Here's the problem... I'm starting to get tired of my go-to drinks. I drink a variety of beer, and I love trying new beers, but lately I've been drinking liquor. My alcohol of choice is usually either vodka or tequila, and getting drunk isn't the goal, so I don't do shots too often. As a disclaimer, I had a bad experience with whiskey when I was younger, and that sort of killed it for me. The smell of Jack Daniels still makes me nauseous.
I guess what I am looking for is an easy to make, yet thoroughly enjoyable mixed drink to make at home.
Ready... Go!!
This is a topic I have some experience with... :P
Vodka is good with almost any citrus mixer.
It is also good with things like Fresca if you want to avoid the carbs associated with juice.
It is also good straight, or with olives and olive juice of all flavors.
You can't go wrong with vodka.
Tekillya is also good. My favorite mix is Cuervo, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, and lime.
if you can find lillet, the vesper is my favorite mixed drink.
2 gin, 1 vodka, 1/2 lillet
martinis are easy to make as well
higher end tequilas are good to sip on. and by high end, I don't mean patron.
White rum, fresh lime, simple syrup, and mint leaves. An easy to make and refreshing daiquiri, especially for the summer! [thumbsup]
Add any kind of muddled berry for another easy change of flavor.
Mules are always good. Vodka, lime, and ginger beer.
Another good drink is a Dark and Stormy, same as a mule but with rum.
Martinis are one of those drinks I haven't gotten around to yet. They used to be such a manly drink, but everywhere I go now, it seems the choices are Appletini, or some other chick drink... Don't get me wrong, chick drinks are delicious, but my man card has been holding me back.
Quote from: Adamm0621 on April 30, 2014, 05:59:26 PM
Martinis are one of those drinks I haven't gotten around to yet. They used to be such a manly drink, but everywhere I go now, it seems the choices are Appletini, or some other chick drink... Don't get me wrong, chick drinks are delicious, but my man card has been holding me back.
those aren't martinis. those are chick drinks in a different glass. if I pour a beer into my cocktail glass, it's not a beertini, is it?
Good point...
gin, vermouth, garnish.
that's a martini [beer]
Like rum? How about a rum punch? Glass of tropical juice (like Naked juice or Odwalla blend), shot of rum, few dashes of bitters and some fresh grated nutmeg. Perfect for summer and somewhat healthy. Or find some strong ginger ale (like Reed's) and add a shot of rum and squeeze of lime = 'Dark and Stormy'.
[beer]
Beer[preferably European-Belgian/German], Rum[at least 7yrs old, pref dark], Bourbon, Whiskey, Vodka, Creme de Menthe, Wine, Champange
Spend $18 on this:
http://www.amazon.com/Speakeasy-Employees-Classic-Cocktails-Reimagined/dp/158008253X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398910969&sr=8-2&keywords=employees+only+drinks (http://www.amazon.com/Speakeasy-Employees-Classic-Cocktails-Reimagined/dp/158008253X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398910969&sr=8-2&keywords=employees+only+drinks)
You won't be sorry. They tell you how to make classic cocktails well. I really like their lime cordial, which I use to make tequila gimlets. Simple and good. My second favorite behind old fashions. [thumbsup]
....speaking of which, regarding your whiskey issue. I had the same situation---bad experience at 18 (drank nearly a bottle of Johnny Walker one night)---hangover from hell and after the smell of brown liquor made me nauseous for the next 15 years. I recently decided I needed to remedy that, and so I started with drinks that had whiskey as an element, but not a strong whiskey taste (whiskey sours are good for that), then worked to more and more whiskey-ish drinks, eg mint juleps and then old fashions. Now whiskey is my favorite liquor and I generally drink it on rocks straight. This process took maybe six months. Just letting you know recovery is possible. ;)
Quote from: 1.21GW on April 30, 2014, 07:31:30 PM
....speaking of which, regarding your whiskey issue. I had the same situation---bad experience at 18 (drank nearly a bottle of Johnny Walker one night)---hangover from hell and after the smell of brown liquor made me nauseous for the next 15 years. I recently decided I needed to remedy that, and so I started with drinks that had whiskey as an element, but not a strong whiskey taste (whiskey sours are good for that), then worked to more and more whiskey-ish drinks, eg mint juleps and then old fashions. Now whiskey is my favorite liquor and I generally drink it on rocks straight. This process took maybe six months. Just letting you know recovery is possible. ;)
That's not a bad idea... I used to hate being a picky eater when I was younger, so I forced myself to eat certain foods until I liked them. I remember not liking onions, tomatoes, or green peppers, so I would order a salad at lunch almost every day in high school (I was also trying to watch my weight), and I ate them until I liked them. Now, those three are some of my favorite vegetables (even though tomatoes are a fruit).
