Spirited Away

When dining at Chez Pei, one can expect fine libations in addition to delicious dining. This weekend, we decided we'd had enough with curtains and paint. Our home project of choice: loading up the liquor cabinet. Given that this Sunday is Bay to Breakers, a "little" alcohol seemed in order. 

Exhibit A: For casual drinking, we often find ourselves mixing up an old-fashioned, margarita, or mojito. Buffalo Trace is the best Kentucky bourbon $20 can buy, chock full of vanilla flavor and a nice full body. Ketel one is one of my favorite vodkas, especially when it's on sale. This is the go-to liquor for a lot of frozen drinks. Flor de Cana will be the mojito base of the summer, and Pura Sangre is a bargain tequila that's standing in until we run out and buy Milagro (also the SF Chronicle's favorite under $30 this year). We bought some cheap and interesting sake today. I've been reading good things about Hana Lychee, and Sho Chiku Bai nigori is a no-brainer at $7 a bottle. 

Now, enough of the cheap stuff. If you are a good friend of Chez Pei, you might see me reaching for one of these bottles when you visit. From the left:

Rhum Barbancourt (Haiti): support Haiti, buy rum! This is our aged rum suggestion. I haven't tried it yet, but it got a huge nod from the helpful staff at Bevmo and smells like butter.

Casa Noble (Mexico): One of our favorite anejo tequilas of all time, Casa Noble now boasts organic plants and a gorgeous purple bottle.

The Glenrothes (Scotland): A Speyside scotch, for those who love a floral, non-peaty Scotch.

Magellan Gin (France): One of the few blue gins on the market, this is a bright, crisp gin with plenty of grassy juniper notes. I'm not the biggest gin fan, but it's quite nice and makes a gorgeous cocktail.

Imperia vodka (Russia): A clean, balanced, ever so slightly sweet vodka distilled from grain. I'm of the opinion that expensive vodka should be served straight from the freezer and disappear on the tongue, hinting at flavor and heat rather than actually tasting of either. Imperia, while not premium enough to quite meet that standard, is definitely among my top 5 for premium vodka, and it's more often on sale more often than Chopin or Stoli Black.