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Episode Notes:

My nephew Aidan just got back from his second training stint with the American army training in Germany — and once again came home with a suitcase of bottles for us to taste. He spent a weekend in Prague and was excited to bring back some Czech wine and spirts!

This time he brought back :

• A semi-dry Sauvignon Blanc from Moravia in the Czech Republic
• A deep and surprising German Dornfelder red
• A 38%-ABV Czech herbal liqueur one family member dubbed "Christmas in a bottle."

Listen as we we gathered three generations at the beach house on Long Beach Island to taste our way through all three, with a lot of laughs, some very honest reactions, and a SOMMO app assist along the way.

Cheers to Aidan for once again bringing home a taste of somewhere new.

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It might not be our favorite thing, but this was made in a very specific place and it was brought home in your backpack. And that's awesome.

So Lauren just looked up what the taste is like. It says, becherovka is a bittersweet Czech herbal liqueur with a flavor profile frequently described as Christmas in a bottle.

Stop it.

I win.

Dana, you win.

It delivers a warm, spicy, sweet taste dominated by clove and cinnamon.

Nice.

That's what it was.

Well, hello there. It's Nikki Lamberti coming to you from the New Jersey shore.

I am once again back on the east coast visiting with my family and once again said, hey guys, put up some microphones. You're gonna be in the podcast. They're very used to it by now, but we had a special thing to celebrate.

And the main reason that I am here in July is to celebrate the engagement of my nephew Aiden and his now fiance Lauren. And we're so excited. And we had a big family party.

And then we recorded this a couple days after that when we were all down at the family beach house. And my nephew Aiden is a cadet at West Point and he'll be graduating next year.

And he had brought back some German wine because Aunt Nikki trained him very well, as well as our side by side tasting of Jagermeister that he had brought from Germany next to Jagermeister from the US and we had this whole conversation about the recipes being the same and not the same. It was a great episode. It was very well received. You all listened to that a lot.

And then just around the holidays this past year, I published an episode in the first week of January called Chardonnay or Chardonnay, and we did a three generation family tasting of Chardonnay and talked all about just the, the perceptions of Chardonnay and what it is and what it isn't. And that was also a great episode because you had my mom Susan joining, then my sisters and I and then my nephew.

So again, the multi generational perspective.

So we're sort of combining those two in this week's episode because Aiden just went back to Germany for a couple weeks through West Point and again did a stint with the German military, tanks and artillery and all this crazy stuff.

But he also had the opportunity to do some weekend travel to some neighboring countries and was kind enough to bring back some beverages, knowing that we were gonna be getting together and could record a tasting. So you'll hear again, my mom, Susan,.

And my sister Dana, and then my nephew Aiden, and his fiance Lauren, and of course, my other half, Michael, you guys love to hear on the podcast. He was there too.

And so you have a lot of different opinions weighing in on some German wine, some Czech wine, and a Czech liquor, and a great conversation, as we were all very surprised. Tasting things that were new even to me as someone who's basically made a living out of tasting things from all over the world.

There were some surprising new beverages for me, and we had a lot of fun. So here we go with Germany 2.0, our multi generational tasting.

All right, so here we are, Long Beach Island, New Jersey, down at the Jersey shore for Prost. I always say it wrong. What's the correct way to say it?

Right.

Prost 2.0. Celebrating the return of young Aiden's second trip overseas. Welcome back. How was your trip?

It was fun.

Yeah.

A little bit different from the last time.

Last time, if people didn't know I was with the German army and doing training with them, I was with a tank unit, and we were able to go down to their training areas and shoot some tanks, shoot some guns, drink a lot of beer, some wine, a lot of Jagermeister as well.

Yeah.

How does that even work?

Shoot some tanks, shoot some tanks, and then have beer.

Or it means, like, you as long as the beer.

Got the tanks and shot the guns.

Oh, I didn't get to shoot the tanks. I just got to be near the tanks while they shot.

Okay.

So much of a liability for me.

You didn't actually shoot tanks either.

I got a shoot machine guns, grenade launchers, stuff like that. That was fun.

That was the first trip last year. Just almost exactly a year ago.

Yeah.

Okay. So then you had the opportunity. Did you have to apply again to be selected to go back again.

So everybody at school has to do this training, and you just put in preferences of where you want to go. And I just got lucky enough to get sent back to Germany.

Nice.

