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Liquor, where to start?

murkrow

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I'm sick and tired of beer.

I've been listening to James Bond audio books and I want to be able to order a wide range of mixed drinks to fit my mood and surroundings.

I need someone to instruct me on the ways of simple mixes.
 

swordpath

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Your bartender should be able to help.

I'm not into liquor.
 
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If you want something solid, that does the trick, and doesn't taste overwhelmingly like something you pay $100 for at the perfume counter, try a simple gin and tonic. The best gin is probably Bombay Sapphire.

There are always the vodkas... a college staple, nowadays... Stolichnaya's good, but Grey Goose is the best... there are some newfangled vodkas (Skyy) which have hints of lime, orange, strawberry, etc. flavoring, which may suit your taste. Purists would obviously have none of that. Have it with a tonic or orange juice or a variety of other mixes... I like mine in straight shots.

Classic tequila shot, lime and salt. Always an excellent punctuation point during a night of drinking. Jose Cuervo will do. Nothing more need be said.

A light liquor is Bailey's Irish Cream... I enjoy mine 1-part milk, 3-parts B's I.C. It's more of a "I don't bloody care what anyone thinks it tastes like something from bloody Starbucks and I LIKE it and NO I'm not a fucking alcoholic.... where's that bloody bottle? What? It's finished? Already? Damn thing runs out quicker than excuses..."-drink than a real dyed-in-the-wool liquor.

Others... a jack and coke... Jack Daniels, a whiskey, and coca-cola... whiskeys and their cousin bourbons are an acquired taste, though... I doubt a beer drinker would take quickly to them.

With many of these drinks there are many ways to have them... straight or on-the-rocks is always an option, but I recommend starting with mixes first... particularly when it comes to whiskeys, bourbons, cognacs...

This isn't a very original or comprehensive list... but it's a start... and it works for me!

The other option is to just to just look behind the bartender, check out the bottles, don't be shy to ask a couple of questions (bartenders, when not very busy, are usually good talkers and everyone likes to talk about his/her own profession) and ask for a recommendation. EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS but make sure you're sober enough to get back home.
 

Wyst

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Be a man and try whiskey. Add a cigar and you'll smokin'. Hah.
 
O

Oberon

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Unlike Samuel, I recommend bourbons; just don't start at the bottom. Buy a pint of Wild Turkey or George Dickel and blend it with soda to start. These are smooth enough to drink over ice or straight up if you wish.

Avoid Jack Daniels. Technically not a bourbon but a Tennessee Whiskey, it isn't as smooth as the bourbons I mentioned, and costs more than George Dickel.
 

MacGuffin

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If you want something solid, that does the trick, and doesn't taste overwhelmingly like something you pay $100 for at the perfume counter, try a simple gin and tonic. The best gin is probably Bombay Sapphire.

There are always the vodkas... a college staple, nowadays... Stolichnaya's good, but Grey Goose is the best... there are some newfangled vodkas (Skyy) which have hints of lime, orange, strawberry, etc. flavoring, which may suit your taste. Purists would obviously have none of that. Have it with a tonic or orange juice or a variety of other mixes... I like mine in straight shots.

Classic tequila shot, lime and salt. Always an excellent punctuation point during a night of drinking. Jose Cuervo will do. Nothing more need be said.

A light liquor is Bailey's Irish Cream... I enjoy mine 1-part milk, 3-parts B's I.C. It's more of a "I don't bloody care what anyone thinks it tastes like something from bloody Starbucks and I LIKE it and NO I'm not a fucking alcoholic.... where's that bloody bottle? What? It's finished? Already? Damn thing runs out quicker than excuses..."-drink than a real dyed-in-the-wool liquor.

Others... a jack and coke... Jack Daniels, a whiskey, and coca-cola... whiskeys and their cousin bourbons are an acquired taste, though... I doubt a beer drinker would take quickly to them.

With many of these drinks there are many ways to have them... straight or on-the-rocks is always an option, but I recommend starting with mixes first... particularly when it comes to whiskeys, bourbons, cognacs...

This isn't a very original or comprehensive list... but it's a start... and it works for me!

