janet A. Zimmerman 1 67118 Does anyone remember an article in the New Yorker several years ago that chronicled the advertising campagain of some brand of vodka (I can't remember which)? The author made the point was that vodka is flavorless and there is essentially no difference between brands other than marketing. My husband also reminded me of the time he participated in a marketing focus group for Absolut. The group blind tasted dozens of grain vodkas and was unable to discern any difference between them. At the end, the folks running the group agreed that there was no difference other than the labels and price. I'd be curious to see how Hanger One stands up to a blind taste test with other vodkas. Wed May 15 14:06:39 -0700 2002 67088 0 augiespal 2 67122 If I keep posting about my belief in the quality of this vodka, y'all are going to start accussing me of shilling. So I'll try to make this my last post on the subject. The reason my General Topic post was so emphatic was that I was shocked at how different/distinctive/uber-yummy a vodka could taste. It is definitely not flavorless! I have always believed that once you get into the top tier of vodka, there's some difference but not that much. Yes, I prefer Kettle One, but I would not bet that I could definitely pick it out from any number of similar quality vodkas. Yet I would easily bet $50 (most I ever bet) without a second thought that I could pick out Hangar One. I've had one person back me up on this on the General Board and the K&L Wine site espouses their belief that is a distinctly high quality vodka. But I'll be glad when more people try it and join me or shoot me down. Maybe in my copious free time (not!), I'll put together a vodka tasting. Wed May 15 14:19:46 -0700 2002 67118 0 Rochelle McCune 3 67155 Rochelle, as your "pro Hangar One partner in crime" I would just be nuts enough to help you organize a vodka tasting. As a member of the wine industry I have to say that the Hangar One vodkas have what it takes to be satisfying for the palate. Clean flavor that lingers, fills the mouth without burn or harshness. A smooth, lengthy, round finish. It was, well, grown up. I don't drink much vodka because I don't particularly like it but Hangar One tasted like what I'd hoped vodka would taste like. Wed May 15 18:35:00 -0700 2002 67122 0 Jennie Sheeks 4 67158 Its the location that's stumping me. If I knew it was only a few of people, I'd do it at my house. And my local hangouts don't have hard liquor licenses so I'd need to find bar/restaurant that would allow this sort of event, preferably one with decent food (or allowed us to bring it in) so we don't get too smashed. Maybe St. Georges? or K&L? or some dive like Boondocks? OK, before I go any further, let me take a headcount. If I put together a vodka tasting, how many people would be interested? Send a reply to the address above. And if you have any logistics suggestions, let me know. Wed May 15 18:53:59 -0700 2002 67155 0 Rochelle McCune 5 67160 I'd be very interested in attending this. Count me in. Wed May 15 19:26:47 -0700 2002 67158 0 jan newberry 1 67171 I had this vodka at the Hotel Majestic bar and it was pure/smooth with no bitter aftertaste. Anyone tried this brand? It's from Sweden. Wed May 15 23:27:12 -0700 2002 67088 0 J. Jonah Jamison 2 67172 No. From there website I could tell...They started importing into the US last September, they tout a "handcrafted" technique and their ulta pure water that does not need filtering which may account for the lack of bitter aftertaste. It seems to be about the same price as Hangar One. They seem proud of their bottles which apparently look really attractive behind bars and help sell their vodka (from the trade info). I couldn't find anything about any of their other ingredients which was a bummer. I may have to head over to Hotel Majestic sometime soon, damn it. If we do end up doing this vodka tasting, perhaps Precis should be one of them. Although I am really all for the cheap guys winning so we should have a ringer in the batch. Thu May 16 00:13:01 -0700 2002 67171 0 Rochelle McCune 3 67195 I received this email from the Precis website: Here are the names of four liquor stores in San Francisco that carry Precis Vodka: (1) John Walker & Company 175 Sutter Street 986-2707 (2) Coit Liquors 585 Columbus Street 415-986-4306 (3) Jug Shop 1567 Pacific Street 415-885-2992 (4) Wine Impression 3461 California Street 415-221-9463 Thu May 16 11:21:49 -0700 2002 67172 0 J. Jonah Jamison