New years Mulled Wine

The consumption of alcohol on the eve of the new year is a proud, if occasionally disastrous, tradition. Who are we to shun it?
We rang in 2012 with a bottle of some less than stellar white wine purchased at a severely unwelcoming liquor shop moments before it closed, so let's go out with a bit more style this time!
A bit of cross-promotion here, you can take a look at what recipe (or, uh "recipe") we used and the cooking process here, at my Mother's Squidoo article. Doing so might earn her a bit of pocket change, so get to it!

And how does it taste?
Well, neither of the wines that we used were particularly spectacular on their own, but they combine nicely. The dry red cuts the sugar and port well, while the spices round out the flavour and the lemon adds a pleasant kick. The flavours are all very intense and upfront, not a subtle drink in any sense.
That doesn't, surprisingly, extend to its alcoholic qualities. For the sheer amount of liquor in this, I had expected more of a punch and... it's actually pretty mellow in that respect!

Much better warm than when it gets to room-temperature, though. Ech.

A happy new year to you all, and I hope you continue to drink vicariously through us for another one!

Zywiec

"Three ingredients" it says.

"Boy," I think. "I hope one of them is beer."

First official Christmas-gift beer review! And... not the kind I had hoped for.

Let's talk about the design first, though.

I've sort of fallen in love with this bottle. It just makes me happy. There are designs stamped into the glass, the label on the back is cut to curve around a glass "seal", and there are lovely dancing Polish people on the front label! I like it.

And in terms of flavour?
Eehhh.. this is a light beer. And y'all know what that means.
Not that it's bad! Oh no! I just have absolutely no concrete opinion on it.
It's mild! It's refreshing! It has that slightly acrid back-of-tongue taste with little upfront! It's mild!

I mean, it says that it's Poland's number one premium beer, and I'm disinclined to think that the distant land of my ancestors picked a bad one, but...

Oh, give it a try if pale beers are your thing. Send me a note if you do.

Fresh Ginger

One of the fun things about going to Soda Jerks is that they carry beverages we just haven't seen anywhere else.  With a name like Soda Jerks, a long list of sodas is to be expected, but they also have a wide range of alcoholic beverages as well.

I, however, am the designated driver of the family, so soda it is!

On our most recent visit, I decided to try one of these "never seen anywhere else" drinks, and so we have:

Fresh Ginger - Ginger Ale by Bruce Cost
Flavour: Pomegranate with Hibiscus

I figured this was a safe choice.  I'm not a big fan of Ginger Ales, but I do like them mixed with fruit juice, and I really like pomegranate.  I should note that the menu didn't mention hibiscus, so pomegranate was all I was expecting.

This is what I got.

 The ingredients list is pretty basic.  Carbonated water, pure cane sugar, 100% fresh ginger, pomegranate puree, brewed hibiscus with filtered water, fresh lemon juice and citric acid.

Prominent on the label, it tells us that this particular drink is...

 Why yes...

Yes, it clearly ... opaquely? ... is definitely UNfiltered.

Hmmm...  I've seen that sort of thing floating on the bottom of pickle jars.  It typically means the seal has been broken and they've gone bad. 

Not encouraging.

The label does inform the intrepid tippler that "Separation is natural.  Shake gently." 

You mean I'm supposed to drink the dregs? 

Hmmm.

The bottle was already open, however, so shaking my carbonated beverage was not an option. 

 It actually poured fairly clear, but only because the ice filled glass couldn't hold the entire contents of the bottle.  After a few sips, I topped it up and my daughter gleefully stirred it for me, so as to disperse the chunky bits.

She's so helpful, isn't she?

So how did it taste?

Hmmm.

I've been saying that a lot with this drink.

As a pomegranate lover, it was a disappointment.  I could not taste pomegranate.  The dominate flavour was hibiscus.  It was only after I'd drunk about half the glass that I could finally feel - but still not really taste - the ginger. 

It kinda tasted like liquid bubblegum.

Also, because I just know you're wondering, no, I couldn't really tell that I was drinking chunky bits.

May I never write that sentence again.

All in all, it was rather bland.  No pomegranate kick.  No ginger kick.  Not even a lemon kick.  Lots of hibiscus flavour, though.  If I want hibiscus, I'll get tea, not soda.

I can't say that it was bad.  It was all right.  I'm glad I tried it, but it's highly unlikely I'll ever get it again.

