What did you buy at the liquor store today?

[jsmeeker]

Here is my haul from today

[EvergreenDan]

Uh oh, Jeff, your Green Chartreuse is low. ;-)

[_john]

fairly easy to guess what cocktail I'm studying now.

[BennyAdeline]

Today I bought Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy and Benedictine to make Honeymoons for the wife. The highlight purchase of the day though was fresh cherries at the farmers market. These bad boys looked like they were about to burst open with juice. After a few jack roses I got into whipping up a fresh cherry gimlet and it turned out amazing first try with a nice balance of sweetness and sour with the gin popping it's head up just enough to excite the tongue. I'm going to use them tonight to make a long drink/punch with gin, benedictine, cherries, lavender, mint, gomme,and lime. I'll top it off with an ounce or two of ginger beer and a nutmeg finish. I hope it works out.

[KD1191]

I grabbed bottles of Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year and Marie Brizard Apry at Astor Wine & Sprits this weekend...two things I haven't be able to find in Illinois in recent years. I probably overpaid (especially considering I had to pay $25 to check my bag on the way home as a result), but for some of the last of the PVW15, I'm sure I'll get over it.

[KatieLoeb]

Ordered for pickup later in the week. One bottle Plantation Rum 20th Anniversary by Cognac Ferrand. Delicious stuff. Aged first in bourbon barrels, blended and then aged in cognac barrels. Tastiest sipping rum I've had in some time. This bottle is a gift for a friend's 50th birthday along with a pair of nice vintage snifters. Hope he likes it...

[BennyAdeline]

Ordered for pickup later in the week. One bottle Plantation Rum 20th Anniversary by Cognac Ferrand. Delicious stuff. Aged first in bourbon barrels, blended and then aged in cognac barrels. Tastiest sipping rum I've had in some time. This bottle is a gift for a friend's 50th birthday along with a pair of nice vintage snifters. Hope he likes it...

...How could he not? Sounds great!

[Panaderia Canadiense]

A large volume of Zhumir Original Aguardiente - I'm going to get a turkey very very drunk....

[campus five]

A couple recent acquisitions:

Three bottles in my quest to put Eric Seed's kids through college:

1) Rabarbaro Zucca Amaro

2) Cardamaro Vino Amaro

3) Scarlett Ibis

As well as:

4) Miracle Mile Bitters Co: Forbidden Bitters (@ Barkeeper) (their attempt at a Jerry Thomas bitters, sans Snakeroot)

5) Willett 3 year Rye (115.2 proof)

I haven't cracked the Cardamaro yet. Everything else has gotten at least a couple uses.

The bitters have turned out to be outstanding - amazing in an old fashioned.

[Tri2Cook]

Got my bottle of Fernet Branca. I ordered it and St. Germains but only the Fernet came in today.

Oh, and I grabbed a bottle of Appleton Estate Extra too... but that was a replacement, not an addition.

Edited May 13, 2011 by Tri2Cook (log)

[Dakki]

The usual bot of Famous Grouse and another of Flor de Cana 5. I thought I'd start to learn to mix rum cocktails tonight.

Unfortunately I locked my keys inside the car in the liquor store parking lot and now I don't feel like learning much of anything.

[BennyAdeline]

The usual bot of Famous Grouse and another of Flor de Cana 5. I thought I'd start to learn to mix rum cocktails tonight.

Unfortunately I locked my keys inside the car in the liquor store parking lot and now I don't feel like learning much of anything.

When I first started playing with rum I focused hard on pre-prohibition rum cocktails. In my internet searching I ran into the Waikikian. At first I rolled my eyes at the whole tiki drink thing but I made one while I was bored. BOOM! Delicious! I have found that my omakase abilities have gone through the roof since getting a better understanding of tiki drinks. I highly recommend that you add a little tiki in while exploring rum.

