The other day at Gelson’s, I was looking for almond grappa to make Franny’s toasted almond gelato (shockingly, I was unsuccessful) and during my search I spied the bottle you see above. Who drinks this stuff? First of all, I think it’s hilarious that it translates to “The Spirit of Paris” and the flavor is “Red Velvet Cake.” How is red velvet cake even remotely in the spirit of Paris? Second of all, as Regina Schrambling recently Tweeted, “red velvet” is not a flavor. It’s a bunch of red food coloring added to a cocoa cake. So what, exactly, do people think they’re drinking when they drink Red Velvet Cake Sparkling liqueur?
Of course, this is part of a larger trend that includes:
And:
If I had to guess, I’d say these liquors are targeted towards teenagers–probably girls–who don’t know much about alcohol and drinking but they know it’s forbidden, and what better gateway from childhood to adulthood than cake-flavored vodka?
As for me, I’ll take my red velvet cake as cake, thank you very much.
[Additional reporting by J.S. Fauquet.]
yeah, I’m not sure what started the uptick in desserty themed spirits & liquors.
Having said that, the OM Cocktail adjacent to the red velvet is pretty good stuff, and they really go the extra mile in eco-friendliness & sustainability too!
I’ll tell you precisely who:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYVMTYFbqAs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA5EVpBUECE
bwahahahahahahaha! me likes! well here in the dirty south, we had mad dog 20/20- strawberry/banana flavor.
I still get the chills thinking about the taste…
I have not tried these liqueur but I do enjoy all the Alize flavors.
Brings back TERRIBLE high school memories…anyone want a wine cooler? blech!
i think the red dye in that quantity has it’s own subtle slightly bitter ‘flavor’
So long as other products in the pic are being endorsed-Ventura limoncello company makes some good stuff
In my generation, we called this stuff Schnapps. But…shameful confession: caramel vodka with Von’s store brand apple cider-flavored sparkling water in the fall, or in hot apple cider in the winter.
The one that did it for me (seeing it, not drinking it) was cotton candy vodka. Really? Dear God.
You’re kinda a judgey jerk in this post
Ugh — we were on vacation a couple of years ago (beautiful Thermopolis Wyoming, home of huge hot springs and a great dinosaur museum) and the bartender kept trying to sell me crap like this — because I’m a girl? I don’t want “cake” flavored vodka! So I ordered bourbon. Ugh.
Frightening . I just saw this post and have been to Thermopolis on mutiple occasions because I have family there. Didn’t think anyone knew where that was.
It was in the Best Western, among the terrifying taxidermy! When I didn’t want cake flavor, she tried to upsell me on marshmallow flavor! Loved Thermopolis, only problem is there is NOWHERE to eat.
Is it bad then, that a legal-aged, 24-year-old female has always wanted to try those “fun” flavors because they sound yummy? I’m not an alcohol connoisseur and definitely not someone who drinks much, if any alcohol, but I’m kinda intrigued. Maybe it’s because I don’t know much about good alcohol.
Ugh, these are definitely gateway alcohol for hs/college girls. I remember drinking the Smirnoff flavored vodkas in first year at university (it’s legal to purchase alcohol at 19 where I live). I also used to love things like vodka apple martinis or chocolatinis. It’s rather tragic, looking back ten years later. In my defense, it was hip and cool to have a lemon drop vodka martini back then… Luckily, I got over it by my third year in uni when my tastes matured and I realized well crafted cocktails taste better and can be sipped, not poured down the throat.
thus proving that today’s teenagers have more money than we did, because Bartles & Jaymes were our shitty sugary drink of choice…
California Coolers! Cringes. Why did I ever go for that Orange pulpy flavor?
Whatever man. When I was in college, it was always my boyfriends buying smirnoff and mike’s hard (also considered “girly drinks”). That said, do we really need to get super-gendered of what’s a “man’s drink” and a “woman’s drink”?
What is the oven temperature for cooking your Sunday Night Brisket? You don’t mention it in your recipe.
What’s up with all the girl slams? I know plenty of men with egregious taste in alcohol.
— Signed, a girl whose college drink of choice was a G&T
certainly many fellas have bad taste in alcohol, just like lots of 13 year old girls out there do. I think the point here, though, was likely that these *delicious* products are marketed to girls, regardless of whose taste is what. The labels look purpose built to appeal to young girls, and of course high sugar content is always a big hit.
As a female brewer of beer and a lover of whiskey, I resent this post. These drinks might not fit your personal taste, but they definitely have their place and purpose. Lumping food/drink preferences with gender or age is just another form of stereotyping.