Total Number of Ratings: 11
Lovely Libations; What's Your Pleasure?
Monday, March 22, 2010 6:48 PM
With apologies to 11 O'Clock Comics - what're you drinking?
Be it a cup of coffee in the morning, some afternoon tea, or some beer or wine to end the day, a good chunk of the community here on Murmur has some favorite beverages. In the same vein as Kelly's regular "Talk Amongst Ourselves" columns, this is a chance to get to know a little bit about the tastes of the community members here at Murmur.com. What do you usually drink, either to start or end the day? If you're something of a somalier, a ciccerone, a tea expert or a barista, let us know a bit about your beverage of choice. If you just can't stand tea or think beer is disgusting, let us know about that too. Basically, what're you putting in your tank?
I'm easily a beer guy before everything else, but here's my feelings on six drinks I would guess will be the most popular beverages in the community.
Coffee. Like a lot of people, I didn't really get into drinking coffee until I started pulling all-nighters in college. I started off with crummy Dunkin Donuts drip coffee, which provided a bit of caffeine in unpalatable coffee that I diluted heavily with milk and sugar. More frequent coffee-drinking in my later years at school turned me on to better-tasting and richer coffees, and I developed a serious taste for lattes, macchiatos and freshly brewed cups of joe from my local coffee roasters. A stint as an employee at a warehouse post-college drove the biggest change in my coffee-drinking habits, since the early first-shift work led me to drink my coffee strong and black - no more sugar or milk for me. I really prefer unflavored coffee, and like a roasty Ethiopian blend - but my coffee preferences don't go too far beyond that. I know that there are plenty of people that love specific blends, specific beans, and specific coffee drinks like americanos, cappucinos and cafe au laits, but I like my coffee pretty simple.
Wine. I'll plead the fifth here - I hardly know anything about wine. I know my basics about some reds (Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Bordeaux) and whites (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling), but I couldn't tell you the difference between any of them outside of the color. I DO know that wine can really elevate some foods, and have enjoyed plenty of meals and food pairings with wine, but the art behind this eludes me. I know by way of Twitter that some of the Murmur staffers enjoy the occasional glass of wine, so hopefully someone can drop some science in the comments about the vino.
Soda. I drink a lot less soda now than I did when I was a kid, but for a good chunk of my younger years I was a soda fiend. Nowadays, I really go for the strange sodas. Sure, it's nice to have a Coke or orange soda every once and a while, but my mouth waters for drinks like Captain Eli's Blueberry Soda or the [in]famous Green Apple Soda from Jones. I'm one of the few kids that really liked Orbitz Soda when I was younger, a beverage that looks truly disgusting in retrospect. Oh, and I'm all about Maine's favorite drink Moxie. I'm obviously not the only one that gets obsessed with these cult sodas - entire communities have popped up online around failed and retired colas, including OK soda and Crystal Pepsi. Then again, there are plenty of people that go for pops that are mundane in comparison, and I know people that buy Pepsi or Coke (but not both) or Dr. Pepper by the case.
Liquor. Beyond drinking some really bad Coke-and-bottom-shelf-whatever mixes at parties, I don't have a lot of liquor experience. I do know that I enjoy the hell out of whiskey, particularly Gentleman Jack. Gin, tequila, bourbon, and rum are all beyond my palate, though - they all just kind of taste like burning to me. Much like wine, I hope some community members can shed some light on the good and bad in the world of liquor.
Tea. I love tea. Bubble tea, iced tea, green tea, black tea, I've been in love with tea since college. Although there are plenty of teas with just as much caffeine as a cup of coffee or soda, the taste just seems smoother, mellower and more subtle in a cuppa tea. Of all the beverages on this list, I simply find it the most relaxing. Drinking tea also feels healthier to me than alcohol or coffee (although I don't exactly have any science to back this up).The tea epiphany moment for me was finding some really good, really local shops selling tons of varieties of the stuff as loose leaves. Before that, all I really though of when I thought of tea was Lipton. After that, I've been thoroughly impressed by the breadth of flavors and intensities of tea on the market. In fact, it feels like there's almost as many tea options as there are different kinds of...
