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[KharBevNor]

I don't know if this is the case with bourbon, but you should never drink a scotch without adding a splash of water or soda (to taste) to it, to bring out the flavour fully.

That's why most pubs have a water jug with a distillery logo on the side.

[parm]

I don't know if this is the case with bourbon, but you should never drink a scotch without adding a splash of water or soda (to taste) to it, to bring out the flavour fully.

That's why most pubs have a water jug with a distillery logo on the side.

Ooh, controversial. I'll agree with you for cask-strength malts, but I find a standard 40% malt will actually lose flavour if I add water.

[axerton]

sleep/fever madness meant I misread this topic as Bacon, I was so disappointed.

[blanktom]

I have never drunk any liquor neat since I was like 15 and glugging it straight out of the bottle.

I can't even drink scotch neat!

[KharBevNor]

Ooh, controversial. I'll agree with you for cask-strength malts, but I find a standard 40% malt will actually lose flavour if I add water.

Nah, I'm pretty certain it's science.

A very small amount of water you understand.

[Dissy]

I have discovered a new love this past weekend...  Coconut Rum.  I now must find some...

[Edith]

Shudder.

Seriously, coconut?

[Dissy]

It was both awesome and disgusting at the same time.

[RedLion]

That sounds kind of awful. Then again, I'm no expert on straight liquor. Tommy, your mini-thesis was fascinating.

[Hairy Joe Bob]

Coconut rum? Isn't that what Malibu is? Ugh.

[negative creep]

... Well I'm sorry-- I do not need to drink anything that'll grow hair on my chest.
I'm a little girl, I reserve the right to drink pussy drinks due to the fact that I own one.

Don't worry! I've been drinking schnaps for years and I still don't have a single hair on my chest!

[negative creep]

Depends on the ingredients. Classic schnaps is made of fruits. Cherry, raspberry, pear, stuff like that. But it's just a very light taste.

[KharBevNor]

Coconut rum? Isn't that what Malibu is? Ugh.

More like, Coconut rum is Malibu. As in, Malibu is the only sort of coconut rum there is. Period.

[Ozymandias]

Captain Morgan makes a variety.

This is not said to make coconut rum more appealing in any way.

[Eris]

The cheaper coconut rum is normally wine-based, making it cheaper, but also not very good (read: shit) quality. That is why I cover it with coke. My brother bought me some Malibu and I never drink it because it is a waste to use it the same way as the $11 rubbish I normally get.


Basically, don't get wine-based versions of liqueurs, because they will taste nowhere near as good. Be sure to check on the back of the label to see if it is a wine-based product (it will say so) before you buy schnapps or cocktail ingredients.

[elcapitan]

So, do people genuinely buy into the idea that some drinks are more masculine than others? I believe this is pretty much a measure of how prevalent the taste of alcohol is in the drink; am I wrong? Men: is there anything that you would not be caught dead drinking at a party, disregarding taste?

Yep. Midori.

I have vivid memories of a guy I know beer-bonging Bombora and Coke (Bombora is one of the cheap coconut-rum pretenders that Eris speaks of). I lost a great deal of respect for him that night.

Finally, gin is fantastic, so fuck all you haters. Only cool people drink gin.

[parm]

So, do people genuinely buy into the idea that some drinks are more masculine than others? I believe this is pretty much a measure of how prevalent the taste of alcohol is in the drink; am I wrong? Men: is there anything that you would not be caught dead drinking at a party, disregarding taste?

Yep. Midori.

I have vivid memories of a guy I know beer-bonging Bombora and Coke (Bombora is one of the cheap coconut-rum pretenders that Eris speaks of). I lost a great deal of respect for him that night.

Finally, gin is fantastic, so fuck all you haters. Only cool people drink gin.

Cool people, and middle-aged women.

I'm not cool, so I guess that makes me a middle-aged woman. Which will probably come as a bit of a surprise to Mrs Parm.

