Here are things that bring inexplicable yet unconditional joy, all while behind the wheel.
1) Power assisted braking
Sometimes when I drive and stop, I don't press down fully on the brake, and only hold it as hard as I need to stay in one spot (very naughty, I know). But in this state, while stationary, the engine does a little extra rev thing and then the brake pedal sinks under my feet even though I applied no extra pressure.
Also, after the engine is off, I sometimes pump my brakes until the residual vacuum in the booster is expended and it becomes really hard to press the brake. Just to see what it was like in the olden days before all these fancy schmancy gadgets.
2) New roads
I don't know the materials, but there're light grey road surfaces and dark grey, almost black road surfaces. Maybe one is just aged and the other isn't. I don't know.
But when the car travels from a light grey road to a black road at decent speeds (>60km/h), for a split second it goes so quiet that it feels like the car is floating. That is awesome.
3) Blinking in unison
When I'm stuck in traffic I like to watch all of indicator lights blink. I try to find two that have the exact same frequency, even if out of phase, but that has never happened.
Equally as fun is watching lights appear in sync for 3 flashes, then mumbo jumbo syncopation, then they appear to be alternating for 3 flashes, syncopation again, and rinse and repeat. Well perhaps not fun per se, but just keeps me sane
4) Under the bridge
Driving in heavy rain, and then going underneath an overpass or other type of bridge, and there's sudden silence. It's even better when you don't notice that there's an overpass and for a split second the lack of H2O pounding on your chassis confuses you, and then instantly you Sherlock what has transpired.
5) I will be still alive
When you zone out hard while driving, and when you arrive you step out and you're alive and you're like "fuck yeah".
Mm that's it, because life is precious. And you still have yours.
I want to ride my bicycle/I want to ride my bike
Some may have heard about the horrible ordeal we (Max, Ray, Bae, and I) endured in Melbourne.
This post is bloody long so only read this if you have several moments to spare.
Here Max made an observant comment that "eating sweet crepes" is actually just eating dessert with a pastry base. So you can say "Oh I ate sweet crepes for lunch" instead of saying "I ate ice cream, yoghurt and cheesecake for lunch".
So like, we could've rented 3??? Okay let's try this then.
Something like "Request cannot be processed". Okay, fair enough then. It did say maximum of 2 bikes per credit card.
Let's tap two bikes. "Request cannot be processed". Hmm interesting. Maybe that's not how the machine works, and I have to rent one bike at a time?
Tapped one bike. Ooh yeahh I managed to get a bike out. OKAY then let's get another one for Max.
"The maximum number of concurrent bikes allowed for this card has been exceeded".
Okay so we were pretty sour at this point, but not broken. Returned the bike, walked to another station, tried again. It just couldn't read the credit card, which was better than denying us bikes straight out, I suppose. Had a brainwave to walk a bike to the next station and try it there (I don't know, we were relying on voodoo magic and prayers to get two bikes, okay).
Of course, no luck, because fuck me (us), right?
With no morale left, we met up with Bae and went to eat at a pub (derno about terminology, but it's place that serves alcohol and lets people smoke LOL). A note that Melbourners have a pretty intense smoking culture. I had a chicken parma which was delicious. All our food was delicious and so our night was not intensely wasted. But we did waste at least 2h trying to get two bikes.
Slept at around 11pm, after watching some Family Guy that happened to be showing. A lot of the humour comes from the fact that something stupid happens for so long that it becomes uncomfortable, and then it feels right to laugh to dispel the awkwardness. Anyways we did a bit of ironing, showered, and slept.
Wake up in the morning at 7am, even though my interview is at 12:15, because I'm a bro. Had a quick shower and ate a bowl of muesli that tasted terrible (damn you Uncle Toby). Walked with the group (they all had 8:15 interviews), checked out, went to Monash.
So note that I was at Monash at 8:15am and my interview was predicted to end at 4:25pm. That is 8 hours, mon amies. I bummed around at the food court, walked around, found out where the library was, charged my iPod while playing chess with it, went to food court to bum some more, bought calamari rings that had no calamari in them, bought flake and chips that was too rubbery and I didn't have a knife, and then finally went to interviews.
So what Monash does, is make some of the people who start at 8:15 wait until 12:15 after their interviews, so they can't communicate. I never really got it because if I waterboarded someone who did it on the 6th (I was on 7th), I could achieve the same cheating results. Anyways I checked in for interviews at 12:15. Then we waited until 2:15. Our interview was delayed until like 3:30-ish (guesstimating, since interviews take 1.5h and we finished at 5pm). Yeah anyways I had been in Monash for 7h+ before commencing interviews.
In the meantime, Max, Ray and Bae managed to pick up 3 bikes using Raymond's Mastercard and were riding around merrily.
Okay so I finished (luckily the interviews weren't as unlucky as the trip on the whole. Fingers crossed that I exchanged all my luck for what really matters ahaha). I'm on public transport.
Melbourne has a City Loop as well, but it sits for about 10min at the station while transitioning from regional to City Loop. So I figured. Why not get off at the first station, then ride a bike to the next station? I get my 10 minutes of glory, and I might save some time compared to taking a train.
So I get off at Flinders St (if you play Monopoly Australia, that's either a Green or Purple property bahaha) and then find a bike hire.