This time with an American unit and with an artillery unit. So gotta be around some big cannons. Only a few.

Okay. And tell them where you were.

Yeah.

Were you in the same exact place as the first time?

Complete opposite. Actually. Last year I was in the northeast part of Germany, now is in the southwest.

So last year I was up by Cologne, and this year we were out by Nuernberg. So pretty much complete opposite side of the country, which was really cool.

Did you Feel like you had a. Little more German vocabulary from the first time that you could use this time? No, no.

I mean, last year I just finished taking German, so it was still fresh in my mind. But this year I could get my way through a conversation. But it was definitely. I had to pause and think a lot more for this one, but it's still there.

Okay, and how long was the trip?

Just about two and a half weeks.

Okay.

And so, from what I understand, because you told me that you were gonna bring home some fun things for us to do another tasting, you were not in Germany for the whole time. You got a little getaway, and we're gonna be tasting a couple things from that trip. Is that right?

Yep. Yeah. So we got there at a downtime for the unit.

So we were with the 1 Infantry Brigade, which is a paratrooper brigade, jumping out of airplanes, airborne unit. And specifically I was at the 4, 319 Field Artillery Battalion.

And they had just gotten off a rotation from Morocco at the time, doing training, practicing different things, being in a desert environment. And in both weekends, you got long weekends. And they were like, yeah. So they said, go party, go explore.

You're getting paid to be in Europe and might as well have a little bit of fun. So that first weekend, we went out to Luxembourg, which is a. Which was a weird one. That was not initially the plan.

But when we got to Germany, we were told that there is a road march that we could do. And that road march, you can either sign up for 20 kilometers or 40 kilometers.

20 Kilometers is about 12 and a half miles, and then 40 is about 25 miles.

Nice conversion, sir.

Nice marathon. And when you do this march, you also got a ribbon that you can wear on your uniform.

You know, when you see, like, those officers with all the crazy ribbons on their chest, you can earn that. And it was pretty much like a beer tent crawl, because, like, I was.

Calling it a walkabout.

It was pretty much a walkabout. Yeah. So when we. Funny enough, when we got there, we rolled up, we were in sneakers, shorts, T shirt, no backpack, no water.

We didn't eat food beforehand. And we're standing there, we're looking around.

Great planning.

Yeah, great planning. Really looked ahead.

And we're standing in line, and I'm looking around, and everybody's got hiking boots, hiking poles, like those water backpack things, big backpacks, like belts with all these different hiking things. And I look at my friends, I'm like, I think we vastly underestimated this. And in Layman's surge, We pretty much raw dogged the entire thing.

And every about three miles was a tent that served beer. And it was about 85 degrees, humid, walking up and down mountains.

And we walked up the mountain, beer 10 up there, drank like three beers with no water, no food.

You were not in a uniform at the time? No, no, we're not just in plain clothes, like pretty much.

Yeah. And we had no food. So when you're dehydrated and hungry, free beers, especially European beers, they get you. Right, Especially.

And you get a little buzz. And then we walk around and see beautiful Luxembourg women's.

Oh, mountains. No, sorry, sorry, Lauren. I thought he was going somewhere else.

Mountains and scenery. And then you would get to the next tent after you start to sober up and then rinse and repeat.

And it ended up being about 13 and a half miles, but wow, it was fun. And then we went back to our little Airbnb and then went out in Luxembourg City. So that was weekend one.

Okay.

Weekend two, we decided we're not gonna do something like that again. And we went out to Prague. And anybody has a band and want to go to Europe, go to Prague. Prague is awesome.

Especially, I mean, obviously if you're a 22 year old, might have a little bit different experience than someone that's in their 50s. But even then, wonder who could talk to them.

Why is he pointing at you, Michael?

But even then, it's beautiful. They have a crazy, they have a crazy nightlife there. But it's also like some of the most beautiful architects architecture. It's crazy.

And this one bridge has been around for 2,000 years. And you're walking around a block and they're on the corner of a building is like some crazy statue and the architecture is awesome there.

And then they just also have just really good restaurants. It is a bit of a tourist city. Like you probably can get caught in those tourist traps, but it's also just beautiful in its own right.

So cool that you had the opportunity to play a little and explore from your Germany home base to go to Prague. So when you were walking around Prague, we were like, I need to find some beverages for Aunt Nikki's podcast to bring home.

