Booze.

[Teleku]

Hmm, I've never actually tried Gin before.  I've pretty much heard nothing but bad things about it, even from the alcoholics in my family, so I never bothered with it.  Guess I'll give a gin martini (I've only ever had vodka martini's) a go.

On another note, I took a bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon with me to Norway and it was actually a big hit.  I got them all interested in Bourbon, wohoo  .  

Going to get a bottle for myself around the house to work on.  Think I'm going to grab a bottle of Highland Park to start working on as my starter scotch as well.

[Abagadro]

Hmm, I've never actually tried Gin before.  

In honor of the end of summer, I am currently on my fourth Blue Sapphire and tonic. You are missing out.

[Prospero]

Mmm, Tanqueray 10 is my current favorite gin. Last time I had Bombay Sapphire I felt like I was chewing on a pine tree, but I've had a lot more gin since then. It must be time for another try.  We're supposed to have a gin tasting at work sometime soon, so hopefully I can expand my horizons a bit. I keep meaning to try Hendricks.

[Abagadro]

I'm actually a fan of the more hearty gins, i.e. Beefeater, Sapphire, etc.  I like Tanqueray but it doesn't quite give me like nice herbal kick.

[taolurker]

1. Fuck Martinis, get a Gibson, or don't bother.

2. Tanquerey 10 = 

3. Gin is an acquired taste

4. I am seriously drunk, and can validate all three of the above + two long island ice teas.

[NowhereMan]

Michael Jackson has died.

LONDON, Sept. 2 (AP) — Michael Jackson, a leading beer critic who helped start a renaissance of interest in beer and breweries worldwide in the 1970s, was found dead on Thursday at his home in West London. He was 65.

You may know him from his television documentary “The Beer Hunter” or one of his many books. He was something of a pope to those who truly appreciate a decent brew.

His whisky tasting notes were some remarkable uses of adjectives. He'll be missed.

[Abagadro]

1. Fuck Martinis, get a Gibson, or don't bother.

 , a Gibson is a type of martini.

Anyways, I've never been a fan of the pickled onion. Give me a blue-cheese stuffed olive in my Martini and I will bow down before you.

[schild]

Give me a blue-cheese stuffed olive in my Martini and I will bow down before you.

This is the only way I drink my martinis and will not order them if it's not available.

[FatuousTwat]

Gin is pretty much the only thing I do drink. No one I know likes it, and makes some kind of comment when I order/drink it, which is fine (more for me).

[Khaldun]

I like Hendricks, by the by. Some people might not care for the more distinctive herbal tones in it.

[NowhereMan]

Gin is pretty much the only thing I do drink. No one I know likes it, and makes some kind of comment when I order/drink it, which is fine (more for me).

Traditionally it's a girl's drink. That said fuck anyone who gets between me and Bombay and Tonic.

[Sheepherder]

Gin is a girls drink?  The fuck?

[K9]

I'm actually a fan of the more hearty gins, i.e. Beefeater, Sapphire, etc.  I like Tanqueray but it doesn't quite give me like nice herbal kick.

I'm in this camp too, although I generally favour Sapphire over Beefeater. I find Tanqueray to be a bit meh, but maybe I should give it another go since it's been about a year.

I've been enjoying my way through a bottle of Whitley Neill recently, which has been well recieved too. It uses some unusual botanicals and has a slightly more forgiving and fruity aftertaste.



Also, I have several bottles of Sloe Gin made by my mother. Sloe Gin is a very unusual drink with a quintessentially British flavour. If you ever get offered some, I heartily commend you to try it, either neat, or mixed with ginger ale.

[stu]

Michael Jackson has died.

LONDON, Sept. 2 (AP) — Michael Jackson, a leading beer critic who helped start a renaissance of interest in beer and breweries worldwide in the 1970s, was found dead on Thursday at his home in West London. He was 65.

You may know him from his television documentary “The Beer Hunter” or one of his many books. He was something of a pope to those who truly appreciate a decent brew.

