As part of my weeklong desire to drink away the heat, I stopped by my friendly neighborhood Virginia ABC store. I’ve never been in a government-run liquor store before, and was interested to compare this place to private-run stores in my hometown in Maryland. The VABC store had all the staples of liver-crushing goodness – fine aged tequilas, dark spicy rums, flavored vodkas – and the low-end ten gallon plastic drum-sized gins and whiskeys. It was a good mix of high-end taste and low-end value. A couple of their prices seemed a bit high – Sauza and Jose Cuervo tequilas seemed about 10 to 25% more expensive than Maryland and DC – but they had some good specials and discounts to bring it back to par.
What really caught my eye was Voyant Chai Creme Liqueur, a relatively new entry in the market. The website describes it as:

Aged Virgin Island Rum, Fresh Dutch Cream, Black Tea from India, Premium Spirits from Holland and a Distinctive Blend of Spices from Asia give Voyant Chai Cream Liqueur the Rich, Creamy Smoothness that you should expect from a Premium Liqueur.

Other than an Annoying Habit of Randomly Capitalizing Letters incorrectly in a Sentence for No Reason, the stuff sounds prettty good. In three hours, give or take, I will be partaking of this new beverage. The Voyant website offers some recipes, a few of which sound pretty interesting, but definitely a little heavy on thicker liqueuers and milk. The stuff sounds perfect for a cold winter day; in fact, I can already picture using this in a rum & coffee mixture to keep warm at football games and ski lodges. Has anybody tried this stuff, and have some tips to share?
I’ll do some experimenting tonight…all in the name of research and service to you, dear readers. Behold the effort…nay…the sacrifices I make for you.
***UPDATE*** July 20, 2006 – So, Voyant is pretty good. It tastes just like chai, but with a bit more fun. Think of a spicy Bailey’s Irish Cream. It’s sweet, and has the look and feel of those hazelnut coffee creamers. The aftertaste of ginger and black tea is awfully pleasing. I initially drank a small snifter of the liqueur, and then began mixing it with other alcohols. I made a simple vodka martini using 1 oz of the Voyant, 3 oz of Skyy vodka, and that was good. Using vanilla vodka made it a bit too sweet for my taste, but I could imagine that replacing the Appletini as a sweet introduction to the world of vodka martinis. Perhaps a 1/2 vanilla vodka, 1/2 Voyant shot could be called “The Ginger Snap.” It mixes well with coffee and milk, as I guessed it would.
As for desserts, I could see it punching up anything from an apple pie to a bowl of oatmeal. I’ve got an ice cream maker that’s begging to be used, and a chai ice cream might not stink. However, that will take a backseat as my first dessert with this stuff will be a tiramisu-like concoction, substituting the typical espresso-soaked lady fingers for a dip in alcoholic chai. If it’s good, I’ll post the recipe. If it’s not, well…you’re best off not knowing!