We were walking back to the car. I'm like, I didn't get Anything. And I saw one little shop and I walked in and got the two bottles from the Czech Republic that we have here.

And then we got on the road, drove back. And it's crazy because from our base it's only five and a half hour drive.

And you're in a different country.

And you're in a different country. Complete. You drove across the country into another country.

We could drive five and a half hours in California and still be in California. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And then to Prague was just about two hours, which is my drive to school.

Yeah.

Which is another country.

Okay, Very cool. All right, so we're gonna taste these three awesome things that you brought back. The first one is a white wine from the Czech Republic.

And then we're gonna taste a red wine from Germany and then a liquor from Czech Republic. Czech Republic. So we're doing a Czech sandwich.

Basically, since everyone's gonna be tasting and weighing in, what would be helpful for our listeners is just we'll go around and we did this last time in the Chardonnay tasting. So people know whose voice is who. Just say your name and your relation to our focal point here, Aiden.

Starting with the young lady sitting to his right.

Hi, I'm Lauren. I'm Aiden's fiance.

Oh.

Am.

Ma', Am, I am Dana, the mother.

Of Aidan, but the sister of the boss of talking Mickey.

And you're also the mug, the mother.

Of the groom of the groom.

Okay. And seated next to you is the gog. Hi, ma'.

Am.

Hi, I'm Susan. I'm the grandmother of the groom and the mother of the boss we talked about.

Mother of boss of talking. M O B O T. You're the mobot. And you all know my voice plenty. 108 Episodes worth of me. So another voice that might be familiar to our listeners.

Thanks for joining us today, sir.

My name is Michael.

Yes.

And I am.

What are you?

Tayden.

Actually, I am Nicky's boyfriend, Spice.

He's the boyfriend of the Boss of Talking. He's the Bobot. And really organically has become pretty much a cool co host of the Sip with Nikki podcast. So thanks for joining us.

Someone want to pour this beautiful white. Wine into these glasses? All right, let's talk about the color. What do you see?

It's kind of rusty color. I would like to give it the color of like a light beer.

Can you read this label for us.

No, I think we're gonna see that Vino Chabluca. It just says Sauvignon on the bottom.

Aiden, would you like.

Aiden, I don't know how to speed it.

It's.

You're the one that can read all that.

It's not Czech. It's Czech, not Chewbacca.

Yeah.

Okay.

And it's Sauvignon.

It's Sauvignon Blanc. Yeah. Yeah.

It's not too Blanc.

So in preparation for this, I scanned all three of these beverages into the Samo app, which you guys know I'm a big fan of.

And this way I didn't have to be pulling up multiple different websites and googling maps and all the things that I was doing the first time we did this tasting, because this app actually has it all in one. So Vino Chapucco Sauvignon. It is a Sauvignon Blanc. And here's a little bit about the wine. This is out of the Samo app.

This is a semi dry Sauvignon Blanc from the Moravia region of the Czech Republic.

It offers a slightly sweeter profile than bone dry Sauvignon Blancs, which might appeal to your appreciation for aromatic whites like the La Sirena Moscato Azul. So this is actually referencing something I've tasted before because the app knows what I've tasted.

Thanks.

AI.

Aiden, why did you pick this one off the shelf?

I'm so honest. It's because it had a Czech flag on it, and I knew then it's Czech wine.

Perfect.

Great.

That's pretty much the only reason why I picked it.

Do you know how many wines I've probably tasted in my lifetime?

I mean, I'm not even going to try and guess. I know.

I don't know. Hundreds, Thousands. Do you know that this is the first time I'm ever tasting a wine from this country? So thank you for bringing this. Cheers.

Cheers.

Cheers.

What does everybody smell? Mom says flowers. Mom says flowers. Susan, what color are those flowers? White flowers.

It's almost like a sight to me.

Yes. Edelweiss.

Wrong country.

Michael, what do you smell?

Almost like peach.

So say it's almost a little, like, fruity and a little acidic to me. Yeah, it's like. Well, my eyes kind of water a little bit from it because it's.

Okay, let's taste it and let's see if it tastes like it smells. It's like many different things at once,.

Which is why I can't really pick out.

Taking me a minute. Yeah, it's sweet but bitter.

Yeah, I got a lot more bitter on the side of my tongue, which.

Is nice because there is a little bit of sweetness. And if it just finished with that one note of sweetness, it'd be like, bleh.

