Favorite hard liquor

[Eo Echo]

What's your favorite hard liquor? By this I mean 50 proof (25% alcohol) or greater. Mine's Jim Beam White Label, from the shot glass.

[BarnStormer]

Pear schnapps from southern Germany or the Balkans (NOT pear flavored brandy "schnapps" from the U.S. )

[Koffing]

Mine's vodka, especially Skyy. A close second is Jim Beam White Label; goes down smoooooth. Both straight from the shot glass.

[Jvanhorn]

Wild Turkey. I haven't tried JB White Label, but it sounds like it's worth a try.

I want to try Wild Turkey Rye sometime.

[Czarcasm]

Tullimore Dew.

[divemaster]

Jim Beam is good, but I prefer Evan Williams black label. Jack Daniels is far behind these two. I'm up for suggestions for good bourbon. I don't like the idea of buying 10 different bottles (or paying bar prices) to give it the ol' test.

Crown Royal is good whiskey.

[Ukulele Ike]

divemaster: Try George Dickel Tennessee whiskey. (The OTHER Tennessee whiskey.) I think it's much superior to Jack Daniels.

It's priced about the same as Jack in NYC, but up in Maine and New Hampshire, for some reason, it's considered a non-premium brand and is sold for about the same price as Beam.

Clearly, my favorite booze are the American whiskeys...bourbon, Tennessee, rye. My house brand is Heaven Hill Bourbon, but I often have a bottle of Dickel or Maker's Mark or Old Overholt Rye around, for special occasions.

[MissMonica7]

I'd have to say Jaegermeister. I've had some good times drinking that stuff.

[VaHermit]

I've rotated through just about all of the above at one time or another, but lately Black Velvet gets my vote.

[Spiritus Mundi]

Single malt scotch. The particulars vary by mood, but a few current favorites are:

Balvenie Doublewood
Glen Morangie Port cask
Laphroig
Bunnahabain (sp? Don't have a bottle in front of me ATM)

[soulsling]

two things.

1.) any kind of Slibovitz
2.) Henessy Cognac

if you haven't tried Slibovitz, think of moonshine as just a wine cooler compared to the stuff.

[psycat90]

Vodka, has to be Absolut.

[Motorgirl]

Tanqueray and tonic, my favorite drink.

[Pizzle Boy]

Crown Royal
Nuff said

[Iguana Boy]

What's all this dissin' o' Jack Daniels?!
The double filtered version, Gentleman Jack, is also very good.

Most single malts are very good, but the best by far is Ardbeg, one of the Islay whiskies.

I know whereof I speak.

[voguevixen]

Usually Absolut Citron, but lately Sauza Gold tequila, only because the vodka makes me mean, and the tequila I can drink and not be hungover. Seriously, lol. Used to like Tanquerey as well, but I can't handle gin anymore.

[DoctorJ]

Bourbon, of course. Maker's Mark is my favorite, especially since a fifth is only about $13 around here. Beam will do in a pinch. Knob Creek is excellent if you want to move up the ladder a step or two.

Let's get one thing absolutely, positively clear, though--Jack Daniels is not bourbon. It is made in Tennessee, for crying out loud. If it ain't from Kentucky, it ain't bourbon. I'm not saying I don't like Jack, and I've certainly done a bit for their bottom line in my day, but let's keep our terminology straight. (We don't have much to be proud of in Kentucky--just bourbon, bluegrass music, pretty scenery, and basketball. Lately, not even basketball. We have to be defensive. :) )

Dr. J

[rjk]

Drambuie for sipping, the blackest rum I can find for drinking. Arrr, matey!

[Nacho4Sara]

Absolut. Ummm ummm good.

[Milossarian]

Favorite 'woosy-liquor': Apple-Pucker Schnapps, with a lick of salt before the shot (tastes just like a salted Granny Smith apple!)

Favorite hard liquor, drank in shots: Jagermeister (cold). Will make you do thinks like laugh hysterically, cry inconsolably, piss yourself, pick fights with professional football players and make out with ugly women.

Favorite hard liquor, sippin' variety - J&B scotch, on the rocks. When the cracked ice melts just the right amount, there aren't enough O's in smooooth....

