The Hard Liquor and Miscellaneous Stiff Drinks Thread

[Reverend Joe]

I was thinking about posting a recent evolution in my love of whisky in Vladimir's Beer Thread () but I thought that the stiffer drinks deserved a thread of their own; so, here it is: the Reverend's Hard Liquor and Miscellaneous Stiff Drinks thread, where the true aficionado of both intoxication and good drinks can celebrate his dual love.

The reason I was going to post, as I mentioned previously, is that I have discovered a kind of whisky which I wish I had discovered earlier. Until now, my drinking habit has been primarily limited to bourbon, a drink which I have always found infinitely preferable to the "classic" whiskys, namely Irish and Scottish. I have never liked the (malt?) flavor of European whisky, as it lacks body and generally invokes subtle but still nightmarish memories of Tequila (I will leave it up to your imagination as to why I can no longer drink tequila.) Bourbon has a much stronger, fuller and distinct flavor; while I can understand that many would be turned away by its sometimes incredible burn, I find that a few drops of distilled water, in the style of Scotch and Water, not only takes care of this burn but also brings out the full flavor of the bourbon.

However, I decided yesterday to experiment a bit, so I bought a bottle of what the clerk (whose opinion I trust) described as standard, mid-grade Canadian whisky. It's quite a different experience. It lacks the full, beautiful flavor of bourbon, but it has a distinctive flavor of its own; it's malty, but not overwhelmingly so, and it has a good, mild grain flavor (I think it's the same corn flavor as bourbon, but I've never had rye, so it might be that as well; could also be both, it tastes very complex.) It can also be drunk straight, as opposed to bourbon, which is best consumed, as I said, in a scotch-and-water style mixture.

So: post what you will. What's your favorite hard drink? Your favorite mixed drink with hard liquor? I want to hear from the refined alcoholics out there.

@Beirut: if you really think this is redundant with the Beer thread, please merge this with said thread; but I feel like it warrants its own discussion.

Edit: I guess it's cool with the axeman.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Absolutely not reduntant with the beer thread...never been a huge fan of beer, I generally use keystone for drinking games, colt 45 if it's the right kind of day, and maybe some pbr as a finisher on the night because it's safe. Other than that I don't see the appeal of drinking beer, liquor has so much more flavor than guiness/sam adams/etc.

Nice thing about bourbon is that even the cheap stuff can be drunk neat and still be tasty. Neat is the only way to drink it in my opinion. On the rocks is cold and watery. With coke is kind of a waste. Never had much success with manhattan's. I've heard a few drops of water brings out the flavor but have never blind taste tested it.

Wild Turkey and Makers are two excellent bourbons in about the $20 a fifth range. Makers uses more wheat so it's smoother and WT uses more rye and is a bit spicier (also a higher proof). If you're on a budget Evan Williams is about $9 a fifth and Ezra Brooks is around $10. Both tasty. Compared to cheap vodka (smirnoff), rum (bacardi), and gin (gordon's) cheap bourbon is a great value. The others are mixers only.

My cocktail making skills are lacking unfortunately...

[Fragony]

Like Dimple, pretty good value. Straight up none of the ice soda nonsense, that's just for show I think.

[Reverend Joe]

@Sasaki: Maker's and Wild Turkey are alright, but if your local store offers Bulleit Bourbon I advise you to give it a try. It's my favorite bourbon, and I have been told by at leasst one true Kentuckian that it's a damn fine bourbon.

Yeah, a few drops of water really does the trick; the thing is, it really has to be well-filtered water, and preferably ice-cold. I find that a Brita filter does the trick; just keep it in your fridge, and you have cold, purified water whenever you need it. Just remember not to pour the water directly from the Brita into the bourbon; put a little in another glass first, and use that to regulate how much water you want, otherwise you'll end up seriously diluting some fine whisky.

And how the hell can you stand Colt 45?! Isn't that stuff like watered-down gasoline?

[Sasaki Kojiro]

@Sasaki: Maker's and Wild Turkey are alright, but if your local store offers Bulleit Bourbon I advise you to give it a try. It's my favorite bourbon, and I have been told by at leasst one true Kentuckian that it's a damn fine bourbon.