But then the bitterness came in on the back end for me, and it was kind of like, oh, that's interesting.

You taste it on your whole tongue.

Ooh, everything.

Yeah.

Nice.

Almost like it's like a light coating on my tongue.

Susan says top of the mouth. Yeah.

Now that you just pointed out, I.

Notice that now I want to take another sip.

I don't know how to decipher this. I really don't know what's in it.

Okay, well, we've only had one sip, and no one expects us to be able to fully describe this wine from one sip. We're not wine raiders. Let's take another sip.

Mmm.

Michael, what are you getting?

A little bit of fruitness. But it does finish clean, which is nice.

Yeah, it's a little dark.

Very clean and smooth.

Like it's only. Sometimes you take a sip of, say, wine or just alcohol, like you have like a slight burn. Like you can kind of taste it in the back of your throat.

This is just like only on my tongue.

Yeah, that's one thing I know.

Like, there's nothing.

You swallow hot alcohol.

Yeah.

What's. Who's got the bottle? What's the alcohol listed on there?

13.5.

13 5?

Yep.

Oh, was that a guest? Lauren.

Nice.

Aunt Nikki's so proud. So according to the Samo app, when we scan this tasting notes, aromas of elderflower, gooseberry, and white peach with subtle herbaceous undertones.

The palate is off dry. And I guess the Czech word for that. I'm sorry, Czech listeners, don't me with my pronunciation. Polosuche. P O L O S U C H E. Polo suchet.

I'm making it French, right?

It might be more of a. Yeah, polo souch.

That is their word for off dry with a juicy round mouthfeel balanced by a refreshing, zesty acidity that lingers on the finish. Totally agree with that.

Yeah, that's what we were thinking. We just didn't have the words.

Thanks, almo.

We just didn't have the words.

But we. That's exactly. We agree with that.

That's what I meant to say.

Yeah, that's what I was going to say.

And this is a family owned winery based in the Mukalov sub region of Moravia. They focused on producing clean, expressive and varietally True wines that highlight the unique cool climate terroir of the region.

Their philosophy combines traditional Moravian winemaking techniques with modern temperature controlled fermentation. This is delicious. What do you think? This would be a nice pairing with.

The seafood, with the oysters that we're gonna have.

Yeah, it's not all that different than the Viognier. Yeah, it can almost pair like a.

Viognier and it has a little thicker biscost. Like the thicker. It's not as light as normal, like California Sauvignon Blanc.

It is a little more viscous in a blind tasting, I don't think I.

Would guess Sauvignon Blanc as a young 22 year old. What is viscous? I don't know what that means.

Yeah, viscous like the thickness, you know, like some wines are very light, like in your mouth and like it almost evaporates.

Give him the milk.

Oh, well, you know it, Dana. You do it.

Think of how skim milk feels in your mouth versus whole milk. Okay. Whole milk is heavier.

That's got it.

More full bodied.

I've never heard that.

Yeah, so we'd say this is like a medium. Medium to full bodied white wine. So this is more 2%.

I wanted to associate it to oil, but viscosity is usually oil. Like the thicker the oil is, the higher the viscosity.

So we, we, we equate it to milk instead.

Elder flowers are white.

Elder flowers are white and white peaches are white.

I think we kind of nailed it all our brain.

Susan, our elder. You nailed it completely with that note. This is a fun wine. It says price range 15 to 25. Super interesting.

Says great with goat cheese, spicy Asian noodle dishes and fresh seafood.

I got one of those coming tonight.

Woo hoo. Cheers guys. Fun first time.

Oh, the US dollar is very strong there.

What's their money called?

Oh, they're called Crowns.

Crown Crowns.

Crowns.

How many crowns was that bottle?

You have to go back and get us a case.

I mean, you don't have to search my arm to go back to Prague. I will go gladly.

I'm gonna click add to my journal in Samo. I'm gonna give it a thumbs up. Solid choice. I'm gonna give it a would buy again. Although I don't know that we could find this wine here.

So Aiden, if you're returning, Aiden gets stationed. But that was really fun.

Graf and Veer, then we can.

Graf would be nice.

Okay, we're gonna switch gears and go to the German wine. Just because I want to do the two wines before we Go wackadoodle with the liquor.

I was doing a little bit of research when I was actually bought that in the airport. Cause I'm like, I didn't get a German one.

