Spirits, Part 3

Next time you are in a bar, take a good look at the wall behind the bartender. There are a million bottles. Well, okay, not a million, but many. There are basic spirits. There are not-so-basic spirits. And then there are the special gems that you will not regret having in stock, even if you don't use them everyday:

• Cremes de cacao, de menthe, de violette
• Herb liqueurs (such as Benedictine, Chartreuse, or Galliano)
• Sloe Gin (not to be confused with regular gin!)
• Schnapps (a mix of neutral grain spirit and fruit flavors such as blackberry, mint, butterscotch, cherry, cinnamon, and apple, to name only a few)

There literally are hundreds of spirits available. Sample new and different spirits when you have the chance-nothing is worse than buying a $30 bottle of something and discovering that it reminds you of cough syrup. Look at the alcohol content and the ingredients. Remember that each different label has a slightly different version, so go small when buying something new. Cheers!

(originally posted April 15, 2012)