Brewing Alcohol in Another World for Living

Flavored Vodka

Translated by Omkar
Edited by Omkar

He and the peddler’s siblings enjoyed home-brewed whiskey until late into the night. The next day. The elven siblings had their heads in their hands. Lynlandia-san, in particular, had a terrible hangover. It was not surprising since they had been drinking vodka and whiskey alternately. Ariel had a slight headache, but it did not seem that bad. Seeing the two of them, I reconfirmed once again the strength of my liver.

Yesterday, I had to go into a drinking session without even having a business meeting. As we were about to resume our business meeting, Lynlandia brought a large treasure chest from the carriage and put it on the floor. He opened the box and said to me.

“Shogo-san, please sell me as much of your alcohol as you can. I will pay you as much as you want from here.”

“What ? Are you out of your mind ?”

“My mind is as sane as my sanity. After a long time, my blood is boiling as a peddler. Your alcohol is a true golden water. I don’t care about the asking price. Please sell me your alcohol. By all means, this Lynlandia. I will put my soul into it and make your alcohol famous !”

The box he brought was packed with a treasure trove of gold and silver coins. He seemed to think highly of my alcohol, which made me very happy. More than anything else, his words about making my alcohol famous struck a deep chord in my heart.

I took his hand and thanked him, “Lynlandia-san ! I’m so happy! I will sell you my alcohol.”

“Really ! This is a relief. Let’s work out the details.”

I don’t take too kindly to having someone other than myself sell my alcohol to others. This is because they often don’t understand the correct expression of alcohol and my commitment to it. I can’t stand it when someone introduces alcohol that they put their life into making as just a “delicious alcohol”. Of course, there is no problem if someone who has drunk it recommends it to others. But if a businessman who is a professional does so, it gives me a headache just thinking about it.

In this respect, I can trust the Lynlandia and her sister. They have the vocabulary to describe flavors, and they are likely to consider the clientele according to the alcohol. The business meeting with him was concluded, and we entered the stage of exchanging money for goods.

“Ariel, I need you to go to the forest immediately to find some plants that could be used as a cushioning material.”

“Yes, Brother Dia.”

“Ah, if you are going to the forest, may I join you ?”

“Yes ? I don’t mind, but is there something ?”

“Actually–”

There was a reason I went in the forest with Ariel. The forests around here are rich with century-old trees that are used to make oak wood for alcohol barrels. She, an elf, was moving through the forest as if she were walking on a flat path. I couldn’t keep up with her speed, so she went out of her way to match my pace.

“What is it that you want to ask me, Shogo-san ?”

“Yes, as I mentioned earlier, I was thinking of making flavored vodka.”

“Flavored vodka ?”

Flavored vodka refers to vodka flavored with herbs and other flavorings.

“That’s why you bought the <Angel Biting Grass> from my Brother Dia.”

“Yes, that herb smelled just like the leaves of the cherry trees that would grow in my hometown. It also had a strong smell and sweetness. This is it! I thought to myself.”

“Is it not enough to just add herbs to vodka ?”

“If you just put the herbs in the vodka as they are, it is difficult for the flavor to transfer to the alcohol, and it is too costly to add more herbs per bottle of alcohol. So we have to extract the essence from the herbs, but that’s not my area of expertise, and I’m sure the elves who are familiar with herbs would know something about that.”

Seeing Shogo talking enthusiastically about alcohol, Ariel thought to herself.

(Heh heh, did you know that, Shogo-san ? When you are talking about alcohol, your eyes sparkle and you really seem to enjoy talking.)

“I understand now. If that’s the case, leave it to me. I will teach you how to easily extract the essence from a herb.”

I thanked her. Then she asked me if she could drink the flavored vodka I had made in return, and I readily agreed. After that, I searched for and cut the grass that would provide the cushioning she was looking for. It was quite a lot and she wanted to carry it in several pieces. So I got out the drawstring bag from my item box and put it all away.

“Shogo-san ? If I may ask, isn’t that an item box ?”

“Yes, that is correct. The Goddess gave it to me.”

“God……. gave it to you ?”

“Did I said something wrong ?”

“No, it’s not like that. However, I think it would be better not to reveal such a big secret….”

“What do you mean ?”

“So the item box is a legendary item, and usually even the king of a country may or may not have one. If the church finds out that you are an apostle of Goddess and a person who has been given blessings, you will be taken by force to the church, and you will be canonized as a saint in no time ! !”

Are you serious. But sure, that’s about the way you’d be treated in my previous life, based on common sense.

But I already died once and met the God, and all the common sense in me has disappeared since I was transferred to this world. That said, if I had not learned the common sense of this world, I would have been in danger here. I have to thank her for making me realize it.

“It’s not fair.” (murmuring)

“Huh ?”

Ariel suddenly began to mope. She reacted as if she was a young girl who wanted to tell me something.

“So, you see, it would be unfair to know only Shogo-san’s secret, so I will tell you mine.”

“Oh, I do know that you love your big brother, you know that Brocon thing, right ?”