[Inlander]

Rubbish! Gin is a totally classy spirit. Last summer I went to an outdoor concert by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with some friends. We were doing a picnic, so I filled a small jar with Tanqueray No. 10, another small jar with some nice tonic water, and another small jar with some slices of lime. Then my friends were all like "No way! We don't drink gin", and I was like "What the fuck? Losers!" and then I was like "Guzzle guzzle guzzle buzz."

Moral of the story: gin is for sharing and summer time good times, but not with philistines.

ALTERNATIVE MORAL OF THE STORY: gin is even classier than symphony orchestras.

[negative creep]

Depends on the ingredients. Classic schnaps is made of fruits. Cherry, raspberry, pear, stuff like that. But it's just a very light taste.

not too alchol-ey? I may have to make a trip to the liquor store.

Very much alcohol-ey, I'm afraid.

[bbqrocks]

Anybody prepared to write an essay about gin like tommydski did about bourbons?

[Inlander]

Anybody prepared to write an essay about gin like tommydski did about bourbons?

No. However, I will share the information that in the recent Melbourne International Film Festival I saw a screening of Robert Bresson's the Devil, Probably and there was a scene in which a bunch of young people were necking Gordon's, straight, and I was horrified.

[BankHoldUp]

Fuck Bourbon.

[bbqrocks]

Anybody prepared to write an essay about gin like tommydski did about bourbons?

No. However, I will share the information that in the recent Melbourne International Film Festival I saw a screening of Robert Bresson's the Devil, Probably and there was a scene in which a bunch of young people were necking Gordon's, straight, and I was horrified.

Why so? I've seen friends doing that.

Thanks for the article, tommy.

[Alex C]

I'm no connoisseur (the first time I heard the word "ester" I thought of some nice old lady who lived at a nursing home), but I do drink a shit load of gin, so I'll say a couple things. One of the nice things about gin is that it's a fine mixer and you don't particularly need to really break the bank to enjoy it. For example, beefeater isn't the best gin since it basically just hits the bare minimum requirements to be considered "good" gin, but it's a clear step up over hideous rotguts and hits all the right notes to be considered an "archetypal" gin. Does it bring anything fancy to the table? Fuck no! But throw in a dash of a fine vermouth such as Vya Dry and you'll have a pretty respectable martini. In this case the vermouth may very well end up costing as much as the gin, but consider that you really don't need much vermouth to dress up the gin nicely and your pocket book will be in good shape. Same thing with Tanqueray-- I'm not a fan, but it can be dressed up nicely if you choose mixers wisely.

All that said, if I'm in a position to be picky, I go with Bombay Sapphire, or my personal favorite, Plymouth. Just do me a favor and don't come crying about how gin sucks if all you've ever tried is straight Seagram's.

[parm]

You can make a very, very drinkable martini with Bombay and Noillly Prat. Tanqueray is pretty decent, too. I personally wouldn't go near Beefeater; the gin equivalent of Smirnoff Red.

[celticgeek]

Copper Kettle
(Joan Baez)


Get you a copper kettle
And get you a copper coil
Cover with new cut corn mash
And never more you'll toil

Chorus:

You just lay there by the juniper
While the moon is high
And watch them jugs a-fillin
In the pale moonlight


Build your fires of hickory
Hickory or ash or oak
Don't use no green or rotten wood
They'll catch you by the smoke

(Chorus)

My daddy he made whiskey
My granddaddy did too
We ain't paid no whiskey tax
Since Seventeen Ninety Two

(Chorus)

[Alex C]

It's really all in the vermouth in this case. I wouldn't drink beefeater straight under any circumstances, but again, with vya extra dry (actually drinkable straight, believe it or not!) it's pretty nice. You need something that can stand up to the ol' pinesol, in other words, and most vermouths don't add enough complexity to balance out something as overpoweringly straight forward as beefeater. As for tanqueray, I still don't really prefer it enough over beefeater to bother with the sticker price, since at that point I'd rather just scrimp up the cash for some Plymouth. It's really a value-for-the-dollar proposition, in my mind.

