Beer, wine and cocktails… they may satisfy our thirst and pacify our anxieties, but the art of alcoholic refreshments has rarely catered to our visual sensibilities – until now. By crystallizing our preferred potables and photographing them through the microscope, heretofore unknown aspects of their essential characters can now be displayed in bold, rich, technicolor hues.
What’s A BevShot?
BevShots are, in a nutshell, graphic representations of your favorite beers, wines and cocktails… but like those delectable drinkables, a nutshell just whets one’s appetite for more. It’s the complex processing BevShots uses to create their alcoholic art that makes it unique, appealing and a tasteful addition to home and business decor.
As any aficionado of vintage wines, micro-brews or exotic cocktails knows, it’s the minute proportions of various essential ingredients that can make the difference between, say, Dom Perignon and Thunderbird. These differences become visible when BevShots highlights them using a complex process. The full details may be perused at the BevShots website but suffice to say that crystallization, polarization and magnification play significant parts in the journey from beverage to BevShot.
Crystal, Clear
One of the pioneers in the field of polarized light microphotograpy is Michael W. Davidson. In 1992, Davidson began looking for ways to market his polarized light microphotograpy in an effort to fund his lab at Florida State University. One of the first fruits of this endeavor was the Molecular Expressions Cocktail Collection, limited edition neckties displaying patterns derived from Davidson’s microphotographs. The neckties drew the attention of Lester Hutt, now president of BevShots MicroArt, LLC. BevShots licenses their images from Florida State University and Michael Davidson, giving both men something to raise a glass about.
It’s been commonly known for some time now that crystallized substances display a fascinating range of colors and patterns when viewed through the microscope under polarized light. While not strictly a diagnostic or statistical tool in the manner of gas chromatography, these images bridge the gap between art and science, helping to bring the cold, hard facts of the latter into the appreciation of those who are of a more artistic bent. Viewed under the microscope and illuminated by polarized light, substances such as (from clockwise above) caffeine, testosterone and DNA display otherwise unknown aspects of their “personalities”.
Art For The Drinking Class
All well and good, but the market niche for graphic art featuring one’s DNA or testosterone is limited to say the least. The market for art related to cars, sports and other “manly pursuits”, on the other hand, is quite wide.
Beverage art is one way the more macho members of society can get in touch with their artistic side, and the unisex appeal of BevShots’ presentation makes it far more likely to be accepted by spouses who may balk at framed Budweiser posters hanging in their living rooms.
I don’t know about you, but at this point I could use a drink… so let’s move on to some of the actual BevShots themselves, matched with the beers, wines and cocktails that are their sources. Those of you at home, feel free to mix & match accordingly.
American Amber Ale
American Amber Ales, also known as Red Ales, are generally medium in body and level of maltiness with a distinct hue ranging from a light coppery red to pale brown. In most domestic amber ales, American-variety hops are used, resulting in a “hoppy” bitterness, flavor, and aroma. One of the most popular American Amber Ales is Budweiser American Ale, while among the highest rated are Tröegs Nugget Nectar, YuleSmith (Winter) and Red Rocket Ale.
The BevShot for American Amber Ale looks, at first glance, like a traditional pioneer quilt. Rich magenta, bright turquoise and golden tones are reminiscent of Van Gogh’s final cornfield paintings while feathery structures interact with each other, much like frost on the inside of a Wisconsin window on a chill January morning.
Irish Pale Lager
First brewed in 1960 at the Great Northern Brewery in Dundalk, Ireland, Harp Lager is one of the best known Irish Pale Lager. Available on draught (since 1964), Harp typifies the genre of pale lager beers. Legend has it, a master beer brewer by the name of Dr. Herman Muender was commissioned by the Great Northern Brewery to create a new golden lager beer that would meet rising demand in Ireland for a lighter counterpart to Irish stouts such as Guinness. Ironically, Harp Lager today is owned and brewed by Guinness Ltd.
The BevShot for Irish Pale Lager is not what one might expect: Globules of metallic black stream across a vale of ominous autumnal orange that fades into intense grape. Quite heavy and intense, full-bodied and bold… much like Harp Lager’s fraternal brew, Guinness.
Jamaican Lager
Think of Jamaican beer and what most often comes to mind is Red Stripe Lager, mon. The main reason for Red Stripe’s global popularity is that it’s an easy beer to like – mild in taste and low in bitterness, about the worst one can say about Red Stripe is that it’s inoffensive at least, anonymous at best. Many Americans familiar with Budweiser will not notice much difference when drinking Red Stripe; like Bud it’s an American Adjunct Lager that may be made with rice or corn as the source grain depending on cost and availability.
If Jamaican Beer is synonymous with ed Stripe Lager, Jamaica itself evokes thoughts of warmth and sunshine. The BevShot for Jamaican Lager does not disappoint, being suffused with golden tones, sky blue and cyan shades, and the overall impression of a sunny, tropical afternoon.
Japanese Sake
Though colloquially referred to as rice wine, Japanese sake more closely resembles beer – at least, in respect to the brewing process. Sake is usually clear, though it can also be amber (aged), cloudy or even pale pink. Sake has a higher alcohol content than most wines; upwards of 15 percent after diluting with water. Traditionally, sake is served in small cups from a warmed, hourglass-shaped ceramic decanter called a tokkuri, though a cooler way is to drink it from a dried whole squid!
Japanese Sake’s BevShot evokes the exquisite, complex patterning of the very best silk Geisha kimonos. Deep cherry and jet black flare up into brilliant gold and shimmering Sakura blossom pink. Satisfactory for the sleeping chamber of a Shogun? Sho ’nuff!
