My 21st birthday is coming up. [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

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Mystic Muse

2014-02-09, 08:13 PM

So, my 21st birthday is coming up, and I need drink suggestions, since the one I wanted to have ("Dragonslayer") was a seasonal drink at Smokey Bones and I lost the recipe.

SO!

I'm looking for the collective knowledge of the playground to help me. I want to have a gaming related drink. Here are my current criteria.

-Something related to dragons.
-Something related to the zerg from Starcraft, especially Kerrigan.
-Something related to Megaman.
-Something related to the Legend of Zelda.

I like sweeter drinks, so if anybody has any suggestions, I'd be ecstatic.

Duck999

2014-02-09, 08:16 PM

Can't think of any drinks that would fit a theme, but you could give it a great display, like a little model of Link holding the tray with the drinks. Or something.

EmeraldRose

2014-02-09, 08:39 PM

Just on a quick Google- found this site (http://www.drinksmixer.com) with 39 different drinks searching the word dragon. I haven't looked thru it, but I'm very tempted.

I've been pretty happy with my Battleaxe Malbec (http://battleaxewine.com/malbec) recently. Haven't had a bottle I didn't like yet....

Anarion

2014-02-09, 09:05 PM

Mystic Muse

2014-02-09, 09:27 PM

I have absolutely no idea how much drinking you've done prior to age 21, but could I be so bold as to suggest being a purist for your celebratory alcohol? Perhaps a nice glass of red wine, or if you're looking for something harder, a scotch or whiskey, rather than jumping into the land of mixed drinks.

I've had small sips of stuff here and there. I don't care for wine all that much. The ones I've tried have all been very bitter, and as I mentioned, looking for something more sweet.

My friend actually showed me a good site for gaming related drinks. Not sure if I'm allowed to link according to board rules.

Anarion

2014-02-09, 10:26 PM

I've had small sips of stuff here and there. I don't care for wine all that much. The ones I've tried have all been very bitter, and as I mentioned, looking for something more sweet.

My friend actually showed me a good site for gaming related drinks. Not sure if I'm allowed to link according to board rules.

Pretty much all alcohol is bitter. The sweet drinks are just putting sugared stuff in with the alcohol and would almost always taste the same or better if you just left the alcohol out. :smalltongue:

That said, rum and coke is a classic, as is vodka and orange juice.

Aedilred

2014-02-09, 10:29 PM

I've had small sips of stuff here and there. I don't care for wine all that much. The ones I've tried have all been very bitter, and as I mentioned, looking for something more sweet.
Wine is an acquired taste, so I'd recommend not losing any time in acquiring it, especially as you're starting quite late by my standards :smallwink:. It's possible to get white wine that's quite sweet (intolerably sweet, as far as I'm concerned, but different people are different). Alternatively, port and most sherries tend to be sweeter than unfortified wine, and richer too. For red wine, try less tannic wines, as they'll be less bitter. On the description label (or, better yet, when asking the wine merchant), avoid references to tannins and oak, and instead go for "fruity" and "spicy".

Other than classic cocktail combinations I've largely lost my taste for mixed drinks; it's a young person's thing, I guess - and even cocktails I have to be in the right mood for. As I've grown older I've regretted drinking so much rubbish in my youth*, but then you're only young once.

As far as dragons go, an obvious suggestion is flaming shots. Basically, you get a shot of spirits (usually Sambuca or something in the aniseed family), set it on fire then drink it (look up more detailed instructions before attempting!). As per the above, it's something I grew out of a while back, but it has novelty value if you and your guests are relatively inexperienced drinkers and can be visually quite impressive as well as feeling very daring.

For Zelda, the only drink I can remember regularly featuring is Lon Lon milk and the like, so a milk or cream-based cocktail served in a milk bottle might be the way to go. The White Russian is something of a classic (albeit I'd give them more of a health warning than most cocktails), but if you want something more original, then whisky instead of vodka and Irish cream in place of the coffee liqueur could work. (N.B. use blended whisky; if you use single malt in such a cocktail I will come to your house and beat you with a megaton hammer).

I'm unfamiliar with Megaman and Starcraft so can't really help with ideas there. Nevertheless I'd suggest something along the lines of the above: looking for existing conventions and recipes that work and either presenting them unchanged but with a themed name, or applying the same principles to a modified version. For sweet cocktails, check out the Long Island Ice Tea, the Singapore Sling, and the Cosmopolitan and its relatives.

*I'm not that old, mind. But I'm old enough to know better.

