4/27/2006 03:49:00 PM|||Jodie Chase|||

I don't drink spirits often, but I do enjoy a wonderfully made, hand-crafted spirit that reflects the grain, fruit or other ingredient from which it is made. For example, I adore limoncello. Brandies can be lovely. Flavored vodkas are lots of fun. But lately, the flavored spirits I've been sampling have been just plain bizarre _ and not what I ever want in my drink.

The first one I tried was a green tea vodka. I drink green tea, and I was curious to taste the spirit. I did not like it at all. The flavor seemed out of place. I tried mixing it with this and that but the flavor was too strong, too strange. I set the miniature bottle aside.

Weeks later, a bottle of liqueur arrived, this one brown in color, and this one flavored with lapsang souchong tea. Curious, I opened the bottle and smelled it. I winced. It smelled forbiddingly smoky, like a spent cigarette. I closed the bottle and set it aside.

Not even a week later, odd spirit No. 3 arrived, this one a vial of beautiful green vodka flavored with wasabi. The liquor inside was so pretty, it begged to be tasted. I opened the vial and threw a quarter of a teaspoon of the liquid back on my tongue. Eeew. It tasted like wasabi.

The funny thing about all of these drinks is that they are all made by artisan spirit makers. They are all expertly made, reflecting the flavors of their ingredients. I imagine that some people probably love them. But I just don't. I don't know why, but I just don't want to drink wasabi or mix green tea into my cocktail. I think people who like scotch would adore the lapsang souchong liqueur, but the smokiness just abuses my tastebuds.

As much as I dislike these new spirits, I find myself wondering what's next. Onion liqueur? Blue cheese vodka? Sauerkraut brandy? If not, why not? What should a spirit taste like?

-- Jolene Thym

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