Magners Irish Cider.

So I say "nope, not gonna turn this into a beer review blog", and what do I find under the Christmas tree?

Fancy beers. From my Mother.

Curse you, your knowledge of my tastes, and the unwarrented generosity you rode in on.

Not to worry, though. The plan is to stagger the posts a good way apart and fill the spaces in between with sodas and recipes and the like.

The first in the batch isn't actually a beer at all! It's a cider, and it has a nifty sheet of gold foil wrapped around its neck. The label isn't anything special. It wouldn't jump out at me on the shelf. That's not a problem in this case, though, and we can skip straight to the drinking.

Uh, maybe after taking the picture next time.

The carbonation is quite light, but the flavour is satisfyingly bold. Quite strong up front and fading to a sourish apply taste. In all, it's deeper than I usually expect from a cider, and a bit less sweet. Both count in its favour.
If you spot it, purchase and enjoy!


We at Thus Unquenched hope you all had an excellent Christmas, filled with warming beverages.

McChouffe Ardens Brown Beer

Oh fer- another beer? Really? We've gotta get some soda on here. I'm starting to look like an alcoholic.

But this one's a doozy, I promise.

The second of those bargain-bin purchases I mentioned, McChouffe here has a bedraggled label (it looked like that when I bought it, I swear.), very little information (contains malt!), a relatively high alcohol content (8%), and, to top it off, a creepy gnome as a mascot.

After all that, important questions remain unanswered.
What does unsettled-gnome-beer taste like? Does it contain beard? Inquiring minds must know.

Pretty darn delicious, actually. The malt flavour is understated, and it's overall smooth and enjoyable.

I don't know about the second part.

And I have a cute new bottle for my collection!

It all works out in the end.

Roscoe's Hop House Amber Ale.

With Honey Added!

What's the best kind of beer?
If you said "the kind that's on sale"...

You'd be wrong. Go home and re-think your life.

I did, however, decide to try out two of the more interesting looking brews on the "please buy this" shelf by the checkout counter.
Yes, I am guilty of judging by label design.
Mea culpa.

Roscoe's Amber Ale looks very nice in and out of the bottle. Spiffy logo, pleasant golden brown colour. The flavour is clear and mild with a light, lingering malt aftertaste. The honey isn't particularly pronounced, but I'd be able to pick it out without being told. I'd recommend it as a happy medium between aggressive, tongue-killing beerflavour and tasteless pale ales.

Boy, my bias against light beer has just saturated this blog. Sorry, guys.

Anyhow. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy this again, but if I saw it on a menu next to Kokanee and Coors, I'd choose it.

Uptown Girl Strawberry Blonde Ale.

So by that title you may be able to tell a little bit about today's beverage. Namely, that it's limiting its audience. Not that I'm particularly concerned about ~*girly*~ marketing, but I was pretty leery when it came to the prospect of actually bringing this thing to the checkout. Luckily it was my Mother's duty to buy the tiny, adorable six-pack and I was able to make my purchases in peace. (A tiny, adorable bottle of Jagermeister.)

Basically, Uptown Girl is adorable. It's twee. It's precious. It's impossible not to roll your eyes at it.
I wonder if maybe that's the real target of the image. Not delicate womenfolk who require small and appropriately pinkish version of that strange, intimidating beverage known as "be-er" so as not to offend their sensibilities, but cynical jerks who catch sight of it on the liquour-store shelf and say "Oh man, look. Lookathis. Dude. It's girl beer."

Ahem.

Appearance-wise, the Strawberry Blonde Ale is clear and bubbly with slight foam and it is indeed distinctly blond. The scent is unremarkable. In flavour it is only distinctive in its extreme mildness. In its favour, that means it lacks the back-of-the-throat acidity that usually turns me off from light beers in general. Unfortunately it also has next to no flavour.
Yeah, "brewed with strawberry juice"? Sure. Whatever. It's a light, clear beer and that's all it has going for it.

Except for adorableness.

(Pictured here with a dainty, girlish hand.  Cat hair garnish optional.)

In all seriousness, if you're after a strawberry beer, I would highly suggest the Fruli.

Spiced Golden Milk

Not too long ago, someone on my facebook shared a youtube video showing how to make something called Golden Milk.  I'd never heard of it before, but I was quite familiar with the medicinal qualities of turmeric, so it piqued my interest.  It's not something I normally have in my spice cupboard - at least not in quantities for something like this, so I decided to pick some up to give it a try.

Last night, since Spindle was feeling quite ill and I was up late anyhow, I went looking for more information and decided to make some.  This is the recipe I used, except that I made a lot more paste for later use.  Also, I forgot to buy almond oil, so that got skipped completely. 

Spindle was willing to try it and see if it would help settle her stomach.  Or, if not that, prevent dry heaves.  Neither of us knew what to expect when it came to the taste.  We both ended up liking it quite a lot, though I put in more honey then either of us preferred.  To me, it really just tasted like warm milk and honey, except good.  I hate milk as a beverage, so even though I couldn't quite make out the taste of turmeric over the milk and honey, it did make a difference.  Spin felt there was a very mild taste of turmeric, and she really liked it as well.  Sadly, it did not settle her stomach whatsoever, but she enjoyed it enough that she made herself a second cup several hours later, having given up on the idea of sleep entirely.

This morning, I decided to make some more but, as is often the case with me, I immediately had to get funky with the ingredients.  Some of the recipes I'd read included cardamon while others suggested cinnamon.  So I started thinking that a bit of cinnamon would be nice, and I'm sure we have some ground cardamon left, and oh look!  Cloves!

And a new drink was born.

Doesn't that look lovely?

Here's how it was made.

2 cups milk (we use only homogenized milk, but use whatever milk you prefer)
Ground cinnamon, ground cardamon, ground cloves, to taste (I added perhaps 1/4-1/2 tsp of each)
2 tsp honey (or adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp vanilla
3 tsp turmeric paste (or adjust to taste)

Heat the milk to simmer, then stir in the spices and honey.  Just as the milk begins to simmer again, add the vanilla, stir and remove from heat.  Add the turmeric paste and mix well.  Divide into 2 cups and enjoy!

This version has an almost creamy taste to it, and the spices add a nice touch.  Even Spindle, who is still feeling quite sick as I write this, couldn't resist having some and is now (finally!!) getting some sleep.  So maybe it does help settle the stomach a bit after all?  Especially considering that she is mildly lactose intolerant. 

I'm going to have to keep a supply of turmeric paste handy often, as I can see this drink being a regular night cap!

The only down side is that the spices tend to sink to the bottom of the cup, which can be a bit of a shock when you get to the final dregs.  

Health wise, turmeric is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties, so it's often recommended for people with arthritis, joint pain and any other inflammatory pain.  It's also supposed to be good for healthy liver function, lowering cholesterol and regulating blood sugars, as well as being good for the skin and for women's reproductive health.  Cinnamon has its own list of health benefits including helping with the digestion, lowing blood sugars, cholesterol, arthritis and women's reproductive health.  Cardamon is supposed to be good for digestive issues, including treating nausea and cramps, sore throats and some respiratory issues.  It is even supposed to help lower blood pressure.  Cloves, like most "desert" spices, are also good for the digestion.  They have anti-inflammatory properties as well, and as an aromatic, the oil is good for respiratory ailments.  The oil is good for pain as well - I've used it successfully on tooth aches when I couldn't get to a dentist right away. 

So all in all, not only is this a really tasty drink, it's a healthy one as well!

Bad Hare Chocolate Stout.

Oh this one didn't bode well from the beginning.
In my defense, I was sort of against it. $3.99 for a 650 mL bottle? That's low for these parts. There's a chance that it's because it's a new acquisition the shop just can't wait to share with the world, but more likely it's because they want to get rid of something.
So I pour this thing and the first thing I note is that there is NO head. I mean, not even a pretension to one. That photo? Taken about three seconds after pouring. I'm by no means a stickler for that sort of thing (I drink from the BOTTLE because beer comes in a BOTTLE and that's where it SHOULD be rather than up your NOSE in the form of FOAM.) but it could be construed as a warning sign.
I digress.
My mother didn't like it, but she doesn't like any beer so I don't usually let her gagging sounds colour my opinion.
As for me?

Honestly? I don't hate it. I mean, I've had worse. Where I take issue is in blatant false advertising.
"A dark and silky rich stout loaded with chocolate flavours. Is there chocolate in my beer of beer in my chocolate?"
Hahaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
No.
I have had chocolate stout before and you, sir, do not live up in either department. There's very little by way of smell or initial taste, but that is immediately followed by a distinctly burnt flavour and acrid aftertaste. It's weird and unpleasant, but I can't bring myself to rage at it.
On the shelf, your first instinct would likely be to avoid it. Don't think twice.

