Three shots would be a lot for someone unused to drinking alcohol, as most young people presumably are. And you have to remember a lot of times these plot points revolve around the effects upon a nondrinker.
My sister-in-law (for reasons known only to her) got me utterly plastered the night before her wedding by having the bartender slip alcohol into my strawberry daqs. I was 16, couldn’t taste the alcohol, and have you SEEN the size of the drinks they serve in New Orleans? What’s worse is the next day she tried the “hair o’the dog” treatment with me when she realized I could barely hold my head up. Thank the gods the wedding was in the evening.
At a wedding (hmmm… starting to see a pattern here) I attended several years ago, I set out to get smashed, but it was the utterly-non-alcoholic-tasting punch that packed the biggest wallop. I have no idea what they spiked it with, but damn. Even Mr. Kitty (our designated driver, and a lifetime connosseur of various spirits) was fooled- the person who spiked the punch pulled his cup away as soon as he noticed, since he didn’t want our DD wasted as well.
I would put this in the “plausible” category, especially if you’re talking about a younger/inexperienced drinker and a “girly” drink.
There used ot be an old drink we used to make in college called a Yuka Jug. Basically, you take a gallon of absolute citron, mix with lots of ice, three lemons, three limes, 1 cup sugar and pass the JUG around so everone at the party can shake it. Basically, absorbing all the sugar, and melting some of the ice, and I swear when we were done it tasted exactly like lemon snapple.
So much so, it had to come with a warning…because it was essentially all alcohol…
Oh those were the days.
I just made a milk shake, except I was out of milk and used irish cream instead. I through in some butterscotch schnapps too, just for good measure. It certainly doesn’t taste alcoholic, but the ice cream to alcohol ratio probably isn’t very high either.
I started drinking martinis and straight rum so that I’d know when I was having booze, and my body’s automatic “you’re getting drunk” sensors will kick in.
I don’t go near punch anymore-- I guzzle that stuff like it’s water, and can go from stone cold sober to spewing chunks in 30 minutes without realizing I’ve been hitting the sauce.
Even if I can’t taste it, which has happened a few times, I seem to be able to smell the alcohol. I’m a bit weird about the smells of things in general, though.
I have drank and not realized it. I had a night meeting on campus a few weeks back (groups meet at 10 pm because then you don’t have to worry about classes) and a friend of mine was drinking the new red Vault drink. I had said I wanted to try it a few days before and he offered me a drink. I drank maybe four or five drinks, said, “hey, it’s not bad,” and handed it back to him. After the meeting, he asked me if I wanted some more of it, because he had another bottle in his car, plus the flask he had been given at my wedding. I asked what the flask was for and he said he put 2-3 shots in each bottle to make it decent, otherwise it didn’t taste right.
Given, if I had tasted the soda before, I might have known quickly, but I was surprised.
Brendon
When I had only drank a few times I had my first experience with everclear and kool-aid (jungle juice, hunch punch, whatever you call it)… Come to think of it, it’s possible it could have passed for a straight drink, and i downed it like a non-alcoholic drink until it became rather obvious there was some quite powerful alcohol in it.
I’ve done this before - had a fruity mixed drink without realizing the alcohol content - and I would definitely say these drinks tend to be more dangerous, because you end up guzzling it like it’s juice and not realizing your folly until the floor rises up to meet you.
I can’t stand the taste of alcohol in any form, but can drink Long Island Ice Teas and Hard Mikes with no problem.
I once let a 10-year old have a sip of a Hard Mikes Cranberry Lemonade and they didn’t have any problem drinking it.