The other option is to just to just look behind the bartender, check out the bottles, don't be shy to ask a couple of questions (bartenders, when not very busy, are usually good talkers and everyone likes to talk about his/her own profession) and ask for a recommendation. EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS but make sure you're sober enough to get back home.

Unlike Samuel, I recommend bourbons; just don't start at the bottom. Buy a pint of Wild Turkey or George Dickel and blend it with soda to start. These are smooth enough to drink over ice or straight up if you wish.

Avoid Jack Daniels. Technically not a bourbon but a Tennessee Whiskey, it isn't as smooth as the bourbons I mentioned, and costs more than George Dickel.
That's all good and I second Oberon's addition of bourbon. The only thing I'd add is don't waste expensive gin on G&Ts. There's no need, you won't taste the difference through the tonic and lime.
 
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That's all good and I second Oberon's addition of bourbon. The only thing I'd add is don't waste expensive gin on G&Ts. There's no need, you won't taste the difference through the tonic and lime.

Depends on how much tonic you put in... I usually ask the bartender to "give me a gin with a splash of tonic"... takes the edge off for me... but then again, I'm not a connoisseur.
 

pure_mercury

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<------ Blanton's bourbon, neat. Makes Wild Turkey and Jim Beam look like turpentine. High alcohol content, too.
 
O

Oberon

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There are quite a few high-end boutique bourbons out there now, but I know nothing about them. Sadly.
 

Poser

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Question for the bourbon drinkers out there. I have been going through a 7&7 stage here lately. I was talking to someone and they mentioned that Seagrams 7 was a crap bourbon and that is why it is usually found mixed. Thoughts? Also, they mentioned a good cheap bourbon is Makers Mark.
 

MacGuffin

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Question for the bourbon drinkers out there. I have been going through a 7&7 stage here lately. I was talking to someone and they mentioned that Seagrams 7 was a crap bourbon and that is why it is usually found mixed. Thoughts? Also, they mentioned a good cheap bourbon is Makers Mark.
Makers is pretty good.
 
O

Oberon

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Seagrams 7 Crown technically isn't even bourbon, but a blended whiskey. Its most popular usage is in whiskey cocktails, and in that role I believe it's found its most appropriate niche. It makes a pretty good Manhattan, but I don't recommend it for drinking straight up.
 

pure_mercury

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Makers is pretty good.

Yeah, that is a good one. Maker's and Woodford Reserve and Knob Creek are probably my usual bourbon drinks. They are the best of the bourbons that are at almost every bar these days. Heaven Hill is probably my favorite cheap bourbon. I once drank a liter of it, and, well, it was a rough night.

P.S. Oddly enough, for being a big whiskey fan, I can't stand Southern Comfort.
 

alicia91

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Nov 20, 2007
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I suggest a vodka martini with blue-cheese stuffed olives. For a sweeter (but still refreshing) summer drink try a Mojito (rum, lime, club soda and mint - I think).
 

swordpath

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How about Brandy?

First (and only) time I ever got completely blackout, wake-up-puking TRASHED was off of severely cheap Brandy. Never again. Never a god damn gain.
011.gif
 
O

Oberon

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How about Brandy?

First (and only) time I ever got completely blackout, wake-up-puking TRASHED was off of severely cheap Brandy. Never again. Never a god damn gain.
011.gif

My first time was with an unholy bourbon-like evil spirit called "Fighting Cock."

They don't call it the kickin' chicken for nothing.
 
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I like Irish whiskey or bourbon. The Irish I tend to drink straight with a few drops of water, the bourbon I'll often have with Coke unless it's a good brand, then I'll have it straight sometimes. If I'm feeling like a sweet-ish cocktail, I'll add a little splash of grenadine and a cherry to my bourbon and Coke.

I'll drink other liquors from time to time, but I absolutely never have gin or Scotch. They're simply unfit for human consumption. :D Blech!

As opposed to someone who posted earlier, I think whiskey is a natural choice for a beer drinker looking to explore liquor. Many of the ingredients and flavors are the same, and the classic boilermaker is a good example of how they work well together.
 
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