# What's the enjoyment of drinking strong spirits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [November 26, 2021, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990 "2021-11-26T21:32:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/21 "2021-11-28T04:40:55Z")
I enjoy a good sipping whiskey as much as the next human, but if I see someone doing shots I’m assuming their primary purpose is getting drunk. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/22 "2021-11-28T04:53:10Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I always wondered about the scenes in Western movies where the trail-dusty cowboys head to the bar and declare they are thirsty and toss down some shots. I doesn’t seem like a shot of rotgut would do much for thirst. My father says when he was a kid there was some Western serial where the good guy would belly up to the bar and request milk. And the bartender would always pull out a pitcher and serve him a glass of milk. Dad says even as a kid he was all “what!?” ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/23 "2021-11-28T06:34:42Z")
As said, there’s a sort of pleasure to the sting. Also as said, its not unlike enjoying a spicy bite. It’s odd we seek some painful experiences, sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/24 "2021-11-28T08:18:28Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Personally, I never felt the need to force down shots of or chug the Louis XIII. Considering that Louis XIII goes for several thousand dollars per bottle and takes literally 100 years to produce, I’d say that if you’re chugging it, you’re doing it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/25 "2021-11-28T08:46:09Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > As said, there’s a sort of pleasure to the sting. Also as said, its not unlike enjoying a spicy bite. It’s odd we seek some painful experiences, sometimes. - Endorphins. > **[Why pain feels good](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151001-why-pain-feels-good)** > > Why exactly do some people enjoy eye-wateringly hot curries, extreme workouts or sadomasochistic sex? Zaria Gorvett examines the enjoyment of agony. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/26 "2021-11-28T09:27:53Z")
The reason for doing shots is generally to get drunk as rapidly as possible. I say “generally” because one can also partake in a round of shots as a symbolic gesture of celebration or bonding. The shots don’t have to be particularly strong or harsh (i.e lemon drop or kamikaze shots vs whiskey or tequila). For example, doing a round of shots to celebrate someone’s birthday or Bob’s promotion or whatever. One shot probably won’t get most people drunk. Plus it’s quick. Most people don’t want to spend the next ten minutes sipping a beer in unison to celebrate your birthday or Bob’s promotion. But younger people - generally high school, college and early 20s - yeah, they are mostly just looking to get freakin hammered. > [@kitap](#): > > > [@mixdenny](#): > > > > I always wondered about the scenes in Western movies where the trail-dusty cowboys head to the bar and declare they are thirsty and toss down some shots. I doesn’t seem like a shot of rotgut would do much for thirst. > > My father says when he was a kid there was some Western serial where the good guy would belly up to the bar and request milk. And the bartender would always pull out a pitcher and serve him a glass of milk. Dad says even as a kid he was all “what!?” “It’s so HOT!! Milk was a bad choice!” - Ron Burgundy, Anchorman ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/27 "2021-11-28T12:06:21Z")
And it’s appropriate for certain dire circumstances. I celebrate and just hang out with beer, but if life serves me up a heaping pile of shit and I need to spend some time chewing on it, I’m going to wash it down with something nasty. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/28 "2021-11-28T15:23:07Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > everclear is harsher than liquor which is harsher than fortified wine which is harsher than beer and wine. That may be true in terms of net alcohol per weight (plus, really concentrated alcohol has a distinctly alcoholic kick, as well as blowing that much more booze into your liver faster), but it hardly needs pointing out that a masterfully distilled azeotrope will be a lot smoother than the same-strength moonshine where you may or may not go blind. > [@alovem](#): > > And it’s appropriate for certain dire circumstances. I celebrate and just hang out with beer, but if life serves me up a heaping pile of shit and I need to spend some time chewing on it, I’m going to wash it down with something nasty. If you only celebrate with beer, and scrub your brain cells with mystery booze, you never get to enjoy the good liquor! ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/29 "2021-11-28T17:28:20Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > If you only celebrate with beer, and scrub your brain cells with mystery booze, you never get to enjoy the good liquor! I think you’ve misunderstood my post, or maybe I could have expressed myself more clearly. “Nasty” refers to the burn mentioned upthread. I know what I like and what I drink, so no mystery booze for me. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/30 "2021-11-28T17:50:05Z")
That makes sense. Though, now I can’t help but think of this scene [you may want to turn on subtitles since it is not in English]: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fNQiLKdggPo/hqdefault.jpg "Les tontons flingueurs | "On se risque sur le bizarre" - Scène de la cuisine") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNQiLKdggPo) ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/31 "2021-11-28T18:10:57Z")
Subtitles are in French. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/32 "2021-11-28T18:23:12Z")
hmm… try this one [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/51dt0cihNnU/hqdefault.jpg "Les tontons flingueurs kitchen scene (english subs)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51dt0cihNnU) ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990/33 "2021-11-28T18:29:17Z")
So, here’s to rotgut? 🤢 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-enjoyment-of-drinking-strong-spirits/954990.md?page=1)