Seerow

2014-02-09, 10:37 PM

Not what you asked for specifically (okay I guess Charizard is kind of a dragon) but I happened to have the link handy for these pokemon themed drinks (http://www.geekosystem.com/evolving-pokemon-cocktails/) that I made for my brother's 21st birthday.

Also not gaming related, but I have an unreasonable fondness for Long Island Iced Teas, and would recommend trying at least one.

Sir Pippin Boyd

2014-02-09, 11:43 PM

I like sweeter drinks, so if anybody has any suggestions, I'd be ecstatic.

Beware the Kraken lad! That great beast has claimed tha' likes a' many a young sailor on his first voyage. They get lost in tha' moment and think they can tackle the great beast, oh the folly of them young fools. I remember it like it was yesterday. T'was me very own 21st, I was just a strappin' young lad celebratin' wit' me friends at a house party. First it seemed all was well and good, but then we saw the creature. First at a distance, but then it emerged from the icy depths of the cabinet and found its way to me shootin glass. Me loyal crew, they were ready to follow me into the depths of hell itself, god bless 'em, they lined up at the cannons and we fired the first volley. The cannons roared as we tore into the creature, but it reared back up and we reloaded for the next round. The ship shook and the seas took to rough as the second wave tore into that dark monster, and for a moment, just a moment we thought that we'd won it over.

But the deck shook and it resurfaced, looming as dark and great as a moment before. Me first mate said we should turn sail and flee, but the captain, all full of bravado like I was, I ordered the next volley as the beast lashed at us with its tentacles from tha deep. The blow landed hard, and nearly broke the vessel in half. The quartermaster was the first to fall, wasn't proper prepared for the hit, tumbled overboard.

I don't remember what happened next, 'cept that somehow we survived. Took some time for recoverin' after that one, and nobody knows what really went on after that last volley, 'cept the deckhand, Andrew. He never did speak again of what happened that night. Never been the same, he hasn't.

Beware the kraken lad! Bewaaaare!

Flickerdart

2014-02-10, 03:49 AM

Mead isn't terribly related to any of those things, but generations of vikings couldn't be wrong.

If you insist on mixed drinks, well, this site probably has you covered (http://www.thedrunkenmoogle.com/).

danzibr

2014-02-10, 10:10 AM

Also not gaming related, but I have an unreasonable fondness for Long Island Iced Teas, and would recommend trying at least one.
Yeah. I don't like alcohol, and I like these.

Just before my 21st birthday, got drunk for the first time. On White Russians. Didn't know what I was doing, got smashed, raided on WoW. I blacked out, but apparently after we downed Maiden I was jumping up and down in her crotch area saying, "I'm in her vagina!"

tl;dr Don't overdo it.

Mando Knight

2014-02-10, 10:56 PM

Wine is an acquired taste, so I'd recommend not losing any time in acquiring it, especially as you're starting quite late by my standards :smallwink:.

Most of the US can't help that, though, since it seems to me that the extremes are the most common: reckless underage drinking, or no drinking at all until one reaches 21.

Eulalios

2014-02-10, 11:02 PM

Can you go wrong with tequila? :smallconfused:

blunk

2014-02-10, 11:29 PM

The Triforce (Zelda shot) (http://www.thedrunkenmoogle.com/post/213100297/the-triforce-zelda-shot-1-part-link-dark-rum)

1 Part Link (dark Rum for courage)
1 Part Zelda (99 Bananas for wisdom)
1 Part Ganon (Goldschlager for power)Sounds dangerous! :smallsmile:

blunk

2014-02-10, 11:32 PM

If you insist on mixed drinks, well, this site probably has you covered (http://www.thedrunkenmoogle.com/).Props - I just found "The Zerg Rush" there as well.

Knaight

2014-02-10, 11:39 PM

I'm looking for the collective knowledge of the playground to help me. I want to have a gaming related drink. Here are my current criteria.

-Something related to dragons.

So you get some vodka, a few weeks in advance of your twenty first birthday (by which I mean you get someone else to do all of this). Then, you get the hottest pepper you can find - maybe a naga viper pepper or something - grind it up, and put it in the vodka. You let it seep until your twenty first birthday, so that the capascin and other flavors are nice and dissolved in the alcohol and water. I'm pretty sure this about covers it.

Tebryn

2014-02-10, 11:53 PM

Can you go wrong with tequila? :smallconfused:

Yes, because the good stuff is expensive and the bad stuff is awful. Better to go with Mescal

blunk

2014-02-10, 11:55 PM

So you get some vodkaCheap vodka, because nobody's going to drink it anyway.

