Alcohol (of all carbon numbers, bond qualities and -OH groups)

[The Rose Dragon]

Or, you know, just ethanol.

So, how do you prefer your ethanol? Wines? Spirits? Pure (if you survive that, let me know)? Cocktails?

Me, I like spirits. Most often in the form of vodka cocktails such as Black Russian. I also like white wine and semi-sweetened red wine, though I have little wine culture to speak of.

If you have any recipes you'd like to share, feel free.

EDIT: Drinking games you know are also nice.

[Katrascythe]

I always have and always will prefer margaritas and daiquiris...

I've found that the best way to do them is to just screw the actual mix for the drinks. Go buy some frozen limeade or strawberry or anything that you feel like using and then make the drink with that. It's a fruitier drink that helps to helps kill the sometimes overwhelming power of the alcohol. I like tasting my drinks, not being killed by them.

Also, if you use Black Box boxed wine + frozen limeade it tastes just like a margarita... I found that out by accident when I got a box of that wine and realized that I couldn't drink it straight because of the barrel flavor they put in the wine. I started mixing stuff and voilà, fake margaritas...

[Kara Kuro]

I'm convinced that a Gin and Tonic is one of the most brilliant devices ever conceived by man.

In addition I tend to like a lot different things, usually the higher-end quality stuff of just about all of those categories.

I work in a french-style 5-star kitchen environment, so I it's a job requirement to have a working knowledge and an appreciation fine wines (which I most definitely do). Really good sake is also really... really good. Sake bombs are always fun (low ball full of sapporo with a shot of sake knocked in).

I also have heard that I made a pretty damn decent martini. Although I refuse to use anything but gin in a martini. Gin is just vodka with yummy in it ^.^

[The Rose Dragon]

I work in a french-style 5-star kitchen environment, so I it's a job requirement to have a working knowledge and an appreciation fine wines (which I most definitely do).

It may sound creepy, but can I really come and take lessons from you one day?

I like wine, I just can't seem to pick a good one. Usually my parents do it for me, but in college I have to pick my own wines and I don't trust in my ability to pick wines anymore.

[Kara Kuro]

It may sound creepy, but can I really come and take lessons from you one day?

I like wine, I just can't seem to pick a good one. Usually my parents do it for me, but in college I have to pick my own wines and I don't trust in my ability to pick wines anymore.

I don't know. Maybe? If I'm not at a con, at school or working at afore-mentioned job.

I'm sure there's something you can do that closer to you.

[Spiryt]

Beer Beer! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOKbhQbvpPA)

Seriously, I like beer, especially stouts, wheats and twice fermented.



I like wine, I just can't seem to pick a good one. Usually my parents do it for me, but in college I have to pick my own wines and I don't trust in my ability to pick wines anymore.

If it costs more than 5 PLN, don't buy it. It's simple. :smallbiggrin:

[Trog]

Gin and Tonics, the occasional White Russian, a good Riesling with dinner now and then... all my faves.

EDIT: Whoops. Totally forgot beers. How un-Wisconsin of me. Leinie's Honey Weiss is nice, or on a hot summer day maybe a Corona. A Black and Tan now and then is nice as well.

Though generally I stick to the Gin and Tonics. Hendricks Gin or Beefeater Wet Gin usually.

[The Rose Dragon]

Beer Beer! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOKbhQbvpPA)

Seriously, I like beer, especially stouts, wheats and twice fermented.

If it costs more than 5 PLN, don't buy it. It's simple. :smallbiggrin:

Ah, beer. The crudest of alcoholic drinks; the Dragon-blooded to the Solars that are wines and Lunars that are spirits.

Yet it is also the third most consumed drink in the world.

I never got why people like beer that much. The only beer I can tolerate seems to be Mariachi (and that's only cause of the lemon flavor).

I also seem to have missed the PLN reference.

[Katrascythe]

Ah, beer. The crudest of alcoholic drinks; the Dragon-blooded to the Solars that are wines and Lunars that are spirits.

Yet it is also the third most consumed drink in the world.

I never got why people like beer that much. The only beer I can tolerate seems to be Mariachi (and that's only cause of the lemon flavor).


I've never been able to drink beer. To me it's so bland and boring. And then of course some of it is downright bad... If I'm going to go cheap as heck I'm going to go with Mike's Hard Lemonade simple because it has flavor... I can't afford the really nice stuff so I have to pick and choose from the bottom of the barrel, so to speak. Pun not intended..

[Spiryt]

Ah, beer. The crudest of alcoholic drinks; the Dragon-blooded to the Solars that are wines and Lunars that are spirits.

Yet it is also the third most consumed drink in the world.

I never got why people like beer that much. The only beer I can tolerate seems to be Mariachi (and that's only cause of the lemon flavor).

I also seem to have missed the PLN reference.

Ugh, I don't get what so crude about beer compared to vodka, gin or anything that's basically ethanol with water.

ANd 5 PLN is about 1.5 USD. If it's more expensive - don't drink - that's the "golden" students rule around here. :smallwink:

[The Rose Dragon]

Ugh, I don't get what so crude about beer compared to vodka, gin or anything that's basically ethanol with water.

You mean compared to spirits (the word for "basically ethanol with water")? Smell. Taste. The lack of ability to kill your senses with a good gulp.

The good part is, I can afford to spend more on wine. The bad part is, going by what is most expensive does not a good method of choice make.

[Katrascythe]

You mean compared to spirits (the word for "basically ethanol with water")? Smell. Taste. The lack of ability to kill your senses with a good gulp.

The good part is, I can afford to spend more on wine. The bad part is, going by what is most expensive does not a good method of choice make.

I hear you with that. I've got a few recommendations that I know I like. Thing is that it all depends on the type of wine that you like. I tend to lean more towards the fruity wines and basically stuff that isn't dry enough to make me grow hair on my chest.

I've also found that Sam's Club has a surprisingly nice selection of cheap wines.... added bonus that it's easy to figure out their clearance. To me it's not worth spending a ton of money on wines since it so strongly depends on what you like. For me the the 10$ bottle is just as good at the 50$ bottle (at least that's what I've found)

[Spiryt]

You mean compared to spirits (the word for "basically ethanol with water")? Smell. Taste. The lack of ability to kill your senses with a good gulp.


You mean that lack of ability to kill senses and weaker taste&smell are crude? :smallconfused:

[The Rose Dragon]

You mean that lack of ability to kill senses and weaker taste&smell are crude? :smallconfused:

Not weaker. Simply not as good.

However, I will agree that it is a matter of taste and therefore subjective.

...not that it ever stopped two people from arguing.

[Tamburlaine]

I'm convinced that a Gin and Tonic is one of the most brilliant devices ever conceived by man.

{snip}

I also have heard that I made a pretty damn decent martini. Although I refuse to use anything but gin in a martini. Gin is just vodka with yummy in it ^.^
Post full of Win.

My poisons of choice:
Gin - G&T, Martini, pretty much anything with gin in at all really.
Whisky - On it's own, or in a manhattan (which approximately zero bars in the UK serve, to my intense dismay).
Guinness - I was entirely surprised when I found I liked this stuff, but you learn something new every day.

[Johnny Blade]

I'll drink almost any beer or spirit you give me, with the notable exception of most fruit schnaps. I mean, honestly, that stuff is vile.

I don't drink wine, though. I find the taste of red wine downright revolting, and white wine just does nothing but leave a slightly bad aftertaste. The notable exception here is some rosé, if only because that stuff tastes like water and comes at about the same price.
Champagne is an entirely different thing, but regrettably, you can't find a good cheap one.

EDIT: Sake is the work of some Ancient Evil.

[The Rose Dragon]

Champagne falls under the category of wines, actually. You simply keep it carbonated rather than allowing it to escape.

[Johnny Blade]

Champagne falls under the category of wines, actually. You simply keep it carbonated rather than allowing it to escape.
Oh, I know that, trust me. :smallwink:
The taste, however, is very different, and that's why I don't really see it as wine.

[Tamburlaine]

EDIT: Sake is the work of some Ancient Evil.

:smalleek: I like sake. Not an everyday drink, certainly, but very nice on occasion.

[adanedhel9]

Just about any (non-mass-produced) beer will do it for me. When I go to the liquor store, I go to the back corner with the "imports" and grab whatever looks interesting; my favorite bars have too many varieties to count. My favorite beers tend to be dark ales though.

(A previous incarnation of this thread brought up the rule that the more advertised a beer is, the worse it is - which I pretty much agree with.)

The only cocktail I've ever liked enough to order a second of was a (new) old fashioned - and that was the very first cocktail I ever had, too. I've always got whiskey and soda to mix one up; it's an end-of-the-weekend ritual for me.

I usually enjoy wine when I get it, but don't care to bother with it.

[BlueWizard]

A thick dark stout.

[reorith]

sapporo is bitter imported win in a steel can. i was at a party a few years ago, and i brought some along. anyway, this jackass was crushing cans on his head in front of a large audience so i handed him an empty rolled steel marvel of can engineering and with glee, he took it and proceeded to slam it into his head as if it were one of the aluminum skinned natives. a concussion soon followed. moral of the story, i like steel cans.

[Haruki-kun]

I like sweet stuff, so all sorts of mixed drinks work fine with me. I mostly avoid anything too strong. due to taste. Blegh.

[rubakhin]

I never really understood mixed drinks.

Sometimes I'll have a White Russian or some Irish coffee, but I overwhelmingly prefer my drinks straight. (Or occasionally I'll just throw some vodka into whatever I'm drinking - Sprite or those little Starbucks frappuccino things or something.) I prefer vodka of all kinds when I can get it. I know vodka, I love vodka, I understand vodka ... I'll take whiskey when nothing else is in the house, or if it's cheapest, or if I just don't feel like vodka that night. But my attitude towards it is more like grudging suspicion.

Also never really understood wine. I avoid that when I can. Or beer. I like Stella Artois and kvass though.

[Sneak]

I'm convinced that a Gin and Tonic is one of the most brilliant devices ever conceived by man.

QFT.

Also, pale ale. Dogfish Head 60/90 minute pale ale? Yeah.

Not that I drink, really.

Also, I don't play drinking games, but if I did...I present to you the Wild Zero drinking game. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Zero#Drinking_game)

[The Rose Dragon]

Also, I don't play drinking games, but if I did...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Zero#Drinking_game]I present to you the Wild Zero drinking game.

Can it be worse than the Manowar Drinking Game?

Put on a random Manowar album. Every time one of the following words come up, take a shot.

Metal, steel, king, war, warrior, blood.

[Spiryt]

Can it be worse than the Manowar Drinking Game?

Put on a random Manowar album. Every time one of the following words come up, take a shot.

Metal, steel, king, war, warrior, blood.

Well, if you could put some random songs, with a bit of luck you could get alive. I can remember that Pleasure Slave and Guyana have no such words. There may be some more. :smallbiggrin:

[The Rose Dragon]

You pick an album. That means there are bound to be a lot of those words.

You might, however, live if you pick your beverage right.

It is a rare occasion where having beer is a blessing. :smallbiggrin:

[Spiryt]

It is a rare occasion where having beer is a blessing. :smallbiggrin:

Well, a shot of beer would be very safe indeed. However, if you had to drink one beer for every such word, yopu would be even more dead. :smallbiggrin:

And beer is always a blessing. To quote Benjamin Franklin:

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." :smallwink:

As for wine:

I'm drinking Arrow : Ruby cabernet from California now and I find it very nice.

[TheBST]

Guinness. It is the pure and good medicine.

That or skittles vodka.

[Renegade Paladin]

I prefer to not deliberately ingest poison, thanks.

[The Rose Dragon]

So I take it you don't like potatoes, either?

[TheBST]

I prefer to not deliberately ingest poison, thanks.

Yeah like anything fun is healthy.

Let's all go out for bottled water and get this party started! (I know a guy who can fix us up with some killer muesli, man.)

[Spiryt]

So I take it you don't like potatoes, either?

Or sugar, or salt, or many other things.

If you don't drink, smoke or whatever, you can live up to 100.

But what for? :smallwink:

[Pyrian]

If you don't drink, smoke or whatever, you can live up to 100.

But what for? :smallwink:Sex. :smallbiggrin: Fun and healthy! (If you do it right.)

[The Rose Dragon]

Sex. :smallbiggrin: Fun and healthy! (If you do it right.)

It is a well-known fact that sexual activities harm the body greatly if prolonged.

Also, they taste worse.

[TheBST]

Sex. :smallbiggrin: Fun and healthy! (If you do it right.)

I can't think of anything that's caused me more physical, economic, social and psychological damage.


EDIT: Well that was a joke that came off more creepy than I anticipated.

[Pyrian]

Then you're doing it wrong. :smallconfused:

[The Rose Dragon]

Ooookay. Let's get back to discussion of alcohol and not sex.

[Johnny Blade]

Sex. :smallbiggrin: Fun and healthy! (If you do it right.)
Alas... (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/masturbation-can-be-good-for-the-over50s-1516792.html)

So, really, why bother?
If you get old, it's all your fault for having never lived.



Ooookay. Let's get back to discussion of alcohol and not sex.
Uh...'kay...wait.
If you mix Captain Morgan Spiced with cola and orange soda, the result tastes like bubblegum.

[Spiryt]

Well, about alcohols taste :

It all depends on "the day".

There are days when I don't want to drink wine at all.
There are days when I'm sick after 0.25l of beer.

Currently I'm after about 0.5l of wine and all I want is more.

And there are days when after 2 beers all I want is more.

At least in my case.

[Katrascythe]

Sex, there are better threads in this forum for it... But I'm not interested in that bubble gum flavored drink.

[Renegade Paladin]

So I take it you don't like potatoes, either?
Potato greens? Certainly not. The lethal dose on the root, however, is so low that you'd rupture your stomach before reaching it. :smalltongue: Besides, unlike potatoes, alcohol has no enjoyable properties whatsoever, so I fail to see the comparison.

[Johnny Blade]

But I'm not interested in that bubble gum flavored drink.
And you shouldn't. That was really more of a warning, you know?

Also, I just took that test in your signature. Apparently, I value freedom, impulse, emotion...

...

...and fire. :smallcool:

[Ninja Chocobo]

If I'm drinking alone I prefer rum, as evidenced by my avatar (it has a bear on the label; this is awesome), but most spirits will do nicely. Certain ones just turn my stomach though, like gin and whisky. Less alcoholic drinks take up too much space to be viable.

Though, if I'm going out I like to enjoy a Guiness, and I like a sort of...crisp taste to my lagers. Stella Artois, Hahn Premium, Toohey's New and the like...though I've never actually found a like.

Champagne is delicious but prohibitively expensive.

[The Rose Dragon]

Potato greens? Certainly not. The lethal dose on the root, however, is so low that you'd rupture your stomach before reaching it. :smalltongue:

Same for alcohol. It's highly unlikely to be lethal unless you drink your way past unconsciousness (as in, continue drinking after you're knocked out).

I've heard of people die after eating two potatoes, just like I've heard people die after two glasses. But those cases are the exceptions, rather than the rule. They usually die to other chronic problems which simply react badly to the toxin.

[Katrascythe]

And you shouldn't. That was really more of a warning, you know?

Also, I just took that test in your signature. Apparently, I value freedom, impulse, emotion...

...

...and fire. :smallcool:

The epicness that is Red. At least you're not one of the people I should be avoiding ;)

Also, if you wanna talk lethal doses of alcohol, just take a swig of 200 proof. It's not the alcohol that'll get you, it's the stuff they put in there to make it 200.

[Johnny Blade]

Also, if you wanna talk lethal doses of alcohol, just take a swig of 200 proof. It's not the alcohol that'll get you, it's the stuff they put in there to make it 200.
That reminds me of the one time me and a buddy drank more than half a bottle of 150 proof rum.
After our first shot, we looked at each other, our faces ghastly grimaces...and laughed our asses off because of how we looked and how improbably bad the stuff tasted.
The rest was pretty much what you'd expect - drinking for the sake of making funny faces - it was just too hilarious to stop it before neither of us could take any more.