[xenophon41]

I have to agree with Spiritus Mundi; the single malt scotches are best. My current favorite is Laphroaig.





"Skoal!" ~ Supervillain to Matt Helm
"'Course 's col'; 's got ice in it." ~ Matt Helm

[Demo]

Southern Comfort....Aaaahhhhhhhh.....

[vanilla]

Well, I don't drink anymore, but since I used to get paid to do so; I must say Kahlua(not a Hard liquor though).
Lets see, hard, hmmmm, I'll go for whatever liquor is in snake bites.

[wolfman]

Ill have to vote Makers Mark, Although I have a question. I thought that there was no whiskey being made in Bourbon County at all, so technically no Bourbon is truly Bourbon.

[GLWasteful]

Bourbon? Wild Turkey
Irish Whisky? Bushmills
Vodka? Stolichnaya
Gin? Tanqueray
Tequila? For sipping, something aged, for Margaritas something cheap & white. Preferably in a plastic bottle.
Scotch? I don't really drink it, but will usually buy a bottle for parties on the recommendation of a friend. All I know for certain is that what I usually buy isn't cheap.
Rum? Again, I don't drink it, so I buy a bottle of whatever is recommended to me by those who do.

Oh, favorite? It really depends on my mood. Usually Wild Turkey.

Waste
Flick Lives!

[Bubble Girl]

Crown Royal
Nuff said

Ditto! :D

[Spolvy]

Tanqueray and tonic with a splash of Rose's after work...
Jack Daniels anytime...
Shots of Tequila when it's time to get shitfaced without hating life in the morning...

Used to like Southern Comfort but it doesn't like me very much anymore.

[2sense]

I'm with psycat90 and Nacho4Sara. Absolutly!

[Eo Echo]

When I need a break from Beam, I go for Absolut, but only after it's been in the freezer for a week, giving it a syrupy consistency. I've given up on Jagermeister after a night I'm glad I can't remember. I'm told I was the life of the party, at least until the police officers arrived and I decided to treat them to my one man stand up comedy act.

[Initial Entry]

Jack Daniels, right out of the bottle.

None of this wussy "glass" stuff for me.

[waterj2]

I'll exclude Scotch due to the fact that I've only recently started trying a few.

I like Wild Turkey, the 101 proof type, on the rocks. Then Southern Comfort on the rocks. The amazing thing is that when you do it in this order, the SoCo tastes like candy in comparison to the much harsher (though great) taste of the Wild Turkey.

[oldscratch]

I'll vouch for the one, the only, OLD POTRERO (http://www.whiskeypages.com/All_American/story_3/). The only 100% rye whiskey, also 124 proof. Every bit as smooth. From my good friends at anchor brewing. I can't get enough of the stuff.

[Necros]

My goodness, there seem to be a whole bunch of Tanqueray people here. Hm. Maybe y'all should start drinking a real gin like Bombay Sapphire.
:)

[Ellen Cherry]

Another Kentuckian weighing in with Dr. J, Maker's Mark is the best, straight.

And it doesn't have to be made in Bourbon County to be called bourbon. That's just where the name originated. It wasn't necessarily the first place it was MADE but it was indeed made there and the name stuck. I'm going on memory for this; I can probably look it up for anyone interested. However the doc is correct, there's a big dif between whiskey made in Tennessee and the bourbon we make here in Kentuck. Unfortunately, it sometimes is deadly; a recent fire at a distillery resulted in bourbon pouring into the Kentucky River, where it's killing the fish!

J, don't forget pretty horses and fast women ;)

[Ellen Cherry]

From Encyclopedia Britannica:

bourbon whiskey

whiskey distilled from corn mash; specifically, a whiskey
distilled from a mash containing at least 51 percent corn,
the rest being malt and rye, and aged in new charred oak
containers.

It is whiskey, but a subset thereof, with particulars attached. It's all a-comin' back now...

From The Kentucky Encyclopedia

Nearly two hundred years after it was first distilled, bourbon whiskey was recognized as a distinctly American product by Congress on May 4, 1964, in a joint resolution that prohibited the import into the United States of any distilled spirits labeled "bourbon whiskey."

