For all the beer lovers here, I promise that if I have the chance, I will try some decent non-American beers. Just don’t hold it against me if I still don’t like them, okay? I mean, it does mean I’d be leaving more for YOU.
A few things.
-Drambuie tastes absolutely nothing like licorice, it’s a ‘honey heather’ liqueur. It’s very sweet and one of my favorite drinks.
-I can’t think of a single beer that’s made with corn. Unless barley is a type of corn. Any beer made under the German purity laws is water, yeast, hops and barley. That is all.
-Bud is made with rice because it’s incredibly cheap. That’s why it tastes so bad, too.
-Amaretto has nothing to do with cherries, it’s almond flavored. Get the cherry in your drink and give it to someone you think is cute. 
I don’t fathom people who try one beer type and give up on beer forever. This isn’t directed at anyone in particular. Good for you, whiterabbit Try a Fruit Lambic. Kriek? (cherry) and peche (peach) are very good flavors.
Hard cider might work for you, mostly, it’s not too sweet and it comes in different flavors. Strongbow and Woodchuck are popular brands.
Seconding the hard cider idea. It’s very refreshing, and comes in a variety of sweet to dry levels.
Another long drink you might like is the good old shandy. I don’t recall seeing Americans mention it, and even here in Australia it’s rare these days. It’s simply beer and lemonade. Much nicer than it sounds. Start with 50-50, and then you might decide you want more beer or more lemonade. Some people here ask for a “glass of [beer brand] with a dash”. This is probably 90% beer and 10% lemonade, but it takes the in-your-face bitterness out of the beer.
For shorter drinks, there is nothing on this earth as wonderful as a Martini, but that’s out because it’ll set you on your arse when the night is still young. Try a good ol’ gin and tonic. A classic. Or a screwdriver - just vodka and orange. Both will only take the bartender three nanoseconds to fix for you.
The danger with a good drink that doesn’t take alcoholic is that people have a tendency to drink them very fast. I can drink a White Russian in about 30 seconds if I don’t watch it. That has two downsides: 1) you still want something to hold in your hand, so you order another and now you’re drinking quite a bit all of a sudden. 2) that just cost you $6.
My solution is simple: get a beer. Completely socially acceptable. Cheap. Low in alcohol. And for the non-drinker, there is no way you are going to drink it that fast. And a Guiness will multiple the time factor ten-fold.
You must be thinking of Anisette which tastes like licorice.
Almond and cherry flavors are similar, hence the comparison (IIRC both involve benzaldehyde).
Someday I’ll get around to trying other beers - it’s not like I’ll never drink another beer again (should have been clearer the first time :o ). Microbrew it is.
I’ll second this suggestion, ask the 'tender to throw in an orange slice, if he has them. Watch it though, you can suck these down like soda if you’re not careful.
I’d suggest perhaps a vodka/cranberry (cape cod) I usually ordered a flavoured vodka in a tall glass with a splash of Rose’s lime juice.
If you like grape coolaid, then you’ll love a Purple Hooter. It contains grape pucker, vodka, and triple sec. Again, like most drinks, if you chug it you’ll get bombed, but it makes for a mild sweet sipper. Enjoy!
Lime and Tonic is a nice light non-alcoholic drink for someone participating in a drinking situation but who doesn’t want to get drunk (for example, the work party or happy hour at a conference). It looks like an alcoholic beverage, not like a Shirley Temple, so you won’t attract rude comments from idiots.
If you want something that isn’t too sweet, ask what types of flavored vodka they have. Some of more common ones include stoli rasberry, stoli orange (O for short), absolute kurant (berry), absolute citron (lemon), etc…
Any of these will go great with soda water, (or 7up or sprite if you like the sugar). Feel free to get creative too. Maybe you want a stoli ras and soda with a splash of cranberry juice. Or a citron and sprite with lemon.
Anything ordered like “__________ and __________” is acceptable to any bartender, no need to remember any fancy names.
I’ll third the suggestion to order your drinks tall if you don’t want to get too drunk too fast. Keep in mind, though, many bartenders and waitresses will assume you want a double (and charge you for it), or will make it stronger than normal as a favor, so specify a single if you want one.
Pina Coladas are quite tasty. HOWEVER the rich combination of pineapple juice and coconut creme overwhelm the taste of the rum and you can easily find yourself wasted in no time. And that’s when the richness of the coconut can have you hugging the porcelain throne.