(We were already drunk when we started this, by the way. Was during one glorious time when I always had 15+ bottles around. For cocktails. Most never lived to see the inside of a shaker. :smallamused:)

[Renegade Paladin]

Same for alcohol. It's highly unlikely to be lethal unless you drink your way past unconsciousness (as in, continue drinking after you're knocked out).

I've heard of people die after eating two potatoes, just like I've heard people die after two glasses. But those cases are the exceptions, rather than the rule. They usually die to other chronic problems which simply react badly to the toxin.
You've "heard of." Sure. Have your anecdotes; leaving aside the fact that you're lying (alcohol poisoning (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol-poisoning/ds00861) is a common enough occurrence, far more so than theoretical potato poisoning) alcohol is the third leading cause of death in the United States, (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5337a2.htm) and even when its consequences are not so dire, it causes ruined lives, destroyed property, disorderly conduct, general obnoxiousness, and an absolutely foul taste and odor in anything it's added to or fermented in. You'll have to forgive me for failing to see the appeal.

[Katrascythe]

That reminds me of the one time me and a buddy drank more than half a bottle of 150 proof rum.
After our first shot, we looked at each other, our faces ghastly grimaces...and laughed our asses off because of how we looked and how improbably bad the stuff tasted.
The rest was pretty much what you'd expect - drinking for the sake of making funny faces - it was just too hilarious to stop it before neither of us could take any more.

(We were already drunk when we started this, by the way. Was during one glorious time when I always had 15+ bottles around. For cocktails. Most never lived to see the inside of a shaker. :smallamused:)

And you two survived this? I hope you took this insane amount of liquor over a lengthy period. That or you have machines for livers and kidneys...

I have a friend who has the exact opposite tolerance. He had two margaritas and was rolling on the couch giggling. Completely unable to drive. I walked my butt home soon after this because I was embarrassed that someone who had so little alcohol go so blasted so quickly...

[Johnny Blade]

You've "heard of." Sure. Have your anecdotes; alcohol is the third leading cause of death in the United States, (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5337a2.htm) and even when its consequences are not so dire, it causes ruined lives, destroyed property, disorderly conduct, general obnoxiousness, and an absolutely foul taste and odor in anything it's added to or fermented in. You'll have to forgive me for failing to see the appeal.
It also causes drunkenness.


And you two survived this? I hope you took this insane amount of liquor over a lengthy period. That or you have machines for livers and kidneys...
Well, I am German...:smallbiggrin:
It really wasn't that bad. We both woke up with one hell of a hangover though, something I usually simply don't have.

[The Rose Dragon]

...an absolutely foul taste and odor in anything it's added to or fermented in. You'll have to forgive me for failing to see the appeal.

And what other excess does not cause such harm? Substance abuse and drinking wine are two different things. Drinking two bottles of spirits every day is probably somewhere equal to just jumping off a low bridge once a day and seeing what happens.

Also, I'm sorry if you cannot find appeal in the taste and smell.

[Dispozition]

Substance abuse and drinking wine are two different things.

Both are drugs...So, there isn't a huge difference.

[The Rose Dragon]

Both are drugs...So, there isn't a huge difference.

Well, alcohol isn't a drug. However, substance includes both drug and alcohol.

There is a difference between abuse and use, is what I mean.

[Katrascythe]

It also causes drunkenness.

And really, what else are you going to do during televised debates and elections but drink and throw things at the TV?



Well, I am German...:smallbiggrin:
It really wasn't that bad. We both woke up with one hell of a hangover though, something I usually simply don't have.

If you didn't have a hangover I'd be really surprised. And yay Germans! They're what gave me my tolerance. That and the Irish. The Irish lets me drink a lot the night before, the German lets me get up the next day! XD

[Jack Squat]

Both are drugs...So, there isn't a huge difference.

I think the difference is in amount consumed.

a glass of wine or beer with dinner does not an alcoholic make.

[The Rose Dragon]

I think the difference is in amount consumed.

a glass of wine or beer with dinner does not an alcoholic make.

Hell, I drink an average of three glasses a month. I'd be more concerned about dying of cholesterol or excess amounts of Coke.

[Jimp]

I'm a Jameson Irish whiskey man. Either straight, no ice or ice with ginger ale.
I don't really do beers, they upset my stomach :smallfrown:

[Katrascythe]

I'm more concerned about the amount of soda I drink + lack of water. Oh, and the fact I sleep about 3 hours a night on average. I figure that's a more serious concern for me than the glass of wine at dinner.

[Dispozition]

I'm more concerned about the amount of soda I drink + lack of water. Oh, and the fact I sleep about 3 hours a night on average. I figure that's a more serious concern for me than the glass of wine at dinner.

I used to do that, but it does catch up with you. Not being able to get out of bed for 2 days is a little bit of a kick in the ass when it comes to drinking and sleeping habits :P

[Renegade Paladin]

And what other excess does not cause such harm? Substance abuse and drinking wine are two different things. Drinking two bottles of spirits every day is probably somewhere equal to just jumping off a low bridge once a day and seeing what happens.

Also, I'm sorry if you cannot find appeal in the taste and smell.
You're sorry because I don't need chemical alteration to my brain to enjoy myself? :smalltongue: Odd, I've always felt pity for those for whom the reverse is true.
Well, alcohol isn't a drug.
Wrong answer. Ethanol is a psychotropic depressant, a drug by definition.

[TheBST]

You're sorry because I don't need chemical alteration to my brain to enjoy myself? :smalltongue: Odd, I've always felt pity for those for whom the reverse is true.


Wrong answer. Ethanol is a psychotropic depressant, a drug by definition.

By drug, I think Rose Dragon meant 'narcotic'.

And I've always felt pity for people who believe abstinence from alcohol makes them superior to drinkers. :smallwink:

[Katrascythe]

I used to do that, but it does catch up with you. Not being able to get out of bed for 2 days is a little bit of a kick in the ass when it comes to drinking and sleeping habits :P

Yeah it's bad enough when I occasionally pass out for a couple of days from sheer exhaustion. I try to drink rarely and in strict moderation so I don't get the added bonus of being relaxed from the drink, too.

[charl]

Well, alcohol isn't a drug. However, substance includes both drug and alcohol.

That is ridiculous. Alcohol is just as much a drug as any other psychoactive substance people ingest for recreational purposes. Why wouldn't it be? It certainly makes you high ("drunk). Don't get me wrong, I like drinking, but I don't deny that it's just another form of (albeit legal and socially accepted) drug use.

I like good beer, preferably dark ales. I actually brew the stuff myself (and in just a two weeks the latest batch will be ready for drinking, just in time for Walpurgisnacht! Hurrah!). Wine is however not my drink. It gives me heartburn and stuff, but a good wine can be very nice to a fine meal nonetheless.

As for strong alcohol, I'm all for it. Vodka is great for mixing, of course, and sipping a whiskey can be very nice. When I'm out drinking it's usually tequila (with the salt and lime ritual) that I end up doing towards the end of the night. I'm also very partial to absinthe, which unfortunately is hard to get in Sweden since it's simply too strong (the government has a monopoly on liquor stores here and they won't sell anything with more than 40% alcohol by volume). It has a great taste, and interacts beautifully with water (it turns white). Just don't expect it to do anything special. It's just booze, not a hallucinogenic. That's a myth (the thujone content is way too low to produce any effects, and it isn't really hallucinogenic in the first place).

[The Rose Dragon]

You're sorry because I don't need chemical alteration to my brain to enjoy myself? :smalltongue: Odd, I've always felt pity for those for whom the reverse is true.

Yeah, odd enough, your body can generate a lot of depressants all by itself. And I don't need chemical alteration to my brain to enjoy myself, either. I get enough of that from my anti-depressants. Alcohol I just drink for the taste. I got drunk only once and hate the idea of being such again.

Also, considering that coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death and it is most commonly caused by cholesterol, we should ban all discussion of fat products and things that can be anabolized into fat. But we need fat to survive. We need things that can be anabolized into fat.

Granted, we don't need alcohol. But just because something can be bad doesn't mean it should be avoided at all costs.

((Hell, your body produces lots of toxins all the time. That's why you go to the bathroom, you know.))


By drug, I think Rose Dragon meant 'narcotic'.

((Not a native speaker, can't realize such nuances as easily.))

[Katrascythe]

*snips*

I applaud the biology. I think you said that better than I ever could, the best I have is a year of psychology where we discussed natural stimulants and depressants the body produces.

My family drinks at least a glass of wine a night. The entire lot of them have heart problems and it's really kept some of them in check. The amount of medication that my mother was on for her heart dropped dramatically after beginning a wine regimen as suggested by her doctor at the time.

[Renegade Paladin]

And I've always felt pity for people who believe abstinence from alcohol makes them superior to drinkers. :smallwink:
Considering that alcohol produces considerable weakness, as demonstrated by the ability of sober people to easily convince drunk people to rub Icy Hot in places where it really shouldn't go... :smallamused:

More seriously, I've had to save drunken friends and acquaintances from themselves on more than one occasion. I'm glad to do it, but I really wish I didn't have to all the same. :smallsigh:

[snoopy13a]

It may sound creepy, but can I really come and take lessons from you one day?

I like wine, I just can't seem to pick a good one. Usually my parents do it for me, but in college I have to pick my own wines and I don't trust in my ability to pick wines anymore.

There's a Wine For Dummies book that is very good. It goes over the main wine producing countries, their regions, and varieties of wine.

For value, I'd recommend South American and Austrialian wines. French wines are very good but are not very good on a budget. Plus, the strength of the Euro versuses the dollar is not good for us fans of French, Spanish, and Italian wines.

[Ninja Chocobo]

More seriously, I've had to save drunken friends and acquaintances from themselves on more than one occasion.:

What exactly would this entail?

[Renegade Paladin]

What exactly would this entail?
Oh, I have a great story about getting kicked out of a pub in Dublin. :smallbiggrin: Less fun was immediately before leaving on that trip, when I and a few of the other guys in the choir were put up to sleep in the faculty club because we had nowhere else to stay the night before we boarded the bus to the airport, and the other guys decided it would be a great idea to break into the faculty's wine cabinet. After I restrained them from doing this, they fell back on going to buy a case of Smirnoff Ice and getting totally smashed on that; so smashed, in fact, that I had to clean up the vomit because they were unable to and leaving it would have resulted in all of us being murdered by the caretaker.

[u-gotNOgame]

Same for alcohol. It's highly unlikely to be lethal unless you drink your way past unconsciousness (as in, continue drinking after you're knocked out).

Which reminded me of this... I present to you, the best Darwin Award Ever (http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-13.html)

[Oracle_Hunter]

On Alcohol Good/Bad
Alcohol is bad for you. Lots of things are bad for you. Alcohol does alter you state of consciousness. As does caffeine or chocolate. As much as I hate the phrase, alcohol is a case of "everything in moderation" and it is perfectly OK to not drink it. That said, don't be holier-than-thou about it - it makes nobody happy but yourself.
My personal favorite? Whiskey in all its forms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey#Types), mixed or straight. Actually, I've yet to find a mixed whiskey drink as good as the Manhattan in its various permutations - but I'm open to suggestions!

The only kind of alcohol I cannot stand is Gin. For some reason, all gin has a strong pine-nut flavor to me that I just tolerate. I've tried everything from Gordon's to Hendrick's and all of it has that taste.

But, the main reason I've posted here is to tell you about the Perfect Beer:
http://www.gooseisland.com/filebin/images/products/full/bourbon-county-stout-2.jpg

The Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/bourbon_county_stout/59.php)
Now, you must like dark beers to enjoy it, but if you do, you should try it. It is the richest stout I've ever had and it has a heady bourbon aftertaste which makes it a true sippin' beer.

Anyone else have something they'd like to show off? :smallbiggrin:

[THAC0]

Anyone else have something they'd like to show off? :smallbiggrin:

We like booze in this house:

http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a70/hlm184/kitty/kitty009.jpg

[snoopy13a]

The only kind of alcohol I cannot stand is Gin. For some reason, all gin has a strong pine-nut flavor to me that I just tolerate. I've tried everything from Gordon's to Hendrick's and all of it has that taste.



That's the juniper berries that give gin its taste:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper_berries

Gin happens to be the only hard liquor that I like with gin and tonics and martinis being my favorite cocktails.

For beer I like: Guinness, Sam Adams, Harp's, Corona (only in the summer), Bass, Newcastle, Saranac, Yuengling, St. Pauli Girl, and Budweiser is my standby at places that don't have much on tap.

For wine I like: Chianati, Cabs or Cab-Merlot blends (with Bordeaux being my favorite, however I don't care for just Merlot), Beaujolais, Rioja from Spain, Vinho Verde from Portugal (about the most acidic wine out there), Riesling (Germany and Finger Lakes preferred), Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (Burgundy preferred but I rarely get it due to cost), Champagne (rarely drink it due to cost). I normally drink Australian and South American wine due to price.

[Oracle_Hunter]

That's the juniper berries that give gin its taste:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper_berries

Yeah, I knew that but I figured that the incredibly strong pine flavor I get from gin had something to do with genetic variation, like tasting PTC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylthiocarbamide) does.

I know my family (all gin drinkers!) don't notice the pine-nut taste - or at least it doesn't bother them. I always assumed I was just hypersensitive for some reason :smallconfused:

[reorith]

so i found this article on cracked... (http://www.cracked.com/article_16314_nectar-broke-worlds-5-worst-ways-get-drunk.html)

does anyone want to try some changaa?

[Katrascythe]

so i found this article on cracked... (http://www.cracked.com/article_16314_nectar-broke-worlds-5-worst-ways-get-drunk.html)

does anyone want to try some changaa?

Jaysus! Yeah I'd rather not >_< I think that might just kill me!

[Vizen]

Ah, Alcohol. What fun times I have with you. But not alone, for I only drink socially.
I don't mind if its a beer, a wine, or a spirit really, each have their ups and downs, and all make for one mean vessel in a game of Waterfall, or Circle Of Death if you want to call it that. Great drinking game, ever heard of it? I'm sure most people have played a variant of it before. :smallamused:

[Phaedra]

Rum. Rum is the way forward. And any cocktail with rum in. Mojitos are good.

I'm gonna brave the wrath of the crowds and admit I don't like gin. Tastes like drinking soap. I don't really like tonic either, so the whole G&T thing doesn't really work for me.

[Zeb The Troll]

You're sorry because I don't need chemical alteration to my brain to enjoy myself? :smalltongue: Odd, I've always felt pity for those for whom the reverse is true.That's not at all what he said. He didn't say "I'm sorry you don't like the buzz." In fact he specifically mentioned the flavors and aromas.

I'm sorry you think that everyone who partakes, whether it's a glass of wine or a snifter of brandy, or even a few drinks on Friday night, needs to be lumped in to the same category as slavering frat boys doing keg stands. :smallannoyed:

[Tamburlaine]

[snip] game of Waterfall, or Circle Of Death if you want to call it that. Great drinking game, ever heard of it? I'm sure most people have played a variant of it before. :smallamused:

Sounds similar to what we call Ring Of Fire, the most deadly game in the world, if your luck is bad. The first time we played, one guy lost twice in a row, with hilarious consequences.

[anazopyreo]

I like a large variety of drinks. My favorite beers are dark or amber. As for mixed drinks I think my favorites are martinis, but I also enjoy anything with khalua (sp?), margaritas, taquila sunrise, seven and seven, sex on the beach, mojitos and the list goes on...

[Katrascythe]

Sounds similar to what we call Ring Of Fire, the most deadly game in the world, if your luck is bad. The first time we played, one guy lost twice in a row, with hilarious consequences.

Oh please, recount this tale of hilarity. And explain what Ring of Fire is because I've never heard of it.

[Coidzor]

...I just spent four hours reading cracked due to the link here and weak willpower...

ow...

in any event, most alcohol tends to make my stomach upset if taken in quantities greater than a single drink. not sure what that is about, but I'm on medication not to be mixed with it so I'm in the clear for awhile... What I have had... well, the red wine was the most palatable, as was the hard cider... the plum wine I had a bit of once was delicious though, in that it actually tasted of fruit. Which is my biggest problem with wine still, I love the taste of grape juice, so I'm disappointed that I taste no grape in wine.