Perhaps the same thing applies to alcohol. When I was 16 and had no concept of alcohol, I killed 3/4 of a bottle of Jack Daniels within half an hour or so. I'm lucky I didn't die. Your approach seems reasonable. I think I'll give it a try. [thumbsup]
I actually teamed up with a whiskey drinker friend and we watched a movie and drank a new bourbon/whiskey every week during the winter. Worked like a charm.
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=18154.msg1227852#msg1227852 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=18154.msg1227852#msg1227852)
Quote from: teddy037.3 on April 30, 2014, 05:28:33 PM
if you can find lillet, the vesper is my favorite mixed drink.
2 gin, 1 vodka, 1/2 lillet
martinis are easy to make as well
higher end tequilas are good to sip on. and by high end, I don't mean patron.
Vesper... Wasn't that a reference in Casino Royale?
Quote from: D3vi@nt on April 30, 2014, 06:59:56 PM
Like rum? How about a rum punch? Glass of tropical juice (like Naked juice or Odwalla blend), shot of rum, few dashes of bitters and some fresh grated nutmeg. Perfect for summer and somewhat healthy. Or find some strong ginger ale (like Reed's) and add a shot of rum and squeeze of lime = 'Dark and Stormy'.
[beer]
I second this, rums vary greatly in flavour though, I prefer a dark jamaican rum like Captain Morgan with my Dark'n'stormy. A lighter cuban gold rum (like havana club) with fruit juice based drinks or straight up over ice with a wedge of lime.
Here's a citrus thing that is nicely refreshing and great to sit and enjoy a sunset on the patio with:
Need: Vodka of choice, Simple Choice or similar pink lemonade, Sprite or other clear citrus soda**, Roses Lime Juice
**(diet like Sprite Zero actually works best to keep it from being too sweet)
1. Ice in glass if desired.
2. Couple OZ or so of Vodka
3. Splash of Rose's
4. About twice as much Pink Lemonade as you put Vodka
5. Fill remaining space with soda
6. Optional: Squeeze a fresh lime slice in the top & garnish with a lime.
Outside of that, a nice dark spiced rum neat is a great choice.
JM
Quote from: Adamm0621 on April 30, 2014, 10:30:23 PM
Vesper... Wasn't that a reference in Casino Royale?
yes. in the book, bond invents that drink and names it after vesper lynd
Quote from: Adamm0621 on April 30, 2014, 05:16:11 PM
Here's the problem... I'm starting to get tired of my go-to drinks. I drink a variety of beer, and I love trying new beers, but lately I've been drinking liquor. My alcohol of choice is usually either vodka or tequila, and getting drunk isn't the goal, so I don't do shots too often. As a disclaimer, I had a bad experience with whiskey when I was younger, and that sort of killed it for me. The smell of Jack Daniels still makes me nauseous.
I guess what I am looking for is an easy to make, yet thoroughly enjoyable mixed drink to make at home.
Ready... Go!!
i had the whiskey accident as well, when younger. took me 20 years to overcome my issues.......You Can Too!
[shot]
Quote from: herm on May 01, 2014, 05:06:54 PM
i had the whiskey accident as well, when younger. took me 20 years to overcome my issues.......You Can Too!
[shot]
[laugh] Me too!!
I still can't stomach Scotch Whisky though.
Jamesons Irish Whiskey is the one [shot]
Quote from: herm on May 01, 2014, 05:06:54 PM
i had the whiskey accident as well, when younger. took me 20 years to overcome my issues.......You Can Too!
[shot]
I had the gin accident.
Still can't stand the smell of the stuff.
On a stinkin' hot summer's evening....
nothing better than Bombay Sapphire direct from the freezer... tonic water mixer, slice of lemon.
Quote from: ungeheuer on May 02, 2014, 04:50:05 AM
On a stinkin' hot summer's evening....
nothing better than Bombay Sapphire direct from the freezer... tonic water mixer, slice of lemon.
^the truth^
Quote from: ungeheuer on May 02, 2014, 04:50:05 AM
On a stinkin' hot summer's evening....
nothing better than Bombay Sapphire direct from the freezer... tonic water mixer, slice of lemon.
Quote from: herm on May 02, 2014, 11:18:08 AM
^the truth^
Except hold the tonic
I'm not a huge alcohol fan (prefer beer or wine), but I do like margaritas. Nothing fancy, blended, or using a mix [puke]...just a basic margarita.
I've drank my fair share of tequila in coming up with what I feel is the perfect Margarita: [beer]
3 parts Tequila (I prefer silver varieties - Patron, Herredura, Milagro, etc. Something decent, as you can taste it!)
2 parts fresh lime juice
1 part Grand Marnier
1 part Triple Sec
1 part Simple Syrup
Serve on the rocks with salt. [thumbsup]
My neighbor Amos' homemade hard cider.
