Booze recommendations

[Silver]

Going down to Bellingham/Seattle to hit up the holiday sales this weekend, so get to hit the Duty Free on the way back.

Any recommendations for booze to help me fill out my liquor cabinet?

Right now, I'm pretty well stocked on:

- Rum (Brugal Anejo Superior, Appleton Estates V/X, Bacardi White, Captain Morgan Original Spiced, Malibu)
- Vodka (just a small bottle of Smirnoff Triple Distilled)
- Jagermeister (small bottle)
- Bailey's Irish Cream
- A bit of Kahlua left (does that stuff go bad, it's been in my fridge for a looong time?)
- a little bit of white wine (don't ask me what)
- a tiny bottle of Bombay Sapphire
- a tiny bottle of Crown Royal
- Mai Tai and Daiquiri mixes

This is what we can each bring back (there are two of us):

– 1.5 litres of wine (53 imperial ounces); or
– 1.14 litres (40 ounces) of liquor; or
– 24 × 355 ml cans/bottles (8.5 litres) of beer or ale


I don't drink beer, my best friend's dad is the head winemaker at Calona/Sandhill Wineries, and my dad makes wine at home like crazy, so I'll probably stick to spirits.

Recommendations?

[VtDivot]

Crown Royal is the best "deal" that I notice when we cross. When we bring booze home to NS, we usually buy it in the US at a regular liquor store instead of the duty free, we find it to be cheaper that way.

For your rum collection, you can look to add a Goslings Black Seal... very nice with Ginger Ale.

[Silver]

So buying the booze at a regular store is cheaper? And it's still eligible for the same import exemption, correct? (I don't see anywhere on the CBSA site that says that you have to buy your booze at the Duty Free...)

[VtDivot]

You are correct.

[Rockford35]

Ya man, buy your sauce outside the duty free. It's usually a few beans less.

I highly recommend Amaretto for the lady and The Captain's variety of Spiced rum. And get me some MGD. The last time I was in Washington i drank so many MGD....it's not that great of a beer, but it brings back so many memories...

Morgan, DiSaronno, you're set....

R35

[Silver]

after doing some quick research (because this is more important than upcoming exams, naturally), I'll definitely keep an eye out for a bottle of Gosling's...

Morgan...I'll need more by the time we go down, but I'm not sure if that's what I want to use my duty free for, I think I'd rather pick up something a little less available than what can easily be found here...but I'll keep it in mind because I think I only have about one or two shots left in the bottle right now.

DiSaronno is the amaretto? what I really need to figure out is what she likes to drink...she doesn't care to drink much of anything these days, but I'll ask her...about the only thing I know she loves is Forbidden Fruit martinis at Joey Tomato's

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by Silver

DiSaronno is the amaretto? what I really need to figure out is what she likes to drink...she doesn't care to drink much of anything these days, but I'll ask her...about the only thing I know she loves is Forbidden Fruit martinis at Joey Tomato's

And the iced tea at Arby's. She's got taste, dude!

DiSaronno is the shit. It's pretty sweet to "pound" or have much more than a drink or two, but it's tasty. It's alot more of a burnt sugar flavour than other Amaretto's.

A good Amaretto Creme is nice around X-mas as well...

R35

[Silver]

Cool, I'll have to keep that one in mind.

I know my cupboard is lacking some particular items:

Whisky, Bourbon, Rye (same as Canadian Whisky, no?), Gin (the tiny bottles don't count), Scotch, Absinthe (mmm, green), some of the common liqueurs such as brandy and sherry, varieties of Schnapps (the single reason I loved visiting the Austrian Tyrol), Vermouth, Drambuie (I don't even know what that one is, actually), Sambuca, Ouzo, Everclear, Tequila, Blue Curacao (that shit's in everything!), Hypnotiq, Triple Sec, etc...

But yeah, I know it's deficient, but I don't entertain much, so it's not that big of a deal at this point.

[VtDivot]

Boys -

Spiced is where it's at!

A buddy of mine comes to town from Ottawa every few months and that's what we go for 100% of the time. Spiced and usually diet or regular Coke. It kind of has that Dr Pepper like taste. We love it. Super cheap here too. 60oz = 24.99... almost wish I drank more it's so damned good.

S - try the Goslings... it's a big Navy drink. My cousin/best friend introduced me to it. He's a Navy Officer learned the drink at sea, just moved to Victoria actually from Hfx for a sea posting. It's on my to do list to get out there for a visit. If/When I make it out there, I'll look you up, we'll hit the ship for some socials (oh man, do I have some ship stories)

[VtDivot]

S - I just got home from Hockey and am wired and won't sleep for a few hours, so I'll help you out here. I did a fair share of bartending back on the east coast and we entertain quite a bit here and can offer some advice, and maybe help narrow down your list.

