Spirits Traveler

for Your Holiday Shopping List... It’s that time of year. We’ve put away the turkey and taken out the holiday shopping list. It seems to get easier every year to shop online and the deals this year are simply amazing. Skip the search for a parking spot, save some gas, and even save some money by shopping online. FIRST STOP Before you even think about shopping online, sign up for Ebates . You will immediately earn a gift certificate and then you will start earning money every time you shop online. It gets even better – they have coupons. So, you click on Ebates , find the store you want to shop in, see the coupons for the store and then you will get more money back at the end of the quarter. SAVE A TREE I have vowed to dramatically cut down on paper this year and it’s working great. I love my Apple iPad for everything from reading magazines to catching up on television shows, to taking notes so I don’t have all those pieces of paper. My mom is spending all her time on

The Fed Ex guy has been spending a lot of time making drop offs at my apartment lately. This weekend I had some friends help me check out some of it. Downslope Wine Barrel Aged Rum Downslope was one of the distilleries I sampled on my trip to Colorado . Aged rum is not unusual, but Downslope has chosen wine barrels for its aging. The result after one year is a 80 proof rum that definitely tastes differently from most rums. I felt it tasted like cognac and my fellow tasters agreed. I highly recommend Downslope Wine Barrel Aged Rum it if that’s your taste in spirits. Belvedere Bloody Mary I was a little apprehensive when I heard about Belvedere Bloody Mary . The premise is that it contains all the spices you need to make a Bloody Mary if you just add tomato juice. I actually brought this bottle along with some tomato juice to a tailgate and it got an interesting response. I enjoyed it very much and would definitely keep a bottle around the house. The results were mixed am

Whenever I see something I want to find room for in my schedule, I know it’s worthy of passing on. Willows Lodge in Washington will forever remain and the tip of my tongue thanks to the hot bubble bath they had waiting for me when I came back from dinner. As for Pueblo Bonita, I haven’t made it to their Los Cabos properties yet, but if they are anything like the Mazatlan ones , you will want to book your plane ticket! Willows Lodge Holiday Food & Drink “Boot Camp” If you are looking to prepare food and cocktails like a pro this holiday season, why not join the pros at Willows Lodge in Woodinville for their Holiday Entertaining Classes in the Fireside Cellars Lounge.  The classes will take place on Wednesdays from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm and the lineup looks like a lot of fun: November 30, 2011 Party appetizers with Barking Dog Executive Chef Bobby Moore December 7, 2011 Desserts with Pastry Chef Matt Kelley December 14, 201 1 Cocktails with Restaurant and Wine Ma