That sucks. I picked up one of his whiskey compendiums a couple years ago. Best $50 I ever spent on booze.

http://www.amazon.com/Whiskey-Definitive-World-Michael-Jackson/dp/0789497107

[Sky]

Our 90 retired librarian (who still volunteers twice a week and was still working part-time at 87 and is good with computers!) loves gin. She called her paycheck her gin money. We're having her 90th birthday party next week and laying bets on how many bottles of Sapphire she will get. At her retirement party she got a half-dozen. Great lady, WW2 navy broad.

Isn't that on Food TV now? I swear I saw ads for it recently.

fake edit: It's on FLN now.

New eps or reruns? What is FLN?

[Sheepherder]

Our 90 retired librarian (who still volunteers twice a week and was still working part-time at 87 and is good with computers!) loves gin. She called her paycheck her gin money.

Which means she's a classy lady, not that Gin is a women's drink.  I'd suspect your average lady would be put off by the dryness and bitterness of the botanicals.

Also: computers and gin, you should tap that shit.

[Evildrider]

Rollin' down the street, smoking endo, sipping on gin and juice.

[Prospero]

New eps or reruns? What is FLN?

New episodes. I have no idea what fucking station that is though; one of our random ass 500 cable stations I assume. According to wikipedia it's the Fine Living Network. They've done 4 new episodes so far.

[Evildrider]

New eps or reruns? What is FLN?

New episodes. I have no idea what fucking station that is though; one of our random ass 500 cable stations I assume. According to wikipedia it's the Fine Living Network. They've done 4 new episodes so far.

They are on Hulu.

[NowhereMan]

Just got a bottle of Talisker 10yr old. It's quite a nice whisky, somewhat peaty with a slight taste of the sea I guess I'd describe it. Seemed appropriate as I was up on Skye over the summer but didn't get a chance to visit the distillery. If you like your whiskies really peaty it might not satisfy that itch but if something like Laphroaig is just a bit too much you might really like it.

[Yegolev]

Laphroaig is not for beginners.  Or me.  It's fine at first but as soon as I swallow it I am assaulted by a foul taste.  I don't remember most of the other scotches I drank that night.

[Sky]

I guess I'm not the average beginner.

When I was up at the Inn at Long Trail, I sipped a couple Irish Whiskeys. If you're in the area or passing through, make sure to stop in, they've got a nice Irish Whiskey bar on rt 4 in Killington. Anyway, I don't really drink to inebriation, so I only sampled two: Power's and Tullamore Dew. Both were nice, but I think the Tullamore was a bit smoother.

Still going to replace the Laphroaig, it's the best liquor I've ever had (or can remember, anyway!). But I'll be replacing the Bushmills (an annual gift from a friend) with Tullamore.

Also, I finally learned where Oban got his username.

[Yegolev]

I might like it now that I know what to expect.  I'm going to have to get my game-face on first.

[Sky]

I'm almost glad I'm out right now. I also stopped by the Long Trail brewery (which is only minutes from the aforementioned whiskey bar) and picked up a couple brewmaster specials, tall bottles of Imperial Porter. Tastes great but the damned stuff is like eight and a half percent! Got talking to the manager, lamenting the lack of hefeweizen (unfiltered is not trendy now, apparently). Their summer beer is light but has some decent flavor (the pollenator). Just wish they'd make more Hef, for a couple summers they were making it and I was loading up on a couple cases when I'd make the pilgrimage. One of only two places I could reliably get it, and our local brewery hasn't been making it, either. Need to go hound them some, too.

The yeast should go in the bottle!

Anyway, with smoky stuff like the Imperial Porter, the Laphroaig is a nice follow-up. But I would've been smashed.

[ShenMolo]

Liquor 43

or

Barenjager

[trias_e]

My best beverage experience in the bay area thus far (only a few days):  Having Old Rasputin Imperial Stout on Nitro at Jupiter's in Berkeley the other day.  Fucking amazing. 

[Prospero]

  That is truly one of the best things in life.

I miss going to Jupiter's regularly. Many good times and tasty brews were had there.

[Yoru]

God yes. I long for some Old Rasputin. Warm, creamy and thick that stuff was. I used to buy it from the corner store quite regularly when I lived in SF.