Mystic Muse

2014-02-11, 12:30 AM

So you get some vodka, a few weeks in advance of your twenty first birthday (by which I mean you get someone else to do all of this). Then, you get the hottest pepper you can find - maybe a naga viper pepper or something - grind it up, and put it in the vodka. You let it seep until your twenty first birthday, so that the capascin and other flavors are nice and dissolved in the alcohol and water. I'm pretty sure this about covers it.

The only way in which that's related to dragons is that it's the kind of thing that would make me breathe fire if I were a cartoon character.

Besides, my birthday is on the 21st, so I don't have "A few weeks.":smalltongue:

Aedilred

2014-02-11, 10:06 AM

The only way in which that's related to dragons is that it's the kind of thing that would make me breathe fire if I were a cartoon character.

Besides, my birthday is on the 21st, so I don't have "A few weeks.":smalltongue:
Well, you could always hire a komodo dragon for the night and tape a bottle of vodka to its head. But I think there's a limit to how related to dragons an alcoholic drink is going to be.

warty goblin

2014-02-11, 12:30 PM

If you want to really relate dragons to alcohol, the solution is very simple. You need:
1) Almond Extract.
2) Open Flame.

Most extracts are actually about 90% alcohol by volume, and as a consequence are intensely flammable. Hold your open flame a couple inches from your mouth, take a mouthful of extract, and spew it violently towards the fire. You have just breathed fire.

Also, you can no longer feel your lips.

Grozomah

2014-02-11, 12:48 PM

You don't need to stick to the "official" recipes like a drunkard to a fence. Mix something that tastes good to you and name it. If it's reddish and spicy it's the Red Dragon, if it's blue it's Megaman and if it's yellow and sweet it's the Triforce. Hey look, I solved your dillemma. It took me like ... what? Ten seconds. Eleven tops. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg8wePgXDIY&t=36s)

Joke aside, after the top ~50 or so most popular coctails found in your decently stocked run-of-the-mill bar the names don't mean much. Stick to drinkmixer.com if you don't have any good ideas or experience yet.
Easy combinations also include any dense fruit juice (peach, strawberry are the best) and either white rum (e.g. Bacardi) or vodka. Add whipped cream for extra sweet deliciousness. It also gets you drunk nice and slow and keeps you that way for a considerable time.

Vodka is a good drink provided you drink it as it's supposed to be drunk. Meaning at around -8 °C or whatever temperature your freezer can produce. If it doesn't flow like oil you're not doing it right. (Seriously, it's a Russian drink - I am baffled at how many people don't know this).

Now here's a few general drinking tips. I'm sure everyone knows this, but in case you missed some, here they are.

Don't drink youself out. Seriously, just don't. It turns out that passing out in the middle of a party or puking your guts out in the toilet isn't much fun. Just trust me on this one.
Eat well before drinking. Steaks and burgers preffered. The fat in the food make you resistant to getting drunk too fast and also lessens the chances of you getting sick in the stomach.
Don't mix different alcohols. Pick something you like and stick with it (or minor variations) for the evening. Minor variations are ok, but don't go swapping beer->tequila->wine->whiskey.
Drink with pauses. If you're doing beer, wine, coctails and other stuff which is <10 % it's usually not a problem. But if you do stronger drinks make a pause after the fourth, fifth consecutive or so. Some drinks (starring tequila) are are nasty because they take a while to kick in. If you down five or six in succession wait for like 30 minutes before drinking more. This will also allow you to drink more in the long run as well as making you party longer.
Drink water. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that drinking it actually dehydrates you (as silly as that sounds). Dehydration is the main of the three reasons constituting a hangower, the other two being lack of sleep (unavoidable, but minor) and methyl alcohol in cheap booze (also sulphur in cheap wine). The main reason for a headache is usually dehydration, which is easily avoidable by drinking a glass of water during the party and, most importantly a decent amount (0.5 L) before falling asleep.

Anarion

2014-02-12, 10:09 AM

Most of the US can't help that, though, since it seems to me that the extremes are the most common: reckless underage drinking, or no drinking at all until one reaches 21.

Really? Pretty much everyone I know began drinking before age 21, and not in a binge way, just getting stuff. My own grandmother was pushing wine pretty hard around the time I turned 16.

Cheap vodka, because nobody's going to drink it anyway.

Never drink cheap vodka. Please, save yourself the pain.

