The Wall Street Journal has a fun little piece analyzing stadium beer prices against the baseball team’s record.

What it found is that on average the more a team wins, the more its stadium charges for beer.

According to data collected by Team Marketing Report for the 2009 season, beer prices vary dramatically among big-league teams. A 21-ounce beer costs $4.75 in Pittsburgh, but you’ll shell out $8.75 for a 20-ounce brew at San Francisco’s AT&T Park. This led us to wonder: Does quality have anything to do with beer prices?

Surprisingly, it does. A team with a .600 winning percentage charges, on average, about $1.30 more for a 16-ounce beer than does a team with a .400 percentage.

I’d venture that the quality of beer has something to do with it, too. It’s true things are more expensive in San Francisco, but damn if there isn’t a pretty decent beer selection at AT&T Park. Looks like Phillly beat out SF for record/beer price relationship. But not so sure they beat the Bay when it comes to selection.

Can a Ballclub’s Record Justify Its Beer Price @ Wall Street Journal

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We’ve been hearing for a while now that red wine is good for our health. And resveratrol is the name of the compound that supposedly wields these healing powers.

You may have seen ads online or spam in your inbox hocking resveratrol in pill form. (Although, I’d prefer it in the form of a glass of red wine.)

Naturally drug companies want in on the action. GlaxoSmithKline has paid $720 million for rights to resveratrol research.
But what’s the science behind it? If a glass of red wine is good for the blood and heart, is a supplement also good or maybe even better?

The LA Times has a good article on this, for those who want to delve into the science behind these health claims:

To bring resveratrol cheaply to a growing market, supplement makers have taken to extracting the plant compound not from grapes or wine but from an exotic weed — Polygonum cuspidatum, or Japanese knotweed. They are mixing it with a wide variety of other dietary supplements (including the antioxidant acai, which also has taken the supplements world by storm), concentrating it in mega-doses, micronizing it “for optimum absorption” and capturing it in a pill, capsule, powder and even a topical cream. … The flurry of commercial activity has taken off despite the fact that researchers don’t even know exactly what resveratrol does.

Absolut Vodka released its third special “city” edition vodka — Absolut Boston.

Following on the heels of Absolut New Orleans and Absolut Los Angeles, this Boston vodka is flavored with black tea and elderflower.

Tea and elderflower are hot flavors on the mixology scene right now, so keep your eye out for this vodka at your favorite hotspot.
The company will donate $50,000 of the proceeds of Absolut Boston to the Charles River Conservancy, a Boston area charity dedicated to the stewardship and renewal of the parklands along the urban riverbanks.

Absolut Boston

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We knew that alcohol was good for you! First, we hear red wine is good for the heart. And now a study says that beer is actually good for our bones, preventing osteoporosis.

Silicon plays a major role in bone formation. Beer has been claimed to be one of the most important sources of silicon in the Western diet.

The study subjects were all women, presumably because osteoporosis is more common in women and not because this phenomenon is only true for women. So ladies and gents, drink up!

Beer Could Stop Bones Going Brittle (@Telegraph UK)

Photo Credit Telegraph UK

People have been mixing alcohol and caffeine for a long time — whether it’s a rum and coke or vodka and Red Bull. So it was only natural that liquor and beer companies would come up with their own caffeinated concoctions, such as JETT Vodka, Liquid Charge and Joose.

Now some regulators and advocacy groups are claiming that the practice needs to be regulated more, stating that caffeine and alcohol are a dangerous combination.

Some scientific research indicates that people who consume caffeine and alcohol may increase their risk of alcohol-related injuries or other problems. A Wake Forest University study published last year found that 24% of college students who drink reported mixing caffeinated beverages and alcohol—such as Red Bull with vodka—in the previous month. The study found that those who did were more likely than someone who drank noncaffeinated alcoholic beverages to experience negative consequences such as an alcohol-related injury, getting into a car with a drunken driver or being taken advantage of sexually.

Some critics are calling for a ban, while others simply want labeling laws. A ban seems extreme, especially considering that there are rules about how high the caffeine content can be on these drinks. But accurate labeling doesn’t sound too onerous. Check out the article on the topic at the Wall Street Journal and let us know what you think.

