drinks for men of taste and distinction

For general rambling.
Jonathan
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Post by Jonathan »

Red Breast is another fine Irish whiskey, and Tullamore Dew is pretty good for being as cheap as it is.

I need to get my hands on the Hogshead whiskey (apparently only available at McMenamins) again. It is not bourbon nor Irish nor Scotch nor Canadian but its own unique style. I really like it.

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Post by Vyrosama »

When I goto Prague I'm going to try some Bohemian style Absinth :twisted:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

anyone try it before?

Jonathan
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

There's a couple of local absinthe distillers in Portland. I've had it. It wasn't my cup of tea.

Friend of mine fetched me a bottle of Hogshead. I was prepared for it to be significantly less good than I had remembered and written down, but it was just as good as I had hoped.

There's an Oregon company selling a potato vodka made from Idaho spuds called Spudka. It is very cheap but surprisingly drinkable straight from the freezer. I am a little curious if there are high-end potato vodkas; most premium vodkas seem to be distilled from grain. I think I prefer that potato oiliness.

It is amazing how extremely cheap Bacardi 8 is; there's no reason to drink the non-aged stuff unless you're making mojitos. Gosling Black Seal is another good dark rum.

Nowadays, if I'm out at a bar, I get a gin and tonic. It's practically the definition of the manly cocktail you should drink if you want to be cheap.

I also like a vodka martini with a twist, usually Belvedere. This is not cheap.

I find I am incapable of mixing a drink in the house unless we have Cointreau available, so there's a point to liqueur after all.

We went on our first distillery tour a few days after the fourth or fifth brewery tour. Clear Creek distillery produces various brandies (mostly eau de vie, but a cognac-style, a ton of grappa, and exactly one whiskey) and some fruit liqueurs. And man, they will give you a sample of anything you want for free after the tour. Anyhoo, if you are in the mood for a pear brandy or a barrel-aged apple brandy (good for sipping), Clear Creek has your back.

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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by quantus »

Jonathan wrote:It is amazing how extremely cheap Bacardi 8 is; there's no reason to drink the non-aged stuff unless you're making mojitos. Gosling Black Seal is another good dark rum.
Totally. You can get away with a regular spiced rum if you're drinking a rum and coke, but I prefer at least Bacardi Select if there's no 8 anno around.
Jonathan wrote:Nowadays, if I'm out at a bar, I get a gin and tonic. It's practically the definition of the manly cocktail you should drink if you want to be cheap.
Eh, I stick with rum and coke. It's been a while since I tried a gin and tonic though so maybe I'll try that again next time.
Jonathan wrote:I find I am incapable of mixing a drink in the house unless we have Cointreau available, so there's a point to liqueur after all.
How's Amber at mixing drinks? LM is pretty good, and usually does the drink making at our house parties or when she's at conventions. Beware our drink fountain as it usually contains yummy, but surprisingly powerful drinks.
Jonathan wrote:We went on our first distillery tour a few days after the fourth or fifth brewery tour. Clear Creek distillery produces various brandies (mostly eau de vie, but a cognac-style, a ton of grappa, and exactly one whiskey) and some fruit liqueurs. And man, they will give you a sample of anything you want for free after the tour. Anyhoo, if you are in the mood for a pear brandy or a barrel-aged apple brandy (good for sipping), Clear Creek has your back.
I've done plenty of wine tastings at this point, a couple of brewery tastings (not really my thing) and one sake tasting. I was gonna say that I've never been to a distillery, but then I remembered that I've been to the Bacardi factory in Puerto Rico where I was introduced to Bacardi Select and 8 anno as well as several of their flavored rums. I wonder if BevMo carries Clear Creek...
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Jonathan
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

Amber cooks. She does not tend bar.

Beer wise, I only enjoy very malty heavy beers. You can taste quite a few different styles of beer and not get anything like that. Fortunately for me it's practically the official Oregon style (though we do brew quite a few IPAs I can't take, too). Also, whatever the hell Martin drinks is just terrible. If that's beer geek beer then I don't wanna be a beer geek.

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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Dave »

I like Appletinis. They are green and taste like apple.

