Release the Kraken!

[Catrin]

This was the first cold/wet day of the season and I found myself at the liquor store for the first time in a year to get my annual booze....errrr....warming supplies for the coming winter. Kind of sad that 1 bottle of Bailey's and one bottle of Rum will likely last me well into spring. I may still have to add a bottle of Barbancourt 5 Star at some point, but that store doesn't carry it (not many do here). They DO, however, carry Kraken Rum - gotta love a rum that has a monster octopus as a logo I've been told that it's perfect for hot buttered rum drinks and that is what I mainly use it for during the coldest part of the winter. I've been wanting to try it so it seemed a good time.

So it is time for the annual fall/winter rum and booze thread - what is YOUR favorite rum? Other booze is welcome as well, I just tend to only have the occasional good port, rum in the winter, and I also like Bailey's in decaf coffee or on the rocks (and I may try to make my own when I finish this bottle). I am not drinking beer right now, too many calories and it doesn't help me to warm up when the temps drop.

[Pax]

I used to be a huge craft beer aficionado but since menopause beer seems to cause me to bloat a LOT, so I started trying different liquors and found I really like scotch. Went through a super expensive single malt phase and then branched out to try other "browns" as I started to find scotch too sweet for my taste. I've settled on bourbons that are "high rye" meaning more rye than corn so much less sweet. My preference now is Bulliet on the rocks.

[Crankin]

We have one bottle of 20 year old port left from our port buying spree after we went to Portugal. Just like you, Catrin, I am ready to start drinking my warming drinks.

[Catrin]

The bloating is another reason I gave up on craft beer, which I did enjoy! Especially in the winter with a good Stout, or Russian Imperial Stout. A good Tawny Port is really the only wine I like enough to buy, and hot buttered rum or Baily's in my coffee in the winter works for me. I do want to eventually try the other fortified wines to see if I like them as well. I do want to make my own "Baily's" at home as an experiment, I can't help but wonder what they do to it in order to have that long of a guaranteed shelf life. I've seen a few recipes for it, and at some point I will try it and cut back on the sugar. Likely it wouldn't be necessary to use Jamison's for it but something more affordable.

The only way I really like whiskey is as a liqueur, though I do like a small amount of good brandy. I did try cognac at a dinner party a couple months back and it was good as well, but a couple of sips does it for me. Apparently I just don't care for straight liquor and that means there is more for those who do. The exception is rum, I do enjoy good rum on the rocks with a very small amount of water.