Manbeverages: Spirits

[Vader]

I'm not a whisky/whiskey drinker at all, simply beacuse I don't "understand" the flavors. I can give you lectures on wine and other food related stuff but whisky don't "talk" to me - it's an alien world. Probably exciting and full of flavors yet to be explored by me, but still completely alien.

When I visited Scotland a few years ago I enjoyed a Lagavulin though.

Personally I stick with vodka or gin.

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

I must reiterate that despite protests to the contrary, there is a proper way of consuming spirits ...

A "proper" way? That implies that any way beside your personal preference is "improper." So anyone who is in the mood for a Manhatten is just wrong? I don't buy that. We're talking about subjective preferences. There isn't a proper or improper preference. There's simply a way you like to drink it, a way which (according to you) makes you feel manly and allows you to judge the preferences others as "improper," a way to look down on other people.

At most, you could say that drinking scotch or bourbon neat is the best way to experience the flavor of the spirits unadulterated, unmodified, and undiluted. Neat is the way to experience it at its most intense level (if that's your thing). But, as you point out, sometimes the experience is enhanced by the addition of a counter-part flavor (in your case, the smoke of a quality cigar). Some people prefer the contrasts and complexities of bringing two different things together to produce something that neither can achieve on their own. [This is why I prefer beer, btw, the contrast between sweet malt and bitter hops--in addition to the infinite variety found in adding fruits, spices, vegatables, etc.].

Personally, I think that smoke dulls the palate ... which may account for why people combine it with a strong drink, to "soften" or "mellow" the effect of putting a harsh solvent into your mouth.

In fact when has anything worthwhile been achieved without effort or perseverance? Why must everything be instantly rewarding, instantly pleasant, instantly charming?

As a homebrewer who must wait at least 4 weeks for his beverage to be drinkable--after 10+ hours of work to brew it and bottle it--I'm certainly not advocating a lack of effort or perserverance. The beer I drink ranges up to 13%, which most people find exceptionally strong and undrinkable. They are definitely not meant to be drank fast or one after the other.

I do actually drink bourbon neat every now and then, especially when I'm comparing one to another, in order to taste them in their purest form and get an accurate comparison. I don't particularly enjoy it this way, however, and prefer it with ice. I personally believe that strong spirits are made so strong in order to stand up to mixing them, offering people this choice and variety, and I've heard distillers who had the same opinion. For instance, you could certainly experience the flavor of vanilla in its "purest" and "most intense" form by drinking straight vanilla extract, but it's intended to be mixed sparingly into other ingredients. An argument could be made that spirits have the same function. Tequila seems to be made for margaritas. Rum seems to be made for daiquiris. When you taste these drinks, it's like discovering the spirits' purpose. In this context, "proper" is a matter of opinion.

In the end, every form of alcoholic drink is "mixed," unless you're drinking pure grain. What you like about the taste of scotch is the taste of wood, i.e. the effect that a wooden barrel has on the original liquor, without which it would be nearly unrecognizable and virtually undrinkable. Wood is a nice flavor, I admit, but it's still a way to mix and mellow and flavor the liquor into something drinkable. (Come to think of it, the "wood" flavor that a barrel adds is in many cases a lot like vanilla .... something that children and people with unadventurous palates prefer in their ice cream ). As such, it's only a matter of degree in the difference between neat and mixing a cocktail. Liquor doesn't originally taste like wood. That's something added, intentionally, because most people aren't "man" enough to prefer it in its original form. So you could "man up" and drink it unaged, if you really have something to prove. There are distillers who sell it that way. But then it wouldn't have that sweet, vanilla-y wood taste that is apparently so manly.

Clearly the introduction of humor into a consideration of the manly consumption of spirit displays an unbecoming irreverence towards the subject itself. By all means, enjoy your girlie drinks with my compliments, I'll keep sipping my scotch over here in the man zone.

On a separate but related note, I have discovered that the introduction of water into scotch, while flying in the face of manliness, often releases an unexpected variety of flavors upon the palate.

[sgt.null]

i like tequila. poured in a glass sometimes, but straight from the bottle works as well.

i like vodka as a mixer. oj, cranberyy, kahlua, etc...

i used to drink gin...

[aliantha]

I suppose this is the wrong thread in which to discuss Amaretto.

How do you manly men feel about Irish whiskey? I've got a bottle of Jameson's, which which I appease my ancestral Irish gods from time to time...

[Obi-Wan Nihilo]

Amaretto is a liqueur, and so lies outside the intended purview of the thread, but this being a free country and all, be my guest.

Jameson is a smooth and palatable spirit, but like its American cousins commits the sin of inducing a painful hangover in the unwary. Keep well hydrated if you drink it to excess.

