Drinking spirits straight..

Does anyone here drink Spirits straight?

And if so what type?

It always looks so delicious in movies or tv shows when someone grabs a couple of nice shiny drinking glasses and pours in some Whiskey or Rum and starts drinking it straight. But then i try it in real life, thinking i'm just as cool as Don Draper but end up pulling funny faces as i don't like the taste and it doesn't go down too well.

I want to get into it though. Not so i can think i am as cool & sophisticated as the Don Drapers of the world (ok maybe a little bit). But because i am sick of having to add soft drink, because it's bad for you (see coke thread), and it makes you so bloated and it gets sickly after a while.

So, what drinks are nice and smooth for beginners like myself? I'm guessing the more expensive the bottle the easier to drink? And also i'm not interested in Whiskey as it has the evil Gluten in it.

When I used to drink, I was fond of Gin/Vodka with a bit of juice.

grey goose/belvedere on the rock with some lime is a favourite of mine or havana club on the rocks with lime and a bit of pineapple

Yeah, I know you said straight, but a splash of juice takes off the edgy bite, and it wont leave you feeling bloated like bubbles.

Why do I get the feeling you have been stalking my Facebook

When you say with Lime, do you actually throw the wedge in there, squeeze some in or add "lime juice" from a bottle?

It doesn't look as cool though


oh wait.. that wasn't meant to be the point, damn it!

Quite partial to the odd cognac, and usually drink vodka straight these days

Do you have a crimson robe and a pipe?

Usually PD, i will facestalk you at least once a day.. but this week i haven't been on facebook much so i am not aware of the contents of said facebook page

Why, what does it say?

I am thinking of buying these items, but not sure what brand is best. That was going to be my second and third thread in this series.

Yes, Cognac in particular as the conversation with a work colleague which lead me to this thread was him telling me how delicious Cognac is.

What type do you like, and how much do you have to spend for a nice tasting Cognac?

It says, "Man I wish Dave would start drinking spirits straight, he looks so undistinguished and uncouth at the moment"

cut up a wedge, squeeze some juice in and throw the wedge in

A decent single malt....

Old boys Rum club seem to use Gold Label Coke for a mixer, could be an idea. No sugar or caffeine

Yes. Scotch Whisky. The greatest drink of them all

It's really not hard to drink straight. Buy yourself a bottle of Glenmorangie 18 yr old (a nice starting point), and start with some ice cubes. By the end of the bottle (doesn't have to be in one go, could be over 2 weeks) you'll be drinking it neat and it will honestly taste like nectar

Cognac etc is sickly, harden up and have a scotch! Good for special occasions though i guess

Rum is also good straight but has to be exceptional quality, aged rum

If you don't want to drink sugary soda with spirits, Vodka Soda water is a good one - probably the "healthiest" way to drink I'd imagine?

I think it generally has to be quite expensive before it's nice to drink straight. Or you are as hard as nails.

You could be like my Nana, and have a sherry before bedtime.

what's everyones favourite whiskeys? i'm a big ardbeg fan for smokiness and macallan for its smoothness

Haha. Oh I got given a bottle if whiskey yesterday so I posted a picture of it for more info because I wasn't really knowledgable about such things which seemed to spur a conversation about whether or not I should drink it straight.

Like Glenfiddich 12 year

And Ballentines for an everyday ($30) bottle

Price is a reasonably good indicator, if only because it usually reflects the amount of aging.

However, being that whiskey is off the list, you're pretty much stuck with rum or bourbons (pretty much all bourbon is made from corn mash). Because fuck drinking bulk vodka (watch out for grain-based stuff, it shouldn't matter but some people report adverse effects) or gin neat.

Some spiced rums might catch you out, but on the bourbon front, I'd suggest Makers Mark and Wordford Reserve as good starting points - try an Old Fashioned made with either of those. Old Fashioned is actually a really good place to start building up your tolerance.

There's quality tequila too, but fuck drinking tequila all night too.


But at the end of the day, some people just aren't manly enough to handle straight booze. If you try and build a tolerance and it doesn't take, that's you.

If you can't drink whisky, then your cheapest start point into good straight spirits could be a VS Cognac or something like the 10 year Ron Matusalem rum which is delicious. Personally I find the Havana Club 7 year way too intense.
As for whisky. Starting with 10 or 12 year is fine. Going for 18 year first up is pissing money away in the name of ego

Which he said in the OP that he can't drink

single malt
and shots at a bar

I drink my beer unmixed

Cognac or whiskey....but only good whiskey. If it's too horrible then I'll mix it with something, though often just water or soda.

