The Spirit World

I decided I needed to reorganize my liquor cabinet today as it has been overflowing for quite some time. I wanted to organize everything more logically with the often-used bottles in the main liquor cabinet and the less-often used items in an auxilary location. As I was pulling all the bottles out and arranging them on my counter I noticed two things:

• I have a heck of a lot of liquor! Some of it is shown above.
• I have several bottles that remind me of my travels.

One of the reasons my supply has grown so much over the last couple years is that as part of my cooking club dinners we always have an appetizer and cocktail course and when it’s my turn to make that course I almost always purchase new and special liquors. Our goal is to create dishes and drinks that fit a certain theme - often based on a specific country’s cuisine - and that has led to discovering new cocktails and their associated ingredients. Looking at these bottles brings back memories of our dinners.

And, when I travel I tend to look for interesting or unusual liquors that I haven’t seen before or that are not available in my area. Looking at these bottles today brought back some great memories! Some of my favorite “finds” are Blue Mountain Mist - Jamaica Coffee Liqueur; Kahana Royale, a macadamia nut liqueur from Hawaii; Praline Liqueur made by the Sazerac Company in New Orleans; and Godet Belgian White Chocolate Liquor made with white chocolate and cognac, which I purchased on one of my trips to Vancouver, B.C.

This is a fun way to bring back a bit of a place you’ve visited - especially if you’ve had a cocktail or drink while on your trip that included the liquor you are bringing home. If you have never thought to take a stroll through a local liquor shop I encourage you to check it out the next time you travel. And if you happen to be traveling internationally make sure you swing through the Duty Free shop on your way home. Most of these feature local products and you certainly can’t beat the tax-free prices!