Now, I hear this all the time. "Schnapps is a girly drink."

Before the ladies give me a hard time, it's a figure of speech. I know some girls that will vodka shot any guy to death, so bear with me here.

I tend to agree, most schnapps is low proof and tend to take an entire liter to the face to catch a buzz. At that point, you might as well drink beer and save yourself from the extra sugar intake.

But Ice 101® is not most schnapps. From my first experience with it in high sc-...when I turned 21...it has always been my favorite, by and large. It is my automatic comeback to anyone that criticizes my flavor of choice.

"What is that, peppermint schnapps?" they say in the condescending way I've grown accustomed to. But once I persuade them to down a shot, I know I've added a minion to my Ice 101® army.

Ice 101® is the best tasting hard alcohol I've come across, and easily the best tolerated. Usually when I lock onto a favorite, I take it too far one night and end up wishing it away. Southern Comfort, Parrot Bay; even screwdrivers all held the top spot on my list before some magical evening when I forget what my tolerance level is and end up curled up on the floor swearing I'll never drink again.

Well, the truth is, I end up never drinking that again.

But Ice 101® is different. It has yet to ever put me down for the count. It has such a clean, crisp vibe. You may get hammered, but in my experience it has never made me feel lousy, even when I occasionally overdid it.

My reasoning is (and I am not a doctor or scientist, this is just my opinion based on nothing but experience) the high proof keeps you from feeling full before the buzz settles in. One or two shots of Ice 101® brings the ruckus faster than anything I've experienced, and I don't know if it's the temperature I serve it (from the freezer to the shot glass) or the peppermint flavor, but it feels like it chills your core. Tequilas and vodkas always make me feel like I'm on fire, and I'm not saying that Ice 101® won't warm up your belly, but the buzz that comes with it is cold and clean.

When I describe drinking Ice 101® to friends, I tell them that I equate it to absinthe. Yes, it's a liquor, and yes, the core "drug" is alcohol, but it hits you in a unique way that makes you feel better than the liquors you're used to.

Also, Ice 101® is a crowd-pleaser. In my experience, there are two types of hard liquor drinkers: high-proof "puts some hair on your chest" folk and people that are looking for something that looks like a shot but tastes like candy so they can hang with the aforementioned hairy chest folk. This appeals to both kinds! It's tasty, but it's flammable!