Karoht

2014-02-12, 02:14 PM

blunk

2014-02-12, 02:31 PM

Never drink cheap vodka. Please, save yourself the pain.Yes, yes, high-end vodka has fewer congeners than other high-end liquors and so it especially behooves you to go high-end in vodkas. But seriously, read what you just quoted to say that.

Knaight

2014-02-12, 06:52 PM

The only way in which that's related to dragons is that it's the kind of thing that would make me breathe fire if I were a cartoon character.

Exactly. It's spicy and it burns, which basically covers it.

Seerow

2014-02-12, 06:57 PM

Zerg Rush
Red Bull, Green Apple Sour Puss, pineapple or coconut rum (clear, obviously).
It's awesome, they serve it at Barcraft here in Calgary, whenever we have one.

Dammit now I want pineapple rum. I've never tried it but just those two words being put together has expanded my horizons and opened me up to a whole new world of drunken debauchery.

blunk

2014-02-12, 07:01 PM

Bickerstaff

2014-02-17, 06:34 AM

If you can find some true mead, I'm sure you'll like it. It's pretty sweet-tasting.

If you can get your hands on it, I'd recommend the Solas from Sky River Meadery.

Also good is basically anything from Dansk Mjod.

Socratov

2014-02-17, 06:54 AM

snip

For Zelda, the only drink I can remember regularly featuring is Lon Lon milk and the like, so a milk or cream-based cocktail served in a milk bottle might be the way to go. The White Russian is something of a classic (albeit I'd give them more of a health warning than most cocktails), but if you want something more original, then whisky instead of vodka and Irish cream in place of the coffee liqueur could work. (N.B. use blended whisky; if you use single malt in such a cocktail I will come to your house and beat you with a megaton hammer).

I'm unfamiliar with Megaman and Starcraft so can't really help with ideas there. Nevertheless I'd suggest something along the lines of the above: looking for existing conventions and recipes that work and either presenting them unchanged but with a themed name, or applying the same principles to a modified version. For sweet cocktails, check out the Long Island Ice Tea, the Singapore Sling, and the Cosmopolitan and its relatives.

*I'm not that old, mind. But I'm old enough to know better.
(bolding mine), Please note that a lot of the blende whiskies are actually better then a lot of the single malts (and more expensive even, remember Blue label? Yup, that's a blended, still johnnie walker though), for mixing I'd suggest generic Glenn Talloch, it's a poor drink straight, but gives that great whisky feel when mixed.

Beware the Kraken lad! That great beast has claimed tha' likes a' many a young sailor on his first voyage. They get lost in tha' moment and think they can tackle the great beast, oh the folly of them young fools. I remember it like it was yesterday. T'was me very own 21st, I was just a strappin' young lad celebratin' wit' me friends at a house party. First it seemed all was well and good, but then we saw the creature. First at a distance, but then it emerged from the icy depths of the cabinet and found its way to me shootin glass. Me loyal crew, they were ready to follow me into the depths of hell itself, god bless 'em, they lined up at the cannons and we fired the first volley. The cannons roared as we tore into the creature, but it reared back up and we reloaded for the next round. The ship shook and the seas took to rough as the second wave tore into that dark monster, and for a moment, just a moment we thought that we'd won it over.

But the deck shook and it resurfaced, looming as dark and great as a moment before. Me first mate said we should turn sail and flee, but the captain, all full of bravado like I was, I ordered the next volley as the beast lashed at us with its tentacles from tha deep. The blow landed hard, and nearly broke the vessel in half. The quartermaster was the first to fall, wasn't proper prepared for the hit, tumbled overboard.

I don't remember what happened next, 'cept that somehow we survived. Took some time for recoverin' after that one, and nobody knows what really went on after that last volley, 'cept the deckhand, Andrew. He never did speak again of what happened that night. Never been the same, he hasn't.

Beware the kraken lad! Bewaaaare!
Beware it, but the Kraken is sweet and nice. One of the better rums I have tasted.

Can you go wrong with tequila? :smallconfused:
yes you can, horribly even. If you can get good tequila, sure go ahead, if you get bad tequila you'll enstrange yourself from the spirit forever. Trust me, bad tequila creates gareflexes.

