exotic booze

One of the things I like to do when I travel --
is to bring back a bottle of exotic booze from wherever I go.

 It's not like I drink all that much.....
and I'm certainly not what you'd call a connoisseur....

 More like a collector.


 But , not like most collectors who wanna keep their collections to themselves.

 Me, I like to share my collection with folks who visit.


 I love to watch my guests' faces when they first try something they never had before.

 That first taste of Campari ---
........well, the facial expressions are priceless.

......................  Well worth the price of a bottle that I'll never touch otherwise.



Now, you could say that's just my sadistic side acting out, but it's not really like that.

Some of the stuff I bring back tastes pretty damned good.

To me.

Maybe not always to anybody else.

Absinthe, for example.

This is my drink of choice, assuming I've got the kit to go along with it.


Oh.... I guess better explain.

You see, you can't drink absinthe just out of any old glass.

You gotta do the whole absinthe trip........

   you need a decanter of ice cold water
   you need some sugar cubes
   you need a special slotted absinthe spoon
   you need a special fluted absinthe glass
   and of course, you need some 120 year old Henri-Louis Pernot absinthe.

Then,
you fill the bottom reservoir of the glass with the absinthe,
place the spoon on top of the glass, place a sugar cube on it,
pour the ice cold water very, very slowly through the sugar cube,
swirl gently,
admire the louche ( the Green Fairy)
inhale, and then sip.

Congratulations.

You have just completed your first absinthe ritual.

Is it worth all the trouble, you ask?

Well, I dunno..... it depends on whether you get your jollies from drinking it the
way that famous artists like Degas, Van Gogh, Lautrec, and Manet did....
not to mention that it's the way they've been drinking it in Europe for centuries.

Plus, it's kinda fun.

Is it dangerous? Naaaaaaaaah.

I been drinking it for decades, and I'm normal, right?

Ummm... well..... don't answer that.





Saint Maarten in the Caribbean is a great place to pick up some exotic booze....

They have a local fruit called a 'guavaberry' ,
...... and they make a potent liquor out of it.

I might also mention the beautiful nude beaches,
... great restaurants, casinos, and all that.

But I won't. ( psssst..... Orient Beach. )


Oh, and if you happen to be down there,
.... you might also pick up a bottle or two of what they call "Bois Bande".

This is a specially prepared rum that has a secret ingredient ---
--- said to be good to keep the yang up.

Tastes pretty good.....
and nice to have around in case of emergencies, ya understand.




Recently, an online friend of mine had posted an article on the uses of the spice caraway...

and I remembered tasting a liquor made from it while I was in Denmark years ago....


That liquor is called Akvavit or Aquavit , and is popular all over Scandinavia,
and also has it's own ceremony- called "drinking schnaps".

The glasses used are usually chilled, and tulip shaped...

The guests are seated around a table and the glasses are charged.

Then, the host raises his glass, and the guests all turn to each other,
... nod, after which the host calls out "Skoal!" - and everybody drinks.

Everybody sets the glass back down, and the process is repeated.

Being at one of these "snaps parties" will make you learn very quickly
 how to pace yerself, believe me.



 The last time I was in Mexico, I brought back some Damiana liquor.....

Damiana is a Mexican herb also supposedly having aphrodisiacal powers...

it's in the same botanical family as chamomile,
and the Maya made a tea like concoction out of it with honey,
that supposedly would keep you 'interested' for hours.

 I dunno about all that ,
but I call tell you that it smells and tastes like a wet rope with a twist of orange.

 The bottle is very cool, though,
( it's in the shape of a naked goddess's torso ) -- 
and makes an interesting conversation piece.

 Women get all giddy.... and men get all kinds of ideas...  just looking at it.




 Speaking of getting ideas...
a lot of folks are surprised when I give them a taste of Turkey's national booze -
 --- Raki or "Lions Milk".

Most folks figure since the majority of Turks are Muslim, that they wouldn't drink....

... but one taste of Raki will convince ya that they do......


They take their Raki very, very seriously, indeed.

It's very much like a non sweet version of Anisette ---
... and it's got a burn that follows you all the way down.

Actually, there are versions of Raki all over the Balkans,
with slightly different flavors and recipes.....

like Zavania in Cypress , or Tsikoudia in Crete.... or Albanian Raki.

Greek Ouzo is somewhat different - all though the burn is very similar.




Don't get this confused with a booze called "Turkish Delight" ,
 which is widely available in Southeast Asia ---

"Turkish Delight" is a rose flavored liquor with chocolate overtones....

And, for someone who likes exotic booze, an orgasm in a bottle.

I've never seen it in the U.S., but if you see it, buy a box.

I'll be right over.









Here's a coupla recipes you can use with all that exotic booze :


Death in the Afternoon

1 shot of Absinthe
pour ice cold champagne slowly into glass
( named after Hemingway's book- he also was an absinthe drinker )




Campari American Cocktail

1 shot Campari
1 shot sweet Vermouth
Fill with lemon-lime soda
Garnish with lemon peel



Save some for me !!!!