What Booze are you drinking now?

Any tequila/mescal fans on here? This is absolutely excellent.

Nick from Suffolk posted:

On the subject of Adnams Gin, the company offers tours and make-your-own gin days. Going in a couple of weeks time, but having to drive, so tasting opportunities will be restricted. But we will come back with a couple of bottles to try out with friends, who are a bit partial to Martinis (of the very very dry variety).

Nick,

That sounds great.
Curious to know how different is Adnams from familiar Beefeater or Bombay Sapphire?

I found that Gin is easy to get me *loopy* quicker than Whiskey and Bourbon variety!

To celebrate a very productive few hours of work (and Team GB's success in Rio today), I thought I would celebrate by treating myself to the greatest drink known to man: the Negroni - Campari, gin, vermouth, a splash of Angoustura Bitters, shaken and served over ice and a twist of orange. Heaven!

Kevin, the Negroni is absolutely one of my favorite summertime cocktails!  (It's not bad in the winter, either.) 

I usually do it "up," but with one big ice cube is quite acceptable as well.

Allante93 posted:

But No, my health conditions does not allow me to partake in the manner I would like to.

The Basil Hayden, is remarkably smooth. I must be careful, I've consumed nearly a third of fifth, in a week!

Allante,

The truth to be told I am a teetotaler!

I just start to learn about various flavours.

P.S. Try the Booker's sometime. I guarantee you won't be consuming 3/5 of a bottle in a week!

Wild Rumpus posted:

Any tequila/mescal fans on here? This is absolutely excellent.

Booze with a social message. I love it!

Any good?

Seven and Seven earlier. It was so hot today the ice was melting faster than I finish it!

7 & 7 was said to be very popular American drink back in the 60s-70s.

Can I get away with say.... 'too much'

Having just finished another glass of Glenmorangie nectar,  after a couple of Canadian Clubs with ice, i probably shouldn't be eyeing up the 12 year old Bowmore.

NZ-M,

Just don't try to operate a turntable! ( especially with a wobbly uni-pivot tone arm )

To celebrate Laura Trott's stunning success, I'm finishing off the last few drops of this (Suntory's Hibiki 17):

One doesn't drink booze. One quaffs the nectar of the bacchanal.

Kevin-W posted:

To celebrate Laura Trott's stunning success, I'm finishing off the last few drops of this (Suntory's Hibiki 17):

That's a cool lookin' Baccarat? glass.

Here, familiar JW Black with my Scottish made Briks in the background.

Loki posted:

One doesn't drink booze. One quaffs the nectar of the bacchanal.

Ok Loki.

Whatcha quaffin' now?

Last bit of Johnnie Walker Black and Fever Tree ginger ale. Nice.

Kevin-W posted:

Last bit of Johnnie Walker Black and Fever Tree ginger ale. Nice.

Instead of a blended grain and malt, masked by ginger ale, why not try an unadulterated single malt whisky, with just a splash of water to release the flavours. YOu can choose from such a variety to suit personal taste, in terms of peatiness and smokiness, and aging to make as mellow as you like...

Innocent Bystander posted:

Instead of a blended grain and malt, masked by ginger ale, why not try an unadulterated single malt whisky, with just a splash of water to release the flavours. YOu can choose from such a variety to suit personal taste, in terms of peatiness and smokiness, and aging to make as mellow as you like...

Thank you for your condescending post. One of the things I write about for a living is booze (including whisky) so as an ignoramus I am happy to receive your enlightenment. 

The idea that single malts are inherently superior to blends is usually peddled by "whiskynazis" who think they know best. In fact, many blends are among the world's finest whiskies - Royal Salute 38, Ballantine's 17, The Mackinlay's Shackleton being just three off the top of my head.

Japanese blends, such as Yamazaki and Hakashu, which are extraordinarily fine, are superb as highballs (and Suntory's Hibiki 17, the finest whisky I have ever tasted, which I enjoy whenenever availability and price allows, is a blend).

A good quality mixer does not "mask" the taste of whisky, it can actually enhance it. I know of very few whiskies that are not made better by a spash of water. A trick one of the whisky makers at The Macallan showed me recently was to use an ice ball (you can buy rubber moulds to make them) which, because of its size, melts very slowly, adding just the right amount of water gradually.

Sure, single malts are often superb - Highland Park 18, Llagavulin, The Macallan being three among my personal favourites - but don't write off blends (especially the Japanese ones) they can be just as good. And they are certainly not "adulterated" as you suggest.