Tequila
One tequila two tequila three tequila floor! Ah yes, tequila, Mexico’s most appreciated drinkable export regardless of what The Most Interesting Man in the World may say. Tequila traces its roots back to before the Spanish conquest when the Aztecs fermented the Blue Agave plant to produce a wickedly intoxicating brew called pulque. The Spanish, to their credit, did not ban this early tequila – likely because they had run out of brandy brought from Spain. By the early 1800s, tequila was being distilled in and around the city of Guadalajara. As for the legendary “worm”… it’s more of a marketing gimmick than a traditional ingredient, and if found at all it would be in tequila’s rougher, smokier cousin, Mezcal.
Tequila does not contain any psychoactive substances, nor does Mezcal – this is a rumor that grew from the word Mezcal’s similarity to the name of the hallucinogenic drug mescaline. Even so, the WebShot for tequila definitely exudes a psychedelic vibe. Deep sky blues and lush, tropical greens jostle for position with glowing violet, warm tangerine and rich cinnabar over a midnight black ground. Carlos Castaneda, your order is ready.
Vodka
One of the world’s most popular libations, vodka is the alcoholic beverage of choice all through the “vodka belt”, which stretches from Norway east across Poland and the Ukraine to Russia’s Pacific coastline. Vodka can be made from a number of fermentation sources but wheat, rye and potatoes are the most common. Clear to the eye and with very few additions or impurities, vodka can contain up to 50 percent pure ethanol (though 40 percent, or 80 proof is typical) and as such makes an excellent mixer.
This crystal clear drink reveals a surprisingly varied palette of color when given the BevShots treatment. Faded turquoise, grass green and soft khaki reflect the shades of a warm Russian summer while overlying spatters of cobalt blue and rusty vermilion denote the hand of Man as he strives to tame this sprawling land and bend it to his will. Whew, I’m tired already… someone mix me a Screwdriver!
Red Wine
Red, red wine… celebrated in song and the center of celebrations, this ancient spirit of the grape has played a pivotal role in the affairs of God, gods and men. Produced today in dozens of nations and in hundreds of varieties, red wine ranges from humble plonk to rare vintages named for romantic chateaux and legendary women. From the wine-dark sea of Homerian odysseys to the lunar crater that bears the name of the classical Greek god of wine, from magenta Merlots to purple Pinot Noir, red wine isn’t just a drink – it’s a way of life.
The BevShot for Red Wine reminds one of Monet’s more abstract Impressionist works. Burnished gold and malachite blue-green stand out from a ground of blush violet and deep serpentine. Crystalline manifestations though they may be, the evocative patterns displayed provoke a Rorschachian response – one sees what their conscious and subconscious minds conspire for them to see… ideally while enjoying a glass of fine red wine.
Rosé Wine
The term “Rosé”, as pertains to wine, can describe a product ranging in hue from pale pink and orange to rich purple, making some Rosé wines nearly indistinguishable visually from their red relatives. Though Rosé as a genre of wine has a European origin, the style exploded in popularity when California winegrowers unleashed a bevy of sweet “blush” wines into the American market in the mid-1970s. Though today Rosé wines are trending back to their historic light, dry taste, these pinkish wines retain a huge, loyal following among those whose tastes rebel at the dark, tannin-y bite of red wines.
Perhaps the most “California” of the BevShots, Rosé wine’s image explodes with dayglo shades ranging from blushing pink to Navajo turquoise to seafoam green. Contrastingly colored crystals rear up like a monster wave off Rincon. Fancy this image hanging in your Malibu beach house? Get the house first, then we’ll talk.
Piña Colada
Legend has it that the Piña Colada cocktail was invented by a Puerto Rican pirate in the early 1800s. Supposedly his crew was feeling down in the dumps, perhaps as a result of not getting any booty – of any kind. To cheer them up and possibly distract them from thoughts of mutiny, the pirate captain concocted a cocktail containing pineapple, coconut and rum. Can’t you just see those toothless, eye-patched, scurvy dogs now, singing Yo Ho Ho while hoisting Tiki Mugs topped with those little folding umbrellas? No? Have another Piña Colada…
The BevShot for Piña Colada is a riot of rainbow hues resembling the tail of a peacock in full courtship display. Tropical sunsets have got nothing on this… well, except for the sun, sand and bikini-clad cuties. At least you’ve got your imagination; and this gorgeous BevShot.
Margarita
Wasting away in Margaritaville… that Jimmy Buffett really gets around. Or maybe I’m confusing him with Rupert Holmes, he of ear-grating “The Pina Colada Song”, remember that one? Sorry… moving on to the Margarita. This classic cocktail features, in its most basic iteration, tequila mixed with triple sec and lime – and of course, the glass must have a salted rim. Variations include the Texas margarita (with orange juice), Raspberry margarita, Strawberry margarita, Peach margarita, Mango margarita, Melon margarita, Banana margarita, Apple margarita, and the Margarona, which features a mini Corona beer turned upside down and set in the center of the glass.
The beautiful BevShot for the Margarita cocktail looks like a field of prairie wheat treated with multiple color filters and processed as a reverse negative. You could go through all the trouble but hey – life’s too short as it is. Kick back with a Margarita ( a classic, not one of those pastel girly versions) or two and admire this bodacious BevShot!
Need a little motion to enhance the emotion? This video will guide you through a variety of BevShots with a mellow Miles musical soundtrack to help keep the beat:
Need something to hang on your wall and you’ve already got a flat-screen TV? BevShots hit the spot. After all, the average guy, gal or couple is confused enough about exactly what “art” is, and what should (and should not) be featured at your main room’s focal point. BevShots look great, match more home decor schemes and have that essential inner meaning that makes real art worth owning. Best of all, now you can have your art and drink it too!



