What did you buy at the liquor store today? (2016 - )

[Quadriga]

[Host's note: this topic forms part of a longer discussion that grew too big for our servers to handle efficiently.  The discussion continues from here.]

 

Christmas present to myself: A 17yo cask-strength rum from Hampden by German independent bottler TheRumCask.

I wished I had a sample of the famous 17yo Wray&Nephew Trader Vic used in his Mai Tai for comparison.

 

Edited April 12, 2017 by Smithy
Adjusted title (log)

[Craig E]

Spent my Christmas money restocking Rittenhouse, Cynar, and Aperol, and obtaining my first bottle of Cocchi Vermouth di Torino. Thanks, mother-in-law!

[Hassouni]

Hi everyone, long time and all that. The left two I picked up in DC, Serbian quince eau de vie ($20/L!), the lovely lovely Willett 2 yr, and some goodies from 3 weeks in Lebanon: Rhum Saint James ambre, excellent, cheap, and ubiquitous there but not Stateside; Monk-made arak from the Antonine monks of the Mar Chaaya (Saint Isaiah) Monastery, and Arak el Rif, a more high-end commercial Lebanese arak in which the anise is less subtle.

 

 

I've undoubtedly got other stuff in the last several months since I posted, but who remembers...

Edited January 16, 2016 by Hassouni (log)

[rotuts]

St. James

 

nice  I used to make dark daiquiri's to of that, and Barbancourt 5 star

 

it was a while ago.  each bottle cost < $ 5 

[Hassouni]

This was...$18/L. Still pretty decent!

[scubadoo97]

Some recent purchases

The Smooth Ambler are bourbons

 

[tanstaafl2]

On 1/16/2016 at 4:39 PM, scubadoo97 said:

Some recent purchases

The Smooth Ambler are bourbons

 

 

Interesting. Don't think I have ever seen a box for the Plantation Single Cask rums. I presume there is a label on the back indicating which particular rum that is? Back when the Plantation 20th Anniversary came in the wide short bottle it had a box (and typically still does now that it is in a taller bottle as I recall) but not the vario0us single cask bottlings, at least in my area.

[ChrisTaylor]

Picked up a couple bottles of bitters; both Bittermens brand. Hopped Grapefruit and 'Elemakule Tiki.

[Franci]

I never write here but today I had the chance of trying Donciccio&Figli stuff. I'm in love. That fico d'india was a revelation, the luna amara and amaro delle sirene so good.

[lesliec]

They look great on the website, Franci.  Put me down for some of the Cinque!

[Pooya Khodadadi]

Cheers

[lesliec]

Every now and then, this little country I live in surprises me.  We can usually only get a couple of average mezcals, rye is rare (but fortunately includes Rittenhouse), Smith & Cross was impossible until only a few months ago.  Then I find one of our better booze shops has this:

 

 

Not being a trained Hungarian, I don't think I'll be drinking it on its own - it's a bit too seriously medicinal (heading in a Fernet direction, but not as intense as that).  But it works really well in one of these.  A 500ml bottle is the equivalent of USD30 or so, but I can see myself getting it again.

[EvergreenDan]

11 hours ago, lesliec said:

Not being a trained Hungarian, I don't think I'll be drinking it on its own

Try it, Leslie. I found it pretty tasty on its own, yet didn't love it in The Fall of Man. I think the Cherry Heering enhanced the bitter+cherry=cough syrup association.

 

I need to look at other Unicum ideas.

 

 

[lesliec]

Thanks, Dan.

 

It's not that it's not tasty on its own; it's just a little too much for my taste. The Fall of Man was pretty good, and I also have Sonic Titan on my list (not least because of the last part of the instructions).

[Czequershuus]

Gave into temptation and purchased a bottle of Amaro Lucano today. It is very nice, reminds me a lot of Ramazzotti, but a touch less sweet and less bitter at the same time.

[FrogPrincesse]

1 hour ago, Czequershuus said:

Gave into temptation and purchased a bottle of Amaro Lucano today. It is very nice, reminds me a lot of Ramazzotti, but a touch less sweet and less bitter at the same time.

I agree; I like it better than Ramazzoti.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Sort of related:  halegroves.com, my favored Florida citrus purveyor, is having free shipping with code PRES16.  How many zombies can Jo concoct from seven pounds of fresh, tree ripened white grapefruit?

 

And what would happen if I decided to serve up my zombie in a tumbler??

 

[Craig E]

Friends coming over for cocktails insisted on bringing a bottle of something, so I told them I'd be happy to try something new from local (Minnesota) distiller Tattersall, and they showed up with this sour cherry liqueur. 

 

Here's my tasting notes side-by-side with Cherry Heering:

Tattersall is 30% ABV (vs. Heering's 24%)

Its color is clearer and brighter red than Heering's old-blood red.

There's a big difference to the nose: Tattersall is mostly alcohol fumes, where Heering has a yummy sweet cherry aroma.

The taste is certainly similar enough that substitution in cocktail recipes will work splendidly. But Tattersall does taste markedly more sour, which you get throughout the sip and finish. That sharpness consequentially prevents the sweet cough-syrup cherry flavor that is more prominent in Heering. 

 

My guests loved the cocktails I made for them with the new liqueur (Trainspotter and Blood & Sand). 

 

Tattersall now has a huge line of spirits and liqueurs. As I've said before, their gin is terrific. I've also had a small taste of their fernet, which lacks the menthol strength of Fernet Branca but despite that (or rather because of that) seems really promising for mixing. 

[tanstaafl2]

On ‎2‎/‎13‎/‎2016 at 10:39 PM, Czequershuus said:

Gave into temptation and purchased a bottle of Amaro Lucano today. It is very nice, reminds me a lot of Ramazzotti, but a touch less sweet and less bitter at the same time.

 

On ‎2‎/‎13‎/‎2016 at 11:59 PM, FrogPrincesse said:

I agree; I like it better than Ramazzoti.

 

Interesting. I tried Lucano for the first time this week and thought it a bit light. Good texture but not as much complexity. I think I still prefer the Ramazotti which has a bit more heft and more orange as I recall to balance the licorice component. I guess I should try them side by side.

[FrogPrincesse]

21 minutes ago, tanstaafl2 said:

 

Interesting. I tried Lucano for the first time this week and thought it a bit light. Good texture but not as much complexity. I think I still prefer the Ramazotti which has a bit more heft and more orange as I recall to balance the licorice component. I guess I should try them side by side.

 

Haha. I think I got my amari mixed up! It's Baulio I was thinking of when I made that comment, not Lucano.

 

[rustwood]

On 1/2/2015 at 6:38 AM, cteavin said:

I bought a bottle of Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky -- which was one of the best whiskies I've ever had when mixed with soda -- and Nikka 17 year old Whisky. I've been looking for a bottle of the 21 year old Hibiki from Suntory. 

 

Japanese whisky rocks! 

 

 

 

I had this at a party recently and it was delicious.  I am not a whiskey drinker but I will be keeping an eye out for this one and will happily shell out for it if I get the chance.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Half a case of La Favorite.  Since I was running low.

[FrogPrincesse]

@JoNorvelleWalkerThe white one I assume? Have you tried the aged one too? It's rather good. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

No, never tried the aged.  For that I use Neisson, a lot of Neisson.

[FrogPrincesse]

Neisson is nice, and so are La Favorite, St James, Clement, etc.

I guess I like variety!