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Chris Ciolli, our Barcelona Local Expert, introduced us to the city’s boozy Sunday tradition—and now, we’re obsessed. Here’s how to experience it when you go, and how to host an authentic vermut yourself.

Where can you find an island rising above a wetland marsh that provides for thousands of snowy egrets nesting on man-made stilt platforms and a historic factory producing over 700,000 bottles of a fire-hot red sauce a day? Only one place in world, Avery Island, Louisiana, home to the world-famous Tabasco sauce. Located about 3 hours west of New Orleans, Avery Island is where Tabasco sauce was created in 1868 by Edmund McIlhenney. Still family-run, the factory (open for tours) produces over 700,000 bottles a day of the hot stuff after aging the pepper “mash” in white oak casks for 3 years. The factory tour (free of charge) includes a video about how Tabasco sauce is made, a view of the bottling room, and a chance to see a oak cask up close filled with the pungent smelling pepper mash. After the hot stuff, it is time for a little nature. In the late 1890’s the founder’s son, E.A. McIlhenney created what is now known as Bird Island to encourage the nesting of the beautiful snowy egrets which had been hunted for their plumes nearly to the point of extinction. Over 120 years later, thousands of snowy egrets mass each spring in a squawking community of white to raise their young safely on man-made stilt and reed platforms. Bird Island is located within the 170-acre Jungle Garden along the Bayou Petite Anse just a two-minute drive from the Tabasco Factory. The gardens include bamboo forests, camellia and azalea gardens, massive oak trees, gators, deer and raccoon.

An hour boat ride along Usumacinta River on the Guatemala border can take you to Yaxchilan, Palenque’s less visited cousin in the tropics of Chiapas, Mexico. Twelve-thousand-year old architecture brings many questions to mind. But at this moment, I wondered what life was like for these two gardeners, who spend many days working in the shadows of this ancient civilization. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/tabasco-and-chiapas/yaxchilan

Takoba Austin is a great East Austin hangout spot for brunch, dinner or simply drinks. A covered outdoor patio is perfect on a cool afternoon. Try the Michelada, which comes in a salt and lime-rimmed frosty mug, filled with tomato juice, tabasco and Mexican beer. Perfect with combo with chips, salsa and tacos. The verde de aguacate salsa is also worth trying—a mix of creamy avocado, jalapeño, tomatillo, onion & cilantro.

Local is the operative word in the Portland, Maine food scene. Ask a waiter what Atlantic Day-Boat halibut is exactly, and he’ll spin a story about the local captain who pulls in with the day’s catch. At the height of summer, it seems that every ingredient is caught, raised, foraged, or grown in the vicinity. So it’s no surprise that Maine oysters take pride of place at Eventide Oyster Co. Sure, there are some bivalves from New York and the West Coast, but my advice is to quiz the waitress about the ones from West Bath, Casco Bay, and the Damariscotta River. A hit of frozen Tabasco came on the house, but these plump beauties are best with just a squeeze of lemon.

I hesitated to try it at Randy LeBlanc’s Pont Breaux Restaurant while all around me the locals dumped it on everything on their plates. It flirted with me next to the salt and pepper while others got up to dance to the lively Cajun music, but I resisted. In the morning sitting down to my eggs and sausage at the Sonnier’s Bayou Boudin Cabins in Breaux Bridge I wanted to give it a shot. With the color of Tabasco but thicker and with a subtler flavor, it tasted of tomato, paprika, garlic powder/juice and tamarind. Mommy like! By lunch at Poche’s, I went right for the garlic sauce to pour liberally over my fried alligator. On the way out I grabbed two bottles from the store shelf to take home. Now, nearly out of my supply way over in Oregon, I am starting to worry. I won’t even share with my loved ones. I tell you am in deep. This stuff starts out easy, and then you develop a fondness, and finally there are certain foods you can’t even enjoy without it. Now when I order etoufee, jambalaya or even a cheese omelet I lament the lack of garlic sauce on the table. The meal is not complete. Oh the sweet addiction! Some places make their own, some have their branding affixed to the label. Poche’s. www.poches.com has a store with all sorts of Louisiana Cajun goodies and will ship.( the answer to my prayers). Cajun Power Sauce is a manufacturer and you can check it out at www.cajunpowersauce.com

In India, cricket is more than a sport. It is a religion, a passion, and a fellowship. Cricket with beer? Even better. Howzatt is Delhi’s first cricket-themed micro brewery, serving what I believe is the best beer and beer twisters in Gurgaon. Try Bowled Out, a twister with premium beer, Tabasco, lime juice, and Indian seasonings. Did you know that beer can also be instrumental in regulating kidney function because of its strong diuretic properties? The menu offers fun and seemingly scientific facts about the health benefits of drinking beer - in moderation, of course. The freshly brewed, preservative-free craft beers are available in a small mug, large mug and pitcher. There are also over 55 snack options, a live DJ, and an interior that would make Sachin Tendulkar proud.

My first day in downtown Anchorage, I took in lunch at Snow City Cafe. As soon as I entered, I knew I was going to love this place. The ambience is created by an eclectic mix of part diner, part espresso bar, part bakery. The walls are covered with fascinating photos of dogs from sled teams, along with the names of their mushers. Although I could seriously eat bacon every day, I know my doctor would not appreciate that, so I rarely do. However, nearly every time I sit down to a meal in a cafe that serves breakfast all day, I get the exact same thing: two eggs over easy, bacon, potatoes, wheat toast, and an enormous amount of Tabasco. That was my plan for this meal, but after looking at the menu, I decided to order two eggs over easy, hash browns, and wheat toast and substitute Snow City’s housemade salmon cakes for the bacon - this is Alaska after all - and I couldn’t be happier that I did. The hash browns were amazing, as well – I don’t know what their secret ingredient is, but whatever it is, it’s working. I love to include photos of the people working in an establishment whenever I can, but the cafe was packed and I was unable to pull anyone from their duties. They were busy taking care of customers, and you have to appreciate that. We had a 35-minute wait and it was well worth it. If you’re ever in Anchorage, Snow City Cafe needs to be one of the first stops you make.

A chic deli to be sure, Belmondo serves American-style sandwiches like Reubens, tuna melts, grilled cheeses, etc.—about which its young, fashionable adherents rave—but the menu holds some surprises as well, like a barbecued brisket or a chicken curry on peasant bread. The salad selection is varied and creative, in everything from an old-fashioned Cobb to exquisite local beets with goat cheese and avocado. Breakfast (weekends only before 1:45 p.m.) is also about greatest hits; think eggs Benedict and French toast or one of the very few bagels with gravlax you’ll ever see south of the Rio Grande. The place, in Roma Norte, is famed for celebrity sightings and generally crowded, yet the vibe is low-key, cool, and friendly.

Right in the heart of the Flatiron District, this swanky cocktail joint evokes the bygone days of the Jazz Era—and has one of the most extensive bar menus around, too. You can almost see Frank Sinatra propped up in the corner of the Art Deco-style room, sipping his gentleman’s drink (that’s Jack Daniel’s with a splash of water). All ingredients are freshly muddled, minced, and made to order; the drink menu changes with the seasons. Try a martini if you lean toward the classics or dive into a specialty cocktail, like the Devil Went Down to Georgia (bourbon, lemon, peach, and Tabasco) or the aptly named Dying Bastard (gin, Cognac, bourbon, housemade lime cordial, ginger, and Angostura bitters). If you’ve got the whole evening ahead of you, go one step further and order the cocktail flight of the day so you can sample a little bit of everything.