My favourites at the moment are Remy XO (cognac) and Aberlour 16yr (single malt) and Islay Mist 17yr (blend)

Favourite whiskys curently are 10 yr Talisker, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, and Singleton 12 yr. Lagavulin 16 year is unbelieveble (very rich and very smokey) but the hell expensive - if fact all of this stuff is stupid prices retail in NZ (except the Ron Matusalem rum), i either import or go duty free.
Currently though i'm preferring VSOP Cognac. It goes great after a Cointreau on ice.
Don't knock good Tequilla. 1800 is gorgeous straight but forget that salt and lemon bullshit

Whoa dude, what a well 'ard fucker!

I also have a bottle of Chivas Regal 10yr for Whiskey Sours, which are the closest thing I can imagine to the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.

Nothing to do with being hard, i have coeliac disease.. can't digest Gluten

Although.. just googling now "new" reports are saying that Whiskey has no Gluten in it after the distilling process, which contradicts everything that was previously thought. Might investigate a bit further.

Patron XO Cafe is drool worthy IMO.

Haha yes i would have made the same assumption then!

yeah but i can't reach up that high on the shelf

I'm only allowed to on special occasions.

Seems to be a lot of mixed reports eh? Also looks like lots of varied reports from other sufferers, so of course everyone is different. Maybe just start trying some decent ones, one at a time and look for symptoms? At that point, this all becomes a bit moot.

I always thought Bourbon was off the list too. Will be stoked if it is Gluten free! will check now.

Yeah agreed with Vodka. I can do Vodka shots easier than Rum shots though funnily enough, but not sure i would want to drink large amounts of it straight.

With Tequila, i'm a bit of a pussy with Tequila shots.. i do them.. but it doesn't go down too well. But Patrón on the other hand is delicious, and i can shoot that all night. I used to go to this really nice Mexican Restaurant in Cebu quite often which was also a Tequila Bar. They had really expensive tequila, like $200-$300 US for a shot. It's surprising how easy really expensive Tequila is too drink!

Yeah. I have discovered i fall into the very sensitive to gluten category too (can't even use the same toaster as other people). Will look for some more official statements from Coeliac Society etc before i make up my mind.

Single malt with a Monte Cristo no. 2.

Will make a man out of anyone.

Whaaaat? dude, thats crazy!

I love it! Although i tend to get drunk then generous with buying drinks for others.. so always go for Petron because i like the taste and wake up the next morning with a huge dent in my bank account regretting it

Have only just discovered the appeal of Cigars since being handed a very expensive one about a year ago.

Actually just remembered my girlfiend is gluten intolerant (she can use the same toaster as me but i get the hell lecture about crumbs in the butter) and she'll drink all the whisky, rum, congnac, tequilla, etc i can feed her no problem

Yeah, sucks.

They're nice now and then. I quit smoking years ago now, but occasionally I have a cigar (still technically smoking, but I justify it somehow).

I regret it the next day of course, but at the time I'm all Denny Crane up in here.

I keep some in my poker kit.

Gluten Intolerant is a bit different to what i've got unfortunately

Don't think it's as bad as inhaling it is it?

Question: Is whiskey gluten-free?

Answer:

Most experts in celiac disease have concluded that distilled alcoholic beverages made from gluten grains — including whiskey, commonly made from barley — are gluten-free to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's proposed standard of 20 parts per million, because distillation removes the harmful gluten proteins.

In fact, the National Institutes of Health's Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign advises that cocktails made with distilled alcohol are safe for celiacs to drink.

However, not everyone agrees. The Celiac Sprue Association does not recommend any form of Scotch or whiskey; instead, it advises those following the gluten-free diet to stick with potato vodkas, rum and tequila, all of which are made from non-gluten grain sources.

Some people with celiac or gluten intolerance can handle drinking Scotch or whiskey without any problems. However, others (me included) experience severe gluten symptoms if we consume something distilled from gluten grains.

It's possible that distillation doesn't remove 100% of the gluten (studies have been mixed on this point), or that a small amount of gluten is added back in as part of processing after distillation. In some cases, whiskey manufacturers add caramel coloring (which may contain gluten) or even a small amount of the undistilled grain mash after the distilling process.

So should you consume whiskey as part of your gluten-free diet? I'd advise going slowly, especially if you're particularly sensitive. You may find that you tolerate it just fine, but you also may find you react. If you do react, try potato vodka or unflavored rum instead.



