Gin is flavorless grain spirit (like most vodkas, save for potato vodka), that is then aged with juniper berries and distilled again. It’s not quite correct to say that it is “basically flavored vodka”, insofar as flavored vodkas are generally completely distilled then aged with the flavoring elements, but it’s close enough for government work. BTW, what we generally think of as gin is London Dry Gin, but there are other types of gin (Old Tom, Dutch pot still, et cetera) not generally available in the US but that can be found in Europe.
“Glenfiddich, Glenlivet…just something with a Glen in it.” Heh. One can tell from the selection of Scotches that Scotland has a lot of glens. But I’m glad to see that someone confirms my advice of JW Black.
And capybara introduces liqueurs, of which there is such an enormous variety and distinction to say anything intelligible in a reasonable space. B&B (Brandy and Benedictine) is one of my favorite post-prandial drinks (and I’m generally wobbling home after that), but as with sweetened drinks, be careful about overindulging; most liqueurs should be consumed as single servings, not by the bottle.
If what you are searching for is a true alcohol buzz (and assuming it is available in all areas) then I would go for PGA (otherwise known as Pure Grain Alcohol, which at 190 proof or 95% ethanol) which, god knows has little taste but one hell of a kick. PGA can be mixed with anything (grape juice was a popular combo in college along with orange juice) and turned into an instant cause for celebration.
All of the previous posts focus on taste, which let’s face it, who cares about if your interest is getting bombed. Like I said you can choose the mixer that appeals to your taste buds and go for it. Oh, in terms of providing the biggest bang for the buck nothing can beat it, all the others are pretenders.
You are right to point out the difference. Most hard liquors range from 60 to 80 proof so consider that PGA is 2.25 to 3 times stronger in terms of alcohol content and adjust your intake accordingly. Also be prepared to have a designated driver or be at home and content to not go out.
I came here to recommend Crown Royal whisky, although I haven’t had a drink in 20 years. For a lot of my youth, I’d never tasted a good whisky, they were all ugly and nasty and I couldn’t understand why people liked it. So I went to the liquor store and asked the man to recommend his choice for the smoothest, or oldest they had. He said there was one older, Gibson’s Finest, but for smooth, you couldn’t beat Crown Royal. I tried it, and he was right. It was distinctly not nasty. Now, I’m not a purist, and I can’t drink straight booze. I was a Crown heathen and mixed it with 7-Up. But it was very nice. And it never made me throw up.
Here’s another caution about tequila… you will do things you won’t remember doing on that stuff. And they are very likely to be embarrassing. So watch out!
And not a bad recommendation for a first time hard liquor IMHO. It’s a lot smoother than say Jack Daniels or Wild Turkey (I’m bunching whiskeys and bourbons here, but you’d be pretty drunk if you sampled them all).
It’s like “whisk(e)y lite”, but still with a punch.
If you’re in America and want to sample local flavors, try a shot of Jack Daniels, Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey, or some of the other American whiskeys/bourbons. You gotta try them, it’d be like going to Japan and not trying sake.
Kamchatka brand vodka, from a pint bottle, poured into a rocks glass. Drink neat (room temperature, no ice). Repeat until the pint is finished, then go do whatever it is you do. If ordering in a bar, ask for a double shot of vodka with a beer back, no ice.
That’s my tipple of choice. Frankly, I’d not recommend mixing different spirits (Scotch, Gin, Vodka, Bourbon, Rye) in a single night, or even a single fortnight. Pick one liquor, and get to know it very well – learn the basic preparations, the cream-based drinks which include the spirit, the carbonated mixers, and if you don’t like it, move on to the next spirit. For example, with vodka, try pouring a shot into a beer, try a white russian, a black russian, a vodka tonic, a vodka martini, in all variations, chilled vodka, vodka collins. Then move on, or stick with it. Whatever.
That’s just for spirits in general.
For a special trip to the US, Duke of Rat’s post says it all – try the best of the uniquely American spirits, preferably led by an experienced guide.
A moderately expensive decent dark rum- with your mixer of choice- is a good one for a novice hard drinker. “Rum & Coke” (with lime). But get one with some flavor dammit, not that cheap lite rum. Meyers is a good starter.
Liqueurs- like Jager and the like- are REALLY varied by person. Some dudes love one liqueur but despise another. I’m **with Stranger On A Train ** I like Benedictine (and despise Jager). I wouldn’t suggest either to you.
If you like beer, you’ll like hard cider. Not very "hard’.
If you have a freind with a few good Single Malts around, beg a taste of a few. It’s something you should try. You might not like them.
