The Amsterdam Cheese & Liquor Store is a very fine representative of all things Dutch, with 50 varieties of cheese, them, all imported from the Netherlands – as well as every kind of cheese-related item from slicers and skewers to cutting boards and serving dishes. Owner Étienne Rogers is happy to share his knowledge of which cheeses complement which rums with which crackers. Forget about your cheddar and Camembert – there’s coconut, pepper, pumpkin, truffle, jalapeño, cumin and asparagus – to name a few. But Etienne heartily defends Gouda. He says that people come in and say they don’t like Gouda. His response: “You don’t like American Gouda; Dutch Gouda you will love.”

Read more in Tripatini contributor Fyllis Hockman´s post Savoring Cheese, Rum, and Perfume on St. Martin/Sint Maarten.

Amsterdam Cheese & Liquor Store