How intolerant are you? You might be alright if it's not too bad...imo, try things 18 years old or more, avoid shit like the standard issue Chivas Regal/Glenfiddich 12YO, they're pretty rough straight...Glenlivet 18YO is amazing!!!

If your genetic failing doesn't let you drink whiskey, go for higher end vodka, and chill it, goes down piece of piss then

Probably not as bad for the lungs, but worse for your mouth etc.

Are you Coeliac? I think that is an intensified condition of gluten intolerance? She's not Coeliac but is very sensitive to gluten - and has been officially diagnosed as such, ie not some crazy self-diagnosis

Forget totally about shooting. What we're talking about here is nice relaxed sippin.

When it comes to rum, drink the good stuff only. Thankfully, good stuff starts pretty cheap, Appletons and Mt Gay are plenty sippable. There's a HEAP of great rum based mixed drinks that are probably a great place to start, and you can start weaning off the mixer from there.

8 year Appletons is awesome, as is Mt Gay Extra Old when you wanna step up. Just steer well clear of shit like Coruba and (ugh) Bundy. Foul stuff, lots of artificial colours which are quite likely to contain glutens too.

The two bourbons I mentioned (Makers and Woodford) you should be good to go with. Avoid rye (what Old Fashioned's are supposed to be made with) as rye is a grain and to be called rye it has to start with at least 51% rye in the mash.

Bullshit...an 18YO is many many times smoother and easier to drink than any 10/12YO...smoothness is often key in starting to enjoy whiskey straight

Yeah, at that point you're probably not even worth trying the scotch.

What about those flavored vodkas? Like the Absolut range? Chilled of course.

I understand Absolut is OK on the flavour tip.

on my bookshelf :> dunno when i'll eventually open them lol

Bourbon IS a whiskey, you nongs...but not all whiskeys are bourbons

http://seedykiwi.hubpages.com/hub/Bourbon-vs-Whiskey

Whiskey can be made anywhere, a true bourbon MUST be made in the US of A and must be made from a grain mixture which is at least 51% corn...the other up to 49% can be any other standard grain used in whiskey/bourbon manufacturing.

So unless the info about gluten being removed in distillation is true, a lot of bourbons would be out, too, unless they were 100% corn grains.

Vanilla Smirnoff is ridiculous. 80/20 split with Coke is delicious , so removing the mixer would be no probs.

Holy fucking shit dude. Slow your fucking roll and try READING WHAT I FUCKING SAID.

What's the point of drinking high end vodka straight? It seems the better it is the more tasteless it is thus the whole point is to get drunk, in which case shots on rather than pissing around with a tumbler glass (unless you're doing tumbler shots in which case I salute you).

Zbrovka Vodka on the rocks with lime
1800 and Jagermeister to shoot

You said this:



"pretty much all bourbon corn mash..." A) it's ALL bourbon, if it's a proper bourbon and B) it only has to 51% corn, so could be 49% rye, so no, it could not be OK...slow your fucking roll, captain douche pants, I was just pointing out that in essence, a bourbon IS a whiskey

Calm ya farm, I wasn't having a go, just saying, sheesh!

It's nice to sip chilled flavoured vodka, I'd only shot plain ones...but it's nice to sip drinks, if planning a long evening, rather than just go shot shot shot shot floor and have nothing to drink between the shots

Personally, if mixers/sugars are a concern and you still want a sipping drink, I'd be all about the vodka, fresh lime and soda water or flat water...keeps you hydrated while still drinking something which is fairly tasty if you smash lots of limes into it.

Vodka is like tofu in that vodka tastes like vodka as much as tofu tastes like tofu

Christ if you you can't learn to appreciate whisky thats 10/12 yrs old because it's a liittle too uncouth for your sensitive wee poofy taste buds then you shouldn't be getting out of bed in the morning in case you do yourself some damage on the carpet

Fuck could not agree with this more. Currently going through a bottle of Cragganmore. Delicious!

a proper learner drinker should start on the cheapest most gut rotting whiskey there is

never start on the good stuff - acquire the taste, nurture your pallet and find that which suits you best

but only after your VOLUME years

OK you angry cunt, when you're STARTING OUT drinking them, like I said, smoothness is key, an 18YO is smoother than a 12YO...FACT...so when you're STARTING OUT drinking, it's going to be easier to drink! As this thread is about someone who doesn't currently drink them, starting on a smoother one is going to be easier...MAKE SENSE??? Not fucking rocket surgery

yourself

I personally can drink 8 YOs straight, but I prefer a 10/12YO, and perfer and 18YO again over them, it's not fucking ego, you bellend, it's just that they fucking damn well are nicer to drink.