I have to admit though, that the interesting flavor that rum/whiskey impart to baked goods is rather nifty. Especially in the couple of pies that depend upon it. (yes, yes, I know the alcohol cooks out)

[Kara Kuro]

Wow, this thread's progressed quite a bit since I've last checked it. Maybe I should give up my life and just stalk forums all the time.

[The Rose Dragon]

Maybe I should give up my life and just stalk forums all the time.

You mean you don't do that already? Shame! :smallamused:

[Vizen]

Oh please, recount this tale of hilarity. And explain what Ring of Fire is because I've never heard of it.

If we're thinking of the same game then Ring of Fire is a drinking game that requires these few things:

A deck of playing cards
A large cup or mug (Or in one case I've played, a bowl)
A few people
And lots of alcohol. Lots.

The large cup or mug or whatever your using is named the 'vessel'. You lay out the playing cards, face down, in a circle around the vessel, all connected to each other. Each number on the cards corresponds with one of three things:

A mini game
You, someone else, or both having to drink
The vessel being filled (Normally the King is the card used to fill the vessel)

As the game goes on, the vessel will be slowly filled. Whoever draws the last King will then be forced to drink the contents of the vessel (and as such, that person loses the game).

There's some specific rules for it you can look up on wiki if your interested. It's a really good game to play to loosen everyones lips at a party, particulary if you don't know anyone.

I remember the first time I played it. We used a bowl for the vessel. We were all drinking different types of alcohol too, so when the vessel was filled...Well..It wasn't very appetizing...It actually coagulated at the top. Fortunately one of my friends lost instead of me, so he took it outside and took a gulp...Next thing I know, he's vomiting in the garden and another one of my friends is going "You wuss! Ill drink it!".
He vomited too. Was such a great day.

[Katrascythe]

I remember the first time I played it. We used a bowl for the vessel. We were all drinking different types of alcohol too, so when the vessel was filled...Well..It wasn't very appetizing...It actually coagulated at the top. Fortunately one of my friends lost instead of me, so he took it outside and took a gulp...Next thing I know, he's vomiting in the garden and another one of my friends is going "You wuss! Ill drink it!".
He vomited too. Was such a great day.

There's a reason you don't mix alcohol like that! Probably would have been okay if you were able to layer it so that he didn't get that godawful concoction all at once.

Sadly my favorite memories of drunk people involve them drunk IMing me. I promptly saved the files for future reference :D

[Renegade Paladin]

That's not at all what he said. He didn't say "I'm sorry you don't like the buzz." In fact he specifically mentioned the flavors and aromas.
Why bother learning to like it if not for the buzz? There's no other reason to drink the stuff, as it is vile to the unaccustomed palate.

As a matter of fact, however, I don't like the buzz. The one time I consumed alcohol, I discovered two things: 1.) It makes me belligerent. 2.) It starts doing this immediately; I was already noticeably irritable after two, and before the night was over I'd defenestrated one of the aforementioned slavering frat boys. I may have mentioned this to you at GenCon '07; it's my standard given reason for not drinking when confronted with the expectation to do so.

[The Rose Dragon]

...as it is vile to the unaccustomed palate.

Ah. You should have told me when I first had alcohol. I would never have continued if I knew it was supposed to have a vile scent and not a quite pleasant one.

[Vizen]

Sadly my favorite memories of drunk people involve them drunk IMing me. I promptly saved the files for future reference :D

My favorite memories of drunk people...Lets see....

Oh! Last year some time, my friend Steven and I were talking in graphics class and decided that when the class was over we'd skip the rest of school and just head away somewhere, we went to the local bottle store and I shouted him some booze because he was hurting about his ex and wanted to drown his sorrows. So we went to a nearby gazebo overlooking an estuary. The gazebo tended to be the downtown hangout for our group of mates.
Towards the end of one of his angry rants about the girl he said something along the lines of "I hope I never see her again!" then only a few seconds later we spot a few of our friends and the same girl he's ranting about walking towards the gazebo. Straight away he stood up yelling "OH S---", grabbed his stuff and ran straight across the estuary. Fortunately the tide was out, so he didn't get wet, instead he got mud. And lots of it. He was almost up to his knees in this mud but kept plodding on across, eventually scrambling up the other side and hiding among the trees on the other side.
When I went over to him we spent the next few minutes laughing and scraping out of his shoes. Good times, good times.

[Serpentine]

Potato greens? Certainly not. The lethal dose on the root, however, is so low that you'd rupture your stomach before reaching it. :smalltongue: Besides, unlike potatoes, alcohol has no enjoyable properties whatsoever, so I fail to see the comparison.Just because you don't enjoy its properties doesn't mean other people don't, can't or shouldn't. Furthermore, not everyone who drinks alcohol does so to get drunk, or even get tipsy on a regular basis. There are millions of people who simply have a beer after work and/or a wine with dinner. As it happens, I do enjoy getting drunk. I like being a bit out-of-control. And you have no right to judge me for it, possibly unless I somehow try to attack you when inebriated. Which is unlikely, because I'm much more sad or clumsy than violent or angry.
If you don't like it, fine. Goody-goody-gumdrops for you. We do like it, and people have liked it almost as soon as we figured out agriculture. It doesn't make you better than us that you don't like it. And just because you've had a bad experience with it, and your friends binge, doesn't mean that the rest of us will.
Oh, and don't forget all the well-documented health (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_and_cardiovascular_disease) benefits (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_and_cancer#Alcohol_consumption_might_reduc e_risk) of moderate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne_(wine)#Health_benefits) consumption (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine#Health_effects) of alcoholic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_beverage#Alcohol_consumption_and_health) beverages. Of course, these all stress safe levels of consumption, and obviously the damage done by binge drinking will almost certainly counter the benefits. But then, I don't think anyone here is really talking about binge drinking.

My mother got me hooked on the smell of red wine, and my father taught me how to drink it. As it is, there've been only a few that I genuinely enjoy drinking. All Australian, of course :smallwink: No, really. Australian wines are world-class, and from what I hear exceptionally cheap. I heard that, at least a few years ago, this was because we had a glut of grapes, so the wine-makers could take their pick.
White wine I don't really like so much. I'll have maybe a cm, normally because it goes with a meal. I really like champers, though.
I really like lick-sip-suck/tequila slammers. Lotsa fun, and I kinda like the warmth as it goes down.
Vodka is my other drink of choice. I occasionally shot it, but mostly mix it. I've always been fussy about soft drink, and I've now discovered that I like lemon squash (one of the few soft drinks I still like) a lot more with a good dose of vodka. I'm afraid I have rather expensive taste... I really like Smirnoff Black Label. I've also discovered that I really, really like vodka with a lime mooshed into it.
Another favourite of mine is Baileys and milk. Mmmm... So taysteh =d
Other than that, I mostly like cocktails (curse my expensive taste!). I like margaritas (but prefer sugar round the outside, rather than salt), preferably made with real lemon or lime juice or whatever it is it's made with. Also toblerones, and lots of other sticky sweet desserts-with-alcomohol-in.

[Renegade Paladin]

Just because you don't enjoy its properties doesn't mean other people don't, can't or shouldn't. Furthermore, not everyone who drinks alcohol does so to get drunk, or even get tipsy on a regular basis. There are millions of people who simply have a beer after work and/or a wine with dinner. As it happens, I do enjoy getting drunk. I like being a bit out-of-control. And you have no right to judge me for it, possibly unless I somehow try to attack you when inebriated.
Okay, back up the truck. I'm not judging you or anyone else for it. I simply realize it's a bad idea. I also realize that said bad idea is being trumpeted on a forum full of impressionable children, and thus feel an obligation to speak against it. If this were not a forum full of pre-teens then I wouldn't have said anything, but it is. As those on the forum who were gracious enough to allow me to split a hotel room at GenCon two years ago should know very well but apparently have at least partially forgotten, I don't attempt to interfere with responsible adults drinking; in this case I'm more concerned with the audience than the people I'm addressing.

So by all means, do as you will. I wouldn't stop you even if I could. But I can't in good conscience allow you or anyone else to glorify drunkenness to a juvenile audience while standing mute.

[Spiryt]

As a matter of fact, however, I don't like the buzz. The one time I consumed alcohol, I discovered two things: 1.) It makes me belligerent. 2.) It starts doing this immediately; I was already noticeably irritable after two, and before the night was over I'd defenestrated one of the aforementioned slavering frat boys. I may have mentioned this to you at GenCon '07; it's my standard given reason for not drinking when confronted with the expectation to do so.

Hah, so that's your problem :smallwink:

Seriously, I become rather peaceful after alcohol, and some guys I know that aren't really "nice" casually become really friendly after drinking.

While other people insults others and starts fights, and some individuals are grabbing the knives.

I wonder what it depends on.

[Thanatos 51-50]

I've tried posting this before, but the data vampires ate it.

My favourite alcohol is poured over a clean cloth and used to treat injuries.
My second favourite gets used in cleaning products.

Other than that, I'm not a fan of the stuff being in the same building as I am. Unfortunatly, in my current condition, thats not attainable.
I recognise that a large number of people (And indeed, most) who drink do so responsibly.
I'm still not a fan.

[Dancing_Zephyr]

Scotch, Beer, Vodka, Rum, Whiskey.
Anything that you can drink straight.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Cognac! I had forgotten about cognac.

An uncle of mine got me hooked on Courvoisier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courvoisier) last year. Fortunately, only on the VSOP - I don't quite have his bankroll :smalltongue:

[Pyrian]

Okay, back up the truck. I'm not judging you or anyone else for it.The beginning of your post needs to have a conversation with the rest of your post and come to a coherent position. :smallamused:

[The Rose Dragon]

The beginning of your post needs to have a conversation with the rest of your post and come to a coherent position. :smallamused:

I hate Pyrian because he is awesome. I must steal his awesome.

[Serpentine]

I'm not judging you or anyone else for it. I simply realize it's a bad idea.See, it's that second sentence that gives the lie of the first. You "realize" it's a "bad idea". That, in itself, is a judgement. Maybe it's not your intention, but it seems to me to imply that anyone who doesn't "realise" this apparently self-apparent fact is rather stupid. It's a bad idea for you, maybe. Doesn't mean it's a bad idea for everyone else, which means there's nothing for us to realise.
Looking back, I count... 8 posts that maybe could be interpreted as "trumpeting" drunkeness, but that's pushing it. Also, all of those are after you first posted, and 5 of them are after you yourself brought up the antics of irresponsible drinkers. The total may come up a further 7 posts if you include every post that refers to drinking games, but again, that's pushing it.
Noone here has encouraged people to drink before their country (or state) legally allows them to. Noone has mentioned their age in whatever story they've told - one may as well assume they're over-age as below. Noone has gone "omg I got so wasted and it was, like, totally awesome! You should all come to my sister's 15th birthday party and help me get her drunk!"
It's legal. There's nothing innately wrong with it. Noone is encouraging irresponsible behaviour (well, the people discussing drinking games might be, if you're so inclined to think so) - should my Cookbook thread be censured for encouraging binge eating? You are coming across as preachy and judgemental, and do so even more with every subsequent post. You cannot say things like "I simply realise it's a bad idea", "I don't need chemical alteration to my brain to enjoy myself? Odd, I've always felt pity for those for whom the reverse is true.", "Why bother learning to like it if not for the buzz? There's no other reason to drink the stuff, as it is vile to the unaccustomed palate.", "I prefer to not deliberately ingest poison, thanks.", " alcohol has no enjoyable properties whatsoever" and "you're lying", and then expect to be believed when you claim "I'm not judging you or anyone else for it."
edit: Or, just what Pyrian said. That works too 9.9

I'd like to try Southern Comfort again... Oh, and I've discovered that I quite like beer when it has Skittles (Australian) dropped in it (Wooo Skittlebrau!), and in one other circumstance. Otherwise, I'd really really like to like beer, really I would :smallfrown: It looks and sounds tasty, but it's just so... Blugh.

[Katrascythe]

The beginning of your post needs to have a conversation with the rest of your post and come to a coherent position. :smallamused:

You sir have won the thread with that awesome comment.

And in close second is Serpentine with that amazing commentary.

[Jack Squat]

Why bother learning to like it if not for the buzz? There's no other reason to drink the stuff, as it is vile to the unaccustomed palate.

Out of curiosity, what did you have? Natural Light and other cheap-ass beers aren't exactly known for their good taste. And yes, the only reason college and under-age students get it is because it's cheap and they're looking to get wasted. However, they're not the basis to judge everyone on.

I'm underage, so any alcohol I have had was small tastes that my parents let me try so that the temptation is gone, but I've found that the flavored beverages drinks (Smirnoffs, Bacardi O3 and the like) don't taste bad, nor do some mixed drinks (I remember liking toasted almonds specifically).

On the other hand, I don't like any of the beer I've had - although I hear there's much better choices than Coors and Tecate :smalltongue:

[Renegade Paladin]

See, it's that second sentence that gives the lie of the first. You "realize" it's a "bad idea". That, in itself, is a judgement.
It's recognition of an objective truth. Drinking alcohol or not drinking alcohol is a binary decision, and since alcohol is harmful, there is a clear correct answer, much the same as the choice of whether or not to take flying leaps off of bridges. The difference is simply a matter of degree, not kind.
and "you're lying",
And? He was either lying or grossly misinformed, and there is no disputing the fact. He claimed alcohol poisoning is as rare as the incredibly obscure potato poisoning, which is manifestly false, as it is a common occurrence. You can't sit there and tell me I'm wrong; it happens all the time, I've seen it happen, acquaintances of mine have had it happen to them, and it's common enough that any medical reference will have an entry on it.

You can think what you want of my tone, but please understand that I don't think any less of you or anyone else for drinking; if I did, I wouldn't care enough to argue about it. If you think less of me for standing on principle, then so be it; I can do no other.

The beginning of your post needs to have a conversation with the rest of your post and come to a coherent position. :smallamused:
Kindly point out where I have concluded that anyone, on this thread or anywhere else, is bad, immoral, stupid, or otherwise morally, ethically, or mentally deficient due to drinking alcohol. Oh wait, you can't, because I haven't. Until then, I have not judged anyone, at least not negatively. Quite the contrary; if I thought any of that, then I would not waste my time discussing it.

[SMEE]

I enjoy some light drinks once in a while. Some smirnoff ice and some weird low alcohol wines we have around here. They're nice to chill out after a long and stressful week.

I can't drink beer, though, nor can I handle more than a bottle of smirnoff ice... my already lacking coordination disappears so fast when I'm drinking.

[The Rose Dragon]

...and since alcohol is harmful...

I'll call the medical society and tell them that they are no longer allowed to suggest red wine to medium cholesterol patients.

[Oracle_Hunter]

On the other hand, I don't like any of the beer I've had - although I hear there's much better choices than Coors and Tecate :smalltongue:

Oh my yes! Even in college you'll probably end up drinking nothing but crap and hate yourself for it.

No, you must find a good microbrew (New Belgium is a good start) and work your way through the different classes of beers. You may find you like Stouts but hate Lagers, or that only really fruity beers suit you.

It took me the longest time to get into beers for that very reason. If you're lucky, you'll be in a city with an excellent brewing tradition and taverns that take advantage of that fact (http://www.hopleaf.com/home.html) :smallamused:

[Thanatos 51-50]

As much as the edger in me hates to admit it, alcohol does have some medicinal benefits, such as the aforementioned red wine, and its properties as a disinfectant.

While the only was I could drink the stuff is if I was tricked into it, there are uses. You cannot classify the chemical as 100% bad.

[Jack Squat]

It's recognition of an objective truth. Drinking alcohol or not drinking alcohol is a binary decision, and since alcohol is harmful, there is a clear correct answer, much the same as the choice of whether or not to take flying leaps off of bridges.

Except not. You can have one or two beers and say "That's enough, I'll stop." If you jump off a bridge, you'll be lucky if you're around to make the choice again, and stupid if you do it more than once.

It seems that where you're coming from is that in excess alcohol can be harmful, so consuming it is the wrong choice. While this is true, it's not an "on off" deal. You're not either a teetotal or passed out in the bathroom with a BAC of 0.47. There's loads of grey area in between, and some of that area is considered not only responsible but healthy.