Beer! Ok, so this is the biggie for me. As I've written about (and talked about on Murmur podcasts 15 and 18), I'm a huge beer nut. Ever since a trip to Germany (which, ironically, involved a lot of time drinking Irish beer), I've been in love with the suds. Brewing my own beer has only turned me on to the stuff even more. I relish new and exciting flavors in beer the way foodies love great dishes and comic fans love Wednesdays. I'm sure people can talk about the different nuances of every other beverage on this list, but I can taste them more in beer than anything else. With dozens of different beer styles and hundreds of different beers within each, you can get sweet, sour, bitter, smoke, liquor, candy, honey, vanilla, and a multitude of different flavors just by drinking different combos of water, yeast, hops and barley. I mentioned a few of my favorite sodas and coffees, so I feel like I should pick a few favorite beers - even though it feels like picking between children. Lately, the best things I've been drinking are the Southern Tier Pumking (seriously tastes like pumpkin pie in a glass), Rogue Shakespeare Stout (a chocolatey stout with some floral hop flavors), Cantillon Classic Gueuze (a face-puckeringly sour lambic) and Stone's Ruination IPA (a balanced but super-bitter citrus hop bomb). Rest assured, I could go on; ask anyone that follows me on Twitter, and they'll remind you that I frequently do.
So, what do you usually drink? What's your favorite tea/beer/wine/soda/liquor/coffee? Can you recommend anything to turn me on to wine or liquor, or school me on coffee and tea? Let's hear about it in the comments - and bottoms up!
mm...i really like hard ciders it's the closest i'll get to a beer. we've got a couple of irish pubs downtown that feature mangers (one on draft and one in bottles) which is my fav (partial to the bottles).
at home i usually go for hornsbys.
I don't think I've ever had a cider in draft form. I'd love to try it. I think I know of at least one of the Irish pubs you're referring to, which I've always been meaning to try out.
tigin is far, *far* superior to the dubliner in terms of just about everything (food, service, atmosphere). dubliner has pretty much turned into a bar that serves irishy food. tigin has this thing called a boxty which is pretty much a crepe made out of potato. sometimes they fry it in strips for dipping. sometimes they wrap up tasty things in it (if you've ever had lwellyn's welsh broil back when it didn't suck, you need to try the steak boxty)
they have magners in a bottle, which is really imported from ireland. the magners draft at dubliner is made in canada.
both are on wash ave. the dubliner is ...11th ish? and tigin is aaaall the way down by 70, just before the landing in that hampton in.
apologies for stealing this thread to talk about non-drinks and very local stuff. although now i'm thinking that stl meetup should totally be at tigin. :)
went for vietnamese food last night and was reminded of the mac daddy of all coffee drinks: cafe sua da.
basically, a tasty coffee brewed so thick it's practically syrup drips into a glass of sweetened condensed milk. when it's done dripping, you mix it all up and pour it over ice (or add ice to the glass, depending on the establishment.
it's hella tasty and you can feel it working.
Occasionally I have coffee strong enough that it feels like it changes my perception of reality. That sounds like it could do the same thing.
I gotta try it sometime!
Coffee: I guess I can be considered a coffee snob. I won't drink Starbucks but that is mainly because I used to work for that company. I prefer a good Americano, which is a shot of espresso and had hot water, it makes a much more flavorful drink the drip coffee. Also coffee should only be drunk black, milk and sugar ruins the taste.
Soda: The only soda I drink is the mexican soda Jarritos, orange flavor made with real sugar. You can get it at your locak Taqueria.
Liquor: I recently have become a big Scotch fan although I can't claim a particular kind. I am still fairly new to drinking it. When it comes to mix drinks my go to is always a 7 and 7, or as I like to call it, a Fourteen.
Wine: Red wines are what I drink mainly. I go through wines by where they are from. I went through a Italy phase, and an Australian phase, right now I highly recommend Chilian red wines. I have yet to have a red from Chile that I didn't like.
Beer: Shinerboch is the best beer ever, I miss it a lot. :( It's not available up here in NYC.
There you have it. That's my drink list.
It's hard to find, but Mexican Coke is also made with real sugar (versus high fructose corn sugar) and is also worth seeking out.
