Well, you 'Firefly' fans out there might get a kick out of this. I just watched for the first time the (brilliant) pilot episode of Joss Whedon's sci-fi cowboy space soaper, and to kick things off right I brought about two fingers worth of Ng Ka Py to sip along with Captain Mal and company.

Ng Ka Py is Chinese brandy, and it's not an easy thing to find. I had to go to three different Bay Area Asian markets to score myself a bottle... to give you an idea of how pleased with myself this made me, you'll just have to picture me (I look like Brad Pitt circa 1998) standing in line and cradling my soon-to-be-purchased bottle of booze like a beaming father holding his firstborn child. "Mal drinks this," I wanted to blurt to all the nice people around me. "You know, the hero from 'Firefly'. It's his favorite. I have all the DVDs. Yay!"

(For the record, I bought the 'Firefly' box set sight unseen after catching 'Serenity' on a whim and deciding that it's one of the single best sci-fi flicks ever. Seriously, watch it if you haven't already.)

So, for all of that, how is Ng Ka Py? Well, it's got a very fruity bouquet, a bit like fresh apricot pits. The first sip is rather harsh, but the burn quickly fades to a strong flavor of anise seed that is reminiscent of burnt black licorice. At first I didn't think I was going to like it, but by the third or fourth sip I found that it was going down pleasant. It wasn't long before I'd gone back for a refill. Ng Ka Py may be an aquired taste, but if you give it a chance you might just find that you like it. Kind of like 'Firefly', actually.