Kevin, my only issue with ice with many whiskies is that it tends to subdue the flavours  due to the chill on the taste buds.. no worries with a splash of distilled or mineral water though to help 'release' and separate the flavours. if I really want to regulate it - and I don't usually bother to be honest - I use a little water jug along side my glass of scotch.

No doubt another reason why cheap industrial  lager beer is served very chilled - it masks the often atrocious flavours - but that is another matter

Simon, I have never been a fan of "Scotch on the Rocks" - I've always preferred a single cube as like you I find the chill overpowers the taste of the spirit.

But an ice ball melts slowly and doesn't chill the liquid down too quickly. I find that it adds a subtle edge of refreshment. I first tried it with The Macallan Gold and found it worked a treat.

kuma posted:

Glorious colours.

C.

Kevin-W posted:

The idea that single malts are inherently superior to blends is usually peddled by "whiskynazis" who think they know best. In fact, many blends are among the world's finest whiskies - Royal Salute 38, Ballantine's 17, The Mackinlay's Shackleton being just three off the top of my head.

Is not the basis for the "single malts are superior to blends" statement the fact that when people talk about blended whiskey they usually think about the supermarket and pub blends which use inferior quality whisky as their basis?

Kevin-W posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

Instead of a blended grain and malt, masked by ginger ale, why not try an unadulterated single malt whisky, with just a splash of water to release the flavours. YOu can choose from such a variety to suit personal taste, in terms of peatiness and smokiness, and aging to make as mellow as you like...

Thank you for your condescending post. One of the things I write about for a living is booze (including whisky) so as an ignoramus I am happy to receive your enlightenment. 

The idea that single malts are inherently superior to blends is usually peddled by "whiskynazis" who think they know best. In fact, many blends are among the world's finest whiskies - Royal Salute 38, Ballantine's 17, The Mackinlay's Shackleton being just three off the top of my head.

Japanese blends, such as Yamazaki and Hakashu, which are extraordinarily fine, are superb as highballs (and Suntory's Hibiki 17, the finest whisky I have ever tasted, which I enjoy whenenever availability and price allows, is a blend).

A good quality mixer does not "mask" the taste of whisky, it can actually enhance it. I know of very few whiskies that are not made better by a spash of water. A trick one of the whisky makers at The Macallan showed me recently was to use an ice ball (you can buy rubber moulds to make them) which, because of its size, melts very slowly, adding just the right amount of water gradually.

Sure, single malts are often superb - Highland Park 18, Llagavulin, The Macallan being three among my personal favourites - but don't write off blends (especially the Japanese ones) they can be just as good. And they are certainly not "adulterated" as you suggest.

My post was not meant condescendingly, rather as a gentle joking jibe...  And I never suggested that blends are adulterated, which is something fundamentally different. If there is condescention, your response seems to have it in abundance, however this reply is not intended to spark any form of tit for tat argument, so let's leave discussion of condescention behind and consider only whisky.

Nectar of the Gods...  But  although mentioned single I should clarify that I certainly have no objection to blended malts, and have/do enjoy some, and I happily agree that there are now some good Japanese varieties. But, as a generalisation, I don't like non-malt blends, and given the wide range of malts available, with so many hugely different characters I struggle to understand people drinking the standard pub non-malt blends, nor going up the ladder in the Johnny Walker range. And for me, adding anything flavoured added does destroy the subtleties.

Meanwhile, I I had acknowledged the part of water, however I don't believe in ice myself because I prefer not to have the dulling of taste, nor the progressive dilution.

of course, as with hifi, there is no 'right' or 'wrong', it is all a matter of taste!

Confession

On the first birthday where my parents-in-law were, I got a cheap bottle of ballantines as present (blended). I said 'thank you' but it felt so utterly wrong to say that. I still feel the hypocrism in me.

Ardbeg10y is a whisky purist and drinks only single malts, but these days more money is invested in audio gear.

Ardbeg10y posted:

Confession

On the first birthday where my parents-in-law were, I got a cheap bottle of ballantines as present (blended). I said 'thank you' but it felt so utterly wrong to say that. I still feel the hypocrism in me.

Ardbeg10y is a whisky purist and drinks only single malts, but these days more money is invested in audio gear.

Your moniker was a bit of a giveaway first time I saw it! I've had the odd drinking session or text with  relative of yours, uigeadail. My favourites are islands and highlands...

Who would have thought that tinned beers could ever have improved so much as to be actually worth drinking...

steve

Tonight in Valhalla we are soporific on the after effects of Pimms and Jeff Carrel's PuyDeval, plus a little bit of white burgundy...