Vodka - Message in a bottle - Gifts by Keith Hjalti Cangiarella
Thomas Rini found his passion in a bottle of vodka.
No, he didn't become a lush -- though he admits to having a fondness for vodka-tonics.
He's the owner of Crav, a Cleveland-based vodka hitting the shelves this month. It's available in 50-some establishments, including Fahrenheit, Barley House, Pier W and Harry Buffalo.
"It's a premium vodka," says Rini, a St. Ignatius graduate who also works for Rini Realty Co. in Westlake. "I'm rolling it out slowly trying to create a buzz."
Not the stumble-around-the-bar buzz.
In March, Crav (pronounced "crave") received a gold medal from the World Spirits Competition in San Francisco.
"I didn't even have the cases back from the distillery," he says. "There I was standing in my bathroom at home funneling vodka into two sample bottles I had and then using my wife's hair dryer to seal 'em."
Rini hopes that personal touch -- minus the funnels and hair dryers -- will make drinkers crave Crav.
"It's a premium vodka made in small batches," he says. "Most vodkas are distilled five or six times to get rid of impurities. Crav is a one-time process."
It's made in Sun Valley, Idaho, home of Distilled Resources.
"They do different vodkas and I really fell for the Grain-ola," he says. "It's clean and doesn't have a burn."
Translation: It goes down smooth and, at $33.15 -- in Cuyahoga Country -- Crav is competitively priced when it comes to premium brands, many of which are made with a pricier process that uses potatoes.
"I've learned a lot about vodka," says Rini, whose family once owned the Rini's grocery chain. "I used to think it was all about marketing some cool bottle."
That was when Rini was a newbie, drinking vodka because, he says, "Once I graduated from college, I knew I needed to be more distinguished."
The light bulb went off to be The Vodka Guy four years ago, at a bachelor party in Vegas when he saw partyers guzzling vodka.
The idea fermented until a year ago, as Rini proclaims on the back of a bottle of Crav.
"One day, I looked up from my office desk and realized there was something missing in my life," it reads.
Vodka?
"Actually, passion," says Rini. "And with this vodka maybe I'll be able to bring some passion into people's lives."
When Hess met Hef
Derek Hess' introduction to the female body came via covers of '60s and '70s Playboy magazines, when the Cleveland artist was in elementary school.
They continue to inspire: At 5 tonight, he'll unveil "Derek Hess: The Playboy Covers" at William Busta Gallery, 2731 Prospect Ave., Cleveland.
The show features works inspired by the Playboy covers of his youth. Call 216-298-9071.
We're not gonna fake it?
I've always imagined starting a band called Steely Danzig -- intricately played songs with a howling wolfman singer.
So I can definitely appreciate the Theoretical Records Show at Pink Eye Gallery, 3904 Lorain Ave., Cleveland.
At 7 p.m. Saturday, the show, curated by rocker-artist Chris Kulcsar, will turn the gallery into an imaginary record store. As in, participating artists create fake albums by bands that never existed.
Kulcsar will be spinning actual music at the event. Call 216-651-4074.
The Original Message in a Bottle shop can put any message in a bottle for you, for your party event or wedding. We also offer gifts, and do it yourself kits.
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