NoblesseOblige
Banned
Liquor, this is Afrocious.
Afrocious, Liquor.
Afrocious, Liquor.
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GAF, introduce me to liquor.
- Thread starter Afrocious
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Thanks!
My advice. Never go low end for booze. It'll taste like shit straight. It'll taste like shit in cocktails. Liquor is one of the few things in life where it's worth the money when you pay a little extra. Up to a point of course. Don't spend 500$ on a bottle of whiskey to make a whiskey sour with.
Here's a basic guide:
Whiskey. Four Roses is a good starter bourbon. If you want a go up the ladder a bit, I really enjoy anything by Koval or Knobb Creek. Famous Grouse is a great starter Scotch. There's also Rye, Irish, Canadian, and many many other types of whiskey to dive into. Too much info to even list here.
Dark Rum. Appleton is a good budget rum. If you want to go more expensive and better quality go with Plantation or El Dorado 12 Year.
Gin. Sooooo many different types of gin with different flavor profiles. Gin is basically vodka with added aromatics so the style of gin will make a big difference. Taste a few at a bar and see what you like (Styles are London Dry, Genever, Plymouth, Old Tom). Lower end recommendation would be Tanqueray. More expensive would be Hendricks, Brooklyn Gin, or Koval.
Vodka. It's vodka. So it doesn't really have a flavor. Just don't go low end. Grey Goose works.
Tequila/Mezcal. Espolón is a good starter. If you want for better quality go with Don Julio or Dobel. Mezcal (tequila's smokey brother) go with Sombra.
If anyone has any more questions feel free to ask! Love talking about this stuff.
Oppo
Member
I'm a big fan of rum. If you are new to liquors try:
Taste great straight and on ice or try mixing it with some coke.
I can't talk shit about Kraken as I have it from time to time but MAN is it ever not even close to good rum. it is Party Rum. it's a fun time. but it is fairly boring rum with molasses and other crap thrown in. it's like Sailor Jerry with some nutella mixed in there.
if you want really good rum: Mount Gay, Pyrat, Diplomatico, El Dorado (or of course the aforementioned fave Havana Club, which you may be able to get stateside soon, Thanks Obama!) oh Flor de Cana is good too
stay away from Malibu or Bacardi
True, but then again, so does time. So does living in a congested and poor air quality city, so does a lot of things actually.
Not saying a person should drink heavily or anything mind you, but I generally don't worry about being a light drinker nor do millions of other people world round.
That said if marijuana became legal here, I'd probably stop drinking.
Clamato is a kid's drink. They should serve caesars at naptime in kindergarten. It has celery and often pickles. It is basically a vegan cleanse with clams.
Oppo
Member
well, it varies by person, doesn't it?
for me.. I can drink rum all day, erry day
vodka is like Loki's Scepter to me
tequila is kryptonite unless masked in a frozen margerita, while imbibed in a foreign country
(actually I had super good tequila a few times and I quite liked it.. like vodka, the cheap stuff is really nasty)
DirtyManos
Member
I dunno if you want to drink liquor neat to start off with?
Manhattans can be off putting because of the vermouth from what friends tell me.
Go to a good cocktail bar, and just order something off their menu that has a liquor of choice you like.
If you really want to try neat, some quick recommendations:
Bourbon: buffalo trace
Rye: bulleit or Rittenhouse
Gin: beefeater
Rum: el Dorado for dark rums, or flor de cana seco for silver ones
Tequila: Espolon (silver for cocktails or shots, reposado for sipping)
Mezcal: Del maguey Vida (pricy)
Manhattans can be off putting because of the vermouth from what friends tell me.
Go to a good cocktail bar, and just order something off their menu that has a liquor of choice you like.
If you really want to try neat, some quick recommendations:
Bourbon: buffalo trace
Rye: bulleit or Rittenhouse
Gin: beefeater
Rum: el Dorado for dark rums, or flor de cana seco for silver ones
Tequila: Espolon (silver for cocktails or shots, reposado for sipping)
Mezcal: Del maguey Vida (pricy)
RoslindaleOne
Member
It's funny you mention that about Kraken. I was telling my dad about Kraken and I said it tastes like a mellow-er Sailor Jerry.
