Zyr [ZEER] Vodka is made from a unique combination of wheat and rye which comes packaged in a distinctive light blue bottle. What made me sit up and take notice was the rye, as gin happens to be my overall favorite base spirit.

The Rye imparts a somewhat sweet and spicy profile to the wheat vodka which makes for a spirit that is better off used for sipping vs mixing in a cocktail - we’ve got Smirnoff for that. Zyr vodka is produced in an area outside of Moscow and I was pleased to learn that Zyr oversees the entire chain of supply from harvesting the grain to bottling. That’s dedication, people.

Personally, I enjoyed Zyr vodka the most by sipping it neat - ice cold. I also tried it in a cocktail and it blended effortlessly, disappearing into the background, like a really great vodka should. It’s almost as if it wasn’t there, which is exactly how the base liquor in a well crafted cocktail should be. Zyr has received nods from the Robb Report, Playboy and the Wine Enthusiast to name a few.

Best enjoyed ice cold, on the rocks. Sweet and spicy. Please don’t waste this vodka on people you hate - this is delicious vodka. MSRP of $32 for a 750 ml bottle.

Distribution for Zyr Vodka appears to be mostly on the East coast at the moment, but if you have the opportunity to sample some, come back and tell us about it in the comments.

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A Negroni is one part each of gin, red vermouth and Campari. It’s traditionally served on the rocks in a tall glass, but it’s much better prepared in a martini fashion.

The Negroni is a wonderfully complex drink that will knock you down if you try to have more than 3. It’s an all out slugfest from the botanicals in the gin vs the spicy bitterness of the mysterious ruby-red Campari coupled with the sweeteness of the vermouth. You’ll want to have more than 2 - because you won’t be able to tell if it’s sweet, or bitter, or both with each sip. This is our favorite classic drink of the moment, especially when pondering our next blog post.

In a Boston shaker filled with ice, pour:

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray #10)

1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini & Rossi or Cinzano)

1 oz Campari

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. The traditional garnish is a lemon twist, but because of the Campari use an orange twist instead - rub the juice from the skin around the rim of the glass.

So what if Tony Soprano drank Negronis? No doubt he would have approved, puffing on a cao sopranos cigar, while pondering his next move….

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The Boss is smooth and mellow with a thick flavor. The cigar starts off slow but gets stronger with each draw, especially after the middle. It burns nice and steady all the way through. The cigar uses a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, a Honduran binder, and an exotic mix of fillers from Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Colombia.

Pair one of these with a Negroni and ponder what really happened in that ice cream shop.

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Vodka’s [wódka] first written record dates to the early 15^th century in Poland and about the same time, in Russia, a group of monks returned from Italy (always with these monks and alcohol) with secrets of distillation that allowed them to begin producing a similar ‘water of life’ from which the term ‘vodka’, a diminutive of ‘voda’ (water), derives. Some cite the skimming of lighter and pure alcohols off of vats of frozen wine in the 9^th (!) century as the first incidence of vodka production. As far as whether the Poles or Russians first developed what we think of as vodka today, I’ll let them sort it out; they’ve been fighting for centuries anyways. If you happen to be a Pole or Russian, maybe you can set the record straight in the comments section ….

For many years vodka was used primarily as a medicinal substance and was often, and still is, infused with many herbals, fruits, and botanicals; especially in Poland. Several traditional flavors you’ll find in vodka’s native lands include:

• Zubrowka: bison-grass flavored (usually with a blade of the grass in-bottle)
• Wisniowka: cherry flavored
• Okhotnichya ‘Hunter’s Vodka’: orange rind, ginger root, coffee beans, and juniper

So, as you can see, vodka goes a bit beyond the extreme blandness of its nature in its homelands as well. But, what about plain old-school-‘it’ll take your breath away’ neutral vodka? Well, in the past, given that vodkas were often distilled at home by the peasantry, vodka was traditionally distilled from potatoes or vegetables, that is, something anyone could grow themselves.