[ViolentDove]

Gordons is really not that bad for bottom shelf gin.

Also, if you drink a gin and tonic under UV light, you look like you're drinking some kind of magical glowing space drink. This should be reason enough for anyone to drink a gin and tonic.




(The double bonded carbon rings in quinine fluroresce under UV light. Man it looks awesome)

[Vendetagainst]

While that is completely awesome, it is not because of the aromatic rings. Shame on you.

Also, I could drink vermouth straight. I have only tried one brand (outside of a martini) but I thought it was quite palpable. But then again I could probably drink lemon extract straight.

[Inlander]

Man, I love gin as a basis for totally classy cocktails, but it would have to be super top-quality gin before I'd even consider drinking it straight from the bottle.

[Hat]

I don't think such a gin even exists, to be honest.

It's just a bad idea!

[Inlander]

Oh, it exists.

Not in Australia any more though, sadly, ever since the importer decided to stop importing it. But I've still got half a bottle and I'll guard it with my life!

[KharBevNor]

Jesus, I never thought I'd see people being such fucking snobs about gin.

I mean good grief.

It wouldn't be so ghastly if I didn't have a fair idea most of it is class pretension. Like Inlanders friends who 'don't drink gin', only you guys have allowed yourself to drink gin by making sure you get more expensive or obscure varieties.

[Inlander]

No Khar, it's just that some gins taste like shit, and some don't. Like pretty much any alcoholic drink. And like most spirits, the better stuff is generally also the most expensive, and because it's more expensive, fewer people buy it, and because fewer people buy it, it's not stocked by as many bottle shops and is thus more "obscure".

[calenlass]

Jack Daniels (it's not actually bourbon...)

or Maker's Mark (call yourself whisky if you want, you're a goddamn floozy and you know it)

or Jim Beam White (the most common JD replacement in Europe)

This is for those of you who didn't want to read through Tommy's novel back there. This is also the point I wanted to make for those of you who keep saying things about Jack Daniels and Makers Mark and calling them bourbon when they aren't, because you are dumb.



This is also to derail the shit about gin, because gin is gross unless you like drinking paint thinner.

Edit: I am particularly prejudiced against gin because I don't like mixed drinks. That is, I don't usually do mixed drinks, so actually it is probably because I haven't had any good ones [that involve gin]. All the martinis and gin-and-tonics and gimlets [and most of all the other mixed drinks] I have ever had are absolutely horrifying to the tastebuds, and I will not even start with what it is like straight up.

[calenlass]

I don't know if this is the case with bourbon, but you should never drink a scotch without adding a splash of water or soda (to taste) to it, to bring out the flavour fully.

That's why most pubs have a water jug with a distillery logo on the side.

Ooh, controversial. I'll agree with you for cask-strength malts, but I find a standard 40% malt will actually lose flavour if I add water.

Dude, how much water are you adding? For my neat singles and doubles of bourbons and single malts, I either use one small ice cube and fish it out after about ten seconds, or I wet my fingers and let them drip into the glass and do this once or twice. Any more than that is probably too much.

Also I should note that my "on the rocks" drinks are actually not on the rocks, but the glasses and the bottles of liquor have all been in the freezer. So basically I do the water thing for them, too.

Captain Morgan makes a variety.

This is not said to make coconut rum more appealing in any way.

I found a use for Captain Morgan! Specifically, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum; I haven't tried this with any other variety.

Slice up six or seven limes quite small, and unless you are making a presentation out of it they don't really need to be pretty. Shove a lot of them (half?) into the bottle, shake lightly (turn upside down two or three times to mix), and taste. Continue to add lime slices to taste. You need another empty bottle of about the same size for storage, though, because you really need to halve the quantity of rum to allow for all the lime slices. Serve with anywhere from 1:1 to 1:3 parts water. I have found that serving it in a mug (or tankard, if you have one) is appropriate, or in a tumbler with a lime slice is quite attractive.

