Wine and Spirits Travel

I’m a few months away from a trip to Italy, for an array of wine and spirits (not to mention pasta). Distilleria Bottega gave me a taste of Italia this past week in the form of grappa and liquors. While I didn’t get to enjoy the landscape of Northern Italy where the spirits are made, the drinks went down smoothly. There was also an unusual surprise in this box of liquor – Grappa sprays. The sprays were too unique to let sit in the wrapper for long. They look like spray perfume bottles, but Alexander’s Spray Grappa is a flavoring, best used for food and coffee. I tried the plain grappa on chips, fruit and a cookie. It added a unique taste – definitely clear on the 38% alcohol content. The red pepper was especially tasty on tortilla chips. It was even suggested to use the spray on cigars and, though I’m not a smoker, I could see the appeal. After the sprays came the bottles (which are quite beautiful, by the way) to pour. Grappa Alexander is a blend of Italian grapes. It