In modern commercial distillation, however, the vast majority of vodkas are distilled from grains including barley, rye, corn, and wheat, though products such as grapes, vegetables, and fruits are also making an inroads into commercial production, with each giving a slightly different character to the spirit. ‘Character?!, but it’s everything-less, it’s quintuple-super-filtered!’ you say? Ahhhhh, yes, let’s look at some examples of this elusive ‘character’ we’re supposed to derive from this neutral and, to many, bland spirit.

Bases

• barley: sweeter and a bit spicy
• corn: buttery character
• rye: nutty sweetness
• wheat: light anise tone
• potatoes: oily character and vegetable notes

Origin

• Poland: wide range of characters and flavorings
• Russia: usually oilier and drier than their Polish cousins
• Western: crisp and with lighter flavor profiles given the emphasis on filtration

Note that these traits will be lost in the typical cocktail or mixed drink. Vodka, primarily being a neutral spirit takes on the characteristics of whatever you mix it with. This is the major reason why it’s a favorite of bartenders around the world. It’s by far the easiest of all the spirits to work with. However, if you follow the Russian tradition with which I’m familiar, of drinking a swill of neat vodka and then chasing it with a bite of a dill pickle (much like our lime wedge/tequila shot routine), the differences in vodkas will become more evident. Just don’t forget to call out ‘Na Zdrowie!’ as you do so.

Another, often overlooked, aspect of what generates a vodka’s character and quality, is the water used. Remember, vodka is a neutral distilled spirit that is distilled to, usually, 95% ABV and then cut with water until the final product is between 40-50% ABV. This means about half of the product you’re paying for in that finely-crafted bottle is water, and it means you should pay attention to that water and where it’s coming from – especially when the water comes from Ice Age glaciers or Greenland ice caps. Maybe you’re getting what you’re paying for, and maybe not.

Some to try:

Chopin: my favorite vodka, distilled from potatoes in Poland, with an oily and smooth character and notes of pepper and sweetness

Svedka: the vodka I turn to as a mixer, distilled from wheat and highly filtered, smooth and even palate

Hangar One: an excellent vodka that is more complex than most, their flavored vodkas are best in class

Stolichnaya: the most well-known and widely-distributed Russian vodka, distilled from grain with heavy charcoal notes and a nice feel

Reyka: an Icelandic vodka that demonstrates how important water is to a vodka’s quality, distilled from barley with water from under a lava field with very low mineral content and high natural purity

This post was guest blogged by Gabriel at Cocktailnerd – a blog of most things cocktail and alcohol related. If you liked this post, writing style or need another excuse not to work, visit him there.

Additional resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodka
http://www.ginvodka.org/history/vodkaproduction.html
http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/DistilledWater.html
http://www.cocktailtimes.com/dictionary/history_vodka.shtml

NOTE: Any errors and omissions are purely the fault of the editor, and I really can’t be held responsible. Really, he made me do it.

American manufacturers usually start out with distilled grape wine that’s close to 170 proof - and they bring this value down to around 102 by adding water. Then the product is aged in white oak barrels, and caramel is added to increase the color. Brandy must be aged a minimum of two years, but is more commonly aged from three to eight.

Brandy may also be produced from wine made of other fruits beside grapes. You can have cherry brandy, apple brandy (very popular), blackberry brandy etc. If it’s a fruit, you can make brandy from it. Then you also have fruit flavored brandies, which differ from fruit brandies in that the former is flavored with the stated fruit in the bottle.

Cognac is nothing but fine, french brandy. However not all brandy is cognac. Huh?

Well cognac is grape brandy that is produced and manufactured in the Cognac region of France. It has to be for it to be considered cognac according to federal guidelines. The village of Cognac (this sounds like somewhere I’d definitely want to visit) is surrounded by seven grape growing regions which are:

1. Grande Champagne
2. Petite Champagne
3. Borderies
4. Fin Bois
5. Bon Bois
6. Bois Ordinaries
7. Bois Communs

A minimum of 51% of the grapes must come from the Grande and Petite vineyards. The remaining 49% or less can come from the other five regions. When the cognac is made solely from the grape grown in the Grande and Petite regions it is labeled as “Fine Champagne Cognac.”

