Alco-Shops: Vom Fass

If you’re interested in obscure spirits and liqueurs, you might be interested in Vom Fass. It’s a niche, very middle class store that capitalises on the modern fervour for the gourmet, and particularly for the gourmet served in a quirky way.

Vom Fass specialises in the sale of liquid – specifically vinegars, oils, liqueurs and spirits that may be aged, rare, or more frequently, infused with things. So if you’re a member of the new middle class, and you like your bread and oil, or your specialty vinegars, you need to find this store - http://www.vomfassuk.com/. 

Equally, if you like liqueurs and spirits, it’s certainly worth a look. They ain’t cheap, but these are drinks that are hard to find elsewhere – grappas, brandies, whiskies, flavoured vodkas, caipirinha… and they’ll let you try before you buy, so you can always find something a bit special. 

All this is topped off with a range of quirky bottles (two of which are pictured above - that's grappa in the one on the right) that you choose from to house your liquid of choice. They are of all different sizes, so if you don’t have much money, you can just get a small amount. You have to buy a bottle, and then choose a liquid to fill it with. Once you’re done you can take the bottle back and have it filled up again – so you only pay for the liquid the next time, and the liquid is priced per 100ml. I’m not sure what would happen if you went with an empty 500ml coke bottle…

The staff will also write a little message for you on the bottle, so the implication is that these are intended to be gifts more than something you would buy for yourself. Last time I asked if they could draw a trumpet on it, and some musical notes, as if it were playing a fanfare (why stop at words?). The shop assistant said, “can you draw one?” and handed me the pen. I could – just about. It was a private joke for my brother-in-law. Next time: boobies.

Check out their site, find your local store, and go have a look. I particularly like the grappa and caipirinha, but I have to treat them very sparingly – I could just drink them all day.