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 KingCracker wrote:
Ooooh That'd be out of my price range lol. I'm sure it's good though. I had an uncle that said he had a $300 bottle of scotch once from a friend and he said it was amazing....... Basically I'm too broke to afford the heavenly bottles

I am generally in that same boat, however I still have some of the 200+ dollar bottles of scotch. The "cheap" stuff is more for the "nightly" drink, while the expensive stuff is brought out for special occasions (even if it's not shared)

 Carlson793 wrote:
Try some mead. Preferably home brewed (much better flavor, assuming they don't use a champaign yeast), but Chaucers is a pretty good mass produced one.

For extra old school, get a good horn to drink from (and remember: hold like a bow or get a schnoz full of mead).

CAREFUL! I bought an $800 silk belly dancing outfit for a lady who later nefariously used it to get me to say yes because of mead!

 filbert wrote:

 Manchu wrote:

 filbert wrote:
I am partial to Hendricks Gin - it is very tasty and unlike most commercial gins.

Garnish with fresh cucumber! Love this stuff; unfortunately, OP ruled out clear liquor.

Boo! Who gives a toss what colour it is?

Also, the Absolut flavours are good too - Citron and Mandarin.

Not to harp on the clear liquors, but if you want to try a gin, Hendricks is a good place to start. It is far more smooth and mild then some of the others. If your only exposure to gin was something like Tanqueray, which tastes like a paint stripper, I could see where you might swear off the whole lot of them. I’ve heard people (and by that I mean my dad) complain that Hendricks is not “gin-y” enough, it’s that mild. If you want to try something a little more in the middle of the spectrum of gins, I’d suggest a beefeater or bombay sapphire. I know this thread is focusing on non-clear, but if you want to be classy and civilized, gin is where it it at.

On the topic of rums, another decent one is Gosling’s black seal. It’s the official rum for making dark & stomies, one of my favorite drinks. Like a rum & coke, but with ginger beer.

 gunslingerpro wrote:

 Evil Lamp 6 wrote:
I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet, but Johnnie Walker Green Label is quite smooth and only about 60-70USD for 750ml.

It's also hard to find. Then again, after being treated to Blue Label, I'm ruined for anything less from Johnny Walker.

I realize it has been discontinued, but a quick search on the internet found 3 places within 10 miles of my home that still have it in stock, and for cheaper too. I've not tried the Gold or whatever is the next step up from Green but still lower than Blue, but it may be worth a try and only about 70-80USD.

Blue Label is awesome, but way too pricey. For what you would pay for a bottle of Blue Label, I know you could get a "better" brand than Johnnie Walker.

Or a damn fine Single Malt

 cincydooley wrote:
Or a damn fine Single Malt

Heresy!

*grumble grumble* damn kids and their fashionable single malts *grumble grumble*

Why no shout outs for a decent port?

Wares or Taylors are pretty awesome. 5 or 10 year old is best, offering a rich, rounded sip.

What about Brandy as well?

I will add my voice for Captain Morgan

A lot of you all need to go out and "experiment" outside your bottle

See that's why I asked here. I'm not a drinker at all and all my knowledge in spirits is nil.


And DAKKA is full of drunks

 KingCracker wrote:

And DAKKA is full of drunks

word

Whoa...... i just realized I've been on DAKKA for 6 years this month. Time to celebrate?

Yes, by sippin' on sum Hennessy.

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

 reds8n wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvados

Oh yes, I vouch for this too

 reds8n wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvados

You can drink it and the damn stuff is gods own pork condiment.

In fact, you could probably put it on anything and the taste would be exceptional.

My personal taste runs to Malt Whisky from any of the island distilleries that have plenty of peat/iodine flavour but they can be a very acquired taster

(Talisker, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Port Ellen, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Bowmore, Jura, Oban and Highland Park)

but a very smooth, very dinkable whisky is Dalwhinnie



heather honey and vanilla notes, spices and grass tend to turn up in the tasting notes,

it's got pretty good availability over here in the UK so hopefully it should be around in the US too

If you're married and have a gun in the house, I'd stay away from hard liquor all together. Go with wine. The old lady can have some and you probably won't want to shoot her after a drink or two.

