Another badly thought out Taiwan Beer campaign

Combining COSPLAYers with Taiwan Beer. Frankly, it seems like a strange match but I assume Taiwan Beer is trying to cash in on that ever-elusive teen and pre-teen beer market.

Maybe better luck outside of Taipei, which tends to be on the dry/tame side when it comes to alcohol drenched fun among the high and university aged crowds...

Open some of the alternatives here. So cute! So lovely! So strange!

http://www.f-2.com.tw/?page_id=322

Hey, I'm not a prude and I have been known to have given my nieces and our cats a sip of the good stuff once and a while but, c'mon, alcohol and little kids don't mix.

Remember Deuce Bigalow 2???

French man:
"And then what is next?
Take wine away from my children?
I put out this cigarette.
God bless America."

Hello Kitty Beaujolais Wine

What will they think of next for Hello Kitty?
Kitty Cigarettes?
Kitty Tampons?
Maybe these already exist....

A Whisky by any other Name

I really don't know what possesses me to research this stuff. I guess I'm just naturally curious. I was watching tv and I saw this cheesy ad for 'Prime Blue' whisky.

I did a Google search and came up with some interesting info about the whisky market in Taiwan, particularly 'Matisse'.

Here's the link:
http://www.maltmadness.com/mm14a.html#14-14

Here are some of the highlights:

"Many people said that Taiwan is the 'Liquor Paradise'.
That is not only because there is no custom tax for whisky, but also because there are so many choices of liquor in this small island country."

Every year "every Taiwanese drinks 0.5L whisky, 0.1L Brandy, 0.5L wine and 0.25L import Beer," a very large number indeed.

"For many western whisky lovers, Matisse is a mysterious name, probably only very few people notice it from Magazine or IWSC some time ago. Matisse was created by some Taiwanese three years ago, the whole purpose was to create an Taiwanese' taste whisky."

"It is believed the liquor shop has 100% margin on Matisse while only 10% margin on normal blend whisky like Johnnie Walker and Chivas."

There are some other interesting comments about how Matisse may be made OEM by a Scottish distiller. Also, there is some insight into the gift giving value of a bottle of whisky in Taiwan. So, check out the article.

If you are interested in Prime Blue there is the start of something here in the wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Blue_Pure_Malt_Scotch_Whisky
Says it "can also be found in select outlets in the UK". Hmmm, going up the world!

Next time you're in the market for a whisky, don't be suprised when you see the freaky Taiwan brands in the store!

Absinthe-Minded

A friend of mine introduced me to Absinthe, a tasty but strong alcohol containing wormwood (yes, the one from Harry Potter).

It used to be available exclusively in what used to be called Chocolate and Love (now Bliss). However, I've even seen it on sale at places as surprising as the Formoz Festival.

I'd never heard of it back home even though it's perfectly legal there. I say this since absinthe has a history and was banned in places in Europe at times. Historically, it was the poison of choice of many artists, writers and thinkers, these included Vincent van Gogh, Édouard Manet, Guy de Maupassant, Arthur Rimbaud, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

It's 80% alcohol and a bottle costs around $3200NT (the best way to buy if you are going to share; per glass is pricey). How is it served?

"Traditionally, absinthe is poured into a glass over which a specially designed slotted spoon is placed. A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted 3:1 to 5:1"

At the bar I drank it at, the cube once doused with absinthe was lit on fire using a lighter for extra effect. Careful with that fire if you've already drank a lot!