Who drinks what straight, or Am I a pansy?

Cafe Society
1

This thread about drinking things of the alcoholic nature got me thinking. There are very few alcohols I like straight. Tequila is the only one of the “big 4” (NB: this may be an arbitrary grouping I’m making here: tequila, vodka, gin, whiskey) that I consistently enjoy straight. Love love love it. Wish I had some Patron right now. However, I only occasionally like a very good whiskey straight, and usually am not in the mood for it at all. Gin I only like mixed, and vodka, no matter how good, just makes things taste worse (wait, not entirely true. I think I had a vodka lime gimlet I really enjoyed once, but it may have been gin).

The only other things I like straight are cognac and armagnac, which are liqueurs. Brandy’s ok, too, but I could take it or leave it. Sherry and port as well, but those are wines and not really what I’m talking about.

When I tell people I don’t like vodka, most think it’s a little strange, but almost everyone thinks that it’s strange that the only thing I like straight is tequila. Like it’s “strong” or something so if I don’t like vodka or gin or whiskey straight I shouldn’t be able to “handle” tequila. I don’t really know what their lines of thought are.

But I thought I’d put it to you: what do you like to drink straight? And is it odd to only like tequila straight?

2

I think you have it backwards. People are assuming that if you like tequila (or gin or whisky) straight, you ought to be able to ‘handle’ vodka straight. Look at it this way. Tequila or gin or whisky all have the alcohol burn PLUS a strong flavor. Vodka is the alcohol plus a bit of flavor. It’d be like telling someone you like teriaki chicken and barbacue chicken, but you hate grilled chicken (which is essentially the same as the other two less the extra flavor).

On to the OP I do love tequila and vodka and gin, but I have to have one tequila/vodka/gin and tonic frist before I can enjoy them straight. Generally what I do is fill a class about 80% full of gin/vodka/tequila and top it off with vodka, as it runs down to the halfway point or so, I add more booze. It’s usually straight booze (and ice) by the second or third drink.

3

I spent years working in bars, and around here, at least, it’s very rare that anyone orders anything straight as a matter of practice. Dares, toasts, body shots, sure, but very rarely does anyone drink straight liquor as a matter of personal preference.

That said, my standard order is Smirnoff neat (and boy, do I get some weird looks for it). Failing that, 1800, and keep your lime and salt. I despise the taste of alcohol and drink purely for effect; adding mixers does nothing for me except increase the quantity I must drink. At home, it’s straight Everclear (in very carefully measured quantities) if I can get it, Bacardi 151 otherwise. I don’t drink these on the rare occasion that I go out, because it’s far too easy to catch a buzz and get talked into “just one more”, and “one more” of either of those is a dangerous thing. I know my limit and have no desire to push it.

My takes on a few liquors served straight up:

Vodka - Pretty much just water with an edge; by far the easiest to drink straight. Don’t buy anything cheaper than Smirnoff or Skyy.
Tequila - My original drink of choice, for no other reason than that during my first night out, “1800” was the first thing out of my mouth when asked what I wanted. Tastes medium-bad, doesn’t burn too much. Cuervo doesn’t suck; Herradura’s not worth the money; Patron’s good stuff if you can afford it.
Gin - Cheap or top-shelf, it tastes like Pine-Sol unless it’s fresh out of the coldest freezer you’ve got. When properly chilled, surprisingly tasty; some have a hint of fruit on the back end. I recommend Bombay Sapphire.
Scotch - Aged, distilled essence of ass. Never again.
Bourbon - Eh, if nothing better’s available, a shot of Jack or Jim can hit the spot. Tastes worse and burns worse than tequila. Don’t have a favorite as I tend to avoid it.
Rum - Straight regular rum is horrid, straight coconut rum is worse (I despise coconut), straight Captain or similar spiced rum isn’t half bad. Tastes like someone started spiking the cider jug and forgot to stop.
Everclear - A hell of a lot better than you’d think. Even less taste than vodka. Burns the worst of anything, obviously, but if you’ve ever taken the Blazin’ Challenge at Buffalo Wild Wings it’s nothing you can’t handle. As another bonus, take two shots and you’re set for hours.

ETA: If you find you prefer tequila over vodka, my guess would be that “burn” is more of a concern for you than taste; for me, it’s the opposite. Vodka doesn’t hurt too bad, but it’s worse than tequila. Whatever you do, don’t try Everclear.

4

I drink everything straight. Probably more out of social conditioning than anything else, but I’m a believer in not mixing the alcohol with anything else. Maybe this will change, I don’t know.

5

Neither cognac nor armanac are liqueurs, they’re both brandy.

I’ll drink bourbon straight. I haven’t delved too deeply in single-malt scotches yet, but the one’s I’ve had are pretty tasty. My drink of choice is an old-fashion, no fruit.

6

Awesome-- I should totally do this. Might actually get the kids to sit still and listen for the whole period.

7

Dear God. The thought of taking vodka straight makes me shudder. I think the only time I take anything straight is when I do shots. Unless it’s Bailey’s.

