Twitter is expanding its reaches besides being a social medium for connecting people, getting news and generally a forum for Bieber bashing. Partnering with Crushpad, a winemaker in California, Twitter has launched its own wine titled appropriately enough Fledgling Wine. Two vintages have been issued a 2009 Chardonnay and a 2009 Pinot Noir, which according to the FAQ on the site, appears to be an excellent vintage in California, potentially one of the best of the decade. There is a charitable element to this where US$5 from each bottle sold is donated to Room to Read, an organization that battle illiteracy. So why this foray into the wine industry? From the mouths of the cofounders behind Twitter:

“The Fledgling Initiative embodies two things that are at the core of Twitter's mission: providing access to information and highlighting the power of open communication to bring about positive change. This initiative is just one piece of that approach. Take part in this mission and pre-buy our limited bottles of the wine. You can follow along with our wine-making activities on Twitter and at some points even participate in its creation. For each bottle you buy, $5 will be donated to Room to Read, a transformational non-profit that brings books, libraries and ultimately literacy to people in the poorest areas around the world. The efforts of Room to Read will benefit literacy, and in doing so they'll allow Twitter to grow. Because if you can't read you can't Tweet!”

Maybe I’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid but that seems to actually make some sense to me.

P.S. It wasn’t deliberate on my part to write three bird related posts in a row, Angry Bird stuffed toys, Chicken Battle and now this.

I feel that I should start a Hello Kitty column dedicated to the random products that she's affiliated with. On my daily trawl of interesting things to bring you, I discovered that Hello Kitty is continuing to dominate the consumer market and the latest is a combination of a beverage (nope, not the wine that she’s not making) and Swarovski crystals (which she’s been fond of in the past). This time, she’s joined forces with Fillico, a company that specialises in making branded water from a spring in Kobe, to bring you bottled water that showcases Swarvoski crystal accents and crown-shaped toppers. The different colour for each bow represents a different trait: yellow for "heartful," pink for "cute," lavender for "sweet," green for "wish," and red for "friendship.” (Is it me or is that ambiguous in a typically Japanese way?) Water doesn’t come cheap though, each bottle retails for US$100. Available here.

I’m in awe that the PR folks behind Belvedere were able to write a 500 word release on what essentially can be summed up as follows: a 6L bottle of Belvedere Vodka is now available in select nightclubs in Hong Kong, namely Beijing Club, Club Billion, Dragon-I, Kee Club, Prive, Sugar, Tazmania Ballroom and Volar. Six litres folks. Six litres. Plenty of drunk dialing, tweeting and embarrassing Facebook pictures to go around.

I’ve never been a fan of whipped cream. It probably comes from being slightly lactose-intolerant so the queasy feeling I get after eating whipped cream does not endear it to me. However, back in college, I’d have friends who inhaled the stuff and would spray whipped cream directly into their mouths all the time. I’ve always thought the waffles we made were the side dish to the whipped cream and I can only imagine the delight of those same friends when I tell them about Whipped Lighting, alcohol-infused whipped cream. Taking it up to the next level, these Whipahols are grain-alcohol-infused products with flavours like White Chocolate Raspberry Whipahol, Spiced Vanilla Whipahol, Cinnamon Whipahol and Amaretto Whipahol. Oddly enough, they are labeled as alcoholic beverages and not food products. I guess enough people spray whipped cream directly into their mouths to justify this as being the next it drink? Currently only available in the US but I’m sure if you are desperate, you will find a way. US$10 a can. Check out the different flavours after the cut.

What's this? Two Geek Spy posts in a week? Well yeah, I've obviously been hard at work scouring the internet for random tidbits that you, my dear readers, will find amusing. Some might say this gadget is catered more to the guys but I know plenty of beer loving girls so maybe it's a bit of both. Behold the USB flash drive that also functions as a bottle opener. Of course, I'm not too sure how smart it would be to have a flash drive acting as your bottle opener if you plan on downing a lot of beers. What if someone spills onto the flash drive? Then you just end up with an overpriced bottle opener. But undoubtedly this will tickle someone's fancy. If that person is you, get it here.

Price:
2GB US$19.00
4GB US$22.00
8GB US$33.00

What’s the best vodka to have in your cosmo? Sex and the City would like you to know that it’s Skyy Vodka. The latest brand to buy into the SATC 2 hype, Skyy Vodka is releasing a limited edition bottle designed by Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field. Patricia has also been cast in the role of spokesperson. Expect to see Skyy Vodka mentioned in the movie and strategically placed in scenes when it opens end of May.

So what to do before the movie opens? Among the tie-ins are drinks made with Skyy to be served at Houlihan’s restaurants and named after characters like Carrie, Samantha and Mr. Big. I've taken the liberty of finding the recipe of the Carrie drink for you to try out at home. Details after the cut.

The Carrie Drink

* 2 ounces Skyy vodka
* 1 ounce X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
* 2 ounces cranberry juice
* 3/4 ounce sparkling apple cider

Shake Skyy, X-Rated and cranberry with ice and strain into chilled martini glass. Top with cider and garnish with a thin apple slice.

I’ve never been a tea drinker. I’d regularly consume lai cha and lemon tea but only because I associate that more with the Chinese cha chan teng culture. Whenever someone says they are having a cup of tea, I automatically envision this British lady that goes “daaahhhhling, you must have a cup of tea’ complete with the petticoats and umbrella. So imagine the surprise of my family to see me becoming an addict to Aveda’s Comforting Tea. For the past month, all I’ve been doing is drinking tea at work, drinking tea at home and no, while tea gives some people the trots, it doesn’t have that effect on me. (Extra points for you if you can identify that reference. @Cnostaw and ShoeGeek can’t participate.)


Now just how comforting Aveda’s Comforting Tea is, I can’t say but it tastes darn good. This I find very bizarre because the tea is a herbal infusion of licorice root and peppermint and I HATE the taste of licorice. So I have no idea why I love this so much. But it’s definitely very soothing, slightly sweet and has this minty aftertaste. You can get the tea loose in a bottle or in teabags. The bottle is definitely the more cost-effective option of the two as it’s about HK$270 for a bottle and HK$210 for 20 teabags.

Available at Aveda Counters at Lane Crawford.

Images: Google images and Aveda