My new favorite beverage.

[dave thompson]

Mmm, fresh from Rome!

[Bud]

An essential component of the lemontini, which is one of our favorite summertime cocktails...

[mdeeds71]

Got some of dat myself in the freezer...mmmm...but watch out :D

[Kirk007]

if your ever passing through Eugene on a hot day!

[dave thompson]

...and much to my happiness I've found that the Washington State Liquor stores carry it!

[rwsaunders]

So where exactly will the "Lemonadi" stand be located?

[dave thompson]

So where exactly will the "Lemonadi" stand be located?
On my back deck. You have to know the password.

[Ken Robb]

what is the password? Malcom Smith? :beer:

[Louis]

So Dave, how is this drink best enjoyed? We need all the mixology info...

Clearly ingredient number one is the company of other Serotta forumites, but what else goes in the glass?

Louis

[dave thompson]

So Dave, how is this drink best enjoyed? We need all the mixology info...

Clearly ingredient number one is the company of other Serotta forumites, but what else goes in the glass?

Louis
IMO, nothing. Like others said, keep the bottle in the freezer and serve in a tall thin glass, cold.

[BURCH]

...and much to my happiness I've found that the Washington State Liquor stores carry it!

This statement reminds me of something that I experienced except I wasn't happy at the time. I worked in Rome right out of college and decided that I wanted to get some wine that I wouldn't be able to get back in the U.S. when I returned home. Some lackluster research led me to a little town called Orvieto to get some white wine. After some mishaps of getting there, I buy some of the wine, get home, drink it with friends and family. Then the next trip to the wine store finds me staring at cases of Orvieto Classico! :crap:

[Hardlyrob]

Limoncello is wonderful stuff. It was the subject of the "How's Your Drink" column in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday May 12th, and you can find it here (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117891971845800422.html?mod=googlenews_wsj) . The beauty of Limoncello is you can make it yourself, as is typically done in Italy for home consumption. Here's a recipe that works well:

LIMONCELLO

1 dozen large lemons
1 bottle vodka
2 cups sugar
3 cups water
Peel thin strips of lemon, avoiding the subdermous white pith. Steep the peels in vodka for a week or so. Strain. Make simple syrup by dissolving sugar in water over a medium flame. Once the syrup is cooled, add it to the lemon-infused vodka. Bottle and chill.

Others use a mixture of grain alcohol and vodka, but that is a little harsh for my tastes.

Cheers!

Rob

[Karin Kirk]

How does one get wine home from other countries? I was thinking of bringing home some sweet Bodensee wine from Germany, until I realized the whole 'no liquids' thing wouldn't allow it. I didn't think putting bottles of wine in my checked luggage was a great idea either. I saw that one could purchase special bottles of spirits at the airport that were pre-approved to take on the plane, but that wouldn't work with the lovely locally-produced wines.

So - what's the procedure for bringing home the goods?

[Louis]

I didn't think putting bottles of wine in my checked luggage was a great idea either.

It's a lot harder than it used be. In Haiti they have small specially made cases that hold four bottles of rum. Most of the time they make though safely as checked baggage. If there is a failure at least it doesn't get all your clothes stinky. I used to buy and carry stuff all the time, but now it's a real hassle.

Louis

[Hardlyrob]

These days the best bet is to ship it via FedEx in specialized packaging designed to protect bottles. This is REAL expxnsive, and often more expensive to ship the wine than to buy it.

We've had good luck talking to the wineries and seeing who their importer to the US is. Most of the time, even fairly small wineries have an importer - even if it is only for the restaurant trade. You can then have your local store special order wine through their distributor from the importer. I've been really surprised at what obscure French and Italian wines we have been able to get this way - not all of them, but way more than I expected.

Cheers!

Rob

[thwart]

We visited some folks in Sardinia last year and they sent us home with a small bottle after we told them how much we loved their home-made version. They use some goat milk in theirs... creamy and tangy. Potent stuff! :p

[flydhest]

Karin,
Many wineries and wine shops sell styrofoam containers that were originally designed for insulation. They do very well for packing in suitcases as well. They are a bit bulky, however. If you buy a case, for example, from a Cali winery and have it shipped to you, it will come in one of those. A case is big, but there are similar ones in 1- and 4- packs. I'll check to see if I have any in my cellar any longer.

[Bradford]

Others use a mixture of grain alcohol and vodka, but that is a little harsh for my tastes.
Grappa, my friend, Grappa! :banana:

[Hardlyrob]

Grappa, my friend, Grappa! :banana:

You are a brave man than I, but it is done this way in some parts of Italy.

Rob

[BURCH]

The couple of times I have been to Europe, I just pack the bottles in with my clothes and cross my fingers. I have never had a bottle break. Even brought back some of my family's olive oil that way.

A wine bottle is a pretty strong structure. Think about when you throw the empties into the recycle bin.

As long as it is surrounded by some clothes you shouldn't have any problems with it breaking. It takes the bottle hitting a sharp or very hard surface directly to crack or break. I know someone who brought back 10 bottles (3 were magnums) in his checked bags last year from France.

This is my method until I end up with some burgundy colored shirts.

[Serotta PETE]

Karin, the best way is probably to "google" the name and see who has it in US. Each state varies, but shipping can be the "killer". Sometimes your local store can get it - if the distributor has it (for your state).

Some of the state laws date back to prohibition and really limit choices and also competition. There are very few wines that I have shipped to me - - the cost is crazy. To give you an examply, I use to belong to the DRY CREEK vineyard wine club BUT then it started chariging $30 to ship to bottles of wine every three months. I really enjoyed their wine, but there were other good options

- -COSTCO is our area has a great wine selection. Additionally the local wine store has a large selection of smaller vineyards and mostly non US.

[dave thompson]

How does one get wine home from other countries? I was thinking of bringing home some sweet Bodensee wine from Germany, until I realized the whole 'no liquids' thing wouldn't allow it. I didn't think putting bottles of wine in my checked luggage was a great idea either. I saw that one could purchase special bottles of spirits at the airport that were pre-approved to take on the plane, but that wouldn't work with the lovely locally-produced wines.

So - what's the procedure for bringing home the goods?
Karin: I was lucky enough to find the Limoncello at the Duty Free shop in the Rome airport. Because the good were purchased after the security (boy does Italy have security!), they were OK to be taken aboard in my handcarry luggage.

I wouldn't be afraid to take wine in checked luggage, I've done it before. It just means you have very heavy things to carry out of the airport to your car! I would put the wine in a set of plastic bags just in case of leakage but I've not had any problems so far.

[Ozz]

My Mom came back from Italy liking that stuff.... :cool:

For my money, pour me a nice Brunello anytime! :beer:

[Ozz]

How does one get wine home from other countries? I was thinking of bringing home some sweet Bodensee wine from Germany, until I realized the whole 'no liquids' thing wouldn't allow it. I didn't think putting bottles of wine in my checked luggage was a great idea either. I saw that one could purchase special bottles of spirits at the airport that were pre-approved to take on the plane, but that wouldn't work with the lovely locally-produced wines.

So - what's the procedure for bringing home the goods?
If you buy from a winery or wine shop, they can probably handle the shipping for you. You will need to pay duty and tax when you pick it up.

I was surprised how easy it was to ship a couple cases back from France. The duty and tax was not much either ($25??). I think the shipping ran about $30...this was about 15 years ago however.