The Booze Thread

[Sean]

Not as much discussion of drinking at this year's party!

What are your favorite drinks these days?

I have a passion for all things grape-derived. I'm a big wine guy, and drink a fair amount of brandy, cognac, and grappa as well. Grappa is my favorite.

I'm not so much of a mixed drinks guy but I'll have the occasional sidecar or manhattan. At formal events I'll drink two martinis before the meal. Used to be three, but old age takes its toll.

I drank a lot of scotch in graduate school, but nowadays I don't tend in this direction as much, though of course I won't turn down some good single malt neat. I enjoyed some Wild Turkey 101 quite a bit a few months ago, though, so my tastes may be changing again.

Even good beer is never more than a satisfying experience for me, not transcendental. Not much of a beer guy. I like hard cider if it's not too sweet though.

[Christopher Weeks]

Vesta Virgin Cranberry Liqueur, Imortale by Dogfish Brewery, and Russian River or Oregonion Pinot Noir.

[DevP]

I like Scotch, perhaps out of stubborness if nothing else. I'd like to learn more about cool new scotches without becoming so Hoary Old Guy Drinking Black Label.

Also, drink beer from Boston's own Magic Hat Brewing Company. It's seriously good - plus, the beer titles are clever! "Heart of Darkness" guiness, "Fat Angel" pale ale...

I find myself liking SoCo&Coke a lot, for no clear reason. I'm still undecided if this is a "girly drink", as they say. (Disclaimer: most of the girls I know are more hard-drinking, in the dark beer and/or tequilla category. So this is a gender-free claim.)

Speaking of mixed drinks - try ABSINTHACOLA! Or rather, Sambuca & Coke. It's swell, and was invented during (as a result of) Lehman's visit to Boston.

[Andy Kitkowski]

What are your favorite drinks these days?

This is gonna sound SOOOOooooooooo typical for people who know me ("That Japan Guy"), but I like sake, a lot. Heck, my Livejournal avatar (Zigguratbuilder) is this "Japanese Sake Guy", a pic that I pulled off of some Japanese sake brewery website, which I affectionately call "Old guy drinking Sake: Remaining Liver functionality approx 14%".

The thing is, when I lived in Japan I was pretty ambivalent to brands, quality, etc.  I often was invited to parties or gatherings, where I pretty much drank whatever was offered. I didn't give a rat's ass about what it was I was drinking, because the focus was always on the social situation ("Talk to the cute consultant", "Entertain my clients", "Try to understand what the Mayor is saying, and why he is currently sitting on my lap", etc).

But now that I'm back in the states, I find that I can't drink wine too much (I only like dessert wines, no matter how many I sample), and am not as fond of heavy liquors as I once was.

So since I've come back, and am in a place with relatively little (high level, or Daiginjo) sake, I make a point to learn about them, so that when I CAN drink sake I can choose a good one.

Beer: Meh. I like my beer "middle of the road": Not too light, not too dark, not too sweet, not too bitter.  But smooth. I don't like Guiness.

Other: I used to pretty much only drink either hard liquors straight, barely mixed (gimlets, Wild Turkey with lime, etc), or sissy cocktails (Yum!) like grasshoppers, etc.

In college, my group of homies used to make something (secret recipe) that was the equivalent of about 40 gallons of Long Island Ice Tea, but with Kool-aid instead of Ice Tea.  It was THE DRINK of my campus.

[timfire]

This is gonna sound SOOOOooooooooo typical for people who know me ("That Japan Guy"), but I like sake, a lot.

Heh, I love sake too, stereotypically. Though admittedly I don't drink it that much, mostly because I don't know of any good source of it in Chicago (I'm sure there are some, I just don't know about them).

Other than that, I'm pretty much a beer man. I don't really like hard liquor. I like wine, but when given a choice I usually choose beer. I like medium to dark beers. I LOVE Guiness, but only draft.

[Ben Lehman]

I still like Baijiu, the Chinese national liquor.  I don't know why.  It is nasty, unpleasant stuff.

I guess I just drink Gamist.

yrs--
--Ben

[Paul Czege]

Lately, I'm steep into Wyder's Pear Cider.

Paul

[Lee Short]

I'\m a pretty serious wine geek; buy virtually all my wine from France, Italy, Spain but I avoid all the big names other than Burgundy and Champagne.  I also like the occasional darkish beer or good single malt.  No mixed drinks for me.

[Ron Edwards]

Hiya,

Mixed drinks: various creations involving cranberry juice and tequila. And in line with all the spy stuff I'm watching and reading, the odd scotch. And Limon Vodka is awesome in spicy ginger ale.

Wines: Shiraz from Australia, lots of reds from my hometown vicinity (Monterey Peninsula, Salinas county).

Beer: yes.

Best,
Ron

[Matt Snyder]

I'm not a big beer nut. Domestic beers are fine with me, contrary to may pals' fondnesses for darker stuff. My favorite it Dos Equis with lime.

Not a big wine nut, either. But, I like a good red wine. The local winery makes one I particularly like.

Otherwise, I'm a Southern Comfort drinker. On the rocks, or with Coke.

And margaritas are good. Like 'em on the rocks, too.

[Andrew Morris]

I go for the mixed drinks, myself. My current favorites are vodka tonic with lime or (if I want a sweeter drink) a Nutty Irishman (Baily's and Frangelico).

[Danny_K]

Vermouth on ice does it for me, Martini Ross if possible.  

Sake boilermakers are pretty cool, too, for serious drinking.  

The best drinking of all is old single malt scotch with a good friend on a porch or balcony with nothing to do.  I don't get enough of that anymore.

[C. Edwards]

Beer. Beer you can chew. Beer hearty enough to be breakfast.

Wine and mixed drinks I do occasionally. Wine more occasionally. Schnapps, bourbon, and/or tequila for camping trips.

-Chris

[Frank T]

To meet the cliché: beer. Not that bubble-water you call beer in the States, though. Most Pilsener (Plzner) brews will do, to be found mostly in Germany and the Czech Republic. There are also very fine dark beers and ales. I must admit, though, that I like Molson Canadian.

I won't turn down a good wine, grappa or single malt whisky, either. Especially when I go out for dinner in a good restaurant. If I go party, on the other hand, beer alone will make my stomach rebel before I get as drunk as I want to, so I'll rely on shooters, too. Anything that's sour.

[Ron Edwards]

Real margaritas, Matt. No sour mix, good Cointreau, lots of good tequilas to pick from, fresh lemons and limes. Chunky salt.

C'mon, visit the downstairs bar ... you know you want to.

Best,
Ron