And if you’ve ever wondered what the heck all those letters stand for after the cognac name - David Embury in his book, the Fine Art of Mixing Drinks writes:

E extra or especial
F fine
M mellow
O old
P pale
S superior
V very
X extra

VS/VSP (very superior, also known as three-star) is usually aged the youngest at two years on average. Industry average is four to five.

VSOP (very superior old pale) and VO (very old) are aged a minimum of four years. Industry average is 10 - 15 years.

XO (extra old) is aged a minimum of 6 years. Industry average is 20 years or more.

So Remy Martin V.S.O.P. is Remy Martin very special/very superior old pale. Stick to VSOP and up.

Some to try:

• Courvoisier VSOP

• Martell VSOP

• Hennessy VSOP Privilege

• Remy Martin VSOP

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All rum then by default comes from sugarcane by-products - fermented sugarcane juice, sugarcane syrup or sugarcane molasses. Rum is usually broken into two classes, light or dark. Light rum is typically young (may be aged in un-charred oak barrels) or un-aged rum perfect for mixing in cocktails. Dark rum on the other hand derives its color as a result of aging in charred oak barrels which imparts a more pronounced flavor. Deeper colored rums have usually been aged longer and should be sipped straight like fine cognac.

Some rums are then flavored with fruits or spices and usually take on the characteristics of where they are produces. Most of the rum we drink here in the US are light-bodied white rums manufactured in Puerto Rico (i.e. Bacardi). Full-bodied rums, favored in Europe, are specialties of Jamaica, Haiti, Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guiana.

Some to try.

• Wray & Nephew (Jamaica) - an overproof ( overproof means higher alcohol by volume content - in this rum its 63% vs the common 40%) rum with a heavy and full, flavorsome taste. Hints of banana.

• Appleton Estate V/X (Jamaica) - Hints of banana, berries. Pleasant aftertaste.

• Mount Gay (Barbados) - medium to full bodied taste, clean. Moderately priced too.

• Rhum Barbancourt (Haiti) - cognac quality rum, double distilled before aging in oak vats. Available in three versions: Three-star (aged 4 yrs min), Five Star (8 yrs min) &Estate Reserve (15 yrs min)

• Bacardi White (Puerto Rico) - Neutral, vodka like with a crisp finish. A favorite of bartenders worldwide.

• Ron Anejo Anniversario (Venezuela) - Cask aged for at least 12 years, a personal favorite, one to be sipped straight. Distinction of being a premium aged rum easily available in most liquor stores.

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Gin is probably the most misunderstood of the major base spirits. Vodka, considered by some to be the best of all spirits couldn’t be any further from the truth. Here, gin is king of all the liquors. It has a strong profile - taste, aroma and a world of exotic profiles that differ from one gin to another depending on the herbs and spices used in it’s distillation. Gin is not your father’s drink anymore. Get familiar.

It’s widely believed that the English invented gin. No - the Dutch did. It was discovered in the 17th century by Franciscus de la Boe (aka Dr. Sylvius), a Dutch physician at the University of Holland. English soldiers returning from the 17th century war brought the drink back with them to England where it soon became the national drink.

007 gets his martinis with vodka - but martinis traditionally call for gin. Plus 007 likes his martinis shaken and not stirred - (also wrong, or right) but let’s save that debate for a later post, shall we?

There are two ways to make gin - the simplest and cheapest would be by adding juniper berries and botanicals (perhaps coriander seeds, cassia, cinnamon bark, ginger, lemon and orange zest) to a neutral spirit. This is more commonly referred to as bathtub gin - the name is self-explanatory. The proper way which is by adding juniper berries and botanicals to a neutral spirit and then re-distilling it. Even though all gins may look alike, no two are the same. What usually differs one gin from another are the botanicals and distillation methods used.

Some major brands openly disclose their botanicals, but not the ratios. Others guard their botanicals like the formula to Coke.

Gin is a superb mixer and blends well with citrus juices - lime, particularly lemon or orange.

Whatever gin you use in your cocktails should always be 40% ABV (alcohol by volume) or above - check the label on the bottle. Store in your freezer.

