[rainy]

No one here drinks rakia? That's my go-to liquor. I bring 5-10 liters of home-brewed(excellent quality) back with me from EE.


Made in something like this.



Best thing about quality rakia is there's zero hangover. Non-existent. And it's about 110 proof. Separates the men from the boys.

Also enjoy a nice tequila on the rocks or quality whiskey, neat.

Funny, in EE, at least with the folks I've spent time with mixed drinks are considered 100% "for women only". You want to see if you've got some serious game, go to EE and keep ordering fruity mixed drinks while gaming in a bar/club. If you get laid afterwards I'd be impressed.

[Phoenix]

(02-14-2016 07:25 PM)realologist Wrote:  

My cousin and I used to sell people watered down Smirnoff in Grey Goose bottles all the time. Always made enough money to for our nights out.

They could never tell the difference.

This is because vodka has only two components -- alcohol & water. The value of Grey Goose is purely in the physical bottle and its label.

Whisky and cognac on the other hand, not so. Few things relax me as much as going to a proper whisky bar, getting one of my favourite old whiskys neat, and enjoying the sensation of the evaporating alcohol carrying the smell up to my nose as I slowly sip it. What others have said is true -- if you're mixing it, you don't honestly enjoy it.

[iop890]

(02-18-2016 05:23 AM)rainy Wrote:  

Best thing about quality rakia is there's zero hangover. Non-existent.

I've heard this about a lot of different drinks and it's never true. Hangovers are caused by alcohol, there's no alcoholic drink that won't give you a hangover.

Some are worse than others, sugary shit will give you a worse hangover than a dry drink, but anything with alcohol will give you a hangover if you drink enough of it.

That said, I'm going to give Rakia a try since I've never had it before. Any recommendations?

[hewey]

delete

[iop890]

(02-16-2016 06:31 PM)iop890 Wrote:  

As for rum, Clement and Mount Gay are good bottles too.

Adding Appleton Estate 12yr to this list. Great stuff.

Jamaican rums are the Islays of rum.

[glugger]

(02-18-2016 06:56 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  

This is because vodka has only two components -- alcohol & water. The value of Grey Goose is purely in the physical bottle and its label.

This is misleading, ALL spirits are just alcohol and water. Vodka is produced in the same way as any other spirit, the only thing that varies is aging and the base sugar used (sugar cane for rum, barley for whisky, etc).

But it is true that people can't tell the difference, BBC explained it well in this article: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18360315

Quote:

Spirits experts say that in fact, drunk neat and at room temperature, premium vodkas do offer a variety of subtle variations in flavour, sweetness, mouth feel and weight.
But the average punter who orders a vodka-tonic cannot taste the difference, and even in blind taste tests average drinkers cannot consistently distinguish between different bottles, according to analysis by market research firm Mintel.

[H1N1]

I'm drinking my way through this at the moment, and it is pretty good. Not much of a drinker so booze tends to last me a long time.

[iop890]

Any armagnac experts here with recommendations? It's hard to research and I don't want to make a bad buy.

[glugger]

The only one I've tried is tariquet vs or vsop, can't remember which, and I wasn't too impressed.

[Gustavus Adolphus]

(03-01-2016 12:44 AM)iop890 Wrote:  

Any armagnac experts here with recommendations? It's hard to research and I don't want to make a bad buy.

I reached out to my sources on this and didn't get any definitive answer. I will say, based on my experience of side by side sampling of cognac, if an eaux-de-vie blend is described as "light tasting", the notes of the spirit are not well-suited for on the rocks consumption. It may be ok neat, but it will not provide the same level of sophistication when it becomes a solution as the ice melts.

[Jones]

She's a greasy one boys. This is pure dirty whiskey from Nova Scotia. One sniff will knock you out and turn you into a Randy-bo-bandy.