GROG.

I realise now that people have been serving rum with lime juice and water for ages, but I came up with this myself (because I want to be a pirate) and also I did it with limes in the bottle and not pussy lime juice just in the cup.

[calenlass]

Also I just want everyone to know that Tommy inspired me to have the last of my bottle of Woodford Reserve for breakfast. (It's ok, there was only enough for a single left anyway.)

[bbqrocks]

Can you buy really strong alcohol in the United States? I've been curious about this, because nowhere in Britain do they have really strong stuff like everclear.

[KharBevNor]

No Khar, it's just that some gins taste like shit, and some don't. Like pretty much any alcoholic drink. And like most spirits, the better stuff is generally also the most expensive, and because it's more expensive, fewer people buy it, and because fewer people buy it, it's not stocked by as many bottle shops and is thus more "obscure".

The level of prejudice against things like Gordons is fucking ridiculous. Perfectly acceptable mid-range gin. Anyone who thinks Gordons is cheap crap is just a fucking snob. Sorry.

[calenlass]

Uh every liquor store within 10 miles of me has at least some variety of 151, and I have seen Booker's regularly stocked in several. I don't generally go for things like everclear and 151, though, because once you get past a certain proof point you start sacrificing flavour. Booker's is an exception to that, but I can't afford it right now so it doesn't matter.

[pwhodges]

Anyone who thinks Gordons is cheap crap is just a fucking snob.

But in the UK, at least, the version they sell in the shops is not the best Gordons;  I bring back stocks of the Export variety when I travel.

[Leinad]

You know, bourbon is the ONE and ONLY alcoholic beverage that I am able to drink because I like how it tastes, not because I want to get hella smashed. I haven't tried a lot of the different kinds, being 3 years away from being able to buy it for myself, but I have enjoyed it the couple times I tried it. Mostly I just knock back a few shots of something cheap and nasty (Smirnoff, Jack, bla blah blah) and then shotgun Coors light til I pass out. So I guess what I am really trying to say is that I have no taste in alcohol.

But I did have some Jameson's Irish Whiskey one time that tasted like a little bit of heaven.

Until I drink half the bottle in ten minutes and got totally smashed... I really have no class.

[calenlass]

Woodford Reserve is $40 for a 375mL bottle. You would not do that sort of thing to it if you paid this much for it.

[KharBevNor]

But in the UK, at least, the version they sell in the shops is not the best Gordons;  I bring back stocks of the Export variety when I travel.

It's not the best, but when properly mixed with tonic I highly suspect a lot of people would not be able to pick it out in blind tasting.

[Leinad]

Woodford Reserve is $40 for a 375mL bottle. You would not do that sort of thing to it if you paid this much for it.

I have yet to pay for any alcohol, actually.

[Scandanavian War Machine]

But I did have some Jameson's Irish Whiskey one time that tasted like a little bit of heaven.

for some reason, i cannot stand Irish Whiskey (most notably, Jameson's). it has some very strange flavors that really gross me out, but i can't pinpoint what they are because i'm too busy going "eww."

[Leinad]

I dunno, I really like it. But don't listen to me for advice on drinking, I don't really like alcohol.

[Alex C]

It's not the best, but when properly mixed with tonic I highly suspect a lot of people would not be able to pick it out in blind tasting.

Agreed. I've said it before and I'll say it again: dressing up gin is easy. Unless you're drinking a virtually pure gin martini, there's not all that much reason to break out much money. Tons of people are more interested in mixers anyway, or else vodka wouldn't be so damn popular stateside. Speaking of vodka, I'll never understand people who start waving their dick about as they drag out a bottle of chopin and proceed to drown it in orange juice. I call shenanigans.

[Leinad]

Shenanigans accepted. I don't know anyone who drinks vodka straight, that's not the point.

[bbqrocks]

I have a friend who would drink anything straight simply because it's straight.


Wait that friend is me.