Spirits, Liqueurs and Other Adult Beverages

[mluyckx]

This may seem a bit off topic, but we have a recent thread on Scotch and one on beer. And then one on Mead. Next to pipes, cigars and tobacco in general, all things whiskey, bourbon and beer are a passion / hobby of mine and hence I can talk about those for hours. I know BaronSamedi loves Absinthe and I have learned a thing or two about the greenish hell beverage from him via this forum.
So this got me thinking. What other adult beverages do you enjoy ? Tequila ? Rum ? Wine ? Moonshine ? I know all of those have their dedicated followers and aficionados. So tell us: which one do you enjoy ? Why ? What different kinds are there and what distinguishes a good one from a bad one ?

 

[madmurdoc]

Gin & Tonic, Scotch and Soda, Jameson on the rocks.

 

[martiniman]

Gin, Martini, up (maybe homemade bitters depending on gin).

Kind of gin depends on mood.

Sipping a cold martini allows all of the nuances from the many botanicals in each's recipe.

Then the brown liquors for the same reasons.

Then dry wine and hoppy beer.
I think that about covers it. :D

 

[mluyckx]

Madmurdoc: ah...gin...forgot that one. I think I subconsciously suppress it since I had such a bad experience with it once :rofl:
But here's the question, and perhaps I should have been more clear, what makes a good Gin ? Why ? What are the different kinds ?
I'm not just looking for a list of your favorite beverage. There's another thread for that. But I'm more about learning what distinguishes good from bad, why do you enjoy it, what are the different flavor palates, etc....
So on the Gin front: Do you buy London Dry or Old Tom or the Dutch Genever kind ? Which brands ? Gordon's or Seagrams ? I've seen bottles of Gin for over $40, while others are maybe $20 ? I think last time I walked around in my liquor store I saw something called "Kensington" which was close to $50. Why ? What makes that Kensington so much more expensive than a regular $20 of Seagram's ?
Another one would be Vodka. Not my beverage of choice, but I have noticed the same. You can get a bottle of Seagram's or Smirnoff for around $20. But a bottle of Ketel One is $40. The most expensive one I noticed was $80.
I can tell why there's a price difference in the Scotch world or Bourbon world. And whether it's worth the difference. I can tell you why a single bottle of Orval beer will cost you $5 or $6, while you can get a 6 pack of whatever for $8. But have no clue on some of these other spirits. So let's have at it. We must have some experts in all those areas here on this site.
Sorry for the long clarification :mrgreen:

 

[ulrich]

I'm a big fan of bourbon. My girlfriend recently interviewed the master distiller at wild turkey, got a couple free bottles out of it so I'm a happy man haha.

 

[crpntr1]

Whiskey and water on the rocks...hold the water and the ice :mrgreen:

 

[simnettpratt]

I like bourbon, because if I buy from the middle shelf and up I will get something I enjoy, and if you do your research, you can buy from the bottom shelf if you're broke and get something consistently palatable. I find for me, there's more flavor in bourbon than say, Canadian whiskey or even Irish whiskey (don't flame me Irish lovers, some like Latakia, some don't).
When I first decided to try Scotch, I knew I'd hate it because it would be an acquired taste, but on the recommendation of the scotch guy at the liquor store, bought a 375ml bottle of bottom shelf blend Scoresby, and it was love at first sip. The thing with scotch for me is it's a crap shoot. It's not like I've ever heard of Llanfairpwllgwyn before and scotch seems to vary much more than bourbon. When I buy bourbon, I'm going for safe, if scotch, I'm feeling adventurous.
I took a wine tasting class, (at the Wine Nazis on Oak Lawn), and the guy was a complete snob, and when he found out most of liked light German white wines (think Liebfraumilch, like Black Tower or Blue Nun), he shook his head at us and told us when we became 'sophisticated', we would only drink red wine. But the jerk ended up being right. Make mine a Cabernet or Merlot, ribeye, mashed potatoes and gravy with a side salad.
Beer is your friend. Period. It can be used to improve any situation, with any company. A good example is, if I was out fishin' with lonestar, and we were drinking his damned Natural Light, for that situation that 'beer' would be the tastiest beer in the world. Only beer can do that. Beer is your friend.
After those four there is a HUGE dropoff for me for anything else. Tequila has it's place I guess, and/but that place always includes girls. Chilled vodka has a place - when I'm playing a WWII sub game and pretending I stole it from the Russians. Rum has no place for me. The only good gin is the one left on the shelf so you can buy some real bourbon. I've had some good times with martinis, like when you need to get happy quick at a bar, but make mine vodka, up, filthy (I should not have to tell you, No Vermouth).
Tawny port has a place that involves a good cigar. Tuaca has a place if you want to wake up in jail. Frangelico has a place if you're trying to convince a girl that all alcohol doesn't taste like crap. And even Everclear has a place, because it will clean your pipe.
For me, it's bourbon, scotch, beer and red wine. All else pales in comparison.

 

[hawk60ce]

Whiskey or bourbon on the rocks. I prefer crown royal as a go to anytime (i like have all 6 blends that they offer) makers mark in the winter time, Jack Daniels single barrel in the summer and some templeton rye on occasion. I like Jameson mostly as a shot or mixed but not on the rocks. To me it's not a great sipper, at least not like the others I enjoy. I on occasion like a good vodka on the rocks, but has to be crystal head, I can't drink any others unless they are mixed. I like a decnt blended scotch such as Johnnie Walker black or higher, but use the red to make rob roys. I LOVE tequila, but do to some bad actions on my part I don't drink it anymore.
As far as vodka goes, the more its purified the better the quality. You can take a bad bottle of vodka and run it through a water purifier such as a Brita pitcher, and make it better. It will remove the impurities. As far as whiskey or bourbon goes, I personally believe its recipe, quality of ingredients, and quality of water used. Makers mark is my favorite American whiskey/bourbon. I've toured a few different distilleries, and makers mark seemed to be the most caring about the product and customer. JD was all about mass production. On the same note JD is one of the biggest exported products the US has to Europe.
I could go on and on about beer but I won't. I do like craft brews and tend to stick to craft brews on draft when I'm out and about. At home I drink mostly Sam Adams and have yuengling on draft.
Wine reminds me of pipe tobacco. So many good ones to choose from from all over the world for so many different palates. It all depends on my mood whether I drink a nice crisp sweet German white, or a nice dry merlot.

