Men's Lifestyle

I never used to be much of a vodka flavour drinker, apart from when you buy racks of shots from places like Revolution which was always fun. A good few years ago I tried vanilla vodka, and since then I love it!

I usually keep it simple, with just a vanilla vodka and Coke, and it is really good. I am actually surprised that when I go out most bars have the vanilla flavour, and over the years I’ve bought or drank a few different brands of the stuff, but the question is, which is the best?

As with all vodkas they are around 37-40% in alcohol, but the price differs quite a bit depending on what brand you go for.

Absolut Vanilia

Absolut Vanilla “Vanilia” vodka is most well known and loved vanilla flavoured vodka out there. It was the first one I had, and I have to say, it is the best. Absolut is known for making high quality vodkas, and this is yet another.

The scent is alluring, and the taste is very pleasant and sweet, but strong enough to know you’re still drinking a vodka and not a non-alcoholic drink.

The price varies around £20 – £30, and it’s worth the money. You can get Absolut Vanilla in 70cl and a larger 1L bottle, which is worth the investment.

Ciroc French Vanilla

One of the newest vanilla vodkas on the market is Ciroc French Vanilla, and it’s one which I got back in 2017. Ciroc is famous for it’s premium vodka, and this one is no different. The taste is very smooth, and it is a really nice vodka.

If you’re looking to create a wow factor with friends or at a party, this is possibly the one to go for. A standard 70cl bottle will set you back around £26, and it is a good vodka, but not necessarily better than the rest.

Grey Goose Vanilla

With the Grey Goose label, you know this is going to be a premium price. I got a bottle for around £45, however this was a 1L bottle rather than the standard 70cl. Having said that, it’s still the most expensive, around 3x more than the Absolut Vanilia. It has quite a nice taste to it, but is less sweet and “candy like” than the rest, and the taste of vodka does come through quite a bit.

Smirnoff Vanilla

Probably the most known brand name for plain vodka, Smirnoff do a vanilla but it can be hard to find. I did find some, tried it, and yes, it’s pretty nice. You can pick this up for around £18, so it’s a good price for a well known brand.

Stolichnaya Vanilla

I have had Stil Vanil quite a few times, but never bought a bottle. A few bars I go to used this as their standard vanilla vodka, and I have to say it’s really nice. It’s probably the most sweetest “vanilla tasting” of the four, and there’s no unpleasant aftertaste. You should be able to pick up a bottle for under £20.

The best vanilla vodka

I have to give this to Absolut. It is that much better than the rest, and at less than half the price of the premium Grey Goose brand too. The Stoli and Smirnoff come in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

As mentioned, my drink, is the simple but lovely Absolut Vanilia vodka with Coke. There are quite a few cocktails you can make with this flavour vodka, such as a Cookie Monster, Absolut Monster, Absolut Vanilia Passion and a lot more.

Simple, but it tastes really good! 😉

Bring On The Girls!

It’s 2014 and the start of a new year, and everyone’s favourite dating show is back on ITV! Warm up to your Saturday night with the flirty 30 in your living room along with the man with the catchphrases, Paddy McGuiness.

Once again it’s a case of no likey no lighty, but this year there is a brand new twist to the show. If a guy has 1 or two girls left after the end of the final round, he’ll be asked if he’s feeling frisky or risky, with the option of choosing a 3rd, mysterious girl instead, based solely off the sound of her voice. The lad will have to choose what to do, he won’t be able to see her and she will be hidden in the love lift, is there a boy who will take the risk?

Who is your favourite? Here are the pics and bios of all the 30 girls who will be kicking off TMO this Saturday night!

Check out the Take Me Out 2015 Girls Photos here.

Take Me Out 2016 Series 8 Girls Photos

Check out Take Me Out Series 9 photos for 2017 here!

UPDATE: Check out the Take Me Out 2019 Girls for Series 11.

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Better later than never! :p Each year for the past few I have featured the infamous Fenwick window on my blog, and this year is no different. This year’s theme is fairy tale forest, and as usual there is the reflections aka free advertising for the shops across the road 😉

Fenwick Christmas Window Through The Years

2015 | 2014 |  2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010

If you read my blog or know me you’ll know that I support Spain and always have done since I was a kid, and I always buy the Spain kits, usually the home and away, and then the goalkeeper’s home and away too. Usually I get the home shirt first, this was unveiled a few months ago on my blog, and have been available to buy for a while. I have not got that yet, but I have got the brand new Spain home goalkeeper shirt ready for the 2014 World Cup, with official Casillas printing 😀

The goalie shirts are usually hard to get, but Adidas have discovered people outside Spain actually want them, so are selling them. This is direct from Adidas, and they printed the official name and number, but you may notice something missing…No front number! I have spoken to them and they insist that they do not print the front number. This is odd because you’ll know that all international shirts have a small number printed on the front as well as the back. It’s actually a FIFA rule in the World Cup.

