The stuff at the back of the liquor cabinet

If you check the back our your drinks cabinet, there's always going to be a
couple of bottles of stuff picked up on vacation which turns out to be rather difficult
to incorporate into a cocktail. It might be interesting to see what people have that just
gathers dust, and it would be cool if anyone has any great ideas for these difficult
to drink boozes.

I'll start the ball rolling with my bottle of Avocaat, which has been hanging around for
ages. It's so thick you have to spoon it out of the bottle, and looks and tastes like alcoholic
custard. In fact, Avocaat is alcoholic custard. Any ideas how I can use it up, apart from the dreaded
'snowball'?

Trader Woody

Oh man that stuff is disgusting!!! A lady from the old country ordered a bottle from us. When it was delivered we thought it was spoiled, like bad Bailey's, but that’s how it was supposed to look. So she opens the bottle at the store and makes us try it. Its so thick it sticks to the back of your throat and burns. Really strange stuff. I would make all your friends do a shot when they come over until it’s gone. Good luck
Mark

Xtabentun - an anise flavored liquor picked up on vacation in Cancun 10 yars ago - never cracked open the seal!!!

On 2002-09-13 01:27, Cherry Capri wrote:
Xtabentun - an anise flavored liquor picked up on vacation in Cancun 10 yars ago - never cracked open the seal!!!

I thought Xtabentum was the title of an Yma Sumac album!?

Arrow brand Anisette lurks in the back of our cabinet. We were trying out some recipes from Jeff Berry's "Intoxica" and thought we had all the ingredients. Wrong. A Dr. Funk called for 1/4 ounce of Pernod! Returning to the liquor store, we learned that in Oregon you can only buy the 750 ml size at $27.00. We went the cheap route only to discover a few days later that a participant had Pernod gathering dust in the back of her cabinet.

Yeah, the aniseed stuff does take a lot of getting used to, though I've developed a taste for Pernod & particularly Ouzo, which has quite a dry taste. It's the very sweet stuff that makes me want to gag. There's a bottle of Anis Dulce (or something like that) at home that has been touched once, never to be touched again. It cost about $6, but I've seen it for $40 over here, not that it can go on eBay or anything!

Trader Woody

ouzo yeeeurgh, we have a bottle that was sneaked into our drinks collection. when me and the wife went to greece recently we brought back 16 bottles of booze and only one of them was ouzo (for the mother in law),
the only decent aniseed flavoured drink is absinthe.

i liberated a tiny [3 oz] green bottle of 'chocolate bitters' that my mom brought back from europe a few years ago. it said it was 60 proof. i broke the seal. it smelled like isopropyl alcohol. the taste: have you ever siphoned gasoline through a hose and some of it goes into your mouth? not very chocolatey..

Blackberry Brandy cordial in a Matador decanter- I inherited from my Dad. It is at least 40 years old never opened.

I've got a bottle of Pacharan Zoco from Spain - my sister got it for me when in Barcelona - I've never opened the bottle, to be honest, I don't even know what it is...is it a liquer, a brandy, a mixer, what?? It's got a picture of these berries on the label and it doesn't look like any berry I know...

:drink:

Pernod comes in pint bottles too but it may be hard to find in that size. I use Herbsaint instead of Pernod in recipes because it comes in handy for Sazeracs as well.

Zoco is a liquer made from sloe berries.
My book of 'Drinks & Drinking' describes the taste thus: Lightly silky, syrupy,honeyed with a nice sloe & cherry ripeness, stewed prunes, anise freshness, building up nicely with plums dipped in chocolate and ripe fruityness'.

Worth cracking open, it seems!

Trader Woody

Raki from turkey maybe 15 years old-another anise flavored thingy (like ouzo but stronger) The only thing you can mix it wioth is WATER!

On 2002-09-14 01:04, Trader Woody wrote:
Zoco is a liquer made from sloe berries.
My book of 'Drinks & Drinking' describes the taste thus: Lightly silky, syrupy,honeyed with a nice sloe & cherry ripeness, stewed prunes, anise freshness, building up nicely with plums dipped in chocolate and ripe fruityness'.

Worth cracking open, it seems!

Trader Woody

Thanks for the advice - I will crack it open soon! Sounds like it should be pretty nice...

:drink:

I bought a bottle of Zoco in Spain, a couple of weeks back, and it's a damn fine, unique drink. It's sweet, but not cloying, has a very nice anise kick, but the sloes over-ride the anise, making it a world away from ouzo or pastis. Think in terms of a very complex plum brandy and you're on your way there.

Trader Woody
PS It costs £26 ($39) in London, but £5 in Spain ($7.50)

You know, I still haven't cracked the Zoco open! I'm gonna do that this weekend - this week at work has been torturous! Thanks for reminding me!

On 2002-09-13 01:27, Cherry Capri wrote:
Xtabentun - an anise flavored liquor picked up on vacation in Cancun 10 yars ago - never cracked open the seal!!!

Xtabentun - A gift from the Gods! Put that bottle in the freezer and take a small shot once in a while, it'll clear out the sinuses and just about everything else. Great stuff...if you like Anise.

CAMPARI!!! That stuff tastes like pig vomit, and doesn't mix with anything!!! As MAD magazine would've said: Bleccccchhh

Try a Negroni:

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Campari
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
Shake w/cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass, garnish w/orange peel. A classic apertif!

Hmmm ... I have Macadamia Nut liquour (from an ABC store in Waikiki). It's not the most refined taste, although perhaps the ABC store wasn't carrying the best brand...