Don’t let the rainy day weather get you down. Keith Reardon and company at Sloatsburg Wine and Liquors keep the lights on and the welcome mat out.

The local business has been up and running going on five years now, and in that time Reardon has adjusted the store’s inventory to suit his local clientele, including a thorough restocking of the store’s wine selection that focuses on what Reardon likes to call value wines.

Sloatsburg Wine has a wine tasting every Saturday after 1 p.m. that introduces a particular Chardonnay or red wine Reardon believes local wine aficionados might enjoy.

But the store’s not so secret best seller is vodka. And with the summer season and Fourth of July holiday here, Sloatsburg Wine has a whole selection of vodkas for adventurous patrons to taste.

Along with the tried and true, Reardon stocks vodka from all over — Poland, Russia, Scandanavia, the Netherlands, the United States. “That’s how I do it, I go by region and get the best vodka I can get,” said Reardon.

A couple of his latest finds are Zombie Vodka, mostly for the bottle and timeliness of topic, and Green Mark, a brand directly from the motherland.

“Russian vodka has a big taste, peppery taste,” said Reardon, who said it’s been his experience that many boutique vodkas that cater to the American market are tasteless by comparison, because that’s how Americans like their vodka.

Sloatsburg Wine and Liquors competes fairly well in price but currently Reardon’s specialty is trying to introduce interesting vodkas and wine to the local palate at a price that will bring patrons back to the store.

“Prices are good, some better than others,” Keith said. “There are different schools of vodka making, with different approaches. I’m trying to get people away from Grey Gooses and into much better vodka for less money. There’s nothing like Russian vodka. It tastes very different from say a Titos (a handmade craft vodka). It all tastes large.”

Photo shows Mikalia Jergensen and Keith Reardon standing amid the wine and vodka at Sloatsburg Wine and Liquor.

Sloatsburg Wine and Liquors is located along Rt. 17 in the central village.