It's mine, not Sheridans and a Haaaaaappy New Year! (Sheridans)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Sheridans
Date:	31/12/03 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks great, Tastes the biz

Disadvantages: You may not like it

If there's one thing I like about this time of year, it's the communal joy that comes from sharing..erm...drink. Well, it IS a social thing, after all and eeeeeespecially with New Year's Eve upon us. Of course, I never descend to hammering loads of lager and the like, what with being more refined than that (ahem). Aaaaaaaaanyway, for those of us wiv a touch of class (pronounced clarse, don'tcha know?) then read on McDuff.

There really is nothing better in this world than a nice Irish coffee. It rounds off a meal a treat and within the liqueurs of the world, Irish coffee does it for me every time. Of course, if you are looking at chilling out whilst listening to your favourite gangster rap...erm...I mean, Bing Crosby on the old radiogram <<confused looks>> then a wee drop of Sheridans in the bizzo.

***The packaging***

Ordinarily, you wouldn't want to bang on about packaging too much but a bottle of Sheridans is distinctive. The bottle looks like an elaborate brandy tumbler but is, in fact, two separate bottles stuck together. On one side is a dark liquid being the liqueur, while the other holds a white liquid. Herein lies the rub as the plastic cap at the top with two pierced holes holds the secret to forming your drink with a dark body and white head.

***The smell***

Well, the overriding smell is of coffee and alcohol but it's most pleasant. This combination blends beautifully to tantalise the drinker's snozzel with an adorable mix of coffee bean and vanilla essence that can drive a lesser mortal into a frenzy of drinking (well almost)

***The pour***

A classy notion of tipping the bottle at the right angle will do away with all the clever dicks who get their spoons out every Yuletide to show the proles (sorry, reading 1984 at the mo) how to pour a proper Irish coffee. I suppose their will be an optimum angle to get it just right but I suppose the best thing to do is
try it. If you get it right, the 2 bottles will empty separately and the drink will divide into a lower dark half of liqueur with a white, creamy top of cream giving it that majestic look. I found the best result comes from tipping the bottle side on as opposed to flush, full on if that makes sense although it does take a wee bit of manipulation to eek out the remaining dregs to get that perfect drink towards the end of the bottle. You may end up pouring separately as experience suggests that the respective contents don't reduce at the same rate (for some strange reason!)

I suppose the best description of this is that it does look distinctly like Guiness when poured although there endeth the similarities as I don't like Guinness at all and this is a lot better if you ask me!
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***Brief interlude***

There was an English man, Irish man and a one-legged prostitute...

At this point, I would have included a gag but I was threatened with litigation if I did so I can't (he he)
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***The taste***
.
I did say that I adore Irish coffee and this is THE best. I guess if you are going to concentrate then you will clearly discern the two separate tastes. The alcohol is within the darker substance but the overriding taste is of coffee with a thick, syrup-like substance (not too thick, mind). The white, creamy aspect has a hint of vanilla and off-sets the coffee perfectly to give that creamy feel in the mouth. All mixed together, the hint of alcohol is mild like most liqueurs so wouldn't really satisfy those going in for a bigger kick.

ABV is 18.5% which isn't too and for best results, this drink should be sipped. We tend to serve it up in smaller glasses e.g. sherry or anything more sui
table. Anything bigger and you'll find the bottle won't last too long. Come to think of it, my boss bought me my last bottle just before Christmas and it lasted...erm...2 days *blush*. Of course, there will be all sorts of strange connotations re mixing Sheridans with other drinks but I can't see it my
self and would suggest it's a stand alone experience (a bit like the stand alone experience I get if I get too drunk *sigh*)

I would suggest that room is the ideal for a liqueur like this but you will have the option of slipping ice in if you wish. Personally, I'm not sure about this but then it might be a hot day and you may want something a tad more refreshing. Of course, an ice-cold beer might be better under these circumstances.


***Competition & Price***

A quick scan of the drinks shelf at Tesco reveals substantial competition among similar drinks. There are definitely cheaper options than Sheridans but as to whether the quality holds up is another matter. A 50cl bottle costs around £7.78 at Tesco at the mo but there does seem to be a large variance in price depending on where you go. Like I say, there is a lot of competition around and you will find cheaper alternatives so you may have a lot of fun testing them out. As for me and my good lady, we've been fans of Sheridans for a while now!

To summarise, if you hate or are allergic to either coffee or vanilla, then trying this may put you in hospital (If you are allergic). If you like coffee, creamy substances or liqueurs in general then I'll bet you'll love this so why not try it just before you launch into your 10 pints of beer on New Year's Eve?

Happy New Year to you all and don't do anything I wouldn't do tonight.

Marandina

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