Cheap vodka, because nobody's going to drink it anyway.
Don't! Get good vodka, f.i. Skyy, Absolut, Stolichnaya, Esbjearg are solid options, others may exist. Bad vodka tastes horrible.

snip

Don't drink youself out. Seriously, just don't. It turns out that passing out in the middle of a party or puking your guts out in the toilet isn't much fun. Just trust me on this one.
Eat well before drinking. Steaks and burgers preffered. The fat in the food make you resistant to getting drunk too fast and also lessens the chances of you getting sick in the stomach.
Don't mix different alcohols. Pick something you like and stick with it (or minor variations) for the evening. Minor variations are ok, but don't go swapping beer->tequila->wine->whiskey.
Drink with pauses. If you're doing beer, wine, coctails and other stuff which is <10 % it's usually not a problem. But if you do stronger drinks make a pause after the fourth, fifth consecutive or so. Some drinks (starring tequila) are are nasty because they take a while to kick in. If you down five or six in succession wait for like 30 minutes before drinking more. This will also allow you to drink more in the long run as well as making you party longer.
Drink water. Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that drinking it actually dehydrates you (as silly as that sounds). Dehydration is the main of the three reasons constituting a hangower, the other two being lack of sleep (unavoidable, but minor) and methyl alcohol in cheap booze (also sulphur in cheap wine). The main reason for a headache is usually dehydration, which is easily avoidable by drinking a glass of water during the party and, most importantly a decent amount (0.5 L) before falling asleep.

sound advice, remember if you need to drink a lot on an evening, drink lots of dairy products, they will line your stomach with fats and proteins to prevent alcohol to pass through the stomach lining. You will last longer without getting drunk and when you do get drunk it will happen more gradually.

Krazzman

2014-02-17, 08:00 AM

Two words:
Skittles Vodka.

Colleague of mine tried it but be sure to take the skittles out of US manufracturing. The ones we get here in europe aren't that good for taste and color.

Take about x grams and take a good vodka (for mixing purposes I use one around the price of ~8€ per 0.7l bottle [brands I purchase are Gorbatshow and Pushkin as they are cheap enough to mix but not too cheap in taste]).

Else we have something called Tritop here in germany. I use either Waldmeister (Woodruff) or Cherry flavour to mix 2 bottles of Vodka (0.7l each) with 3 bottles of Tritop (0.6l each) and 1 litre clear applejuice OR in case of the Cherry or red one Peach or Citrus ice tea.

Really tasty and you don't need to wait. Basically can prepare it as soon as you turn 21. (Might need a big cauldron and some spare bottles.)

Also IF you don't like Rum/Cola as a mix try out Captain Morgan Rum. In my opinion this tastes much better than normal Rum/Cola probably because it's spiced.

Also settle for longdrinks/cocktails more. At a birthday party of a friend of mine she purchased many different stuff for mixing 6 different cocktails and then basically let everyone make them their coktail themselves. It's easy and fun and in some cases you get a lunatic to make everyones cocktails and laugh manically while doing improvised cocktails.

Good luck and have fun.

Iruka

2014-02-17, 08:18 AM

Dragon related, eh?

Take a shot of Sambuca (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambuca_%28liquore%29) (italian version, because it has the best pictures) in your mouth, shake your head a bit so the alcohol is spread in your mouth, lean your head back and light a lighter in your mouth. You have now blue flames coming out of your mouth.

Actually, you might not want to do this, especially not when you are already drunk. It's a fun experience but I've seen people set parts of their beard on fire while doing this.

edit:
Since this is your first encounter with alcohol, I'd recommend anyway to stick to mixed drinks with not much alcohol in it. The taste and the side effects are usually a bit much forsomeone who is not used to it at all.

Aedilred

2014-02-17, 09:05 AM

(bolding mine), Please note that a lot of the blende whiskies are actually better then a lot of the single malts (and more expensive even, remember Blue label?
Yes, but as a general rule, and given the price point I imagine the OP is looking at, single malts > blends. And as a general rule of thumb, I think "don't use good whisky in a cheap cocktail" is a rule you can't learn early enough in life. Most of the blends at the lower end of the market aren't entirely whisky blends; they're about half whisky and half other grain spirit (essentially, half whisky, half coloured vodka) whereas a single malt like a Glenfiddich is already pretty respectable for not a lot more money.

Of course, as you become more experienced and start to know what you're doing you can experiment more, but you have to have an idea of the rules before you break them.

Karoht

2014-02-17, 09:11 AM

Dammit now I want pineapple rum. I've never tried it but just those two words being put together has expanded my horizons and opened me up to a whole new world of drunken debauchery.
If you want to do a Zerg Rush but you aren't into Red Bull, Gingerale works fine. In which case, do 1.5 oz Green Apple Sour Puss and 1 oz Pineapple Rum. Or, ditch that extra .5 oz Green Apple and instead tozz in .5 oz Jaegermeister. The Jaeger gives it a more 'evolved' flavor.

