It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Whether you prefer creamy or chunky...grape or strawberry...crust or no crust...most of us have one thing in common and that is the love for the timeless Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. Even hearing about one is almost a nostalgic experience that makes you salivate like Pavlov's dog. To my amazement Vincent Van Gogh distilleries have concocted a vodka that is Peanut Butter and Jelly flavored. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous to try this vodka. While I thoroughly enjoy the mixture of peanut butter and jelly, do I really want to drink it? I guess there is only one way to find out. 

Check Please...

I once read that it only takes 7 seconds to create a first impression of someone. If I apply that to this taste-test then my first impression was to say "Check Please" and make up some lame excuse about forgetting to feed the cat before tripping out of the restaurant. Unlike most first impressions, this one was based on smell. Let's break the smell down by the first 7 seconds.  

            Seconds 1-3: Hey, it's kind of nutty, yet fruity...not so bad

            Seconds 2-5: Wait, a minute...

            Seconds 6-7: I'm officially turned off...do I really have to go any further? 

With a very deep breath and a moment of questioning my willpower, I give into temptation and take my first sip. There is no denying that it has a nutty flavor, but the fruity flavor that sneaks up on you at the end is borderline assault. Worried that I was letting these first impressions get the best of me, I continued to sip hoping that it would get better. To my dismay, it did not.

The way I saw it, I had a couple of options regarding this mostly full bottle of vodka. I could either A) give it to a bum B) put it out at a party for my friends or C) think of something...anything that this stuff can be mixed with to be palatable. After running through every possible mixer in my head I turned to my trusty friend the Internet. I couldn't be the only person in this dilemma, right? To my delight, I stumbled on numerous suggestions indicating that Dr. Pepper is actually good with PB&J vodka. I'll be the judge of that... 

Can the Doctor Fix Anything? 

2 oz. PB & J vodka

4 oz Dr Pepper 

I found myself literally talking to this mixed drink (I drank a lot of it while tasting in the beginning, okay?) and asking...almost begging for it to be good. To my relief, the smell didn't make me cringe...that had to be a good sign, right? Wrong. The taste reminded me of cheap peanut butter Halloween candy...not horrible at first but leaves a taste in your mouth that can only be cured by chewing on a garlic clove. Le sigh. 

Is there no hope for the PB & J vodka? Will this go down in the books as being one of the worst ideas in history? Feeling almost pitiful, or drunk, I pondered what else this vodka could be paired with. With the alarming amount of peanut butter flavor, maybe it will be good with a chocolate based liqueur...a Reese's shot if you will. In the near future I will get some Godiva liqueur and give that a try. Until then, stick to eating Goober out of the jar if you want a fix...