La Corona Del Toro Part I

This drink comes to me from way down in Houston Texas. It was recommended to me by the beautiful foodie known as Kelli. Yes folks, she's such a diva that she goes by just one name ;) Her suggestion for a drink for me to profile is something a bit different for me. Its a simple combination of two ingredients one of which is something that I don't ever drink: Red Bull.

Unless you've been living under that rock in the GEICO commercials, Red Bull is one of the ever popular energy drinks that are currently on the market. According to the article Selling energy: How Dietrich Mateschitz turned Red Bull into a cult tipple from the Economist Red Bull is a mix of taurine, detoxicants, caffeine, sugar and vitamins and it is based on a Thai tonic syrup called Krating Daeng. For a more in depth article on what is in Red Bull, click on Patrick Di Justo's article What's Inside: Red Bull from Wired.com. Tonic syrups and drinks are heavily popular in Asia and specifically in Japan and are often used as quick "pick me ups", preventive hangover elixirs, post-bender hangover remedies and as mixers with such spirits as Vodka. For a funny description on some of the different hangover cures found in Japan, click on Japanese Hangover Cures by Gaijintonic.

As any bartender can tell you Vodka and Red Bull (or any other energy drink) is a popular order during the weekends and this drink here pays homage to that in a bit of a different spin. Unlike mixing vodka with the Red Bull, La Corona Del Toro (as Kelli named the cocktail) is made with Crown Royal Canadian Whisky rather than a clear spirit. Here is the recipe I was given:

La Corona Del Toro
2oz. Crown Royal
Red Bull to Fill

Pour Crown Royal in an old fashioned glass and fill with Red Bull.

Pretty simple, no? Here lies the rub. I took a ribbing from Ms. Kelli about using the Sugar Free version of Red Bull. For those of you who read this blog often, you'll notice that I tend to use the Diet or non sweetened version of juices and/or sodas. After a few more minutes of ribbing, I got the ok to use the Sugar Free version. Whew!!!! That was close. Here is the recipe I used with a nod to Kelli's original:

La Coronita Del Toro
2oz. Crown Royal
Sugar Free Red Bull to Fill

Pour Crown Royal in an old fashioned glass and fill with Sugar Free Red Bull.

Since its Sugar Free, my bull had a smaller crown than her bull. LOL. Well let's see what this tastes like to someone who doesn't drink Red Bull. I have admit that I (and Pete who second tasted it) was pleasantly surprised. It was not what I expected it to be. The Crown Royal blended seamlessly with the Sugar Free Red Bull. Let's see what kind of effect the Red Bull has on me. The only other time I drank a Red Bull, I felt like I was going to fly out of my kicks. Talk about Red Bull giving you wings. ;)

Thanks Kelli for the recommendation. Salud!!!

On a bit of last minute ribbing by Ms. Kelli, I was told that upon her return to NYC, I need to have the Corona Del Toro as its meant to be drunk with regular Red Bull and not that Sugar Free stuff. So I guess this is to be continued.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla