The responsible drinkers thread

...Oh fuck it. At least vinegar is close to being a food. Trying sake next chance I get.

Fair enough.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

The way sake tastes depends on a number of things. Like how it has been stored, the temperature it is served at, how old it is etc etc etc. When I first tried it I did not really like it. But then I did some research and it is pretty interesting stuff that has its own flavor profile. And like wine or beer it is amazing what happens when you have it with food.

On the subject of favourite bars: Are we including pubs here? Because pubs are where it's at.

The Imperial, my local when I'm back at home, is a chain pub, but a bloody good one. The beer is cheap but there are always at least three guest ales. On top of that, the place used to be a Victorian mansion, complete with an enormous conservatory which is now a seating area◊.

For sheer variety of drinks and friendliness of clientele, nothing beats The Wellington, a specialist ale pub in my university city of Birmingham. It has 15 taps, 12 of which change every week, plus a ridiculous number of Scotch whiskys, European lagers and abbey beers, and wines. Also, there is a pub cat. It is a well known fact that all the best pubs have a cat.

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I've discovered that hot sake is amazing delicious. I'm never drinking the stuff cold again.

I'm disappointed by the lack of proper pubs in America, I think I'd enjoy them more than bars.

Yeah, I don't like most bars. Pubs, now, that's different.

A brighter future for a darker age.

There's a difference? I thought it was just a marketing thing.

You can't even write racist abuse in excrement on somebody's car without the politically correct brigade jumping down your throat!

Nope. Pubs are like bars, minus the shit bits and with added community spirit.

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So it is a marketing thing.

You can't even write racist abuse in excrement on somebody's car without the politically correct brigade jumping down your throat!

As far as I'm concerned, Bars and Pubs are only the same in that they are places that serve alcohol in exchange for money. They are different in just about every other conceivable way - clientele, the kind of drinks which are served, location, atmosphere, social function, etc.

Let's put it this way - they're about as similar as a cinema and a theatre. Sure, they're both places where you pay money in order to sit in a seat and be entertained by actors and actresses, but there is a greater difference there than just marketing.

Then again, maybe this is because I'm British and therefore have a natural bias towards pubs, and every bar I've ever been to is of the 'you are here to get pissed and only to get pissed, here's some shitty chart music played over a speaker so that you can't talk to anyone' variety.

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Sake is odd in that it might be better hot/cold/ room temperature. The really good stuff tends to fall towards room temperature. Well, at least Ginjo-shu which seems to be the most common Sake I see in stores around here. Though Taruzake Cryptomeria stored sake generally calls for heating up or serving chilled (possibly because it’s generally of lower quality).

Nigori on the other hand, is always served chilled as far as I know.

In any case, sake varies much like wine and I tend to sample a new brand at room temperature before deciding if I should enjoy it at a colder or hotter temperature.

Now regarding Bars/Pubs/Taverns.

I think most bars/pubs in America probably suck. Well, suck might be too strong a word, but let’s just say most don’t seem to be good about cultivating a great atmosphere and have crappy food (if they indeed serve food at all). Pub and bar are more or less used interchangeably in the states. I think the distinction is that bars generally don’t serve food while pubs do, but I’m not sure this distinction is generally adhered to in the states. At least, I’ve been to plenty of bars that serve food. Taverns seem to only serve beer and wine, I guess? I’ve only ever been to one and found out that’s all they serve. US Sports bars, oddly enough, are probably the closest in feel and accommodations to UK Pubs, with food and games pretty much guaranteed. Brew pubs seem to do pretty good food and have a decent assortment of beverages, though what’s on tap is going to be mostly local brewed stuff. Most restaurants in the states seem to double as places where there are fully-stocked bars, though the prices seem to be a tad higher. Still, they’re not horrible places to go if you like the food. Additionally, one can fine the odd super fancy pub.

Of course, you also have the generally super highfalutin wine-bars, but they’re generally going for a completely different atmosphere entirely (save some restaurants and really suave pubs). This is just the musings of someone whose lived in cities where drinking generally isn’t the only thing to do and America simply doesn’t take drinking as seriously as other countries.

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.

America is a nation of suburbs, and communal spirit is looked on with suspicion in a lot of places.

The child is father to the man —Oedipus

Sothern Tier brewing continues to make beer touched by the hand of a deity that appreciates a fine beverage. As mentioned in the drunk thread, their Imperial crème brûlée stout is devine, and I just polished off a pint of their Imperial choklat stout.

Shame they’re a bit hard to find in Portland, I’ll have to keep an eye out.

edited 2nd Apr '11 5:56:44 PM by Justice4243

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.

Japanese Whisky is worth trying if you're a whisky or whiskey lover.

It might be hard to find or expensive depending on what state your in, but it tends to be some sort of wonderful whisky/whiskey hybrid.

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.

I despise and fear all alcohol, but think that it should not be banned, for such leads to blooming of crime.

If I were less terrified of alcohol (and it is a phobia for me), I would be interested in absinthe. It is a good and seemly thing to see gods.

Oscar Wilde might disagree or agree depending on how much he's had to drink.

Manson would likely disagree on principle, but I doubt would say 'no' to drinking Absinthe for any reason.

Pacifique is a good one to try. At least something a Absinthe purist shouldn't snub their nose about.

La Fée might be something an Absinthe purist snubs their nose about. But it's won lots of awards and the last time I drank it I was at peace with the cosmos and my place with it...

...I also wrecked a stick of my wife's (then fiancée) favorite lip-stick be writing "reality" on the palm of my hand...

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.

I recommend trying Sambuca to anyone who is a fan of Anise.

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.

Justice: I've heard that!

—-

I like singing karaoke at a friends at Bearnos... Saturdays.

No.

Noooo! I don't know about over in the US, but here in the UK, Sambuca is primarily something that students and underage drinkers do shots of in order to get terrificly wasted in the shortest time possible. I'm not the biggest fan of anise flavoured things to begin with so I'm probably not the best judge, but Sambuca takes that flavour and makes it even worse. Uuugh. If you must, Black Sambuca is marginally better than the original White, but that's not really saying much.

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Over here it's Boone's Farm or Everclear.

Romana Sambuca is what I have and is delightful.

Much better than, say, Metaxa Ozou.

I might be comparing things of radically different quality, as I’m sure how good the drink taste has a bit to do with how much it costs, as is often the case with liquor. The Ozou I mentioned is about $10 less than the Sambuca *

.

Though, as both falls into the “things with a high alcohol content masked by sweet flavorful goodness,” I have no doubt that people use it to get their drunk on.

Peppermint Schnapps is the drink of choice over her e to get that job done.

edited 15th Apr '11 8:21:06 AM by Justice4243

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.

Hmm, that stuff looks a bit classier than Luxardo, which is the main brand here.

I've never had Peppermint Schnapps, but I have had Minttu, a Finnish peppermint liqueur, which is absolutely horrid.

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It looks "horrid"!

Probably taste horrid, too... Crème de menthe is for cocktails, not exactly the best drink to have strait.

I haven't had "Arrow" (bottom shelf stuff) in a while...it probably taste disgusting to me now.

Rumple Minze is probably the gold standard for doing peppermint schnapps right.

I'm partial to Yukon Jack, myself.

edited 15th Apr '11 8:40:25 AM by Justice4243

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.

Hmm, hints of cinnamon eh? If that description in the link is true then I might have to get my hands on the Yukon Jack.

Also, had some of this stuff the other evening. Exquisite. Anyone else tried it?

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