27047: Corbett: (comment) Haitian 5 star Barbancourt vs Viennese Christmas Punch at Corbett's house

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

> From Bob Corbett:

St. Louis had unseasonally warm weather today, about 40 degrees this 
morning, so I decided to get my four miles walking in, my normal daily 
exercise.  I first walked to the local Office Depot to get a new external 
hard drive back up system.  My computer is fixed, but my old external 
drive was fried.

I got the drive and a ream of printer paper (for my old print cartridge), 
and that nearly filled my backpack.

I then walked up the street to a very fancy liquor store, one of only TWO 
I've ever found in St. Louis where one can buy Barbancourt rum.  I had a 
gift certificate one of my sons had given me for Christmas.  They had the 
five star (my favorite) in a gift box, with two very lovely Haitian 
glasses (man sitting under a palm tree on the glass) that came with the 
rum.  I wanted two bottles, but couldn't get two into the back pack, so I 
put one bottle in, and the glasses, then cradled the other bottle like a 
young father with a new born babe in arms.

I headed home, 2 miles to go.

Before leaving home I had made a very large crock pot full of Viennese 
Christmas punch (2 1/2 cups orange juice, 2 1/2 cups apple cider, 2 cups 
of blackberries, 2 1/2 cups red wine, cinnamon sticks, 10 full cloves,
1/2 each of thinly slices lemon, lime and orange, and then spices -- 
tarragon, ginger, nutmeg, mint leaves, and sweet basil, plus, finally, one 
large hand full of raisins).  This was heating up for me.

I got home, very tired.  The load on my back for the last two miles was 
quite heavy.  I came in set up the back up system and started that running 
to make a full back up first of all.

But, what to do while the machine was doing its work.  The competition was 
to begin.  Do I dip into the Weilnachtspunsch (Christmas punch) or the 
rum....  Well, I like the punch very very hot, and in the crock pot that 
normally takes two hours.  So, I sat with my book, got on the classical 
music and dipped into the five star.  Oh my goodness, goodness, goodness, 
is that stuff good.  No water, no ice, no juice or anything.  Just a small 
glass and Barbancourt.  I sipped a couple of those.

Later, for lunch I had some of my excellent gumbo soup I made, and with 
the gumbo soup I had the punch.  Later, while resting before a basketball 
game on TV, I had my third Barbancourt.  Then, late afternoon, with some 
of my sister-in-law's excellent chocolate chip cookies I had a bit more 
punch.

Oh me, it's just 6:30 PM.  My brother, who just lives two blocks up the 
street is having a New Year's party and was hoping I would come, but I'm 
too happy a hermit.  I think my plan is a couple more punches while I 
read, though the page does seem a wee bit blurry tonight, must be my light 
bulb.  Then, a couple squares of dark chocolate with another generous rum, 
and off to bed by about 9 PM!!!!

The best of 2006 to you all.  I'm mellow and nearly prepared for it....

So, the punch or the Barbancourt?  Which wins the prize?  The joy for me
is there need be no prize and no winner.  The two are both delights to my 
days and no incompatible with each other!  Wish the world and Haitian 
politicians, particularly, could be like that.

Bob Corbett.