Netflix and Spirit

I’m a very patient person. Sean reminds me of this often.

Our liquor cabinet is overflowing with a wide range of gin, vodka, and whiskey, from local varieties to international flair. We have a library of books at our house; a full shelf is dedicated to the history and science behind spirits. The kegerator lives in the mud room, and our garage houses an assortment of home brew supplies. This is all Sean’s doing – and I’m OK with it.

10 years ago, I had no clue how vodka was made, or that there were different styles of gin. I spent my college days in Baton Rouge, where my main choices of alcohol tended to be light beer or bourbon & coke. In those days, no thought went into where my beverage came from or how it was made. It was simply a drink to enjoy with friends.

After I moved to Houston, I was exposed to craft cocktails. As I watched the bartender pull together ingredients to make my drink, I began to realize the creativity and artistry it takes to assemble a cocktail, but still never found myself wondering what it all meant, or where it all came from.

Then, I met Sean.

I blame Sean for my newfound curiosity of what’s in my gin & tonic. One rainy weekend night we streamed a highly-rated Netflix documentary entitled, Somm. In the documentary, the wine sommeliers (suh-mall-e-aise) could taste the wine and identify which year and which region the grapes were produced from. He may disagree with me, but this film unlocked an unstoppable force in Sean to learn everything he can about beer and spirits… and it’s contagious. Within a matter of weeks, Sean had a full-blown home brew setup, and had put all of his business books down for books about water, yeast, hops and malt.

Fast forward to today, experiencing life through the context of spirits has become a natural way of life for us. A new bottle Sean brings home from Spec’s is just the starting point for deeper discussions that encompass marketing, agriculture, the distilling process, and world history. I find myself fascinated to learn more.