I believe that No.1 is the only one available in the USA. You can find No.3 in London, at least during the cold months, and also No.6, although it isn't particularly widely stocked (You can get it at Fortnum's and at Harrod's, that I know of). It isn't much to write home about -- my impression is of a less-interesting, less-flavorful version of No.1 -- but then I'm not a vodka drinker anyway.

You used to be able to get Chartreuse in mini-bottles here in the US (you still can in France -- including minis of the VEP expressions), which makes sense if you just want to try it out without making a commitment. I am lucky enough to have family in the Isere department, so they bring the products of Les Peres Chartreux to me fairly often, but we recently found out that the all-time best price was in Andorra (it seems the whole country is little more than a duty-free shop!) -- 13 euros!

The monks of the Grand Chartreuse not only make the well known Green and Yellow varieties (along with the VEP versions), but also a couple of variations (Liqueur du 9e Centenaire, the Liqueur d'Elixir 1605, a Genepi, a Gentiane, a Walnut liqueur, and several fruit liqueurs, as well as the medicinal Elixir Vegetal). I highly recommend a visit to the distillery and caves at Voiron if you are ever in the neighborhood.

You can probably tell -- I like it tremendously and wouldn't let a $50 price tag stand in my way.

I used to eat the horse steak at the Faculty Club every chance I got -- it was quite tasty! The story was that it had become a fixture on the menu during the last war, when it was the only meat available (rationing, you know) -- and that a substantial number of faculty had become attached to it, so it stayed on the menu. It did disappear during the '80s, about the same time I stopped eating at the Harvard Faculty Club.

I will try Shaw's/Star as the second reply indicates. I've decided after the most recent meltdowns by the CEO that I can no longer patronize Whole Foods.

And I do go by Dave's Fresh Pasta regularly -- I'd rather buy there than at Shaw's.

It just seems odd to me that I can't find Fever Tree at Martignetti's or Kappy's or Marty's.

For tonic water, I've been mixing my own from Tomr's or Jack Rudy's syrups -- but I do want the Fever Tree Bitter Lemon.

I know from time to time I have bought Fever Tree tonic water -- but I can never seem to find it when I'm actually looking for it. In particular, I'm looking for the tonic waters and the bitter lemon. I've tried various liquor stores, Roche Bros., Stop & Shop, Martignetti's, to no avail. Can anyone remind me where I can find this line on a reliable basis?

The Boston Shaker calls them "Manhattan Glasses".

http://store.thebostonshaker.com/inde...

I do hope you'll be doing a book signing at the Shaker sometime soon? I look forward to it.

I acknowledge the Clam Box as the best, the platonic idea for fried clams. Whenever I'm in the north Ipswich neighborhood, I go there. But it is a fairly long drive from my house in Gloucester, so I frequent Essex Seafood, as it is much more convenient (esp. if I am taking them home). I've never had any bad food at Essex, but I do admit it isn't as good as the Clam Box. For me, it's the sweet spot of quality and location.

I have myself enquired from time to time about finding Plymouth Navy Strength Gin (no joy -- I have to use my UK connections to bring this to me). I have read recently about Leopold's Navy Strength, but this gin is apparently not available in Boston. So I was greatly pleased when I stopped in at Martignetti's (Soldier's Field Road location) this afternoon and found Hayman's Navy Strength Gin.

Now I just have to figure out what needs to be done with Navy Strength rather than standard proof gin....

I'll second this recco. Rockport Lobster has been my go-to lobster merchant for several years now -- prices just as low or lower than Market Basket, and they will pick 'em to my specification (size, gender, &c).

LONDON -

Not exactly practical for USA locals, but I happened to be in London over the weekend, and while wandering around Soho, happened into a store called Amathus (117 Wardour Street -- they also have a branch in the City at Leadenhall Market). I was astounded to find full shelves of a wide range of Van Winkle whiskeys --Old Rip Van Winkle 10yr, Pappy Van Winkle 13yr, Special Reserve 12 yr, Family Reserve 20 and 23yr, and Family Reserve Rye 13yr -- a fully-stocked shelf, multiple bottles of each. Also a shelf full of bottles of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. This is more Van Winkle than I have ever seen in a US liquor store, even in Kentucky! Of course, prices are high: from 60 to 300 (!) pounds per bottle. The Stagg was 3x what I paid for it in the US, the VW FR rye 2x. Counterman said Americans come in all the time to buy the rare bourbons and carry them home.

Me, I just got a couple of bottles of Winter Pimm's (no. 3) and some Peruvian Amargo Chuncho bitters.

For vicarious (and envious) browsing, try amathusdrinks.com.

I haven't tried to make Peychaud's cotton candy, but I have made Angostura-flavored cotton candy and used it to make an old Fashioned (put the candy in the glass and pour the (stirred with ice to chill and strained) spirits over it. It was kind of fun and a bit theatrical, and I could see doing it again for a dinner party, although I would increase the concentration of bitters (as you note, it can get lost when you spin the floss). I also have used French candy floss flavorings to make kir royale cocktails -- in France, you can get cassis flavoring for your barbe-a-papa (in fact, you can get a lot of exotic flavorings there).