Reading on we do indeed find that the name proably came from Bourbon County, where there were a number of early distillers. By the 1840s the term was in wide use, primarily to distinguish the corn whiskey from the Pennsylvania rye.

Also of possible interest: Bourbon County is the home to Stone Farm, where 2000 Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus was bred.

[betenoir]

[QUOTE][B]
two things.

1.) any kind of Slibovitz
2.) Henessy Cognac

soulsling, I'm serious that's exactly what I was going to write. I feel very close to you right now.

[vanilla]

So what IS the liquor in snake bites?

[Demo]

I like Wild Turkey, the 101 proof type, on the rocks. Then Southern Comfort on the rocks. The amazing thing is that when you do it in this order, the SoCo tastes like candy in comparison to the much harsher (though great) taste of the Wild Turkey.


Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis??? Southern Comfort already tastes like candy, foo!

[boli]

If memory serves, the liquor in snake bites is Yukon Jack.

Demo, Southern Comfort is the sickest, most bile-producing liquid that I have ever drank. You completely lost me on that one!

[brachyrhynchos]

Finlandia vodka straight out of the freezer when I want to slap the table with my open hand and make sure folks in the next county hear my opinion.

Mesimarja liquer for when I'm feeling dainty.

[Falcon]

Tequila? For sipping, something aged, for Margaritas something cheap & white. Preferably in a plastic bottle.GL likes his tequila like I like my vodka - cheap and in a plastic bottle. Bowman's Virginia Vodka, baby!

As for my favorite hard liquor....Glenlivet Scotch. Mmmmmm.

[billyt123]

Snake bite, is Jose Cuervo, Jack daniels and a dash of tabasco... At least thats what they call a Snakebite at the bar I go to.

Favorite: Absolut Citron, on the rocks with a slice of lemon

[Vestal Blue]

Sorry folks; I don't like grain alcohol.

My main poison is Bacardi 151 Dark. YUM!
I can also do a good vodka, and tequila if it is in a mixed drink; I can't handle it straight. Makes want to barf.

And for sipping liquers, I'll take anniset and amaretto.
Schnapps is good too.

[JillGat]

Tanqueray and tonic, my favorite drink.


I'm with you there. Any other opinions about various brands of gin?

[Kakkerlak]

The bottle of Maker's Mark has been staying strangely full, as I use my Old Overholt rye to make Sazerac cocktails.

Just to weigh in with the consensus, I agree that when there's trouble to be brewed, Jagermeister is without peer for making one forget all about the idea of consequence.

[JillGat]

Tequila for sipping: Tres Generaciones. For margaritas (please squeeze real limes not Rose's), use Herradura Silver or Sauza's Hornitos. Whatever you use, be sure it is 100% agave.

[Bullroar]

Red Bull. I had to try it, and it's good.

[Rock-n-Rolga]

Used to be big on Wild Turkey and Stoli, but now prefer Jim Beam white label and -just every so often, yer honor - Malibu rum. "BLEEEAARRRGGHH, GIRLY!" I hear many of you say, but my logic is this - it's sweet enough to drink without fussing with a chaser and since most folk liken the taste to tanning lotion, I have a much better chance of keeping the bottle to myself. Oh yeah, and I am a gurl, so...the defense rests. :)

[JavaMaven1]

Have to go in with the other boys and say that Maker's Mark is definitely one of the better bourbons out there, for either sipping or mixing. MM definitely makes an exceptional dry Manhattan--I wouldn't ruin it with too much Vermouth, though.

Ketel One vodka is one of the best vodkas out on the market.

But, for those cold, rainy nights--nothing more than a snifter of Calvados will satisfy me.

[Erik Raven]

Available in the US: Jameson's 1780. Damn fine.

Not available: Absinthe. Whatever brand I can get my hands on.

[Ellen Cherry]

Have to go in with the other boys and say that Maker's Mark is definitely one of the better bourbons out there ...


It's manly, yes, but I like it too! :p

[Sweet Basil]

Lately I've really been fond of Tanqueray and O.J. (in pint
glasses, of course!!) T&OJ is the drink chosen by piano
great Johnnie Johnson.

