What did you buy at the liquor store today? (2014 – 2015)

[Hassouni]

Which site? No issues w customs?

[Moto]

The company was la cantina pinta.  It took about 15-20 days for my package to arrive.  Shipping was about $75.00 for three bottles  or about $25 each.   It took a little longer than expected only because one of the items I ordered was out of stock(Rhum Rhum liberation).   I ordered the 2010 and they gladly subbed in the more expensive 2012 at no extra cost. 

 

Including shipping and currency conversion the Rhum Rhum was $82.00. Compare that to $149 @ Astor Wines.  The lowest I have seen it is at $85.00 on closeout at Hitime wines.  Since my order they have raised prices on some of the rarer items(the Caronis and other Velier Rums by about 20%) but they still have a lot of good prices for items not available here.  Think Rum Nation and lots of Rhum agricole

 

I whole heartedly recommend them.  They gladly answered all my many questions.  I was initially very apprehensive about paying a few hundred $ and risking my order not arrive.  It appears they have a lot of experience shipping wine and alcohol.  They use a dedicated shipper that has a wine shipping division.  I emailed a few other stores initially and several were not set up to handle overseas shipping.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Moto (log)

[Hassouni]

Thanks v much

[JoNorvelleWalker]

No ethanol, but this did come from the liquor store today...

 

[ChrisTaylor]

My go-to sake supplier has a few new ones in stock. Most of them are unfiltered or sweetened. I wasn't in the mood for either when I went shopping.

 

 

I don't know anything about the canned sake--there's no English-language sticker on it. I bought it on the recommendation of the salesman.

 

EDIT

 

A quick Google search for 'canned sake' turned up an article about this very sake. Funaguchi Kikusui. Apparently it's one of the better canned sakes. 19% APV. 

 

Also, 'suishin' apparently means 'drunken heart.' That's pretty cool. 17% APV. Supposedly it's a bit of a beast.

[blue_dolphin]

I don't usually drink vodka but was curious and picked this up at Whole Foods after reading a note in the LA Times ( Ventura distillers make vodka -- from local strawberries ):

 

Since it's a neutral spirit, there is no strawberry taste on the tongue (no sweet or tartness) and the aroma is very subtly fruity but the strawberry essence comes through after you take a sip.  It added a little something special to a vodka tonic and I think I'll try a gimlet.  Not sure what else I will do with it but now I know what distilled strawberries taste like!

 

 

[scubadoo97]

That's interesting blue_dolphin. From tasting our Florida strawberries I think making vodka with them is the way to go. Both tasteless

[blue_dolphin]

That's interesting blue_dolphin. From tasting our Florida strawberries I think making vodka with them is the way to go. Both tasteless

I'm with you on the very pretty but tasteless strawberries. So disappointing !   But I am I am intrigued that these guys are distilling locally sourced materials.  I can't imagine that's an easy road.

I know that my area, Ventura County,  produces lovely ripe, tasty berries that I buy in our local farmer's markets and vastly more tasteless berries selected for their firmness and shipping characteristics.  

I don't know which ones ended up in Ventura Spirit's California Vodka.  According to the LA Times article, they got a "rock bottom price" on "500,000 pounds of frozen strawberries abandoned in a contract dispute."  Once that's gone, I can't imagine they can continue to produce vodka from strawberries but who knows?  

Having tasted this, I'll try their gin infused with local botanicals (purple sage, sagebrush, bay leaf and yerba santa) because it sounds interesting and their maybe their Opuntia, distilled from a local prickly pear fruit.

[Moto]

A local distiller just released their first product, a gin.  Profile is supposed to hew more closely to the London Dry School than New American.  I've only had it in tastes as they were refining the profile.  It will be interesting to see how the formal scaled up product is on its own and in a drink.

[Craig E]

Vermouth and gin are restocks, liqueur and sherry are new to me.

[ChrisTaylor]

I want scotch shopping today: Springbank 10, Longrow 10 and a mini of Ardbeg Blasda.

[ananth]

Leftmost three are restocks. 

Funny that I'm so excited about this haul--a couple of years ago not a single one of these names would've meant anything to me.

Had planned to try Amaro Montenegro about which I've heard so many good things, but the guy said it's no longer imported (at least through his distributor I guess). They were carrying Amaro Sibona in its place--anyone here ever tried that?

hello

is the third bottle Antica Formula?

