Are you man enough?

[Jenise]

A flyer from a Seattle retailer for those of you who might have been fans of The Man Show (she said, eyes rolling):

This Saturday, January 25th, Wine World will be joined by THE Adam Carolla for a special signing of his Mangria Wine! Join us for this special celebrity signing from 12 – 2 pm. RSVP and invite your friends on the Facebook Event Page for updates on this fun weekend event.

Oh, brother.

I'd go, but my chest hairpiece is at the cleaners that day.

[Jenise]

Hoke, here's a review from the Eat-Like-A-Man guy in Esquire:

As the legend goes, comedian and podcast pioneer Adam Carolla found himself half-a-glass short of red wine one evening, and, needing to fill an empty void with an alcoholic beverage, topped his drink off with a heavy-handed vodka pour. The mixture was strong and bitter, so he also threw in some orange juice and a blend of other fruits from the fridge. And so Mangria was born.

The beverage has since gone from a haphazard concoction made while half-drunk to something that resembles a recipe to, now, a ready-made cocktail of California red wine and and a "grape spirit" (basically, vodka) that's bottled by the Patio Wine Company in Napa Valley ($15.95 for one bottle).

As a fan of Carolla since his days on Loveline (yes, Loveline), I’ve been hearing about this cocktail for some time. I’ve actually served a homemade version at parties, to mixed reviews — some men claim to love it; women would prefer, you know, a real glass of wine. But this is my first experience with the bottled product. I recently sat down to enjoy a glass alone, without shame, at my home in Brooklyn, while listening to Carolla talk to Christopher Titus about cars on his podcast.

At first whiff, Mangria smells like that sticky red punch that paints the corners of a child’s mouth a birthday party. To be honest, the taste isn’t much more masculine. Apparently the "Man" part comes from the alcohol content, which tops out at 20.9 percent, or about eight percent above what you get from your standard wine bottle.

Mangria calls itself a wine that boasts “aromas of plum, cherry, blackberry, orange, and citrus.” But it's fooling absolutely no one. This is a stiff drink that goes down easy because it doesn't taste much like alcohol. And therein lies the problem: It isn't so much a way to unwind after work as it is the fastest road I've found to forgetting I have adult responsibilities. Fans sometimes refer to it as "college in a bottle."

Mangria isn't for everyone. It's not available in stores, the shipping is cost-prohibitive, and the hangover isn't much fun. All that said, should I be drinking Mangria? Absolutely. Because, for all its faults — including a Tropicana aftertaste — I think it's fking delicious.

Even scarier than we thought: it could succeed!

Jenise: Ya cdn't wait until April 1 for this? gotta put Mangia on my must miss list.Even my dog wouldn't drink that stuff ..That being said, Eddi, our 75 lb yellow lab, tends to be a bit picky, prefers Wolffer Chardonnay with her kibbles and bits and has been know to favor Paumonock Chenin Blanc with her Paul Newman dog treats. She is not big on red wines tho I did catch her checking out one of my Fontodi chiantis the other day

Sounds...um, tasty? And yet, somehow, I'm not convinced.

This, despite (or more because of) the fact that I've made some pretty damn good sangria over the years, including red, white, and even some rose' sangrias.

Number one, I always used good decent brandy, and Brandy de Jerez if I had it. Number two, my stealth ingredient that always won everyone over, was Gran Torres, a wonderful blend of Catalonian brandy with orange liqueur. Never failed.

Might've been some Lillet slipping in there every now and then too.

Anyone who would try to shuck people with a vodka-based "mangria" isn't even worth serious condescension.

jawdropping.
So what are the legalities of marketing as "wine" something that contains spirits? Is it by ABV?

jawdropping.
So what are the legalities of marketing as "wine" something that contains spirits? Is it by ABV?

As far as I can see from perusing the package images, it doesn't actually call itself "wine" anywhere on the label.

But the feds have a "Specialty" category, for things that don't fit in any existing categories, and I think this would cover that.

Since it isn't sold retail---and I know you're not ever going to order it, Dale----it's rather a moot point what they call it.

Pet rocks, déjà vu.
Best, Jim

I need some to display next to my Marilyn Monroe bottles........

Pet rocks, déjà vu.
Best, Jim

man knows how to cut to the chase

I need some to display next to my Marilyn Monroe bottles........

Surely you meant Marilyn Merlot?

Mark Lipton

Look what Sean “P Diddy” did for Ciroc.

Salute

jawdropping.
So what are the legalities of marketing as "wine" something that contains spirits? Is it by ABV?

Doesn't vintage Port contain a dose of Brandy?

Hi Frank,
Basically the “Mangria” is a “fusion mixture” wine, vodka (derived from who knows what), and fruit (not necessarily grape) juice (like Hoke said now it becomes a “specialty”). (The Brandy added to Vintage Port I believe is derived from grapes, thus making it a “fortified wine”).

Salute

Hoke, here's a review from the Eat-Like-A-Man guy in Esquire:

a ready-made cocktail of California red wine and and a "grape spirit" (basically, vodka)

I'm not saying I plan to run out and buy it, it sounds definitely DNPIM. But it looks a little hard to outlaw, from my POV.

[Jenise]

Interesting that the Esquire review says it's not available at retail, and yet a retailer in Seattle was featuring Adam Corolla live to sign bottles. Something must have changed.