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Crown Royal Regal Apple

Bottle and Box

I’m a huge fan of Crown Royal Canadian Whisky, so I was looking forward to trying the all-new Crown Royal Regal Apple. The flavored whisky arrived in a sweet emerald green carton with the iconic Crown Royal bag in green and gold tones. Crown Royal Regal Apple is a combination of the well-known, premium taste of Crown Royal whisky infused with natural apple flavors. It’s delicious as a chilled shot as the strong apple flavor jumps out and you can use it for a number of great cocktails as well. With the beautiful packaging and the iconic Crown Royal brand it’s also great for a gift or something to bring to a party during the holiday season.

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Drink of the Week: The Leatherneck Cocktail

Image ALT text goes here.Memorial Day weekend of 2014 is about to get underway. For most of us, it’s just another Monday holiday and the gateway to summer vacation time. For those of us who have lost someone important in one of America’s wars, however, it’s another kind of day entirely.

Though it’s origins are somewhat foggy, Memorial Day began as Decoration Day, honoring the many fallen soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War.  Though it was intended as a solemn remembrance, especially given the shamefully scant number of days off most Americans get these days, you can’t blame people for spending it doing fun things like, say, making cocktails. That definitely applies to me.

The Leatherneck Cocktail is one of the beverages unearthed by famed cocktail archeologist Ted Haigh in his hugely influential Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. As many of you probably know, a Leatherneck is a member of the United States Marine Corps, but I think it’s fair to salute anyone who’s put themselves in danger and perhaps paid the ultimate price on behalf of the rest of us.

The Leatherneck Cocktail

2 ounces blended North American whiskey
3/4 ounce blue curacao
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice.

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Frank Farrell, a Marine turned journalist credited with creating the Leatherneck Cocktail, said you should shake this drink “violently” and that’s not half wrong. Definitely a very vigorous shaking is in order to bring out its more refreshing aspects.

Strain your Leatherneck into a cocktail glass and toast anyone you may have known who sacrificed something important in a war, anywhere in the world. If you actually don’t know anyone who’s endured that sort of a loss, toast that instead.

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A number of very familiar booze brands will probably work here. Technically, I believe, “blended” means any whiskey that’s not single malt or is also not “straight” bourbon or rye. In practice, a classic Leatherneck Cocktail must, I gather, be made with something that is North American and is neither bourbon, nor rye, nor Tennessee whiskey (e.g., Jack Daniels). Good examples would be most brands of Canadian whiskey, like my beloved Canadian Club or Seagrams VO. Seagram’s 7, which is actually U.S. made and blended, would definitely also qualify if you happen to have that around.

Ted Haigh uses Crown Royal, which to me has always tasted like an ever-so-slightly smoother, higher-end version of Canadian Club. I usually have some CC on hand but didn’t this week. I did, in fact, have an actual vintage spirit on hand. It was an unopened bottle of Crown Royal dating back probably 20 years or more given to me by some beloved relatives of mine.

This testament to the very moderate drinking habits of many Jewish-Americans comes to me from two of my very favorite cousins, who know who they are and how much I appreciate their generously provided free aged booze and overall wonderful cousin-hood. My Crown Royal-based cocktail definitely made for a refreshing beverage that, I think, is a reasonable credit to our fighting forces.

Of course, this is  a very simple drink — really, a whiskey daiquiri — that could maybe be spiced up and improved in a number of ways I’m sure. Any ideas on what could constitute a Flying Leatherneck?

  

Crown Royal YHNH program kicks off this weekend!

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Bullz-Eye participated in the Capture the Crown fun-filled weekend at the Crown Royal Brickyard 400 last year, and what
made that experience so special was honoring a true hero and their family. And now, you get a chance to nominate this year’s hero, which the race will be named after in 2014.

As the cars roll into Phoenix this weekend at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race, the search for the namesake of the 2014 Brickyard 400 will officially launch, with the help of Packages From Home. The local non-profit organization, dedicated to sending care packages to active-duty troops stationed overseas, has teamed up with Crown Royal to kick off the brand’s “Your Hero’s Name Here” program, which honors a deserving American hero by re-naming the July NASCAR race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in his or her honor.

Packages From Home and Crown Royal will treat a group of local heroes from Luke Air Force Base to a VIP experience at this weekend’s NASCAR race. In addition to sending 20 military members to the race, two individuals are being recognized as the inaugural program nominees and will have the chance to have the legendary Indianapolis race named in their honor.

Consumers 21+ can visit CrownRoyalHeroes.com to nominate their own heroes for a chance to win naming rights to the race. Nominations will be accepted through April 13th, with finalists being announced at the end of April.

