The Liquor Thread

[Bakemaster]

Further exploration has revealed that Gosling's Black Seal makes a very nice rum and coke.

[clintonius]

Oh god yes, yes it does.

So I picked up a couple bottles of things recently that I don't really know what to do with -- two types of Triple Eight vodka. One is made from cranberries and a bit of infused lemon zest (not discernable, at least when consumed straight); the other is an orange zest vodka. The former tastes a bit medicinal, but the orange one is very mild and tasty. I've been thinking of using the orange for a variation of a vesper-like martini. Other than that, I'm at a loss. Suggestions?

[Mr. Mack]

Well, clearly you need to make the single greatest screwdriver ever, if you haven't already. Outside of that, here are some recipes for cranberry and here are some for orange. Although for the orange you'll probably need to do an advanced search to narrow your options.

Outside of that, maybe they'll work well with flavored energy drinks. Full Throttle Fury is pretty tasty and would probably work well with the orange vodka. The cranberry might be a little more difficult, maybe Rockstar Juiced or Pomegranate?
Something else that may, or may not, work is to add some to hot chocolate. I used to add triple sec to hot chocolate, but that was always in addition to tequila, so I couldn't say how flavored vodka would work on its own.

[Dream]

Orange zest vodka. I order you to put that in a chocolate dessert, in enormous quantities.

[Matt]

I honestly don't know what to do with palatable orange-flavored vodka besides use it in place of triple sec. There was this one brand called Orange V, and that's all I used it for.

I'm still not sure whether I like Goslings, Myers' or Black Strap best.

[Azrael]

I'll add Appleton Extra (12 year, Jamaican) and Lemon Hart Demerara (Guyana, turbinado sugar). To that list, most for comparison purposes, 'cause they aren't as molasses heavy.

[Scaredcrow]

Triple Eight's straight vodka is pretty good. If you want a great tasting flavored vodka that doesn't taste medicinal, try Effen Black Cherry.

[Mr. Mack]

After some serious soul searching, I've decided that today sucked and I'd rather drink myself blind than continue to think about it. So I'm going to head down to the liquor store in a few hours (2-ish) and buy something, but I don't know what yet. I thought I might ask if anybody had some suggestions. I'm really just looking for something I can afford and isn't vodka. I have a list drawn up, but I wanted some input from people that aren't me. Any thoughts?

[Dream]

Potato Vodka! It's awesome and smooth as. Also, Sherry!

[Azrael]

Ridgemont Reserve 1792 bourbon ($20 / 750ml) -- drink it on the rocks. It's my favorite "affordable" bourbon and stands up to $40 bottles, in my opinion. And I have some serious opinions on bourbon.

Lemon Hart Demerara Rum ($16) -- add ginger ale & ice.

Larid's Applejack ($14) -- make sure to buy apple cider on your way home, rocks. Or make a Marconi Wireless w/ sweet vermouth & orange bitters [1 1/2 oz applejack; 3/4 oz sweet vermouth; 2 dashes orange bitters; shake & strain]

[the_stabbage]

Tried a Lagavulin 16 yr, since I hear Islay malts are a love/hate thing. I really liked it! Scotch is getting to be my thing... unfortunately for my wallet. It's great for nursing for 2 hours if you're the designated driver, though. Plus 1oz. of liquor has less alcohol than a beer.

[Mr. Mack]

Currently I'm planing to review Old Overholt Rye post-finals, and maybe a review of W.L. Weller's if I have any left. Oh, and stuff that's awful and/or popular.

Oh fantastic, I have a half-finished bottle of each of those. We can compare notes.

Man, that seems like forever ago, largely because I'm confused by this whole "time" concept. I finally got around to writing up some tasting notes. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

Spoiler:

*Hey look!*
Sort of a light amber/orange. It makes me think "orange flavored caramel." I have no idea whether or not such a thing exists.

*sniff*sniff*
Sweet fruity vanilla, Batman! The fruit in question makes me think of cherry, just a tidbit.
Oak, toasted grains, charcoal, caramel. I can't remember the last time I had a whiskey that reminded me so much of candy. Although surprisingly burny, this smells really good.

*drip*drip*sniff*sniff*
Wheat, sort of a musty wheat. Sweeter and fruitier now. Burns a lot less, but mostly the same.
Wait, there's a hint of acetate.

*sip*sip*
Sweet caramel. Toasted grains, charcoal, and oak. Kind of subtle. Some fruitiness.
The finish is good, very fruity, but surprisingly short. I'm surprised.
Surprising bourbon is surprising.

*drip*drip*sip*sip*
Less sweet but more vanilla. Sort of a pleasant charcoal flavor in the finish. The finish also seems longer, but it's probably just an illusion.
Musty wheat. Pepper.

*Poke it with a stick!*
This should be smoother. It really should. When smelling it the burn keeps making me sneeze for some reason. Strange things. The burn seems so out of place in a 7 year old bourbon that's great in so many other ways.