I'll have to try that again sometime. I had a bottle of that and a bottle of beam black but that was back when I just mixed it or took shots of it.

Yeah, a few drops of water really does the trick; the thing is, it really has to be well-filtered water, and preferably ice-cold. I find that a Brita filter does the trick; just keep it in your fridge, and you have cold, purified water whenever you need it. Just remember not to pour the water directly from the Brita into the bourbon; put a little in another glass first, and use that to regulate how much water you want, otherwise you'll end up seriously diluting some fine whisky.

Maybe...seems like a bit of trouble with the filtering and all. And the fact that the mind is easily fooled by little things (it's been shown that attractiveness of the bottle can affect reported quality of the drink) makes me a bit doubtful. I'll have to run my own test.

And how the hell can you stand Colt 45?! Isn't that stuff like watered-down gasoline?

It tastes kind of creamy to me.

[Beirut]

It isn't hard liquor, but by the time I see the bottom of the bottle it might as well be.



A great California Zinfadel. This is not a sophisticated dry French wine; it's fruity and funky with lots of taste. $25 a bottlle here, not cheap, but a nice treat. Excellent BBQ wine and will be top shelf with my Delmonico steak tonight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delmonico

This has been my favorite wine since I sank a bottle last summer on a friend's deck by the lake reading his copy of the Tao Te Ching. Funky indeed.

[Ferret]

Beirut you are my role model.

A lumberjack who drinks cool wine and eats high quality steak, and lives in Canada, sounds good to me.

[Reverend Joe]

By any chance, is that wine related to the Flying Dog brewery, or is it just illustrated by Ralph Steadman? Because that's an awfully brutal-looking wine label.

(I prefer more traditional wines, myself... "cool" wines just seem silly. )

[m52nickerson]

I prefer a good aged Single Malt Scotch. Right now I'm working on a bottle of 15 year old Glenfiddich.

If you want something with an ethnic flare try some Krupnik, it is a honey and grain based liquor.

Now my grandfather use to make Dandelion Wine, I would like to find time to learn how to make it.

[Reverend Joe]

If you want something with an ethnic flare try some Krupnik, it is a honey and grain based liquor.

Wow. That sounds... strong.

[m52nickerson]

It is hard to find and the recipes vary. I've had some that was great to just sip on, at around 70 proof. Then you can find it up around 120 proof, but you will only do that in excess once.

"Old Krupnik" is about the only brand that I find with any regularity. Its considered a flavored vodka.

[Adrian II]

Cognac Camus, Tullamore Dew and Bloody Maries with mucho Tabasco, lemon and parsley here.

Oh, and if there has to be liquor with my coffee, I prefer it to be Licor Beirão.

[Beirut]

By any chance, is that wine related to the Flying Dog brewery, or is it just illustrated by Ralph Steadman? Because that's an awfully brutal-looking wine label.

(I prefer more traditional wines, myself... "cool" wines just seem silly. )

It's from the Bonny Doon winery in California, and it is a Ralph Steadman label.

I don't know much about wine, but I know what I like. I like this stuff. It tastes good.

[Reverend Joe]

Cognac Camus

Cognac's always tasted like pure magma to me... is it supposed to burn like the fires of hell, or have I only had bad cognac?

[Moros]

Wodka or Gin with Ice-tea or Coke. That I like Whiskey can be nice too. And of course the being Belgium I can dig genever too. However real men drink beer.

[m52nickerson]

Cognac's always tasted like pure magma to me... is it supposed to burn like the fires of hell, or have I only had bad cognac?

The trick to cognac is you have to let it breath. It helps with the burn.

[Lemur]

I used to buy this stuff by the case:

Despite the scary name and graphics, a very smooth single-malt scotch.

[Beirut]

If there is a finer bottle of booze than this, I know not of it.

From one single keg to the bottle without any adulteration, perversion, or water of any kind. 120 proof and as tasty and smooth as a sunrise in Angelina Jolie's blouse.

Booker's Best. Quite possibly the best bourbon in the world.

[CountArach]

Vodka and coke for me.

I must say I tried some Polish vodka that one of my friends brought to a couple of parties (He is Polish) and it was incredibly good - ie strong, flavourless, pretty much like water. I'll try to get the name off of him and post it here.