Actually I've been trying to drink some red wine because its supposed to help cholesterol. Clearly a good idea.
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by quantus »

Plenty of wine to drink at my apartment... Speaking of which, we haven't really been having any lately and really should be drinking more before our next wine club shipments come in. We're members of 3 different wineries since last Aug. One of them makes kosher wines Dave.
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Dave »

Did you just call me a jew?
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

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Jonathan
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

Dave wrote:I like Appletinis. They are green and taste like apple.
Here's a brief list of drinks I enjoy which in are no way, shape, or form manly:
*Brightly colored margaritas of the wacky fruit variety
*Everything ever served with a sugared rim in a martini glass
*Mai Tais
*Anything served in a fishbowl
*Anything that comes with a reasonably large pile of fruit that isn't based on banana or cranberry or grapefruit
*Hard lemonade and other pseudobeer (ZIMA)

This thread is about manly drinks, but it is useful to discuss the corner cases in order to further delineate the boundaries of what is and what is not considered manly. Certain red wines are manly, I think. Blush or rose would not be.

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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by quantus »

I'd say that pretty much all red wines are manly. I'd include ports as well since they tend toward being like brandy. I'd agree with you on definitely not including anything resembling a blush wine, sparkling or otherwise. White wines are fine at dinner, but not really at a bar. Champagne/sparkling white wine would generally be non-manly unless the occasion requires it, like an anniversary or New Years.

I think we need a venn diagram of all this at some point for quick reference! Here's a good example.
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Jonathan
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

I bought my friend a bottle of Macallan Cask Strength for Christmas after extensive research. It's a full bodied whisky that doesn't bring the peat or the fire, which both of us can get behind. Regular Macallan is good, too, but the cask strength is extra-tasty. A splash of water really does make all the difference. I have not had the pleasure of the more expensive Macallan bottlings, but I suspect they'd be more than worthwhile.

I find it amusing that I boiled down my absinthe experience to, "I've had it." Actually what I did was order a flight of absinthe, expecting sort of a taste of each variety which amounted to a full drink or a little extra. Instead I got three full servings, which I downed by myself after some initial pussying around. I gotta say, without the poison, modern absinthe's really just another liqueur.

Jonathan
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

I find essentially everything I have posted in this thread to date to be absurd. In 2012, here is where I am at:
Scotch: single malt. Preferably Lagavulin (this was my divorce whisky.) Auchentoshan 18. Glenlivet, but not Glenfiddich. Macallan.
Port: Tawny 10 year, preferably.
Tequila: Corzo Blanco. Don Julio Añejo. If you are going to mix margaritas, then Sauza Hornitos.
Red wine: Côtes du Rhône AOC. Cabernet Sauvignon. Chianti. Bordeaux is overrated.
Sparkling wine: Prosecco. Champagne is overrated.
Cocktails: I find myself ordering a brandy old-fashioned more and more (I get Clear Creek pear but it may not be available in your area). I will let stand what I said earlier about gin & tonic and a Belvedere martini with a twist. I order a g&t if I want something cheap. If I just want a quick drink, though, I usually order a Jameson, neat.

Jonathan
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

Beer: Needs either a dark roasted malt or a hoppy note. I usually order pale ales or Scottish ales- I am partial to Mirror Pond and Fearless, but there are many good options. I actually rather enjoy an I.P.A. now and again, which is a 100% reversal from what I used to drink. I no longer drink ambers or reds. A porter or stout, particularly a chocolate stout, really hits the spot during those dark Oregon winters.

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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

Only very rarely does my mood factor into my drink choice. Usually, the venue determines the drink. Dancing, I always get a Jameson neat. At a dive bar, I always get a gin & tonic. If the bartender knows what he is doing, I will get a specialty cocktail or an old-fashioned.

Jason
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jason »

I've been drinking bourbon more so now. Blanton's is the best, all the others kind of suck.

Jonathan
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

I have been ransacking my memory, but I cannot recall ever drinking with Jason. This must not stand. We need a bottle of Blanton's, a bottle of Lagavulin, and, like, a fire.

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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jason »

lol. I think it's because most of us didn't drink during college.

How about this, first round is on me at alan's wedding? Oh wait, guess all rounds are on alan. 8)
Maybe someday before or after.

Jonathan
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

Deal.

Jonathan
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Re: drinks for men of taste and distinction

Post by Jonathan »

Insufficient fire. Start over from the beginning.

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