Sweet Basil

[Edwardina]

Wild Spirit? Now there's a concoction!

My second vote would go to very good Scotch. Glenlivet is good, but I'd always wanted to try Laphroig. Unfortunately, I no longer drink.

[Necros]

JillGat said

Any other opinions about various brands of gin?


You mean other than the one I gave earlier? :)

[PunditLisa]

Bacardi frozen pina colada concentrate and Captain Morgan's spiced rum . Someone give me a blender!

[genericky]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the not-so-great tasting, yet HIGHLY functional 'Everclear.' Grew-up on the stuff (between ages 18-23). We always got it because we could get an entire crowd liquored up for little money, which BTW is what college parties are about.

[Koffing]

JillGat wrote:

Any other opinions about various brands of gin?

Gin tastes like pine needles to me. Why I continued to drink shot after shot of it is beyond me :)

[Koffing]

They should sell t-shirts that say 'Old Grandad kicked my ass!' because it does. Oh, man, does it ever.

[Silo]

Drinking Bacardi 151 Puerto Rican Rum after being in the freezer kicks ass! Ut O, i'm toooooooo drunK! to post NoW

::Passes out::

[JillGat]

[[Gin tastes like pine needles to me. ]]

Juniper, right? And I don't really like the Bombay Sapphire. It has some other kind of funny taste to it.

[Silo]

*Silo gives JillGat a kiss on the cheek*

[spartacist]

mmm... Bowmore Islay single malt scotch. I love it more than I love my girlfriend. She is aware of this, and not happy. I drink the scotch and stop caring what she thinks. :)

[Necros]

JillGat said:

And I don't really like the Bombay Sapphire. It has some other kind of funny taste to it.


Ack! That horrible gin taste! :)
Seriously though, other gins like Tanqueray taste strangely watered down to me. Even normal Bombay does. I dunno why. Maybe I'm the one who's all messed up.

[JillGat]

I like the gin taste. Bombay Sapphire doesn't taste like gin to me. But I like the bottle.

[Koffing]

[[Gin tastes like pine needles to me. ]]

Juniper, right?

Wow, I didn't know that was where gin got its taste from! Well, that explains it :)

[ricepad]

The reason Jack Daniel's isn't bourbon is because it isn't aged in charred oak barrels...it's filtered through charcoal.

I used to think Maker's Mark was the best bourbon around, but recently got turned on to a few better ones. The best bourbons I've tried (and my current faves) are, in order: Booker's 7-year 126 proof; Jacob's Well 7-yr 84 proof; Baker's 7-yr 107 proof; Old Grand-Dad 114 proof; Elmer T. Lee 90 proof, and Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit 101 proof.

There are three that I've heard are better, but I think I may have to travel to Kentucky to find them: Henery Clay Rare 16-yr 90.6 proof; Joseph Finch Rare 15-yr 86.8 proof; and Pappy van Winkle Family Reserve 20-yr 90.4 proof.

Of course, the ONLY way to drink good bourbon is neat.

[JillGat]

[[Seriously though, other gins like Tanqueray taste strangely watered down to me. Even normal Bombay does. I dunno why. Maybe I'm the one who's all messed up.]]

Necros, do you drink martinis or G&Ts? Maybe that's the difference. I don't think the Sapphire makes good G&Ts and that's usually what I drink.

And now it appears that Reggie has his game back, so I'm signing off.
- Jill

[Eo Echo]

In the name of research, I decided to devote a night to tequila, which I ordinarily avoid. The result was, after nine shots of Cuervo gold, I shaved my head. Viva la blackout.

[Triskadecamus]

Bushmill's Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

“Superior to the competition, if there was any.”

Tris.

P. S. Now that they don't make Fairfax County Bourbon Whiskey anymore, I have to drink Wild Turkey.

P. P. S Now that she has passed beyond the authority of the revenooers, I can publicly state that Mrs. Edith Eberly, late of Giles county, VA made the damn best sippin likker that ever I tasted. Had I not been a greedy young man, I would still have at least one small keg, just approaching its prime. Alas, the folly of youth.

[JillGat]

In the name of research, I decided to devote a night to tequila, which I ordinarily avoid. The result was, after nine shots of Cuervo gold, I shaved my head. Viva la blackout.


Wrong damn tequila, Birdman. But how do you look?

[Necros]

JillGat said:

Necros, do you drink martinis or G&Ts? Maybe that's the difference. I don't think the Sapphire makes good G&Ts and that's usually what I drink.


If I'm in the mood for gin, I usually drink martinis (with three olives :)). But I do drink Sapphire G&Ts, too. In G&Ts, I guess, it doesn't make that much of a difference what kind of gin it is, though I admit I prefer the Sapphire "bite."

[JillGat]

[[But I do drink Sapphire G&Ts, too. In G&Ts, I guess, it doesn't make that much of a difference what kind of gin it is, though I admit I prefer the Sapphire "bite."]]

I don't know. Sapphire tastes like perfume to me. When it comes down to it, I prefer a nice Spanish rioja.

[gobear]

My favorite hard liquor is cognac, specifically, Courvoisier. I run very hot water over my snifter first, then I pour in a small quantity of cognac. There is nothing like inhaling the fragrance of warmed cognac to take away the chill of a cold winter night.
In summer, blended margaritas made with Cuervo gold make a hot day more bearable.

[JillGat]

[]

Now this is just wrong.

Here is a margarita:

Equal parts (some people mess with the ratio, that's okay):

- [i]Any 100% agave silver tequila (Herradura is okay)

- Fresh squeezed lemon juice

- Cointreau (or Mexican Controy if you can get it)

add some ice. You can blend it or drink it on the rocks.

[Necros]

JillGat said:

When it comes down to it, I prefer a nice Spanish rioja.


Well, heck, if we're not going to limit the discussion to just hard alcohol, then I totally agree. I'd rather drink a nice red, or a beautiful Champagne, any day. :)

[Floompy]

Jose Cuervo Tequila - Especial Gold...

Shots, Margaritas, Prairie Fires (which are like the "Snakebites" you guys talk about earlier)...MMMM.....

And Gin & Tonics too. Particularly cheap Gin,as once you add the tonic, I can't even tell the difference between good and bad. Quinine is so weird.

[SuaSponte]

McClellan's Single Malt - aged in sherry casks, and smooth as silk.

Old Granddad 114 proof -amazingly smoother and tastier than "normal" Old Granddad.

Vodkas - moved away from Stolis a while back. Now it's Absolut, although I recently had a VM with "Vincent" vodka, and it was tasty. BTW keep that Grey Goose crap away from me. What the hell do the FRENCH know about vodka, fer chrissakes?

V.

[Eo Echo]

Last night while bar hopping I decided to try Maker's Mark, since it's so highly recommended and all, and it is good, although I will continue to favor Jim Beam, which is currently going for $7.95 a fifth at my local (ratty) package store, which doesn't even carry the aforementioned Maker's Mark, to my puzzlement.

[spartacist]

Last night while bar hopping I decided to try Maker's Mark, since it's so highly recommended and all, and it is good, although I will continue to favor Jim Beam, which is currently going for $7.95 a fifth at my local (ratty) package store, which doesn't even carry the aforementioned Maker's Mark, to my puzzlement.


Jim Beam is only $7.95 where you are? Just where is that? Last fith I bought was about $17. I never knew that we here in Washington were being so screwed! What does a fith of Jim Beam go for in other parts of the country?

[Eo Echo]

In the name of research, I decided to devote a night to tequila, which I ordinarily avoid. The result was, after nine shots of Cuervo gold, I shaved my head. Viva la blackout.


Wrong damn tequila, Birdman. But how do you look?


I look, well, bald, though still devastatingly handsome.

[TN*hippie]

Early Times (and it's one of the cheapest brands, too!)
Cuervo Gold
Old Bushmill's

[Silo]

What's with that worm in the tequila? I just ate it. <heheh>

[JillGat]

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/990702.html

Cecil answers the question about the worm, which is found in mezcal, not tequila.
Jill

[Eo Echo]

Sparticist, are you in Washington DC or Washington state? Cause I'm in Baltimore and if you're in DC you can get Beam for 8 bucks all over around here (45 minutes from DC).