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

[rotuts]

Im posting this question here

 

as you would have had to go to the

 

liquor store to get either or both of these .

 

Im thinking of getting either Tia Maria  or Kahlua  

 

Ive had them both , but quite some time ago.

 

I vacationed in Jamaica a long long time ago

 

and favored Tia at that time.

 

I plan to drink them neat.   no cocktails .

 

if you had both recently ,  what do you think of either ?

 

Sweeter ?  longer aftertaste ?

 

of course , I could get both

 

if they were that different .  Unfortunately 

 

Tia Maria is not available in those tiny airline bottles ( $ 1.99 for Kahlua )

 

thank you for your insight.

 

P.S. : its been a long while w TM or K for me

 

so the whole business may have changed.  

 

a very longtime ago , Cointreau was made in FR and that

 

what was sold in the USA.   then it was made in USA.

 

notable difference .  FR  much better , finer product.

 

don't know now .

Edited July 1, 2021 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

 

Im thinking of getting either Tia Maria  or Kahlua

I find Kahlua on its own to be syrupy sweet so, of those two, I’d give the nod to Tia Maria. I use coffee liqueurs to sweeten my iced coffee and in cocktails rather than sipping straight so my comments may not be relevant.  That said, you might check to see what other coffee liqueurs they have and consider trying something different. 
Currently, I’ve got a bottle of Leopold Bros Frenchpress-Style Coffee Liqueur and I like it.  

I have also tried Galliano Ristretto, which, like Galliano, comes in an annoyingly tall bottle.  I found it to have an odd smell but quite liked the espresso flavor.

St. George NOLA Coffee Liqueur has a hint of chicory flavor that I liked.

Patrón XO Cafe, is detectably tequila-based.  It’s been a while since I had this but I don’t recall any strong negatives. 
On my list to try are Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur and Koloa Kaua'i Coffee Rum.

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin  

 

great insight and new ideas !

 

Ill make a note of your comments

 

when I get to this 

 

( might be a while 0

 

ad pick two bottles of something Ive never tried.

 

Excellent ideas .

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

Im posting this question here

 

as you would have had to go to the

 

liquor store to get either or both of these .

 

Im thinking of getting either Tia Maria  or Kahlua  

 

Ive had them both , but quite some time ago.

 

I vacationed in Jamaica a long long time ago

 

and favored Tia at that time.

 

I plan to drink them neat.   no cocktails .

 

if you had both recently ,  what do you think of either ?

 

Sweeter ?  longer aftertaste ?

 

of course , I could get both

 

if they were that different .  Unfortunately 

 

Tia Maria is not available in those tiny airline bottles ( $ 1.99 for Kahlua )

 

thank you for your insight.

 

P.S. : its been a long while w TM or K for me

 

so the whole business may have changed.  

 

a very longtime ago , Cointreau was made in FR and that

 

what was sold in the USA.   then it was made in USA.

 

notable difference .  FR  much better , finer product.

 

don't know now .

 

I can't help with you question unfortunately, but I was shocked that Cointreau is now made in the US.  I go through a rather lot of it.  Where could I find more information?

 

[blue_dolphin]

15 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I can't help with you question unfortunately, but I was shocked that Cointreau is now made in the US.  I go through a rather lot of it.  Where could I find more information?

 

I can find no evidence that Cointreau is currently made in the US.  It appears that it was for a time.  This article says:

Quote

…production spread to the US, Germany and Belgium after the Second World War, but was halted in the late 1950s for fear of diluting Cointreau’s French heritage….

Before my time 🙃

[rotuts]

@JoNorvelleWalker 

 

the Cointreau change was some time ago .

 

I remember bottles from the '70's 

 

( I think ) that were USA

 

and quite different than the French , which you could not get 

 

then in USA

 

of note :

 

https://www.drinksplanet.com/cointreau-manufactured-in-usa.-i-tried-the-same-liqueur-before-and-did-not-...-132701.html

 

i also feel , w consolidation of liquor and cordials over time

 

by conglomerates   ( yes , Remy is not today the Remy of

 

the not too distant past )

 

bean counting , and cost pinching , and label changes

 

have dumbed it down quite a bit.

