Posted out of sequence – my editor should never have left me alone with a keyboard close at hand. I filed this accidentally on a cyberspace spike with the review of Orchids.

When I travel two of the things I miss are my pre- and post-prandial libations. I used to be unhappy with the TSA-imposed ban on liquids in carryon bags and would never think of entrusting good whiskey or fine cognac to checked bags (The temptation presented to a bag-searcher is unfair and most aircraft still don’t have heated and pressurized cargo bays.) From this unhappiness has come a new understanding of the circle of life. While I can’t take it with me, I have found the search for intelligent imbibeables can enrich a visit to any city. It’s even better when the city has inhabitants who share my fondness for fine food and drink.

If you are a regular reader, you know that we recently dined at Orchids in Cincinnati – you can catch up with my comments elsewhere in the blog if you missed it. Being in Cincinnati meant leaving my library of single malts and the comfort of a familiar drink before dinner – an unthinkable circumstance. Once checked into the hotel, I grabbed my iPad and requested Siri find the nearest liquor store. Now Siri isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, so I wasn’t surprised when she told me the nearest place to buy liquor was Walgreen’s down the next block, and the second closest was another drug store a block further away. I rephrased my inquiry carefully including the words “single malt”. Siri must have decided that I really wanted was a malted milk, but in a smaller size than would be a dinner-spoiler. She quickly responded with Graeters. Siri and I were clearly miscommunicating, as even I know Graeters makes ice cream, not scotch whiskey. In desperation I directed Siri to find the nearest “single malt scotch whiskey” not wanting to take the chance she’d suggest a barbeque place which employed bourbon or moonshine in its sauce. Remarkably, Siri replied, “Nicholson’s” and gave the address as next door. I was pretty sure there wasn’t a liquor store adjacent, but what the heck, I gathered my credit cards and headed out.

Nicholson’s is a Scottish pub in the middle of downtown Cincinnati. They don’t sell “package goods” but they do have a terrific selection of single malts. If you look at my Facebook page, I’ve posted a photo of a small part of their library. In addition, they have a wonderful pub menu including Belwie Beer Cheese which is sort of melted cheezwhiz served with a soft pretzel that would make a native New Yorker homesick for the streets of Manhattan. Also special to Nicholson’s is their “create it yourself flights”. For a very modest sum, you can taste three single malts in one ounce samples. A brilliant idea that allows one to experiment with no risk of being stuck with an almost full bottle that is too far from one’s palate to ever be opened again. Milady and I passed a pleasant late afternoon sampling Scotland’s finest – and it never would have happened if the TSA permitted flasks. Serendipity in action.