Whisky, Bourbon, Rye (same as Canadian Whisky, no?) - These are a guys drink mostly or older women. It depends on who you are entertaining. It's safe to have a good house rye on hand I'd recommend a bottle of CC, or some Crown if you want to splurge.

Gin (the tiny bottles don't count) - great with tonic or 7up. Also a nice base for Martinis if that's your thing. I'd say this would be a nice to have, but certainly not up there with Rum or Vodka

a good smooth Scotch - great if Granpa or IG are coming to visit. The younger Canadian crowd won't drink much of it, I wouldn't think. Make sure you like it before you spend $$$ on it, It's not cheap

Absinthe (mmm, green) - Am guessing you are referring to creme de menthe here??? Nice liqueur to throw into a blended drink I guess.

some of the common liqueurs such as brandy and sherry - Not sure I'd qualify these in the common category such as Kahlua, Baileys etc. Not needed.

varieties of Schnapps - substitue with vodka and a little flavored liqueur. You don't need 26's of pepermint shnapps hanging around...

Vermouth - only if you're making martinis obviously

Drambuie (I don't even know what that one is, actually) - it's a sweet whiskey type liqueur with honey.

Sambuca, Ouzo, Everclear, Tequila, - shooter stuff. If your party gets out of control this comes in handy. I don't stock any of it

Blue Curacao (that shit's in everything!) - A must have for me, since I make a personalized version of Blue Hawaii's all summer long


Obviously your Vodka and Rums are the most important since they give you the most versatility and are always the most popular. Don't forget the daquari mix and grenadine... those are essentials for summer foo foo's

[VtDivot]

Originally Posted by Silver

after doing some quick research (because this is more important than upcoming exams, naturally), I'll definitely keep an eye out for a bottle of Gosling's...

Morgan...I'll need more by the time we go down, but I'm not sure if that's what I want to use my duty free for, I think I'd rather pick up something a little less available than what can easily be found here...but I'll keep it in mind because I think I only have about one or two shots left in the bottle right now.

The Goslings is imported from Bermuda. You will pay about the same price per 26oz (it's all it comes in that I've seen) in the US as you would in Canada.

Also something to consider - If top shelf is not your thing, you can get cheapo brands for stupid prices (ie 60 of Jenkins Rum for 10 bucks) at liquor stores in the USA, but if you want premium brands, I'd shop the duty free.

[Silver]

Thanks Vt, a big help, for sure.

Originally Posted by VtDivot

Absinthe (mmm, green) - Am guessing you are referring to creme de menthe here??? Nice liqueur to throw into a blended drink I guess.

As to this part...uh, no.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

It's illegal in the US, but not subject to any restrictions (aside from normal liquor control) in BC. It's a big fav of Johnny Depp, Eminem, Marilyn Manson, etc. Also not something I'm liable to spend a small fortune on.

A good friend of mine loves Scotch, so if he wants it, he can bring it.

I'll definitely try a bottle of Goslings if I can find it, it apparently runs about $14-20/bottle, according to my searches. I've heard Myer's is good as well, but Gosling's is in a cast on its own, from the sounds of it.

Whiskey - JD? I doubt I'll touch it, but a bottle might be alright if it's on the cheap. Rye - a CC or Crown oughtta do nicely. Bourbon? JB, I guess. I'm not a big one for those three, but for some reason, I feel like I want to try Rye and Ginger, so I'll give that a go sometime soon. JC's Tequila can also sit on the back burner, although the gf does enjoy a margarita every now and then. Always have the daiquiri mix in the cupboard too.

And we will for sure get out on the town (not my specialty, to be honest) if you make it into this neck of the woods. At the very least we'll hit the links.

[Big Brother Dunk]

Drambuie is a scotch liqueur and it's very good, although a little sweet. Mix drambuie and scotch and you've got a Rusty Nail.

[DaveE]

When I feel like splurging on some booze I buy a bottle of Grand Marnier. Yummy.

[Silver]

Originally Posted by VtDivot

For your rum collection, you can look to add a Goslings Black Seal... very nice with Ginger Ale.

Sipping on a "Dark and Stormy" right now. I used "ginger beer" rather than ginger ale, as per many recommendations, but I'm not sure it's the appropriate choice for me. I'm not a huge fan of ginger, and now wish I'd used ginger ale instead (Canada Dry simply doesn't taste the same as these hardcore ginger beers).

Goslings is fantastic. Great aroma, too.