Some to try are:

• Gordons Gin- A well-balanced gin, subtle and light.
• Beefeater Gin- Smooth with a delicate, citrus edge.
• Bombay Sapphire Gin - Great flavour, exotic aromas. Somewhat spicy aftertaste.
• Plymouth Original Gin - Coriander and juniper dominate, intense fragrance but well-balanced.
• Tanqueray GIn - Strong, rich juniper and oil scent - a powerful base with a firm, dry finish.

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This is not a definitive list. There are a lot of excellent brands that are not mentioned here, and more are launched frequently. Don’t be afraid to experiment with any of the numerous other brands and tell us about your experience.

Pick and choose from my recommendations below to help you stock your home bar. I have added flavors to some of the items to help you choose the ones you can start out with based on your preference. Everything in the modifier section is essential, items 1 -10 in the color/flavoring section are strongly recommended. Favorites are italicized.

A basic cocktail may consist of:

A Base

1. Gin - Look for anything 40% Alcohol by volume or up. Some to try are Beefeaters, Bombay Sapphire, Gordon’s, Plymouth & Tanqueray (Tanqueray #10). Store in a freezer - because the ABV is 40% or more the liquor will not freeze which also means your bottles will not break. Your base liquor will be icy cold when you’re ready to prepare your cocktails.
2. Vodka - Same as above, look for stuff 40% ABV and up. Some to try are: Stolichnaya, Smirnoff, Absolut, Ketel One, Grey Goose, Belvedere, Skyy. Store in the freezer.
3. Tequila - Jose Cuervo 1800.
4. Cognac - V.S.O.P.’s from these labels: Martell, Courvoisier, Remy Martin, Hennessey (Privilege).
5. Whiskey - Jameson (Irish whiskey), Jack Daniels (Tennessee whiskey), Jim Beam (Rye whiskey), Crown Royal (Canadian whiskey)
6. Bourbon - Makers Mark, Knob Creek, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey
7. Rum - Bacardi Light, Bacardi Dark, Myers’, Captain Morgan, Wray & Nephew Overproof, Appleton V/X
8. Scotch (blended) - Cutty Sark, Johnnie Walker Black, Dewar’s, Chivas Regal

A Modifier

1. Campari
2. Sweet (aka Italian or red) vermouth - Cinzano, Martini & Rossi
3. Dry (aka French or white) vermouth - Noilly Prat
4. Bitters (Angostura & Fee’s orange bitters)
5. Fresh citrus juices (orange, lemon & lime)
6. Simple Syrup aka Simple Sugar Syrup (we’ll show you how to make some in a later posting)

Color / Flavoring

1. Maraschino - cherry flavor
2. Creme de menthe (white) - mint flavor
3. Grenadine - sweet cherry flavor
4. Sloe Gin - cherry like flavor (actually made from the sloe berry - but we’ve never had a sloe berry before, have you?)
5. Southern Comfort - honey-peach, bourbon base
6. Cointreau - orange flavor
7. Blue curacao - orange flavor (blue is just added for coloring only)
8. Grand Marnier - orange cognac flavor
9. Drambuie - honey flavor, scotch base
10. Chambord - raspberry flavor
11. Benedictine - spicy herb flavor
12. Amaretto - almond flavor
13. Peach Schnapps - apricot flavor
14. Apple Schnapps - apple flavor
15. Brown Creme De Cacao - chocolate flavor

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In Part 1 we covered basic utensils and barware - items such as Boston shakers, Hawthorn strainers, muddlers etc.

Now it’s time to take a look at the second part in our home bar series, glassware. Buy the best quality you can afford, and always wash glassware by hand to prevent chips and cloudy build-ups. Stick to the sizes shown so that your drinks look right in the appropriate glassware. Bottoms up!

1. Martini glass: 4 - 6 oz

2. Old fashioned / rock glass: 8 - 10 oz

3. Collins glass: 10 - 12 oz

4. Champagne flutes: 5 - 8 oz

5. Wine glass: 10 - 14 oz

6. Shot glass: 1 0z

7. Cordial glass: 2 oz

8. Brandy snifters: 9 - 12 oz

9. Margarita glass: 9 - 11 oz

Subtract and add at your leisure. At the very least you’ll need martini glasses, old-fashioned glasses and Collins glasses for a basic bar setup.

