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It seems ridiculous, if not legally questionable, to name a bottle of booze "Ecstasy." The first thing anyone under 40 will imagine is the recreational drug, which technically goes by the far clunkier methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Ordering a glass, or bottle, won't seem natural either: "I'll have some Ecstasy on the rocks" will elicit more stares than good vibes.
This spirit has nothing to do with the feel-good, rave-associated, synthetic narcotic. And the name doesn't tell us what's really inside. Packaged in a tall, red, frosted bottle with a fancy script "X," Ecstasy is made with pomegranate and lemon extracts, grain alcohol made from wheat, spring water from the Snake River Valley in Idaho, and numerous natural stimulants, including ginseng, taurine, guarana and caffeine.
This is not the first time we have seen a pomegranate liqueur: Two bottles were reviewed here at Playboy.com a year ago. Like Pearl Persephone vodka, Ecstasy is clear, 70 proof and sweet. Some noses may detect a hint of apple or cherry in the aroma, while the pomegranate flavor is muted. Thankfully, it is not cloying, and it does not beg to be cut with sparkling wine or soda water, although it works great with either or simply on the rocks. Get past the name, and you actually have a drink that's relatively balanced and cocktail-friendly.
-- James Oliver Cury
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