You can get coke with real sugar around Passover (aka right now) in areas with large Jewish communities. I know we have it all over the place in Montreal, probably fairly easy to find in NYC also.
gobo- now you've got me really curious, what is the connection between Jewish Passover and coke made with real sugar? We don't have a very large Jewish population here, so I'm a bit in the dark...
During Passover the Kosher rules become more strict and Corn Syrup is no longer Kosher, so Coca-Cola pumps out some Corn Syrup free stuff for a while around Passover.
if you live in a city with a concentrated enough mexican/hispanic population, you can usually find the cane sugar soda in their neighborhood grocery stores and/or in tasty restaurants near said grocery stories.
we love our diversity in st. louis (not really), but we prefer folks to stay in their own little neighborhoods (yes, really).
I've had long periods of adulthood when I've subsisted on a soda diet.
I bought two Orbitz sodas roughly... sheesh, it must have been fifteen years ago now. My roommate drank his and said it was repugnant. I put mine on my desk as a homemade lava lamp. It is still there fifteen years later. It looks exactly the same as the day I bought it. The little snotballs never settled, and neither did I.
I would beat your grandmother with a folding chair to get one more case of Crystal Pepsi. How can they churn out Electric Purple Carcinogen Mountain Dew and Holiday Potpourri In A Can Pepsi every year, but never even try to appease the Crystal Contingent? I hope they sleep fitfully.
what *don't* i drink? (that is, when i'm not pregnant)
Coffee: i like the flavor of coffee way more than the intensity, so i either go with something latte/macciatto-esque if i'm feeling frilly, or diner coffee that's loaded with cream and sugar. i don't have a sensitive enough coffee palette for all those fancy regional differences or anything like that.
wine: i used to only drink white because every red was way too dry. then one day after a large amount of super-sweet/rich chocolate fondue, i discovered how great some reds can be when paired up with other things. "now" i'm on a tempranillo kick. like gobo said, it's getting more popular, which right now is great because it's starting to show up in restaurants and in blends with other spanish grapes. as for whites, i used to drink chardonnay (because that's all i knew), and then i switched to rieslings and other german sweet wines. one night at wine bar that offered flights, i discovered that i love sauvignon blancs. they're like wine made out of grapefruit juice, without all that oaky grossness :)
soda: i would really like to give this up. it's just so hard to mainline caffeine in the morning when it's warm. i'm pretty much exclusive to dr. pepper these days since i don't like "regular" coke or pepsi and being pregnant means that i have to stay away from all things diet (not that hfcs is much better than neurotoxins ;)
liquor/booze: you can tell the author's bias when he lumps scotch with vodka ;)
i like things that taste good, and for me that's semi-sweet (or semi-savory) drinks usually made with vodka, gin, tequila, rum.... i've been known to sip or shoot any of the above (and any number of other flavored liquors) as well, but the older i get, the less i can "safely" imbibe so i usually stick to sippers that last longer.
oh, and i really don't like scotch/whiskey/borbon. except that after drinking enough resposado tequilas (they "respo" in barrels that used to have whiskey in them), i'm starting to taste the things that make then yummy more than the things that make them taste like they used my cigar smoking grandfather's favorite chair as a filter. ;)
beer: this is the thing i don't drink. i just... i just can't. i can sip them and taste the things that make them interesting and different from each other, but after about 2 sips, they all just taste like beer. i really try. the people in my life, they love the breweries and i want to participate, but beer and i just don't work. :)
juice: cranberry. not mixed with anything silly like apple or grapes. occasionally mixed with vodka and lime juice and a bit of grand marnier ;)
i forgot tea!
i prefer tea to coffee if i'm at home, because tea is easier to make and keep fresh than coffee. for christmas i got an adorable little loose-tea pot, but i haven't gotten around to getting any loose tea for it. i'm terrible like that.
this is extra embarrassing because there is an adorable tea shoppe on the first floor of my building that sells pretty much anything you'd want. they have a house blend called the naughty vicar which smells and tastes fabulous (it's vanilla and black currant infused black tea). although it's usually fairly sugared, i didn't start putting milk in my tea until i started visiting the tea room and had an "i'll do it like the english do!" moment (which is probably just a stereotype but still). i'm also a fan of herbal teas and iced teas (especially mint). the only thing i don't like in tea is a strong berry flavoring. reminds me of being sick.
