What did you buy at the liquor store today?

[J_Ozzy]

I finally did my border run this morning.

Unfortunately, the current release of Handy rye was sold out by the time I ordered; fortuitously, Lemon Hart 151 was available.

Looking forward to trying out some WhistlePig, Vizcaya and Tiki drinks in the next couple days.

Now, to find some more storage space...

[brinza]

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.

That Mandarin Napoleon is mighty fine in any number of refreshing tiki drinks or sours. Just sayin'

[Mjx]

Patron XO Cafe liqueur (I haven't seen the new bottles they show on Patron's website, here). According to the shopkeeper, it is really difficult to move here, since Danes cannot see paying more than a few bucks for a bottle of tequila.

Man, I just love this stuff.

[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.

That Mandarin Napoleon is mighty fine in any number of refreshing tiki drinks or sours. Just sayin'

Thanks for the tip. This is another reason that I keep coming back to E-Gullet.

[Trev]

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.

It's a design flaw I guess cuz I've had at least 2 bottles of ED12 that have had the same problem, just this year. I just used a corkscrew to pull it then left the cork sticking out enough to get a grip on the next time, like you did.

ED12 is my preferred sipping rum. Just lovely stuff.

Edited July 2, 2011 by Trev (log)

[Mjx]

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.

It's a design flaw I guess cuz I've had at least 2 bottles of ED12 that have had the same problem, just this year. I just used a corkscrew to pull it then left the cork sticking out enough to get a grip on the next time, like you did.

ED12 is my preferred sipping rum. Just lovely stuff.

Odd. Perhaps poorer grade cork is being used? I just had this happen to me today with the Patron XO Cafe, but assumed it happened because of some shortcoming in my cap removal technique.

[vice]

K&L run yesterday, preparing for the coming warm weather:

Cocchi Aperitivo Americano

Cocchi Vermouth di Torino

Dolin Blanc

Amaro Ciociaro

Leblon cachaca

Need to go replenish the soda water supply asap.

[EvergreenDan]

Berkshire Ethereal Gin batch 4. Too floral for me, need more juniper. Martini and Negroni were a mouthful of flowers. I will try it in an Aviation without Violette.

Cocchi Vermouth, however was very nice.

[thirtyoneknots]

Yeah the Cocchi Vermouth di Torino is a revelation.

[Dakki]

Another bot of Matusalem Platino.

Is it wrong to drink this stuff with carbonated water and ice? I know I'm supposed to mix it with eight different kinds of tropical fruit nectars and serve it in a hollowed-out papaya shell but the stuff actually tastes good like this.

[thirtyoneknots]

Another bot of Matusalem Platino.

Is it wrong to drink this stuff with carbonated water and ice? I know I'm supposed to mix it with eight different kinds of tropical fruit nectars and serve it in a hollowed-out papaya shell but the stuff actually tastes good like this.

No I think you're on the right track. Nothing wrong with the other way I guess but I like simple, too.

[Moto]

Picked up a few things in the last 45 days.

El Dorado 12 year old

Eldorado 5 year old

Cruzan white

Del Maguey El Vida

Velho Barriero Cachaca

best of the batch is the cachaca and the El Dorado. Just like others the cork on the ED12 came right one off when opening. Luckily I had an older bottle that I could poach a cork from. I still have not found a good recipe for the mezcal any suggestions are welcome

[campus five]

A recipe for the the mezcal?

2 oz La Vida

3/4 oz Campari

3/4 oz Carpano Antica

2 dashes Mole Bitters

stir, strain, up, flamed orange

[Big Joe the Pro]

I bought a case of small bottles of beer (they mostly do the large bottles here and usually I don't feel like drinking the whole bottle, cans aren't appealing to me). I also got a few boxes of passable French wine. I like the boxes because my wife doesn't drink and, once again, I don't want to drink a whole bottle.

[Sparafucile]

Looked at Creme Yvette, and passed at +/- $60; went for Drillaud Creme Violette at Total Wine (a "superstore"). Will try it in an Aviation this weekend.

[violetfox]

Campari! My new favorite liquor!

[Katie Meadow]

Not the liquor store, in fact Trader Joe's. Bulleit Bourbon! $19.99 a bottle. That's good, right?

[Sunny&Rummy]

That looks great. Going to have to try that one very soon.

Another mezcal cocktail I really like is from Tiare at themountainofcrushedice blog, the Mayahuel:

1 oz mezcal

0.75 oz pineapple juice

1 barspoon coffee liqueur (I use a full 1/4 oz.)

1/4 oz orgeat

Shake and strain into a tumbler with crushed ice.

[Moto]

tried this on a wen I first got the bottle. Did not do much for me and I usually love Tiare's crations

[jrshaul]

Hennessey VSOP. Here's hoping it's good - it's certainly not cheap!

(Anyone know where I can get this stuff in 1.75s?)

[Sunny&Rummy]

tried this on a wen I first got the bottle. Did not do much for me and I usually love Tiare's crations

Cocktails are so funny that way. There are some classic cocktails I adore, and then others that just don't quite do it for me even when someone else thinks they are wonderful. Viva Diversity I guess.

With Tiare's Mayahuel, I was actually not entirely sold on it the very first time I mixed it up — some flavors that seemed to clash a bit on first sip. Still, the drink had enough going on in it that I revisited it and very soon became a huge fan of. And the cocktail kept getting better and better for me as I traded up from lowbrow Monte Alban to del Maguay Vida and then the crazy good del Maguey Santo Domingo Albarradas.

I had a very similar experience with the Coconaut from Grog Log. I liked coco cream well enough, and I think I single-handedly keep lime farmers in business with all the limes I squeeze into drinks. But the combination of those two strong flavors was totally jarring to me at first and I didn't really care for it. Again, though the combination started to grow on me and now it is probably my favorite Beachbum original drink.

[rmillman]

Drove to RI to buy some Thomas Tew Rum: what an amazing product.

Hats off to Newport Distillers

http://newportstorm.com/thomastewrums.asp

[KD1191]

Replacing recently emptied bottles:

Rittenhouse 100

Cocchi Americano

Ransom Old Tom

Would it be terribly strange to pour the contents of my new bottle of Ransom into my old empty? I don't care for the redesigned bottle at all...

[mkayahara]

Would it be terribly strange to pour the contents of my new bottle of Ransom into my old empty? I don't care for the redesigned bottle at all...

You wouldn't be the first one to do something like that. Sometimes I wish I had an older Plymouth bottle still hanging around...

[Dan Perrigan]

Would it be terribly strange to pour the contents of my new bottle of Ransom into my old empty? I don't care for the redesigned bottle at all...

That's funny. I did exactly the same thing.

By the way, from what I heard, the original bottles had weak necks that would occasionally break off. They went with a different bottle company. I still use my original bottle, though, but I try not to hold it by the neck.

Dan