Ah the insane procedures involved in returning home...

[ggunn]

LOL! Adrian got us hooked on the stuff, and I did bring some back. A liquor store here in NY told me they could get it, but I would have to buy a case. I still have a lot left, so I'll wait until I go back to Cozumel to get another bottle, or two, or three.

Last time I was in Especias, Adrian poured a couple of rounds of Xtabentun shots for our table. Good stuff. I have seen it in the States, though very rarely, and three times the Coz street price. BTW, don't buy it on the waterfront; get it at the big liquor store just north of the original PeMex station.

 

[DandyDon]

Xtabentun – A Mayan Liqueur with a Legend​

There is more to Mexican alcohols then tequila, mezcal, Kahlua, Corona and Dos Equis beer, there is xtabentun! The word xtabentun means, “vines growing on stone” in the Mayan language, and is a delightful Mayan liqueur made from the honey that bees extract from the xtabentum flowers on vines that grow only in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, and is distilled with anise seed and rum.

Like many things Mayan, xtabentum has a legend. According to legend, the vines grew from the grave of a woman called Xkeban, who although compassionate towards her less fortunate neighbors of her village, lived a life of love, which greatly displeased her neighbors. It is said that when she died, she turned into a tiny aromatic flower that grew on vines, and that the nectar of this flower was an intoxicating as her love life. Aphrodisiac? Perhaps. It is definitely worth sampling a bottle or two and conducting your own research and conclusions.

103 calories per ounce. Around $30 for a 750 in the US. How much in Coz...?

 

[MMM]

Agreed. As per our allowances, my husband and I bought a VERY expensive bottle of rum and another VERY expensive bottle of tequila - both meant to be drunk straight up. I wrapped one in my 5 mm wetsuit and the other in my 3 mm hooded vest. Both arrived in pristine condition. All that neoprene I wear has a secondary use. Next time try the Xtabentun - it's a nice nitecap. Lots of different different brands sold.

Most glass bottles are much stronger than most people give them credit for. I have never had a problem with them breaking in my bag. After my last trip I am broke, wouldn't be able to justify buying that bottle of good tequila here, and that bottle of excellent rum I got there isn't available in the states.
I haven't tried Xtabentun but I am planning on doing so next time I am there.
~Jess

 

[MMM]

Well, you could plan to bring down a few gifts or old clothes to recycle within your allowed weight limits and, after giving them away, have a few new pounds of available space. And in your case Don, you could decide to leave behind a lot of other stuff (coffeemakers and stale buns etc.) :blinking: and have even more available space.

I don't think I'd try to save a couple of bucks on Kaluhla (man, everyone tries to give you a bottle of the stuff at Christmas!) but would try and bring back something I can't buy at home at all at any cost. Cuban rum comes to mind for you Americans...

One problem many get into is checked luggage weight. With your BC & wetsuit still damp, your luggage will weight more than it did going. If you were close to heavy going, you may be even closer returning. What does a liter of Kahlua weigh? 3# each? Adding 12# to return luggage can be a problem. Save $44 on the liqueur, pay $25 on the weight, then pay US Customs for bringing back more than one bottle thru Houston. Ooops. :11:

 

[JessH]

Cuban rum comes to mind for you Americans...

Great rum and it is nice and cheap. Unfortunately it is illegal for an American to buy even if they are going to consume it there....

:lookaround:

~Jess

 

[MMM]

Oh, I didn't know that it applied to things you legally purchased in a different country. Bummer.

Great rum and it is nice and cheap. Unfortunately it is illegal for an American to buy even if they are going to consume it there....

:lookaround:

~Jess

 

[JessH]

Oh, I didn't know that it applied to things you legally purchased in a different country. Bummer.

Yeah. Someone needs to tell the US Gov that trade embargos don't work when you are the only country doing it.

~Jess

 

[DandyDon]

Well, you could plan to bring down a few gifts or old clothes to recycle within your allowed weight limits and, after giving them away, have a few new pounds of available space. And in your case Don, you could decide to leave behind a lot of other stuff (coffeemakers and stale buns etc.) :blinking: and have even more available space.

I was discussing the plight of other travelers. I have 70# limits, so no problem. I just didn't see the point in trying to save a couple of buck on Kahlua and I don't drink enough to think about the others.

I did leave my used batteries with a DM, tho, the coffee maker with a nice lady at the hotel, and the buns & baking soda were history.

I don't think I'd try to save a couple of bucks on Kahlua (man, everyone tries to give you a bottle of the stuff at Christmas!) but would try and bring back something I can't buy at home at all at any cost. Cuban rum comes to mind for you Americans...

The US Govt would never know if one of us consumed a Cuban cigar or bottle of rum there, but we're not allowed to posses either on return. Castro is almost dead tho, Miami FL is including his death in their Orange Bowl celebrations - maybe things will change soon.

If I was Canadian, I'd already know what diving is like around Havana, but maybe soon Cozumel could be competing with them for the USDollar. Then the cruise boat docks...! :shakehead

 

[nyprrthd]

Last time I was in Especias, Adrian poured a couple of rounds of Xtabentun shots for our table. Good stuff. I have seen it in the States, though very rarely, and three times the Coz street price. BTW, don't buy it on the waterfront; get it at the big liquor store just north of the original PeMex station.

Adrian got us blotto on the stuff! Chedraui also has a good liquor selection, at great prices. They didn't have D'Aristi when we were there, so we went to the one you mentioned.

Don - Thanks for the story. If you pay attention, you learn something every day!

 

[ggunn]

Great rum and it is nice and cheap. Unfortunately it is illegal for an American to buy even if they are going to consume it there....

Can you cite a reference for that? How can the US gov't legislate outside their juridiction? It would be impossible to enforce something like that. If you order a rum and coke (with a twist of lime, a Cuba Libre) in Mexico, and you find out that they made it with Cuban rum, are you supposed to pour it out?

You can't bring Cuban rum back into the US, sure, OK, but illegal to drink it when you're in Mexico? If it is indeed a law (and I have my doubts), it's an extremely silly one.