OneHappy, ironic name for such a grumpy fucker

He's not a teenager only drinking to get drunk, he's drinking to enjoy it...

Kristov 10 bucks a ltr. The juice of my yoof.

Well if he starts with a 18 year old right off the bat, he won't appreciate it anywhere near as much... (Well he will but won't know any different).

Oh FFS I thought this a youth orientated site

so I'm here grooming adults...

fml

The only "whisky experts" who recommend this strategy are pretentious gits on biggie. In the real world people learn to appreciate whisky on something that's realistic and affordable.

Did you learn to drive in an Aston Martin Mr Bond?




That's OneHappy CAMPER is case you haven't been paying attention. Grumy and ironic ALL THE WAY

Did somebody say Rodka?!?!?!?!?!?!

Why buy expensive Absolute infusions (let's face it no one else weredoing them in the 80s), when all you need is Raro and Kristov for about $11 total.

erm I meant 90s.

$5 bottles of premixed screwdriver were a regular feature of my drunk and vomit ridden youth - the gut rot was guaranteed to produce both results.. often at the same time

good times

Yes i'm coeliac. I think the difference is Gluten intolerant people can digest Gluten with symptoms. Where as Coeliac can't actually digest gluten so instead my stomach attacks itself to try and get rid of it and damages my digestive system.

I think I may mix my whiskey 50/50 with Moët

Yeah nice relaxed sipping is definitely what the thread is about!

Ok thanks mate, will start off with the 8 year appletons. I have definitely had those two brands before (with mixer) and liked them, but i'm not sure what age i had. To be honest didn't even realize you could get different ages with those brands.

You know it! Actually Im pretty sure it was PD that introduced this to me, and Vicks 44 with coke.

Haha thanks. Yes i'm very intolerant. Judging by what i read there i will still stay clear as long term symptoms are so bad it's just not worth it.

Haha.. shhhh,

OneHappy was just starting to believe I'm not a 'wastrel'

He's obviously never heard about the View Rd flat.
Ya wastrel!

Hahah yes i spent a good & cherished part of my youth down in brown bay drinking Kristov.

looooool

Ha ha omg, we used to take bottles of Kristov to the half pipe in Browns bay!

Ha, I had a view rd flat which became quite legendary amongst my friends (and 50% of the auckland nightlife scene ) as a flat of good times, debauchery & hedonism. My one was in Mt Eden though, i'm guessing yours was on the shore?

We used to take pipes to the bottle in Brown's Bay!

Yeah same! We were quite the BB crew for many years. Used to hang out with the BBZoo in their headquaters (which was the BB beach toilets)

Can you cast your Kristov addled mind back a bit, and remember a Hills flooring van with a bunch of skating bogans, pumping Sepultura at crazy levels, and drying off the ramp with an LPG blowtorch? The owner of said van, used to get crazy drunk and skate like a bastard with no shoes!
If you can, that was us!

I think something like a decent brand 10 or 12 year old is absolutely fine, but there's no doubt that 18 is smoother.

To be completely honest i remember a regular van that was there, but that's it.

Do you remember the BBZ?

Ha, no I cant, but we were stinky south auckland boys who didnt mix too well.

Cool cool, yeah, best stick to rum then, bourbons so long as they're 100% corn, otherwise they'll have possible traces of gluten in them

Bacardi 8 is awesome...like seriously amazing compared to how crap Bacardi is!

$62 for a 1 litre bottle from Dan Murphys here...

Appletons 8 also very nice...personally I struggle with rum completely straight, but fill the tumbler with ice, rum it to 70%, squeeze in some fresh lime, top off with what only works out to be a little amount of coke and you have yourself one mother fucking tasty beverage!

Arrr, so you're a poor cunt, I get it, sorry, didn't realise $100 for a nice 18YO was so unaffordable for you, my bad...stop failing at life, cockmaster

South Auckland?? What were you doing down in bb then?

They were the local young skater gang

Thanks man, yeah I'll try that.

I was actually going to ask what peoples opinions on bicardi was.

All of our ramps were fucked.
I remember one local trying to school me about metal It was quite funny - given the fact I seem to remember him wearing a No Doubt shirt!