@gobo i thought it was funny that you were pro tempranillo and so anti sauv. blanc. not that they have anything to do with one another, mind you.
There's a certain taste with the Sauvignon Blancs at the end of each taste that I don't like, it's there with every one I've ever had... can't really describe it beyond "Green"
I love this! ok, here we go...
Coffee: for the past year or so I've been having coffee every morning at work. I get au bon pain's french vanilla coffee (with a splash of hazelnut) and put in 4 sugars and a nice dollop of light cream. With coffee, I'm a creature of habit.
Wine: Wine is my friend. I love Wine. Similar to beer, you can get hundreds of different flavors in a Wine depending on the way you age it. I'm not a Wine snob and I'm far from a somalier. I just know what I like and I'm always willing to try something new. I have a pretty moderate palette, I don't like anything too dry or too sweet. I usually avoid Merlot and Chardonney because they're so overdone it's hard to find a good one. If you're not really a wine drinker, the BEST Wines I can suggest are from Bully Hill Vineyards. They're in the Finger Lakes region of New York state and their wines are sweeter and lighter than most. The Love My Goat red is usally available in Wine shops throughout the U.S. If you want to splurge a bit, Bully Hill does ship to most states and possibly internationally. The Ravat 51 is my personal favorite. It's fruity and fresh without being too sweet and should be served chilled. They call it the Yes Wine at the vineyard - if you drink enough of it, you'll say yes to anything :)
Soda: I try to avoid it.
Booze: I like calling it booze. experiments with bacon-infused vodka aside, I don't really drink vodka. I'm not a fan of screwdrivers or vodka & cranberry, and I like gin in my martini. speaking of martinis, go read Kelly's My Perfect Martini piece from a while ago. that is exactly how I like my martini (although, I usually ask for extra olives). For mixed drinks I started with Gin & Tonics in college (mostly because of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy) and then moved to Jack & Coke but the sugar gives me a wicked headache so I'm back to Gin & Tonics (with extra lime, gotta keep the scurvy away). As far as cocktails go, I do love a good Mojito, a classic Margarita, and I'll usually order a Caipirinha if I can find a place to make it. But I don't so syrupy sweet. I doo need to bone up on whisky and bourbon. I've also never had a Mint Julip and I feel I need to change that.
Tea: Outside of work, I usually drink tea. I stick to a nice English Breakfast tea with a bit of sugar and a splash of milk. I do not like green tea. I've also been drinking a crazy amount of iced tea lately. and I'm a sucker for sweet tea.
Beer: I prefer Wine to beer, but I treat them similarly. I know what I like and I'm always looking to try something new. If I order a beer at a bar or restaurant I usually go by what's on tap. Guinness, Yuengling, Blue Moon, and Sam Adams tend to be my stand-bys.
whew! now I'm thirsty.
I'm an English Breakfast drinker too. Irish Breakfast is pretty good as well.
I never got into gin. I really should try again because I'm fairly certain that my local pub wasn't the best place to try mixed drinks.
Thanks for the tip about Bully Hill. I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like a lot of small wineries - especially here in the Northeast - make really sweet, desserty wines.
I've got to have a mint julip too! I'm not sure what I'm waiting for, other than the fact I feel like I should go south if I want to have one made right.
@Adrian - there's a gin, I think it's called Hendricks or Hendrickson's that's made with cucumber and it's supposed to be fantastic. I need to check it out.
@JChristie - I think those grapes do well in the colder temperatures of the Northeast, that's why the local vineyards have sweeter Wines.
I don't really like cucumber itself but cucumber in a cocktail is quite refreshing. I'd be curious about Cucumber Gin.
Tea - Right now drinking the Executus blend from Adagio. Haven't gotten too far into tea but I love it and iced tea as well.
Soda - Stopped drinking three/four years ago and have felt great since.
Coffee - Used to drink it up until about 3 weeks ago. I have instead gone with 100% all natural juice in the morning when I have early morning classes. I will have a cup of macadamia coffee that my grandparents have when I'm over for dinner strictly for social reasons.
Great article!