[Gustavus Adolphus]

(02-29-2016 08:43 AM)glugger Wrote:  

(02-18-2016 06:56 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  

This is because vodka has only two components -- alcohol & water. The value of Grey Goose is purely in the physical bottle and its label.

This is misleading, ALL spirits are just alcohol and water. Vodka is produced in the same way as any other spirit, the only thing that varies is aging and the base sugar used (sugar cane for rum, barley for whisky, etc).

But it is true that people can't tell the difference, BBC explained it well in this article: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18360315

Quote:

Spirits experts say that in fact, drunk neat and at room temperature, premium vodkas do offer a variety of subtle variations in flavour, sweetness, mouth feel and weight.
But the average punter who orders a vodka-tonic cannot taste the difference, and even in blind taste tests average drinkers cannot consistently distinguish between different bottles, according to analysis by market research firm Mintel.

glugger, I agree with your assessment for the most part, but a couple caveats:

1. The BBC article you refer to was published in 2012. The Vodka game has changed since then. For example, Tito's and Ciroc have emerged as significant market share contributors. Tito's and Ciroc are distilled from corn and grapes, respectively. I thought Tito's and tonic tasted terrible, but many people like it- or more likely give loyalty to the words "handmade Texas vodka" on the label. Ciroc, like Effen, has heavy promotion in the hip-hop/ rap community from their investors. It's all about status.

2. If you exclude designer vodkas like grey goose, which were intended to taste better in certain popular cocktails than on their own (which they do well), the origin and purity of the water used in distillation makes a big difference and provides a part of the taste. The purity levels evolved over time, Smirnoff leading the way as one of the brands that set a standard with 3x distillation. Historic brands have been doing this for generations, but there is a reason that no bar in America features a Taaka Martini. Consumers may not be able to describe it, but they know it when it touches their lips. It's not what's in the water, it's what isn't. An extreme example of this would be what the citizens of Flint, MI are experiencing.

I will concede a Cape Cod or Screwdriver are cocktails that make no sense to use a call vodka. You can pour McCormick, Gordon's, or Popov, and they'd be none the wiser. But if your local watering hole will let you, ask to sample a small amount of their best sellers right out of the bottle. I think you'll be surprised which ones are the best.

[hewey]

   

I just got the Green Spot and think it is one of the best whiskeys I have had.

[iop890]

Anyone have any recommendations for more sea-influenced whiskys?

I love that brine and seaweed taste you get from a lot of Islay distilleries that age their whisky right near the sea. Old Pulteney(the 21 year is fantastic) gets a bit of that brinyness too since it's a coastal distillery.

I haven't tried Talisker or Ardbeg Corryvreckan yet, though I've heard good things about them both, especially the latter.

[Anabasis to Desta]

(03-03-2016 01:39 AM)iop890 Wrote:  

Anyone have any recommendations for more sea-influenced whiskys?

I love that brine and seaweed taste you get from a lot of Islay distilleries that age their whisky right near the sea. Old Pulteney(the 21 year is fantastic) gets a bit of that brinyness too since it's a coastal distillery.

I haven't tried Talisker or Ardbeg Corryvreckan yet, though I've heard good things about them both, especially the latter.

Interesting. Never had one of those before. Closest I've come to what you described is what this Danish gentleman introduced me to. Tastes like barley, Nordic salt-water and Viking blood.

[GoldHawkStar]

This is an odd reason to bump this thread, but it's necessary given what I just found.

I had said that I frequently mix gatorade with vodka, and a lot of guys in this thread said they did the same or that they would start doing that because it sounded like a good idea.

Don't. Holy hell, don't.

Especially since most of you are probably dedicated to health, fitness and self-improvement. Dump your gatorade down the drain.

A 30oz of gatorade (not big) has 200 calories, 52 grams of carbs & 52 grams of sugar!

Those calories and carbs are one thing, but that's a disgusting amount of sugar. That's more sugar than what's in a medium Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. (Yes I had to do some homosexual internet surfing to find that.) Don't be a fat white girl. You're better than that.