[Quincunx]

Which reminded me of this... I present to you, the best Darwin Award Ever (http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-13.html)

Only a paladin could get such a simple pleasure so wrong. . .and I see his wife stopped trying to talk sense into him years ago. . .

[Oracle_Hunter]

It's recognition of an objective truth. Drinking alcohol or not drinking alcohol is a binary decision, and since alcohol is harmful, there is a clear correct answer, much the same as the choice of whether or not to take flying leaps off of bridges. The difference is simply a matter of degree, not kind.

So, I suppose you don't consume Vitamin A (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_A#Toxicity), Water (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication), or Salt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt#Health_effects). After all, the difference is simply a matter of degree, not kind :smalltongue:

[Katrascythe]

Only a paladin could get such a simple pleasure so wrong. . .and I see his wife stopped trying to talk sense into him years ago. . .

Nahhh paladins aren't that dumb. That's, as my friend would say, "Waffle Stupid."

[Johnny Blade]

Hah, so that's your problem :smallwink:

Seriously, I become rather peaceful after alcohol, and some guys I know that aren't really "nice" casually become really friendly after drinking.

While other people insults others and starts fights, and some individuals are grabbing the knives.

I wonder what it depends on.
I think alcohol just brings out the true character of a person. Sometimes this may come as a surprise, sometimes not.

Much like the internet, interestingly.

Yes, I do realize what I just wrote about Renegade Paladin.



Cognac! I had forgotten about cognac.

An uncle of mine got me hooked on Courvoisier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courvoisier) last year. Fortunately, only on the VSOP - I don't quite have his bankroll :smalltongue:
I like Hennessy, although I usually go for a good whiskey if I have the money.

Both are great for going to horse races with one or two other people, spending more money than you can actually afford to and feeling great about it while getting drunk on high-class alcohol. :smallcool:

I've never actually seen Courvoisier being sold here. :smallconfused:

[Quincunx]

Nahhh paladins aren't that dumb. That's, as my friend would say, "Waffle Stupid."

And miss the chance to make a stick-up-the-bum reference? You wound me! Although, it's true there is a delight to be had in compounding "waffle" into forms it was never meant to be compounded into and are complementary to "stupid". (Don't do it in front of the druids though. They're worse than parrots or toddlers.)

[charl]

Anyone else who makes there own? I know that distilling alcohol is illegal in most locales without a permit (Sweden included), but homebrewing is usually legal. Myself I make beer (currently a very dark stout), but I'm always very careful to do my best in breaking the reinheitsgeboten (or however that is spelled), adding lots and lots of brewer's sugar and extra malt extracts to it to maximize the alcohol content. I end with a very dark beer that tastes almost like Guiness and has around 15-16% ABV. And it's cheap to make, so it's not a bad deal when you are a poor student and weekend alcoholic.

I've tried brewing light beers before, but it's hard to get good results compared to dark beer. I've dabbled in wine making, but that takes too long. The same with ciders and meads, which I have looked into making. Unfortunately I don't have the patience to wait for a whole year. :smallbiggrin:

[Katrascythe]

And miss the chance to make a stick-up-the-bum reference? You wound me! Although, it's true there is a delight to be had in compounding "waffle" into forms it was never meant to be compounded into and are complementary to "stupid". (Don't do it in front of the druids though. They're worse than parrots or toddlers.)

Bah, druids.. They're too busy turning into the parrots to worry about my comments.

@Charl - I haven't personally brewed my own alcohol. But I know of a couple of guys who used to work in the same chem lab as me that used the distillation apparatus to distill many, many alcohols. And no I don't mean just the chemical term, I mean various ethanols meant for consumption. :D

[Oracle_Hunter]

I like Hennessy, although I usually go for a good whiskey if I have the money.

Both are great for going to horse races with one or two other people, spending more money than you can actually afford to and feeling great about it while getting drunk on high-class alcohol. :smallcool:

I've never actually seen Courvoisier being sold here. :smallconfused:

Probably because Hennessy is far more expensive than Courvoisier!

A quick online price (http://www.grandwinecellar.com/vsku1001415.html) comparison (http://www.grandwinecellar.com/vsku1003109.html) shows Courvoisier VSOP running at $68/L, while Hennessy VSOP is about $80/L. I've never actually tried Hennessy (I'm more of a whiskey guy myself) but I have noticed that certain classy locations like stock only expensive alcohols so they can "justify" a greater mark-up.

Particularly with cocktails. The only place where I've gotten my money's worth for a cocktail is The Violet Hour (http://www.theviolethour.com/) in Chicago - and yes, that was for a $12 cocktail.

EDIT:

I've tried brewing light beers before, but it's hard to get good results compared to dark beer. I've dabbled in wine making, but that takes too long. The same with ciders and meads, which I have looked into making. Unfortunately I don't have the patience to wait for a whole year. :smallbiggrin:
I had a friend who made mead in his dorm room. He used champagne yeast and IIRC he had a new batch every 3-6 months. It was very tasty and surprisingly alcoholic!

[Johnny Blade]

A quick online price (http://www.grandwinecellar.com/vsku1001415.html) comparison (http://www.grandwinecellar.com/vsku1003109.html) shows Courvoisier VSOP running at $68/L, while Hennessy VSOP is about $80/L.
:eek:

...

Man, living in Europe is great.


I've never actually tried Hennessy (I'm more of a whiskey guy myself) but I have noticed that certain classy locations like stock only expensive alcohols so they can "justify" a greater mark-up.
And some locations that try to look classy without just put the expensive stuff on full display and stash the cheap **** they pour in your glass in the bar.
That's what we did in a club where I worked once. Put Skyy, Parliament and Absolut vodka in the vitrine, but use some 5€ stuff for everything, unless someone, you know, orders Skyy, Parliament or Absolut.


Particularly with cocktails. The only place where I've gotten my money's worth for a cocktail is The Violet Hour (http://www.theviolethour.com/) in Chicago - and yes, that was for a $12 cocktail.
Now I really want to know what you ordered.

[charl]

Bah, druids.. They're too busy turning into the parrots to worry about my comments.

@Charl - I haven't personally brewed my own alcohol. But I know of a couple of guys who used to work in the same chem lab as me that used the distillation apparatus to distill many, many alcohols. And no I don't mean just the chemical term, I mean various ethanols meant for consumption. :D

Isn't that illegal though? It's basically making moonshine, even if it's (I'm guessing) very pure and well made.


I had a friend who made mead in his dorm room. He used champagne yeast and IIRC he had a new batch every 3-6 months. It was very tasty and surprisingly alcoholic!

Hmmm... Well, it would be faster with champagne yeast. That stuff is amazing, plus it can ferment at a large range of temperatures and can tolerate high alcohol contents before dying. I've used it before in an attempt to further increase the alcohol content of my beer, with some success. It tastes a bit... different when I do that. I don't find it worth the extra 2-3% alcohol with beer. I have to try making some mead with it though.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Now I really want to know what you ordered.

It was actually "just" a Manhattan.

Served in a proper 3 oz. cocktail glass (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Glass02.jpg) with the rest of the cocktail presented in a small bottle, it was made with Wild Turkey 101 Rye (Rye Whiskey being proper for a Manhattan), sweet vermouth, and homemade angostura bitters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_Bitters). It was mixed to perfection and served at just the right temperature.

That is certainly a better value than a $10 cocktail thrown together with some Jim Beam and vermouth and poured into a Martini glass; which is what you get at most other nice bars and restaurants.

Mmmm... I need an excuse to go back again soon.

EDIT:

Hmmm... Well, it would be faster with champagne yeast. That stuff is amazing, plus it can ferment at a large range of temperatures and can tolerate high alcohol contents before dying. I've used it before in an attempt to further increase the alcohol content of my beer, with some success. It tastes a bit... different when I do that. I don't find it worth the extra 2-3% alcohol with beer. I have to try making some mead with it though.
He was actually just experimenting with different combinations at the time, and we were all surprised by the strength of the result... which we only figured out after some of the seasoned drinkers in the room began getting unsteady only after a glass or two of it. It tasted exactly like ordinary mead - smooth flavor, a hint of sweetness; that is to say, we couldn't taste the alcohol at all :smalltongue:

I'd recommend trying it. It was great.

[Starshade]

Anyone else who makes there own?
....

I've tried brewing light beers before, but it's hard to get good results compared to dark beer. I've dabbled in wine making, but that takes too long. The same with ciders and meads, which I have looked into making. Unfortunately I don't have the patience to wait for a whole year. :smallbiggrin:

Tried homebrewing first time some months ago, and i made Mead. a light one(brewed with a bit less honey than usual), ending at 13% alcohol.

[Darius Midnite]

I enjoy a glass of malt whiskey now and then, preferably the smoked kind. I am also a sucker for wine, red and white alike, not too sweet and a bit dry is how I like it. When I go to parties though I tend to drink Gin and Tonic as it is fast to make and tastes delicious. I only drink wine and whiskey in the comfort of my own home and with my dear friends.

[Johnny Blade]

That is certainly a better value than a $10 cocktail thrown together with some Jim Beam and vermouth and poured into a Martini glass; which is what you get at most other nice bars and restaurants.
Oh yeah...especially since even when you're at a place where they actually write on the menu what spirit they use for a cocktail, they'll often still screw you over by using the cheapest juice, wine and liqueurs they can get away with. :smallamused:


Mmmm... I need an excuse to go back again soon.
I think I've got a good one - how about a proper cocktail that is mixed to perfection and served at just the right temperature?



EDIT, @ all you gin lovers here:
Have you ever tried (young) genever? Can you even get that in the US? :smallconfused:
I prefer it to most gins, since it's somewhat lighter.

[Oracle_Hunter]

I think I've got a good one - how about a proper cocktail that is mixed to perfection and served at just the right temperature?
Y'see, that's the problem. You go there with some friends, easily while away an hour sipping on a single cocktail (not nursing, just the appropriate rate) and then when the waitress comes back asking if you'd like another, you glance at the menu and say "oh, why not" and get a different type you haven't tried before.

Like this one:

Buffalo Trace, Carpano Antica, Cynar, Root Beer Bitters
I haven't had that one yet, but doesn't it sound intriguing?

At $12 a pop, you can run up a large tab very quickly with that kind of thinking; particularly when you consider taxes (10.25% and then some) and tips!

EDIT:

Have you ever tried (young) genever? Can you even get that in the US? :smallconfused:
I prefer it to most gins, since it's somewhat lighter.
You can get it here - at least Anchor Distilling (http://www.anchorbrewing.com/about_us/genevieve_gin.htm) produces a Genever-style gin.

[Johnny Blade]

I haven't had that one yet, but doesn't it sound intriguing?
It does, definitely.
Eyes Wide and Hush & Wonder sound like something I'd like to try as well.

However, while being far from the most disciplined person, I don't think I'd have much of a problem leaving after...well, let's say the second one.

Don't know about you, though. :smalltongue:


You can get it here - at least Anchor Distilling (http://www.anchorbrewing.com/about_us/genevieve_gin.htm) produces a Genever-style gin.
Hmm...this doesn't really sound like young genever. Old genever, maybe. (The difference between them isn't actually the spirit's age, but distillation and taste, although I couldn't give any more specific info.)
However, I don't know how exactly it's produced nowadays, so I can't rightly say how close the traditional genever they try to emulate is to today's stuff.

Anyway, quick breakdown of genever:
Young genever is lighter than usual gin, and you don't taste the juniper berry as much. It's more neutral in taste as a result.
Old genever is much closer to normal gin, and I don't have many experiences with it. Those that I tried were significantly sweeter than your usual gin, though.
Both are good for drinking them straight, better than London Dry Gin at least, and I've made some good cocktails with young genever as well.
Wouldn't try to mix old genever with anything, except some bitters and lemon maybe. It is used in cocktails of course, but definitely not by me.

[snoopy13a]

Isn't that illegal though? It's basically making moonshine, even if it's (I'm guessing) very pure and well made.





It is only illegal if you sell it. Moonshine itself isn't illegal (actually, it is really no different than cheap vodka). Where moonshiners get in trouble is selling their products on the black market without paying taxes. Making your own alcohol for personal consumption is legal.

[pendell]

Me, I don't drink much, but when I do I prefer Sake. Captain Morgan isn't bad, either. Guinness for ale.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the worst wines evah (http://www.bumwine.com/)

If there *are* any impressionable under-21 reading this I say: It won't kill you to wait until 21. It's also much, much better if -- when you're legal -- you enjoy it in moderation. A drink or two with friends can loosen things up. Overdoing it makes the next day suck. And NEVER drink behind the wheel. Not once. People die from it.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Quincunx]

How do you judge the alcohol content of the homebrews, anyway? Just sip and guess?

[Renegade Paladin]

I think alcohol just brings out the true character of a person. Sometimes this may come as a surprise, sometimes not.

Much like the internet, interestingly.

Yes, I do realize what I just wrote about Renegade Paladin.
As do I. If you think this is some form of revelation to me, you're in for a disappointment. You mean I'm surly, capable of violence, and overly protective? (The frat brat whom I defenestrated would not stop feeling up a girl who had none too lightly told him to leave her alone; I didn't take it kindly.) Say it ain't so! :smallamused: This isn't news; I intentionally lead a disciplined life precisely to keep the worst of it in check.

[charl]

It is only illegal if you sell it. Moonshine itself isn't illegal (actually, it is really no different than cheap vodka). Where moonshiners get in trouble is selling their products on the black market without paying taxes. Making your own alcohol for personal consumption is legal.

Really? In Sweden the very act of distilling alcohol without a permit is illegal, even if it's only for personal consumption.



How do you judge the alcohol content of the homebrews, anyway? Just sip and guess?

That or you measure the specific gravity of the brew before and after fermentation and do some mathematics.

[Johnny Blade]

Overdoing it makes the next day suck.
That's not true for everyone. Not for me, at least. I don't get hangovers, usually, although Jägermeister and that 150 proof rum I mentioned can do that to me, as well as too much wine. Anyway, I usually don't.
I do, however, get all sorts of good (as in, better than usual), if mostly silly, ideas on the next day after getting wasted.

(More or less @ Oracle_Hunter: For example, the Lord of the Dance slay (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5006633#post5006633) and everything else I did that day was a direct result of generous application of alcohol to my brain cells. In other news, my photobucket account seems to be back. Bliss!)

EDIT:

As do I. If you think this is some form of revelation to me, you're in for a disappointment.
It was nothing more than a little potshot, trust me.
Although, had I managed to enlighten you about one demon hiding in your heart or two, I wouldn't have been to sad about it. :smallwink:

[Oracle_Hunter]

Really? In Sweden the very act of distilling alcohol without a permit is illegal, even if it's only for personal consumption.

Ah, one of the hazards of living in a Socialist Paradise :smalltongue:

In America we celebrate our right to do terrible things to ourselves without the government stopping us. Heck, we fought a war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_rebellion) for the right to make moonshine! :smallbiggrin:

EDIT:

For example, the Lord of the Dance slay (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5006633#post5006633) and everything else I did that day was a direct result of generous application of alcohol to my brain cells.

As Horace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace) said

No poems can please for long or live that are written by water drinkers

And a quote particularly apropos for today:

Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss.

:biggrin:

[charl]

Ah, one of the hazards of living in a Socialist Paradise :smalltongue:

In America we celebrate our right to do terrible things to ourselves without the government stopping us. Heck, we fought a war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_rebellion) for the right to make moonshine! :smallbiggrin:

I find the good stuff easily outweighs the bad ;)

But this is skirting dangerously close to real politics. Plus, the laws against distilling alcoholic beverages aren't really that well enforced... at all really.

[skywalker]

I have discovered that dipping pizza crust in cheap wine makes both far more palatable, and makes up for the poor choice of drinking red wine with pizza.

[Oracle_Hunter]

I find the good stuff easily outweighs the bad ;)

But this is skirting dangerously close to real politics. Plus, the laws against distilling alcoholic beverages aren't really that well enforced... at all really.

