I’m sort of new to this whole alcohol thing. Sure, I’ve had a few drinks in my day, but I’ve never been that selective when confronted by alcoholic drinks, mostly I’ve just had whatever’s being consumed at the particular occasion I am attending.
I now call on all ye merry Dopers to help me out.
First, what can I make at home? I only have a couple restrictions: that they be somewhat simple (requiring only one or two types of boozes, as I have only a limited budget and I don’t drink nearly enough to consume bottles of liquor in a timely fashion); not require any more equipment other than a blender, spoon, shot glass, and drink glass; and I’m mostly looking for mixed drinks (“girly” or otherwise), but any and all suggestions are welcomed.
Second, what should I order at a bar? I don’t want to look stupid by asking for a drink that the bartender has never heard of. What’s a good, basic drink that I can remember? I generally like sweeter drinks, and shy away from the bitter stuff (think Manhattan).
I tried many of the drinks on drinksmixer.com’s popular list and they were pretty good.
Making mixed drinks at home, though, gets annoying because you need to buy all the ingredients (which usually come in big bottles) even if you just want one or two drinks. Unless you want to make the same drink over and over, it may be more hassle than it’s worth. On the other hand, you can usually keep the stuff sitting around for a while…
There are a lot of pre-made drink mixes (TGI Friday’s makes a bunch, for example) so you can just pour and drink; many are complete cocktails by themselves, other just require the liquor and maybe ice and provide all the other flavors. You should be able to find the popular mixes (Long Islands, margaritas, mudslides, etc.) at any Safeway or similar.
Ok, with all that out of the way, I used to be really partial to:
Amaretto Sour - Equal parts amaretto liqueur like Disaronno and sweet & sour mix; you can also add equal parts vodka to make it stronger without substantially altering the taste
Lemon drops (works as a shot, cocktail, or martini) - Equal parts vodka, sweet & sour and triple sec; substitute Blue Curacao for triple sec to make it look prettier but taste the same. Add a slice of lemon and rim the glass with sugar if you want.
(anything)-bombs, usually a shot of some liquor/liqueur in some form of beer. Carbomb = shot of Bailey’s in Guiness, sake bomb = sake in fancy schmancy Japanese beer, etc.
Blended margaritas and drinks (as in with ice) can also be really awesome… might as well make use of that blender. Some of 'em come out tasting like smoothies but are strong and sneaky as fuck. Dave & Buster’s makes a few really good ones if you want to try some… yum.
Nowadays the alcoholic in me has gotten lazy and I just go with beer and wine, but those early days… boy, were they fun! If I can offer just one piece of advice: Don’t be afraid to try new drinks. It’s how you discover your favorite. Ask the bartender for something new every time, and if he or she doesn’t know the drink, either tell them how to make it or just move on to the next one on your list.
Add to that - if you come to like the taste of alcohol, good scotch and whisky can be ordered neat. Vodka too, though not so common in the States. Wine is fine to order as long as you’re not in a sports bar.
I’m sure I’m leaving a few common drinks out, but all of the above should be easy to make and recognize at home or in any bar.
Another way to think about a home bar - I consider there to be 5 basic liquors.
Vodka - Good vodka has a very neutral taste. Thus it lends itself well to mixing with fruitier, stronger tasting mixers - fruit juice, for example. See: Cosmopolitan, Screwdriver, Bloody Mary.
Rum. Rum has a sugary, molasses taste. It mixes well with sugary mixers. Cola, for example. Or strongly fruit tasting mixtures. Spiced rum usually has overtones of cinnamon and vanilla. Classic rum drinks - Rum & Coke, Daquiri.
Gin. Gin has a strong flavor of juniper. It has its place in maybe only two classic cocktails (the martini and the gin & tonic). Because it has a strong flavor it’s not good for mixing with much else.
