Bacardi Wants Your Money, However Leave Your Opinions at the Door

Okay, I will come back, at some point to tell you about the eggplant parm, trimmed down, however (It was very good) I am taking a moment to “share.” Please indulge my little rant and do with it what you will.

Let me give you the back story… my husband received, as a gift, for Christmas a bottle of Disaronno. Disaronno is typically too sweet of a drink for me, but I thought it would make an interesting modification on a Manhattan. I was right. I am not sure what possessed me but I thought I would e-mail them and share my idea. I sent an e-mail simply requesting information on how I could send a recipe idea I had using their product. Silly, I know, but I guess I was (pardon the pun) full of the spirit.

Here is the response I got back:

01/17/10


Dear Vanessa,

We are frequently received information, ideas or inventions (“Information”) from people who are not our employees. It is our policy to return, unopened, all identifiable unsolicited Information. If, due to inadvertence or due to lack of knowledge of contents, an envelope is opened, it is our policy to forward the Information to our Legal Department who then returns it to the sender with out giving it any consideration.

Should you want to submit your information to us, please write to:

Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.
Legal Department
Attention: Advertising & Trade Practice Counsel 2100 Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33137

and request a copy of our “Unsolicited Information / Idea Submission Policy” (Policy) for completion before submitting your information. Information received before compliance with our Policy with be return without consideration and we assume no risk, obligation or liability whatsoever regarding the reception, retention, confidentiality and consideration of you Information.

Best Regards,


I am leaving the customer service representatives name off, because she was just doing her job and should not be included in my disgust. So follow me on my ride of logic.

Here is basically what she said, if anyone ever wants to contact our company via mail, they are required to write and ask for permission to write to us, once and only once that permission is granted, they may then write. Furthermore, lets say I purchased their product and had a problem with it, and I wrote them to address my grievance. Lets also assume, I didn’t know I had to write and ask permission to write (ughhh…duhhh), they would just send my letter back unread and unopened. Really. Really???

It seems to me the proper response to my question was:
Dear Vanessa,

Please don’t bother, we really don’t care at all about our customers. Your satisfaction, is really and totally irrelevant to us Really. I mean seriously, we are not joking about this. If you have a problem with it, please write us and ask for permission to complain. If permission (oh, and this is such a LONG shot!) is granted, you must twirl around twice prior to licking the stamp or we will not be able to give consideration to your complaint.

Stuff it sucker,

Bacardi.



Grrrr. Look let me make it clear that if they simply responded, that they don’t accept recipes, I would have no issue. I get it, they probably get thousands of recipes from silly girls like me that think they stumbled on to some great new drink. What I have an issue with is that this is their policy for ANY UNSOLICATED mail. Really. Really? Wow. It is sad to me. Maybe I am just sick of companies that seem to have forgotten that they need customers to make money, and that possibly it would behoove them to treat their customers decently. However, I can’t blame them because, we seem to have forgotten the ultimate power we have as consumers, not to purchase their product.

So on that note, I will in no way be a consumer of Bacardi products. The list includes:

Bacardi Rum (that was a surprise huh!)
Disaronno
Martini and Rossi
Dewars
Bombay Saphire (the most overrated martini gin in this girls humble opinion)
Cazadores
Grey Goose
42 below
Havana Club Drambuie
Eristoff Vodka
B&B and Benedictine Liquores


Maybe I should send them a letter letting them know I am not a customer any longer.

Peach Martini

Okay, I am off yet again tomorrow. We have waited all week to see if the weather would cooperate and luckily it is. So with the good weather ahead we are off to our place in West Virginia. As some of you might recall this brings with it pork tenderloin biscuits (and typically and added 2 pounds on me that I have to address…ahh life is not fair). So I will leave you with a recipe for on of the beverages I will be enjoying whilst away. This is my fathers creation and I have to say quite lovely.


3 parts peach nectar
2 parts peach flavored vodka
½ part roses lime juice

Put in a cocktail shaker with some ice, shake and strain (or if you prefer serve over ice).

Lemon Drop Martini

My husband is not a big drinker. You are talking about a guy that will often start a beer, and not finish it. Luckily for the economy I have never had quite the affliction. About a week ago, I was wanting a tangy drink. I have never had a lemon drop martini, but in my mind that is what I wanted. This is my lemon drop recipe. My husband has asked for it almost every night since. I am beginning to think I have created a monster!

2 shots (1.5 ounce) of vodka
1 shot of fresh lemon juice (about a medium size lemon)
1 ounce (or just a hair less for me) of agave syrup… I really use about ¾ an once, but it is an eyeball thing
Sugar to rim the glass

I just love a rimmed glass. Do not ask me why. I don’t think it is a flavor thing… I think it is a presentation thing. It just feels more special. I could never get it right before and a couple years back I read you should use lemon to coat the rim (I was using water) and like magic it worked. So start with slicing of a bit of lemon and rimming the glass, and set that lemon wedge aside for squeezing later. I put about 2 tbs of sugar in a dish and than flip my glass on to the dish and give it a little twist in the sugar.

Fill your cocktail shaker about ½ -¾ full crushed ice. Add to it your ingredients (1 ounce is 2 tablespoons if that helps) and shake really well. Note if you don’t have agave syrup, and lets face it…not many of us do, you can use a simple syrup. Pour into glass. Be careful, these go down extraordinarily easy. The recipe makes 2 drinks.

Guavatini

Okay, I have to totally admit I am pilfering here. I was checking out River City Food and Wine and I saw something I had to try. Pear-kissed Martini. Oh, it sounded good, but I am sucker for pear. So today at the store (the food lion off of Forest Hill! No I am not joking…go in if you haven’t been there recently, it is a whole new world of gourmet and specialty??!!) I looked for the pear nectar the recipe calls for. Sadly no pear nectar to be found. However, I saw the guava nectar and it called to me. So inspired by the pear-kissed martini and in the mood for a good cocktail I forged ahead. I have to say this is really good. It is dangerous though, it has a really tropical taste (but not super sweet) and doesn’t give away the alcohol that is really in it. Enjoy!
3oz vodka
3oz guava nectar
1 ½ oz triple sec
½ oz roses lime

Shake well with ice and serve. I would garnish (if you do) with a lime twist.