Rocktails

TMtSi DAYS. DRINKING LIKE A ROCK STAR (OR RAPPER OR COUNTRY SINGER) MEANS MORE THAN CHUGGING STRAIGHT FROM THE BOTTLE. MUSIC MEETS MIXOLOGY IN OUR SPRING DRINKING GUIDE —>¦ When you think about musicians and their relationship with booze, you might picture a bloated John Bonham chugging a bottle of whiskey or perhaps a dazed Liam Gallagher slurring his words like a whining toddler. It's not your fault: The party-till-you-puke rock-star lifestyle has been impressed on us for decades. But as a wise man once crooned, the times they are a-changin'. Yes, these days musicians (and music fans) of all varieties drink in style, from backstage beverages in grimy punk clubs to posh concoctions in VIP areas at trendsetting festivals. All you need to know is where to start. We're here to help. HIP-HOI'S IIKAYKM.Y HOOCH Run the Jewels' NIC Killer Mike on why Hennessy is the hip-hop lifer's OG beverage U Hennessy is the creme de la creme. I liked the way it made me feel right away, but then I learned to appreciate the subtle flavors. I've kept it on my backstage rider for 10 years now. It's what IJac and Biggie both drank. I mean, mortal enemies drank the same drink! It doesn't get better than that. If you're from a black family, your coolest uncle is definitely a Hennessy drinker. I love the taste of it with ginger ale or with Sprite. It tastes exactly like a cream soda. It has spices and all this fucking sweetness in it. Two of them and I'll be real nice. THE OLD WORLD • For a more traditional use of cognac, shake up this classic llennessy cocktail. Ingredients 2oz. Hennessy VS 'A 01. Amaro Nonino 5 dashes orange bitters Lemon wheel for garnish Instructions Add all ingredients to mixing glass with ice; stir to chill. Strain liquid into cocktail coupe, garnish with lemon wheel and AWKING HITS (ANO MISSES) IN THE WO RIO OF CELEBRITY-ENOORSEO BOOZE WHO'S HINGING WHAT? WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING Raj) mogul markets subpar sparkling wine as something it's not: classy. OUR TAKE Even Mr. "Cry Me a River" must think this is loo soft. s/ 1 A OUR TAKE In the market for a rapper-endorsed matte-gold flower vase? You're in luck. SAUZA 901 TEQUILA WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING A bit too smooth, but its slight heal and hints oj citrus are nice touches. WHO'S illNOING WHAT? ACE OF SPADES CHAMPAGNE WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING Strikes a surprisingly fine balance: a bit sticky sweet with a crisp bile. WHO'S SUNGING WHAT? OUR TAKE What can't Diddy do well? Seriously, though, damn good , vodka. WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING Distinct grapclikc flu vo rs; p ru isewo rtli y but falls short of competitors. OUR TAKE Is $18 all that's left in your savings account? Welcome to \onr heachside vacation. 4 WHO'S HINGING WHAT? CiROC VODKA WHO'S HINGING WHAT? TYKU SAKE WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING (iron's on sou over time; overhyped, hut heats typical sushi-bar fare. OUR TAKE Works for sake bombing; mixes poorly with Cee Lo's 7nusic. GRAPES OF ROCK HEAVY METAL HEAVY HITTERS HIT THE (WINE) BOTTLE SLAYER • Wine bottles don't often come in coffins. They also rarely have red wax drip­ping from the top like blood from an open wound. Then again. Slayer, a band that screams about serial killers and genocide and also distrib­utes a Reign in Blood cabernet sauvignon, is not your typical wine purveyor. LES CLAYPOOL • With a voice like a deranged chipmunk's and a band as wonderfully odd as Primus, no one raised an eyebrow when bowler-hat con­noisseur and owner of West Sonoma-based Claypool Cellars named his sig­nature rose Pink Platypus. Like Claypool, it's bril­liantly bizarre. MOTORHEAD • Hard-partying reputation be damned, rocker Lemmy Kilmister gave up his whis­key habit a few years back. Now he drinks only wine, so natu­rally Motorhead had to create its own. The gnarli-est of the bunch. Sacrifice Shiraz bag-in-box wine, comes in card­board styled like a vintage guitar amp. MAYNARD KEENAN • Tool master­mind and notorious recluse Maynard Keenan would rather talk your ear off about his Arizona-based Caduceus Cellars than about his iconic alt-metal outfit. Dude even schedules tours around harvesting sea­son. Oh, and his vineyard's name, Merkin, means "pubic wig." COCKTAIL CARNIVALS sxsw Music FestixHil » Okay, it's technically a music conference, but that's not why you're going. Join the mass of delightfully sauced attendees prowling downtown Austin's nightlife scene, pop in and out of bars both rowdy and tasteful and, of course, discover the acts your friends won't be talking about until next year. COACHELLA Music Festival »? Sure, it's a bit superficial, but it's the one festival people say you have to attend. Trust us: Decamp to the California desert and you'll booze in style. Craft cocktails are typically available in the VIP area from some of southern California's most in-demand mixologists and barkeeps. PITCHFORK Music Festival »• The beards and the music snobs aside, thetastemaking music website's annual Chicago gathering offers the best VIP-bang-for-your-buck festival experience. Cough up the reasonable fee and down unlimited local beers and high-end cocktails backstage as you bump up against big-name artists. COUNTRY'S CLASSIC CONCOCTION Country music's chief badass, Eric Church, on how Jack Daniel's is his musical muse Everybody has a certain drink that's jusl right for them. For me it's Jack Daniel's. It cor­responded with playing on the road early in my career. Back then, when we'd play six, seven nights a week, it was good for my voice. Now it's funny: When I drink it off the road, it's almost like my body has been so accustomed to Jack Daniel's, it's ready to go. It's showtime. No matter where I am, if I start drinking Jack, I'm looking for a stage. And I can drink a lot of it and still get away with getting up there and doing my thing. I'm usually okay if I stay with Jack all night, though there's that point where il's gonna be a rough morning. Or afternoon. THE PBR EFFECT • The authentic low-fi appeal of Pabst Blue Ribbon made it the darling of indie rockers. Now the beer has its own summer music fes- tival with Portland's Project Pabst. Last year's event featured Modest Mouse, Guided by Voices and Violent Kemmes. (j) mjectpabsl.com)