Meet The Team / LeNell Smothers

All the research Demian and I have poured into libation love here at Casa Cóctel has led to the launch of our own Casa blog, as well as two monthly newsletters -- one devoted to cocktails and one to whiskey. Follow our boozy blatherings by joining the email list on our website.

Yet as one thing begins, another comes to a close.This is my last post for the LeNell It All column. I've had a blast writing for Slashfood for the past year, and I'll still post news from the cocktail world front from time to time. For now, though, in the belief that there's truly a drink for every occasion, I leave you with some fun farewell cocktails.

Legends, tall tales, good stories, myths...whatever you call them, the drinking world is full of them. Here are a few favorites to debunk:

MYTH: Beer before liquor, never been sicker -- liquor before beer, you're in the clear.
TRUTH: This is a cute jingle, but not reality. The percentage of alcohol in your blood (known as your blood alcohol content or BAC) is what determines how drunk you are. It doesn't matter what type of alcohol you chose to consume, alcohol is alcohol. More than your body can process can make you sick no matter what the order. A 12-ounce beer equals a 1.5 ounce shot of liquor.

MYTH: Dark beers are stronger in alcohol.
TRUTH: The color of beer has nothing to do with its alcohol content. People often mistake a beer like Guinness Irish stout for a "strong" beer when it actually has an alcohol volume of 4.2%, less than Budweiser's 5%. Many Belgian beers with a light color have alcohol content of 8% or more.

Some drink names are meant to raise eyebrows. I'll never forget how cheeky we felt back in the early 90's walking up to a bar and having a guy friend order a round of Blow Jobs (a layered shooter made with coffee liqueur, Irish cream, and whipped cream). To make this experience even naughtier, the ritual involved putting our hands behind our back, taking the glass in our mouth, flipping it upside down to drink it, and then putting the glass back down on the bar with hands still behind the back. Silly? Yes, but so much of our socializing can be (with or without alcohol).

If a Blow Job isn't for you, perhaps an Orgasm is more up your alley: Served in an old fashioned glass with ice or in a shot glass as a shooter, this mixture of Cointreau, Bailey's Irish Cream, and Grand Marnier is garnished with, of course, a cherry.

When you swap vodka for the rum in a piña colada, the drink becomes a Chi Chi. Order that down here in Mexico where we live and you may or may not get a smile from the bartender -- Chi Chi is a slang word for a woman's breast.

Under the Department of Treasury in the US, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is given the authority to regulate definitions of alcohol. According to the TTB, the legal definition of vodka is:

1. A neutral spirit made from any material. This could be potatoes, grain, fruit, or whatever a producer can get to ferment and distill.
2. Distilled above 190 proof (95% alcohol by volume).
3. Treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, leaving it without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.

So, if vodka is without character, aroma, or taste, why do some people show preferences for one brand over another?

Sometimes the best way to reduce stress is by reaching for something that reminds us of our carefree (or careless) youth. Big kids now have a way of enjoying old-fashioned candy favorites like red fish and root beer barrels without going to the candy store thanks to Hard Luck Candy Flavored Vodka.

The brand evolved from a popular candy and vodka infusion done at the Hard Luck Lounge in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. The vodka took two years to develop into a commercial product, and is currently only available in Michigan, with hopes of going nationwide soon.

The base vodka is made from grain and bottled at 70 proof (35% alcohol by volume) -- a little lower than the normal 80 proof. You can try it as a little extra flavor for your BBQ sauces and marinades, but, of course, the first suggestion is to try it straight up or in a mixed drink such as the Boston Cooler found on the Hard Luck website.