Sperone Cremevo Marsala Wine Beverage.

It's nice. The texture is smooth and lightly syrupy in an appealing golden red colour. It's sweet, but not tooth-breakingly sugary. A bit of fruit, a bit of vanilla, not bad at all. At fourteen dollars Canadian, I'd recommend it as fulfilling dessert drink on a budget.
 That's not what I want to talk about.

You know what I want to talk about?

I want to talk about how the ingredients list includes frozen egg yolk.

Let's talk about that.



The ingredients list also includes "alcohol". Woah guys let's not go overboard with the florid descriptions here.

Elysian The Immortal IPA

price: unknown

While visiting with a friend of Spindle's, he handed her a bottle of beer.  "Try this," he tells her.  "You'll like it!  Just make sure you don't drink it cold.  It tastes terrible cold!"

Advice appreciated and taken.

The Immortal is an India Pale Ale with a rather high-for-beer alcohol content of 6.3% by volume.  It is "refreshing, hoppy and well-balanced", the label tells us.  A "classic English style" that's got a "New World hop flavor and aroma."

What that means, exactly, I don't really know.

Now, I am not a beer drinker at the best of times.  Spindle likes her brew, and is baffled by my inability to enjoy the stuff.  I still like to try new beers, though, in hopes that one of these years, I'll discover the answer to why beer is such a popular drink.  Perhaps this beer will be the one?

At first quaff, I thought for a moment that the answer had been found.  As I first sipped, the ale was smooth and gently flavoured, and I dared to think, "wow!  I might actually like thi..."

And then that "New World hop flavor" hit, stomping on my taste buds like a dry and bitter old geezer, gleefully shouting "psyche!"

Okay, so maybe it wasn't that bad.

It wasn't good, either.  In fact, I'd be hard pressed to find anything, other then that first touch of ale on the tongue, that made it different from any other beer I've ever tried.

But what did Spindle think?

Not much either, it turns out.  She was left with really nothing to say about it.  It didn't look, smell or taste any different then any other IPA.

I suppose it's a good thing we didn't try it cold.

Maple Bacon Latte

Roast Coffeehouse and Wine Bar
Cost: under $5 for a medium

Not far from our place we have been watching the transformation of an old building.  It has been empty since before we moved out here.  It's a really interesting looking old place, and we were glad to see things happening there.

Recently, two new businesses have opened.  Mercer Tavern, which we have yet to visit, and Roast Coffeehouse and Wine Bar.

Spindle had already checked out Roast with a friend and they absolutely loved it.  Today she dragged me out into the pouring rain to check it out.

It was worth it.

The coffeehouse itself is beautiful.  They did a great job with the interior design.  There's lots of space, and it's bright, open and comfortable. 

I am not actually a coffee drinker - in fact, I hate coffee as a beverage - but when we saw a Maple Bacon Latte on the menu, I just had to try it!  Lattes, I can usually do.

The bacon was supposed to stay floating on the top, apparently.  When it sank as it was being brought to us, the barista came back with a saucer and spoon so I could fish it out!  Spin and I both gave the bacon a try, first.  It was delicious!  The maple part of the maple bacon was a candy-like coating that made taking a small bight a bit of a challenge, since it wanted to stick to the teeth.  Normally, I can't stand that, but not today!

As for the latte itself, it was really delicious!  Sweet, but not anywhere near cloying, with a just the right balance of coffee flavour and smooth creaminess. I loved it!

This is a place we're going to have to come back to, often!  The only down side is that the place is not wheelchair accessible, so I won't be able to take some of my friends there, but I was told the entire building is going to be made fully accessible in the near future. 

If you have the chance, I highly recommend checking them out!

Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock Float

Where: Soda Jerks
Price: $5.75

At soda jerks, one can make any soda selection into a float. My personal favourites are red birch beer and dandelion burdock, the latter of which prompted a waitress to once ask if I was 'really sure' that's what I wanted. Yes, it is. It's delicious, loaded with ice cream and dandelion flavour, thick and thirst-quenching. Try it out!
-spindle, via insufferable phone keyboard.

