16 replies to this topic

[Mordent]

Having recently joined the ever-growing number of people that go to university, I've taken up one of the most infamous of student traditions: drinking. Now, before you start getting worried about me becoming an alcoholic and the like, bear with me, for it's not quite all as bleak as it may seem.

Before my university days I rarely drank (and when I say drinks, I mean alcoholic ones) outside of celebrations, and that was only a pint or two with friends. Sure, I'd tried a few different lagers, ciders, and other generically brownish, slightly bubbly pint-sized brews, but hadn't really dabbled in to the world of spirits. This is where university introduced my now fairly good friend whisky. Mainly Scotch whisky (as it's all that I can seem to find around here, not to mention that it's relatively cheap), but whisky nonetheless.

Soon realising that the punch from a bit of whisky was far more than that provided by a fair number of other beverages, I soon acquired a taste for a little of said drink. It was cheap compared to pints, provided roughly the same effect, yet - to me, at least - had a substantially nicer taste. Sure, I've tried a few other drinks in my time here, but few have come close to pleasing my sense of taste as whisky has. After rummaging around on the internet for the best ways to actually drink whisky, I've decided to see who here could offer a touch of advice on the matter, not to mention suggest any other drinks that you'd particularly recommend.

Before anyone mentions it: yes, I spell the word "whisky" because I'm British. Also, I'm aware that the term "whisky" is pretty broad, as there are a whole host of different classes of the stuff around, with plenty of different exacting flavours and the like, but as they're all generally the same stuff (give or take), and my student budget doesn't allow me to experience too much of the finer brands of the stuff, I'm pretty limited in my options.

So far I've definitely discovered that ice is an almost must-have for me with any real amount of whisky, as it takes a little of the edge off of the stuff. Sure, some argue it ruins the flavour, but I happen to like it. Each man to his own, and all that. So, without further ado, what's your drink of choice, and how do you like it served?

[Echo_of_thunder]

being a recovering alicholic I would have to say anything lol but honestly I always liked my rum and coke minus the coke.
JD and coke was my #2 pick. rarely beer though for some reason.

[Mordent]

Echo_of_thunder, on Jan 7 2009, 03:37 PM, said:

being a recovering alicholic I would have to say anything lol but honestly I always liked my rum and coke minus the coke.
JD and coke was my #2 pick. rarely beer though for some reason.

While I've never really tried that much rum, I can understand the JD and coke suggestion. It seems to be the "standard" drink of a lot of people, although I still reckon it's at least in part a waste of perfectly good JD.

That said, given that the addition of coke makes the relative alcohol volume less it's certainly not a bad one for the lighter drinkers. While on the topic of whisky, then, I assume everyone's generic whisky drink is Jack Daniel's? It's nice, I'll give you that, but certainly a fairly hefty dent in the bank balance compared to a lot of the less well branded ones, and not exactly pushing out the boat on originality.

While we're still at JD and coke, if you're one for mixing your whisky with something else I'd certainly suggest JD as a good place to start. Of the JD and cokes I've had, I remember a particularly good one with a generous squeeze of lime in it. Makes a nice change from the norm, anyway.

[networker]

I guess my favorite alcaholic drink is beer,with Heineken
being my favorite brand.
I also like Southern comfort,a nice sweet tasting southern whiskey,though
I haven't drank it for awile.
I don't drink much at all during the winter.Theres nothing quite like quenching
your thirst on a hot,humid july night with a nice,cold ale.

[Ousk]

Well my favorite for casual drinking is bear, Holsten to be more specific. Nothing better when i'm on a night out in the city but with female company and no people to get hammered with.
But my favorite for dropping on your *bottom* and start playing with the stars is and always will be vodka. Absolut or Finlandia works best cause they stay in my stomach. It's nice with pepsi or with coffee also but a prefer the naked version cause my throat gets more excited.

[novoAlias]

Steinlager pure for the beer
Vladivar for the vodka (and redbull!)
Malibu and pineapple for the delicious!

[Aeon]

4-finger screwdriver (Vodka and orange juice... Mostly Vodka)
Tequila (With lemon and salt + chaser)
Cognac
Whiskey
Absinthe (Illegal, but worth it.)

[Tenshi]

I only booze with my family and with my friends but they need to be at my place... My dad lets me drink whatever I want but I personally do not like hard liquor and prefer beer & wine only. I have tried vodhka, whiskey & rum with my dad but never did like any of them.

[frozen.fish]

I have to try green dragon once.. absinthe..

Ive never been a drinker nor fond of it, and only drink cheap *bottom* gin sold here. lol
but its been years since i last tasted alcohol!

