World, Writing, Wealth discussion

A shot of vodka with a pickle to back it up, what can possible beat it for a quick drink? But then sipping on good whisk(e)y has it's own charm, excellent for a 'slow' one.
Yeah, it's sort of like AK-47 vs M-16 -:)

What's your choice though?

I'm not much of a drinker. Most booze taste like medicine to me. I've never acquired the taste for whiskey or vodka or gin or other hard alcohols. On occasion, I'll drink a schnapps if the meal I eat is too heavy. But, I do drink wine everyday and beer on hot days.

I don't like to drink just any wine or any beer. The wine has to be fruity and above all smooth, have a body, and a aromatic aroma--a good dry wine makes a good meal. Some of the best wines come out of the Franconia district of German that should be imported, but don't. A good French wine is always good. They know how to make wine.

Beer has to be natural, turbid. A commercial beer I drink most often is Weltenburger Kloster 1050. It's a beer produced by an Abby. It's also the oldest producing beer. It's also a nice place to visit, drink, and eat a good Bavarian hearty meal. Afterwards, have some Heiligengeist (Holy Spirt) schnapps after the meal. It's mmmm-good.

But, some of the local breweries have very good natural turbid beer, too. I like turbid beer. It has a full body texture and flavor and very fine effervescence. It's the way beer should be.

GR wrote: "I'm not much of a drinker. Most booze taste like medicine to me. I've never acquired the taste for whiskey or vodka or gin or other hard alcohols. On occasion, I'll drink a schnapps if the meal I e..."

An enticing post, GR, almost got me looking for flight quotes for a quick tour to Germany-:)
Viva wine, beer and schnapps!

Bravo! Wait 'til this summer. It's cold right now.

OK -:)

Although we don't have a definitive answer here, we still need to continue our quest for truth. So, vodka or whisky?

WHISKY!!!

Vodka in summer. It mixes better with cooling drinks. Such as lemonade, lime vodka and squirt, etc.
Whiskey in the colder months. Mix with coke or on the rocks. Hate to sound like I am on the fence on it, but thats when and how I drink it.

Welcome Constanze and Tziggy!
I knew good old booze should bring more people out of the shadows -:)
Still need few more feedbacks for statistically meaningful results

I need a clarification here. Are we including scotch in the Whiskey category? Normally whiskey means a rye based product not scotch but I have to check because my answer changes accordingly...

Always considered scotch as whisky. If anything viewed bourbon as something more independent. But would appreciate other opinions.
With vodka too the source product differs: wheat or barley - for Russians, while potatoes - for Polish, for example, but still goes under the same name

Vince wrote: "Normally whiskey means a rye based product not scotch"

Afraid I have to disagree with that statement. It might be what comes to mind to an American, but when someone mentions whisk(e)y I immediately think of Scotch first, then Irish. Rye whiskey doesn't even cross my mind until I'm reminded that there's a whole variety out there.

Must be an American thing, as you say. Over here you would never refer to Scotch as "whiskey"....that said my vote is for Vodka in the summer and a nice Single malt scotch with 2 ice cubes in the winter.

To me vodka is the basis for mixed drinks and whiskey is for sipping. For people in the US, I think the real question is: Irish whiskey, Scotch, blended Canadian or Kentucky bourbon?

I drink a shot of Jameson's every April on the anniversary of Margaret Thatcher's death, but other than that, I don't really drink. Given my choice, I would go with tequila shots, no salt, no lime, and an ice water chaser.

I agree with Holly for the most part. In the US it's bourbon, scotch, Irish Whiskey or Canadian blends but if you order "whiskey" in any bar over here you are getting Canadian blended rye unless you say otherwise. The low rent version is Four Roses. The norm is Canadian Club or Seagrams
The steps up are Seagrams VO or Crown Royal.