Coffee: I live in Seattle, and if a terrorist ever wanted to wanted to paralyze this city on a cataclysmic scale, all they would really have to do is take out our coffee shops. I love me some coffee, and I usually stick garden-variety medium roast with a little cream and sugar. I know most people prefer darker roasts, but I have to be in the right mood. I know my different kinds, though, and can tell the difference between, say, an Ethiopian blend and some shade-grown Costa Rican. The best coffee, IMO, is Kona coffee from Hawaii. Nothing beats it! Also, sometimes on the weekends, I treat myself to what is known as a Seattle Speedball, which is a joint and a Grande Americano.
Liquor: my drink is a simple gin and tonic.
Beer: Now you're speaking my language, as I'm also a big beer fan. I tend to be seasonal: stouts and porters in the winter, dark ales and IPA's in the spring and fall, and pale ales/amber ales/wheat ales in the summer, although this isn't always a hard and fast rule for me. I tend to stick to west coast micro brews, and my faves would have to be Mac and Jack's African Ale (local here in Seattle); Red Hook IPa (also local); and anything from the New Belgium brewery in Colorado, such as Fat Tire, 1554, and a tasty Trippel that packs a hefty %11 ABV.
New Belgium Fat Tire - now you're speaking my language! I haven't been able to buy the NB beers since I lived in Juneau (they don't distribute east of the Mississippi), but I occasionally find someone nice enough to ship me a few cans of Fat Tire. Right now I'm brewing a clone of Fat Tire, so hopefully I'll have a reasonable facsimile on hand soon.
We love our coffee here in the east, but the way I understand it we're all rank amateurs compared to Seattle residents.
My wife is from the east coast (Boston), and I've noticed that most east coast folks get their coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. And in all honesty, DD coffee isn't all that bad. That's what I drink when I'm there (when in Rome...), and consider it a really good medium roast blend.
Liquor: I'm a big fan of whiskies of all types, although I do tend to gravitate towards Jack Daniels and Gentleman Jack. My folks also occasionally get a bottle of Blue Label for themselves and (very kindly, I've come to realize) let me have a glass or two whenever they get it. What's unfortunate about all this is I'm the only one of my friends who likes whiskey, which makes coming into some of it very difficult.
As for other good liquors, the higher level labels of Johnny Walker are good (a little pricier, with Blue Label costing far too much to enjoy on a regular basis), and a decent bottle of gin can go a long way.
Coffee: Can't stand the stuff, and I honestly couldn't tell you why. I grew up around Dunkin' Donuts (I lived in Braintree for most of my life, which is supposedly where the first DD is), but have had what is universally regarded as "good" coffee and still can't get myself to drink it.
Tea: I don't drink tea mostly due to the bad memories I have associated with it. I think the first time I drank tea was when I got really bad hypothermia one day and my dad was trying to warm me up so I wouldn't, y'know, die. Ever since then I can't bring myself to drink it, especially since everywhere I go there's always something else I can drink.
Soda: My main source of caffeine throughout the day, usually in the form of Coca Cola or Diet Pepsi. I can't drink Diet Coke or Regular Pepsi, for some odd reason (weird, I know), but will get one of those two several times a day to stay awake. I'm also a big fan of Captain Eli's Strawberry Soda (and occasionally the Blueberry, but the store at my college is usually sold out of that) and Jones Black Cherry.
Wine: I don't get wine, so I tend to stay away from it. I figure I'll learn to like it some day
Beer: I prefer liquor if it's around, but I'm a big fan of good beer (which, unfortunately, you don't get much of in college). I've been having a lot of Carlsberg and Guinness lately (granted, I am in the UK), but I've also come to like Keith's Pale Ale whenever I can get my hands on it.
I also drink my fair share of water (I usually go through a Nalgene's worth or so a day) and chocolate milk, plus whatever milk gets left in my cereal bowl when I finish it.
Great article!
I drink what everyone at work calls "a shitload" of water daily...but after work.
Liquor: Jack Daniels on the rocks is my drink of choice. Gentleman Jack is great Josh, I haven't had a bottle of that in a while. I also am slowly getting into Scotch. Sadly my Uncle gave me the good stuff ($100 bottle) to try and now I can't bring myself to drink the cheap stuff. I also can't bring myself to buy expensive bottles all the time.
Coffee: Every morning and some evenings I get my fix. I perfer a dark roast and it is always black, unless I am adding Baileys or Kaluha.