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Stock up on these essentials and don’t cut corners on quality. You’ll soon be the toast of your town, or city, or suburb…

• A Boston Shaker. This is the professional version that most bars use. 2 pieces, a pint-size mixing glass and a stainless steel shaker cup. We prefer this type over the more common 3 piece stainless steel types because the clear glass in the Boston Shaker allows you to see what you’re mixing and let’s you know if your proportions are right. We like the Rosle Boston Shaker. Get a Boston Shaker here.
• A Hawthorn Strainer. A basic strainer shaped like a spoon with a spring edge. The Hawhorn Strainer ensures that you don’t get any bits of ice in your drinks. Fits over any size glass. Always strain your drinks from the mixing tin. This way if you’re off on your measurements, nobody else will be the wiser. Get one here as part of the Oxo 7 Piece Stainless Steel barware set.
• A Jigger. For measuring. Most usually have 1 oz on one side, and 1/2 oz on the other side, sometimes also called a double jigger. You’ll want to use one of these until you’ve mastered freehand pouring. Get one here as part of the Oxo 7 Piece Stainless Steel barware set.
• Pour spouts. After you’ve become comfortable mixing a few cocktails, you might want to consider using a pour spout. Pour spouts allow you to mix your drinks faster, because you don’t lose time measuring and you don’t want to keep your patrons waiting. There are all kinds of pour spouts out there, even ones that measure for you when you pour. We don’t like these because they can interfere with your rhythm when you’re pouring. Look for the Spill Stop Model #285-50, it’s a professional standard. Buy a couple - because it’s a bad idea to switch pour spouts without washing them first, and remember to always re-cap your bottles with the original caps. This way your premium hooch doesn’t go up in smoke. Get a set of 12 Spill Stop 285 here.
• A sharp knife. Important for preparing garnishes and slicing those lemons and limes.
• A citrus stripper / zester. The sharp head removes the pith from citrus fruits and the side knife gives you that perfect twist everytime.
• A chopping board. Get one here as part of the Oxo 7 Piece Stainless Steel barware set.
• Swizzle sticks (for stirring long drinks), a long bar spoon and straws.
• Citrus Press. This is an essential part of your home bar - because nothing but freshly squeezed juice will do. That means no canned juices or store bought mixes. This stainless steel model from Nor-pro is an excellent choice.
• Get one here.
• A wooden muddler. To crush fruit and bruise herbs. Have no mercy. Get it here
• A Waiter’s Knife. A multi-purpose tool which usually contains a knife, cork screw and can opener. Our money is on this model from Victorinox, the company that gave us Swiss Army. Yours should be too. Get one here.
• A Blender. How else are you going to make those margarita’s? This one’s a Consumer Reports Best Buy - that’s good enough for us. Get it here.

Honorable Mention #1: This manual juicer from Hamilton Beach. A tad more expensive but worth every penny. It’s the commercial version you’ll find in any top class bar. Worth every cent when you’re whipping up a killer cocktail. Get a Hamilton Beach Manual Juicer here.

Honorable Mention #2: The Oxo 7 Piece Stainless Steel Barware Set is one of the most trimmest and elegant sets around, containing just about everything you might need for a basic home bar. Get one for your home bar here …

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The Red Lion was created by a British barman, Arthur Tarling. The drink was soon adopted by Grand Marnier for promotional use in the 30’s and is actually still being promoted up to now as you can see from their website. That’s been over 70 years! Talk about a cocktail with staying power.

In a Boston shaker with ice, combine:

2 oz Gin (Tanqueray #10)

1 oz fresh lemon juice (no subsitutes)

1/2 oz Grand Marnier

1/2 oz Grenadine

Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Optional sugar rim.

Tom Collins is called so because this cocktail was traditionally made with Old Tom Gin, a sweetened London dry gin rarely seen on the market today.

Think of a Tom Collins as supercharged lemonade - perfect for a hot summer day. This is traditionally a “tall drink”, because it is usually
served in a tall glass (a Collins glass) that can
hold anywhere from 12 - 16 oz.

Here’s how to make a superior one.

