Swilla #5- Ed Hardy Sangria

I was wandering around in the liquor store looking for some medicine...uh...alcohol. I was thisclose to just picking up a bottle of the same ole vodka...I had it in my hand and was on the way to the register. That's when I saw it. Ed Hardy sangria. (Yes, the same Ed Hardy better known for overpriced, gaudy, formfitting glitter shirts for men...) I looked at the price...it was only 6 bucks. I decided I had to buy it for the pure "why the fuck does this product exist" factor. (The same reason I would buy a chain-mail durag if it was under 5 bucks...)

I brought it up to the counter, and the 1st thing employee Darlene said was "Oh, that's good..." She talked about how its great over ice and it was only out for a limited time and her family loves it...I'm not sure she wasn't gettin a check from Ed Hardy himself. Fuck it tho...I decided to roll the dice. I decided to get both bottles, just in case the tattoo fashion wine was undrinkable. (I fully expected it to suck, I can't lie...I just couldn't stand not knowing.)

I got home, got a cup of ice and cracked the bottle. I poured some into the cup (the bottle is about 5 good cups...not glasses...this ain't fine pinot grigio or nothin, it's more or less the midpoint between Yellowtail and Wild Irish Rose) and took a sip. I expected straight bum drank, but it was much more palatable. I was floored that I could actually stomach the shit...it really wasn't bad! It was...hmm...imagine making red flavored Kool-Aid with red wine instead of water. That's pretty much what this tastes like. Since I like red Kool-Aid, that wasn't really bad. Only problem is...at 7% alcohol (Yeah, I know, right?!) it's not exactly knockout punch.

That's when I had an idea for a cocktail...it was the standard double cran x vodka, but with the role of cranberry juice being played by Ed Hardy Sangria. (It just needs a name...hmm...cheap vodka and sugary wine..."Bum Rush?") That was my best idea yet. The drink that resulted was borderline great, and pretty damn strong. For me, that's where the real appeal of this shit (if any) lies...in its possibilities as a mixer. Its really not bad in that capacity.

It's not the classiest shit in the world (I wouldn't recommend you bring some new chick home to your apartment and bust this shit out, she might just wave goodbye and use your bedsheets to rappel down the side of your building.) but it's nowhere near as suckish as I thought it would be. So if you need a new, interesting chaser, want a rather tasty drink that won't put you on your ass, or just have 6 extra bucks and a curious nature...at least consider it. Who knows, maybe adult Kool-Aid will appeal to you.