Not really, but I am fresh out of gin and I can’t make a lot of cocktails right now.  I could run to Specs (which for my Vegas friends is like the Lee’s Discount Liquor of Texas).  Decent selection, but not enough there to satisfy my spoiled palate.  Thus, I have been looking for a store to match what luxury I had in Vegas with Total Wine & More.  That place is awesome, and they carry a tremendous selection of wines and spirits.  Beer too, but I don’t really buy any.

So while we were out about town we found a place called the Houston Wine Merchant.  They do wine tastings twice a week and they don’t carry the generic crap you see at every other liquor place and supermarket.  While they may be a little more expensive, you get your money’s worth in the knowledge and experience of the guy who runs the place, who was more than happy to give us a tour of the store and discuss in detail any product line he has.  Most importantly, he stocks hard-to-find liquor, like this beauty:

Rothman & Winter’s Creme De Violette, a crucial ingredient in the Aviaton.  Even Total Wine & More only ever had the cheap knockoff version which is more sugar water than anything else.  Houston Wine Merchant had it.  They also had a selection of odd liquors, rare scotches and gins, and bitters!  I stopped myself before I went nuts buying weird bitters.

So now I need the fill up my bar.  It hasn’t been proper full since before the move, and I’m running low on everything.  I think I need to choose 5 or 6 drinks that I prefer and get the ingredients for those, and then fill with standards.  Ideas?