EDIT: And how could I forget Absinthe?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I don't pretend to be a connoisseur in this subject (we Germans still like our beer), but some favourites:

Hennessy

B&B

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Vodka and coke for me.

I must say I tried some Polish vodka that one of my friends brought to a couple of parties (He is Polish) and it was incredibly good - ie strong, flavourless, pretty much like water. I'll try to get the name off of him and post it here.

I just can't see "flavorless" as a positive thing. I mean, that's what good vodka is supposed to be, but why bother?

[Uesugi Kenshin]

If there is a finer bottle of booze than this, I know not of it.

From one single keg to the bottle without any adulteration, perversion, or water of any kind. 120 proof and as tasty and smooth as a sunrise in Angelina Jolie's blouse.

Booker's Best. Quite possibly the best bourbon in the world.

Beirut I'm not expert on whiskey at only 19, but I do know one thing. That stuff is good. My dad brought a bottle of the stuff to Germany to give to my host family and I was lucky enough to sip a bit of it with them one night. Very very good stuff.

I also like Glenfiddich, but since I'm underage and only drink with my dad occasionally I drink beer far more often than top-shelf whiskey.

[Lemur]

Booker's is, indeed, a great bottle of booze, but isn't it hellishly expensive? I seem to remember it going to some serious coin ...

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Seems to be a bout $55 dollars a fifth. Yikes. Probably a good thing, seeing as it's 126 proof--I've heard that drinking too much 120+ proof booze kills your taste buds...thought only on hearsay.

[Reverend Joe]

Seems to be a bout $55 dollars a fifth. Yikes. Probably a good thing, seeing as it's 126 proof--I've heard that drinking too much 120+ proof booze kills your taste buds...thought only on hearsay.

If it doesn't kill your taste buds, it'll probably kill enough brain cells that you won't care what it tastes lie anyway...

[Adrian II]

Cognac's always tasted like pure magma to me... is it supposed to burn like the fires of hell, or have I only had bad cognac?

Possibly. Buy a good bottle, pour some in a big glass, let it breathe like the man said then sip.

But remember you're supposed to drink something because you like it. Mebbe cognac just doesn't suit you. I have the same thing with wodka or gin - I can't stand the stuff without at least some other ingredients that take away the burn or sour edge. Dutch gin ('jenever') on the other hand, which is quite similar to the above, I can drink in huge amounts without any adverse effect.

P.S. Good thread, Reverend.

[Geoffrey S]

Gah, since a particular night I haven't been able to drink 'jenever' for without adverse side-effects. At least it was fun while it lasted.

[Adrian II]

Gah, since a particular night I haven't been able to drink 'jenever' for without adverse side-effects. At least it was fun while it lasted.

If you drink far too much of it, jejever has the unpleasant side effect of preventing you from sleeping. Which means you are going be wide awake and sick for hours on end, without redeeming sleep, and you are going to be dead tired the next day on top of having a contracted stomach, diarrhea and a splitting headache.

Looks who's talking from experience.

[Fragony]

Gah, since a particular night I haven't been able to drink 'jenever' for without adverse side-effects. At least it was fun while it lasted.

Have the same with Berenburg, can't even smell it anymore or I get sick. What kind of schipper can't hold his berenburg? I used to like it but ever since, since........ well I don't really remember. Wonder why.

[Beirut]

Booker's is, indeed, a great bottle of booze, but isn't it hellishly expensive? I seem to remember it going to some serious coin ...

$90 a bottle here and blisteringly hard to find. Only place I know is a booze store in Ottawa and the bottles tend to be reserved for restaurants. Shmucks.

I don't mind the price, really. First of all because it's worth it and I don't mind paying for luxury items I can actually afford. Second, I can afford it because I rarely buy more than four or five bottles of good whisky a year. I wait until something good shows up on the shelf and then grab it. I love my whisky, but I prefer to love it in expensive moderation.

There's a bottle of 16 year-old Bushmills I've been dying to try, that will probably be next. That's also about $90 a bottle. I've had the 10 year-old single malt Bushmills and the 12 year-old "standard", both are lovely and tasty.