Buzz Kill? Critics Target Alcohol-Caffeine Drinks (@ Wall Street Journal)

Today, July 24 is National Tequila Day and to get in the mood we had an informal Tequila tasting in my kitchen. We tried several brands that have arrived in the last week or so and a few little bottles procured from the media schwag room at Tales of the Cocktail. Before we get into what we tasted, here’s a few quick facts about Tequila and Agave:

- Although there are more than 200 varieties of agave in Mexico, at least 51 percent of each bottle of Tequila must be composed of the sugars extracted from the Agave Tequilana Weber Blue variety

- The heart of the plant, the piña, where the juices are extracted from, can weigh between 80 and 130 pounds

- The plant’s growing cycle is of approximately 10 years, at which time it is recommended to extract the juices

- The agave is cooked in brick ovens for 50 to 72 hours although the more modern processes done in steel ovens last only 12 hours

- Mandated by Mexican Law, tequila can be produced only in the state of Jalisco and a few areas in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.

- Tequila has 3 aging grades. Blanco/Plata aged for only 60 days in any type of barrel. Reposado, aged from 60 days to 1 year in wood, typically Oak. Anejo, aged in Oak for 1 - 3 years.

- Based on where the Agave is grown, the volcanic uplands or the lowland plateau surrounding Guadalajara, the resulting tequilas can be quite different. These are known as highland & lowland tequilas, these are unofficial styles and there is no indication on the label which is which.

Here’s what we tried, full reviews will follow:

Tres Generaciones
- Plata: Very smooth for an unaged tequila with hints of citrus and peppery heat at the finish.
- Reposado: Smooth with a hint of sweet oakiness.
- Anejo: Spicy and warm with a fine oak finish, This was our favorite of the night!
Voodoo Tiki - Anejo: Wins for best bottle, hand blown and beautiful. The tequila is also very fine with a mellow finish and hints of pepper and grass.
Cabo Wabo - Blanco: Initail burst of flavor, spicy, salty, even a bit olivey followed by a warm comforting finish.
Tequila Ocho - Plata: Interesting for a blanco, Tequila Ocho has a bit of a charred wood taste, hints of citrus and personality.
Partida
- Blanco: Light and fresh, what you want from a blaco.
- Reposado: Earthy and smooth.
- Anejo: Sharp tones with a mellow finish.
Hornitos - Plata: Not exactly for sipping, but perfect for a margarita.
Tanteo - Tropical, Chocolate and Jalapeno: These infused tequila were interesting, on the nose one could smell the mango in the Tropical and the chocolate and Jalapeno very pronounced. We felt these were best suited for cocktails.

more Tequila Cocktails and articles:

Tequila Cocktails
The Best Way to Drink Tequila - Details
Things We Think We Know About Tequila - Esquire

I was doing some research on tequila and mezcal, and one bar was consistently mentioned with raves: Mayahuel in New York.

Tequila has often gotten a bad rap, due to its associations with Spring Break, hangovers, and the whole “eat the worm” thing. But it’s a very versatile spirit, as is its often-ignored cousin mezcal.

Mayahuel bartender Phil Ward loves the agave spirits, as evidenced by this great quote from his interview with BlackBook:

But it’s right back to that first part; the first tequila that was imported to the country was garbage because they knew that people would drink anything because they wanted to get drunk. And then for a long time, up until…maybe even ten years ago…most of the tequila people were drinking was like Jose Cuervo, which wasn’t even a representation of 100% blue agave tequila. So it was really a misunderstood spirit. I almost wanted to call this place was “La Verdad,” “The Truth,” because tequila and mezcal were so misunderstood by people, and we’re here to teach them.

I’m definitely heading over there on my next trip to NYC … to try the “Italian Inquisition,” which includes mole bitters, blood orange liqueur, and reposado tequila. Yes, please!

Mayahuel

Tequila! The future of Drinking… (@ BlackBook)

A Serious Spot for Tequila (@ Seattle PI)

Photo credit: BlackBook Magazine