Aaand to make sure there is no misunderstanding: Reference Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv9yZM5PrSo&feature=PlayList&p=7C5DB31416E88554&index=11)
In America

[Anuan]

I'm in much the same boat as Thanatos and Renegade.
I've nothing against responsible adults drinking responsibly.
Teenage drunkards, on the other hand, annoy me endlessly.
Early-teen drunkards (I've known a few...) make me want to hurt people.
I'm not against alcohol. Health benefits, tastiness, etc. In fact, I'm rather fond of an italian liquor I can't remember the name of, tastes of vanilla. I wouldn't drink much, though, as it's about 40% and I refuse to get tipsy. I like cider, too. Rum isn't bad. Once again, though, taste and smell. I don't drink enough to have an effect on my thought-process or motorskills. Nor do I allow it to turn me into a douche. One standard drink, with water before and after.
I loves me a cold glass of water.

EDIT: Galliarno. That's the one. Galliarno is delicious.

[reorith]

I have discovered that dipping pizza crust in cheap wine makes both far more palatable, and makes up for the poor choice of drinking red wine with pizza.

whoa whoa whoa whoa. red wine is never a poor choice. sure you can make a poor choice in red wine, but i maintain, red wine is never a poor choice. i don't care if you're driving twenty miles into the desert with a police officer in the passenger seat while you listen to hannah montana. there is never a wrong time for red wine. heck, people even drink it in church!

[Don Julio Anejo]

The list of stuff I like is growing ever, ever larger... Ahh, the benefits of working in a bar.

Okay, lesh shmee shee what I'sh likes

Beer: Guiness, Leffe (awesome Belgian wheat stuff), Paulahner (sp?), Konig Ludwig, Shneiderweisse (awesome German wheat stuff), Kokanee (our local home-grown Canadian sasquatch beer), a bunch of honey ales..

Rum: Cap'n Morgain and higher-end Bacardi (like 151)

Whiskey: Johny Walker (all of them), Glenlivet 12 year old, a bunch of aged Scottish ones I've tried that I can't remember the names for the love of me...

Vodka: Stoli, Finlandia

Liqueurs: All of them. Seriously...

As for the teen drunkards... I think the big problem is the over-enforcement of "no teenage drinking" law in US/Canada compared to much of the rest of the world. If most Europeans drink to get a buzz in social situations and only rarely get smashed and only if that's their goal...

North Americans start drinking at parties because it's.. well, taboo. And they drink as much as they possibly can. Half thanks to not knowing their limits because they've never had alcohol before then and half thanks to stupid macho drinking contests. Seriously, even people as drunk as Russians don't macho it up to see who can drink the most...

And then Americans go to college... Where beer is plentiful and parents are far away. Not a very good situation, I tell you, since they still don't know their limits and are still in the macho "oh I can so drink more beers than you dude" phase...

[Serpentine]

It's recognition of an objective truth. Drinking alcohol or not drinking alcohol is a binary decision, and since alcohol is harmful, there is a clear correct answer, much the same as the choice of whether or not to take flying leaps off of bridges. The difference is simply a matter of degree, not kind.Almost all of this is utterly incorrect.
1. As has been said, it is not a matter of "drink none, or drink 'til you pass out". You can have one glass, or two, or a shot, or a spike to tasty up a drink (and I have added vodka to Lift solely to improve the flavour), or you can have 3 and get tipsy, or you can have 5 and get sloshed, or you can have as many as you can shove in before it all comes pouring out again. It is absolutely and completely not a "binary decision".
2. A little alcohol is not harmful. It's as simple as that. Lots of alcohol is harmful. A little is not.
3. Well, that's just absurd, but I can't quite articulate why right now.

And? He was either lying or grossly misinformed, and there is no disputing the fact. He claimed alcohol poisoning is as rare as the incredibly obscure potato poisoning, which is manifestly false, as it is a common occurrence. You can't sit there and tell me I'm wrong; it happens all the time, I've seen it happen, acquaintances of mine have had it happen to them, and it's common enough that any medical reference will have an entry on it.Yes, he was wrong. I would have corrected him if others hadn't gotten to him first. But there was absolutely no reason to accuse him of lying, and that was nothing but belligerence and prejudice.

You can think what you want of my tone, but please understand that I don't think any less of you or anyone else for drinking; if I did, I wouldn't care enough to argue about it. If you think less of me for standing on principle, then so be it; I can do no other.Except your tone, and your words, clearly indicate that you do think less of us for drinking. And I don't think less of you for standing on principle, but rather for your judgementalism, self-righteousness and hypocrisy (does that make me judgemental and self-righteous and therefore hypocritical? Maybe!).

Kindly point out where I have concluded that anyone, on this thread or anywhere else, is bad, immoral, stupid, or otherwise morally, ethically, or mentally deficient due to drinking alcohol. Oh wait, you can't, because I haven't. Until then, I have not judged anyone, at least not negatively. Quite the contrary; if I thought any of that, then I would not waste my time discussing it.Please see my list of quotes.


One of my favourite drinks is a vodka lemon lime and bitters, with either real lemon and lime juice or good-quality lemon and lime cordial and soda water. One of the best presents I ever got my ex was a soda siphon... Wish I still had it :smallfrown:
Also, one of my favourite cocktails was an attempt at a Toblerone by someone who didn't know how to do them. It had a drizzle of honey, and I think Frangellico, Baileys and maybe butterscotch schnaps or something like that, crushed ice (or icecream, or something), and milk. Or something along those lines. I don't know, I just know it was tasty.

As for teen drinking, I just don't know how to help prevent it. Half the anti-underage drinking ads here mostly look like they're all having a good time, and I don't particularly expect the new taxes on alcopops to do much good. I think it's a much larger problem of societal attitudes, and I think that really all that can be done is individual attitude improvement, and damage control.

[Anuan]

I thought the alcopops tax didn't get throu-POLITICS! RUN!
Anyway. Basically, thirteen-year-old drunks need a kick in the head. Durrhurrhurr I'm so awesome and drunk durrrrhurrrrr. Goddamit why do so many thirteen year old's suck. Not all. Just, I seem to be surrounded by crappy ones. Thirteen through eighteen, the attitude surrounding me in school is basically that; DURRRHURRR ALCOMOHOL N DRUGSES. Gr. Why can't people drink and not be stupid about it? Especially when you're frigging thirteen. Why are there so many damned thirteen your old alcoholics anyway? Why does the percentage go straight up the closer I get to Sydney? >.>

[thubby]

Really? In Sweden the very act of distilling alcohol without a permit is illegal, even if it's only for personal consumption.

That or you measure the specific gravity of the brew before and after fermentation and do some mathematics.

from what i understand of moonshine, someone with experience can judge the proof through the bubbles that result from shaking it.
or you could theoretically re-evaporate part of a batch and see what happens.

or you can burn it. fire is always a solution. :smalltongue:

oh right, the OP
I'm not much for drinking, most of it tastes like vomit or battery acid IMO, but damn if it isn't interesting.

[charl]

or you can burn it. fire is always a solution. :smalltongue:


That's how your obsolete proof system of measuring alcoholic content used to be determined. The beverage was mixed with gunpowder and lit on fire, and then somehow they got a useful number out of that.

[thubby]

That's how your obsolete proof system of measuring alcoholic content used to be determined. The beverage was mixed with gunpowder and lit on fire, and then somehow they got a useful number out of that.

at roughly 100 proof (50%alcohol) the gunpowder still burned. it started as a pass/fail thing. if it burned, it was 100 proof, if not it was under proof.

it went from there to mean twice the percent of alcohol by volume.

if you couldn't blow up your drink, it wasn't worth drinking :smallbiggrin:

[Johnny Blade]

EDIT: Galliarno. That's the one. Galliarno is delicious.
Galliano, actually. :smalltongue:

(If you like cocktails, try using some of it in a sweeter Planter's Punch style one in place of the usual bitters/nutmeg.)

[Oracle_Hunter]

at roughly 100 proof (50%alcohol) the gunpowder still burned. it started as a pass/fail thing. if it burned, it was 100 proof, if not it was under proof.

it went from there to mean twice the percent of alcohol by volume.

if you couldn't blow up your drink, it wasn't worth drinking :smallbiggrin:
Personally, I've always believed chemists discovered the Flame Test (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_test) by accident; they were having a good time burning things when some guy said "hey, maybe there's a reason these burn different colors?" :smalltongue:

[Renegade Paladin]

Yes, he was wrong. I would have corrected him if others hadn't gotten to him first. But there was absolutely no reason to accuse him of lying, and that was nothing but belligerence and prejudice.
Him lying isn't a good reason to say he's lying?

Except your tone, and your words, clearly indicate that you do think less of us for drinking. And I don't think less of you for standing on principle, but rather for your judgementalism, self-righteousness and hypocrisy (does that make me judgemental and self-righteous and therefore hypocritical? Maybe!).
First: Me judging you would take the form of something like "Enjoy your coming cirrhosis and esophagal cancer. Good day." I do not waste my time on lost causes. Second: Even if I were judging you, would it be hypocrisy? After all, I myself do not do the thing you think I'm judging you for. :smalltongue: Third: If I did not do this, I would have to think less of myself, because I would be derelict in my duty.

Please see my list of quotes.
All that shows is that I think very poorly of alcohol. News at 11:00.

If I thought that drinking made one immoral, then I would leave drunkards to their fate, something that I pointedly do not do. I gain no pleasure from your reaction; I do what I do because I feel it is right. I see this thread as promoting drinking in front of children and adolescents, because that's exactly what's going on whether you realize it or not. You don't have to come out and advocate binge drinking for that to be the case; every post about how the poster enjoys alcohol fairly screams of recommendation, as should be expected since that appears to be the point of the thread, and since the majority of this forum's population is underaged, who do you think is reading it? I am obligated to take up the contrary position because of the demonstrable harm that this can cause. I have nothing against any of the posters in this thread; it is entirely possible to dislike an idea without disliking its advocate.

[Quincunx]

Him telling the truth according to his experiences is an unacceptable reason to say that he is lying. Unless someone is mad and hallucinating, personal experience is inviolable.

I am certain that 'the children' can speak up for themselves if they are affronted by an adults' hobby on a PG-13 board. I am not so certain they'll know "responsible behavior" without plenty of examples of it, along with a few cringe-worthy examples of irresponsible and ignorant behavior, to be read and absorbed by proxy. Let the readers gather around like a family in the southern European tradition and sip from the shared experience. . .which, unfortunately for the discussion, I don't have much to share. I'm the abstemious auntie in the corner who thinks of wine like perfume or coffee, lovely to smell but awful to drink. On the nights when people hang out and sip stout or alcoholic cider, I'll wander around with a shotglass of something normally served in a full-size glass, and taste maybe half of it.

[Jack Squat]

Him lying isn't a good reason to say he's lying?

There's a difference between lying and having your facts wrong. Tecnhically, yes, presenting something as being true if it's not is lying, but I like to think usage has evolved enough over the years to include intent - i.e. if you know it's false, it's lying, if you thought it was true, you're just mistaken.


First: Me judging you would take the form of something like "Enjoy your coming cirrhosis and esophagal cancer. Good day." I do not waste my time on lost causes. Second: Even if I were judging you, would it be hypocrisy? After all, I myself do not do the thing you think I'm judging you for. :smalltongue: Third: If I did not do this, I would have to think less of myself, because I would be derelict in my duty.

I'll address these in order:
First: You actually are judging. When you condemn an act, you condemn the people committing the act as well. I can't really say "murdering people to gain power is one of most despicable acts in the universe" and then say "I think Joseph Stalin was a great guy." It just doesn't work like that.

Second: True...this word has taken on false meanings much like "irony". I believe what this was referring to was your constant statements of "I'm not judging you" while your wording consistently says you are.


All that shows is that I think very poorly of alcohol. News at 11:00.

Again, but you don't mind people drinking it? Alcohol in itself is no more than a flammable liquid. It can cause a great many undesirable situations, but a human has to make it able to do that. You can't have such a stance against an item and not have any feelings one way or the other the people who use it.


If I thought that drinking made one immoral, then I would leave drunkards to their fate, something that I pointedly do not do. I gain no pleasure from your reaction; I do what I do because I feel it is right.

Why do you feel it's right? What causes you to take such a stance against alcohol? There has to be more behind this than what you're presenting.


I see this thread as promoting drinking in front of children and adolescents, because that's exactly what's going on whether you realize it or not. You don't have to come out and advocate binge drinking for that to be the case; every post about how the poster enjoys alcohol fairly screams of recommendation, as should be expected since that appears to be the point of the thread, and since the majority of this forum's population is underaged, who do you think is reading it? I am obligated to take up the contrary position because of the demonstrable harm that this can cause. I have nothing against any of the posters in this thread; it is entirely possible to dislike an idea without disliking its advocate.

You're giving underage* members much to little credit. I see you're from Indiana, what part? I ask because growing up in Ohio, I always saw adults drinking beer at dinner or when sitting out on the porch/deck - heck, the festivals my church held had huge beer tents. Despite all this, I can't think of anyone who started binging before college.

I don't blame the binging that does happen on responsible adults who raised their kids to not have beer or wine be some mystery temptation, nor the ones who when the kids expressed maturity and responsibility let them have a glass of beer or wine with dinner under supervision. I blame the people who try and keep alcohol out of kids hands until their old enough - so that when they do get their hands on some, they don't know when to stop. It's called the forbidden fruit effect, look into it.


*please note that it's my opinion that age has absolutely nothing to do with maturity levels expressed in individuals.

[The Rose Dragon]

RP, you can stand against irresponsibility. That is fine, and I will stand by you if you do that. However, you're not standing against irresponsibility. You're standing against the act of drinking alcohol and, by proxy, everyone who partakes in alcohol. It is natural that some of us may take offense at that (personally, I'm just trying to show the difference between use and abuse).

[SDF]

I live in Idaho, and the stereotypes I often come across; i.e. potatoes, (they come from Washington) and racist rednecks (we kicked the Aryan Nations out of the state in 2000 before I even lived here) we don't have anymore. What we do have are hops, lots and lots of hops. Did you know most of the hops for Budweiser come from Idaho? That probably doesn't help our reputation much as Bud is terrible, but we also have, in excess, microbrews. Some of the best microbrews in the world according to professional sources, and some darn good beer IMHO. As far as beer goes I most like heavy, dark IPAs. I have never been too fond of beer in general, and can't stand just about any macrobrew I've come across. (Guinness gets close, but doesn't impress)

As for being judged for occasionally partaking? Well that means I'm at least interesting enough to be judged doesn't it. :smallwink:

[charl]

Underage members & promoting alcohol: if I recall correctly, more people die in Turkey due to traffic accidents than any other cause every year. Shall we not say that driving can be a fun thing? Shall we not discuss the cars, racing and what not? Shall we just say "kills people, bad!" and leave it at that

You may or may not want to stand by that sort of attitude, because by that logic we should allow people to smoke as much cannabis as they want as there has never been a single recorded death from that ever (and I'm not saying that we shouldn't). That type of argumentation may not be what you are looking for.

Just a heads up. I'm otherwise on your side. If people want to participate in potentially self-harming activities they should be allowed to.

[Johnny Blade]

Guys, I think you're getting dangerously close to an ethical and therefore quite probably political discussion here.

So...can't we all just get along?
And exchange booze recommendations, cocktail recipes, and fun drinking anecdotes? :smallamused:

For example, try the following:
4cl Vodka - quality shouldn't matter for that one
6cl Peppermint Liquor - quality matters somewhat, but honestly now, it's just liquor

Pour into 0,2l glass filled up to half with crushed ice, fill up with equal parts of lemon and grapefruit juice.


Also, Hemingway wasn't just a great author, it's also a very nice rum.

[Trog]

Look Renegade Paladin, you're not the only one here who wants to prevent kids from growing up into alcoholics. I think, honestly, we all agree that that's bad.

That said there are many ways to ensure that you can prevent that from happening (if, indeed, another's actions are ever really in one's power at all). Teaching them to drink responsibly through your own actions is certainly one way to do that. So is strict abstinence. Each have their benefits and drawbacks you could say.

The black and white "binary decision" case you are making just doesn't hold up to the real world, I'm afraid. There are millions of people who have the occasional drink with a meal and do not loose control of themselves. Nor do they poison themselves. Nor set a bad example for children.

You feel you are not judging us. Okay. I accept that you and only you can truly say how you feel inside.

