Liquor

Akratus

Akratus

Bleep bloop.
I wanna get in on that.

I went to candyland for the first time today, oh I mean the liquor store. I've got a romantic image of irish whiskey from listening to all those Dubliners drinking songs so I'm eyeing Jameson. But what's a good first-time drinker gameplan?

I've had Vat 69 before which wasn't particularly good, but was my first sip of liquor so you know how it goes. Then I had some Sake which while higher in alcohol tasted pretty good.

 
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Meh, never really cared for irish whiskey. Scotch is where it's at.
For beginners it's probably a good idea to find an irish pub and try some of the more well-known whiskies like Laphroaig and Lagavulin 16 if you like smokey and peaty tastes, or whiskies like Oban, Glenfarclas or Edradour if you like it more rounded.
Don't waste money on a whole bottle just to learn that you don't like it, so either try getting a tiny testing-bottle or go to the pub.
Personally I recommend Edradour, especially the Natural Colour variants as they're un-chillfiltered.
Also, be aware of the alcohol content: Usually whisky is bottled at 43% to 46%, and that's all fine for drinking straight (I prefer 46%, actually), but cask-strength can be a lot stronger (the classic Glenfarclas 105, for example, or the Edradour Straight From The Cask series, which is absolutely fantastic), so you should dilute it with a tiny bit of pure water.
Dilution is also nice for some heavily peated whiskies (basically every Islay whisky) to bring out the other flavours out some more, so do try that, too. But be careful not to water it down too much, that would just ruin the taste.

Other liquors, well, absinthe is also quite nice if done correctly. But it requires a bit more preparation (ice water in a special fountain or something to pour it out from slowly, the right type of glass and a special spoon and sugar). Also, you should like the taste of anis. There are absinthes out there that have little or no anis in them, but c'mon, where's the point in that?
 
I like to drop a shot of irish into a pint of beer.

On other matters, I lean towards bourbon, all the good scotch tends to be too expensive.

As far as hard liquor is concerned, mastika really deserves more attention than it's getting.

Now that I'm in Italy, I'm taking the chance to play sommelier. Well, not a sommelier by the tightest of definitions, but I try to taste as many different kinds of wine as I can, and I hardly ever drink anything else (as far as alcohol is concerned). It's somewhat cheaper and better than it is in Croatia. But Malvazija is still queen.

Am I the only person who prefers all wine to be as cold as it can possibly be without being frozen?
 
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Never cared for alcohol at all. Why people drink something that's so bad is beyond me.

Because it tastes disgusting and is bad for your health.
 
Dr Fallout said:
Never cared for alcohol at all. Why people drink something that's so bad is beyond me.

Because it tastes disgusting and is bad for your health.
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Taste is, well, a matter of taste.
As for health, that's very much a matter of moderation.
 
Dr Fallout said:
Never cared for alcohol at all. Why people drink something that's so bad is beyond me.

Because it tastes disgusting and is bad for your health.
Click to expand...


Forgive me, but I have to ask.

How old are you Dr.Fallout?
 
I like a good bourbon, myself. I am partial to the sweeter, sharper burn over scotch. Having said that, some coworkers gave me a bottle of Macallan 12 year single-malt scotch, and it was very good.
I like my bourbon neat (no ice, no water), but for those who have not developed the taste for it, a little bit of ice or water or ginger ale will bring out the burnt caramel and smoke notes well enough, while tempering the medicinal burn.

I am partial to Knob Creek Reserve, but Evan Williams is also very good and relatively inexpensive, as is Woodford. Jim Beam is best left for mixing with other things, but will do in a pinch.

If you are a relative amatuer to all these things, a half-decent Vodka mixes with almost anything you will find, and is a little easier the next morning should you over-indulge, then liquors such as Tequila, Rum, or Whisky. I am partial to Armendale, neat in a chilled glass, as a sipping vodka. Chopin is also very good. If you aren't into straight liquor, then Smirnoff or better will mix well with things like pineapple/cranberry/orange juice, and not treat you too bad. Unless you are a college kid looking to chug the whole bottle in an evening. As a real adult, I find that two doubles are about the limit of joy for me in the context of social consumption.
 
I'm interested in trying a good bourbon, but it's really hard to find around here.
 
Dr Fallout said:
The Dopamine Cleric said:
Dr Fallout said:
Never cared for alcohol at all. Why people drink something that's so bad is beyond me.

Because it tastes disgusting and is bad for your health.
Click to expand...


Forgive me, but I have to ask.

How old are you Dr.Fallout?
Click to expand...

Normally I would berate you, especially because it's you but I'm 18 why?
Click to expand...

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Hassknecht said:
I'm interested in trying a good bourbon, but it's really hard to find around here.
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I imagine it's like trying to find an Irish Whiskey in the liquor store in my small town, where the 'import' section is about three shelves, and mostly dominated by Vodka.
I will have to try Edradour the next time I am out and about. I've got a lot of scotch-drinking friends. Thanks for the recommendation!
 
Addiction exists in my family (as I've mentioned in the Addiction thread), so I am cautious, and I have so far never bought alcohol to consume by my lonesome. In social situations I drink very rarely, once a year, sometimes not even. As a result, I'm not a very well versed drinker, no kind of connoisseur, although I will enjoy certain beers, red wines, as well as whiskey. I also like sweet liqueurs, chick-drinks, that I usually only get a taste of visiting my mom (she made a killer berry-liqeur, from wild forest berries, tons of sugar, and vodka, that she still keeps, years later, bottled and storaged! We only have a few sips for Christmas, before storing it away again).

In my teens I was more drinky, cus I needed to/wanted to fit in with my peers, parting, drinking, I've guzzled my share of "96%" mixed with Fanta, Cola, Sprite... The mere thought of these mixtures will still give me bad memories.. :D

Instead, I give all my addiction to ganja.
 
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