I know we bashed on some Jaegermeister earlier ... but I prefer my Jaeger mixed with Root Beer (IBC being the go to). I call it JaegerBeer and it's amazing.

My father has been a great fan of this whiskey ever since we lived in Scotland:

http://www.bennevisdistillery.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=188

Jaeger and root beer? Damn...thats an odd combination.

Not like Jaeger and Red Bull wasn't...but...root beer?! Really?!

Now I need to try that...

Since no one has mentioned cachaça, I will.

Seriously, that gak is magic, especially if you happen to be a fan of rum. Just pour a little over ice and splash in some lime juice.

I'd second what Dogma said, the Caipirinha is an awesome drink.

My go to suggestion is a Manhattan. Take your choice of bourbon or whiskey and go for it. I usually mix:

1 part whiskey
1 part sweet vermouth
dash of angosutra bitters
shake with ice and serve straight up or on the rocks
cherry to garnish

If adventurous...
... the whiskey can be swapped with an Irish, Canadian or Scotch whisky. A Scotch based Manhattan is a Rob Roy.
... the vermouth can be dry, but this can be harsh.
... the bitters can be played around with. I like orange bitters as well.
... if "on the rocks" try to do a single larger cube as if you're mellowing a whiskey.
... goes well with cigars, if you're into that.

 reiner wrote:
My go to suggestion is a Manhattan. Take your choice of bourbon or whiskey and go for it. I usually mix:

1 part whiskey
1 part sweet vermouth
dash of angosutra bitters
shake with ice and serve straight up or on the rocks
cherry to garnish

If adventurous...
... the whiskey can be swapped with an Irish, Canadian or Scotch whisky. A Scotch based Manhattan is a Rob Roy.
... the vermouth can be dry, but this can be harsh.
... the bitters can be played around with. I like orange bitters as well.
... if "on the rocks" try to do a single larger cube as if you're mellowing a whiskey.
... goes well with cigars, if you're into that.

One of my worst drinking experiences was with Manhattans. New Year’s day dinner with the In-laws and cousins, having a few drinks beforehand. I assumed due to the size of the glasses they were served in there was some sort of mixer in there. Nope, just a tumbler full of booze. One of three times in my life I was so drunk I threw up. Never touch the things again,

Whisky.
The Balvenie, doublewood, 12 yrs on a budget, portwood 21 years if splashing.

Port.
Personally I think tawny is totally overrated, stick with a good ruby. Taylors is a good label, Grahams is ok, avoid Cockburns, it's gak.

Brandy.
I prefer Armagnac to Cognac, specifically the Folle Blanche grape, something in it's mid 20s. Since that's going to buy you a large forgeworld kit, perhaps a late teens.

Rum.
I'm not really a rum drinker, I am told Appleton Estate is a very good brand.

Should you decide to stock clear spirits for guests or try some out,

Gin.
Hendricks is excellent, Bombay Sapphire is a close second, most other stuff is not good. Cheap gin is terrible stuff, quality gin is excellent.

 Nevelon wrote:
One of my worst drinking experiences was with Manhattans. New Year’s day dinner with the In-laws and cousins, having a few drinks beforehand. I assumed due to the size of the glasses they were served in there was some sort of mixer in there. Nope, just a tumbler full of booze. One of three times in my life I was so drunk I threw up. Never touch the things again,

I can understand. I warn people that I mix for that it's straight up booze and only slightly less alcoholic than the base whiskey. Some listen, some do not...

On another note, I've learned how to make a cool non-whiskey drink that's a bit more complex, but an excellent sipping drink.

Old Oaxacan
1.5 oz mezcal
1.5 oz simple syrup
0.5 oz lime juice
dash of angosutra or peychaud bitters
shake with ice
muddle 2-3 mint leaves into a cocktail glass (optional)
3 oz champagne into cocktail glass, straight up
pour mix over champagne, straight up
garnish with lime wheel/wedge

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
Whisky.
The Balvenie, doublewood, 12 yrs on a budget, portwood 21 years if splashing.

Oh god this stuff is so good.