Meow-Mix

Thanks for the replies, lots of good info here from everybody. Bringing back more obscure items like Echezeaux said, would make it worth my effort of lugging the bubblies. Since we're over there anyways, bringing back at least a couple of bottles should be a minimum requirement. And since my carryon has wheels, I'm not too concerned about weight. We were hoping to make a trip to the Champagne region, so if we pull it off, Le Vigneron definitely sounds like a must.

Either or, whatever is noteworthy. I believe the duty is anything over 2 bottles, so whether this is adhered to would be interesting to know. I believe we have the aptitude to perform the packing/transporting successfully but it's always helpful to hear from someone who's done it before and has the program down

We're planning on bringing back around 10 bottles of champagne next time we are in Paris, and not having done this before, wondering about any possible problems there might be with transporting them back (carry-on, of course). Does anyone here have experience doing this and have any caveats to offer? thanks

I hope Starbucks disappears from France.

What's your personal favorite rum to put in a -- Mojito? Cuba Libre? Ginger Ale? juice drink?

What are you favorite cafes in Paris?

I've seen it but never had it before. Sounds promising, will have to try it.

... oops forgot to add Pumpkin Ale and maybe some Jagermeister to the list

Martha Stewart was making "eyeball highballs"... anyone have any special drinks they choose for the mood of the coming holiday? I'll stick mostly to red wine

Anyone here remember this beer? I used to drink it in the late 80s, lost track of it and haven't seen it since. It was brewed in New Guinea and was quite good. Does anyone know if they still exist?

Ok, I've never had Dutch-style before, so I don't know what that's like. I just thought it weird how some spirits are not conducive to shots, like gin, rum, as opposed to those that are like vodka, tequila, whiskey. It's strange because I like gin a lot, but when trying to drink it straight it tastes like crap. And I can't recall ever seeing anyone order a shot of gin. I wonder if there's ever been any protocol established on this.

Wow, they better not do that to me, cause I love gimlets and mine need to be green.

I like gin a lot, but only in mixed drinks. I've never heard of anyone drinking gin on the rocks or shots of gin. Does anyone ever drink it straight?

Rum and cranberry juice is a combination that I haven't seen mentioned here. If looking for new mix variations, you may want to give this a try. It goes very well together imo. It's from Jamaica, where they mix a shot of rum with cranberry hibiscus juice, and ice of course.

Great, now I have a reason for a roadtrip to Canada.

lol @ French beer

is Havana Club readily available in Canada?

I could have sworn I read a post on this forum concerning this subject. I tried looking for it but couldn't find it. Someone mentioned that Grey Goose had American ownership that decided to make the vodka in France because of some kind of restriction with distilling regulations in the US.

In this day and age of loose interpretation, anything served in a martini glass is considered a martini. Tell me about it. What's up with "apple" martinis??

Oh don't worry, I definitely can appreciate a good dive bar.

hmmm, I don't think it was that place. The place in question had a name that was more "square" than the Persian aub Zam Zam, lol. The Persian sounds interesting, though. Does it still exist? I'll have to stop in there for a martini next time I go to SF if it's still there.

It's served at Villa Nova in Newport Beach.

I'm not sure , they made a big deal about it, yet didnt really explain what was in it... except for Courvoisier ? It was billed as the world's most expensive Martini. It was orange (?) and looked like it had a sugarcube in the bottom (?)

Oprah poured a $650 martini down her gullet on her show.

Isn't there some old bar in SF that was rated to make the best martini in America? I read about it some years ago but can't remember the name. Anyone else know this place?