I liked it a lot. Flavor wise I'd say it's a burnier Maker's Mark. Price wise it's in the same range as Wild Turkey, so I think it's better for mixing than WT, and overall is very good.

Edit: I just bought a bottle of Old Overholt, I'm trying it now. So far I'm pretty fond of it.

[Bakemaster]

We saw a jar of Georgia Moon on the shelf at the liquor store today, but were not in an adventurous enough mood. Perhaps next time.

[|Erasmus|]

I am actually rather disappointed with the bottle of Bombay Sapphire I bought the other day. It's quite good, but not really worth the $15(Australian, for the record) more than the cheaper stuff.

I think I will try and pick up some Plymouth stuff in the duty-free shops when I go overseas next month. I've heard good things about that, too, and the duty-free prices mean it's even cheaper than everything in the bottle shop I was in yesterday.

[Dream]

I am actually rather disappointed with the bottle of Bombay Sapphire I bought the other day. It's quite good, but not really worth the $15(Australian, for the record) more than the cheaper stuff.

Look for Xoriguer gin, from Menorca. It's imported into Australia by a distributor in Melbourne, so I'm not sure what availability is like in Sydney, but it's smashing stuff. We do it at $68, which isn't cheap, but is well worth it. Alternatively, Tanqueray is far better than Bombay, and is about the same price. Certainly try that over Plymouth, which is really good, but not great.

[Mr. Mack]

I remember trying Bombay Sapphire sometime back and being pretty unimpressed with it.

So, did anyone try anything new and interesting during Christmas or whatever holiday just happened?

[|Erasmus|]

I am actually rather disappointed with the bottle of Bombay Sapphire I bought the other day. It's quite good, but not really worth the $15(Australian, for the record) more than the cheaper stuff.

Look for Xoriguer gin, from Menorca. It's imported into Australia by a distributor in Melbourne, so I'm not sure what availability is like in Sydney, but it's smashing stuff. We do it at $68, which isn't cheap, but is well worth it. Alternatively, Tanqueray is far better than Bombay, and is about the same price. Certainly try that over Plymouth, which is really good, but not great.

They had a bottle of Tanqueray at the same price, but I had not really heard anything about it, so I went with the Bombay Sapphire. Next time...

[3fj]

So, did anyone try anything new and interesting during Christmas or whatever holiday just happened?

Ive recently converted to Rum from the Mac of the spirits world; Jack Daniels.

[clintonius]

Ooh, how'd that happen? What rum?

[sophyturtle]

Sorry to jump in, but I have a liquor related question.

Spoiler:

I am having a party tonight. For it, I want to make sure I have at least one bottle of: vodka, gin, and rum. I thought I had rum, but it turns out my roommate has been thirsty.
While I know better vodkas and some better gins, I was looking for decent quality that will not break more than $100 for all three.
I will be doing my research around in the thread, but if anyone had suggestions I would love to hear them.

Oh! And Brandy? it is for the cider (cider/brandy/butterscotch schnapps in some combination I should write down next time I talk to scaredcrow). All of this would be easier if he were around tonight...

Thanks and/or carry on.

[MotorToad]

I'm no connoisseur of rum by any means, but Bacardi Select is my favorite by a large margin. It's also cheap. It mixes well with Coke and it's one of the very few rums that I like to drink on its own.

[clintonius]

Bacardi in general is not so good, but Select does the job quite nicely if all you're doing is mixing with coke. However, considering the crowd you'll be entertaining, I'd recommend you hit up Azrael for suggestions. Alternately, just snag a bottle of Hurricane rum. I think he mentioned it can be had for $20-something in the Boston aread.

[sophyturtle]

Thanks.

I am bad with the memory, but am somewhat picky about my booze (as are my guests...) so it can be tricky.
example: I love vodka, but have not been able to stomach the cheaper stuff (Smirnoff, etc.) since I was 14. 11 years of drinking gives one good taste, but has done nothing for my memory.

SO far I was thinking
Rum: Myer's Dark or Gosling's Black Seal. I will add Hurricane
Vodka: Skyy or Absolute. I really would prefer Grey Goose or Triple 8, but kind of expensive for a party.
Gin: Bombay Sapphire or Beefeater.

Other things I already have:
Tequila: 1800 Reposado, and Reposado and Anejo by Milagro (but not too much of any of them, oh! I have a little sampler too but I doubt it will come to that)
Gin: splash of Beefeater
Vodka: splash of Bison Grass Vodka
Other: Parton Citronge, Buttershots, Taylor Fladgate 10 year old Tawny Porto, Warre's King's Tawny Porto, Ardbeg single Islay malt Scotch Whisky (10 years old), dry vermouth, and pomegranate martini mixer. (I am surprised to find the Sherry bottle empty, since I cannot think of anyone who really likes sherry but would be embarrassed to say they killed the bottle...)
And cola and cranberry Juice and apple cider. I am getting more tonic, since I only have a splash of that left too.
(splash= less than 4 ounces)

Once I get more vodka, gin, and rum am I missing anything?