This is a Dornfelder, which is a German red wine. Tell me why you picked it.

The two big red wines I've seen from Germany is what I brought back last time was a Speit Grunder, which was.

Do you remember the grape? That was. It was so unique. It was German Pinot Noir.

Okay.

Burgunder, Burgundy, Pinot Noir.

And now this is a Dornfelder. Yeah, they had a German selection shocker in the German airport, but I was looking at it online. Like, the Speiper Grunder.

That's like the high quality. Like, that's a little bit the more expensive bottles. And typically that's the premium wine.

I'd say Dornfelder was like, the more affordable but also very good option. Yeah, they have. But I don't. I don't know anything about this vineyard or anything like that.

Okay, will you read the label for us?

So we can. We can decipher a few things from that. In Barique, it's a Barique barrel, and then Trochan. Has to do with the sweet to dry scale in Germany.

Right, We've talked about that.

Yeah. The other one also had chocken on it.

That's right. So is it sweet? Do we expect it to be sweet?

When we say Traken, I think no, no, it's like, off dry smells. Yeah. So the color of this is darker than I was expecting. I've had Dornfelder a couple times, and I was thinking it was going to be more Pinot Noir.

Opacity. This looks like cab in the glass.

They say almost even black.

Yeah, it does look very dark. Okay, coat.

When you move it around the glass, it, like, coats the glass.

Yeah.

What do we smell?

Wood. Very, very woody. Almost like a BlackBerry. Cherry.

Yes, cherry.

And it almost sounds like a little smoky wood to me. That's what I get.

Yeah, I agree.

Like, but I feel like almost like roses. Like a pungent.

Like, really. And I'm getting, like.

Almost like eucalyptus or like a dark red flower.

Like.

Or like a. Like a purple.

Like a dark or something.

The last one, when you would smell it, it was very light. And this one, when I smell it, I almost taste it. It tastes heavy when I take a deep breath in.

Beautiful. Okay, let's Taste. Cheers, everybody.

Cheers.

It's very aromatic.

Ooh, Lauren. Lauren made a face right away.

I don't think I like it.

It's kind of bitter.

It is bitter. That caught me off guard.

Similar to the white that we just tried, like off dry.

It's very Syrah to me, this one.

Like, it's a little funky.

Yeah.

It smells prettier than it tastes.

Yeah, it smells pretty. It's a little hard. Almost like Syrah.

More hearty grape.

I don't know. After tasting it, it smells harsher to me now.

Yeah, it's very interesting. It led me down one path and then I tasted it and it picked me up and spun me around and sent me in another direction.

Reading in the Samo app about this wine. This is a dry German red wine made from the Dornfelder grape. It offers a fruit forward profile with soft tannins and moderate acidity.

If you enjoy smooth, approachable fruit profile profile of Ragushi Pinot Noir, then you'll likely find this Dornfelter to be pleasant. Easy drinking alternative, though it's lighter and less complex than the Kenan Merlot.

So again, the app is trying to equate these to things that it knows that I've tasted. Yeah.

Which is really cool. If you were in a store and just scanning this.

If you've rated things that you've tasted before it starts to learn your palate, it's going to tell you it's like this or not like that. The tasting notes are aromas of dark cherry and BlackBerry. Good job, people. Touch of elderberry.

The palate is smooth and medium body with soft tannin and a clean, dry finish. No, there's definitely some tannin. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

I get a lot.

It is vineyards with slate influenced soil and a cool climate, which helps maintain fresh acidity and bright fruit flavors in the grapes. Mom, why did you say mm?

Whatever you just read there, were you agreeing? Slate.

And again, vineyards with slate influenced soils and a cool climate, which helps maintain fresh acidity and bright fruit flavors in the grapes. Delicious.

What is a pairing? Like meats?

Yeah. Sausage. It says sausage. It says grilled sausage. Roasted pork, mild cheese and pasta with tomato based sauce. Probably because of the acidity.

Kind of like Sangiovese pairing.

This one's. It's like a punch, almost like.

Yeah.

The last one, like, you kind of have to let it sit for a minute. This one's like, I Took a sip,.

And it's like, yeah. The recommended temperature for serving this is 57 to 61. So on the lower end of reds, I mean, we shoot for, like, 60, 65 for General Reds. Yeah.

