It's 5:00 somewhere

I like alcohol.  I don't love it.  I don't have a problem, but I really like it.  Anyone who knows me knows my drink of choice is Maker's Mark bourbon.  I had my first glass of Maker's in 1999, and I've never looked back.

So when we got the word we'd be coming to Colombia, I thought, well, they probably have some sort of bourbon down there, but probably not Maker's.  Well, I was right about no Maker's, but there's NO bourbon in this entire city that I can find (there's Jack Daniels, but that's as close as it comes).  I'm a bit surprised by that.  Bourbon is sweet, and based on the drinking and eating I've seen down here, Colombian's like sweet.  (Note to my friends at Maker's: If you need help setting up distribution down here, let me know.  I've made some good contacts, and I think this is a great market for expansion).

There is, however, a lot of Scotch, beer, wine and Aguardiente.  At a local Wal-Mart-type store, I picked up a couple of bottles of Chilean wine and a bottle of Buchanna's scotch for my new friend, Eduardo.  But I'm not a Scotch guy, so I've mostly been drinking beer down here. 

There are two popular Colombian beers: Club Colombia and Poker.  I've had both, and I'm not crazy about either one.  Both are light lager styles, and they both taste like water (or Coors Light, if you want a comparison).  According to folks I've talked to, there's only one "microbrew" in Colombia, and it's in Bogota.  I did buy some Peroni, just to have something different (and I'm drinking one now).

But the main drink, at least young folks (I'm told), is Aguardiente.  This is truly a Latino drink, and one could say even a Colombian drink.  The word literally means "fire water."  There are multiple varieties in Colombia, but the one most drunk around Cali is made from Sugar Cane.  It's drunk in shots (at least by college kids), and it tastes like black liquorish (but not super strong).  I'm not a black liquorish fan, so I couldn't even finish the shot I tried.

So I guess there's not much point to this post, I guess, other than to say, I didn't leave my love for alcohol in the States, and I'm trying to acclimate myself to the Colombian style of drinking.  And until I do, I'll just have another beer.

Comments

[Amie Schilling]

ha ha Hey there is nothing wrong with a good BEER.... :) you should bring some of those shots home for a late birthday hoooppplahhhhh for mom, she loves black liquorish.... :) Can't you see mom downing those! teeehhee miss you all lots!

[Marlene Risley]

Yes, your Mom does love black licorice and I had to comment to you both so you would know how to spell "licorice." Not that I'm criticizing but when you like something, you usually know how to spell it!!! In the meantime, Jeff, enjoy the beer--when in Rome, etc., etc., etc. Hope you all are having a good day. Love to all, Mom