Packing alcohol in a checked bag lets you savor the experience of going abroad all over again.
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Guest column by Yolanda Evans
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When most people travel abroad, they think about what type of goodies they plan to bring home.
Some might buy clothes, food or art. Others might be satisfied with a simple keychain. I like collecting bottles of alcohol.
I try to bring back as much liquor as I can fit in my luggage without being fined by customs. Every country has its own rules for how much you’re allowed to bring back. When returning to the United States, you’re allowed only one liter for personal consumption.
My bag might be a bit heavy, but I am excited to get my drinkable souvenirs back to my home bar. Bottles can break in your bag if you don’t pack them right. I put mine inside socks (at least two pairs) to safeguard the booze.
Once you’re home, introducing friends to the Nauticus whisky from the popular cocktail bar in Edinburgh or pálinka from Hungary is magical. One sip can transport you back to the country you just visited as you regale your friends about the good times you had. And if a bottle were gifted to you, even better; each glass brings back fond memories of the friendship that was formed.
On my only trip to Cuba, in 2017 when the Obama administration loosened restrictions and allowed travel from the United States, I grabbed as many bottles of different rums as possible, like I was in the game show “Supermarket Sweep.” I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to go back and visit. I still have a small bottle of Ron Mulata Añejo 7 Year Old, a popular Cuban brand made from Cuban sugar cane syrup, reminding me I need to eventually plan a visit back to the island to replenish the rums I drank over the years.
From Ireland, the best bottle I got in my collection was homemade poitín (local moonshine) that I shared with my mom, who’s not much of a drinker. Surprisingly, she loves poitín, and now I have to bring her back a bottle every time I visit. While in Romania, I was given a bottle of tuica, a plum brandy, that my friend’s parents made in their home. (They found out I was doing research on this spirit and wanted to make sure I tasted the real thing instead of the bottles sold in the stores.)
When I visited Georgia last year, the first thing that came to my mind was to pack light so I could bring back more bottles of wine to enjoy in Berlin. You’re allowed four liters of non-sparkling wine without having to pay a fee. While I was in Tbilisi, I got to sample chacha, a traditional grape pomace brandy, that I enjoyed. I just knew I had to get a bottle.
I felt lucky when I was introduced to Meriko Gubeladze while dining at her restaurant Ninia’s Garden. When she found out how fond I was of the Georgian brandy, we had a shot together, and she gave me a bottle to take home. It’s still sitting on my bar, waiting for me to crack it open and dream of my next trip to Georgia.
As a person who writes about booze, my home bar is overflowing. But I still love adding to my collection. It is not just about the alcohol and how it tastes, but about how the spirit is connected to the cultural identity and heritage of the country.
Yolanda Evans is a drink and travel writer based in Berlin. Follow her on Instagram @yevans007.
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