That sh#t sneaks up on you.
He says there's a giggle in every apple.
One of my favorites is Bacardi oak heart spice rum and coke
Irish Car bombs. [thumbsup]
I like this for a summertime drink: Bog Monster
In a tall glass with lots of ice
1 oz Ouzo
1 oz vodka
splash of grenadine
fill rest of glass with pink lemonade
Excuse me, Adamm0621, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, The Bucket?
(http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/07/04/91/22/0007049122301_300X300.jpg)
:D
There are times when I wish I was back in Korea... Alcohol was cheap, and you could order practically anything, tell them how to make it, and they would. A few of these look pretty good so far. I may have to buy a bottle of gin, and some whiskey to work my way back into it.
Quote from: Ducatamount on May 02, 2014, 03:47:59 PM
My neighbor Amos' homemade hard cider.
That sh#t sneaks up on you.
He says there's a giggle in every apple.
Reminds me of a buddy's uncle's homemade apple pie wine, complete with "Panty Remover" labels. Tastes like nothing's there, and before you know it, well.....
One of my favorite mixed drinks is Texas Tea . . . almost a Long Island minus the Gin and replacing it with Bourbon . . .
Quote from: Darkmonster620 on May 05, 2014, 01:07:12 PM
One of my favorite mixed drinks is Texas Tea . . . almost a Long Island minus the Gin and replacing it with Bourbon . . .
Had that on our cruise last summer. We had a bartender well versed in "tea" variations. Texas was one of our favorites!
JM
Quote from: Speedbag on May 05, 2014, 10:31:40 AM
Reminds me of a buddy's uncle's homemade apple pie wine, complete with "Panty Remover" labels. Tastes like nothing's there, and before you know it, well.....
Ask ML about DIMBY cider.
Quote from: ducpainter on May 05, 2014, 04:03:33 PM
Ask ML about DIMBY cider.
I had cider that was pushing 20% once. It was a bit bitter, but it would totally sneak up behind your chair and smack you in the back of your head for no apparent reason. Then you had to stand up... Good luck with that ;D
JM
Quote from: the_Journeyman on May 05, 2014, 05:22:24 PM
I had cider that was pushing 20% once. It was a bit bitter, but it would totally sneak up behind your chair and smack you in the back of your head for no apparent reason. Then you had to stand up... Good luck with that ;D
JM
This stuff was anything except bitter...and it wasn't
exactly cider. :P
It was damn tasty though and got the job done.
Dimby cider..... My god that stuff was amazing.
Years ago I created a drink I called Murk, which contained roughly equal parts Hi-C Ecto Cooler, Squirt soda, and gin. It was a pale, murky green color and would twist your horns if you burned it using a decent gin.
And then Hi-C quit making the Ecto Cooler, ruining EVERYTHING. >:( :P
That's like asking you which is your favorite child :P
If you want to move beyond the 'well' level of drinks (rum and coke, gin and tonic, etc), remember the quality of the mixer matters as much as the liquor
if you like tonic drinks, get some Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic, and also try different garnishes besides lime.
Hendricks-tonic-cucumber is great on a hot day, or try a meyer lemon or tangerine wedge
another good summer mixer is ginger ale. lots of good craft ones to try. the 365 house brand at Whole Paycheck is actually good for the low price
add some vodka (i like Titos for mixing), or some nice bourbon and a slice of lime and its sippin on the porch time
Favorite Alcoholic Beverage...?
What ever you're pouring.
Given the right time, place and attire, a nice, ice cold vodka martini with an olive before dinner and a lemon twist after.
As of late I've been nursing a tumbler of Pendelton Let'er Buck, a blended Canadian Whiskey / no ice.
If I'm in Belize, Travelers One Barrel Rum / on the rocks.
This only helps if you visit Asheville, NC, but we have a place called "Olive or Twist" that is basically a martini bar that serves food as well. They have a nice list of martinis to try for those looking to try different martinis.
A drink that is quite different I tried while in NYC was one that used Lucid (US legal Absinthe, basically Anise liquor) which was a slightly sweet citrus drink with the bite of the Anise liquor. It was nice, but maybe I'm weird. One of the bartenders said he'd never seen anyone drink more than one of those in the 6 years he had worked there.
JM
Quote from: Monsterlover on May 03, 2014, 11:43:32 AM
Excuse me, Adamm0621, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, The Bucket?
(http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/07/04/91/22/0007049122301_300X300.jpg)
:D
Somehow, I knew this was coming.
Quote from: ungeheuer on May 02, 2014, 04:50:05 AM
On a stinkin' hot summer's evening....
nothing better than Bombay Sapphire direct from the freezer... tonic water mixer, slice of lemon.
And yes.