Tea: I mostly drink green tea but dabble in other kinds from time to time. This is more a winter drink for me.
Soda: Swore off the stuff after high school and really have stuck with it. Slurpees would be an exception but when I moved the recipe is different out here and they don't taste the same.
Wine: I love red wine. Although I'm not big into it because I have nobody to drink it with really. White is okay but only at times. Have made wine a few times with my father.
Beer: Until recently I never touched beer. Then I found the many different flavours. Have really been enjoying Killkenny Irish Ale.
i have been told (and i more or less believe it) that you can find quality scotch at many price points. it's not just the cost that makes it smooth and/or flavorful, and sometimes the expensive stuff is intentionally "rough". (oban anyone?)
give me some John Walker Blue and I am a happy girl. although I really need to find a good cheaper brand of scotch.
I'm not saying all cheap scotch is bad. I have a few at home that I don't mind but you need to look in he midrange prices for consistent quality.
@cenquist i said "many price points", not $4 on the bottom shelf at your local grocery store ;)
my husband is "fortunate" enough to work for a small company where the boss loves scotch and keeps a separate stash in his office for either special occasions (good and bad) or just for the guys who can appreciate the good stuff. not that girls can't. it's just that in this office, they happen to all be guys. it's turned my husband into a big fan, and our alcohol budget has suffered accordingly :)
i'm always amazed on the days he gets in the car and smells like he bathed in scotch and he's had maybe 1/2 a glass. (having smelled and tasted the stuff myself, i know he's not lying ;)
I'm only 18 so technically I don't have an opinion on any alcohol but either way I'm not a big fan of it. I've been on a huge tea addiction lately being the only thing I really drink. I only get my tea loose from Teavanna which is a tea place by me and am mostly a green tea drinker but I like mostly all tea. Besides that I drink a lot of juice and have been guilty of loving naked juice. It's so expensive but it is just really good so when I can I get it in bulk from costco so it doesn't seem as much of a sin to me to pay soo much for just one little bottle of juice. But I also love all of Ocean Sprays Cran- mixed drinks
I get a lot of loose tea from Teavana too, since one just moved into town.
What is Naked Juice? Is it just really good nothing-added-to-it fruit or berry juice?
Yeah it's pure juice they have a bunch of different flavors, and there's no added stuff to it like preservatives.
The only thing I come close to having any expertise on is bourbon, and that is limited. You can't go wrong with either Bulleit Bourbon or Buffalo Trace. The only thing there is that a bottle will run you $23, but that's the cost of a good bourbon. Maker's Mark is pretty good, too. For a less expensive bourbon, go with Jim Beam. Rebel Yell is about the same price but not as good as Jim Beam. Avoid Evan Williams, it's disgusting.
I'm not much of a wine, tea, or coffee drinker. I get my caffeine fix most mornings by chugging Coke Zero. To unwind I enjoy beer, bourbon, rum, and Irish whiskey. My favorite liquor is 12 year Jamesons Irish Whiskey. After a workout I like to drink a variety of juices and oddly enough chocolate milk.
I love alcohol and beverages in general, so this is right up my alley.
Something that Josh missed in his list was juice, I really love lots of fruit juices and love interesting blends with things like Acai and things.
As for Josh's categories
Coffee: This is the one I don't like at all, I've tried a couple times, even with good stuff but I don't really like the smell or taste.
Wine: In the last couple of years I've been getting more and more into wine. Last year I did a home-made Wine and Cheese of the Month Club where I picked the cheese of the month from a local fromagerie and picked up a couple bottles of wine that are recommended to go with it, got to try a lot of interesting varietals that I probably wouldn't have had otherwise. Unfortunately the more I drink the less I'm liking the cheaper stuff. Not that I'm into the big bucks but instead of my target being 8-10 it's up to 15ish. I'm on a tempranillo (a fruity red) kick these days. I'm also finally starting to be able to pick up scents and flavours aside from "Wine". The only kind I've had that I explicitly don't like is Sauvignon Blanc, something about that varietal just doesn't agree with me.
