
- Sophie X. Pollak ©️ Seven Days
- Indian-Nepali Kitchen's cauliflower 65 and dal soup
I’ve bought my share of off-label hand sanitizer during the pandemic — sticky, gunky, gelatinous stuff that feels yucky, smells icky and falls short of the doctor-recommended 60 percent alcohol content.
Then I got turned on to Barr Hill hand sanitizer from Caledonia Spirits and it was a pandemic pleasure (relatively): Barr Hill’s product looks and feels like you’re squirting water into your hands, or maybe washing with gin. Its alcohol content is a WHO-approved 80 percent.
Over the months, I bought the Barr Hill stuff when I spotted it at local shops such as Jake’s ONE Market in Burlington and Philo Ridge Farm in Charlotte. But those occasions were infrequent.
Recently, I drove to the source on Gin Lane in Montpelier and purchased a case: 12 four-once bottles for $3.12 apiece. The distillery is open for curbside business with a roped-off maze that leads from an order station to a pickup place. It helps to be stone-cold sober to navigate the route.
Barr Hill is selling its standard fare — spirits and cocktails — in addition to the public-health hygiene product. To celebrate my purchase of a case of something fine, I bought a Negroni to-go. Made with Tom Cat gin, the amber beauty comes with two orange slices floating in the jar. For $24, it’s made to serve two — or perhaps one-and-a-half — and comes with a bag of mixed nuts.

- Sophie X. Pollak ©️ Seven Days
- Barr Hill Negroni, hand sanitizer and mixed nuts
Related New Indian Restaurants Come to St. Albans and Montpelier

I opted for two appetizers — a bowl of dal soup ($4.99) made with yellow lentils and cooked with spices including ginger, garlic, turmeric and curry leaves, and an order of cauliflower 65 ($7.50). The combined price put me slightly over the $12 Dining on a Dime limit, but I have a legit excuse for how this occurred. (I won't bore you with it.)
The serving of crispy cauliflower was generous, especially for an appetizer. The dish complemented my Negroni in tone and temp. My daughter likes her food spicy and her chicken vindaloo, off-limits to me at $12.99, hit her flavor mark.
Still to use: 11 1/2 bottles of hand sanitizer.
Comments
Comments are closed.
Since 2014, Seven Days has allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we’ve appreciated the suggestions and insights, the time has come to shut them down — at least temporarily.
While we champion free speech, facts are a matter of life and death during the coronavirus pandemic, and right now Seven Days is prioritizing the production of responsible journalism over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor. Or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.