The shirt is a combination of blues, with gold trimming, and I really like it. It’s finished off with a two tone Spain crest, something they’re doing on all the shirts and training gear, this being blue and gold, the home shirt being all gold and red.

The away shirt and GK away top are yet to be unveiled, with some suggesting black for the away top, with a yellow stripe through the middle.

The shirts come complete with the FIFA World Cup Winners 2010 badge 🙂

Recently ASOS got in touch with my and told me about an exciting new opportunities they were offering for their biggest fans, called AccessAllASOS. It offers an inside look, as well as other things, but it’s a brand new concept and it’s an invite only service at the moment.

I got an email confirming that I would be one of the first ASOS insiders, and today received a had written letter and little gift in the form of a beanie and pair of socks 😀

Have you ever wanted to try some premium spirits, but don’t know where to start or want to go to the expense of buying full size bottles? Flaviar is the answer to that. You can discover different and exciting premium flavours of a number of spirits, which are sold in tasting packs.

I got the Señor Tequila, Por Favor tasting pack which as you can guess, is a tequila tasting pack. The pack itself is very well presented in a nice rack-style box with the bottles neatly packaged up, you get 5 45ml bottles which is enough for 3 friends to have a good taste of the various tequilas. This pack contains Casa Noble Crystal, El Jimador Reposado, Patron Reposado, Arette Añejo, and Sierra Milenario Extra Añejo.

If tequila is not your thing you don’t have to worry, they have a great selection of packs including whisky, scotch, rum, gin, cognac and more. Tasting packs start at £19.99 with the tequila one costing £24.99. They have two options to purchase; A one off for yourself or as a gift, and a subscription for £24.99/month where you’re sent a tasting pack each month with free shipping.

For a tasting pack for your party or just to try yourself, check out Flaviar here.

He By Mango Cardigan, DR Denim Shirt, Versace Watch, MR KG Kurt Geiger Shoes, Nudie Jeans

Hello blog 🙂

Shit I am tired! We were out last night, I can’t remember what time I got in, maybe around 2am, but make the mistake of listening to music until 4am! Then made the further mistake of waking up at 9am and not bothering to try to go back to sleep, so I feel shattered!

Last night we went out in Newcastle as we do, and started off in Jesmond and went to Osbournes. It was pretty good. We had intended on going to As You Like It, but the hilarious taxi driver convinced us to go to the town. For the entire journey he was telling us about how The Diamond Strip was the place to be, it was the place with the girls, and we needed 18 year old hot girls He was an old guy, and was talking constantly about younger women, I tried telling him I like older ones who have something interesting to say about themselves but he was having none of that 😀 He then told us “When I was 21 my wife was only 5” and we all laughed!! The taxi driver was a legend, as many of them are.

We went to places like Tokyo which is always pretty good, and Perdu. The taxi driver should go into predicting the future or something because we did meet some girls, they were cool, one girl in particular who I met 😉 I did not get her number/give her mine, I have such a paranoia about giving my number out I really should have though. I should be like the other losers, “I’ll add you on Facebook…” haha :p

It was so hot out in Newcastle last night! I knew it would be quite warm beforehand because I checked, so I did not wear a coat but I did wear a shirt and a cardigan…My got I was boiling! The night ended like most do, a Subway sandwich, I have such love for their flatbread now 😀

Barcelona is a cool city, with lots to see and do, whether it be on a night or through the day.

But what about the myths?

There’s things which you hear and read online, of course I read a bit before I went, so I will give my little overview and FAQ on my time in Barcelona.

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Thirsty much? haha 😉

Since I am from Newcastle I am used to going out and having a huge choice of bars, all more or less next door to each other.

It’s a good thing, and I am lucky to live in a city that has this luxury, but I know places like London, Barcelona and probably most other cities are not like this.

We went to a couple of places on or around La Rambla, and they were alright but nothing spectacular. An Irish bar called Cheers which had a Spanish doorman who looked like a traditional bouncer from the 80s was on the door.

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Even when the sun goes down in Barcelona there is lots to see, and it’s all lit up and looks really nice. From the many fountains to buildings designed by Gaudi, it’s all pretty cool.

Sorry for the poor quality of pictures, this is what happens when you mix an iPhone with night photography! 😉

This is a selection of the 3 nights photos from when I was in Barcelona (if you’re wondering how I am wearing different clothes!), the nightlife/bars section is next 😛

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