There are many adorable local shops in Portland. RSVP Discount Beverage is not adorable. On the adorable scale, it lives just south of Route 1 in Saugus and a strip mall parking lot.

Inside, however, they have a really good selection of products (including local beers and hard ciders) and a completely wonderful and adorable saleswoman who has taken my ridiculous questions and given thoughtful recommendations.

For example, I went in last month looking to purchase some port, sherry, and bourbon for an obscure holiday cocktail entitled Whispers of the Frost. I want you to picture in your mind going to a liquor store employee and telling them that you plan to mix port, sherry, bourbon, and sugar together in a cocktail and could they give you some pointers. Imagine, if you can, that this employee does not laugh at you. Truly. Whispers of the Frost? Port and sherry? Seriously? I would laugh at you. But no. Instead, she asked me if the recipe specified tawny or ruby port, or a type of sherry. When it turned out that they did not, she looked up the drink online, was not able to find further details, but was able to find a recipe that linked to recommended ports and sherries, and pieced together some ideas from there. And thus, I left with a variety of good but not hugely expensive bottles and an exhortation to give sherry a second try because it really is better than most people think.

She also found me a good wine to have with my moose stew.

When I look online, I see all these reviews of RSVP complaining about their service, which I just don’t get at all. Maybe these people didn’t ask for recommendations?*

In any case, my experiences have been entirely positive and Whispers of the Frost was dramatically better than I had any reason to expect.

RSVP Discount Beverage
887 Forest Ave
Portland, ME
207-773-8808

* I am a person who asks for advice in stores. I would say that I am afraid I will turn into one of those crazy old ladies that want to have long conversations about the merchandise in busy stores in the middle of the day except that I suspect I am already that lady. But a person doesn’t work in a book store, or a liquor store, or a corduroy pants shop or what have you to make big money. They probably work there because they like corduroy pants and they’ve probably picked up a fair amount about corduroy pants and I basically never regret it when I ask for advice. (Except the J. Crew salespeople who are constantly recommending their “matchstick” pants which is a style that I enjoy just fine on others but looks legitimately terrible on me and will not ever be a good idea.)