Henri Bardouin Pastis from Provence

Pastis is a refreshing apertif popular in the Provence region of France. I visited Provence in March 2003, and brought back this bottle without trying it on my trip. Henri Bardouin (HB) Pastis is considered one of the best Pastis available. When I got back and opened the bottle, I found Pastis to be a very herbal-tasting drink. It reminded me of Absinthe and Sambuca, but with a little more variety in the taste. This site suggests it is made of 50 different plants and spices, which include Star Anise, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Tonka Bean, Nutmeg, Sage, White Pepper, Cardamom, Clove, Centaury, Artemisia, and Melequeta Pepper.[1] The drink is pretty potent in flavor, so you can mix it with water which turns it an interesting milky color.

1. Crillon Importers, Ltd. http://www.crillonimporters.com/Pastis/HB/hbpastis-1.html

Royal Navy Toasts

Monday: Our ships at sea
Tuesday: Our men
Wednesday: Ourselves (as no one is likely to concern themselves with our welfare)
Thursday: A bloody war and quick promotion
Friday: A willing soul and sea room
Saturday: Sweathearts and wives may they never meet
Sunday: Absent friends and those at sea

The iphone camera isn't great for close focus pictures.

British VI Rum

I picked up this cool flask of rum on the British VI. Interestingly, it is ceramic and has a cork under that metal cap.

Spanish brandy

A tasty brandy I probably bought at the Madrid airport as I was leaving. The bottle doesn't really have a very interesting story, but it reminds me of the streets of Madrid. There was something about Madrid that made it seem dirty, not in a extreme sense, but more raw than many other European cities. The only other bottle I bought in Spain was a cheap wine at the grocery store for a few Euros, that was unforgettable at best.

The best drinking experience I had in Madrid was at a restaurant near the Modern Art museum. I ordered the "Grande" sangria with a girl I had met at the hostel, but she didn't seem too interested in having some. So, I had a whole pitcher of Sangria to myself, and three quarters of the way though it I was feeling pretty good.