8

I also despise the taste of alcohol and drink it purely for effect. I *am *a pansy; I pretty much can’t drink anything straight and enjoy it.

Exceptions:

Southern Comfort, because that pretty much just tastes like candy without being sickeningly sweet like a lot of liqueurs, schnapps or flavored rums are. This probably proves how uncultured I am, alas.

Tequila, because (alcohol aside) I think the flavor of it is simply delicious. It makes a big difference.

I can’t stand anything else, especially the “big” ones, and even the “good” brands. Vodka might as well be rubbing alcohol. Whisk(e)y is gag-inducing. Gin tastes like cedar water.

9

Since we’re talking about one of the four major food groups, I’m moving this from IMHO to Cafe Society.

10

Hm, I don’t remember if I’ve tried straight gin ice-cold. Maybe that’s what I’ve been missing. Rum is waaay too sweet for me, especially when mixed with coke, but I did like a Mount Gay really really dark one that they only had in Barbados. But even that I could only have one glass of before my sweet taste buds committed suicide.

And it’s definitely the taste, not the burn that bothers me. I’m with you on scotch, but I just really like the taste of tequila. I think Cuervo is terrible, but there are a couple middling ones that aren’t bad. But I do really miss Patron. I don’t know what it is though, but vodka just tastes like absolute crap. The better the vodka, the less the crap taste is, until you’re drinking Grey Goose, which tastes like water with only a bit of crap in it.

And Everclear’s ok, but not my favorite flavor. My fire performance group in college switched to it from white gas to do firebreathing in our shows once we realized that although it burned much much less, putting naptha (or was it benzene?) in our mouths was a really terrible idea.

11

Tenderbar, I’ll have another.

As for the OP, Does Southern Comfort count? I take a glass or two, generally with a pinch of salt and a lime.

12

The only spirit I don’t generally like straight is gin. I like liquors with flavor, too, so plain vodka is not my bag, either. I generally take whiskey neat or with the merest splash of water, tequila straight, rum generally in drinks (but will drink it straight if it’s good.) I tend to like a lot of strongly and oddly flavored liquors (anything from bitters like Underbeg, Unicum, or Jaegermeister to strong clear brandies like slivovitz, grappa, and the like.)

13

I think they haven’t had a really good tequila. I bet anyone who could shoot whiskey could shoot Patron.

(I actually haven’t had a really good tequila either. I guess El Jimador is probably an upper-shelf brand, and I don’t mind taking that straight.)

I used to take vodka and rum shots a fair bit–I even took Bacardi 151 shots a little more often than is sane or healthy in my freshman semester. I can still do it, but not as easily as in those days. Give me a good vodka like Pearl, though, and I can drink it like water. I wouldn’t say I would sip on any lower-quality vodka or rum.

Aquavit is a great liquor to drink straight.

I don’t really like brandy straight. I add a dash of Creme de Cacao and sip it that way.

I’m not a gin guy, but I’ll drink it in mixers from time to time. Never straight, though.

I avoid whiskey like the plague, as it turns out to be my natural enemy. Every once in a while I’ll have it in a mixed drink, but only if the flavor is masked by the other ingredients, as in a Texas Tea.

Books, TV, movies and alcohol?

14

:eek:
Is that the real Everclear (190 proof)?

That just can’t be healthy…

15

Yeah, but who wants to shoot Patron? Kicking back with a nice glass of it, sipping away, maybe a lemon or lime wedge to savor with it… ok, that does it. I’ve got to get Patron shipped here somehow.

16

Good Barrel Aged Whiskey…with about a 1/4 shot of good, clean, cold, spring water!!..mmmmmm…

tsfr

17

It’s kind of funny, because it sort of sucks the moisture out of your mouth. The weirdest feeling, but a really interesting sensation.

The first time I had it between my bottom lip and lower teeth (like where you’d put dip, I think) and held it there it sort of made my lip swell a bit and feel funny. Stopped doing that subsequently, and I never really found out why.

18

There’s only one liquor I drink straight, and that is whiskey. It’s rough, but it’s also pleasurable somehow. Also I got way too much attention in college for being a girl who likes whiskey, so I suspect my pride is now mixed up in there somehow.

I’ll drink tequila straight in a marimba, but then I don’t know if that really counts as straight.

19

not all rums are sweet, on the low end Bacardi light or dark are both of the not sweet variety (well the dark is more light gold and its a bit sweet) but on the higher end you might give 10 cane a shot. its a light gold color made from (in their own words) “Virgin sugar cane carefully handled” it has a light flavor with a hint of sweetness but its very very drinkable.
I dont really do straight hard liquor, just not a fan of the taste or the burn, although without the taste the burn wouldnt be nearly as bad.

20

Whiskey’s the only one mentioned in the OP that I enjoy straight.
I’ve had tequila from the (shared) bottle, but I don’t remember if I enjoyed it. I haven’t had it since, some suppressed memory of that night just tells me it’s a bad idea.
The others, I prefer with mixers.