Christmas cheer may be downgraded to Christmas cheap as those who like to celebrate with the season’s spirits pinch pennies on booze. The brandy in the eggnog? It might be from a bargain bottle of St. Remy rather than the $50-plus armagnac way up there on the top shelf. The dinner wine could be flowing from a box.
And that vodka and cranberry at the yuletide party? Don’t be surprised if the pricey Grey Goose has taken flight and been replaced by that old utilitarian stand by, Smirnoff. Customer numbers at Colorado liquor stores aren’t down and liquor excise taxes are up 7 percent this year, lending credence to the old saw that people continue to imbibe in tough times. But liquor store owners and liquor industry officials say drinkers are avoiding high- end spirits in favor of more moderately priced goods. Or if they can’t stand to give up their ultra anejo tequila and single-malt scotch, they may buy it in smaller quantities.
“I’ve never seen an environment like this,” said Jim Smith, president of Republic National Distributing Co., who predicts that by the time the tinsel comes down, liquor retailers will have had a decent overall season. But their revenues just might come more from $20 premium boxed wines. Sales of the penny-wise cartons have jumped 40 percent in the past month, according to a survey by A.E. Nielsen. Or from economy vodka, which the survey showed has jumped 7 percent while sales of luxury vodkas have declined.
I like mine with a twist.
Anyone else realize there’s a marijuana pipe in this pic?
You brought back fond memories of MD2020, Wine Coolers and Boones Farm. Those were staples of high school life!
One trick my dad showed me was to bring out the Old Milwaukee when company arrives and hide the good stuff!
That’s an abomination.
In the old days, Mad Dog would put hair on your chest (or make it fall out). Now they have poofie flavors like “Buck Bunny”, “Peaches and Cream”, and “Orange Jubilee”….WTF???
For a more detailed look at the degradation this once-proud brand has undergone, see
http://www.ghettowine.com/maddog/
#3, I was thinking the same thing!
I only remember two flavors myself — grape and strawberry. I think it was strawberry, but whatever it was had the worst aftertaste so we all drank the grape.
Anti-freeze with a little mint Scope mixed in – now that’s the Christmas spirit!
Now maybe Thunderbird will become mainstream instead of being only the favorite of those who live in shelters!
TJ SWAN…
THUNDER BIRD
151…
190 proof..Cut the flavor and ADD ALLOT of juice to it, CANT taste it and will WIPE you out.
!# – i was wondering if that was pipe,
though it being glass, kinda lends itself to
more “frowned upon” combustibles… :p
i prefer wood pipes, myself.
or the very cool Proto Pipe when traveling 🙂
#3 -have to agree…the onslaught of panzi
flavored “everything” when you walk into a
liquor store is quite annoying..
ask for Kahlua , your asked “what flavour”
Stoli, what flavour, Absolute, what flavour..
biggest grip: Coffee what flavour…
I think this has to do with the fact that
you’d be lucky to find *anything* without
high fructose corn syrup(HFCS), corn syrup or sugar
in it.. they’ve addicted the country to sugar
in one form or another..
I have a sushi guy that has a counter in the local
super market..he makes it to order. -when he’s not
there, they have clear plastic trays out with various sushi selections..(which i thought he made)
i happened to look at the label. not only did they all have HFCS, but the salmon and tuna was treated with *carbon monoxide* -to retain colour..WTF is up w/that? – looked at the bottom of the tray
and it said it was packaged by some food company
esp for the supermarket..
Scandalous!!
-brings new meaning to the word soft-kill, imo..
-s
Good eye catching the pipes.The combo of weed and booze makes you stupid.
#8 – SW
>>i prefer wood pipes, myself.
>>or the very cool Proto Pipe when traveling
Good thing you got while the getting was good. From the protopipes dot com website:
DUE TO SUPPLY CONSTRAINTS WE NO LONGER SELL PROTOPIPES
WE ARE ON VACATION, PLEASE CHECK BACK OFTEN.
PEACE AND HAVE A NICE CHRISTMAS.
Last Updated on 11/20/08 07:59 AM -0500
Good to see everyone still getting high.
# 7 ECA said:
“TJ SWAN…
THUNDER BIRD
151…
190 proof..Cut the flavor and ADD ALLOT of juice to it, CANT taste it and will WIPE you out.”
Ah, perhaps that explains it…
# 8 soundwash said, in part:
“biggest grip: Coffee what flavour…”
I once ordered an Irish Coffee in what I thought was a well-respected bar/restaurant. What I got was a corn-syrupy, organic-solventy, completely unpalatable abomination. I actually had to explain to the waiter what I wanted.
I cannot abide the taste of any of the “flavored” coffees I have tried — all I can taste is that overpowering organic solvent. Sometimes it’s hours before I can taste anything else. I honestly don’t know how anyone can drink the stuff.
You know the end of civilization is at hand when you have to ask the bartender if the margaritas have tequila in them…
Holy jeepers #3 your link to ghettowine.com was awesome. Just the other day I was telling these younger kids I work with about this ghetto ass wine we used to drink when we were like 15. And lo and behold there it is …NIGHT TRAIN bitches. Seriously I wold love to pound a bottle of this stuff for old times sake.