booze with an "X"

[frobzwiththingz]

I seem to have this pattern of hating most alcoholic drinks, until i've been to their country of origin/specialization. I couldn't stand beer, until i went to Germany and realized that there *is* good beer. I thought Scotch tasted like petroleum distillates, until i went to Scotland and found that there is good Scotch. I came back from Ireland with a Irish Coffee fetish, and Spain and France convinced me that wine with dinner is a good thing. A department store in Tokyo fed me some Sake that had me floating to the ceiling, when i always hated sake.

So i wouldn't have been surprised if i came back from Mexico with a new found love of Tequila, which i also didn't like.

Well, indeed i will drink tequila based drinks now. But the real surprise hooch of this trip is a traditional Mayan concoction called Xtabentun. Surprising because it has a strong anise component, and i *dont* like anise. Or at least i didn't. Xtabentun is a green herbal liquor, somewhat like Chartreuse (which i also don't like), but sweeter and with anise. And it's yummy, even though i'm sure i would have hated it a month ago.

Comments

[jim-p.livejournal.com]

It's all about acquiring the context :)

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

odd...

then again, i seem to have developed a taste for the odd, quite contrary to my parents and their gallon liquors and boxed wine.

there's a ton of nifty anise like stuff - joe bob sez "try'em all" (like "arak"). there's even some really bizarre stuff, worse than chartreuse (which i like)... mmm, like ... "cynar" (artichoke based).

oh yeah, cypher0 called me, personal like the other day for class. pity i was tied up elsewhere. heh. told him about that vermont camping event with the same name. maybe he'll show.

#

[water-childe.livejournal.com]

Xtabentun is a green herbal liquor, somewhat like Chartreuse (which i also don't like), but sweeter and with anise. And it's yummy, even though i'm sure i would have hated it a month ago.

Oooh. That sounds fabulous. Is it available in the states?

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

We have to look- anyway maybe we can feed you some sometime. It's quite sweet, being also made with honey. I should add that it's great in coffee (not sure whether they put some white Tequila in there too) with cream.

Actually they did this big show of making a coffee drink by flambeeing the Xtabentun (and tequila?) pouring it showily from one silver dish (gravy-boat shaped) to another, so the waiter was juggling these arcs of blue flame. Then into your coffee it goes, to make a yummy drink.

[frobzwiththingz.livejournal.com]

i dont know if it is available anywhere here - we'll just need to hunt. There wasn't any available at the duty free shops in the Cancun airport.

[marmota.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I remember offering you some Chartreuse at a party somwehat recently, you mentioning that you didn't like it but would try it again, and making a vaguely positive comment on it after doing so. Either visiting France had it's effect, or you were just being polite.

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

I doubt it was the latter- FWT is pretty good at saying "That's not for me". But he has been expanding his food tastes a lot over the past few years!

Tequila

[cevad.livejournal.com]

At a xmas party not long ago I got to sample some good tequila. It was a totally different experience from any tequila based experience I'd had before. The stuff had a really smooth flavour that while remaining tequila was really good.

Definately worth searching out.

-davec