Socratov

2014-02-17, 10:47 AM

Yes, but as a general rule, and given the price point I imagine the OP is looking at, single malts > blends. And as a general rule of thumb, I think "don't use good whisky in a cheap cocktail" is a rule you can't learn early enough in life. Most of the blends at the lower end of the market aren't entirely whisky blends; they're about half whisky and half other grain spirit (essentially, half whisky, half coloured vodka) whereas a single malt like a Glenfiddich is already pretty respectable for not a lot more money.

Of course, as you become more experienced and start to know what you're doing you can experiment more, but you have to have an idea of the rules before you break them.

True, but I still think giving a few brands will go a long way (especially if you don't know what a decent whisky is and what will even spoil cheap cocktails), for example: Jameson, Tullamore Dew, Jack Daniels, Four roses (Bourbon counts as well imo), Famous Grouse, Clan Grant, Bowmore Legend.

Whiskies to avoid (if you like a bit of quality): Johnnie Walker Red Label, Any whisky under $15...

Krazzman

2014-02-17, 11:06 AM

True, but I still think giving a few brands will go a long way (especially if you don't know what a decent whisky is and what will even spoil cheap cocktails), for example: Jameson, Tullamore Dew, Jack Daniels, Four roses (Bourbon counts as well imo), Famous Grouse, Clan Grant, Bowmore Legend.

Whiskies to avoid (if you like a bit of quality): Johnnie Walker Red Label, Any whisky under $15...

I count myself to the unworthy of good whiskey drinkers or people that really have no clue about this drink but I really liked Highlandpark Whiskey (I think it's an scottish one?) and I think for starters the Jim Bean Honey is a funny thing... but is more worth it in using as mixing whiskey for whiskey cola or similar.

Also things to mix:
Prepare a shot of Cola, a shot of Berentzen Apple (Applekorn) and a shot of Jägermeister. Then drink fast in order: Berentzen, Jäger, Cola. It was an excuse to drink some shots and look weird on parties. As a former friend always said if done right it tastes like honey!

Jägermeister Orangejuice is a good drink but beware the high amount of acid in Orangejuice combined with Jägermeister doesn't suit everyone.

Mauve Shirt

2014-02-17, 11:07 AM

Might I recommend going to a good beer store for some fancypants beers! I know there are some ales of varying strengths that are Dragon-themed.
Not a fan of beer? If you can get it where you are, you're going to want some peanut-butter chocolate stout. I know Sweet Baby Jesus (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1924/88269/) isn't the only one out there.

Aedilred

2014-02-17, 11:40 AM

Socratov

2014-02-17, 12:17 PM

Really not a fan of JD; it has a strange taste to it (not a whisky taste per se) that comes through whatever you put with it. I've got nothing against the others (and haven't tried some of them), but I don't think (regular) Grouse is anything particularly special - I guess it is probably the best of those in its price range though.

these were for mixing purposes (you can drink them straight if you want, and these are not so great that mixing them qualifies you for the deepest level of hell). If you want nice and affordable whiskies I'll have another list (mostly my favorites)

I'll set the bar of affordable at €35; Dutch prices (since I know those, and €35 is my personal limit when it comes to price per bottle anything more expensive should be very special):

I was going to make a list, but after finding a list of whiskies sortable by price I found that there are too many to list here (or at least it will take a long time). So instead I'll list a few of the whiskies I think are good to start with (whiel still keeping under the €35 mark). Try them in order (not in the same night or sitting)

Jameson/Famous Grouse - Nice, easy, not very complicated
Tullamore Dew - Somehwat more pronounced, but still very accessible
Bushmills - Very soft and smooth
Ardbeg - a bit more acquired taste. It's smokey, but not like a burning log ot the face like Laphroaig is. It's a good test to see if you like a smokey whisky or not.
Cragganmore - a bit more complex, great example for the Speyside
Talisker - Let's try some sea, shall we?
Bruichladdich; Waves (if you can find it): this whisky smells like bacon. Drink this only if you really like talisker for it's saltiness and Ardbeg for it's smokiness and want more of both tastes.

Jay R

2014-02-17, 12:17 PM

One important suggestion:

Whatever you choose, if you are not used to drinking, only have one. If you aren't already sure of your limits, err on the side of caution.

Socratov

2014-02-17, 12:20 PM

Oh, and as a bartender I forgot to warn you: never, ever ask the bartender "What's the strongest you have". Chances are you will leave the bar with a runny nose, burning throat and bloodshot eyes, or you will get some unholy firewater that will forever desensitize your tongue and esophagus...