Mook1e
Member
Lol, I went back and saw the dieting statement in the OP.
When I diet, I drink Gin and Tonic (diet) almost exclusively.
If I need more, I'll drink Glenlivet 15 or 18 year old scotch depending on my mood.
I'll echo that previous post as well:
- if vodka tastes terrible, it's probably bad vodka. it's supposed to be enjoyable to drink in shots, not make you hold your nose and try to swallow as fast as you can. try Stolichnaya.
- buy Irish single malt whiskey for good taste. buy Irish or Scottish blend whiskeys for consumption. buy American bourbon for binge drinking (when anything goes). if you're feeling adventurous, try Japanese whiskeys
- if vodka tastes terrible, it's probably bad vodka. it's supposed to be enjoyable to drink in shots, not make you hold your nose and try to swallow as fast as you can. try Stolichnaya.
- buy Irish single malt whiskey for good taste. buy Irish or Scottish blend whiskeys for consumption. buy American bourbon for binge drinking (when anything goes). if you're feeling adventurous, try Japanese whiskeys
Figured give him something sweet since it's his first shot at liquor
Oppo
Member
yeah pretty much. also more sugar which makes the hangover worse
I'll add to this: vodka belongs in your freezer, people. FREEZER.
disagree. teach him like a spartan. locked closet and a lukewarm bottle of whiskey.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
Mental note: My bottles of BTAC George T Stagg , EH Taylor Cured Oak, and Pappy Van Winkle are for binge drinking.
If I were you I'd start with things that go good in mixers. You gotta work up to drinking the hard stuff straight up.get some good vodka like kettle one or grey goose, a good lite and dark rum (not Bacardi), a good tequila, a bunch of different kinds of mixers and figure out what tastes best to you.
PsychoSoldier
Banned
It's counter intuitive, but start with mid-range stuff because until you get used to the harsh ethanol sting, the bad stuff is going to be nigh undrinkable.
Easiest way, I think, to get used to drinking liquor is liquor with sweetener, stuff like gin and tonic (I like mine with a little lemon as well), Tommy's Margarita, Bourbon/Rum and Coke, etc.
From there you can back off on the sweeteners gradually and drink stuff straight, or with a little ice or water.
Easiest way, I think, to get used to drinking liquor is liquor with sweetener, stuff like gin and tonic (I like mine with a little lemon as well), Tommy's Margarita, Bourbon/Rum and Coke, etc.
From there you can back off on the sweeteners gradually and drink stuff straight, or with a little ice or water.
Remember though...although Vodka is fine to store in the freezer, you shouldn't do that with other types of liquor. It'll break down the flavor profiles of the spirit. Vodka is inherently neutral so you can store that in the freezer no problem. Store everything else room temperature.
I do admit that I'm not really what you call an aficionado in bourbons, not even close...
I was more referring to cheap bourbons that one usually finds in Europe. We don't really have a lot of culture around bourbon I guess
User 479360
Banned
Start off easy with something vodka related, or like a gin and tonic, which is my preference.
Brown alcohols can be a bit harsh.
Brown alcohols can be a bit harsh.
John Kowalski
Banned
Ok, I'll correct myself, I meant the most patrician way to spend a summer night.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
OP Just use my handy drinking guide here
Although, it's not very good for wine, cause I wasn't into it much back then.
Although, it's not very good for wine, cause I wasn't into it much back then.
Amory
Member
Definitely depends on taste. Personally I find vodka to be the harshest taste of any alcohol. Good vodka, to me, still tastes like rubbing alcohol it just doesn't burn as much.
thanks! yeah it's good stuff. I just got back from Barbados a couple weeks ago and we visited the distillery. Stuff was dirt cheap there. I think I paid $23 US per bottle
1. Rye, I would argue, is more important than bourbon. Bourbon just happens to be enjoying the spotlight currently.
2. Big misconception with gin. Many gins open up in soda or tonic, though I personally despise tonic and wholeheartedly support gin and soda. Gin just works best in many cocktails, due to its lack of body and botanical nature that marries well with other ingredients. A Beefeater and soda, or a Boreal Cedar and soda is just heavenly on a hot day.