In my usual controversial way, I think the choice is too narrow. I prefer whisky (single malt, with, for health reasons and/or for work reasons so I say, from Islay) but hold on. I also like a fine cognac, which seems to have been overlooked. And for all those who want to add stuff to vodka, what about the dreaded gin and tonic, which really is quite refreshing?

Yeah, if anyone feels that grappa, slivovitz, sake or anything else form a solid challenge, please don't hesitate to give them your vote -:)

Alright then Nik...if we are expanding our cabinet, when dining out at a nice restaurant in the summer I invariably drink Campari and Soda, sweet and tart at the same time and quite refreshing!

Never been much of a spirits drinker. Ever since my first real hangover was after drinking Scotch, I rarely touch it. In my drinking days (several decades ago) if I was pressed I'd go for Irish (something like Jameson's) or rum. Never vodka. That never tempted me.

I have been known to enjoy the odd Schnapps (the proper Bavarian stuff) and recently got introduced to tequila (the proper Mexican stuff) - both to be knocked back in one, not sipped.

For the most part, though, I stick to beer and wine. Usually not in the same glass.

I'm happy to see new people here. Gives new meaning to spirituality :)

My regular dilemma, btw, for one of the weekend's evenings :)
How do you solve it?

I will solve it for you! lol. Vodka and cranberry on the rocks!! :)

Marie wrote: "I will solve it for you! lol. Vodka and cranberry on the rocks!! :)"

Thnx, Marie! I love your solution and looking forward to dedicate it a gala-evening :)

This is easy, Scotch or Bourbon, straight. Never ice. Vodka only for mixed drinks. Martini's with gin.

Papaphilly wrote: "This is easy, Scotch or Bourbon, straight. Never ice. Vodka only for mixed drinks. Martini's with gin."

As for vodka, not the way Russians see it :-)

Ian wrote: "....As for vodka, not the way Russians see it :-)...."

Some switched to whisky and other stuff to distance themselves from the "plebs" :)
Vodka works best frozen and straight in shots with pickle as a backup, but then you need a company. For a solitary exercise - better with "long" drinks, which one can sip on

Hmm - plebs? I once went to a diplomatic lunch in Moscow, at the time of the USSR, and the diplomats were taking shots of vodka at a great rate. I also drank a little too much, but senior government types plebs??? maybe they were.

Ian wrote: "Hmm - plebs? I once went to a diplomatic lunch in Moscow, at the time of the USSR, and the diplomats were taking shots of vodka at a great rate. I also drank a little too much, but senior governmen..."

The times have changed. Whisky wasn't even sold in the USSR.
Nowadays, some nouveau riches distinguish themselves from the commoners by "finer", in their opinion, spirits :)

Ha! Something good came out of the Yeltsin period :-)

Ian wrote: "Papaphilly wrote: "This is easy, Scotch or Bourbon, straight. Never ice. Vodka only for mixed drinks. Martini's with gin."

As for vodka, not the way Russians see it :-)"

And we see the kind of country they ended up with..... 8^)

My favorite vodka for sipping is Żubrówka, aka the Bison Grass vodka. The version sold in Europe is better than the US one, but both are smooth enough to sip. Or nice mixed with some kind of juice, like apple. I love a good Scotch though, too.

Some people shy away from alcohol as a gift, but personally, I'm always delighted to receive it. It is never the wrong size... :)

Yeah, Bison Grass is cool & so is Scotch. knowing to reconcile and enjoy most drinks makes the range wider. I argue the taste is important for first, second glass, afterwards the taste doesn’t matter. What does - is the feeling next morning ;)

Don't like vodka. And gin belongs in my martini. Definitely, I prefer bourbon.

Gin's the only spirit I enjoy. 1 part gin/ 3 parts tonic with a slice of lime. I've tried the more expensive stuff but mid-market Greenalls remains my favourite.

Beau wrote: "Gin's the only spirit I enjoy. 1 part gin/ 3 parts tonic with a slice of lime. I've tried the more expensive stuff but mid-market Greenalls remains my favourite."