Perhaps you were inspired by Camper English's dehydration experiments over at Alcademics? I just haven't had the time and energy to reproduce his dehydration techniques.

I like a Champs Elysee, myself. The Last Word and its variants are also delicious. A bit of Chartreuse in a cup of hot chocolate is a treat in cold weather.

I am envious of your Single Cask Benedictine; I must get to Fécamp one of these days to obtain some of that myself.

BTW, Chartreuse is not connected with Chartres -- Chartres is a celebrated cathedral town east of Paris, but the Chartreuse liqueurs were originally made by the Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse monastery just north of Grenoble (and now manufactured in a secular distillery in Voiron, a little distance away).

If you're ever traveling to the Pyrenees, I understand that Andorra is basically one big duty-free shop. My daughter bought a bottle of Green Chartreuse there last week for $ 15.70 (12 euros). Even in Voiron, it's more like 32 dollars (25 euros). I've briefed all my European liquor mules.

I recently pulled out a volume I had not perused in quite a while -- a facsimile volume of George Saintsbury's "Notes on a Cellar Book" (1927). It has some interesting comments on various spirits (along with wine, beer, and cider) such as absinthe, genever, Benedictine, Chartreuse, and so forth. I pulled it out because I was looking for some comments about Curacao (having recently come into a bottle of the Ferrand Dry Curacao). Is anyone else familiar with it?

I have often bought pork belly in 5 lb and bigger pieces from the Casa de Carnes in Downtown Framingham (near Rts 135 and 126).

I too find a slightly off note in a perfect manhattan -- I've sometimes wondered if this was because I'd let my dry vermouth go off, but I don't really enjoy them even from a newly-opened bottle. I recently picked up a bottle of the Martini "Rosato" vermouth, and have enjoyed making manhattans with it -- its a little like having a pre-mixed vermouth for making perfect manhattans, but the off note you mention is not so pronounced. Admittedly, I've been making these with 80-proof ryes and bourbons -- I'm not so sure how it would stand up to a 100-proof whiskey (or, god help us, Handy or Stagg -- when I make a manhattan with the Handy, I use Carpano Antica and let the titans battle it out in the glass).

I don't think I've ever seen it used in a cocktail, but I have drunk Elixir d'Anvers and can advise that it makes a nice drink to have with some dark, bitter chocolate. I picked up my bottle in Antwerp itself, and that was the direction I was given there, at the source, so to speak.

WRT New England products I am fond of taking the crystallized maple sugar to my European connections -- not as heavy as syrup and it can be used to sprinkle on all sorts of stuff. Boiled Cider is also good (for those who know what to do with it). I always load up on good whiskey -- Evan Williams Single Barrel, for example, or even more expensive American Whiskeys. My French connections enjoy American BBQ sauces. There are other syrups that are good gifts too -- for example, sorgum or shagbark hickory syrup. Last time I went over I took some "bourbon barrel smoked sugar" to my daughter, and she loved that. Finally, cocktail bitters -- Peychaud's, Regan's, Fee Brothers Barrel Aged, Bittermens Chocolate Bitters - there are lots of them these days beyond the commonly available Angostura, and many Europeans are advanced cocktail drinkers.

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American BBQ
950 Cummings Ctr Ste 96X, Beverly, MA 01915

Genepi, I believe, is actually more alpine than provencal. I never have any trouble finding several different Genepis when I am in the Isere department (including a Genepi from the Peres Chartreuse). Is Farigoule regional? Where should I look for it? The Chartreuse monks make (BTW) cassis and other fruit liqueurs, a gentian bitter aperitif like Suze, as well as the more expected Chartreuse varities (and as I never tire of saying, the elixir vegetal).

I would look for a good Marc de Bourgogne, and maybe some white alcohol eaux-de-vie (Framboise, Mirabelle, &c). Marc de Gewurtztraminer is quite distinctive and not often seen here in the USA. I would also recommend looking for a bottle of Vielle Prune -- an aged plum eau-de-vie from central France, not often imported here.

If you are looking for liqueurs, I will second the recommendation for the rarer Chartreuse variants (and the highly sought after Elixir Vegetal, for which you will go to a pharmacy rather than a wine shop). Amer Picon, yes, and if you like bitter aperitifs, get yourself some Suze.

Since my last trip to Voiron, I have been comparing standard Green Chartreuse, Green Chartreuse VEP, and the Chartreuse 1603 - Liqueur de l'elixir. For anyone else interested, I can report that the VEP comes off as smoother, more rounded, but clearly derived from the Standard Green. These characteristics do not make it superior in a cocktail (my reference Chartreuse cocktail is the Last Word) -- I didn't find enough difference there to make it worth the additional expense. The 1603 liqueur is definitely a family member with the standard green, but more distant than the VEP. I find it to be rather more earthy -- I think I detected an anise note that I do not find in standard green Chartreuse. Altho' robust enough tasted alone, the 1603 did not work effectively in the Last Word -- maybe it wasn't assertive enough? That version seemed unbalanced in the maraschino direction.