 

Whisky ages in port barrels ?  tequila barrels ?

 

might be interesting 

 

but it detracts from the original version

 

which through cost control , 

 

is n9t the same

Edited July 1, 2021 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

On 6/30/2021 at 7:34 PM, rotuts said:

when I get to this 

 

( might be a while 0

 

ad pick two bottles of something Ive never tried.

 

 

@rotuts,  I mentioned that Kōloa Kauaʻi Coffee Rum was one I wanted to try and since my bottle of Leopold Bros Coffee Liqueur was just about empty, I decided to pick up at bottle when I was over at Total Wine today.  I had a taste and would certainly recommend it for sipping.  The color is lighter - I'd say little or none of the caramel color that Kahlua uses - and there are a few large particulates that may be coffee bean fragments in the bottle.  It is 68 proof, vs 40 proof for Kahlua and most of the others.   It smells delightful, nothing chemical, artificial or off there. It is quite sweet, but not at all as as much as Kahlua.  The coffee and rum flavors blend nicely.  The Leopold Bros has a stronger coffee flavor but is also very sweet and the same lower proof as Kahlua.  Good for cocktails but not as nice to sip.   It was $32.99.  I see it listed at Hi-Time Wine for $29.99 and you may find better prices.  They had it stocked with the rum rather than with the other coffee liqueurs. 

[haresfur]

Tia Maria, especially if you are sipping it. I actually liked Starbucks coffee liqueur when they were selling it, and I'm sure there are a number of smaller production ones around that are good (and probably quite a few that are bad).

 

Kahlua is a fair bit less expensive here and I mainly use it in Brave Bulls so it works ok.

[liuzhou]

 

Quote

The Botanist Gin is the first and only Islay Dry Gin from Islay, Scotland. A versatile dry gin that is crafted using a unique combination of 22 botanicals that are hand-foraged locally and sustainably on the Scottish island of Islay. These botanicals are picked at varying times of the year, and can only be picked when it’s dry—a frequent challenge on Islay! Our dedicated forager then carefully and meticulously dry all of the botanicals in order to be infused during our slow, simmer distillation process.

 

More here.

Surprising to find it here in China.

[Anna N]

3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Our dedicated forager

Given that is also readily available at my local liquor store one hast to think this poor forager has his or her work cut out for them!

[rotuts]

I ventured out to ToralWine :

 

 

 

 

 

I have no illusions that the Creme de Menthe 

 

an industrial version .  it's what they had.  I plan to add

 

it to Canned Pears , as a dessert.  yes

 

canned pears.   the no added sugar these days means

 

artificial sweetener , and even the ' lite syrup '

 

means a lot of added sugar.

 

Im hoping the PW is decent.  went w the French , over the German

 

and spent $ 10 more !

 

 

[scamhi]

2 bottles of Reisetbauer Blue Gin Vintage Dry Blue Gin, Austria (one is a gift)

1 bottle of Herradura white tequila

[rotuts]

my above purchases were mostly duds :

 

the PW  had some pear aroma and flavor , but not very much.

 

it also has a lot of raw alcohol burn.

 

not what I was expecting.  reminded me of

 

Local Raw Calvados in Brittany / Normandy :  good for ' burning a hole '

 

and not much else

 

the CdMenthe was ' industrial '  no artisan anything .

 

the TiaMaria was OI.  good coffee flavor and aftertaste

 

but sweeter than I remember.

 

the BHU was , as usual , very fine IceCold.

Edited July 30, 2021 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

9 hours ago, rotuts said:

the PW  had some pear aroma and flavor , but not very much.

it also has a lot of raw alcohol burn.

not what I was expecting.  reminded me of Local Raw Calvados in Brittany / Normandy :  good for ' burning a hole and not much else

 

That's pretty much my experience with pear eau de vie.  Clear Creek Pear Brandy is my favorite and but it's still not something I care to sip on its own.  It is an ingredient of my favorite holiday cocktail, Chuck Taggart's Réveillon, so I always make sure to have some around at that time of year. 

 

9 hours ago, rotuts said:

the TiaMaria was OI.  good coffee flavor and aftertaste but sweeter than I remember.

If the Tia Maria is too sweet for sipping purposes, which you mentioned earlier, consider diluting it into something like a Coffee Old Fashioned with a bourbon or rum that you view sip-worthy as the base spirit, depending on your preferences. 

For sipping straight, I'll repeat my recommendation for the Koloa Kaua'i Coffee Rum.  Very delicious. Perhaps a bit overpriced at around $30/bottle when you might find a nice rum like Doorly's XO for $16.99 (current price at my Total Wine) to blend with your Tia Maria. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by blue_dolphin
typing (log)

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin 

 

good tips

 

thanks

 

the Koloa Kaua'i Coffee Rum 

 

is not available at my Local TW

 

[lindag]

I've discovered Absolut Peppar; it makes the most amazing Bloody Mary, or, for me, Clam Digger.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

What I didn't buy was Cointreau.  There is a glass shortage, they said.

 

[J_Ozzy]

Jameson Cold Brew, in anticipation of Irish Coffee season

[haresfur]

Online order since I was out of Benedictine, homemade Pimento Dram, and (heaven forbid) low on Fernet Branca.

[FrogPrincesse]

On 7/30/2021 at 4:26 PM, blue_dolphin said:

 

That's pretty much my experience with pear eau de vie.  Clear Creek Pear Brandy is my favorite and but it's still not something I care to sip on its own.  It is an ingredient of my favorite holiday cocktail, Chuck Taggart's Réveillon, so I always make sure to have some around at that time of year. 

 

Try the vieille poire from Etter if you can find it... it is potent of course like any other eau de vie, but it also has a beautiful pear flavor that is very pronounced, and is great to sip on.

[blue_dolphin]

2 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Try the vieille poire from Etter if you can find it... it is potent of course like any other eau de vie, but it also has a beautiful pear flavor that is very pronounced, and is great to sip on.

Thanks and nice to “see” you!  Looks like K&L carries it but is out of stock so I requested an email if they get it in again. 
 

 

Edited August 5, 2022 by blue_dolphin
To add quote (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

On 7/30/2021 at 4:26 PM, blue_dolphin said:

 

That's pretty much my experience with pear eau de vie.  Clear Creek Pear Brandy is my favorite and but it's still not something I care to sip on its own.  It is an ingredient of my favorite holiday cocktail, Chuck Taggart's Réveillon, so I always make sure to have some around at that time of year. 

 

We enjoy pear ciders, especially alongside porky things, like grilled white or blood sausages.  Here's one.    Also Pommeau, a light and less expensive alternative to calvados.

[gulfporter]

I bought aged rum to make my backyard bananas into Bananas Foster.

 

 

[scubadoo97]

Picked up a couple of malts recently for a change of pace 

[rotuts]

Went to TotalWine this AM

 

https://www.totalwine.com

 

my area

 

Over the Years ,

 

i thought Id get :

 

 

this whisky , as ive had it before

 

but for the TiaMaria .

 

the first  bottle of the LVGN  16 YO

 

was at this same store :

 

57 USD.

 

noe its 89 USD

 

well OK 

 

Im  not a Whisky person

 

what I remember what The Earl said to me in Scotland :

 

a little water , but never ice .

 

Ill have to drum up the BBC series ;

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endeavour_(TV_series)

 

or its equivalent :  

 

Alway a bottle of Whisky , in the drawer 

 

I like to participate 

 

while I watch .

 

BTW any other BBC series 

 

w Whisky in the drawer ?

 

not joking !

 

probably not Downton Abby

 

Im sure there is a series ive 

 

missed ?

 

P.S.:   in the interest 

 

of Food ( drinks ? )  photog :

 

I used a paper bag as back ground.

 

for fun

 

 

nothing behind there of any interest .

 

just sayh9ing

 

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by rotuts (log)