How do you stand on Bombay Sapphire?

J. wrote: "Beau wrote: "Gin's the only spirit I enjoy. 1 part gin/ 3 parts tonic with a slice of lime. I've tried the more expensive stuff but mid-market Greenalls remains my favourite."

How do you stand on ..."

I once bought some about 20 years ago purely on the back of the eye-catching blue bottle. I wanted to check that the gin was still clear lol. From what I remember, I enjoyed it. Not sure why I haven't tried it since. I'll have to put that right.

I'm not overly fond of the standard Bombay gin, though. It's okay, but most other brands sit better with me.

Do you like Bombay Sapphire, J, or are you a whiskey/ vodka drinker?

I like Bombay Sapphire, but I always drink gin in cocktails.

What I drink is a matter of context. Fireside contemplations tend towards whiskey, bourbon, or brandy. Hot summer evenings lend themselves to ice cold vodka and fresh fruit. And when entertaining few things are as impressive as confidently preparing cocktails for oneself and one's date.

J. wrote: "I like Bombay Sapphire, but I always drink gin in cocktails.

What I drink is a matter of context. Fireside contemplations tend towards whiskey, bourbon, or brandy. Hot summer evenings lend themsel..."

Sounds great, J. Your scene setting has put me in the mood for a drink and it's only lunchtime here lol.

It's funny, as I've got older, I've lost my taste for many types of alcohol. The only drinks I really enjoy now are gin as a short and cider as a long. That said, I'll occasionally have a lager on a hot summer's evening, with Peroni and Asahi being my favourites.

I guess I'll join gin clinical trial too :)

I do like Bombay Sapphire for my martinis. I also like Hendrick's, Beefeater, Monkeys 47, and my old standby Tanqueray.

Beefeater was the family favorite gin, when I was a kid. I remember my ninety year old great aunt drinking Beefeater and OJ while smoking Pall Mall Unfiltered. They don't make 'em like her anymore.

If I'm not entertaining, it takes me about a year to finish a fifth of gin. So I tend to go with the one that works for me.

Aargh! Gin tastes like pine sap. Not appetizing to me.

Don't know. Pine sap is one I haven't tried :-)

Papaphilly wrote: "I do like Bombay Sapphire for my martinis. I also like Hendrick's, Beefeater, Monkeys 47, and my old standby Tanqueray."

I haven't heard of Monkeys 47, so will keep a look out for that. For any gin lovers, Bulldog is also a very nice variety, which I imagine would go well in cocktails.

Your great aunt sounds like my nan, J, although she did give up the ciggies a while back. 99 and still going strong.

Scout, it's certainly not a spirit to drink neat but I think it hits the spot perfectly with the right amount of tonic water :)

Scout wrote: "Aargh! Gin tastes like pine sap. Not appetizing to me."

It is flavored with juniper berries.

Juniper berries are also one of the classic herbs for cooking game. And while juniper berries can be difficult to find if you don't have a tree, gin is easy to find. So I'm in the habit of using just a little gin whenever I'm cooking venison, rabbit, or upland game birds.

Ian wrote: "Don't know. Pine sap is one I haven't tried :-)"

You have no idea what you are missing...8^)

True :-)

Scout wrote: "Aargh! Gin tastes like pine sap. Not appetizing to me."

Uh, Scout you are supposed to drink gin from the bottle, not bite the tap source...9^)

To keep my word, grabbed a bottle of Bombay yesterday and gonna run a trial tomorrow. Taking a placebo today - some red Bordeaux wine :)

Papaphilly, I remember from my childhood Euell Gibbons, a naturalist who made commercials for Grape Nuts cereal saying, “Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.” That statement was so bizarre – and laugh-out-loud to us kids – it spread like wildfire (and sold a ton of Grape-Nuts cereal)." https://lifeinaword.com/2020/01/23/ev...

Some of you of a certain vintage may remember this.