I have never seen such a small bottle of it. What is its volume?

[Craig E]

hello

is the third bottle Antica Formula?

I have never seen such a small bottle of it. What is its volume?

Yep, it's 375ml. So pleased my local shop carries them.

[GarethLangston]

For those in the UK, you can now buy those half bottles of antica formula in Waitrose, which is fantastic.

[tanstaafl2]

For those in the UK, you can now buy those half bottles of antica formula in Waitrose, which is fantastic.

 

A typical Carpano Antica bottle is a liter, not a 750ml 9at least that is the case here), so not quite half but still convenient at times to have the small bottle.

 

That said I find the Antica keeps well in the fridge with a vacuvin so I tend to stick with the family size bottle. That and I have a tendency to drink it like a glass of wine so it doesn't hang around that long....

[Fernet-Bronco]

Sadly I'll only buy it in the half-bottle format and it's not available here that way. I haven't had luck keeping it in the fridge and it goes off before I'm finished with a full bottle. I miss the lush Manhattan it makes.

[Fernet-Bronco]

Bought my first bottle of black strap rum, Cruzan. It's pretty one-noted but I like that note. Was hoping for and expecting a bit more funk and tar. Should go nicely in the Jungle Bird, which is what I bought it for. I wonder if it would blend nicely with S&C, or just drown it out.

[DianaB]

It's a long time since I've posted on this forum but some of you might remember that we (husband and I) are at the beginning of our exploration of the world of cocktails. Some of you kindly helped last year when I wanted to make an Aviation, with your help we now have that as a regular appero.

I've recently discovered a series of videos on You Tube made by Small Screen Productions. There are various presenters but I particularly like Robert Hess. The problem has often been that we couldn't create his cocktails due missing ingredients, often a certain type of bitters. These seem relatively expensive to buy full size when so little is needed per drink. I was delighted yesterday when the Post Man delivered this selection of miniature bottles, obtained from Amazon

The set at least gives us a chance to widen our experience without need to buy full size bottles before we are sure that we like the resulting drinks.

This was a recent purchase made by my husband. I admit I didn't support the idea but in fact, in very small amounts, it can add to various food recipes and my husband came up with a great cocktail using tequila, Mozart Black and 1/2 ml of this...

Looking forward to catching up on this forum.

[Craig E]

Prosecco 'cause I needed it; Hendrick's 'cause I wanted it.

[radtek]

In reference to the aforementioned California Strawberry vodka: isn't this product really a brandy of some sort? 

[Fernet-Bronco]

I've recently discovered a series of videos on You Tube made by Small Screen Productions. There are various presenters but I particularly like Robert Hess. The problem has often been that we couldn't create his cocktails due missing ingredients, often a certain type of bitters. These seem relatively expensive to buy full size when so little is needed per drink. I was delighted yesterday when the Post Man delivered this selection of miniature bottles, obtained from Amazon

image.jpg

The set at least gives us a chance to widen our experience without need to buy full size bottles before we are sure that we like the resulting drinks.

 

Nice, those celery bitters are fun.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My semiannual case of small hand orgeat.  And may it get here fast.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The ship finally came in from feste and FedEx.  My orgeat habit's safe for another couple months.

 

White mai tai at the moment.  Celebrating with a peanut and almond course.

[MisterGreen]

My girlfriend and I each purchased a bottle of Luxardo Maraschino.

 

Where we live this stuff comes in once a year and not very many bottles are shipped, so it's often gone with days of the shipment being put on shelves. Last time we saw it we didn't buy, and didn't see another bottle for about a year (until just a few days ago in fact). The first bottle we bought we had to purchase on the other side of the country and bring it back with us.

 

So this time when we saw it, we bought two! Enough to see us out probably 

[BillBuitenhuys]

 

 

Picked this up yesterday...Gin from Mexico from agave distillate made with a German pot still (named "Dora"). It's a delicate gin with some sweetness and green notes from the agave base, some bay, coriander, citrus. Found it to be quite enjoyable as a sipper. For cocktail use, it will have to be a subtle cocktail (maybe a 50/50 martini) but I think it will get lost in something more forceful, like a Negroni.