 

[mluyckx]

You can take a bad bottle of vodka and run it through a water purifier such as a Brita pitcher, and make it better.

8O
Now that is an interesting tidbit of information ! Never thought you could remove the impurities in vodka after distillation. Also, can anyone say if there is a flavor difference in grain vs. potato vodka ? Which one would you consider better ?

 

[madmurdoc]

The only gin I've had that I quite like is Tanqueray, it's a London Dry Gin.

 

[hawk60ce]

I prefer grain vodka. Here's is a good read:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/shopping/2004/09/hit_me_with_your_best_shot.single.html

 

[mluyckx]

Hawk: Thanks for that article. Quite an interesting read. I remember having a vodka called "Koskenkorva" when I had the opportunity to travel to Finland in the late 90's. It has always been one of the only ones I could drink straight up. Nice and chilled it was excellent. And yes, the Finns have as much of a reputation to hold their liquor as anyone ;-)
It also has a variant called "Salmiakki Koskenkorva", which is black as tar and has licorice mixed up in the vodka. I never liked the taste of it, but do recall a colleague having a very, very bad night with that stuff :rofl:
Off to my liquor store to restock my beer fridge and see if they by chance have Koskenkorva.... brings back memories now.

 

[papipeguy]

I had a bad month on night with gin about 35 years ago. But everything else is fair game

 

[austinxpipe]

So on the Gin front: Do you buy London Dry or Old Tom or the Dutch Genever kind ? Which brands ? Gordon's or Seagrams ? I've seen bottles of Gin for over $40, while others are maybe $20 ? I think last time I walked around in my liquor store I saw something called "Kensington" which was close to $50. Why ? What makes that Kensington so much more expensive than a regular $20 of Seagram's ?

I have been around the block with Gin in my short legal drinking career, but if there's one liquor I know anything on, Gin would be it.
First and foremost, if you're doing the $10 bottle thing, Gordon's everytime. :D
Although, now when I do the $10 bottle thing, for a few dollars more New Amsterdam is what I choose. It tastes amazing, has a slight citrus hint, and is pretty balanced. JohnnyXpipe introduced me to it years ago.
Better Gins will still have a juniper taste (and once you develop a taste for Gin, anyone who says it just tastes like Pine needles will sound like a darn fool to you) but you'll notice more botanicals throughout and a more balanced flavor. There's 3 categories of Gin just like there are a few catagories of Scotch. There's Gin, Distilled Gin, and London Gin. Each is held to their own standards to be clasified as such. hope that helps you a little, as to why some are $10 and some are $50.

 

[pstlpkr]

I love Martinis, up, very dry, shaken, 4 olives.... for the vitamins.

As for the brand of Gin... I'm no expert, but I enjoy them as long as they are made correctly.
Then come Whiskeys, As some of you know I enjoy Ezra Brooks as a pipe sweetener, and to sweeten my pipes. :D

I also like to vary the brand of Whiskeys I drink, a couple of my favorites are (First and Foremost) Wild Turkey 101, then what sounds good while I'm looking over the shelves in the State Store.
I also keep a supply Christian Brothers Brandy on hand as well as di Amore Amaretto as a cordial. And when I can afford it a bottle of Brandy and Benedictine.

 

[martiniman]

Gin,,,,I could right a book.

I'm cooking dinner right now so I need to be brief.

Right now, subject to change....

1. Tanquary Rangpoor - Sweet, limey, floral.

2. Hendricks - Summery cucumber, very light.

3. Gordons -Everyday go to($18 for 1.75l). Served out of the freezer but still shaken to get some water content.

Junipery, bitter orange, strong aromatics. This also usually gets the dash of bitters, Fee Brothers

or homemade lime or grapefruit.
P.S. Home brewer secret - run cheap booze through a Brita. I can make 10 vodka taste like Grey Goose. If I run Gordons through more that 2x it is to smooth and looses all character. :D

 

[pstlpkr]

:worship: Martiniman

P.S. Home brewer secret - run cheap booze through a Brita. I can make 10 vodka taste like Grey Goose.

That thought has never occurred to me...

Good tip... Gonna-hafta try that.

 

[dochudson]

Only Irish coffee can provide, (in a single glass), all four essential food groups, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat...
or your basic old school Beefeaters martini

 

[msandoval858]

I don't drink near as much as I used to, but I primarily enjoy bourbon and whiskey (both American and Scotch). I like good rum, absinthe, tequila, etc but they are not my go to.
I typically drink whatever I am enjoying on rocks. I enjoy high end stuff as much as the next guy but my standard go to drink has always been good old Jack Daniels black label. It's not elegant but something about it I just love. As a matter of fact I'm out and should probably pick up a bottle soon

 

[philobeddoe]

I keep a bottle of Bombay Sapphire at home, I quite enjoy a Gin and Tonic on a hot summer afternoon. As far as general alcohol intake, my usual whisky is Laphroiag with a few drops of water. As for beer, I starred drinking Heineken when I was 16 and never really looked back, the number of green bottles that have passed through my hands over the years would number in the high thousands. I'll drink another beer if I'm out and about and they don't have Heineken, but at my home it's pretty much go green or go home.