So we’ve talked about beer, and we’ve talked about wine, but we’ve never talked about spirits!
I’ll admit to being a noob here. I bought a bottle of Cognac a few weeks ago and enjoyed that quite a bit, and I bought my first bottle of Scotch today (Glenfiddich 12), and I’m liking it as well, though maybe not quite as much as the brandy.
So what’s your favorite liquor? Your favorite cocktail?
Speak!
I love Tequila. Love. It. I love it so much that the only beer I ever enjoyed was called Tequiza, and was Tequila-flavored.
That said, as much as I love it, we’ve had a very on-again, off-again relationship.
Happy Halloween? 👻
I’m an equal opportunity booze snob.
Since you liked the Cognac, I highly recommend picking up some Armagnac. It’s also a French brandy, but is typically much, much cheaper for equivalent quality.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll keep an eye out for that. I was aware of its existence, but didn’t know it was any less expensive.
@BrianRubin I’m thinking Tequila will be next on my list. Any particular (and sub $50) bottle I should be looking at?
I have discovered I am a big fan of scotch, since I had a glass of 18 year old Oban for my birthday a few years back. Yes, I need yet another expensive habit.
If you don’t mind I’m just going to read all of your posts in this thread in Bender’s voice.
Man, that’s tough. The best I’ve had is Patron and Don Julio.
The best rum I ever had, and I usually find rum too sweet, was Vizcaya. It’s from Cuba. I haven’t seen it in stores anywhere, incredible stuff.
It looks like you could possibly buy it online from this site:
Only ships to select states, but mine is on there.
I love the 21 Balvenie.
Lagavulin, anyone?
Oh, hell yes.
For budget friendly intro tequila, I recommend Espolòn reposado.
One of my personal favorites
Will monitor this thread for Secret Santa gift ideas.
Espolon is good. I like their bottle artwork a lot too. The best mid range tequila for me is Corralejo Reposado.
Holy cow do I not like scotch. Too smoky/peaty, though I know some people love it like I love say, herring in cream.
So what’s everybody drinking these days? I’ve tried quite a few new things since I created this thread 13 months ago.
I tried the other major scotch brand in Glenlivet 12 Years Old. I enjoyed it but preferred Glenfiddich.
I bought a couple types of vodka in Absolut and Stolichnaya. I liked both, but Absolut tasted a little purer and smoother to me, which is why I preferred it both neat, and as a mixer.
I bought a bottle of gin this Spring even though most people I talk to seem to hate gin, and boy do I not hate gin. I only ever tried Beefeater which is one of the cheaper options, but I went through a couple (or three) bottles since. It goes ridiculously well mixed with ginger ale. That and the Gimlet became my favorite summer drink.
I did end up trying tequila, @BrianRubin. Specifically Don Julio Añejo, which I just purchased a few days ago. I am quite enjoying it as an evening sipper.
I also bought the Kirk and Sweeney 12 year rum, which I enjoyed. I didn’t like it quite as much as the scotch, bourbon, or tequila I tried.
My one and only bourbon so far has been Basil Hayden’s, which I liked. Bourbon and rye whiskey are definitely something I’m going to want to get a lot more into, so any recommendations are very much welcome!
And then we have the liqueurs. I bought Chambord (Black Raspberry), Kahlua (Coffee), and di Amore (Amaretto).
The Chambord was really nice in gin cocktails and didn’t try much beyond that. I’ve found that I prefer cocktails that aren’t ridiculously fruity and sweet.
The Kahlua? I made a White Russian last Winter and then made many, many more after that. It quickly became my go-to cold weather drink and is where 90% of my vodka went. I love coffee and I love Kahlua, so I tried Kahlua in coffee and thought that was actually quite gross, so I won’t be doing that again. But what I will be doing again…
…is mixing it with Amaretto and cream on ice. Holy shit it’s delicious.
On my radar for next year is Sambuca. I love black licorice so an anise flavored liqueur seems right up my alley.
Can’t go wrong.
Well. You can. Spectacularly.
But still. It’s great.
Something to keep in mind with bourbon (which is pretty much the only thing I drink these days) is that trying to buy some of the more expensive and exclusive things you’ll hear about online is about as tough as CPU/GPU shopping due to enthusiasts and speculators snapping up those bottles for their own hoards or to resell.
That said, you don’t actually have to spend an arm and a leg for decent bourbon. Some of the less expensive stuff that I think is perfectly drinkable neat or on ice would be Evan Williams Bottled in Bond, Jim Beam Black or Four Roses (you can upgrade that last one to a Small Batch or Single Barrel if they’re available and the price point suits you). Other more expensive options I’m a fan of are Eagle Rare (if you can find it anymore), Angel’s Envy and Woodford Reserve Double Oaked. Costco had a great deal on that last one recently and I availed myself of a few extra bottles.
Spending more than about $45 on a bottle is completely unnecessary unless you’re a die-hard enthusiast, but even the $20-25 stuff these days can be perfectly respectable.
Thanks, that’s good information. I’ll keep an eye out for those.
Every since I had a drink at Buffalo Wild Wings that uses this as the primary ingredient (on a whim, and then I loved it) I’ve been trying to find a bottle of it - my wife found some in a nearby town she was visiting with my son to look at apartments with him (for college) and brought me a bottle. It’s amazing. This same brand has a caramel flavor that is also incredible, it’s what we could find from the Ole Smokey line here locally, but the Mango is even better - though quite spicy. I can’t wait to mix it up in some pineapple juice or something.
