Judgement Day: Part II

Time for the second installment of our Eastertini (Easter Themed Martini) Contest which took place at Alison's Aunt Marci's house on Easter Sunday.  If you haven't already, it would be a good idea to check out part one and see the first round results for the sour martinis.

The second round consisted of martinis that were sweet.  We originally had two entries in this category, but there was a late entry so we had three, which was nice since it evened out with the prior round.  The first martini we tasted was called 'Co-co Ca-banana' which is a great name since the martini itself had hints of cocoa and banana (keep in mind that the naming was part of the judging for the creativity category).  The martini glass itself was garnished beautifully with chocolate and strawberry syrup on the inside of the glass and the rim was lined with rainbow sprinkles.  Very well executed.  I think if children were allowed to drink alcoholic beverages, this would be quite a winner with the 5-8 year-old demographic.  I kid, I don't think that children should be drinking booze that young, but the child in me did enjoy this martini for it's many levels of creativity, color, flavor and sweetness.

Co-co Ca-banana

The next entry was called 'Jittery Egg'.  Aptly named due to the fact it was a coffee-based martini and the rim of the glass was lined with halves of chocolate eggs which were adhered to the glass with chocolate.  Another cool twist was the glass was lined with a light-green frosting.  Talk about eye candy.  The taste of the martini was pretty straight-forward, but when mixed with a bite of the chocolate eggs, you knew it was Easter and it was a martini.  Well-played.

Jittery Egg

The final entry was the late entry - a last minute creation called 'Brown Sugar'.  Unfortunately for this martini, it was standing up to the two prior martinis we had tasted.  Two martinis which were pre-planned and had some pretty diligent thought and pre-prep to them.  That said, this martini was still flavorful but strong.  It would be a good bar martini rather than the two prior which were more along the lines of novelty martinis.

Brown Sugar

Judgement time came swiftly.  Although, I think we forgot to mention in the prior post that not only were the judges making the decision, but all in attendance had a chance to pick their favorite martini of each round.  So on top of the judges point total, each martini had the number of favorite picks from the crowd added to their point total.  The "people's choice" was the real difference in the race for the best sweet martini.  By judges' votes, the 'Co-co Ca-banana' had 21 points and the 'Jittery Egg' had 22 points.  Once the "people's choice" votes were added, the 'Jittery Egg' was the runaway winner with a total of 29 points, which we found out was created by none other than our host, Grandpa Marc (Aunt Marci).

We can't wait until next year and hopefully the stakes will be raised, we'll have more entries and we'll have a sweeter, boozier and even more creative contest.

Grandpa Marc's Moment of Glory

Judgement Day: Part I

We awoke early Easter morning to the sounds of preachers preaching, due to the fact that the T.V. was left on the night before. This was the appetizer for our main course, 11 A.M. Easter mass. For buffet Catholics like ourselves, that pick and choose when to go to church, Easter is one of those days that you must attend services to praise the Lord.

Our wholesome Easter ended abruptly the moment we entered out host, Grandpa Marc's (Alison's Aunt) house. We came with a 12-pack meant to refine our senses (of taste and reason) and prepare us for the objective of the day; to determine which martini would rise in glory to be crowned king, or queen, and save us from the colored, boiled egg that is Easter mediocrity.

Before we rolled away the stone and entered into the tomb of Eastertini judgment, we had to break bread with our fellow disciples of food and drink. It was quite a spread for our last sustenance before the long, hard path that we knew we would have to walk as judges in order to find martini salvation. But yes, before salvation comes salivation: ham, teriyaki chicken, fruit salad, Chinese chicken salad, fried rice and rolls.



The objective of the Eastertini Contest was to create a martini that resembled the colors and flavors of Easter. Contestants could submit a martini to one, or both categories of sweet or sour. We at The Tasty Morsel judged based on the predetermined criterion of: appearance, flavor, potency, creativity and resurrection. Contestants remained anonymous and we sipped beers while the sour martinis were assembled inside. For the sour category there were three strong (no pun intended) entries. The first entry resembled, in appearance and taste, a treat reminiscent of childhood, the "Bomb Pop". The second entry was the complex (in flavor, texture and presentation) "Shoot the Bunny". At the bottom of the martini was a jello shot with a swizzle stick implanted in it. The stick was adorned with blueberries and bunny ears carved out of lemon zest. The last entry was made with white rum that was dyed purple and packed a mighty punch. It was called "Lavender Peeps" after the favorite Easter candy that the contestant had perched atop yet another swizzle stick. That must have been one drunk chick ( and no, I'm not talking about Alison).

Otter Pop / Bomb Pop

Shoot The Bunny

Lavender Peeps

And the winner of the sour martinis......Grandpa Marc's "Shoot the Bunny"!

Now we judged both rounds back to back with no break, that's right six martinis in a row. We, however, are professionals and would not want our readership to "overdo it", so you will just have to check back to find our which delectable Martini garnered a whopping 29 points to win the sweet category.

Tunesday: The Underground Railroad to Candyland

From the producers of F.Y.P and Toys that Kill comes a new band. They said they couldn't make it any bigger, stronger or faster, but they did. For what do we deserve this musical juggernaut? Time has yet to tell, but let's peer into the musical labyrinth that is 'The Underground Railroad to Candyland' shall we?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL8MuKnPzZ0

Indeed it looks like the end times have befallen upon mankind. With what force of nature can such aural force be combatted? With the titans no longer with us, we cannot look to Godzilla, Kong or Mothra. Even the elusive Cthulhu is no match. I beg of you to enjoy what is left of your life, there is no one and no thing that can save us from what it 'The Underground Railroad to Candyland'.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpO6o4e2CTI