3. Rum is absolutely a sipping liquor, but has been relegated to being used in tiki drinks and other sweet drinks, mostly due to its high sugar (and molasses (I realize this is a sugar as well, but it bares pointing out), depending) content. Ron Zacapa, Scarlet Ibis, Mount Gay, Diplomatico (the whole catalog, not just the exclusiva), Santa Teresa, all phenomenal sipping rums. Room temp with a few cubes of ice is the way to go, never lime (unless in a cocktail).
You mentioned you like Porters, so I would recommend you start with woody spirits, such as rum and whiskey. Start easy and go the bourbon route. Four Barrel, Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey, Maker's Mark, Michter's are all great entry level ($25-$35 a bottle) bourbons. For rum, grab a bottle of Diplomatico Anejo Reserva. It's not quite as sweet as the exclusiva, and is also about $25 a bottle, but is just a phenomenal rum.
themagicalkitsune
Member
I've seen people chug this thing
Romars202129
Member
It's basically two aquired tastes, mix that together with alcohol into the perfect brew to help someone with an unseasoned palette hurl.
I can't stand drinking liquor straight. In a mixed drink it's alright, rum and coke is my favorite. And vodka + something sour
Zubrowka and apple juice is nice.
Mad Season
Banned
agreed. whiskey sour is awesome
Yup. A classic daquiri is a good drink to get you into cocktails as well.
Not the overly sweet and sour mix kind you get at a TGI Fridays.
2 oz of a good rum. 3/4 oz of fresh lime juice. 1/2 oz of Simple syrup.
Simple and perfect.
dskillzhtown
keep your strippers out of my American football
I am going to vote for vodka. I switched to that and drinking alot less beer. It goes with many fruit juices as well.
Soda = club soda, not Coke or anything like that. No added sugar, and a taller drink that will last you longer.
Mix it with apple juice and it tastes like apple pie. It's so weird. I read about it and had to try it, we had people over dinner and we were all in shock lol.
Lakershead22
Member
Get some gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, soda water. You've got yourself a refreshing Tom Collins.
Goldenroad
Member
What you want is Gin. Get a good bartender to make you a couple Martinis with a different gin's (even just Bombay and Tanqueray), and you'll be able to taste the differences a lot more easily than whiskey's or rum's. It's an easy drink to acquire a taste for, and a great mix for club soda or fresh grapefruit juice and salt (a Salty Dog), which are reasonably low calorie drinks. Stay away from sugary liquor (rum, whiskey) and mix (Coke, most juice) if you don't want to wake up with a headache.
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
Trying to make a top shelf dark and stormy this weekend. Now to find good ginger beer...
arts&crafts
Member
Gin + club soda + lime wedge = heaven
I thought the same thing. I don't even recall who drinks a Manhattan in Mad Men.
Fever Tree. Any specialty grocery store will have it. It's amazing.
User 479360
Banned
Yeah, I guess so.
Honestly, I'm not a big drinker. I used to drink a lot more in my teens and early twenties, but can't even remember the last time I was drunk.
When my friend broke up with his fiance and moved, I stopped having a place to go and drink/hang out every week. I've hardly seen him since because he had a baby and his new girlfriend doesn't seem to like me for some reason (even though my family and I got them a great gift for the baby, which cost $150, and have been nice to her.)
I still have two unopened bottles of Bombay Sapphire from Christmas that I've yet to open, plus a few beers from the two-four I got.
I'd like to get drunk again soon. I need to have a night where I don't think about life. But even that's hard. When I'd drink with him, it was difficult for me to stop thinking about life and actually get drunk.
I've always been able to taste alcohol well, and mixes don't hide it as much for me as they seem to for others. The taste seems harsher to me than others.
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