But we're drinking it on the cooler end, so that's fun. Thanks, Aiden. Super fun. All right, and for the finale, what do we got going on next?

That's all I'm gonna say is your mom.

That you've been obsessed with Jaeger since you came back.

Oh, yeah. When I went to Germany, the Germans are like, have you ever had Jaeger before? And I was like, nope. And they're like, you're gonna have a lot of it.

And I was like, am I? And then they poured me a sizable glass, and they're like, you're gonna drink the whole thing?

And I'm like, okay, well, that's how we're gonna start tonight.

And you said your German got better after drinking the whole thing.

I had it running through my veins at that point, but we had a ton.

Oh.

Oh, wow. Is this. This is the Czech version of Jaeger.

Smells like Jaeger.

Okay, but Jaeger is German, and this.

Is Czech, so it's an herbal. So this is very. It smells like Jaeger. But Lauren made a good point. It almost looks like gasoline.

A little bit. A little bit.

It does. It has that light smell.

Like it.

Yeah. But it has that tint yellow that.

You color of tequila in the glass.

It does look like the wine. The same color.

Okay, so would you say based on what you know and the reason you brought this back, after we did the whole Jaeger from Germany and then Jaeger from the US and we looked up the recipe, and what was the difference? Would you say that you picked this because this is the equivalent of Jaeger, but from.

Yeah, it's like the Czech Yeager. That's exactly how I learned about it. I mean, you look at it, and you do not think it at all. Like, it's a very. You think Jager. It's like a very.

Like a syrupy type of alcohol. This is almost like we. But it smells just like. It's much more licorice.

It's a bet your bomb.

Bet your bomb. We can do some bet Bombs.

Let's do it. Cheers, everyone.

Cheers.

Which sounds Russian, but.

Ooh.

Susan, talk to me.

It does take, taste, and smell like potpourri.

That is not at all like Jagermeister.

Oh, Lauren has a face.

Lauren does not like it.

I think he has a face.

It's almost cinnamon.

It's like schnapps. It's like fireball.

It tastes like a licorice fireball shot.

Yes.

If you mix, like, the combination of Jaeger and fireball together, it looks like.

More like rumpel mitts. Not.

No, no way.

Peppermint. No, sorry.

Nothing like rumpels.

There's another one that's like a dentine bomb, too, or is just fireball.

Well, yeah, it's high alcohol.

How much?

What's the alcohol on it? Does it say still burning? I think it's higher.

And they. Wow.

Hey, I said it was higher.

Did you just guess? 37. And it's 38. Wow.

Double plus your wine.

Amazing.

I don't know if it was cold.

Yeah, I think it's got to be. It was sitting for a little bit.

We took it out of the freezer, but then we chatted for a little bit. Yeah, but this is the original one because they have a lemon and an orange and a grapefruit. Yeah, this is the original.

I feel like nothing like Jager.

No, it smells like.

It doesn't look like Jaeger.

The only thing, it tastes like cinnamon.

Gum, but it doesn't smell.

Yeah, that's what's really throwing me off.

Towards your potpourri smelling.

Well, no, Now I go back. You can. If you go back, you can smell it.

Like if we go to the Christmas store down in Bay Village.

Yeah.

Or the Christmas store at Disney Over Ice. You would like it. Yeah.

It's definitely thicker than I was expecting it to be.

It's weird because it does not.

How interesting that we're sitting here in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, tasting this. We would never, ever bring this thing to our lips or hold this in our hands if it wasn't for you and your travel. How cool to be.

It might not be our favorite thing. I might not want to have a glass of it, but this was made in a very specific place, and it was brought home in your backpack. And that's awesome.

So Lauren just looked up what the taste is like.

Yeah.

It says Becherovka is a bittersweet Czech herbal liqueur with a flavor profile frequently described as Christmas in a bottle.

Stop it.

I went.

Dana, you win.

It delivers a warm, spicy, sweet taste dominated by clove and cinnamon.

Nice.

That's what it was.

Rounded out by subtle hints of ginger, orange peel, and anise, followed by a lingering rooty herbal bitterness.

Good job, guys.

Orange anise, cinnamon clove.

I'm on their website. The secret recipe has been passed down through generations and is based on unique mix of herbs and spices, pure water from Karlovi Vary region.

The traditional liquor in the legendary flat green bottles carries across generations values that are as valid today as they were 200 years ago.

Love it.

