What did you buy at the liquor store today? (2013–)

[ChrisTaylor]

I went out for a bottle of plonk--ideally a small one--and some cognac to replace my vanquished X.O. I came back with

The gin, a local (well, local-ish--in the same sense something from Austin, Texas is a 'local' product for someone from New York), won out over a number of options presented to me: two of Tanqueray's expressions (Rangpur and Malacca), a couple of other artisanal gins and some genever. The cognac is the V.S. version of one I'd had in X.O. form before. The cider and perry are local (in the technically correct sense of the word). The kummel is essentially a blind buy: I've only had kummel in an overpriced cocktail and liked the flavour profile enough to want to try the one or two kummel-based cocktails in beta cocktails. The wine is actually what I set out to buy.

[Plantes Vertes]

^^ Rookie mistake. Just as you should never go to the grocery shop hungry because your appetite will make you buy a load of stuff you don't really need, you should never go to the liquor store sober. I bet you went sober.

[FrogPrincesse]

The bottle on the right. So it looks like they brought back the old Noilly Prat dry vermouth formula (now known as "extra dry"), but not the bottle design.

Also I went to K&L Wines in Hollywood and managed to only buy these two items- a local souvenir and a restock. Crazy, I know, but this is just an excuse to go back soon .

They had a nice selection of bitters right by the entrance below some very expensive wines.

The rum selection was not bad either. Good to know that I don't need to fly to Martinique to replace my rhum Neisson.

Apéritifs and a few other interesting things.

[scubadoo97]

Lots of Old Grand Dad 114. Recent bottles are sweet and delicious

[Adam George]

Thanks to the great people at Plantation Rum my barrel came this week.

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks to the great people at Plantation Rum my barrel came this week.

Is that an empty barrel for aging?

[Adam George]

5 Litres. New French Oak. No Char.

Currently resting our Fog Cutter.

[ChrisTaylor]

[tanstaafl2]

Have been exploring the world of vins de liqueurs lately (to the extent one can in the relative buccolic spirits backwater that is Atlanta) and have managed to come across three different brands of Pineau des Charentes, Dupont Pommeau de Normandie, Vilmart Ratafia de Champagne and Montborgeau Macvin du Jura.

Still looking for a way to acquire my first rinquinquin from the Rhône region, cartagène from the Languedoc region or Floc de Gascogne from the Armagac region (there is one brand at Astor I may eventually try if I can't find it locally). No doubt there are others!

But I did learn of this little PdC beauty from another blog and was able to get a few bottles of it shipped to me from Astor!

Navarre Pineau des Charentes Vieux blended with 6 year old cognac rather than more typically newly produced cognac and then aged for 30 years.

Fabulous stuff and just right for my admittedly massive sweet tooth but full of subtlety and character as well!

Edited July 26, 2013 by tanstaafl2 (log)

[lesliec]

I wish to advise ... I am no longer a virgin:

Although we've been very happy exploring gins, rums, Scotches and various bitter delights like Génépy, Cynar and various other obscurities that look interesting at our local alcohol emporium, tequila was one spirit Wifey and I had never brought ourselves to play with. The only reason, probably, was an extremely vile Margarita in a bar in Auckland several years ago.

Realising the foolishness of allowing that one experience to deter us for life, and noting that many of you eGulleters seem pretty keen on your cactus juice, we have of late been getting our favourite cocktail bar, the wonderful Hawthorn Lounge (about which I must write at some length sometime) to ease us in. They began with a tequila Old Fashioned, similar to the one mentioned over here by FrogPrincesse. And it really didn't take much more than that. It was delicious.

We've subsequently had another one (on another visit), plus a couple of more 'grown up' somethings which escape me for the moment, but here's the thing - they've all tasted great! So on today's visit to the aforementioned booze emporium, we finally did it. Virgins no more. Salut!

[Plantes Vertes]

It's nice that you could do this with your wife.

[KD1191]

Earlier this week, a bottle of Yellow Chartreuse from 1999. It was the last on the shelf for the very 20th century price of $30.

[Kerry Beal]

Hit the LCBO in Sudbury, Ontario today - stocked up on a few odds and ends. The genever is discontinued so it seemed sensible to pick up a couple and the aquavit is catch as catch can. The Soju is a Korean spirit.

[haresfur]

Took a break from wine tasting to visit Finger Lakes Distiling and picked up a less junipery gin and an 80% rye rye.

[haresfur]

Not worth a photo, but Hendricks gin and Russell's Reserve bourbon for less than 1/3 of the prices I've seen in Oz.