[seanbig]

i don't drink all that often... it's never been something that i've felt i need when in a social environment. but, when i do drink... i tend to choose primarily english ciders (selection is tough in canada so i usually end up with sir perry, magners, or gaymers), beer (smithwicks, newcastle, red stripe), or vodka (grey goose).

it's strange, prior to the six years i spent not drinking at all, i used to be into scotch, guiness, and a few other things that i simply do not have the taste for anymore. rather interesting how that works out.

[inverse_bloom]

I don't mind a bit of absolut vodka sometimes it seems to go down very easy for me (really). Although I really drink that often and when i do, its not much anyhow.

Johny Walker hits my stomach and head like an atomic bomb for some reason. Jim beam is ok, but i prefer Jack Daniels

[Polipop]

I'm not a drinking person, but I admit I drink once in a while... Maybe in a party or such... What I love the most is a drink that's made here in my country, a mix with fanta orange soda and beer, have you tried it? here it's called Fanshop, and it's cheap and tasty, heheheheh.

I like Strawberry Daiquiri and Margarita too

=)

[SaraInWasteland]

Fanta Orange Soda and beer? Wow, I'm going to have to try that! It sounds kind of odd but since you say it's tasty, I'm willing to give it a try. (I'm willing to give anything with alcohol in it a try, haha.)

My favorite alcoholic drink is Jack Daniels and Coke, although I usually use Diet Coke to cut the calories. I also love mixing cherry vodka in with Diet Coke and making a spiked Cherry Coke of sorts. I also enjoy drinking spirits straight, but I only do that if I'm in it for getting drunk as quickly as I can. If I'm just hanging out with friends and I want to prolong my sobriety, I stick with beer because it takes quite a few of those before I even start feeling it.

[Misanthrope]

Mordent, you really are an imbiber after my own heart, and I thank you from the bottom of my christened liver for initiating this most “spirited” of conversations (pun intended). I wonder if you attend Catholic university? I suppose this is not so much a factor in Britton as the States, where I unfortunately reside. You are a mere hop, skip and jump from the European/Catholic continent after all – where the people have aged as gracefully as their wines. I, on the other hand, live amongst apes of the new world. Seems my youthful (and oh-so protestant) country suffers from a serious infestation of alcho-phobes who have no problem downing pharmaceutical poisons, but take serious issue with a nip of harmless whiskey. The apes imbibe Friday night only, and the closest thing they come to alcohol is “lite beer,” a foul concoction of rice and god only knows what. I only know the makers who claim the product as a beer should be sued for false advertising, for it is not true beer – in the German sense. Purity laws are cast out the door in favor of profits and appeasing apes. I call it piss beer, as that’s what it tastes like. I have tried to introduce these miscreants to fine ales and lagers but it’s like casting pearls before trash. They simply have no taste for anything fine. And so I leave them to wallow in their own filth. Now before any of you go labeling me a liquor elitist, know that I accept and swallow the label quite heartily!

Apes aside, I oft find the French Ciroc quite conducive to navigating my ale-drenched keyboard. It’s actually a vodka, I’ll have you know, but it seems the French have outdone even the Russians in this arena. And which ale is soaking my keyboard, you might ask? Well, in these protestant-infested parts, I find Sierra Pale Ale the closest thing to a good monkish ale this side of the Atlantic. My list of favorite spirits is as evolving as me. Why, just last month I was on a tequila kick. We’ll see what next month has in store. With any luck, it will be whiskey befitting the eloquent topic-starter. And then the two of us will really have something to talk about....

[dangerdan]

I don't think there's a single alcoholic drink that actually tastes good. That's why I don't drink, despite being a student.

[Parubilla]

Hahaha there are a lot of tasty cocktails, and for me those are the scary ones because you'll drink them like water >_<. My favorite combination has to be vodka & ginger with a little bit of lemon juice

[PhoenixGFX]

inverse_bloom, on 25 May 2009 - 12:28 PM, said:

I don't mind a bit of absolut vodka sometimes it seems to go down very easy for me (really). Although I really drink that often and when i do, its not much anyhow.

Johny Walker hits my stomach and head like an atomic bomb for some reason. Jim beam is ok, but i prefer Jack Daniels

I'll have to try that someday. We had a company that distributed Fanta here but i think they closed... or not that popular anymore.

My favourite drink is Beer. I take a few every afternoon after work and sometimes if i'm in the mood a few Guinness.

On social events, I drink what the bar has to offer. Most of the time it'll be a few shots of Black Label or some Tequila.
Won't overdo it with the tequila though... can't remember what happens after a few rounds.