[Vraith]

Strangely, I've never had Jameson's...but there recent commercials are mildly amusing.

I like Amaretto and other off-topic liqueurs and non-pure things in moderations.

Ooooo...I also like cognacs!

[aliantha]

Becherovka, anyone? It's a liqueur as well, but it ain't for the faint of heart...

[Orlion]

Becherovka, anyone? It's a liqueur as well, but it ain't for the faint of heart...

I accept your challenge! If my drinking buddy weren't either a big wuss or allergic to cinnamon, we could finish a bottle in one night! Instead, I'll just have to finish about half of it.

[Vraith]

Becherovka, anyone? It's a liqueur as well, but it ain't for the faint of heart...

I accept your challenge! If my drinking buddy weren't either a big wuss or allergic to cinnamon, we could finish a bottle in one night! Instead, I'll just have to finish about half of it.

After an exchange like this, I'm off to search the net to find out WTF Beachrocker or whatever it is is, and then perhaps try some.

[aliantha]

Beachrocker!

It's Czech, of course. (The "ch" is pronounced as in "loch"; I fondly refer to it as "the hairball letter". ) It's produced in Karlovy Vary, which is a spa town. I understand that when the spa-goers get tired of sipping mineral water, they swap off and drink this stuff.

Y'all come on over -- I've got a bottle of it in the fridge.

[Cameraman Jenn]

Last time I hit the beach with my friends Niall and Francis and BGB and the dogs, Niall brought some dark cherry infused bourbon and we mixed it with ginger ale and it was off the hook good.

I like scotch, my grandfather was a scotch drinker and my uncle was in Ireland for a number of years and would provide him with expensive bottles quite often, and extremely expensive at that. (my uncle was the head accountant for westinghouse inc) Anyway, My last few visits before my grandfather passed on, we spent some time hiding in the garage and getting tipsy on high end scotch, too bad it was so long ago that I don't remember the brands. Keep in mind that this was in my late teens and now I am old and getting senile. I do remember my gramps laughing and saying while we were sipping it that my gran would have been furious if she knew that my uncle has spent over $500 bucks on the one bottle of scotch much more angry than she would be if she knew he was smoking and drinking with me in the garage. My uncle was rich and my gran was a serious penny pincher even though they had plenty of money as well. But I digress, unfortunately neither my uncle Bob nor my gramps are still living so I will never know exactly what it was we drank that day.

Back on subject, I also like gin and tonics during the summer nights. As for tequila, I prefer a nice reposado or something with pure agave.

[DukkhaWaynhim]

Last time I hit the beach with my friends Niall and Francis and BGB and the dogs, Niall brought some dark cherry infused bourbon and we mixed it with ginger ale and it was off the hook good.

It is called Red Stag - it's made by Jim Beam, and it is wonderful. Chill it, then sip it slowly.

[Orlion]

Y'all come on over -- I've got a bottle of it in the fridge.

And now I have a bottle of it in my fridge......and what? What do you people want from me?

[aliantha]

I'm impressed you found it, Orlion. The Virginia ABC stores don't stock it; I had to go to a liquor store in DC.

Soooo...have you tried it yet? What's the verdict? Enquiring minds want to know!

[Avatar]

I'm not into spirits much, I must say. Tend to stick to red wine most of the time, and the odd beer.

Definitely not a scotch person under most circumstances, although I don't turn down a taste of JW Black, or 12 year old Laphroaig when the opportunity presents. (Over ice only btw.)

In terms of spirits I pretty much stick to gin and tonic (the aforementioned Bombay Sapphire) with the occasional shot of tequila.

Oh, I also have a taste for a particular Polish vodka, Zubrowka. I've been fortunate in that family and friends have been back and forth a few times in recent years, so I've got about 3 litres of it, and the rate I drink, that should last me several years.

As for liqueurs, I love Amaretto. And this: Luxardo Maraschino. That stuff is awesome.

--A

[aliantha]

Cherry liqueur? Oh baby, must try me some of that...

[Avatar]

Yeah, just so you know, it doesn't taste very cherry-like though.

--A

[aliantha]

Oh. Well, darn. I may have to try some anyhow.

[Cameraman Jenn]

I'm with you Av, I loves me some sapphire. Also my fave fruit is cherry so anything with cherry usually intrigues me. I am off for the next three days so I was thinking about making cherry ice cream so I might have to make cherry liquor ice cream....

[Avatar]

Damn, that sounds good...yeah, mix it with actual maraschino cherries and it'll really bring it out.

Ali, the cherry is there...but it's a distilled liqueur...tastes more of spirit than of cherry. (Did I say it was damn good? It is. )

--A