BUT

How you have chosen to express yourself in this thread is quite another thing. I agree with the people that say you have been judgmental in your choice of words in this thread. Which is too bad because it certainly is possible to make your point in a way which does not judge others. It undermines your purpose.

*slides a root beer to*

Trog's two cents.

[Oracle_Hunter]

For example, try the following:
4cl Vodka - quality shouldn't matter for that one
6cl Peppermint Liquor - quality matters somewhat, but honestly now, it's just liquor

Pour into 0,2l glass filled up to half with crushed ice, fill up with equal parts of lemon and grapefruit juice.

What do you call it?

Y'see, for me half the fun of drink recipes is their names. I mean, look at this one:

1/4 oz Drambuie
1 1/2 oz Scotch Whisky
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice

Directions
Shake well over ice cubes in a shaker, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.
Wouldn't you want to walk into a bar and say "gimme some Sweet Science" :smalltongue:

...sadly, Drambuie is Anise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anise) flavored, and I cannot stand it. Though I haven't actually had Drambuie, so I may be wrong.

Hey - anyone have Drambuie before? What did it taste like?

[Johnny Blade]

What do you call it?

Y'see, for me half the fun of drink recipes is their names. I mean, look at this one:

Wouldn't you want to walk into a bar and say "gimme some Sweet Science" :smalltongue:
Yeah, well, this one doesn't have a name yet. It's green, you see, and all names for sour green drinks I can think of are horrible.

It's just some silly long drink anyway. Nothing for the true connoisseur, just something that tastes fresh and hides the alcohol well. :smallbiggrin:


Hey - anyone have Drambuie before? What did it taste like?
Like ****, honestly.
Not that much like anise, though, probably mainly because the Scotch hits you like a hammer (while carrying that strange undefinable medicine taste of most herb liqueurs). And then there's that weird aftertaste of honey and nutmeg which leaves little room for other tastes to really unfurl.
However, I didn't try it in any cocktails.

Also, you could probably just use Irish Mist for your Sweet Science. Granted, it's with Irish Whiskey, not Scotch, but I consider that a plus anyway.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Yeah, well, this one doesn't have a name yet. It's green, you see, and all names for sour green drinks I can think of are horrible.

It's just some silly long drink anyway. Nothing for the true connoisseur, just something that tastes fresh and hides the alcohol well. :smallbiggrin:

How about The Sergeant Nak (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/info/cast/cast09.php#hospital)?

He's big, green and bitter (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090126) :smalltongue:

[Johnny Blade]

How about The Sergeant Nak (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/info/cast/cast09.php#hospital)?

He's big, green and bitter (http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090126) :smalltongue:
Well, it's not bitter, but from now on, this drink shall be known as Sergeant Nak. :smallbiggrin:

[Renegade Paladin]

I see you're from Indiana, what part?
The part with the highest teen drinking rate in the nation, period. The county lost that dubious distinction for awhile while I was in high school; my peers discovered this fact and deliberately set out to get it back. I'll address more later; for now I should have been in bed hours ago.

[Ceska]

I personally like a lot of Schnapps - especially Griacherl (which is Damson plum, iirc), we make that ourselves, pretty good.
Apple is usually stronger and not really that good, although properly aged it can become quite tasty. Self-made too.
Slivovic, or plum schnapps, is probably the best. And thus chronically short. Unfortunately we have to trade other schnapps against it to get it.
Zirbe can also be very good, but only one out of twenty of the self made is.

Bad ones include Kräuter, herbal ones - only good for medical purposes, sweet fruit like apricots, and just about any industrial produced ones.
Anise usually makes me vomit before I can swallow it, the amount of alcohol is unimportant for that.

Also good are quite a few stronger liquors as long as they have some taste on their own. The taste of Vodka is just boring to me.

Wines I only like reds and similar. White is too sour, and champagne tastes similar while being cheaper and better. For wines I prefer the ones from Austria, simply because we have a good region around, though I've had some good imported or Italian while being there.

Beer, I have found, doesn't really make me drunk. I drink too slowly for that and don't like the taste much. It is, however, a good filler to stay drunk when you know you're close to hitting real drunkenness soon - water on the other hand is good to get less drunk.

Generally my way of getting drunk is starting with one or two beers, drunk over the course of two or three hours, then add some stronger liquors mixed with beer until I know I had enough, then only beer/wine/champagne mixed with a lot of water.

Mixed drinks and cocktails I only drink when I don't want to get drunk. Their taste usually hides the alcohol, so it's just too hard to pinpoint your intake. And I decided that I would only drink when I know how much I got and when to stop.

That's the advantage of having a considerate drinker as mother, she taught me how to drink while still staying away from vomiting or similar.
By the way, most heavy teenage drinkers I know had their parents preach abstinence.

[Knaight]

I'm a mead guy, and only a mead guy. Though that would be because my dads friend is a bee keeper and makes it herself, she also makes beer, and both are leagues beyond the stuff sold in stores, including most microbreweries. Compared to Coors, Miller, and the like, they are on another plane. So the mead is extremely high quality, plus it is just sweet enough to hit the sweet tooth, while being low alcohol enough to not be overpowering. I don't like wine, beer, champagne, and don't even want to try whiskey or vodka. Schnapps looks interesting though, but I haven't had an opportunity to try it. I've heard it hits the sweet tooth.

[charl]

I looked around and it seems there are no supplier of honey in bulk around here, so I'll have to do with making beer for now.

On a related note, I went out and got some booze for the night. Impulsively I grabbed a bottle of sambuca, and it may just be my new favourite spirit. I love the anise flavour of it. Absinthe is probably still nicer overall, but this is a close second definitely.

[Knaight]

I'm not a fan of drinking absinthe, its way too strong. That said, being able to light it on fire with the sugar cube trick is just too awesome. One thing I've always wondered about is making pure alchohol, mixing it with a lot of water(after running the numbers to get somewhere between 6-10 percent alchohol), and dissolving candy in it. Probably a bad idea, but I could see it working with peppermint, butterscotch, and some hard sour candies. But I don't have the patience to distill alcohol. Then there is vodka, which I don't even want to taste, or smell, but plan on keeping around anyways. You can dissolve permanent marker into it, and it makes it really easy to color things a solid color, and since I make slings(the weapon, although for sport), typically out of nylon its very useful. Coloring braided Nylon strings is way harder than it has any right to be.

I actually dislike the taste of most alcohol, for some reason mead gets around that, and I only drink for the taste. The idea of waking up in the morning with a headache is not one I particularly like, I get migraines often enough to want to avoid headaches more than the average person. That and not being fully aware and capable of making judgments to full normal extent, as well as being more prone to being taken advantage of.(yes I'm paranoid. Its a good way to live life.) That said, I probably don't seek to avoid headaches to the same extent as the average person with migraines as frequent as mine, I got off light on the actual effects (severe headaches, nausea, weird colored light outlines that appear on objects if I look at them, and move when I look away, which is practically blindness).

As for honey, it can be hard finding honey, and harder finding good stuff. Most honey I see in the stores is pale, and thus flavorless. Good honey is a very dark color, deep amber at least, preferably red tinted, and certainly not transparent except for when spread very thin. If you can see through the honey jar, its low quality.
http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp26/KristinMarie2010/Honey.jpg
Low Quality Crap.
[IMG]http://www.honeyvillecolorado.com/images/uploads/312_279_large.jpg[IMG]
Better, but will probably have a plastic like taste, its always better to get honey in glass jars. This applies across the board, whether for mead, tea, toast, tea, cinnamon rolls, tea, pizza crusts, or tea.

[Kneenibble]

This is aimed mainly at the European contributors to this merry discourse who are probably more likely to have access to the stuff.

I'm very curious to hear about anybody's experience drinking lambic. As a sourdough hobbyist -- the legit flour-water-salt method -- I am attracted to spontaneous fermentation. Is it good? Wierd? Appalling? Please tell me (us) it's character.

Edit: Mr. Knaight, a monofloral clover honey is as clear as glass and nearly as pale as water, and has a high, delicate, dewy flavour. Your standard is not omniplicable! What you describe as ideal sounds most like a monofloral sunflower honey, which is indeed a good one (or raspberry too -- in spite of tasting nothing like its fruit, it's a wonderful honey) - I respect your cultivating a snobbery of honey. High sticky five.

[Oracle_Hunter]

So the mead is extremely high quality, plus it is just sweet enough to hit the sweet tooth, while being low alcohol enough to not be overpowering. I don't like wine, beer, champagne, and don't even want to try whiskey or vodka. Schnapps looks interesting though, but I haven't had an opportunity to try it. I've heard it hits the sweet tooth.
Mead is delicious, but don't limit yourself - chances are you're not going to always have access to high quality mead :smalltongue:

For instance, Vodka is the base for many "girly drinks" that are explicitly mixed to conceal the alcohol content and taste sweet. Cosmopolitans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitan_(cocktail)) are a classic example, though I'm sure Johnny Blade can name some more appropriate ones.

For a "manlier" drink, you can try White Russians. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Russian_(cocktail)) They're extremely smooth and good enough for The Dude. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Lebowski)

Beer-wise, you may like fruit beers. (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/9) They can range from a subtle hint of lemon & honey to basically being berry syrup.

[Knaight]

I'm sticking to the girlier drinks. Including fruit beers, those sound pretty good. I think I had a sip of a raspberry beer at one point that wasn't bad.

Kneenibble: Raspberry isn't bad, however one honey that works really well is buckwheat. It doesn't sound very good, but its a nice honey, if a little dark, even by my standards(it is pitch black). Mostly though, the lighter colored honey found in stores indicates that it was taken out of the bee hive before the bees were done making it, as well as probably having next to no variety of flowers. Most honey I use comes from a wide variety of flowers, it enhances the taste. Its also local, so maybe the flowers in Colorado are good ones, at least up by the Rockies. High sticky five.

[Trog]

This is aimed mainly at the European contributors to this merry discourse who are probably more likely to have access to the stuff.

I'm very curious to hear about anybody's experience drinking lambic. As a sourdough hobbyist -- the legit flour-water-salt method -- I am attracted to spontaneous fermentation. Is it good? Wierd? Appalling? Please tell me (us) it's character.
*is not European but will field the question none the less* :smallwink:

I've had lambic and I have to say it's good stuff. Very sweet however and I for one wouldn't tend to sit down and drink more than one small bottle of it. Or perhaps even a single glass. I tend to treat it more like a wine and usually have had it with meals rather than a beverage on its own. Tastes like a very syrupy sweet wine with a hint of a sort of malty beer feel. Framboise is a nice flavor though I personally prefer the cherry lambic I've had.

It's not something I have often but now and then it's a nice change up. I know not the first thing about brewing the stuff so I hope that helps.

[Don Julio Anejo]

The part with the highest teen drinking rate in the nation, period. The county lost that dubious distinction for awhile while I was in high school; my peers discovered this fact and deliberately set out to get it back. I'll address more later; for now I should have been in bed hours ago.
Dude, you're in Indiana... Obviously all the teenagers are going to be perpetually drunk... there's pretty much nothing else to do down there.

[Knaight]

One wonders if that would also make videogames(and for that matter D&D and the like) more popular.

[Oracle_Hunter]

One wonders if that would also make videogames(and for that matter D&D and the like) more popular.

I don't know why people say there's nothing to do in Indiana. There are plenty of fireworks and strip-clubs to go around! :smalltongue:

More seriously, I wouldn't be surprised about video games - but there are also sports, hunting, and various other activities that require going outside.

[Johnny Blade]

Mead is delicious, but don't limit yourself - chances are you're not going to always have access to high quality mead :smalltongue:

For instance, Vodka is the base for many "girly drinks" that are explicitly mixed to conceal the alcohol content and taste sweet. Cosmopolitans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitan_(cocktail)) are a classic example, though I'm sure Johnny Blade can name some more appropriate ones.
Ummm, yeah...Sex On The Beach? :smallbiggrin:
Be sure to use De Kuyper's Peach Tree for that one. At least I haven't found another decent peach liqueur.

Anyway, making a good sweet girly drink is relatively easy. You just have to use the right spirit, which usually is either vodka or white rum.
The one pitfall there is is that, all too easily, such a drink can end up being disgustingly sweet because of all the liqueurs and sirups in it. So you'll either want to substitute those with flavored spirits - Absolut has loads and loads of them, and I'm quite fond of Appleton's Koko Kanu in coconut-flavored drinks like Pina Coladas - or add something to counter the sweetness, which will mostly be cream or something sour.
Of course, there's always water. Seriously, I'll never understand why so many people seem to be afraid of water in cocktails. It's not like it would alter the taste in unforeseeable ways, after all, and you drink most with ice cubes anyway.


For a "manlier" drink, you can try White Russians. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Russian_(cocktail)) They're extremely smooth and good enough for The Dude. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Lebowski)
Oh yeah, White Russians...the Dude knows what's good.
Much like it is with SOTB and Peach Tree, though, I would only use original Kahlua for it. Not that there are no other good coffee liqueurs, it's just that none are quite like Kahlua.
Anyway, if you use the right vodka for it - you'll really want one with a heavier, more natural taste, like Absolut (although it really, really doesn't have to be an expensive one like that) - you won't even taste it.


Also, while we're at the topic of girly drinks: I've come to really like cappuccino with a shot of Bailey's in it.

[RelentlessImp]

I'm a vodka person. Straight shots, black or white russians, ungodly mixes with whatever's on hand (typically soda). Though I do enjoy tequila on occasion (margaritas, sunrises), nothing quite hits the spot when you just want a pleasant buzz like a good amaretto, such as Disaronno Originale, preferably by itself or part of a Sunrise.

But for sit-up, fall-down drunk, it's vodka for me. Anything less than 80 proof just doesn't get me there unless consumed in ungodly amounts.

Also, huzzah for references to The Dude. You guys have made me want to break out the vodka. Also, for those looking for a decent vodka that isn't expensive, give Sobieski a try. It's cheap enough for mixed drinks and good enough for drinking by itself.

[Jack Squat]

The part with the highest teen drinking rate in the nation, period. The county lost that dubious distinction for awhile while I was in high school; my peers discovered this fact and deliberately set out to get it back. I'll address more later; for now I should have been in bed hours ago.

I actually can't find that statistic. Wisconsin seems to have the highest throughout the state(42.7% aged 12-20) though...and Tennessee seems to have one of the lowest (22.3%). Statewide Indiana has 26.7% link (http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k6/stateUnderageDrinking/underageDrinking.htm)

However, taking your word for it, I can see where this could cause you to form your stance. While I don't blame you for it -in fact, kudos to standing up to the apparent social norm- , are you sure you have the right cause down? Is the high abuse rate because of adults drinking it responsibly, or is there a high rate of alcohol abuse among adults? Do adults expose children to alcohol (not give them a can, just have it in the presence, perhaps a taste), or do they try and hide it? Do they just not care and let the kids do whatever they want?

There's more to this issue than kids binging. It becomes a question of how they were raised and what environment they're in. With a strong enough outside pressure, even the strongest wills can shirk their teachings and habits. If your statement is true - and I'm not saying it's not, I just can't find it in Google -, the idea of having to "fit in" will cause most people to join in regardless of what adults around them were doing.

[Knaight]

Has anybody here actually tried dissolving candy(probably peppermint and butterscotch) in alchohol before? If they have how does it work.

[Tamburlaine]

It would be remiss of me not to mention the worst wines evah (http://www.bumwine.com/)

Oh god, you are not wrong. I've drunk MD 20/20 before; it was blue, supposedly raspberry flavoured, and by far the most disgusting thing that I've ever put in my mouth.

Oracle_Hunter, I am quite jealous. I have never been able to find a bar that does a good manhattan. I mean, it's hard enough to find one that serves them at all anymore. :smallfrown: Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?

[Quincunx]

I can't speak for alcohol, but I know that Skittles dropped into sparkling grape juice, while they release ultra-cool swirls of food coloring into the drink, taste hideous.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Oracle_Hunter, I am quite jealous. I have never been able to find a bar that does a good manhattan. I mean, it's hard enough to find one that serves them at all anymore. :smallfrown: Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?
Well, you could always hop a flight to O'Hare and go get one yourself. Currently it's about $1.50 to the Pound, and a round trip from Gatwick is only about 320 pounds (http://www.edreams.com/edreams/shared/amadeus3/FareItineraryView.jhtml;$sessionid$KWUKJC3G2PDQVQF ISY5BNWWAVCLC0IV0?_requestid=496727) :smalltongue:

I am surprised you can't find a bar that serves Manhattans. Provided it's a place that has vermouth, I've yet to find a bartender who even blinks when your order one.