[PictureSarah]

Not that I'll be there, but let the record show that I wholeheartedly approve of Beefeater for the gin choice, and am not really a fan of the Gosling's rum. Meyers is significantly tastier.

[clintonius]

And for my dos centavos, I'd go with Skyy vodka and Tanqueray for the gin.

[Amarantha]

My default for London gin is the Tanqueray, but I also have a bottle of Plymouth that I use for more delicate gin cocktails (like Aviations - I finally acquired some violet liqueur) as it's a little more subtle than the Londons. When I have some spare cash at a bottle shop, I'm thinking of getting some Hendricks, just for a change.

Someone gave us a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail for a wedding present. We agree wholeheartedly with the Whisky of the Year award. It's not only delicious; it's also the most amazingly complex and interesting whisky we've ever had. We're still working on figuring out everything that's going on in there. We also scored a bottle of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, which is also incredibly interesting but inna completely different way. The colour alone would make you wonder if it's really whisky, until you smell/taste it.

Pyrat XO is finally available in Melbourne again - sheol was over the moon. It's kind of tangy on the attack, but somehow balances out to be a very smooth drink overall. Worth the wait of almost a year while the new distributors got things sorted. Shortly after that we got hold of some Angostura 1824 (yet another wedding present - our friends know us very well), which is just as lovely. More challenging than the Pyrat, but also more intelligent somehow. Less smoothness, but justified by higher complexity. Man, we've just got a whisky or rum for any given mood right now

Dream, I get the impression that you work at a Melbourne bottle shop. In which case, you are my hero If it's a specialist one, you've possibly sold me cool drinkables on one occasion or another. I'm always going from one of my niche suppliers to another seeking out some rare and special import. In fact, it's not just the small shops; I must confess I buy a fair whack of stuff from the mega chain stores too. *bes a lush*

[|Erasmus|]

Sounds like I should have asked around here before getting that bottle of Gin. I will definitely go with Tanqueray next time.

[Azrael]

However, considering the crowd you'll be entertaining, I'd recommend you hit up Azrael for suggestions.

I'm late, but:

Beefeater
Skyy
Mt. Gay Eclipse or Appleton Special.
[Hurricane is great, but hard to find. I use Meyers for baking and Goslings only with ginger beer.]
Laird's Applejack (apple brandy) for the cider

You could probably buy 1.75s of the first two, plus a 750 of the rum & brandy for <$100

[3fj]

Ooh, how'd that happen? What rum?

The bar i frequent ran out of JD one night and a friend of mine demanded that i try Sailor Jerrys. The stuff is amazing, especially with lime.

However, the stuff is expensive and i'm student; so my usual drink is Captain Morgans or OVD.

[MotorToad]

Erm, Sailor Jerry is a knock-off of Cap't Morgan. (Or so I thought, it's cheap as hell here.) It's also, IMesHO, horrible. But I'm not a rum guy, the stuff could be gold-level amazing for rum people.

[clintonius]

So I just picked up a bottle of seven-star Metaxa, and I'm intrigued. Anybody have experience with this stuff?

[3fj]

Erm, Sailor Jerry is a knock-off of Cap't Morgan. (Or so I thought, it's cheap as hell here.) It's also, IMesHO, horrible. But I'm not a rum guy, the stuff could be gold-level amazing for rum people.

Really? Here the stuff is £12 odd for 70cl, whereas Sailor Jerrys can be anywhere up to £20.
I take it your from the other side of the pond to me?

As for the taste, when mixed with coke and without lime it tastes like milkbottles (as exclaimed by my rather drunken geordie flatmate)

[MotorToad]

Yes, I didn't notice your location before.

I wouldn't let a bottle of rum in my house if I lived in Scotland.

[3fj]

Yes, I didn't notice your location before.

I wouldn't let a bottle of rum in my house if I lived in Scotland.

Haha, Good Whisky costs alot, and the cheep stuff tastes of turps. Me and both my flatmates chip in for a good bottle once a year (St. Andrews day).

[segmentation fault]

why is it that i have never put baileys in my coffee until now?

[Dream]

So I just picked up a bottle of seven-star Metaxa, and I'm intrigued. Anybody have experience with this stuff?

Not other than selling it to Greek people. It's brandy, and that's all I know. Review?

[3fj]

why is it that i have never put baileys in my coffee until now?

I dunno, but have you tried putting either of the flavoured ones in? (Mint and caramel are both available/excelent)

[clintonius]

So I just picked up a bottle of seven-star Metaxa, and I'm intrigued. Anybody have experience with this stuff?

Not other than selling it to Greek people. It's brandy, and that's all I know. Review?

I have very little experience with brandy, and I think I'll try another type before I say too much. To me this stuff tasted very heavily of chocolate.

[Matt]

Brandy as a spirit still generally eludes me.

[MotorToad]

In my limited experience, brandy is worse than Scotch on the cost-to-attain-quality scale. Don't judge it on the taste of what you can afford. Just hope that some time in your life you meet someone who's developed a pricey taste for it and sample his.