The responsible drinkers thread

This does sound evil in all the wrong ways.

Also, I got a bottle of port that was on sale for $6 or thereabouts (Eastern European pricing, y'know. The brand next to it was $10), almost emptied it and got smashed like a beast.

And there's still half a bottle of Cap'n Morgan's Spiced from my Christmas Survival Kit (I thought that I won't be able to down a fifth through five days, so I got a half-litre instead).

So I turn 21 in two weeks. What's the first bottle of booze I should buy legally?

Kahlua and egg nog.

Whatever is produced closest to your home, unless it is sold for comedy prices.

I don't think you'll find eggnog on the shelves in two weeks. The hard stuff you're lucky if it's not sold out a week before Christmas.

I always make my own; the storebought stuff is like drinking glue. Four eggs, a cup of heavy cream, 1/3 cup of sugar, pint of whole milk, two shots of Kraken, a really big bowl, and an electric mixer. Scale up as necessary.

Have a new strategy for my disappointing bottle of Bulleit, after watching this video:

I think this might have been the first time I've had champagne.

Went out to an arcade hosting a party with free beer early on and free champagne at midnight. And now I'm back and having my last bottle of cider.

Who is looking at the empty bottom of a fifth of whiskey? This guy. Who drank that fifth of whiskey? this guy. Who will not do this again? This guy. Who is obscurely proud of his ability to type straight with a fifth of whiskey in his veins?

This guy. Anyhow, happy New Years...It is all downhill from here. :D

I had a Young's Double Chocolate Stout years ago when I was looking for something sweet enough to choke through the alcohol in my drinks. It was downright undrinkable.

A few months ago I went to a bookstore/brewhouse and had their Charlie and the Chocolate Stout, which was lovely, almost like drinking a dark chocolate mocha beer. I chalked it up to having gotten accustomed to drinking beer and now being able to detect the flavors in it. I decided I like chocolate stout.

At this moment I'm having the Young's Double again. It's... drinkable. Not nearly as heavenly as the Charlie. I'd rather be drinking the Old English malt liquor I have back in my fridge.

edited 7th Jan '15 8:12:45 PM by tparadox

Happy 21st to me!

What did you drink in the end?

Tanqueray martini and a local IPA. I've realized something important: I hate IPAs.

Also, my dad just gave me a glass of 16 year old single malt scotch.

edited 8th Jan '15 9:00:57 PM by KyleJacobs

IPAs, and hoppy beers in general, is definitely a matter of taste. I love them, especially in the summer, others (like my mom) really don't.

edited 9th Jan '15 5:19:20 AM by Linhasxoc

Another thing: Any other gin cocktails I should try? I love martinis, I don't care for gin and tonic, and I'm neutral on the Tom Collins. Ideas welcome.

I like a very cold IPA on a hot summer's day; the bitterness is nice in that circumstance. But just one. That's all I can take.

I am rather disappointed in the way American craft brewers have become so one-note about hoppiness. "If some is good, more is better, and too much is almost enough!"

Because "craft" is just as frequently a shorthand for "made badly by hacks" as it is for "made with love by enthusiasts."

edited 11th Jan '15 8:08:46 PM by Achaemenid

It's funny you should mention that, there was an article in Slate about that not too long ago.

And I have to say I agree with you; I like hoppy beer, but sometimes I want something dark and malty and it's gotten hard to find that kind of beer.

It goes beyond that; part of the problem is that hops are a easy way to experiment with your recipes, and the people making craft beers don't see a problem with this because they've become desensitized to hops.

edited 12th Jan '15 5:13:41 AM by Linhasxoc

Hops also can mask a bad maturation. Like peat in whisky - hence why peated Scotch tends to do well with critics. You can salvage a bad beer or whisky by adding more hops or peat.

I'm responsible for drinking, yes.

I'm an irresponsible drinker. Yesterday afternoon I had a gin and tonic to break my work/TVT routine, and then followed it with a can of beer at teatime Then I forgot I'd had them and drove to the shops a couple of hours later. I remembered halfway through the journey back. "Oh, Crap!" doesn't even begin to describe it. There's an outside chance I wasn't over the limit, but it's only 0.5mg/100ml here.

This is definitely something I will cringe about in future years. It's also motivated me to buy a breathalyzer. "You fucking idiot" applies.

So, has anyone else, either by accident or deliberately, ever driven whilst over the limit?

edited 13th Jan '15 5:16:12 AM by Achaemenid

Never.

though, to be fair I've never had to drive my entire life.

our transit system is top notch.

My policy is to wait until there's no physical possibility of any alcohol being left in my system, and then wait another hour after that, before getting in a car.

Also: you know you've found a great bar when you can get a bulleit manhattan for 5 bucks. Rye, not bourbon.

edited 14th Jan '15 12:19:54 AM by KyleJacobs

I probably have, the morning after. Not since the limit changed, though; I've been a little paranoid.

I was a little disappointed not to be pulled over for a breathalyser check by either of the two police cars that went past me as I drove home at 1am on New Year's Day (after a teetotal Hogmanay, mind). :)