[snoopy13a]

I am surprised you can't find a bar that serves Manhattans. Provided it's a place that has vermouth, I've yet to find a bartender who even blinks when your order one.

It may be due to the bartenders not knowing what a Manhattan is. Also, doesn't a Manhattan have bitters in addition to the whisky/vermouth?

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the most miraclous mixed drink of all:

Long Island Iced Tea

which of course, doesn't have any tea but does have 3-4 shots of liquor and doesn't taste all that bad :smalltongue:

[Oracle_Hunter]

It may be due to the bartenders not knowing what a Manhattan is. Also, doesn't a Manhattan have bitters in addition to the whisky/vermouth?
A proper Manhattan should, but bitters are not a popular ingredient in contemporary drinks, so many bars seem to lack them. Considering that they also tend to serve their Manhattans on the rocks, the lack isn't really noticeable :smallannoyed:

Really, I should just order Rum & Cokes when I go to those kinds of bars. They're hard to mess up and they mix stimulants with depressants - always a winning combination :smallbiggrin:

[Tamburlaine]

It may be due to the bartenders not knowing what a Manhattan is. Also, doesn't a Manhattan have bitters in addition to the whisky/vermouth?

It does indeed, but if a bar has vermouth, it's most likely decent enough that it'll have bitters as well. (EDIT: That'll teach me to spend too long writing a reply) Manhattan on the rocks isn't so bad, as long as it's well made. I did manage get a manhattan in a bowling alley, but it wasn't a particularly nice one, and it was fairly expensive :smallannoyed:.

Oh well, at least everywhere serves gin and tonics.

Also, I quite like other mixed drinks with whisky, such as the whisky sour. In fact... *goes and makes one* Delicious! :smallsmile:

[Oracle_Hunter]

It does indeed, but if a bar has vermouth, it's most likely decent enough that it'll have bitters as well. (EDIT: That'll teach me to spend too long writing a reply) Manhattan on the rocks isn't so bad, as long as it's well made. I did manage get a manhattan in a bowling alley, but it wasn't a particularly nice one, and it was fairly expensive :smallannoyed:

My objection is that some bars seem to use ice as an excuse for watering-down their drinks. My first experience with this was at a supposed "whiskey bar" where I got a Manhattan that was 90% Ice & Water, 9.9% Whiskey and 0.1% Vermouth. As an experiment, I ordered a "shot" of whiskey straight and had it served to me as a film of liquid on the bottom of an Old-Fashioned glass.

Needless to say, I was PO'd :smallmad:

Now, while Johnny Blade is right that water is a perfectly legitimate liquid to add as a mixer, it is never right for a bartender to use it to water-down a drink. And nothing is quite as bad as a watery Manhattan.

[Tamburlaine]

I see what you're driving at, watered drinks are terrible. The first manhattan I ever had was one on the rocks in a hotel in greece, and it was probably the best I've had so far, even.

As a change of pace, how about the worst drink you've ever tried? Apart from the aforementioned hobo wines, my most hated drink has to be malibu and coke; I got really hammered on it once, and ever since I haven't been able to stand the stuff - even the smell makes me feel disgusted. :smalleek:

[Oracle_Hunter]

As a change of pace, how about the worst drink you've ever tried? Apart from the aforementioned hobo wines, my most hated drink has to be malibu and coke; I got really hammered on it once, and ever since I haven't been able to stand the stuff - even the smell makes me feel disgusted. :smalleek:
It wasn't even a mixed drink - Southern Comfort is terrible! Or, rather, it tasted like whiskey mixed with cough syrup to me; I'm sure there are plenty of people who like that taste, but it was so bad that I actually poured out the remainder of the glass rather than drink it. Thank god it was free!

[Spiryt]

As a change of pace, how about the worst drink you've ever tried? Apart from the aforementioned hobo wines, my most hated drink has to be malibu and coke; I got really hammered on it once, and ever since I haven't been able to stand the stuff - even the smell makes me feel disgusted. :smalleek:

This doesn't count as drink but 16% Vermouth was rather horrible for me.
Maybe were just weak drinkers, but one of my roommates spewed a bit after drinking just a bit of this stuff, so I had to drink most of remaining bootle.

I mixed it with tonic so it was drinkable, but alone it was really bad at least for us. It had terrible aroma of grandmas herbal medication.

[Renegade Paladin]

I actually can't find that statistic. Wisconsin seems to have the highest throughout the state(42.7% aged 12-20) though...and Tennessee seems to have one of the lowest (22.3%). Statewide Indiana has 26.7% link (http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k6/stateUnderageDrinking/underageDrinking.htm)

However, taking your word for it, I can see where this could cause you to form your stance. While I don't blame you for it -in fact, kudos to standing up to the apparent social norm- , are you sure you have the right cause down? Is the high abuse rate because of adults drinking it responsibly, or is there a high rate of alcohol abuse among adults? Do adults expose children to alcohol (not give them a can, just have it in the presence, perhaps a taste), or do they try and hide it? Do they just not care and let the kids do whatever they want?

There's more to this issue than kids binging. It becomes a question of how they were raised and what environment they're in. With a strong enough outside pressure, even the strongest wills can shirk their teachings and habits. If your statement is true - and I'm not saying it's not, I just can't find it in Google -, the idea of having to "fit in" will cause most people to join in regardless of what adults around them were doing.
The area is largely populated (north of 90%) with the descendants of German and Austrian immigrants; German is still a prevalent second language. Among the adults, drinking, though not getting drunk, is a large part of the culture. The one thing I can say for it is that the bars here aren't out-and-out dangerous, unlike the ones where I used to live in Louisville. Monkey see, monkey do, and since the average high schooler is about that smart, they drink like fish. Dodging the cops when they come to bust parties is a favorite pastime. I sympathize more with the cops; some time in jail might break them of it. :smallannoyed: And I sympathize not at all with the "everyone else is doing it" excuse; they have minds and wills of their own, and if they won't use them, it's their own fault.

ANYWAY.

It occurs to me that I alluded to the Dublin pub story, but didn't actually tell it. I suppose I should do that. :smallbiggrin: So anyway, I was on a two week choir trip to the British Isles. We started in Ireland and toured around there for the first week, and at the end of that week we were in Dublin, set to take the ferry to Holyhead the next day. A bunch of the other singers decided that they were going to take advantage of the lower drinking age and go pub-crawling, and the professor, knowing that I don't drink, quietly asked me to tag along to make sure they came back alive and in one piece. So we all went out of the hotel and hailed a taxi van. Apparently Dublin taxi drivers are slightly crazier than normal, and after careening around more tight streets than I care to remember, we were dropped off in what was apparently an older section of town, with stone-paved streets and manifestly older buildings, including a monstrous three-story pub with five bar rooms, which we went into.

So we go up to the second floor, pick one of the bars, and get a table at the back. Everyone but me orders Guinness, and they set to. The trouble is that there was a band in the next room, and we're all choir kids, so after getting just a little tipsy, the entire table started singing. :smallamused: The bartender rapidly got annoyed, and summarily gave us the boot after a few minutes of this; I had to bribe him ten Euros just to dissuade him from calling the Garda. (In the States I'd have done no such thing, but I'd been charged with bringing them back, and my word is my bond. Besides, the complications of having traveling companions arrested in a foreign country was something I did not need at the moment.) It occurred to us all later that we could have simply gone towards the door and relocated to another bar room when he wasn't looking, but they were buzzed and I was beginning to panic, so subterfuge wasn't on anyone's mind. :smallwink: The real funny thing is that the singing wasn't even bad; it was a table full of music majors who know what they're doing right up until slurred speech set in, which it hadn't yet.

I suspect that part of it may have been that it was the week before the Irish parliamentary elections and anti-American sentiment was running pretty high, to judge from the content of the street protests earlier in the day. Can't say for sure, though.

[Tamburlaine]

This doesn't count as drink but 16% Vermouth was rather horrible for me.
Maybe were just weak drinkers, but one of my roommates spewed a bit after drinking just a bit of this stuff, so I had to drink most of remaining bootle.

I mixed it with tonic so it was drinkable, but alone it was really bad at least for us. It had terrible aroma of grandmas herbal medication.

Oof. Yeah, I wouldn't drink vermouth on its own unless I had to. Also, as I have just remembered, frangelico (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frangelico) is the nastiest drink in the world.

[Johnny Blade]

Now, while Johnny Blade is right that water is a perfectly legitimate liquid to add as a mixer, it is never right for a bartender to use it to water-down a drink. And nothing is quite as bad as a watery Manhattan.
I was talking about the reluctance of many people to use water in drinks they mix at home.
Actual bartenders have far less qualms about it...



I don't know what the worst drink I ever had was. There are far too many that would qualify.
This New Year's Eve, however, I had that ridiculously bad rosé sparkling wine.
It was disgusting, really. I don't even know what else to say about it.

[snoopy13a]

As a change of pace, how about the worst drink you've ever tried? Apart from the aforementioned hobo wines, my most hated drink has to be malibu and coke; I got really hammered on it once, and ever since I haven't been able to stand the stuff - even the smell makes me feel disgusted. :smalleek:

I feel the same way about Jim Beam. It is purely psychological as I can drink other whiskys with no problem.

Nastiest stuff I drank was this "alcohol cola" stuff. It was awful. It was so bad that my roommate at the time and I kept the remains of the six pack in the fridge and we used to dare each other to drink the stuff. One night, we drank them for fun. Now that was truly nasty stuff.

Second most nastiest stuff I drank was a 180 or so proof vodka straight from the bottle. During college, I was at a party and a friend said: "Drink this". I took a swig out of the bottle and then he showed me the label. It said something like: "Do not drink without mixing".

I also have a funny story about pretentious drinkers from college as well. We were throwing a party and because we were very cheap, we had bought lots of Milwaukee's Best* (aka The Beast). Now, somehow there had been a six pack of Heineken laying on our second story porch. It had been out there for a few weeks so it was definitely skunky and nasty.

Anyway, at the party, some poseurs found the Heineken and started drinking it. They commented on how great it was as to show off their "beer knowledge". Sure...

Now, I like Southern Comfort (SoCo). Once year, I had to hang around campus for Spring Break. One sunny day, me and another guy got a bottle of SoCo, sat on the porch in the sun and drank SoCo and coke all day. Good times :smallsmile:

*I have probably drank more Beast than any other alcoholic beverage. Let's say calling it "Beast" isn't a compliment.

[THAC0]

Now, I like Southern Comfort (SoCo). Once year, I had to hang around campus for Spring Break. One sunny day, me and another guy got a bottle of SoCo, sat on the porch in the sun and drank SoCo and coke all day. Good times :smallsmile:


That was my breakfast the morning of my wedding.

[Ceska]

As a change of pace, how about the worst drink you've ever tried?
Strong, 70+%, herbal schnapps with a whole ginger and horse raddish. Actually one would assume that alcohol that strong would taste hot, sharp or however you call it, only from the alcohol, but this one just kept taste in your mouth for hours.
We ended the pain by ingesting more normal, apple, schnapps afterwards. Always a good idea, drown the taste with more alcohol. :smallwink:

[Turcano]

My Curriculum Aqua Vitae is as follows:

Absinthe
Beer

Porter
Stout
Trappist
Brandy

Calvados
Cognac

Hennessy VS
Courvoisier XO Imperial
Cider
Gin

Bombay Sapphire
Plymouth
Liqueur

Agavero
Bailey's
Disarronno
Drambuie
Godiva
Grand Marnier
Jägermeister
Limoncello
Navan
Tuaca
Mead
Rum

Captain Morgan
Sailor Jerry's
Tequila

Don Julio (añejo)
Patrón (añejo, blanco)
Tonala (añejo)
Whisky

Bourbon

Maker's Mark
Canadian
Irish

Bushmill's
Michael Collins
Scotch

Balvenie
Bunnahabhain
Glenfiddich
Glenlivet
Glenmorangie
Lagavulin
Singleton
Tennessee
Vodka

Imperia
Tito's Handmade
Wine

Fortified

Marsala
Port
Sherry
Red
White

Three gaps I hope to rectify are rye, schnapps, and top-shelf rum.

Things I've learned:
The best beer I've ever had was Chimay Bleu; you're depriving yourself if you haven't had it at least once.
I have never had a red wine that I've liked. I don't know if it's because they're tannin-heavy or what, but they always taste like wet cardboard.
If you don't like gin, give Plymouth or a similarly flavored gin a whirl; generally speaking, gins from London are the ones that taste like a juniper tree shoved down your throat.
As far as spiced rum goes, Sailor Jerry's makes Captain Morgan taste like drain cleaner.
To you vodka drinkers out there: if you want a top-helf vodka at a bottom-shelf price go with Tito's Handmade; it's as good as or better than the top-shelf stuff and costs sixteen bucks.
Making your own limoncello is fun and easy, and from the feedback I've gotten, better than the commercial brands.

[Spiryt]

BTW, what records connected with alcohol do you know?

As far as I know, the verified record of content of alcohol in blood was 1,48%.


14,8 promila alkoholu we krwi miał Tadeusz S., który w 1995 roku jadąc samochodem, spowodował wypadek pod Wrocławiem. Wynik badania był tak nieprawdopodobny, ze powtarzano je pięciokrotnie, zawsze z takim samym rezultatem. Mężczyzna zmarł kilkanaście dni później w wyniku obrażeń odniesionych w wypadku.

14,8 per mille of alcohol in blood had Tadeusz S. who in 1995 caused the car accident near Wrocław. The result of examination was so unbelieveable that it was repeated 5 times, always with the same score. The man died several days later beacuse of acdcidnet injuries.

I've read about some guy that was supposed to have 15,9 but he died beacuse of it, but this could be a gossip, as well as the story about some Russian who atained 20,1 during the "spirytus" (how is about 90% ethanol distillate called in english?) drinking competition.

[Renegade Paladin]

And alcohol strikes again. One of the dumb high schoolers that the boss hires to work the front backed her vehicle into the car of one of the not quite as dumb high schoolers who is similarly employed.

She had a gallon of whiskey in her car. Rather than take her lumps for breaking the law when the police responded to the accident, she decided it would be a capital idea to dump it in the back of the truck belonging to a third coworker who is on work release. Because that won't get him sent straight to prison.

Oh wait. Yes. Yes it will.

I'm just glad he caught it, because if he'd driven back to the jail with that in his truck, I'd be stuck baking seven days a week. I should wring her neck. :smallmad:

[charl]

Uh... why would he be sent to prison for having alcohol, a completely legal substance, in his car?

[snoopy13a]

Uh... why would he be sent to prison for having alcohol, a completely legal substance, in his car?

Work-release is a program to reintergrate prisoners into society. Basically, the person works during the day and returns to jail or a halfway house at night. The idea to have the people develop job skills so they can make a living.

Alcohol would be banned for those in a work-release program and being caught would mean the person goes back to being 24/7 in prison. It might also result in losing good behavior credit, affect parole hearings or could even be considered a new crime that could result in more time.

[lsfreak]

-snip-
You are misattributing a person's behavior to alcohol, when it is probably the person's character. Responsible, self-controlled people don't use alcohol as an excuse for things they do, nor do said responsible do things as stupid irresponsible as what happened in your story. The problem is the people's attitudes, behavior, and so on, not alcohol.

EDIT: Rereading this, it came off much more serious and condemning than I intended. Rewritten.

[Jack Squat]

You are misattributing a person's behavior to alcohol, when it is probably the person's character. Responsible, self-controlled people don't use alcohol as an excuse for things they do, nor do said responsible do things as stupid irresponsible as what happened in your story. The problem is the people's attitudes, behavior, and so on, not alcohol.

EDIT: Rereading this, it came off much more serious and condemning than I intended. Rewritten.

Agreed. This could have played out the exact same way with weed, a gun, knife, or can of spray paint. Alcohol isn't the culprit here, stupidity is.