I tried some Green Islands Stout a few weeks back; it's described as a "medium stout" from the Faeroe Islands. Tasted like someone took half a bottle of Guinness and cut it with seawater. Never drink Faeroese beer.

They've been selling Anchor Steam up here for the past month or so, which has been nice. I've been introducing the locals to it, and they're generally very positive despite it being a heavier, more flavorful beer than anything domestic. Liberty Ale has also gone over pretty well.

[Sky]

Speaking of bland, light beers. We've started hitting the local happy hour, because I can get a plate of 20 wings for four bucks and there are beer specials. Not that I swill the stuff, but it makes having a beer with dinner cheaper. The problem is their beer menu, which is nothing but bland shitty american brews, I made the mistake of asking what kind of beer they had, the poor waitress. Bud, Mich, Coors, Miller, etc and all their various bland subvarieties. Oh wait, they did have Molson Golden and Labatt Blue 

The worst part is that our local brewery actually rocks and has some great beers. Saranac Dark Forest ftw.

[Azaroth]

Gin is being discussed in this thread.

Do not drink gin.

[rattran]

Just wait a few months, and chew on your xmas tree. Then you'll know what drinking gin is like.

Dogfish Head Punk'n Ale is about, in small quantities. And the local grocery is not carrying Two Brothers 'Hop Juice'. These are good things.

[Teleku]

God yes. I long for some Old Rasputin. Warm, creamy and thick that stuff was. I used to buy it from the corner store quite regularly when I lived in SF.

I tried some Green Islands Stout a few weeks back; it's described as a "medium stout" from the Faeroe Islands. Tasted like someone took half a bottle of Guinness and cut it with seawater. Never drink Faeroese beer.

They've been selling Anchor Steam up here for the past month or so, which has been nice. I've been introducing the locals to it, and they're generally very positive despite it being a heavier, more flavorful beer than anything domestic. Liberty Ale has also gone over pretty well.

I sent some liberty ale to my Norwegian friends.  I think it scared them.   

And ditto on the praise for Old Rasputin.  I don't live far from Jupiter's, and always stop in there to try new beers and get the Old Rasputin on Nitro.

[Sheepherder]

The problem is their beer menu, which is nothing but bland shitty american brews, I made the mistake of asking what kind of beer they had, the poor waitress. Bud, Mich, Coors, Miller, etc and all their various bland subvarieties. Oh wait, they did have Molson Golden and Labatt Blue  

Rickard's Red and Carlson's Black Label are passably good products sold by Molson subsidiaries, considering they're brewed by a multinational.  Sleemam and/or Upper Canada Brewing Company (I've seen people say they are the same entity) both make nice beer that's pretty widely available in Ontario, in Manitoba the Fort Garry Brewing Company brews a very tasty dark ale, among other products I have not tried.  In the states Anheuser-Busch sells Michelob Amberbock, which is also decent.  I'd direct you to websites that rate beer, but those are so full of effetes that complain about the way the beer looks and the residue it leaves on the glass to the point where I want to choke the fucking life out of every single one of them.  Long story short: major brewers are skilled at making good beer, they just don't want to.

Also, everyone dissing Gin in this thread is off my Christmas card list.  I have established over the course of a weekend with the help of a wedding with an open bar that Tanqueray and tonic is, in fact, an excellent and tasty way to get tipsy.

[Sky]

Long story short: major brewers are skilled at making good beer, they just don't want to.

Right. Doesn't mean this bar will ever carry the decent varieties. And it's funny to watch people stop and think when they order a beer, I just pretend they're like me and stunned by the lack of real options and not actually considering which one they like best.  And as I said, they don't carry the local goddamned brewery. If they didn't have good wings I'd never bother with them.

Another layer of suck is it was a local hangout back in the band days, we'd shut it down at 2am and lock up and have private parties there. If only the current 'family' patronage knew what those walls knew...

[ghost]

Can anyone verify whether gin is gluten free or not?  With  my celiac I can pretty much rule out most alcohols, except for wine, tequila, some vodkas, etc.