Bet your bottom dollar. How do I enjoy it? Becherovka tastes great on its own. Requires ice cold Becherovka in a frozen shot. It is also a fantastic base for mixed drinks.

Michael, bartender, what would you mix with with this?

I don't know, but I'll go find out.

Red Bull.

Red Bull.

I'm trying to think of like what's like a Christmas drink. Like a cran creamy.

There's that whole thing.

Want to put it in eggnog? Christmas.

Isn't there something like rumchata and fireball together?

Yeah, like, it tastes like cinnamon toast crunch.

Be like cinnamon toast crunch. Something like that.

Child of the 80s at Christmas time.

Yeah, I feel like a spiked eggnog would be very good with this.

A lot of descriptions. They mention its long tingling aftertaste. Oh, my throat was numb.

That would be the 38% alcohol by.

Volume and I felt that in my gums.

A full on shot.

Yes. Ooh, there's still some.

I'm kidding.

Still some in the glass, dude.

So fun. Once again wowing us with what you chose to carry Harry all the way home.

Where did you buy this?

This I bought in Prague. I bought this bottle in the same shop that I got the wine in Prague. In Prague.

Of the three things you tasted today, the Czech Sauvignon Blanc, the Dorenfelder red from Germany, and the Christmas in a glass, what was your favorite? And now that we have all three of these sitting in front of us, what will you pick up to finish? You see what's in my hand?

That's funny.

You see what I haven't taken out of my hand?

Oh, okay. Michael.

Christmas in a glass, you know, because I love Christmas.

Christmas in July for Michael.

Michael, he's going with maybe because it's 38%.

He's going with it because he's and on vacation.

He's been with the family.

He's in a beach house with nine of us for three days.

38, Please. Can I mix it with more vodka?

How do we feel about that?

Aiden, which would you drink more of this evening?

I think the Sauvignon Blanc.

I mean the Sauvignon Blanc is definitely going to go with oysters.

I mean, especially since we're having a seafood dinner. But, I mean, I'm going to keep my red because it goes well with the spicy red pasta, which I'm having for dinner.

So, Lauren, I like the Sauvignon.

Yeah, Definitely the. I think. Definitely think the red would be better with food. Like pork.

Like last night when we had steak.

Yeah.

Yeah. Dana. I think just based on the mood and the temperature of the room, the Sauvignon Blanc.

The temperature of the room in the house where the air conditioning is broken. The air conditioning is on. A momentary pause.

Fine. It's fine.

The heat dome kicked its ass.

The heat dome.

Susan Blanc. But I also like the Christmas in the glass.

She likes the Christmas in the glass.

I did.

You like those, though. You loved the Jaeger Last time we did this. Walk up the stairs to carry you up.

No, it's just got a lot of taste.

Cheers, everybody. Cheers, everyone. What do they say in Prague?

No idea.

All right. No idea. Cheers.

No idea.

Salute.

So there you have it. Very different opinions on some very unique and interesting beverages.

And just a side note, we did have fresh oysters that evening, which that Sauvignon Blanc was beautiful with. And then some spicy seafood pasta, which the Dornfelder wound up being a great pairing with.

There wasn't a lot of the liqueur being enjoyed that evening. I think we had had our fill of Christmas in the bottle, but really super interesting. And like I said in the episode,. One of the things that has always.

Drawn me to wine and different beverages is they really are the taste of a place and how cool that these places on the other side of the world were brought to us by my nephew. I want to thank my family for.

Once again being open to being recorded. They're getting very used to it now, and I hope that you enjoyed listening to this as much as I enjoyed being there.

I will put the link in the show notes for everything that we tasted. And if you haven't downloaded the Sammo app yet, S o M M o. You heard how it really guided us through this tasting.

Definitely download it and use the promo code. Nikki N I K K I for your first free month of premium access. And if you think, man, that sounds.

Like fun, I would love to actually sip with Nikki, be in the room with her. I have created a place for us to do that inside the tasting room, my virtual membership with actual wines. The doors are open now and we. Are welcoming new members.

And I'll be getting ready to ship out the first tasting boxes at the end of July. Visit sipwithnikki.commembership to learn more about it.

And I'd love to see you inside the tasting room so we can laugh and learn and taste crazy things together, just like you heard in this episode. Sipwithnikki.com membership and whatever you do between now and our next time together, I hope that you sip well.

Some.

Wa.