Anyone enjoying the drink tonight?

[flopster]

Since prohibition ended almost exactly 80 years ago it's as good a time as any.

[Mr. Desmond]

Ahhhhhhhh, christmas cometh early.

I enjoyed Highland Park 18 ... when it was $68 ...  now it's stratospheric since the Macallan bought them.

Took out the fun of finding a Scotch bargain.

Must find Christmas Scotch...

[David in FL]

Nothing real special. Watching football with a snifter of Drambuie and a cigar.....but then, I'm doing it sitting out by the pool in shorts and a tee shirt, so that's pretty good. :-)

[tristanhilton85]

Nothing real special. Watching football with a snifter of Drambuie and a cigar.....but then, I'm doing it sitting out by the pool in shorts and a tee shirt, so that's pretty good.

Damn, must be nice. I live out in the desert in SoCal and I can't even do that right now. The low out here is going to be mid 30s tonight, too damn cold.

[David in FL]

Damn, must be nice. I live out in the desert in SoCal and I can't even do that right now. The low out here is going to be mid 30s tonight, too damn cold.

68* right now. Gonna be 84* tomorrow. I feel bad even saying it, knowing what it's like everywhere else.....

[Dave2512]

Been making brandy alexander's all night. We stopped by the Sicilian bakery before catching the Jeff Tweedy show a few nights ago and well tis the season. I think I just scarfed my tenth cookie on two days. I'll pay in the weight room next week. Okay that was a lie. I bought 4 lbs of cookies and a couple bottles of nice cognac and well half is gone.

[Ernest Jones]

Yum. I haven't had a Brandy Alexander in ages. John Lennon's preferred libation.

[Dave2512]

Yum. I haven't had a Brandy Alexander in ages. John Lennon's preferred libation.

They are fantastic. Crazy thing is tough to find when out on the town. Order a BA or something like a Old Fashioned and they look at me like I am from another planet. Just happened the other night. They had 20 martini's, including one with with muddled basil leaves, but couldn't figure out brandy, crème de cacao and heavy cream. A huge beef for me is when a decent restaurant doesn't have a pro bartender.

[Stretch]

So nice, someone even did a song about it. "Goes down ee-ee-ee-sy!"

I am drinking some decent local cab. Have a leg of lamb in the oven. Dis gon' work!

[colin007]

can some of you alkies recommend me a good starter whisky/whiskey/bourbon/scotch?  i list them all because to be honest, to my unrefined palate they all taste the same to me...

i like shots of Jameson straight from the freezer.  as for the rest, i can only drink it with ice, straight and its too strong for me.  as for what i like, it would be something like Crown Royal (i can hear EJ and Stretch gasping from here...)

recommend me something thats good and not to expensive and slightly sweet.

[Ernest Jones]

can some of you alkies recommend me a good starter whisky/whiskey/bourbon/scotch?  i list them all because to be honest, to my unrefined palate they all taste the same to me...

i like shots of Jameson straight from the freezer.  as for the rest, i can only drink it with ice, straight and its too strong for me.  as for what i like, it would be something like Crown Royal (i can hear EJ and Stretch gasping from here...)

recommend me something thats good and not to expensive and slightly sweet.

@colin007

Glenmorangie would be a decent place to start, not too expensive and they have some sweeter tasting stuff. Start with a Glenmorangie that has been aged in a Sherry wood cask. The Macallan is a fantastic scotch from the sweeter side but it's considerably more expensive than Glenmorangie. Glendronach would be another good candidate. These are all in the "softer" category.

If you want something closer to Crown Royal just take any of the above, add two sugar cubes and piss in it...

[Dave2512]

Probably will pound a few tonight during the game. Just sent my secretary to pick up some pizza and stromboli. The next couple of weeks is going to be brutal. I am working hard in the gym but my intake of food and alcohol is increasing every day as the holidays get closer. Been mixing the stuff below with whipped cream flavored vodka. Dangerous stuff, tastes like a vanilla shake and goes down just as easy.