Amaranth Atole

Traditional Atole Amaranth Flour Recipe
(source: versagrain.com)
Ingredients (Thick Hot Drink, Serves 5-6)

· 1/2 cup Amaranth flour

· 5 cups milk or water, according to taste

· 1/4 cup piloncillo (Mexican sugar cones), chopped fine or grated (or dark brown sugar)

· 1 stick cinnamon (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon)

· 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise) (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

Directions

In a large saucepan, whisk the milk or water into the flour, little by little, until completely mixed and free of lumps.

Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it just begins to thicken.

Add piloncillo (or brown sugar) and cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon).

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into pan (or add vanilla extract). Stir frequently until sugar is dissolved, then bring to a boil, stirring constantly to keep it from becoming lumpy.

Remove the cinnamon stick. Serve hot in mugs.

Substitutions and Additions


To turn this Amaranth recipe into a chocolate confection, do the following:

After removing from the heat, stir in approximately 3 ounces of chopped, Mexican chocolate (or any chocolate you desire). Stir until everything is well blended and the chocolate has melted. Then whisk until frothy. YUM!

So, in an effort to tame my loathsome gut, I've been switching up my diet some. Been eating lots of eggplant, learned how to make kale-chips, and I picked up a bag of Amaranth flour. I'm sure some of you know quite a bit about Amaranth, but I didn't, I just wanted to try it out. My attempts at making pasta were.... questionable, but it made good eggplant-breading!

Now onto the next recipe down the list: Atole.

The instructions and ingredients are dead simple, and it took about fifteen minutes from start to serving. The texture turned from grainy to pleasantly creamy as soon as I brought the mixture to a boil and, as pictured, the resulting drink looks frothy and thick.

Now, onto the flavour.

....Do you like Amaranth?

I mean, it's good, but it has a very aggressive flavour. One that I would describe as a cross between hazelnut and corn, with a touch of grassiness. My sister rejected it outright, my mother describes it as "weird", and I, after my initial reaction of what-the-heck-why-does-it-taste-like-corn-no-no-no find it rather pleasant. Odd, but pleasant. The chocolate version sounds interesting.

Overall, I would give it a try. Just don't make a full batch of it unless you're already a fan of Amaranth flour.

Krupnik

Another Polish offering for you - Krupnik.  This is a drink that goes back in my family for quite some time.  I still remember when my parents discovered it locally and just had to get a bottle.  It's not every day that you find a drink with your name on it, and butt-kicking booze is way cooler then soup.

It's been a long time since I've had any - the last time we made the road trip to visit my parents, I believe (my mother likes to add it to her tea - I highly recommend it), but I've regaled my children with the story of it, joking that it was an old family recipe.  It isn't, though my mother does have a Polish cookbook with a recipe that my father used.  It was quite the thing to see, and it left the house smelling of honey and spices.

Being a rather cheap sort, I haven't actually bought a bottle for myself in years, though we did find a liquor store that sold it at a much more reasonable price - about $25, or $5-$10 less then anywhere else I've seen it of late.  This particular bottle was a Mother's Day gift. :-D

This is a drink that I've seen classified as a whiskey, liqueur or mead - though the recipe to make it at home calls for vodka.  I've also heard it called honey or fire whiskey.  It is typically drunk straight (though as I mentioned, it does go well with tea) warm, at room temperature or on ice.  At 40% alcohol, it packs quite a kick.  The warmer it is, the more powerful the hit, and the more flavourful.  Sipped from a cognac style glass, allowed to warm in your hand, the vapours rising up are enough to make the eyes burn!  Especially if you wear glasses.  The taste is sweet and wonderfully spiced with cinnamon and cloves.  It's warm and smooth on the way down, and the heat and flavours linger.  This is not the sort of drink to be drunk quickly.  Sip and savour!  I definitely recommend giving it a try.  

Zubrowka Bison grass vodka

So there we were, traipsing through the liquor store (as one does) when suddenly... fur. Green fur. Green suspiciously muppet-esque fur. After a moment of speculation, my mother uttered a happy cry and picked the offending object up.

"Zubrowka!"

Zu-what-now? It's got a bison on it. That's pretty cool.

Zubrowka, as it happens, is a very well regarded Polish vodka that my mother may or may not have tried before but was obviously familiar enough with to be excited. I like vodka well enough, so we brought it home. It was about then that it fully sank in exactly what "bison grass vodka" is.

The answer is "literal".

