We enjoy many yummy things that are not necessary, so why consume them if they are not the best? And, of course, by the best, I mean the one you like. Taste is like that. One man's poison, and all. Gin and tonic is one of those yummy things which I enjoy and will not drink if I don't like it. Well, it turns out that besides personal preference, every gin pairs differently with every tonic and that just leads to exploration. Unfortunately, cost matters and tonic water can be expensive--Fever Tree, anyone? Long story short, I don't like gratuitously expensive, but I also hate junk--so I shop at Costco, the land of decent products at decent prices. Enter Costco gin at about 18 bucks for 1.5 liters! Prior to discovering it, I'd tried every gin out there and found more variety than one might imagine possible in a clear liquor! But Costco's was good and inexpensive and I was happy...until they started chronically running out of Fever Tree tonic water. So I experimented with various tonics and found that some of them enhanced my gin and some of them ruined it. Some of them were stupid expensive and some of them were just plain awful. Well, last week, I ran out of my go to brand and was "forced" to order on Amazon and skeptically, VERY skeptically, bought Happy Belly for $1.41 in a liter bottle. That's right, it's stupid cheap! But as I unenthusiastically made my evening G&T last night and settled in with low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised that it paired well and I liked it. Hopefully Amazon won't discover their mistake and raise the price. Or, alternatively, Fever Tree WILL discover their mistake and lower theirs! Until then, Happy Palate, excuse me, Happy Belly, is on my Subscribe and Save. Cheers to Costco, Amazon, and my Happy Wallet!