I Got Lucky!

I got lucky this weekend. The LCBO in Thunder Bay had a better selection than the liquor store I went to in Winnipeg at New Year's: not only did they have Chambord, and apple brandy, and many flavors of vodka (though not cucumber or pepper), but they had SMALL bottles of creme de cassis, among other things. The lady working there was very friendly, helping me to figure out that Boulard is, in fact, a brandy made in France with more than 120 different varieties of apples, thereby making it an "apple brandy", and telling me how much she loves kirtsch. "Yeah, me too," I said, though I don't think I've ever actually tasted it - but it must be divine, $48.95 for, like, 200 cc's of clear viscous fluid. I was tempted to buy it but it wasn't actually on my list for that day, so held off, and was quite proud of myself for my restraint.

That being said, I did spend over $140 on the liquor you see here. "I'm coming to your house for cocktails," the LCBO lady said as she checked me out. Patrick's getting a bit tired of the big liquor bills, I think, though so far he's refrained from giving me a hard time. He's still enjoying tasting a new cocktail every night or two. Wonder how long that will last?

The LCBO also stocked several varieties of bitters, none of which I have required to date, but I may in future - who knows? And I found a bar supply company online from which I ordered anise bitters and orange bitters and orgeat. I also found a coffee supply company that sells mango and passion fruit syrups, but I didn't order them yet, as their shipping costs are exorbitant. It's bookmarked, though. Also, I learned that passion fruit can be found at most Asian grocery stores. Unfortunately, I was unable to find an Asian grocery store in Thunder Bay, but will definitely be able to get to one in Winnipeg at the end of March. DeLucca's in Winnipeg, a great Italian restaurant, grocery, and wine store might even have some of the syrups I need - and if I'm really lucky, maybe even Mirabelle plum puree?? It sounds Italian... Maltese didn't have it, but Maltese didn't even have figs.

Tonight I celebrated my finds by making three cocktails. Only one of them was really good, but that's about how it goes, right? The Metrotini, with muddled raspberries and blueberries, honey vodka, Chambord, and lemon juice, was sweet and tangy and crisp all at once, a quick cold sip of perfection. The Victory Collins, not so great. Perhaps I should have used white instead of purple grape juice. And the Long Beach Iced Tea (same as Long Island Iced Tea, the old bar special stand-by?) was sort of unpleasant because we only had calorie-reduced cranberry juice and despite the vodka, rum, tequila and triple sec in there, I could still taste the aspartame.

We had great steaks from Maltese and insalata caprese for dinner, baklava for dessert, a very satisfying meal. I am over-full again. Too many cocktails before dinner, the likely problem. No, wait, that's not true - I had only a sip of the V.C., and maybe half of the Long Beach Iced Tea... oh, and I forgot about those stuffed potato appetizers leftover in my freezer from the Christmas baking exchange. They were quite filling, too.

It was a good weekend in Thunder Bay, between getting my hair done and watching "Avatar" in 3D and swimming this morning at the Day's Inn, our dinner at Giorg's last night, the food nothing amazing but the kids well-behaved and a bottle of wine that was mediocre but not undrinkable. This afternoon Caleb's friend came over to work on a project and we walked her home; it was snowing again, and not too cold.

Too bad I'm on call tomorrow and also next weekend, and will see my family very little this week. I can hardly wait for the end of March, when we go to Las Vegas and California. I booked a surf lesson for myself and Caleb with Surf Diva in La Jolla, and if we enjoy it, we can rent boards and wetsuits for 4 hours the next day and surf again. The flying scenes in "Avatar" reminded me of surfing - the same sort of really living. If I was 26 instead of 36, minus the massive med school debt, maybe I'd join the clan.