Karoht

2014-02-17, 12:41 PM

Knaight

2014-02-18, 06:21 PM

One important suggestion:

Whatever you choose, if you are not used to drinking, only have one. If you aren't already sure of your limits, err on the side of caution.

This is somewhat less of a concern in the situation described (at home with friends is pretty much the best way to drink from a safety perspective), but still good advice. I would note that it is probably safe to bump it up to two for particularly large people - six feet, 200 pounds or so.

Anarion

2014-02-18, 11:14 PM

This is somewhat less of a concern in the situation described (at home with friends is pretty much the best way to drink from a safety perspective), but still good advice. I would note that it is probably safe to bump it up to two for particularly large people - six feet, 200 pounds or so.

I honestly think two drinks is fine for most people unless they're really light. I get a little bit buzzed, at best, and I weigh a whopping 140 lbs. Not that someone starting out should go overboard, but if you're into the middle of number 2 and start to feel just a bit tipsy, it's not the end of the world.

Also, has this happened yet? It's been 9 days since the OP. We need to hear a report of how it went whenever the birthday happens.

Mystic Muse

2014-02-18, 11:19 PM

I honestly think two drinks is fine for most people unless they're really light. I get a little bit buzzed, at best, and I weigh a whopping 140 lbs. Not that someone starting out should go overboard, but if you're into the middle of number 2 and start to feel just a bit tipsy, it's not the end of the world.

Also, has this happened yet? It's been 9 days since the OP. We need to hear a report of how it went whenever the birthday happens.

My birthday is on the 21st.

Seerow

2014-02-18, 11:21 PM

One important suggestion:

Whatever you choose, if you are not used to drinking, only have one. If you aren't already sure of your limits, err on the side of caution.

This strikes me as excessively cautious, and is advice that basically nobody actually interested in drinking is going to take anyway. One drink isn't even enough to get a buzz.

Jay R

2014-02-19, 01:04 AM

Socratov

2014-02-19, 09:56 AM

This strikes me as excessively cautious, and is advice that basically nobody actually interested in drinking is going to take anyway. One drink isn't even enough to get a buzz.

For a first-time drinker, yes it is.

And excessively cautious is much better than excessively careless.

you are both right. One thing though, you can drink whatever number you like as long as you take your time drinking them. Take your sweet time and you can stay drinking all night without getting too drunk (oh and when you think you are going a bit fast, have some water or a softdrink in between).

Aedilred

2014-02-19, 09:57 AM

For a first-time drinker, yes it is.

And excessively cautious is much better than excessively careless.
I don't know; I think everyone needs to make the mistake of getting totally plastered fairly early in their drinking career so that they know what they're dealing with...

Jay R

2014-02-19, 11:41 AM

I don't know; I think everyone needs to make the mistake of getting totally plastered fairly early in their drinking career so that they know what they're dealing with...

I could question your idea. Clearly somebody who never gets plastered in his life knows what he is dealing with enough to deal with it.

But that's really off-topic. The thread is about making this a successful birthday. Not having a horrible hangover is a legitimate suggestion to that end.

Aedilred

2014-02-19, 11:47 AM

But that's really off-topic. The thread is about making this a successful birthday. Not having a horrible hangover is a legitimate suggestion to that end.
I made the decision a few years ago that I was going to be hungover for every serious event of my adult life.* It's served me well since; you appreciate such events so much more when you have a splitting headache. I'd encourage anyone, including the OP, to adopt the same policy.

*This was following the realisation that this was already the case, so I might as well make it official.

Anarion

2014-02-19, 02:12 PM

I'd come down in the middle of that. The most I've done in a night is 5 drinks. That was enough to make the world seem considerably different and I wouldn't have trusted myself to walk anywhere I didn't know. But I had no hangover after that and I remember the entire night (right up to rolling my roommate upstairs because he went a little more overboard).

I do think sticking to 1 drink is overly cautious, but I'd also repeat the advice to drink slowly, since that way your current overall feeling will match your alcohol consumption pretty well, instead of getting hammered half an hour after drinking too much.

Knaight

2014-02-19, 06:49 PM

I could question your idea. Clearly somebody who never gets plastered in his life knows what he is dealing with enough to deal with it.

I'd agree with this. I've seen people plastered, and seen the effects of a hangover on other people. I've also never been drunk, and probably never even been tipsy (though it's possible that I just don't show it and can't detect it personally, and have been). I've also heard the effects of a hangover described, and they sound similar enough to a migraine that I really want nothing to do with them, even if the whole "impaired judgement" case isn't a thing.

