Souvenir ideas?

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When the mood strikes me, I've taken to bringing back Christmas ornaments or some little ornament that will serve to hang on a tree.
 
``Xtabentun liqueur'' What exactly is this?
It's a liqueur made from anise and honey from bees on the Yucatan which get their nectar from the xtabentun flower. It tastes like a black jelly bean with a kick. I love the stuff. There are a couple of different brands, but D'Aristi is the best, IMO. It's yummy in coffee or straight up as an aperitif. Tip: keep it in the freezer.


Xtabentún (liqueur) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Mexican Blackbird (my concoction)

1 oz. Kahlua
1 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
1/2 oz. D'Aristi Xtabentun

Serve layered, or mix the Kahlua and Bailey's first else the Xtabentun will clot the cream in the Bailey's.
 
``Xtabentun liqueur''

What exactly is this?

I know all about the shops and cheap trinkets. I would like something a little unique if possible. She travels to Playa Del Carmen every year, but despite my best efforts, has never taken the ferry to the real vacation spot :)

Oh my gosh, you have to at least try it. It is hard to find in the states. Test the theory by going to El Moro and give it a try as the included after dinner aperitif. We have become mules of the stuff for friends and family. For ease and since we are usually traveling carry-on only, we buy it in the duty free. shockingly, they were out in February. (I know!) Maybe I should stop telling people about it...

You could also hit that liquor store near Wet Wendy's on the 5th Avenue pedestrian area just north of the plaza. He would let you try some and his prices on it aren't bad.

Or if you want original, how about adopting a dog from the Humane Society. I would guarantee no one got her one of those.... Too much?
 
They make Chocolate on the island. I like the really dark stuff:
Chocolates Kaokao Cozumel Mexico
I've been told the tour is very nice as well. I've seen the Kaokao bars the the Los Cinco Soles at the CUN airport so I'm assuming its available in many places. It's kind of pricey for Chocolate, but I've found most truly good things are not cheap.

Edit: I'm going to go out on a limb and say your friend loves her Chocolate, so get her a couple of bars to sample.
 
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If you are planning to carry home booze, bring some bubble wrap and tape. Several years ago I carted home a big bottle of Kahlua, wrapped up in my clothes. By the time I got home the damn thing had a crack and had leaked all over the clothes and onto the living room carpet.... ugh. I found a note in there from customs/luggage inspectors saying they had been in there inspecting... they shifted things around, uncushioning the bottle in the process. To add salt to the wound the price on the Kahlua wasn't really much cheaper than what you can buy it for here.... grrr. Lesson learned.

As to souvenirs.... the last thing I need is more tchotchkes. Not romantic or pricey, but my favorite thing to bring home is clothespins. I like to hang out my laundry and they make really good, colorful clothespins in Mexico as most people who live there hang out their laundry too. In Chedraui I found a little Mexican woven shopping bag with clothespins in it. Perfect for a clothespin bag to hang by your line.
 
they also carry very nice quality stuff. I've purchased good silver jewelry there, and ...

I hope this isn't too OT, but is the silver jewelry you see in the better Mexican shops really decent stuff? My wife and I looked at it while we were on Coz a couple of years ago, but I had no way of knowing whether it was of reliable quality, or just plated white metal. Is there any way of separating the good quality from junk?
 
If your friend is likes to bake, Mexican vanilla is really good. You can get it in most of the tourist stores. I like the different varieties....vanilla with vanilla bean bits, clear vanilla, and just plain ol' vanilla. Real vanilla in the States is expensive!
 
I like bringing home a few hot sauces where ever we go. Last time in Cozumel I went to the grocery store and picked out 3 that had the least amount of bottles left, thinking those would be the best. I've only tried 2 so far and the best was Captain Bravo Zanahoria carrot, I'm saving the bottle to make sure I get it again next time.
 
We bought our dog sitter a Mexican blanket. Not sure if it's locally made or not but they had an assortment of colours all in the Mexican style. She loved hers in pink and grey and it was only $6 US. Great to lay on her couch for those cooler nights.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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