On the contrary, I found that Powerade Zero has zero calories, carbs and sugar. And it tastes better too (less bitterly sweet). Do yourself a favor and switch to either that or another no-sugar alternative.

[iop890]

Just use soda water and some lime.

[Ethan Hunt]

(03-30-2016 11:46 AM)iop890 Wrote:  

Just use soda water and some lime.

If I'm not drinking this is all I'll drink.

[Anabasis to Desta]

I think sometimes we all feel the urge to drop the sophistication and classy act and hobo the fuck out on some cheap trashy liquor mixed with some soda. What are you guy's favorite cheap liquors? I'm talking stuff that comes in plastic containers. Stuff you can use as anti-freeze for car windows in winter.

$11 for a 1.75 Liter bottle - Admiral Nelson Rum



Evan William's Bourbon is surprisingly good. Cheaper and better than Jim Beam ... almost as good as JD. Under $10 for 750ml.

[iop890]

(03-30-2016 12:33 PM)Anabasis to Desta Wrote:  

I think sometimes we all feel the urge to drop the sophistication and classy act and hobo the fuck out on some cheap trashy liquor mixed with some soda. What are you guy's favorite cheap liquors? I'm talking stuff that comes in plastic containers. Stuff you can use as anti-freeze for car windows in winter.

$11 for a 1.75 Liter bottle - Admiral Nelson Rum


Evan William's Bourbon is surprisingly good. Cheaper and better than Jim Beam ... almost as good as JD. Under $10 for 750ml.

Go to poverty-spirits are these plus this:



But don't buy any of this shit, drink less and get better stuff.

[NilNisiOptimum]

I've been noticing Japanese whisky more on the store shelves lately. Anyone here tried some yet? What's it closest comparison? Scotch, Irish whiskey, or bourbon?

[GoldHawkStar]

(03-30-2016 12:33 PM)Anabasis to Desta Wrote:  

I think sometimes we all feel the urge to drop the sophistication and classy act and hobo the fuck out on some cheap trashy liquor mixed with some soda. What are you guy's favorite cheap liquors? I'm talking stuff that comes in plastic containers. Stuff you can use as anti-freeze for car windows in winter.

Not exactly "cheap", but my go-to is Smirnoff 100-proof. Average price, but the wicked alcohol content (50%) makes it well worth the money. One bottle can last me many, many nights.

[iop890]

(03-30-2016 05:06 PM)NilNisiOptimum Wrote:  

I've been noticing Japanese whisky more on the store shelves lately. Anyone here tried some yet? What's it closest comparison? Scotch, Irish whiskey, or bourbon?

Yea, it's closest to Scotch, generally. It's worth trying.

All the Suntory bottles(Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki) are good, especially Yamazaki 12 & 18.

The Nikka bottles are quality as well, their Yoichi 15 is my personal favorite Japanese Whisky but thats because I like peat and brine.

Japan makes very high quality stuff but the prices are getting retarded now and you can get several great bottles of Scotch for the price of a great bottle of Japanese Whisky.

[RoastBeefCurtains4Me]

My favorite cheap liquor is Jim Beam. It's pretty low priced, and I consider it quality whiskey. Your true low grade whiskeys are grain alcohol and water, with whiskey flavoring. Beam is real, crafted whiskey. I'll drink it based on preference even when I can easily afford higher grade stuff.

As for Vodka, if I'm looking for cheap stuff, I go for the lowest priced brand that still comes in a glass bottle. Svenka has fit the rule a few times, but it depends on what store you go to. Vodka all tastes about the same, but I think glass makes a difference.

I've heard Kirkland Vodka from Costco is very good too, and super low priced.

[The Laughing Man]

I'm surprised no one has brought up Lagavulin. It's a Scottish whisky and man, it's good. Love drinking this neat. Smooth, little bit of sweetness with a clean finish. Highly recommend.