Whiskey, Scotch and/or Bourbon. All three have a fairly strong taste. None mix well with most flavors. All are often ordered neat. Exceptions - Whisky and Coke (often “Jack & Coke”, for Jack Daniels), Whiskey Sour, Scotch & Soda)
Tequila. Tequila has a very earthy taste, IMO. Tequila is usually drunk straight (with lime and salt to mitigate the awfulness :p) or in a Margarita.
premix [strawberry sludge for margaritas/daqueries] whatever is on the shelves that say add alcohol and blend - mojito, stuff like that
and garnishes [olives, pickled onions, lemon lime and orange slices, celery stalks]
A lot of the mixers come in individual portion cans, and the premixes in smaller bottles or huge jugs, and the garnish is scrounged out of the veggie department.
I came in here to suggest this. It’s a relatively weak drink for those who don’t want something strong, but it’s very tasty. It’s easy to make (two ingredients), but allows for a little flair when you make it. I haven’t met anyone that doesn’t like an amaretto sour.
Belvedere vodka shaken with ice, then strained into a glass (ideally a martini glass). The bottle can be kept in the freezer. This is my favorite, and I am a simple alcoholic.
If you like sweet and almond, I would second Amaretto in various forms. It’s good with orange juice, or cola, or sour mix as mentioned. Easy to order, not strong alcohol taste, and yummy.
ETA: I’m a wuss when it comes to drinks–tequila and rum are too strong, and then there was that unfortunate gin incident that left me unable to drink it again. If you’re like that, I recommend liqueurs mixed with yummy mixers (milk, juice, cream…). Kahlua, Baileys, Amaretto, Campari–different from the basic liquors mentioned above, but easier to drink for me.
I’m a fan of Screwdrivers. Simple to make, just one alcohol to have on hand, and OJ is nearly a staple to lots of people. I go with Simply Orange and Absolut when I have the money (damn you tuition!), but as long as you don’t get the store brand juice, it tastes great. Just don’t get me started on Kroger brand OJ.
White Russians consist of Vodka, Kahlua and milk. So it’s easy to make. Vodka is very versatile, add it in orange juice or cranberry juice and you have a screwdriver or a cosmo. Kahlua is also good in coffee.
During the summer I like lime daiquiris, which while definitely a girly drink, are pretty tasty when made fresh. Take the juice of a lime, a shot of rum, and simple syrup (aka sugar) to desired sweetness (i like it on the sour side). I will also do gin and tonics during the summer, but you got to like gin which many people hate.
During the winters I tend to switch to whiskey drinks, often just on the rocks. Whiskey and gingerale is pretty tasty though and is more of a novice drink.
It would really help if you could suggest 1 or 2 of your favorite type of alcohol.
If you’re at a halfway decent bar where it looks like they put a little effort into their cocktails you can always ask the bartender for a suggestion, they might have their own specialties, or you can just tell them what you generally like and see what they can whip up for you.
I like most of my homemade cocktails in a ratio of 3:3:1; that’s three parts ice, three parts mixer and one part booze. Perhaps a touch on the weak side, but I find it makes a tasty drink that still has a kick to it. Drinks I like that follow this formula are:
Screwdriver - Ice : Orange juice : Vodka
Scotch and ginger - Ice : Ginger ale : Scotch
Vanilla goddess* - Ice : Cream soda : Vodka
Amaretto sour - Ice : Sweet and sour mix : Amaretto
If you’ve got a digital scale, it makes mixing drinks really easy. 100 grams of ice, 100 grams of mixer and 30 grams of alcohol nicely fill an eight ounce glass. Play around with the ratio and discover what you like.
( * Concocted and named entirely by Mrs-Kingspades. Very tasty and will sneak up on you if you’re not careful. )
If you’re buying one bottle of alcohol, I’d go with vodka. I used to work in a drugstore and a pharmacist told me that it is least likely to get you hung over. The impurities give alcohols (brandy, rum, etc.) their flavors. Vodka has little flavor (fewer impurities) so it can mix with just about anything and taste ok.
Vodka and tonic
Bloody Mary: Vodka and Mary mix (some prolly use tomato juice, add stuff)
Salty Dog: grapefruit juice and vodka
Vodka Gimlet: godka and lime juice
Snake juice: Lemonade and vodka
Screwdriver: OJ and Vodka
[del]Pile Driver: prune juice and vodka[/del]
