Are there any drinks where the second half is as good as the first half?

[Sal Ammoniac]

It seems to be a universal rule of drinks that the second half is never as good as the first half. Take a nice draft beer -- the first half is markedly better, when it's as cold as it's going to get and still nicely carbonated. The second half, on the other hand, is slightly warmer, and slightly flatter, and by the time you get down to the dregs, it's really not good at all. Soft drinks over ice, same deal -- the second half gets watery and flat. Coffee, the second half is sludgier and often tepid.

Maybe I'm just not drinking fast enough. Or maybe I'm the princess and this is my particular pea. Or maybe I'm just drinking the wrong drinks. Any suggestions?

[Jackknifed Juggernaut]

I drink Johnnie Walker Black Label on the rocks. The 2nd half is much better than the first, since the ice has melted a bit into the drink and the drink is much colder.

I acknowledge a traditional whisky drinker would consider the previous sentence blasphemous.

[gigi]

Originally Posted by Sal Ammoniac

=Soft drinks over ice, same deal -- the second half gets watery and flat. ... Any suggestions?

These?

Make ice cubes out of the beverage to be cooled.

[Sal Ammoniac]

Not a bad idea. That particular seller, though...

[shelbo]

Bourbon Old Fashioned.
The sugar never fully dissolves in the drind, so the last few sips are a wonderful sweet fruity bourbon flavor. Mmmm. Wonderful cold night by the fireplace with a good book drink.

[Homebrew]

Scotch neat is the same through and through.

[ultrafilter]

Originally Posted by Homebrew

Scotch neat is the same through and through.

Brandy too.

[amarone]

Red wine. The second half can even be better as it has had longer to breathe.

[JustAnotherGeek]

Black and Tans.

and another vote for Scotch neat

...and I'll also throw in Vodka on the rocks.

(assuming, of course, that all of the above are quality to begin with)

[Amaranta]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGeek

Black and Tans.

and another vote for Scotch neat

...and I'll also throw in Vodka on the rocks.

(assuming, of course, that all of the above are quality to begin with)

Black and tans, yes, as well as Crown Floats. The first half you're mostly getting the Guiness, and just when it's getting a little heavy, boom, you taste the yummy crisp Strongbow.

Agreed with the scotch too.

Vodka on the rocks... I'm not a vodka fan, so I'll sub a good shiraz on my list.

[Bippy the Beardless]

Originally Posted by ultrafilter

Brandy too.

I'd say Brandy even improves as you get towards the end, since it will have warmed more in the hand and be spread further arround the Brandy glass it will be giving off the best aroma at the last drop.

[Debaser]

I like to let my scotch on the rocks sit for a minute before drinking. That way the whole thing is good!

(Substitute for the impatient: Just add a splash of water. I don't do this with the good stuff, though.)

[scott62]

Originally Posted by Amaranta

Black and tans, yes, as well as Crown Floats. The first half you're mostly getting the Guiness, and just when it's getting a little heavy, boom, you taste the yummy crisp Strongbow.

Agreed with the scotch too.

Vodka on the rocks... I'm not a vodka fan, so I'll sub a good shiraz on my list.

A good vodka would be something like Absolut.

Also, why not start off with flat warm beer?

[NoClueBoy]

Drink faster.

I have no idea what a "second half" of a glass of beer might even be.

[silenus]

Straight bourbon is wonderful all the way down.

This should be a lesson to you: never corrupt good booze with things like ice.

[Amaranta]

Originally Posted by scott62

A good vodka would be something like Absolut.

Really? That's the well vodka where I work, so I figured it was a pretty basic one. And I've had very premium vodka... it just doesn't do it for me. Ah well, more for you, right?

[John Mace]

Originally Posted by amarone

Red wine. The second half can even be better as it has had longer to breathe.

I'll drink to that! It really is amazing how the taste of some red wines improves as they are exposed to air. I've had some Zins that were just OK at fist sip and that I thought were wonderful by the time the glass was empty. I usually find the 2nd, 3rd and 4th glasses to be even better for some reason...

[kittenblue]

A root beer float. The first half is almost all root beer, with a bit of ice cream. But the second half is the softened ice cream, made crispy around the edges and all saturated with root beery goodness. Absolute bliss.


It's not as good anymore with No-Sugar-Added ice cream and diet root beer, but it's still pretty darn good.

[AHunter3]

A straight-up double-shot of Everclear.

By the time you get to the second half, the nerve endings in your tongue, throat, and stomach have given up, dessication has set in, and you've acclimated in general so it goes down much easier.

[Engineer Dude]

I had a beer once that was fairly warm, so I poured it into a slush mug. The second half was better because it kept getting colder as I drank it.

[Sal Ammoniac]

Originally Posted by kittenblue

A root beer float. The first half is almost all root beer, with a bit of ice cream. But the second half is the softened ice cream, made crispy around the edges and all saturated with root beery goodness. Absolute bliss.

Now, there's the suggestion I was looking for. Everybody else would be having me slake my thirst with single-malt whiskeys or Kentucky bourbon or Napoleon brandy, which is all good and well, but I'd be horizontal in no time.

[JustAnotherGeek]

Originally Posted by Amaranta

Really? That's the well vodka where I work, so I figured it was a pretty basic one. And I've had very premium vodka... it just doesn't do it for me. Ah well, more for you, right?

More for me, for sure!

And I also agree that Absolut has become pretty standard (really). I prefer (when I can get) Iceberg Borealis (Ca), 42 Below (NZ), Kremliovskiya (Ru), Chopin (Po), or (trendy tho it may be) Grey Goose (Fr).

Of all of them, if you want to try a premium vodka (and don't really think you like vodka), I would suggest the 42 Below. Very clean, but a nice citrus taste.

[Homebrew]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGeek

And I also agree that Absolut has become pretty standard (really). I prefer (when I can get) Iceberg Borealis (Ca), 42 Below (NZ), Kremliovskiya (Ru), Chopin (Po), or (trendy tho it may be) Grey Goose (Fr)..

Chopin, I believe, is the only potato vodka on this list, which makes it the most unique of the bunch. Personally, I much prefer the potato vodkas and Chopin is certainly a very good one. Alternatively, you can try Teton Glacier, a US-made potato vodka. I think it is the equal of the others and costs significantly less.

[Homebrew]

Oh, and to get back to the OP and his drink choices. I noticed you mentioned your coffee getting tepid and sludgy. Perhaps you could switch to espresso. Since they're much smaller, you can finish them more quickly and not suffer the cool-down.

[don't ask]

What about the precursor to Brokeback Mountain the Cocksucking Cowboy where one drink leads to another.

[Cheesesteak]

Martini on the rocks. I can't drink martinis fast enough for a non-rocks one to stay cold, and I hate the overly tippy cocktail glass. Even if you go more traditional, the end of a martini means you get to eat the olive. That's the right way to finish off a drink.