spirits

Recently we've had more and more questions from travellers visiting Scotland and Ireland wanting to clarify how much whisky they can bring back to the US, or another country. The same goes for other higher alcohol spirits, such as cognac or armagnac, which travellers want to bring back from Europe.

For most gourmands, whether food or drink be your vice of choice, a definite highlight of travelling is discovering the wonderfully foreign delights on offer in each country you visit.

Who hasn’t visited France determined to sample snails, frog’s legs and foie gras? Or haggis, black pudding and fried mars bars in Scotland? Although, granted, there are certain delicacies I imagine only the most adventurous of us would voluntarily try; German griebenschmalz, essentially spreadable pig fat, is one such example that quickly springs to mind.

If you’ve had the pleasure of spending some time in the South of France, you’ll know this sparkling stretch of Mediterranean coastline is synonymous with sun-kissed afternoons drinking carafe after carafe of pretty salmon-hued Côtes de Provence rosé. The arrival of shorter days and cooler nights doesn’t seem to hamper anyone’s enthusiasm for a glass of it, either! In fact, even the merest hint of sun during winter is accompanied by cries of ‘time to open a bottle of rosé!’

Never fear, however, if you’re not a fan of said pink drink. It doesn’t hold a liquid monopoly along the Côte d’Azur! Far from it in fact! If you prefer to seek out a locally brewed beer, a specialty spirits bar, the perfect view to share a bottle of Champagne, or (dare we say it), a glass of vin blanc or vin rouge, here’s our drinker’s guide to the French Riviera!