Life is too short for cheap booze.

Yesterday I went to the liquor store to replenish supplies. I usually
have on hand something from each of the food groups, bourbon, scotch,
rye, rum, vodka, gin.

I was low on bourbon and out of rye so I picked up a Makers Mark 46 as
I've liked it in the past. Then I was not sure what else to get and
considered another Crown Royal. They also have two premium versions of
it so, for a few bucks more I got the XO.

My son came over for a drink yesterday so I opened the bottle for us to
try. Wow, this is smooooooooth drinking. Well worth the few extra
bucks. If you want to give yourself a treat, give it a try.

I've also experimented with ice. A bit of a gimmick, but it does make a
little difference. You can buy molds to make ice balls. I have one
that makes four but bought another that makes two balls, each 2.3", and
clear ice. The idea is that the clear ball will melt slower and let the
flavor open up but not dilute. If nothing else, is looks good in a nice
glass.

My son never drank good liquor itself, mostly vodka in juice kind of
things so it has been fun experimenting with him. We've tried a handful
of different gins with tonic, now a couple of bourbon and rye.