Soda: I don't drink much of this, preferring juice, but I LOVE me some Cherry Coke and it kills me you can't really get it in Quebec (or even Canada), I always come back with a couple of cases when I go down into the US. I also like some weird flavours like Josh does, I like people being creative with their soda. Hates: Cream Soda (WAY too sweet), Dr. Pepper
Liquor: I love liquor, I'm getting more and more into whiskies, love me some Rum, Tequila and Vodka and I've finally found a spot in my heart for Gin. Pretty much if it's not Anise flavoured I will drink it and be able to enjoy it. I don't like a lot of them straight (aside from assorted whiskies like Maker's Mark and Bushmills and a nice Tequila) but they're key ingredients in the most delicious of all beverages, the cocktail. I LOVE Cocktails, as long as I can still taste the alcohol in them, give me a nice strong Caipirinha, give me a sex on the beach, I don't care how girly or ridiculous they are I love me some cocktails (Montreal has a great bar called the Burgundy Lion which has the most delicious Gin cocktail... mmmmm)
Tea: I've always had tea with breakfast or sometimes after dinner growing up, mostly Tetley Orange Pekoe in bags, recently I've got way into loose teas. I've been mostly trying stuff from Adagio but I've been really enjoying several of their black tea selections (Yunnan Jig being a favourite), they have some really good flavoured black teas too (the blueberry one is especially good). I haven't ventured into Green/White yet, but I've got a sample tin of Rooibos that I've been seriously enjoying. I've also got a nice Blood Orange tisane sample tin that's not bad. We've got a few good tea shops in Montreal that I'm eager to try.
Beer: I still love beer but it's starting to be supplanted by hard alcohol and cocktails a bit in my repertoire. I have a marked preference for Belgian style and Stouts but I'll drink almost any style as long as it's quality. While I don't have access to all the fun stuff you americans get we've got a lot of really really high quality local breweries like Unibroue, Brasseurs RJ, Dieu du Ciel, and Brasseurs de Montreal. You can definitely find a bunch of Unibroue beers in the US now which is awesome. Couple that with some really nice brewpubs in town and despite not being able to taste along with the Murmur Book Club, I have no shortage of great quality beers to drink. Current favs: L'Achouffe, Leffe (both Blonde and Brown) and of course Guinness.
I've never been able to get into the brown liquors. They just never tasted any good to me. Even the really expensive stuff which is mean to be awesome doesn't do it for me.
Different strokes for different folks.
I prefer my rum and tequila "brown", whiskies are a new thing for me but I'm really starting to like that burn. I just with Bourbon wasn't so expensive here since it's currently my favourite style of whisk(e)y
Juice! I totally forgot about juice! I drink a ton of OJ and cranberry juice, and when I do make mixed liquor drinks it's almost always a juice mix.
You could do a lot worse than Unibroue and Dieu du Ciel, both of which are better than a good number of the US craft breweries IMO. I don't want to give too much away about future book club picks, but odds are we'll read something dark or post-apocalyptic - which would make Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde (End of the World) the perfect pairing.
mmmm...tempranillo.
it's amusing to me that you love cherry coke but dislike cream soda because of the sweetness factor. to me, that's what cherry coke is all about :)
I'm glad Tempranillo isn't (quite) super popular yet, still not many people making it so it tends to be decent and reasonably priced.
I don't find Cherry Coke that sweet honestly (compared to most sodas at least, they're all pretty damn sweet), Cream Soda is like PURE sweet which I can't stand.
Hey Gobo- as a fan of weird/creative flavors, have you ever tried anything from Jones Soda? Some truly unique flavors, including the hugely popular Turkey and Gravy flavor, which is released in limited edition every year in November (for American Thanksgiving).
http://www.jonessoda.com/
I'm pretty much an all of the above in this article. With the exception of beer (don't hurt me) I'm into everything you mentioned here.
Coffee: I'm a big coffee drinker nowadays but I often think it's down to habit more than anything else. I started drinking horribly strong stuff whenever I had a graveyard shift work but it was never something I had often. It wasn't until I got my first full time job that it became part of my daily ritual. Get to work, unpack laptop, boot up, go get coffee. I liked it. It was a good way to learn about my new workmates as we chatted while waiting. Aside from a few self imposed "I'm giving up coffee" periods it's pretty much been on for me and the bean since then. On a good day I'll have a coffee in the morning when I get to work and then one at about 3pm. On a bad day it'll be an extra one at about 11am and then maybe one at a beach cafe near my house as a way to unwind. I may have a problem.