  

Great Times with Crown Royal and Big Machine at the 2012 NASCAR Brickyard 400

Our weekend with Crown Royal culminated with us heading over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2012 NASCAR Brickyard 400 sponsored by Crown Royal and Big Machine Records. Our group arrived at the track around 8 AM so we could enjoy and appreciate the full day of festivities. We were fortunate to have the Crown Royal suite as our home base as we took in so much of what the grounds of this world class track had to offer. There were plenty of bands and exhibits, including Sunny Sweeny, Greg Bates and the Mavericks. A few of the pre race happenings that I really enjoyed were meeting and listening to country star and Big Machine recording artist Justin Moore perform at the Brickfest stage near the speedway, and then, before the race, our media passes allowed Bullz-Eye to get right in the front of a stage on the track to see another Big Machine Records group, The Band Perry, perform and they were incredible. I felt like the entertainment level was sky high before the race even began! We knew this was going to be an experience from the info provided by Crown Royal, but until race day, it was hard to comprehend.

As race time approached, the weather warmed up to about 86 degrees and the 125,000 in attendance were ready for some racing. After the Band Perry concert ended, we headed back up to the Crown Royal seating where the ESPN team, including former UNC star and Cleveland cavalier Brad Daugherty, were filing their pre-race analysis. This race will mark the sixth time Crown Royal has awarded race naming rights to an adult fan. This year, the program focused on all of the unsung heroes who make a difference in their communities, from firefighters and police officers, to first responders and local volunteers. Five heroes were chosen as finalists and adult fans visited the Crown Royal Facebook page to cast their votes for the person they felt was most deserving of the honor. Fireman Curtiss Shave was the winner this year and we had the opportunity to get to spend some time with Curtiss, and in our opinion, Crown Royal made a great choice. The official race title that was used throughout the national television broadcast and incorporated into race memorabilia, as well as the race winner’s trophy, was the Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard powered by Big MachineRecords.com. Various events and celebrations took place leading up to and throughout race weekend to honor Shaver, during which Crown Royal consistently reminded everyone to please drink responsibly. Race time!

The race was televised on ESPN, so millions watched as Jimmie Johnson took control early and cruised his way to victory. Jimmie secured the trophy in Victory Lane after the race, but not before I had a chance to take a picture with that hardware! Jimmie wasn’t the only winner on Sunday, as Crown Royal and Big Machine Records donated thousands of dollars to charities such as Operation Patriot and Honoring Heroes. This was my first time attending a NASCAR race and I can truly understand the passion of their fans and admire their love of country and celebrating a sport that keeps getting better.

  

Heading to Crown Royal “Curtiss Shaver” NASCAR 400 in Indy

For the sixth consecutive season, Crown Royal is honoring someone with a Cup Series race named after him or her. The five finalists for this year’s Crown Royal presents the “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway were recently announced and this year’s winner is Fire Lieutenant and EMT from Troy, Ala. Curtiss Shaver. Bullz-Eye will be flying out to Indianapolis to meet Curtiss and check out the 2012 NASCAR Crown Royal Curtiss Shaver 400 on July 29th.

When local firefighters saved Troy native Curtiss Shaver’s life during a tragic farming accident, Shaver knew he’d found his calling. Though the accident claimed the lower part of his left leg, Shaver persevered and began a lifelong career as a firefighter and certified EMT with the goal of giving back to his community. In a special event today at Troy Fire Station No. 1, a ceremonial Yard of Bricks was revealed to recognize Shaver as winner of Crown Royal’s “Your Hero’s Name Here” program. The national contest renames the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) on July 29th after a deserving American hero.

In an effort to bring a little piece of the famed track (more commonly known as The Brickyard) to Troy, Alabama, Crown Royal orchestrated a special ceremony that resulted in the laying of a replica “Yard of Bricks” in Troy’s downtown area. The final engraved brick bearing the race logo was personally laid by Shaver, culminating the ceremony. “I’m a huge NASCAR fan, so having my name as a race title is absolutely unbelievable” said Shaver. “I’m honored that I was nominated for this incredible contest and humbled that so many people voted for my story. I’m looking forward to representing emergency personnel everywhere who risk their lives for others on a daily basis.” Crown Royal’s Facebook page was where most of the action took place, and they were obviously very excited when Curtiss was chosen as this year’s American Hero. “Crown Royal could not be happier to announce Curtiss Shaver as our ‘Your Hero’s Name Here’ winner,” said Yvonne Briese, VP Marketing, Diageo North American whisky. “His story of perseverance and determination inspired everyone in the Crown Royal family and we are proud to honor him with the ultimate race experience.”

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