[skywalker]

Has anybody here actually tried dissolving candy(probably peppermint and butterscotch) in alchohol before? If they have how does it work.

My grandparents used to make cough syrup by putting rock candy in whiskey or vodka. Apparently worked quite well for cutting sickness, as well as toothache (as in, never have that tooth hurt again!).


That was my breakfast the morning of my wedding.

Not sure if that's a good or bad thing...

[RelentlessImp]

Uh... why would he be sent to prison for having alcohol, a completely legal substance, in his car?

Also, in many states in the US, it's illegal to have an open container of alcohol in a moving vehicle. "Open" has a very broad meaning in this sense - isn't sealed, open beer can, glass of wine. Doesn't matter if you're driving or not, if it's in the vehicle, it's illegal, and the driver's the one who's punished for it.

Part of that "cracking down on drunk driving" thing they're doing.

[THAC0]

Not sure if that's a good or bad thing...

It was pretty awesome. My husband had the flask on him during the ceremony, but it didn't get used until the reception when our best man and maid of honor were freaking out about their speeches. :smallbiggrin:

[Johnny Blade]

14,8 per mille of alcohol in blood had Tadeusz S. who in 1995 caused the car accident near Wrocław. The result of examination was so unbelieveable that it was repeated 5 times, always with the same score. The man died several days later beacuse of acdcidnet injuries.
In a similar, but less tragic story, a Lithuanian truck driver was once stopped by the police. He was still driving pretty much normally, however, his facial expression was apparently suspiciously blissful. When talking to him, the cops also noticed that he was somewhat absent-minded. So they tested him.
The result: 7,27 per mille.
His explanation: He had too much vodka the night before, so he drank "a few" beers to fight his hangover before he got on the road again.


Always a good idea, drown the taste with more alcohol. :smallwink:
Lithuania's got your back.

So do I.


And alcohol strikes again.
You can't be serious...
First, that car wasn't driven by a bottle of vodka, but by a person.
Second, said person wasn't even drunk, as I'm sure you would have told us about that.
Third, as others have already said, hiding the alcohol was not a result of it being alcohol, it was the driver being irresponsible, or simply panicking.

[reorith]

I'm just glad he caught it, because if he'd driven back to the jail with that in his truck, I'd be stuck baking seven days a week. I should wring her neck. :smallmad:

do it! i can feel your anger. strike her down with all of your hatred. give in to your anger. and then relax with a domestic frosty brew!

[skywalker]

Also, in many states in the US, it's illegal to have an open container of alcohol in a moving vehicle. "Open" has a very broad meaning in this sense - isn't sealed, open beer can, glass of wine. Doesn't matter if you're driving or not, if it's in the vehicle, it's illegal, and the driver's the one who's punished for it.

Part of that "cracking down on drunk driving" thing they're doing.

I mean, I don't think it counts in the back of a truck...


It was pretty awesome. My husband had the flask on him during the ceremony, but it didn't get used until the reception when our best man and maid of honor were freaking out about their speeches. :smallbiggrin:

Well, that you know of... There's all that time before "Here Comes the Bride" you know...

[RS14]

In a similar, but less tragic story, a Lithuanian truck driver was once stopped by the police. He was still driving pretty much normally, however, his facial expression was apparently suspiciously blissful. When talking to him, the cops also noticed that he was somewhat absent-minded. So they tested him.
The result: 7,27 per mille.
His explanation: He had too much vodka the night before, so he drank "a few" beers to fight his hangover before he got on the road again.

The way I heard it, he was driving down the center of the highway.

[Don Julio Anejo]

I was talking about the reluctance of many people to use water in drinks they mix at home.
Actual bartenders have far less qualms about it...

If someone did that where I work at, I'd punch them straight in the face.

[Johnny Blade]

The way I heard it, he was driving down the center of the highway.
Really? Well, it would certainly make sense, but none of the articles a quick search brought forth have anything to say about why exactly the police took notice of him, only that he was remarkably jolly all the time.

Anyway, I find it incredible that he was capable of driving and communicating at all. I mean, a drunken person is still very good at basic routine tasks, but 7 per mille? As far as I know it, even most heavy drinkers, a category I assume that man belongs to, wouldn't even be conscious after that much.


If someone did that where I work at, I'd punch them straight in the face.
Heh. :smallbiggrin:

Well, I should say that the place where I worked was not the best one, just one trying to look decent, where the clientele usually comprised people aged 16-20 (Germany, remember) that mostly ordered cocktails to drink something with a nice taste that they could claim still had some alcohol in it.
Also, when describing my employer there, "reputable" is one word I wouldn't use.

[Spiryt]

Anyway, I find it incredible that he was capable of driving and communicating at all. I mean, a drunken person is still very good at basic routine tasks, but 7 per mille? As far as I know it, even most heavy drinkers, a category I assume that man belongs to, wouldn't even be conscious after that much.

Well, Tadeusz S. was capable of start his car, drive for a while and then crash into other car(s), at about 15 per mille.

So I guess that best 'players' can stretch the boundaries quite a bit.

For normal man 4.5 per mille is considered to be life threatening as far as I know.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Well, I should say that the place where I worked was not the best one, just one trying to look decent, where the clientele usually comprised people aged 16-20 (Germany, remember) that mostly ordered cocktails to drink something with a nice taste that they could claim still had some alcohol in it.
Also, when describing my employer there, "reputable" is one word I wouldn't use.
Oh man, was it a Juegendcentrum? When I went on an exchange program to Germany in high school, we spent pretty much all our time there. I fondly recall Bucket Sangria night :smallbiggrin:

Surprisingly, it had a non-smoking room where they kept the pool table. Fun fact: Germans are terrible at pool. I don't know what it was exactly, but no German beat a single American the whole month I was there - even me, and I'm awful at pool! :smalltongue:

[Ceska]

Oh man, was it a Jugendzentrum? When I went on an exchange program to Germany in high school, we spent pretty much all our time there. I fondly recall Bucket Sangria night :smallbiggrin:
Jugendzentren have bars?
Nah, sounds more like a crappy bar aimed at university students and lower.
We had one right next to our school. Was doing good business. At least they got cheap and good beer.

Surprisingly, it had a non-smoking room where they kept the pool table. Fun fact: Germans are terrible at pool. I don't know what it was exactly, but no German beat a single American the whole month I was there - even me, and I'm awful at pool! :smalltongue:
Germans usually only play pool as excuse to get drunk.
That sounds like they should be insanely good, but then we use almost anything as excuse to get drunk. :smallwink:

[snoopy13a]

Surprisingly, it had a non-smoking room where they kept the pool table. Fun fact: Germans are terrible at pool. I don't know what it was exactly, but no German beat a single American the whole month I was there - even me, and I'm awful at pool! :smalltongue:

They would probably beat me. My pool "strategy" seems to be to clog up the tables with my balls and hope that the other guy scratches the 8 ball :smallbiggrin:

[Knaight]

As the guy who's strategy is to aim, hope for the best, and ponder praying softly when I miss by 45 degrees. I'm not very good at pool to say the least. Now foosball, that I can do. I should be good at pool, I'm a finesse fencer, epee and saber(screw foil), and one would think some of the skills would carry over.

[Trog]

clog up the tables with my balls and hope that the other guy scratches
Out-of-context quotes amuse Trog. :smalltongue:

[Johnny Blade]

Well, Tadeusz S. was capable of start his car, drive for a while and then crash into other car(s), at about 15 per mille.

So I guess that best 'players' can stretch the boundaries quite a bit.
Yeah, that's of course an even bigger miracle.
I mean, how do you even get there to begin with? The man must've been drinking for days.


For normal man 4.5 per mille is considered to be life threatening as far as I know.
I seriously doubt that, really. I mean, I've read it too, but I'm pretty sure I've seen people reaching 4 with no worse effects than the usual.
According to one calculator, I once did, actually. I don't trust that one, though.

I know that one of the people I went to school with once reached 4.7 when he was 19 - of course, he was a case for the paramedics, but it was not life-threatening.
(That one really was a classic case, by the way. Alcoholism is a family tradition for his folks.)


Jugendzentren have bars?
Nah, sounds more like a crappy bar aimed at university students and lower.
We had one right next to our school. Was doing good business. At least they got cheap and good beer.
Exactly. The cocktail bar was mainly there so all the guys could bring their girlfriends along and thus stay longer and come more often. (That worked, by the way.)


Germans usually only play pool as excuse to get drunk.
That sounds like they should be insanely good, but then we use almost anything as excuse to get drunk. :smallwink:
At least you're still looking for excuses. :smallwink:


They would probably beat me. My pool "strategy" seems to be to clog up the tables with my balls and hope that the other guy scratches the 8 ball :smallbiggrin:
One of my friends once managed to start one of those almost-brawls by hitting some dude that was standing 6 feet or so away.

Beat that.

[Ascension]

My experience with alcohol has been entirely limited to two cast parties, but it has been an interesting journey so far.

What I have had, in chronological order:

1st party:
A frozen margarita
One shot of straight tequila
Boone's Farm strawberry daiquiri
More frozen margaritas
Malibu rum, unmixed

2nd party:
More of the Boone's Farm
Malibu rum and coke
A screwdriver
Spiced rum and coke
Some kind of light beer

Opinions:
Of what I've had, the screwdriver was my favorite. I tasted orange juice, I felt vodka. The margaritas were good too. The Boone's Farm is too weak to be worthwhile. Rum is better mixed than unmixed. Cheap tequila is terrible. Beer is much better than I expected, but not as good as I could hope.

Conclusions:
Vodka and tequila cocktails warrant further investigation. I will accept other drinks from the list I have already sampled if/when offered, but (so far) for the most part they do not seem spectacular enough to justify active pursuit. I still wish to sample other alcoholic beverages I have not yet indulged in, since it seems there could well be something better lurking out there, but, assuming pleasant drunkeness is the desired objective, the screwdriver seems so far to be the most effective and efficient way of reaching that objective.

Disclaimer:
The current conclusion may well be faulty... further experimentation is required. Although the consumption of the screwdriver certainly coincided with the height of my evening, the result may have been created less by the drink itself and more by its combination with the effects of beverages consumed earlier in the night. I may be overestimating its effects.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Conclusions:
Vodka and tequila cocktails warrant further investigation. I will accept other drinks from the list I have already sampled if/when offered, but (so far) for the most part they do not seem spectacular enough to justify active pursuit. I still wish to sample other alcoholic beverages I have not yet indulged in, since it seems there could well be something better lurking out there, but, assuming pleasant drunkeness is the desired objective, the screwdriver seems so far to be the most effective and efficient way of reaching that objective.
Vodka is a highly efficient way to get drunk. It is largely flavorless (well, above a certain floor) and mixes well into drinks. If you liked Screwdrivers, take a look at this list (http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/vodka.htm) and see if any of those look tastier than orange juice.

And of course, if you like tequila and orange juice, you should investigate the Tequila Sunrise. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequila_Sunrise_(cocktail))

Beer-wise, I'd imagine you were probably just given a can of something. If that tasted decent to you, start looking through bottled beers. If you like light beers, try a Wheat Beer (http://beer.about.com/od/wheatbeer/a/WheatGuide.htm) next. You'll have to noodle around a bit to figure out which style you like the best, but once you do, I'm sure it'll be something you'd like to add to your list.

My personal philosophy is that anyone who expects to do regular social drinking should come up with some default selections for the following:
- Beer (by style)
- Party Drink (cheap alcohol + cheap mixer)
- Spirit (by type)
- Bar Drink (something to order at a nice bar)
- Wine (red or white or either)

TANGENT
Aside from personal satisfaction, the quick and proper ordering of an alcoholic beverage at a social event is just one of those things which you need to do. Nothing is more embarrassing than fumbling for a drink order when your boss asks you what you'd like to have. In general, you can get by without a deep knowledge of wine - it's really complicated and it is usually OK to let someone else choose for you - and most beers are OK so long as you like the type. The really difficult part comes from mixed drinks and spirits - there are so many combinations, and spirits taste different enough that choosing poorly can leave you with a glass of something undrinkable.
My personal list is:
- Beer (Dark - preferably more chocolaty)
- Party Drink (Rum & Coke)
- Spirit (Whiskey - all varieties)
- Bar Drink (Manhattan)
- Wine (any with food, whites or lighter reds otherwise)

Anyone else have one?

[Ascension]

Beer-wise, I'd imagine you were probably just given a can of something. If that tasted decent to you, start looking through bottled beers. If you like light beers, try a Wheat Beer (http://beer.about.com/od/wheatbeer/a/WheatGuide.htm) next. You'll have to noodle around a bit to figure out which style you like the best, but once you do, I'm sure it'll be something you'd like to add to your list.

It was a bottle of something, actually. I just can't remember what it actually was.

I thank you for the advice, though, all of it. Some of my friends think I'm being ridiculously scientific about this whole process, but I figure it's best to find out what you like and what your tolerances are, and the best way to do that is systematically.

[Johnny Blade]

Anyone else have one?
Pretty much the opposite. I try something new whenever I can. Of course, this has not always yielded favorable results, but that's acceptable.
If I already know everything available, I usually will order a Pils, a rather sour drink, or, if it really has to be wine, a randomly picked white one.

What I do have, though, is a number of good cheap beers and spirits to buy for a party.

[Oracle_Hunter]

It was a bottle of something, actually. I just can't remember what it actually was.

I thank you for the advice, though, all of it. Some of my friends think I'm being ridiculously scientific about this whole process, but I figure it's best to find out what you like and what your tolerances are, and the best way to do that is systematically.
Just remember to say "For SCIENCE!" before trying a new drink :smallbiggrin:

[Johnny Blade]

Just remember to say "For SCIENCE!" before trying a new drink :smallbiggrin:
Yes.

And try not to drink too much of something you really like. You won't like it for long if you do.

[Oracle_Hunter]

And try not to drink too much of something you really like. You won't like it for long if you do.
QFT

Fortunately for me, I decided to get sick on something I wouldn't miss. For some bizarre reason, Kilian's Irish Red (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian%27s) was what did it for me, even though I didn't get particularly sick or have any other trauma.

For comparison, my ex-girlfriend got sick on Goldschlaeger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldschl%C3%A4ger) after drinking an entire bottle on a dare. I should mention she was 5'5 and rather slight. Certainly impressive, but not something I'd suggest anyone do.

Also: I'm not actually adverse to trying new drinks, but I have a thing about not finishing a drink. Perhaps it's not healthy, but I just can't bring myself to abandon a drink I ordered, no matter how bad it is. It's probably not healthy, but it does ensure that I think carefully before ordering another drink.

On that note, it is good to know what things you don't like. For me, it's Gins and Pale Ales - pretty much everything else I either enjoy or am indifferent to.

[Bouregard]

A good german beer and occasionally pure vodka.
I'm personally not a big fan of drinks and all those mixtures...

[RelentlessImp]

Here's my list:
- Beer (High Gravity - preferably Steel Reserve)
- Party Drink (Screwdriver)
- Spirit (Meade)
- Bar Drink (Tequila Sunrise or Amaretto Sunrise)
- Wine (Red wine or Mogen David 20-20 [It's cheap, it's high alcohol content {for a wine} and goes down easy])

[Zeb The Troll]

Here's my list:
- Beer (High Gravity - preferably Steel Reserve)
- Party Drink (Screwdriver)
- Spirit (Meade)
- Bar Drink (Tequila Sunrise or Amaretto Sunrise)
- Wine (Red wine or Mogen David 20-20 [It's cheap, it's high alcohol content {for a wine} and goes down easy])I don't think mead falls into the "spirits" category as it's fermented and not distilled. In fact, Mogen David (aka "Mad Dog") comes closer because it's a fortified wine, meaning that it has distilled liquor added to it to "fortify" it's alcohol content. :smallcool:

[LoomChild]

Why does it seem that most of the anti-drinkers are both "Mean Drunks" and overprotective to the point of belittlement?

[Exeson]

I'm a stereotypical South African in that my drink of choice is brandy mixed with coke. Or just brandy.

Favorite drinking game? Pi r(squared) of combustion.

That's circle of fire for those who are confused. Amazing game, really fun, especially those toilet cards, they are like paper gold!