In short, I'm with you on this, and would also agree with limiting drinks. I'd just note that two is entirely reasonable if you're on the larger size - particularly if you have the drinks with a meal.

Mystic Muse

2014-02-19, 06:55 PM

Going to have the drink with a meal, and drink plenty of water with it.

Heck, I might take one sip and be too disgusted to finish. :smalltongue:

SarahV

2014-02-19, 07:25 PM

I've also heard the effects of a hangover described, and they sound similar enough to a migraine that I really want nothing to do with them

For the record, my migraines are almost EXACTLY like my hangovers. Brain fuzziness/stupidity, headache, light and noise sensitivity, and slight nausea. It really is uncannily similar, for me anyway.

Happy birthday to the OP and have fun drinking :smallbiggrin:

Aedilred

2014-02-19, 07:41 PM

I'd agree with this. I've seen people plastered, and seen the effects of a hangover on other people. I've also never been drunk, and probably never even been tipsy (though it's possible that I just don't show it and can't detect it personally, and have been).
It's much more fun than it looks.

Also there are hangover-aversion strategies which tend to work quite well. Some of the times in my life I've been most drunk I've woken up clear as a bell the next morning. The key factors are quality and hydration. Hangovers are mostly caused either by chemicals in the booze or by dehydration. If you avoid overly chemically-enhanced drinks then chemicals won't be a problem. You can compensate for the hydration by drinking a couple of pints of water before you go to bed. In fact, if you're on good beer you're basically fine, since beer is actually hydrating (the ABV is so low the water in it more than compensates for the dehydrating effect of the alcohol).

Problems come when you get so drunk you forget - or are incapable - to drink the water before going to sleep. Although in many of those cases you might well end up being sick anyway, which usually helps with the hangover provided you rehydrate afterwards (which you will probably want to do anyway). Eating during the evening will help stave off both the drunken point of no return and mitigate any ensuing hangover.

And if you do find yourself with a hangover, the best remedy I've found is ice tea and bread. A couple of slices of bread and a pint of ice tea helps immeasurably.

Heck, I might take one sip and be too disgusted to finish.
Well, like I say, booze is an acquired taste (the stuff that isn't - breezers and the like - isn't really stuff you want to be drinking anyway). So it's about time to get started :smalltongue:

Seerow

2014-02-19, 11:37 PM

While we're discussing hangovers, in addition to hangover prevention, possibly the best thing to rectify a hangover in my experience is eating something greasy. Preferred method: Fast food burgers. I don't know why it works, but I swear getting up the next day after drinking too much and grabbing McDonalds or Wattaburger works wonders on hangovers.

I'd agree with this. I've seen people plastered, and seen the effects of a hangover on other people. I've also never been drunk, and probably never even been tipsy (though it's possible that I just don't show it and can't detect it personally, and have been). I've also heard the effects of a hangover described, and they sound similar enough to a migraine that I really want nothing to do with them, even if the whole "impaired judgement" case isn't a thing.

Eh, getting plastered is fun with a group of friends. It's not something I recommend making a habit of, but I'm of the opinion that most people should do so at least once. Personally I've had less than a dozen drinks total in the last year, mostly just a beer or two at family gatherings. But when I was younger (damn am I really old enough to be saying that already?) I'd go out with friends every week or two and get hammered, and while I have no interest in doing that today, I wouldn't trade that couple of years of my life for anything.

ArlEammon

2014-02-20, 02:27 AM

He needs a swig of some nice, Dwarven ale!

Socratov

2014-02-20, 08:40 AM

For the record, my migraines are almost EXACTLY like my hangovers. Brain fuzziness/stupidity, headache, light and noise sensitivity, and slight nausea. It really is uncannily similar, for me anyway.

Happy birthday to the OP and have fun drinking :smallbiggrin:

I heard my hangovers make me more human in respect to actually not being able to predict 5 minutes in what the other peson's going to say...

Mystic Muse

2014-02-22, 12:00 PM

Jay R

2014-02-23, 09:26 PM

Congratulations, and happy birthday!

Anarion

2014-02-27, 11:51 AM

Well, yesterday went quite well. No hangover, no getting drunk. I had a "Dragon Slayer" at Smokey Bones, which was my original choice anyway, and my cousin got me a 750 ML container of Kraken black spiced rum.

Nice, glad it turned out well and happy (belated) birthday.

Now, buy yourself a big bottle of red wine and start working on it. You know, for your heart. :smallbiggrin: