What if you could lose weight, boost your immune system and help stop global warming—all while getting drunk? That’s what 20-something brothers Courtney and Carter Reum, former investment bankers on Wall Street, have set out to do with VeeV, a 60-proof açaí spirit that’s become all the rage at such trendy bars as Stone Rose Lounge, Green Door and Chloe.

The pros
Not only is açaí packed with 57 percent more antioxidants than pomegranates and up to 30 times more heart-healthy anthocyanins than red wine, but it also has vitamins C and E, calcium, dietary fiber, omega-3s, and protein. What’s more, the Reum brothers are environmentally conscious. Their alcohol is distilled by a company operated with wind-generated power, they use recycled packaging and soy ink, and they insist that their salespeople drive hybrids. The best part: A portion of their proceeds are donated to the Brazilian rainforest, where açaí berries are harvested—proof they’re not using the green cause as a marketing gimmick.

The cons
VeeV is also made with prickly pear, which allegedly fends off hangovers. Such has not been the case for me. On a recent night at Whist, I drank three of the bar’s signature VeeV cocktails and was completely useless the next morning.

The taste
Like vodka, VeeV doesn’t have a whole lot of flavor and lends itself well to creative concoctions. That must explain why bars have been creating signature VeeV drinks, like CUT’s MoVeeV Star, made with fresh ginger and orange juice, and X Bar’s VeeV Ambrosia, topped off with St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur. Want to have a cocktail party for Earth Day? The açaí booze tastes amazing with Modmix’s organic mixers, notably the French Martini.

The bottom line
If you’d rather burn a hole in your pocket than in the ozone layer, order a VeeV cocktail.

Alexandra Le Tellier is Bars & Clubs editor for Metromix Los Angeles.

A product launched in the US which claims to reduce the effects of a hangover has been condemned by proponents of sensible consumption and marketing of alcohol.

The new product, called IntelliShot, is described as a “liquid supplement that helps naturally flush alcohol’s most toxic metabolite”.

IntelliShot’s producer, a Las Vegas-based company called Cheerz USA, claims that the 45ml lemon-lime flavoured shot, which can be drunk straight or as a mixer, contains a blend of powerful immune system boosters and super-antioxidants “clinically proven to help naturally reduce and eliminate acetaldehyde, a powerful muscle poison created as the body breaks down alcohol in the liver”.

In its publicity, Cheerz USA recommends taking one shot “following every third or fourth cocktail”. The company already claims to be shipping the product to select nightclubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, and Miami Beach.

However, the brand has already received criticism for its apparent encouragement of excessive consumption.

Peter Duff, chairman of Alcohol_in_Moderation, an international body which aims to promote the responsible consumption of alcohol and which is supported by drinks companies, told just-drinks he was “shocked” by the idea of such a product, adding that by offering to alleviate the effects of a hangover it was encouraging binge-drinking and went counter to the industry’s message of advocating responsible consumption.

However, Cheerz USA CEO Patrick Cochrane said the product was aimed at sensible drinkers who wanted to avoid the lingering after-effects. He pointed out that the product has no effect on inebriation, does not absorb alcohol or lower BAC, nor will it circumvent the consequences of overindulgence. “If you intoxicate your body beyond its ability to process alcohol, nothing will save you,” he said. “Cheerz is for responsible social drinkers who want the buzz without the dangerous lingering effects.”

In another comment which is certain to cause concern among those in the industry striving to project a responsible image for alcohol and alcohol companies, Cochrane added: “The next time your bartender asks you to ‘name your poison’ he or she will be able to offer you a safe and natural antidote too.”

Source: just-drinks.com editorial team

by Anna Scott

Just two months after its heralded debut, the Downtown Ralphs already ranks in the top 15% of the chain’s 262 Southern California supermarkets, according to a company spokesman. The quick success is spurring hope that other supermarkets and retail outlets will arrive sooner than expected in the effort to serve the burgeoning residential neighborhood.

The 50,000-square-foot Ralphs has sales that put it in the top 15% of the chain’s 262 Southern California stores. Photo by Gary Leonard.

“It has far, far exceeded our estimate of the business that we would do,” said Charles Barfield, vice president of public relations for Ralphs Grocery Co. “The store is doing much better than any of us anticipated.”

The 50,000-square-foot South Park store, on the ground floor of the Market Lofts at Ninth and Flower streets, serves approximately 2,000 customers each day, employees say, and consistently exceeds projected weekly revenues by more than $100,000.

While Ralphs representatives would not disclose exact figures, Efrain Ramirez, Downtown Ralphs’ manager of operations, said he expects the store eventually to compete with the chain’s top, $1 million-a-week outlets.

The Westwood Ralphs, Ramirez said, “was doing about $400,000 when they opened and now they’re doing $1 million a week. That’s what we’re aiming for.

“With all the condos going up around us,” he added, “it shouldn’t take long.”

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