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I drank every cocktail

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Re: I drank every cocktail

#141

Post by NoboruWataya »

dcminter wrote: post #120
alex-moon wrote: post #112

Since no-one else has mentioned it so far, I wanted to say I appreciated the big warning at the top. As someone who has struggled with (and overcome!) alcohol dependency in the past, having a big reminder that literally says "You should probably stop reading this" shows a sensitivity to the issue I rarely see online. The other thing I loved about this write-up was the photo of the "best cocktail bar in the world" bei…

Eh, that's also kind of the East London aesthetic for you. It used to be (maybe 30 years ago) very dodgy and is now (mostly) very hipster. The Bar Americain which he mentions but doesn't show a picture of, on the other hand, is excellent, slap bang in the middle of Picadilly, and quite opulent. That's great to combine with a meal at the surprisingly cheap (given the location) brasserie Zedel.

Yes, I haven't been to Satan's Whiskers but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it was as expensive as Bar Americain (or moreso).

Bar Americain is probably my favourite cocktail bar in central London, though I'm not much of a cocktail drinker so that's not saying much. The Connaught is good for a special occasion (very opulent, also very expensive).

Re: I drank every cocktail

#142

Post by justsomehnguy »

jamestimmins wrote: post #9

Such a fun and entertaining read. I'd never suggest someone give up a software career to become a food writer, but I'd love to read more of OP's writing as he pursues these goals.

After 20 years you really want to be a goat farmer or a food critic/writer whatever.

And some happy folks figure this earlier.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#143

Post by cinntaile »

d3ckard wrote: post #127
yojo wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

General rules for cocktails: - Avoid the big brands for Tequila and Rum (Cuervo and Bacardi). There are exceptions, but it’s easier to skip. - Cheap gin can be good or bad. Gordon’s is a reasonable entry. The step up is Beefeater or Tanqueray. There are a bajillion craft gins and you can skip them until you’re ready to go deep. - Tequila should always say 100% puro de agave on the bottle. If it does not say this, do…

On vodka: Sobieski is not a good brand and "Luksusowa" is fine, but it's made of potatoes. Personally, I strongly prefer vodkas made of wheat, they tend to be smoother and sit better (and the hangover is anegdotically less of a problem). Also, people who think vodka quality doesn't matter clearly never drank a lot of vodka.

Recommend some good brands, you have your opportunity here.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#144

Post by scosman »

yojo wrote: post #80
scosman wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rye refers to different things in Canada and the US. Canadian Ryes can be excellent, and Canada makes some excellent rye grain whiskey. Don’t sub it in the wrong ingredient assuming it’s equivalent, then claim it’s mostly not good.

A lot of Canadian Rye uses a lot of grain alcohol. If you pick a bottle at random off the shelf (assuming US market), it’s unlikely to be good. There are many great Canadian Ryes. But if you’re new to cocktails, odds are against you finding them at your local liquor store, and you probably don’t need them for the drink you’re trying to make. I didn’t mean to disparage the category. Lot 40 and Alberta Dark Horse/Dark…

If you're picking random bottles of the shelf you're not going to have a good time with any category. Tequila, rum, American whiskey, etc -- the most popular stuff is pretty bad.

You did disparage the category, but it still seems based off not understanding what it is. The listed Canadian whiskeys are great and meet the US definition of Rye, but Canadian Rye is a bigger category with lots of great stuff to explore. Just don't substitute it into the wrong drink and blame the bottle.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#145

Post by beAbU »

matsemann wrote: post #111
Avalaxy wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A bartender uses copious amounts of ice. It's for a reason. $$$$$$$$$

Hehe. But where I'm from (Norway) it's only allowed to serve drinks with 40 cl (edit, I meant 4 cl heh) of liquor (with exceptions for international recognized cocktails). So if you were to get less ice you wouldn't get anything more for your money anyways. Except more soda water and a diluted taste.

40ml is a decent double tot. I would not want more than that in a single drink anyway. Especially if its a strong liquor!

Re: I drank every cocktail

#146

Post by johnisgood »

mgaunard wrote: post #136
johnisgood wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vodka for some reason has always made me nauseated and it often did result in vomiting. None of the other alcohols have ever made me nauseated or nor made me puke, not even in high, undiluted amounts. So I realized if I do want to get drunk, I cannot go wrong with whiskey. Maybe there is a vodka that would be different.

Whisky will typically give you a worse experience the day after. High-grade vodka is about producing a product free of impurities for the cleanest possible flavour. High-grade whisky is about capturing as many impurities as possible (particularly wood and peat) for a more complex flavour.

I never had hangover from whiskey though, but that is only my personal experience.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#147

Post by cess11 »

jenadine wrote: post #137
elygre wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The two revelations of the wine monopoly. The first is «you have a monopoly???», and then later «and you actually like that?????»

It is a state owned monopoly, whose purpose is to address the actual problem of too high alcohol consumption, and not necessarily to make profit. I'm sure not everyone likes it though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinmonopolet

If it's anything like Sweden they have coddled reactionaries that are incapable of even the slightest planning and hence are constantly whining about the monopoly not being open at night or some weekend when they get a sudden urge to get drunk.

For someone who drinks moderately and enjoys variety and access to obscure alcohol products it's likely a very good deal, as it is in Sweden. If I want a single bottle of lebanese Ksarak it'll cost me roughly fifty euros and I'll walk across the street to pick it up after a week or so. Unless I'm misunderstanding something the danish have to get it from german suppliers, though it'll be a bit cheaper (~33 euros), probably due to taxes.

Sometimes I've engaged in tentative planning of imports, e.g. ukrainian bubbly wine and whatnot, but it typically falls through because people don't actually want to put in the effort to organise a drive or getting someone to mail a package, even if there would be a bit of money in it. On the other hand it's trivial to get into contact with people running rather large scale imports of cheap beer and wine from Germany that sell for less than the monopoly takes.

I don't think there is actually any improvement to gain from getting rid of the monopoly, it would quickly turn our local alcohol availability into something similar to what I've seen in Russia and Bulgaria, fifty shades of Flirt vodka, sour wine and useless lager. The rest I'd have to import myself.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#149

Post by TomMasz »

When I was in Rio for business, one of my hosts took me to lunch and we had Caipirinhas, but with vodka instead of cachaça. He explained it would make it harder to detect on your breath. Either way, they're very sweet and go down nicely.

Re: I drank every cocktail

#150

Post by SOLAR_FIELDS »

Barbing wrote: post #113
matsemann wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hehe. But where I'm from (Norway) it's only allowed to serve drinks with 40 cl (edit, I meant 4 cl heh) of liquor (with exceptions for international recognized cocktails). So if you were to get less ice you wouldn't get anything more for your money anyways. Except more soda water and a diluted taste.

>40 cl of liquor RIP all Norwegian drinkers [typo correction and conversion likely: 4 cl = 40 ml ≈ 1.35 fl oz]

Alcohol is insanely expensive in Norway. Not the place to be if you are a big drinker
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