Wine: I know a little bit about wine but I still have a confession to make. I'm not a huge fan of red wine. I like my wine sweet which means I lean towards fruity whites and Moscato. I'm also very into dessert wines. They're just awesome. I have been working towards getting a taste for reds so give me time and I might make a 'proper' wine lover out of myself.
Soda: This one also falls into the addiction category. I drink too much of it. Pepsi Max is my poison and I just drink it because it's there. I need to switch this habit over to water but water is just so horribly dull. I like bubbles.
Tea: This is my winter drink. I'll get up in the morning and put the kettle on then settle down with a warm cup of tea, usually with one sugar but a second sometimes sneaks in. For me tea is just below hot chocolate on the 'cuddle' scale for drinks. It's an awesome drink to curl up with, whether you're on your own or not.
Have you had some of the ice wines out of the Niagara region here in Canada? Fantastic sweet desert wines.
Quebec also makes some damn fine ice apple "wine" too, it's crisp and clean without being TOO sweet.
I forgot the liquor section! I like the clear spirits with vodka being at the top of that list. Vodka and orange is a favourite as is vodka lime and soda. You also can't go passed margaritas for a party drink.
Yeah, slushy is no good. It waters down the flavour too much. I'm also not 100% keen on salt on the rim. Sacrilege I know but it just isn't to my taste.
Don't worry - I'm definitely a non-militant beer geek (or at least try to be).
I'm right there with you on the coffee drinking schedule - I have a cup when I get up and one in the afternoon pretty much every day, and I add an extra one mid-morning and in the evening on rougher days.
I'm also in the same boat as you for wine. I don't drink much of the stuff, but when I do I go for the sweeter varieties like a Riesling or dessert wine.
For my whites I also like Riesling but more because of the sort of citric acid to it that I like than the sweetness. That's my favourite part of whites but it's REALLY hard to find in a cheaper white.
the only way to have a Margarita is on the rocks. the frozen slush is full of chemicals and crap. I like a bit of salt on the rim, but a lot of bar tenders tend to overdo the salt.
I think I need to hit San Diego Comic-Con again just so we can all go out for Mexican and margaritas.
you anti-slush people know about things called blenders, right? and that you can just buy the tequila and triple sec/grand marnier and lime juice and make them yourself, right?
Water. It's free(ish).
I occasionally drink Dr. Pepper or NuGrape. (If you are ever in the Cincinnati, Lexington, Louisville area, you should try Ale81 [pronounced A Late One]. It's interesting.)
I got more than my fill of alcohol (and trouble) in High School.
Coffee and tea taste like dirt (literally) to me. I can't explain it.
Water. It's free(ish).
I occasionally drink Dr. Pepper or NuGrape. (If you are ever in the Cincinnati, Lexington, Louisville area, you should try Ale81 [pronounced A Late One]. It's interesting.)
I got more than my fill of alcohol (and trouble) in High School.
Coffee and tea taste like dirt (literally) to me. I can't explain it.
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Coffee: I didnā??t drink it much until recently, but ever since I got a French press, itā??s completely part of the morning ritual. So Iā??m sure part of it is just routine-based, but I really enjoy the preparation and brewing of it now. Iā??ve gotten a bit snobby in terms of what I drink, so right now Iā??m generally drinking Intelligensia (from Chicago) and Kaldiā??s (from STL). Iā??m at the point where I donā??t enjoy the free coffee at work, so I figure Iā??ve crossed the line to ā??snob.ā??
Soda: Generally anything diet. Ginger ale is the occasional treat.
Tea: I used to brew loose leaf tea a few years back, but I transitioned to coffee. Whenever Iā??m eating out at a Chinese restaurant, I do like to have chrysanthemum tea, which is brewed with the flower petals. I drop in some rock sugar for sweetness. Oh yeah. Southern sweet tea. The best drink on earth.
Wine: Whateverā??s put into my glass. I guess white > red for me. I donā??t go out of my way for it.
Beer: Blue Moonā??s are probably my go-to beer in any given restaurant. Thereā??s a ACE Pear Ale that I really enjoy. Same with Woodchuck.
Liquors: Vodka and gin are generally what I like to mix in.