Waikikian:

1 1/2 oz lemon juice

1oz G. Marnier or curacao

3/4 oz orgeat

1 1/2 oz white rum

1 1/2 oz dark rum

Get everything except the dark rum into a large tumbler or highball glass. Fill with finely cracked ice and stir well for 45 seconds. Float the dark rum on top and go nut with the garnish (Orange slice, luxardo cherries, canned pineapple pieces).

Careful, it is potent and way to easy to drink.

Edited May 15, 2011 by BennyAdeline (log)

[haresfur]

New to my local Dan Murphy (Aussie Chain) Santiago de Cuba ron anejo. Haven't mixed with it yet but I had a sip and IMO it's very tasty.

[Yojimbo]

Snuck into Astor Wines last week to get the bottle of El Dorado white that I'd passed up the week before (bought Barbancourt 8, a small bottle of green Chartreuse, and a bottle of fino sherry instead). The El D is truly a steal at $13 and has more flavor than I'd ever expected from a white rum.

Alas, they were out of Marie Brizard Apry, so another trip is in order . . .

[thirtyoneknots]

God bless Astor for keeping El Dorado 5 at a reasonable price. About a year ago it inexplicably jumped to about $20/btl in Texas (or at least at the big chain) which makes me very sad. There are so many other rums at $20 to consider. At $13, its a no-brainer.

[Tri2Cook]

I decided to give the Broker's gin a try... and in a fine display of smoothness discovered about 2 seconds or so after removing it from the shelf at the LCBO that the little hat is NOT attached. I offered to mop it up and pay for it, they wouldn't let me. I still bought a bottle (and promptly removed the hat before putting it in my cabinet) but I'm going to hate going back in there again for a while. Felt like a complete ass.

[vice]

I decided to give the Broker's gin a try... and in a fine display of smoothness discovered about 2 seconds or so after removing it from the shelf at the LCBO that the little hat is NOT attached.

That can't be the first time that's happened.

[mkayahara]

I decided to give the Broker's gin a try... and in a fine display of smoothness discovered about 2 seconds or so after removing it from the shelf at the LCBO that the little hat is NOT attached. I offered to mop it up and pay for it, they wouldn't let me. I still bought a bottle (and promptly removed the hat before putting it in my cabinet) but I'm going to hate going back in there again for a while. Felt like a complete ass.

Yeah, those hats fall off at the slightest urging. Don't worry about the mess: one of the side benefits of the LCBO's exorbitant prices is that they're financially responsible for all breakage on-site, whether it's your fault or not.

[Tri2Cook]

I still haven't managed to get my hands on any of the St Germain the LCBO brought in so I'm seriously considering giving the Chase Distillery Elderflower a shot unless someone already knows that's a bad idea. The only information I've been able to find on it is that it's apparently less sweet than the St Germain.

[DanM]

Nothing... Darn blue laws

[Tri2Cook]

I'm having bad luck with bottle caps lately. First the experience I posted above with the Broker's hat and now with a rum bottle. I picked up a replacement bottle of El Dorado 12 on friday. I tried to open it last night and the cap seperated from the cork leaving the little plastic cap in one hand and the still-corked bottle in the other. I'm not particularly happy about it. Even if I pull the cork with a corkscrew, I'm not sure I'll want to stick it back in there.

[Tri2Cook]

So that problem is solved. The cork was sticking out just enough that I could grab it with pliers and carefully work it out. I just left it sticking up higher when I put it back in. Still a bit annoying though.

[vice]

I always keep a few corks from empty liquor bottles around in case that happens.

[Tri2Cook]

I always keep a few corks from empty liquor bottles around in case that happens.

I may have to do that... although this is the first time it's happened to me so I didn't really know I needed to be prepared for it.

[Jmahl]

Recently picked up a bottle of Armagnac de Montal VS, some amaros and a bottle of Mandarine Napoleon. Don't expect that I will crack them till the Fall when things cool off. It's going to be over 100 today again.