When "good" = "strong"

A few days ago, I went out looking for a bottle of Slivovitz, which turned into an excellent opportunity to explore the surprisingly numerous Eastern European markets in my new 'hood. I discovered two things: 1.) I have access to a wider variety of vodka than I have ever had before 2.) I need to find out if I can apply for grant money specifically for the purchase of exotic alcohol. In fact, a future post might be dedicated to all the wonderful things I want to try in a neighborhood cheese/liquor/wine store that I have fallen in love with but I cannot afford 90% of the booze they sell there. (Maybe I should set up a site for paypal donations....)

But I digress. This particular bottle of slivovitz, or сливова to be exact, as it is the Bulgarian variety, was found in a tiny, tiny Bulgarian store about a block and a half from my apartment. It is tended by a nice Bulgarian woman, who speaks French about as well asI do. Which is to say, fairly poorly. So as I'm inquiring about the difference between the many bottles of rakia on the shelf, anything that is said goes from my english --> my french --> her french --> Bulgarian and back again. I think many things got lost in translation. For instance, when I was trying to find out which was best value for the money, I keep being told the alcohol content of each bottle. Somehow "tastes good" kept ending up at "how strong." I never figured out if there was genuinely a misunderstanding about what was being asked, or if she was afraid I was going to drink the whole bottle, and end up passed out in an alley.

I asked myself: Was I performing some horrible breach of propriety by buying this stuff as a single lady? Or was it just horrible and not worth drinking?

At some point a man (her husband, perhaps?) came in, and seemed to have better mastery of the French language. At the end, he recommended this particular bottle, aged 3 years, for the whopping sum of 11 euro. I was both thrilled at the low cost and worried - was I purchasing something I can drink? Or is this going to taste like battery acid?

As I was leaving, he stopped to warn me that this is "very strong" (it's 40%) and I should be careful. We have a brief conversation about how it should be kept - fridge? room temperature? He suggests the freezer, furthering my concerns that I'd bought something that would be best be put to use as a cleaning solution.

I opened the bottle almost immediately after getting home, fearful and hopeful. But I'm happy to report this stuff is *surprisingly* good! It's a bit like calvados, but a bit lighter, and with a sweeter finish to it. At about 1/3 of the price, it would not be a bad substitute for calvo as a digestif (although I was told by the shop owner it's typically an aperitif, and often served with a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and bulgarian cheese). I imagine it would probably make for an interesting change in any cocktail that calls any sort of apple brandy, the sort the boys across of the sea are prepping right now.

And no, I haven't passed out in an alley, yet.

bisous,

plenty