I came here to defend Jager and Tequila. Neither one is any worse than rum or whiskey or vodka. They are simply typically drank as shots instead of in mixed drinks and when one is doing shots of anything, (I.E. nothing else there to dilute the booze) Bad Things can occur. The fact is that any alcohol drank straight and to excess can cause nausea and hangovers. Once someone has been puking, passing out, hungover drunk on a particular type of alcohol they tend to shy away from that type for a while, if not permanently. It took a while for me to get over the “Jim Beam Incident”, but I can drink whiskey again now.
If you like liquorice, you might want to try Ouzo, a Greek alcohol.
I prefer Tequila as a straight drink. If you’re in the Western US, you can find some very good, smooth varieties. My favorite is Sauza white, which you can get at a Costco!
If you like a chocolate/coffee sort of taste, Bailey’s Irish Cream is also quite good.
The truth is that I like almost all types of liqueurs and alcohols, but I don’t drink them much any more. My least favorite is whiskey, but then I never drank much of it growing up. For a mixed drink, I am a big fan of gin or vodka martinis straight up or gin and bitter lemon on the rocks. In the summer, I drink margaritas; I know about 10 different ways to make something that could be called a “margarita” including the classic (tequila, grand marnier, and fresh lime juice) or what I call the “diesel-powered mixer” (tequila and frozen limeade).
You dopers, and I say this with the greatest respect, are total pussies about jager. Maybe because I spent my entire childhood swilling Nyquil for colds and Jager is reminisinct of it in a vague manner.
Maybe I’m wired differently, but I’ve never had a problem with the stuff. I told Mr. Ujest about this ’ don’t even touch jager’ comments and he chuckled.
Vodka, OTHO, holy crap. A night of Lemon Drops ( or something like that.) Crawled in at 4am and slept until 7pm…that was the closest to a hang over I’ve ever had.
If we still had some stuff called ( paraphrasing) AschSomething…( Asshole) from Germany ( in handy trial samples.) I’d happily send them your direction, as they were vile in a way that nail polish remover would be if you had to drink it.
Having grown up in New Orleans, spending many a night in the French Quarter and too many times getting drunk beyond reason, I’ll put in a vote for Southern Comfort. Before the booze snobs rush in and bash it, the reasoning is simple: It’s inexpensive, widely available and comes in two proofs(the 76 proof doesn’t taste hard, while the 100 proof will let you know you’re drinking something with kick). If I’m not in the mood for Murphy’s or Guinness and it’s not a Scotch night, Southern Comfort hits the spot.
Tastes differ. I’ve never had a morning-after problem with vodka, even when I’ve overdone it (and with 8oz cocktaikl glasses and vodka martinis or vodka gimlets straight up, that ain’t hard to do). I’ve never personally got the hurt from Jager, but I’ve seen many a soul suffer from overdrinking that cold syrup. Plus, it just doesn’t taste like something I’d want to drink.
Now it’s off to a light a fire in the fireplace and a snifter with a double measure of Red Breast for me, while I try to catch up on my reading. If but Los Angeles could boast even one real Irish pub…
I agree with most of what you say in your post, but I have to disagree with your comment about vodka. Good vodka (not stoli!) is so smooth it can be drunk at room temp. The reason that stoli is drunk ice cold is that at room temp it tastes like paint remover. Try Grey goose or level.
About gin. really good gins are distilled 3-5 times and are really smooth.
There is a difference between the $5 bottle and the $25 bottle.
I’m not a huge drinker, but if you like wine then I heartily recommend my favorite alcohol, Disaronno (28% alcohol, about $20 for a 750 ml bottle). It’s a sweet but not syrupy amaretto/apricot kernel oil liqueur that’ll get you drunk but at the same time tastes really good doing it. Also a fantastic drink to offer guests who aren’t wine and beer drinkers.
I don’t disagree with you, but I think that most neophytes can’t really taste the nuances in plain vodkas, other than that the cheaper ones have a more oily taste. In any case, very few people (in this country) drink vodka neat; and when you add in a few drops of bad vermouth, or Rose’s Lime Juice, or tonic, or (eek!) cranberry juice, I daresay that few few could distinguish betwee Stolichnya and Belvedere.
I have to admit, though, to being no kind of expert with regard to vodkas; I like Grey Goose, but I’m afraid I keep some of that Stoli “paint thinner” in my freezer for the occasional vodka martini or gimlet. I’ve had some oak barrel-aged Starka and some French grape-base vodka (which are both quite different from what most people think of as vodka), but that’s about the extent of my experience. What brands do you recommend?
:eek: :dubious: