Not Available in the U.S.

[Rien]

I have a friend that may be moving to Switzerland in the near future and another that will be visiting Geneva for a bit. I'm wondering if people have any favorite spirits/liqueurs/beers that are not currently, or never have been, available in the United States. For example, someone recently mentioned to me that Bols Orange Bitters are a much better example of orange bitters than Fee Brothers, but they are not available domestically.

Any that are likely to be found in Switzerland would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Rien

[Carolyn Tillie]

Absinthe... (but I think that is only available in the Czech Republic...)

[bacchant036]

absinthe is available in most places in the EU now, they've restricted the use of wormwood in it to make it more palatable to all those stuffy officials worried about what we may do to ourselves after the odd overgenerous tipple!

having said that i have heard that switzerland has some dodgy absinthe brands, the kind which fled to the hills during the ban and have'nt changed the way they make it........

look out for those, if you can find one it'll be special!

[Craig Camp]

Aperol, the lovely orange based Italian aperitivo. Served in the same way as Campari, but with a flavor less bitter and less alcohol.

[Boris_A]

Two of the most popular, traditional Swiss spirits (or eau-de-vie) are "williams pear brandy" from the canton of Valais/Wallis and "Kirsch" (cherry spirit) from the German speaking part.

The French Alsatian labels for eau-de-vie use to offer a good price/perf. ration.

In general, fruit brandies (plum, cherry, pear, raspberry etc. etc) seem to far more popular in Central and Eastern Europe than in the US.

Consequently, you'll find a far superiour choice of excellent qualities of these -mostly in small quantities - produced spirits.

OTOH beware - American palates dont' seem to appreciate these kind of spirits as enthusiastically as many Europeans do.

[Mayhaw Man]

I think that there are two issues with North Americans learning how to enjoy brandies, eau di vis, grappa, etc.

1) Expense-the average bottle is out of the "experimental" price range. THe stuff might be great, but when most people are spending money on cordials, and are shelling out 40 or 50 bucks, they want something familiar. The same problem extends to "in house service". Grappa (which is, pardon the term, essentially the european equivelant of moonshine in most North American eyes) at 6-10 bucks a shot can be a bit daunting.

2) Availability. While there are now some excellent spirits in this category being made in the US, even they are quite expensive. For example, this world class pear brandy from Mt. Hood, Oregon is one of the finest example that you will ever find of the style anywhere-but most people in the US and Canada will ever see a bottle on the shelf in the store and if they do it will sell for around $50USD. In my eyes, it is well worth it-but most people aren't going to shell out that kind of money for something so unfamiliar.

There are native spirits here (Bourbon being the clearest example, although if you take in the Carribean you could also include rum-which has a long and storied history in North America). Also, since the fine wine industry in the US was really not born until the mid twentieth century, there was so source for anything to distill in a historical sense. THere are now any number of guys (mostly on the West Coast) who are doing this and having some pretty serious financial success, based mainly on a really high per bottle price and limited supply.

[johnnyd]

The cost to produce a reasonable "Poire" will keep it north of forty bucks to be sure, as well as the other eaux-de-vie. Some producers in Suisse also attach a bottle to a pear tree branch so the fruit grows inside the bottle. These novelties sell for about $75. I see the Mt. Hood operation does it too.

Kirsch is a must to reproduce authentic cheese fondue. Just a deciliter in the mixture seems to pull it altogether. It adds to certain desserts as well.

Pfumliwasser (Plum eau-de-vie) is my favorite and ended many a meal with coffee and dessert. It is also sold in tiny bottles slope-side in ski resorts so you can "warm-up" on the lift. It's delicious.

Framboise gives me a headache, but a tiny sip with coffee and chocolate dessert is irresistable.

[Busboy]

On a recent trip to Savoy -- not in Switzerland, but pretty much spitting distance -- my wife and I developed an affection for genepi, a Savoyard digestif flavored with an herb/flower found only in that part of the Alps. Not unlike chartreuse, but a little sweeter and, to my mind, a little tastier after a warm meal on a cold night.

[Boris_A]

I think that there are two issues with North Americans learning how to enjoy brandies, eau di vis, grappa, etc.

1) Expense-the average bottle is out of the "experimental" price range. THe stuff might be great, but when most people are spending money on cordials, and are shelling out 40 or 50 bucks, they want something familiar. The same problem extends to "in house service". Grappa (which is, pardon the term, essentially the european equivelant of moonshine in most North American eyes) at 6-10 bucks a shot can be a bit daunting.