“No, it’s not ! It is no secret.”

“She denied, her face turning red as if she were a bee caught off guard.”

“Okay, then what can you tell me about you ?”

“I am of Elven Royal Blood, and I am a Princess.”

“Eh- Ehhhhhhh ! ! ? You’re a Pr- Princess?”

“Yes….”

“Is it safe for the princess to be here? And if Ariel, the younger sister, is a princess, then Lynlandia is…”

“Dia, my brother, is the second in line to the throne.”

I thought I was going to be surprised when she said that, but then I thought of him, the sloppy drinker I saw yesterday, and her story suddenly smelled fishy.

“Eh, yeah~. No way. I can’t believe that such a simple-minded person is the prince.”

“Brother Dia is neither dumb nor an idiot ! ! !”

“I haven’t said that much….”

“Brother Dia is the one whose name is <Singing Wanderer>. Just as the prophet had predicted, Dia Brother was very reluctant to be tied down to a single place. So he just parades around the world as a peddler !”

“I see, and so Ariel-san is traveling with her beloved brother.”

“Yes, I will be coming of age soon. When elven royalty reaches adulthood, they are not allowed to leave their villages. I wanted to know the outside world before that. So I forced my Brother Dia to bring me here.”

How could your father allow it ?

Ariel-san and I came home safely after that. Lynlandia-san helped me to make flavored vodka on the side while he was busy packing up the alcohol. I poured the naturally dried aromatic herbs into a container of water and proceeded to pour the magic into the container. The clear water turned light green.

“It’s amazing ! How did you do that ?”

“All substances have magical power, so if you change water into magical water, the magical power of the substance will dissolve into the magical water. Together with the magical power, the plant-derived ingredients will also dissolve together. Please try it, Shogo-san. Anyone can do it.”

“I understand !”

I immediately placed the <Angel Biting Grass> in the water and let the magic flowing in my body flow into the container. Then, just like Ariel, the extract of the herb dissolved into the water. After that, I mixed the vodka with the herb extract, and finally, I put just one bottle of the herb itself into the liquor bottle, and it was ready.

When the alcohol was finished, Lynlandia made an appearance as if to catch it.

“Have you finished packing it already ?”

“Yes, it is perfect. It will protect the bottle from any impact ! So, is the alcohol ready ?”

“Yes, I just finished.”

“Which of course you would be willing to let us taste it ?”

“Areh~, wasn’t Lynlandia-san struggling with a terrible hangover ?”

“I thought that the morning drink is the best medicine to get rid of a hangover.”

There was no way this drunkard could be a prince of the elven royalty. With this thought in mind, I prepared three glasses and poured vodka flavored with herbs. The two people who were about to drink immediately were stopped and the magic stone purchased from Lynlandia was dropped into the glasses.

“Is this the ‘soda stone’ I sold to you ?”

“That’s right. It tastes great straight up, of course, but the carbonation gives the flavored vodka its full fragrance.”

The soda stone was a magic stone that reacted with liquid to produce carbonic acid. With this, one could even think of making highball whiskey.

“Then, let’s have some.”

Once they took a sip, they continued to take two sips of the vodka as if they were devouring it.

“ “Puhah ! !” ”

“How can vodka, which had such a clear taste, can change so much ? There’s just something about the aromatic, plant-derived freshness with a hint of salty sweetness that I can’t put my finger on.”

“I agree with you brother. I didn’t like the alcoholic strength of the alcohol I drank yesterday when it came into my mouth, but with this flavored vodka, the aroma comes first, then the carbonation and alcohol pop together, so I was not bothered by the strength of the alcohol too much.”

“I need to adjust the distribution of the herbal extract and vodka a bit more, but I think it’s tasty enough to be a good drink.”

Needless to say, Lynlandia was so determined to do business that he also purchased flavored vodka after this. Although we had only been trading partners for two days, the bond between me and the elf had become quite deep. I wished them a safe trip and they wished me success in my business and left for a new business meeting.

“Flavored Vodka made with Angel Biting Grass……  I’ll call it <Angel’s Breath>.”

(A little stinky? Well, it stands out, and that shouldn’t be a problem.)

＝＝＝＝Flavored Vodka＝＝＝＝

The clear, colorless, low-fat, easy-to-drink vodka that has a clear image as vodka is called pure vodka.

However, flavored vodkas are made by soaking fruits, herbs, or spices in a pure vodka base, or by adding artificial sweeteners.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

Author’s Afterword

The flavored vodka that appeared in this issue was inspired by a popular alcohol called Zubrowka. This vodka is made by mixing grass, which is often eaten by the bison, into vodka. Japanese people often describe this vodka as having the flavor of sakura mochi. If I have a day off the next day, I always drink vodka with soda. If you have a chance to go to a bar, why not try it ?

Omkar’s Note

I’m sorry, I made a huge blunder in the last chapter. Ariel doesn’t use ‘Dear’ but ‘Dia’ as in short for her brother’s name “Lynlandia”.