So yes, not only does it contain a very nice blade of grass but it is very chipper about that fact. It's grass from a primordial forest! Handpicked! Imparts a flavour and colour! And underneath that information was a wealthy list of recipes, most of which included apple. We chose the simplest one. (One part Zubrowka, one part apple juice, with ice, garnished with an apple slice.)

One its own, Zubrowka has an ever-so-faint green tint and is crystal clear. 

We all agreed that it tastes a bit floral, goes down smoothly (for a vodka, so I'll leave that to your discretion) and has an exceedingly pleasant aftertaste. I'd say a little lilac-y.

With the apple juice, the flavours marry beautifully into a light, clear honey flavour.

There was another recipe that involved cinnamon, and I imagine that being a perfect combination. We'll have to try it sometime.

Overall, I would highly recommend it. We got the bottle for under thirty dollars and I plan to pick it up again in the future.

(Are you supposed to eat the grass, though? Is it like the tequila-worm? Mysteries.)

Oh, and we're baaaack~!

Genmaicha and Durian Milkshake

Spindle and I had an opportunity to try out a place I've been curious about for some time, Jasper Sushi and Noodle House.  It's in the same building as our doctor's clinic, and every time I've walked past it, it has tempted me.  Spindle does enjoy her sushi, so I dragged her along for my doctor's appointment, just so we could stop by after for a snack.

Immediately after being seated, we were brought the most adorable little teapot and cups.

The tea is complimentary, which is always nice. :-)  It had a very distinctive flavour, which had me wondering what kind of tea it was.  A quick glance into the strainer in the teapot had me perplexed.  What on earth were those brown... things?  They looked like swollen grain.

When I had the chance, I asked our waitress about the tea.  She tried to explain it to me, then decided it would be easier if she just brought out the bag.  The only thing on the package that was in English was the ingredients list, which helped.  It turns out that the stuff in the strainer that confused me was toasted brown rice.  No wonder it was difficult to explain. Not something I would have associated with tea!  There was quite a mix of things in there, including popped rice, which looked a bit like very tiny popped corn. 

I recognised the bag as something I've seen in some of our local Asian grocery stores and had been curious about, but there was no way I would have associated what I could see in the bag with what I saw in the strainer!  The rice absorbed a fair amount of liquid, and we couldn't see any of the green tea leaves at all.  

It made for excellent tea, though!  It had its own mild sweetness, and the toasted rice added its own distinctive, nutty flavour.  It's something we'll be picking up for home when we get the chance.  We both recommend it.

While perusing the menu, Spindle spotted something interesting in the drink menu.  Durian milk shakes!  This is another food we've been curious about but have not quite been willing to actually buy.  They're not exactly a small fruit, and I would hate to have it go to waste if it turned out to be something we didn't like.  But in a beverage?  That would be small enough that we could share one and finally find out what durian tasted like.

Here's our Durian Milkshake ($3.95), after sampling. 

What to say about this??

The first thing you notice is the smell.  Durian has a reputation for being foul smelling, but it wasn't a bad smell, exactly.  It wasn't even a strong smell.  It was definitely noticeable, though.  I can't even begin to describe what it smelled like.  I simply can't think of anything I can compare it to. 

Then we tasted it. 

Oh. 

Oh, dear.

How to describe this?

Well, it was definitely milky.  Lightly sweet.  Smooth and thick, like a milkshake should be, yet more so.  I've heard durian's texture described as custard-like, and I could certainly get that out of it.   

It was also... fleshy. Which is an odd word to associate with the texture of a drink, never mind the flavour, yet we both agreed that fleshy was the best way to describe it. 

Again, I just don't have anything else I can compare the flavour to.  Nothing even comes close.

It was wrong on so many levels.  Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I managed three sips before I gave up entirely, as each sip was increasingly stomach churning, throat closing, bile raisingly abhorrent.   Spindle was braver.  She managed to bring the glass down to the half-way mark or so.  Then she washed the taste away with tea.

My goodness, we were glad for that tea!!

The worst part of it was that, for hours later, any time one of us burped, we would taste it again!  It was horrible.  Disgusting.  I don't understand how anyone could like it!  Obviously, enough people like it for it to be on the menu, but my goodness!  I can't even imagine it being an acquired taste. 

Never again.

Never, never, never again!

As for the restaurant:  the food was very good, as was the service.  Prices are quite reasonable, and their maki was incredibly generous in size.  We look forward to going back. 

Just not for the durian milkshake!!