[M2R]

can some of you alkies recommend me a good starter whisky/whiskey/bourbon/scotch?  i list them all because to be honest, to my unrefined palate they all taste the same to me...

i like shots of Jameson straight from the freezer.  as for the rest, i can only drink it with ice, straight and its too strong for me.  as for what i like, it would be something like Crown Royal (i can hear EJ and Stretch gasping from here...)

recommend me something thats good and not to expensive and slightly sweet.

I think Bowmore Legend is a good starter scotch. Around here it is $23-30 depending on when and where.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

Nose: Gentle peat smoke, a little barley, touch of the coast.

Palate: Gentle, a one dimensional malt with a vibrant youthfulness, lots of pep, but not too much in the way of complexity. But if you like younger, sweeter Bowmore then you'll enjoy this.

Finish: Good malty sweetness, maritime, a touch of pine.

[colin007]

@colin007

Glenmorangie would be a decent place to start, not too expensive and they have some sweeter tasting stuff. Start with a Glenmorangie that has been aged in a Sherry wood cask. The Macallan is a fantastic scotch from the sweeter side but it's considerably more expensive than Glenmorangie. Glendronach would be another good candidate. These are all in the "softer" category.

If you want something closer to Crown Royal just take any of the above, add two sugar cubes and piss in it...

LOL LOL!!!!

heres the problem, the bottles all have intriguing descriptions, like "hint of caramel" or "vanilla notes" and i swear i can never taste it. this is a bit frustrating because i can taste a lot of different flavors in wines and beers, but the scotch/whiskey type alcohols all just burn.

I think Bowmore Legend is a good starter scotch. Around here it is $23-30 depending on when and where.

i dont think ive seen this before but ill look into it.

[Ernest Jones]

heres the problem, the bottles all have intriguing descriptions, like "hint of caramel" or "vanilla notes" and i swear i can never taste it. this is a bit frustrating because i can taste a lot of different flavors in wines and beers, but the scotch/whiskey type alcohols all just burn.

I take mine neat but a lot of afficianos insist on a drop or two of water (and I really mean a drop) as it opens up the bouquet quite a bit more and makes it easier to pick out the different notes.

Never put ice, as the cold dulls the taste and stops it from emitting more aromas which is bad because smelling is a huge part of tasting.

[David in FL]

I take mine neat but a lot of afficianos insist on a drop or two of water (and I really mean a drop) as it opens up the bouquet quite a bit more and makes it easier to pick out the different notes. Never put ice, as the cold dulls the taste and stops it from emitting more aromas which is bad because smelling is a huge part of tasting.

Let me start by saying, EJ is ABSOLUTELY right, which means, what I'm going to say here, is "wrong".... .....but, I prefer a single cube of ice in my whisky. As EJ said, a drop of water opens up the bouquet and will increase your appreciation for that unique whisky, but I find room temperature whisky just too warm for my (damn American) taste. One cube, both cools the whisky, without chilling it to the point of palate numbness, and adds that drop of water that opens it up. Just finish your drink before the cube has melted to the point of watering down your fine whisky. That's seldom a problem for me! :-)

[iacas]

.....but, I prefer a single cube of ice in my whisky. As EJ said, a drop of water opens up the bouquet and will increase your appreciation for that unique whisky, but I find room temperature whisky just too warm for my (damn American) taste. One cube, both cools the whisky, without chilling it to the point of palate numbness, and adds that drop of water that opens it up.

Why not get something like this?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/521467690/ti-cubes-the-ultimate-titanium-chilling-cubes

(They have them outside of Kickstarter too - I just mean a "cold object that doesn't melt"?)

[David in FL]

Why not get something like this? [URL=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/521467690/ti-cubes-the-ultimate-titanium-chilling-cubes]http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/521467690/ti-cubes-the-ultimate-titanium-chilling-cubes[/URL] (They have them outside of Kickstarter too - I just mean a "cold object that doesn't melt"?)

I've seen them, but again, a touch of water is good.....and now I have an excuse to drink fast! ;-)