this past week i ventured out of the empire state and into the wild wild west. didn’t find any gold… but i did find a whole bunch of interesting liquor! i’m feeling pretty deprived here in new york… when i go to the liquor store, i rarely find the particular bottle i seek, and have to special order it, if i’m lucky. in colorado liquor stores are conveniently located… like at the gas station! pretty cool, though not so much for the drinking and driving set. those cowboys know how to drink too… my friend was perpetually sipping a white russian. he was rarely seen without a water bottle in his hand, filled with a milky white liquid. kind of like chain smoking, but with alcohol. so i thought i’d share with you some spirits that i found, in between the white water rafting and rock climbing (ha, j/k). the aspens are just starting to turn, and the town that takes it’s name from that curious tree sits in the most beautiful valley. a feast for the eyes, along with colorado’s other amazing mountainous views.

the patron orange liqueur is really good. i plan to substitute it for cointreau. did’t taste the wild turkey, but hear it’s as sweet as honey.

i’ve got a goat fetish, so i had to buy this for my collection. it was good… smooth. as for the vampyre vodka, i didn’t taste this either. anything to do with vampires scares the crap outta me.

the highly recommended almond infused tequila was a score. delicious – who woulda thought? the margarita liquer, was good, but nothing to write home about. it’s essentially a mixer, good to serve on rocks.

finally, i found the cherry infused vodka that can’t be found anywhere in NY. very good, but on the sweet side. i can see it in a gussied up manhattan. didn’t taste the whiskey in the crock, but how cool is that packaging? they also had an alligator beer in a crock that i didn’t get a photo of.

fat tire beer turned about to be a real find. not a big beer fan, but wow, really good. not sweet, not bitter, just right. the company is wind powered and employee owned which makes it even better. as for the peach beer, yum, but only if you have a sweet tooth. i’ve had the raspberry before and it’s not quite as good. big fan of all the lambic fruit beers though.

biodegradeable water bottle, awesome! too bad in general colorado’s recycling standards are seriously lax. as for the mason jar whiskey, it’s aged less than 30 days… how insane is that? and no, i wasn’t insane enough to try it.

love this wooden cooler…

NOW FOR THE GEEKY TOURIST SECTION:
this crazy guy built, and continues to build, this fantasty castle by himself. BISHOP’S CASTLE is incredible. and his signage is even more incredible!

SOME OTHER INTERESTING COLORADO SIGHTINGS:

i approached the girl who owned this bike to ask why she had an engorged dick strapped to it, but she got caught up in a bar brawl with another biker chic, so i high tailed it outta there. i think they were fighting over the penis.

the aspen’s roots are all connected to other aspen trees. they are not separate root systems, unlike other plants. also, their leaves flap in the wind making a very distinct sound. they turn gold in the fall.

rock structures in GARDEN OF THE GODS and the CAVE DWELLINGS.

i’ve heard of natural spring water, but natural soda water? no! yes… it’s true, this fountain in COLORADO SPRINGS contains carbonated water. and it is really tasty. wish i had a spring like that outside my apartment, never have to buy seltzer for my mojito again!