Fill a Collins glass with ice all the way to the
top. Add:

2 oz Gin (Bombay Sapphire)

1 oz fresh lemon juice (no substitutes)

1/4 oz simple syrup

dash of bitters (Angostura)

Fill with Club Soda. Optional lemon garnish. Stir with a straw. Kick back and ponder.

Then I came across the Sennheiser PXC 450 Noise Cancelling headphones - let me just put it this way, your music will never sound the same again.

The closed ear design encloses the ear canal and employs Noisegard 2.0 tech to filter out 90% of unwanted noise. The nose cancelling technology works by recording the level of sound around you and then eliminating it by inverting the signal. Duh smart.

$449.95, Buy it here .. or Save this link for later …

The Rolls Royce phantom coupe was unveiled today and the car itself really doesn’t need much introduction. This is the last model to complete the Phantom line. A few interesting features on The Phantom Coupe are:

• Hundreds of twinkling fibre-optic lights around the headlining
• 250mm (wheelbase) shorter than the Phantom
• Stiffer Chassis - the coupe’s ride is less sportier than other models in the Phantom line
• The fuel tank has a range of 372 miles

For more details, visit our friends at Autoblog

In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine:

• 1.5 oz brandy ( Martell V.S.O.P.)

• 1.5 oz white rum (Havana Club)

• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice (no substitutes)

• 1/2 oz Cointreau

• 1/4 oz simple syrup (optional)

Shake all ingredients and strain into a chilled martini glass.

… however after sampling Sobieski Vodka I realized that it was a really decent vodka and given it’s extremely low suggested retail value of $10.99 - this is a vodka that warrants a place in your mixology cabinet.

Sobieski vodka is named after the 17th century King Jan III Sobieski, and is made from Dankowski rye, the highest quality vodka grain in Poland. The rye imparts an almost gin-like, spicy, pronounced sweetness to the flavor. I wouldn’t classify this as a sipping vodka - vodkas that come from a potato base usually tend to fare better as sipping vodkas - but rather as a mixing vodka, perfect for parties.

Sobieski vodka positions itself as a value vodka, it has all the qualities you can find in premium brands like Belvedere, Gray Goose etc but at 1/4th the cost. This is good news for consumers - pretty soon that happy hour cosmo / kamikaze with rail vodka won’t taste like crap anymore (as long as they use a value brand like Sobieski).

The Beverage Testing Institute said it best, “An incredible value in a world of high priced vodkas.”

Sobieski Vodka, $10.99 for a 750 ml / $19.99 for 1.75L.

1. The Sidecar

There are tons of stories out there in regards to the origins of this drink. What we do now is that it originated in Paris during the first World War. The version we like says that the drink was created by a Parisian military officer who rode back and forth in a chauffeur-driven motorcycle sidecar to drink this cocktail at a bar. Sweet from the Cointreau, cool and refreshing from the lemon, strong from the cognac - God bless that Parisian officer for combining all three. In a Cocktail Shaker with ice, combine the following:

• 2 oz V.S.O.P. grade Cognac ( Hennessy Privelege)

• 1 oz cointreau

• 1 oz fresh lemon juice (no substitute)

Optional sugar rim, shake all three ingredients and strain into a chilled martini glass. A votre sante!

Betas. They’re everywhere. You probably came across one last night at the bar, or saw one on your way to work this morning. You went to school with a couple. You’re probably talking to one on the phone right now. You will most definitely meet at least one this weekend. You could very well be one yourself.

Bang is Roosh V’s debut hilarious, intelligent and very blunt manual/book/how-to/self-bio/guide on the art of getting laid. A scientist by day and a playboy Alpha male at night, Bang is the culmination of the personal dating experiences of Roosh and you won’t be able to put it down once you start. Roosh recently quit his well paying job (he needed a break) and toured South America starting in Colombia and working his way through Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela - now that’s Alpha. Read all about his experiences here.

Betas are bad. Alphas are good. According to Bang, you’re either one or the other. That corny guy that butts in while you’re trying to score? Beta. The guy that sees it coming and shuts him down even before he’s had a chance to … Alpha. The kind of guy that women walk all over? Beta. The kind of average joe that women fawn all over - Alpha. In a world of Alphas and Betas, which one would you rather be?

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