[thampik]

Visited the Remy Martin estate in Cognac last week and picked up a bottle of Coeur de Cognac (the visit is good fun BTW - with a tasting of the VSOP and XO at the end)

[tanstaafl2]

Picked up a bottle of Dolin Genepy des Alpes yesterday on a bit of a whim. After trying it neat and perhaps with a bit of soda I will see how it works as an option in chartreuse cocktails like the Last Word.

Also picked up a bottle of 123 Diablito tequila but I don't think that will see much time in cocktails!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

For my first post in this thread, this afternoon I purchased a new (new for me and I think new for most folks) brand of rum, Busted Barrel, from

http://www.jerseyartisandistilling.com

I've just had a taste of the Busted Barrel bottle and I think it's pretty good. However I am no rum expert. When I say "new", what I bought is labeled batch 2, bottle 510.

In addition I came home with a bottle of Barbancourt 5 star, a can of Coco Lopez, and a pineapple which was on sale. (Note the pineapple did not come from the same establishment, yet, in my opinion, the pineapple is more than tangentially relevant to this topic.)

[ChrisTaylor]

Buffalo Trace and Nikka from the Barrel.

[EvergreenDan]

Braulio Amaro Alpino

Haven't played with it much, but the initial sip is a lovely, mild, wine-based amaro. I imagine it will make a great Black Manhattan.

Hideous Flash Italian Website

I would have copies some text and run it through google translate but, ya know, Flash.

[FrogPrincesse]

I finally broke down and bought the St. George absinthe verte. It is currently on sale at our local BevMos for $59.99 + tax.

[brinza]

tanstaafl2,

I will be going to the Party Source this coming Friday and I was actually thinking of getting the Genepy even before I saw this post. Do you recommend it? Have you ever had Pages Verveine Velay Verte? I'm looking at that too. I'm intrigued by these alpine herbal liquers. Sure wish I could get Klosterliquere.

Picked up a bottle of Dolin Genepy des Alpes yesterday on a bit of a whim. After trying it neat and perhaps with a bit of soda I will see how it works as an option in chartreuse cocktails like the Last Word.

Genepy.JPG

[tanstaafl2]

tanstaafl2,

I will be going to the Party Source this coming Friday and I was actually thinking of getting the Genepy even before I saw this post. Do you recommend it? Have you ever had Pages Verveine Velay Verte? I'm looking at that too. I'm intrigued by these alpine herbal liquers. Sure wish I could get Klosterliquere.

Picked up a bottle of Dolin Genepy des Alpes yesterday on a bit of a whim. After trying it neat and perhaps with a bit of soda I will see how it works as an option in chartreuse cocktails like the Last Word.

Genepy.JPG

If you like chartreuse you would probably like it. I occasionally drink VEP as an aperitif so something like Chartreuse is OK by me. Not quite as intense to me but has potential based on a small taste or two.

I have never had Verveine Velay Verte.

[brinza]

tanstaafl2,

Thanks. I got the Genepy and the Verveine Velay. I'm very pleased with both of them. They are definitely in the same vein as Chartreuse but different in their own ways. The Dolin is certianly sweeter than Chartreuse whereas the Pages is drier (and the same ABV as Chartruese). I have to tell you though that it took the Party Source guys about a half an hour to find it for me (probably because of all the renovations going on). It was not shelved and although knew they had it, they did not know where in the store it was (I had expected it to be in between the Chartruese and the Pages, but it was not there). I kept saying, "this guy on a message board posted that he just bought some here on August 24!"). I had three guys working on it until one finally managed to locate it.

Party Source haul from Friday (in photo, from l to r):

Cocchi Americano (x2)

Old Overholt

El Dorado 3yr

Damrak Amsterdam Gin

Lemon Hart 151

Rothman & Winter Apricot

Suze!!! (I can't believe they had this!)

Dolin Rouge

Martini Rosato

Melletti Amaro

Punt e Mes (x2)

Cinzano Bianco

Berentzen Pear

John D. Taylor Velvet Falernum

Angostura Orange Bitters

Royal Dock Navy Strength Gin

DeKuyper 03 Orange Liqueur

Q Tonic Water

Fentiman's Tonic Water

El Dorado 15 yr

Dolin Genepy des Alpes

Pages Verveine Velay Verte

Fever-Tree Tonic Water

Bitter Truth Orange Bitters

Balvenie Portwood 21 (mini)

Edited September 17, 2013 by brinza (log)

[judiu]

Holy, uh, merde! They must LOVE you over there!