Me, me and my stone...

I don't want to give you the impression I'm a boozehound, but I'll cop to this much: there are days when I like come home and just settle into a buzz while I watch something stupid and familiar. There are weekends where I have nothing much going on and I like to blow off the afternoons the same way. And when I do, my liquor of choice for the last few years has been rum... the darker the better (ironically enough, one of the ones I used to dote on is clear as vodka... the buttery-flavoured and ironically named Black Stripe... but the LCBO delisted it).

For a long time, my favouite was Black Seal, which hails from Bermuda. But every so often I'd try something new, and a guess a couple of years ago I stumbled onto one from India, of all places, called Old Monk. I find it extremely agreeable; mingling flavours that, to me, are reminiscent of vanilla and raisins, with a little bit of spice. If I were to be honest, I'd have to admit that Old Monk has edged out Black Seal as my favourite.

A couple of weeks ago I went looking for a bottle. There was supposed to be some at one of the outlets near me, but when I got there, there was none. I decided to try a different rum. Won't name it, but I didn't like it overmuch. But every time I checked the stocks online, they seemed to be locked in place... only a handful of stores in the province had it, and even then, the numbers never changed.

Well, I found out why a couple of days ago. Apparently, glass particles have been found in some bottles, and the LCBO hauled Old Monk off the shelves. They say it's a factor of the bottling process, so hopefully it's something that can be addressed. But it sounds to me like it's going to be a while before I taste my favourite rum again. Ah, well. The waiting will make the first taste all the sweeter.
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Recipe:
The Cuba Libre

Recipe: 2 oz Rum 3/4 oz Lime Juice 5 oz Cola

Preparation: Put lime juice and a twist of lime into highball glass. Add rum and fill with cola.