Thank you for explaining the circumstances, Mayhaw Man.

I regularly buy from this excellent Leon Beyer range of priceworthy Alsatian spirits (around and below $40) to explore the wonders of destilling autumn harvest scents into a bottle. But additional import markups will for sure prevent too many gourmets to share the experience.

Grappa at $ 6-10 per shot is really outrageous. Most of the stuff sold in this price ranges is coming in very suspect designer bottles. One can still find a very decent grappa at $20 per bottle in Italian wine producing regions.

THere are now any number of guys (mostly on the West Coast) who are doing this and having some pretty serious financial success, based mainly on a really high per bottle price and limited supply.

Only some months ago, Boony Doon had a "Poire" on its web page, though it's gone right now. But I have little doubt, that a guy with a long term goal and working hard on acquiring the technique will be pretty successful with such a range of products.

And let me add that in Europe, the distribution of the fruit spirits aficionados is very uneven. It's pretty clearly confined to France, Switzerland, Southwest of Germany, Austria and the Balkan region. In Italy, for example, you'll find tons of grappa, but very rarely or almost none of the fruit spirit varities.

[Bux]

"Reasonable" Poire Williams ran less than $30 a bottle the last time I looked in NYC. Morrell, in NYC, gets $35 for Massenez Poire Williams. The last time I looked at Alsatian brands, Trimbach was less expensive and certainly a reasonable brand. That's not to say one won't pay more for really good or great stuff. I've paid more in France where there's some savings to be had, at least on French brands. I had a good short explanation of what determines quality in a white spirit and there's no amount of aging that will really improve that quality other than to mask it behind a wood taste.

The explanation came from an artisanal distiller in the southwest of France. The secret is in capturing the heart of the distillates. The first and last vapors contain the harsher elements. In essence, the less of the vapor you put into your bottle the better the final product will be assuming great skills to begin with. With that realization, it's easy to see how some brands cost more than others. Whether they are worth it or not is a matter of one's taste and discrimination.

Cordials are a compound formula and according to Alexis Lichine's Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits "They are always sweetened." Poires, Mirabelles, Kirches, etc. are never sweetened except when they are made into a liqueur (cordial) and sold as "creme de whatever." Framboise eaux-de-vie and framboise liqueur are distinctly different things and likely to appeal to very different tastes. Both, however, fall under the general classification of "digestifs."

"Whisky" is derived from the Scottish word for water-or-life or eau-de-vie. Brandy and eau-de-vie are often confused, and I for one, can't make the complete distinction. Brandy is the name for distilled wine. Wine is the name for fermented grape juice except when it's apple wine or elderberry wine. Some people do not feel eaux-de-vie should qualify as brandy although it's distilled fruit wine. Brandy needn't be aged in wood, but marc and grappa are often thought of as distinct from brandy because they are unaged. They are grape eaux-de-vie. It's hard to avoid the circular reasoning at least for me.

This takes me back to my artisanal distiller who produced both a very nice eau-de-vie of muscat grape. He sold both a white eau-de-vie and one that was aged. There was a difference in taste, but he felt the "quality" was the same. I think the aged one cost a few bucks more because there was more involved in making it. It was, by the way very lightly colored from the barrel aging. Most of the color one finds in whiskies, cognacs and armagnacs comes from added coloring, or so I've been told by many, and not from the wooden barrels.

[trillium]

2) Availability. While there are now some excellent spirits in this category being made in the US, even they are quite expensive. For example, this world class pear brandy from Mt. Hood, Oregon is one of the finest example that you will ever find of the style anywhere-but most people in the US and Canada will ever see a bottle on the shelf in the store and if they do it will sell for around $50USD. In my eyes, it is well worth it-but most people aren't going to shell out that kind of money for something so unfamiliar.

There are native spirits here (Bourbon being the clearest example, although if you take in the Carribean you could also include rum-which has a long and storied history in North America). Also, since the fine wine industry in the US was really not born until the mid twentieth century, there was so source for anything to distill in a historical sense. THere are now any number of guys (mostly on the West Coast) who are doing this and having some pretty serious financial success, based mainly on a really high per bottle price and limited supply.

The non-pear in the bottle version costs about half that amount. It's pretty widely available. I'm actually swooning over St. George Spirits' version right now, it really is Aqua Perfecta. Now I wish I bought their sour cherry based kirsch too.

As for things you can't get in the US, Amer Picon!!! I am still bitter (no pun intended) that I can't get it here any more. Also, Cinzano makes a bunch of aperitif products you can't find here either.

regards,

trillium