Posted on 09/04/2009 4:07:49 PM PDT by JoeProBono
It is the era of designer drinks: bubblegum martinis, vodka essences, caffeinated schnapps. You name it. In spite of all their flair and fun, when you sit down to really enjoy a drink for the craftsmanship and complexity, you really only have a few good choices, and they were usually created over a decade ago.
For years I had been a wine guy (not whinny, mind you). I took the classes, began to dig into certain vintages and the regions and vineyards around the world, and I developed a taste for the European wines, which tended to be drier and have more varied, less fruity flavors. Yet in the midst of all the serious study of the art of wine, it cracked me up when a sommelier remarked that a wine had a "certain pee de chat aroma" (a fancy way of saying it smells like cat pee) with a straight face.
Try reading a review of a good wine as you walk down the isles of your favorite liquor store and you will see flavors like "tar," "tobacco," and "sulfur." Mmmmm.(?) While tasty and amusing, wine didn't quite do it for me.
My father was once told by his physician to have some wine or a beer in the evenings to calm himself down. I took note, having suffered from being unable to control my stress levels at times, and began to search for a nightcap of my own to help me relax in the evenings. Naturally, I started with wine. It didn't quite satisfy, so I moved on to trying different cognacs. Again, not quite what I was looking for.
Then I remembered my 100 year-old grandmother. Her nightcap of choice was an affordable Scotch. So I bought a bottle of Glenmorangie at my local Costco (the cashier remarked that his customers were happily surprised to find it on hand) and thoroughly enjoyed every drop. Now I fully expect to live to be 100. So why is Scotch the perfect drink? It has a complexity similar to what a good wine will have. The vast array of flavors is always surprising. The bite of the alcohol is wonderful. The variety of good Scotches is enough to last a lifetime. The history of the spirit is rich. It does wonders for a good night's sleep. And a flask of good Scotch seems to improve one's poker playing skills, I've found.
With any new endeavor, such as striving to become a connoisseur of Scotch Whisky, questions arise that beg to be answered:
But when in the UK, it tastes great!
I even took wifey to the UK to show her my preference there.
I have no explanation.
A shout-out for Macallan Single Malt, no ice, straight up./Just Asking - seoul62.......
I can obsess about the size of a single ice chip that goes into the 'Vulin.
And that is still my favorite brand. In fact I'm picking up another bottle tomorrow.
I picked up my first bottle of Russell's Reserve (a Wild Turkey offering at 90 proof) a couple weeks ago. 4 fingers gone at this point, and I'm impressed. More spicy than other fine Bourbons. Not as 'woodsy' as Elijah Craig, but a pretty darned good sip. I also like their 101. That and Elijah at 94 proof are about as volatile as I want. Woodford Reserve, Elmer T. Lee, or Basil Hayden are my favorites for the smoother Bourbons.
When in a restaurant I'll usually pick Makers Mark because they don't carry the others. If they don't even carry that (out here in the boonies that's possible) I'll settle for Jack.
Olive juice..nice story
Yes, if you must drink blended Blue Label is the way to go. I much prefer the Speyside malts to the island malts (Islay Skye etc ) too peaty and harsh for my taste. If you have money to burn the Macallan is the way to go.
It was a fairly unique pizza restaurant/bar with a good clientele. Virtually every kind of special liqueur and foreign beer available back then. All kinds of specialized drinks. I still have the menu. Sometimes I look at the prices of drinks back then and wonder, boy, have things changed.
I recall one Sunday I was tending bar, it was fairly slow with a couple tables filled; one by a family of 4-5. A couple came in and sat at the bar, ordering drinks. The woman couldn't decide what she wanted, ordered a special mixed drink or something, then griped about it not being to her liking. All she did was grouse about it.
The waitress came up and ordered a round for the family table. I set the glasses up and began making the drinks, some of them getting parasols and such for decorations. The woman sitting at the bar saw these and said "Now that's what I've been wanting. That's my kind of drink. What do you call that?"
I replied "A Kiddie Cocktail". They left rather quickly.
Oh, yes. Tomorrow, tomorrow.
JoeProBono-San, Domo Arigato Gozaimasu./Just Asking - seoul62.....
Thank you very much
Do itashimashite./Just Asking - seoul62.....
Any of these are outstanding :
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