Next up: comparing standard yellow Chartreuse, VEP, and the Liqueur of the 9th Century, which I take to be a variation on the standard yellow product. I don't have a go-to reference cocktail for yellow Chartreuse: any suggestions?

Just back from France (the Isere and Lyon). A few notes and queries:

Aperol appears to be the subject of a big push -- there were large displays in all the duty-free shops and even in the Carrefour/Monoprix type supermarkets. I wonder what kind of market share it has in France -- in the region I was visiting, as one would expect, Suze was the dominant bitter aperitif spirit.

Any suggestions for drinks containing Suze? I also acquired various varieties of Genepi (which I love in itself, but would appreciate any suggestions for incorporating it in a cocktail).

I also stopped in Voiron to pick up some of the lesser known varieties of Chartreuse -- the 1674 Liqueur of the Elixir (a recent variant of Green Chartreuse) and the Liqueur of the 9th Century (a recent variant of Yellow Chartreuse). Along with the Chartreuse Genepi and the Chartreuse "elixir vegetal" itself, I'm interested in others' impressions of these spirits and how they might be appropriately used in cocktails.

Any suggestions or impressions? At the moment I am too jet-lagged to trust my own impressions, but I will follow up on this post with my tasting notes and comparison with regular and VEP green and yellow Chartreuse.

I believe I've seen it at Karl's Sausage Kitchen.

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Karl's Sausage Kitchen
142 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906

You can also find it at Karl's Sausage Kitchen (Saugus).

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Karl's Sausage Kitchen
142 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906

Well, 35 years ago or so, I was a Herter's customer (the company sold fly-tying supplies and outdoor camping, hunting, and fishing gear). I read Bull-Cook then and found it peculiar. I re-read it a few years back and found it insanely wrong in almost every regard, but wrong in a most provocative way -- it forced one to consider one's assumptions and validate them against the very peculiar and strongly-held prejudices of George Herter (as to what one gathers about his relationship with Berthe from his comments in the book, perhaps the less-said, the better). Bull-cook is a provocative and amusing book, but not one that I would cook from or even believe.

There is (or used to be) a genever-specialty bar in Ghent called t' Dreupelkot in the Groentenmarkt area (near the canal and the Castle). Across the canal, also near the Castle, the same people had a genever-specialty off-license. You can taste anything they have before you buy, and the prices are not excessive. The only thing I was unable to find there was a hop-flavored genever (which is around, but I just never managed to connect with it). The store I'm thinking of has a wide variety of genevers, both oude and jonge. It's worth visiting. There's a good beer bar and a restaurant also adjacent to t' Dreupelkot . Of course the beer destination in Ghent is the bar known as "the hop devil" which is between the trainstation and the old city center.

I went over to Russo's and bought some of the Bergamot --- I get the "earl grey" aroma from it -- very fragrant. I made a syrup from sugar, the juice, and the peel (peeled as thin as I could manage). I let the peel cool in the syrup -- still, the piece of peel I chewed on afterwards was pretty bitter. We'll see how the syrup ends up tasting. (I also bought some of their Meyer Lemons and did the same syrup-making thing with them. I haven't tried to use either of the syrups yet.)

Thanks for the tip -- I've never found Bergamots before -- the season must be pretty short.

Thanks for the replies -- I'm not really having a problem with supply (I have a regular connection in the Isere department). I know that these are generally used as digestifs -- I enjoy them that way myself. The real question (perhaps I didn't make myself clear) was whether either the Genepi or the Eau de Noix had cocktail usage as well. Many drinks I think of as digestifs -- Italian ameri, some French eaux-de-vie, even such spirits as regular Green Chartreuse -- have established cocktail usages. Perhaps Genepi, Eau de Noix, or the Elixir Vegetal have mixological application as well. Nothing is going to stop me from continuing to enjoy these spirits as digestifs, but perhaps someone out there has some cocktail ideas?

As a fellow resident of Massachusetts, I sympathise with your complaint -- but all of the whiskeys kyoung05 has mentioned are widely available in Massachusetts. I agree with his ratings -- my go-to high-proof (100) rye is Rittenhouse (but I like the Wild Turkey too). I also am very fond of the widely-available Sazerac. Although there are periodic shortages, all are available at such outlets as Marty's (Newton), Blanchard's (Allston), Julio's (Westborough), Kappy's (Peabody), and the like. I will say that I find Old Overhold quite satisfactory as a mixing workhorse whiskey as well; but I find myself going for the Rittenhouse more often. Maybe it's the higher proof -- I'm not sure.