Cloying, oft-carbonated alcoholic beverages (apparently they're known as "alcopop," though I refuse to use that word, because it sounds more like a weird new music genre than a beverage) are under great scrutiny in Maryland: are they beer or liquor?

Yesterday, Governor Martin O'Malley decided to hold off on signing a bill that would categorize the fruity drinks as beer, a move that rattled the liquor industry. Liquor lobbyists think the drink should be sold as beer, but others (like Mothers Against Drunk Driving members) disagree, saying putting malt liquor drinks sold alongside beer in convenience stores will encourage underage drinking and driving.

Another sticking point is the tax: currently, the drinks are taxed like beer at 9 cents per gallon, whereas liquor is taxed as $1.50 a gallon, meaning a higher revenue for the state.

The position of Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, who first ruled that the drinks should be considered liquor because they are distilled spirits, is best summed up by his quote: "They are no more beer than hot chocolate is," He said.

Now there's something to ponder: hot chocolate beer.

Smirnoff is the latest company to join in the viral marketing trend, putting a video on YouTube to gain interest in their newest product. Since we all enjoyed the Folgers ad so much, it seemed only natural to put up new Smirnoff ad. The ad is a music video featuring the "New England gangsters" known as "Prep Unit" - in other words, three white guys rapping about Cape Cod, the Hamptons and Harvard while playing croquet and tennis. The ad promotes Smirnoff's new malt iced tea beverage, Smirnoff Raw Tea, which is in limited release on the East Coast at the moment (but can also be found online). It's a funny ad, but as far as raps about food go, nothing can beat the SNL Lazy Sunday cupcake rap.

The UK's most northerly radar station - RAF Saxa Vord in the Shetland Islands is to get the islands first whisky distillery. The distillery will also take on the crown of being Scotland's most northerly.

The RAF base closed last month with the building of the distillery, which should be finished later this year, the job losses will be negated. Blackwood Distillers was set up four years ago and currently produces gin, vodka, and a vodka liqueur which have helped Blackwood win a Scottish Exporter of the Year title.

As well as using local peat and the famed local water - famed for its clarity - Blackwood intends to use an old strain of 'bare' barley which has been grown on Unst for the last 5000 years which will make it totally distinctive.  It could be several years before the whisky is exported though.

 

Whoppers are candies with a chocolate coating over a malted milk center. They are almost identical to Maltesers, though fans of one will argue that it is better than the other. Maltesers are made by Mars, while Whoppers are made by Hershey. Around Easter, Whoppers adds a brightly colored candy coating to the balls and calls them Robin Eggs. Personally, I am a huge fan of the candy coating and look forward to picking up a bag of these around Easter. The extra crunch that comes before reaching the chocolate layer and melt-in-your-mouth malted center is great.

Beer does not immediately spring to mind when asked to think about desserts. Whether you like dark or pale ales, chances are that you are more likely to want a beer with your pizza than with your creme brule. Restaurateurs and brewers, however, are seeing things in a different light. With the proliferation of microbreweries, including restaurants and pubs that brew their own blends, a wider variety of beers are showing up on menus and the unique flavors in some brews - from honey to blackberry - are helping to put some beers on the dessert menu on a regular basis. Strong, dark beers can have a noticeably bitter after taste, but many pair well with fruit to make sorbets. Dairy can mute the flavors of some malts, but also conceals lingering bitterness, so it pairs well with stronger ales. Wine and champagne have long been making appearances in desserts - why not beer?

Guinness has appeared, with success, in ice creams already and there are commercial varieties of beer ice cream as well, though unique new flavors will not have the same lure of a brand name to draw consumers in.

[Photo Sydney Morning Herald]

Blush wines are derided by wine aficionados because generally they are pants - sickeningly sweet and confected. Now some bright spark has created a pink whisky-based concoction.

By all accounts, it's not that bad. If it's good enough for Harvey Nicols and top malt emporium The Whisky Shop, it has to be something special. The newly formed Leith Liqueur Company selected a 14 year old Speyside single malt as the base for Strawberry Kiss but the rest of the manufacturing process is a secret. It is described as not "too sweet or cloying." From the packaging though, it does look like it is aiming for the female market.

(I should just say that many rosé wines are actually rather nice).