Apparently they don't let you hire bikes at peak hour.
So it's already 5:30-ish, we want to be at the airport at like 6:40-ish, and now I have to walk about 1.7km to Southern Cross Station. In our group Whatsapp I had to shorten it so often that now I feel like referring to it as SoCro. Well I didn't walk, of course, because I have developed a sense of urgency in all my time in Cadets :L. Still took me about 25 minutes, with all the uphills (LIKE. ALL UPHILL) and pedestrian crossings and watching cars and people and stuff.
So after my terrible day the rest of the dudes shouted me a beer, which I opened on an edge (it was my first time trying, and I managed to get it on the second go without breaking the glass. I feel like a true man :L).
Then we got onto the SkyBus (shuttle bus to airport from CBD), and Max and I got on, but Bae lost his ticket and had to get on the next bus. Ray waited for him because his ticket hadn't been scanned yet. So we all got to the airport. Bae managed to get a 1L water bottle past security by PLACING IT ON THE GODDAMN TRAY THAT GOES THROUGH THE X-RAY. Though perhaps domestic doesn't really give that much of a shit.
So Bae had a bad time too. At the airport I shouted Corona+Limes (holy fuck I got ripped by the airport jebus) for Max and Bae, cos Ray was too young LOL. At this point Max just gets free beer without suffering bahaha.
After Vaish told us that our flight was boarding and turned out not to be lying, we hurried over, but not before Raymond played that goddamn flying game where you use your arms to steer the airplane. He didn't even have anything to drink.
So we boarded on time, of course, and dicked around a lot on the plane. To my knowledge, about 8 other Rusians were on that flight, but we only saw like 2 others. Slightly inebriated, we just chilled for most of the flight.
Max got his suffering when the plane was landing. The pressure in the cabin was messed up (if you were on JQ 596, please confirm this) so my ears were feeling weird too. But according to Max he felt "marbles in his veins" and feared for his life. Being a good friend I gave him gum and then just kept laughing at him :D.
So there ends the story of what I/we suffered in Melbourne. I hope you can find some sort of enjoyment out of our misery :L
This post is bloody long so only read this if you have several moments to spare.
That being said, Melbourne is a great city, and it's lively without the hordes of people+cars everywhere. Also it's ahead of Sydney in public transport and hipster architecture (ask Ray for full details).
So anyway we landed in Melbourne at about lunch time. Thinking "omg #hipstercapital" we decided to avoid eating at a chain restaurant, and instead Max, Bae and I bought a hotdog from an indie hotdog stand.
Here Max made an observant comment that "eating sweet crepes" is actually just eating dessert with a pastry base. So you can say "Oh I ate sweet crepes for lunch" instead of saying "I ate ice cream, yoghurt and cheesecake for lunch".
Anyway Raymond the hipster-hipster ate at Red Rooster instead. Perhaps that's meta-hipster.
Okay so we then met up with Sun, who had finished his interviews, and was bumming around till he needed to arrive at airport at 6pm. Then it all went downhill from there.
1) We saw a bicycle hire, initiative of the Victorian Government, where you paid $2.60 to be able to take out bikes for 30min intervals for the day.
2) Sun can't ride a bike
3) We were carrying luggage anyway
4) We need a Mastercard, as that is the only accepted payment.
5) Each Mastercard can take out a maximum of two bikes (says the sign)
Okay so it's about 3 o'clock and we decided we really wanted to ride bikes around Melbourne. So we were like "alright Sun. brb we will dump our luggage at the hotel, come back and say bye, and then bike."
So we took a train + shuttle bus to the hotel, checked in, chilled for a few mins, left, and took the shuttle bus back towards the train station.
Surprise, motherfucker! Raymond gets a call that he needs to go back to the hotel where a family friend doctor will meet him and check out his mysterious rashy and incredibly infectious and disgusting disease. So he takes the shuttle bus back to the hotel, while Bae, Max and I carry on.
Oh for fuck's sake we forgot that only Raymond and I had Mastercards. So this meant that we could only hire two bikes. Between 3 people.
Oh also it was like 5 already and Sun had to leave to catch his flight. So we kinda just bailed on him and never came back, from his perspective (sorry Sun).
Oh also it was like 5 already and Sun had to leave to catch his flight. So we kinda just bailed on him and never came back, from his perspective (sorry Sun).
So we got there, right. Bae graciously offered to sit this one out (after much feelz). Max and I were left, and we bought a $5 helmet from 7-11 (gov't sponsored). Then I went to stick my Mastercard into the machine. Tap "Rent a Bike".
How many bikes do you want to rent?
1, 2, 3, 4
So like, we could've rented 3??? Okay let's try this then.
Something like "Request cannot be processed". Okay, fair enough then. It did say maximum of 2 bikes per credit card.
Let's tap two bikes. "Request cannot be processed". Hmm interesting. Maybe that's not how the machine works, and I have to rent one bike at a time?
Tapped one bike. Ooh yeahh I managed to get a bike out. OKAY then let's get another one for Max.
"The maximum number of concurrent bikes allowed for this card has been exceeded".
Okay so we were pretty sour at this point, but not broken. Returned the bike, walked to another station, tried again. It just couldn't read the credit card, which was better than denying us bikes straight out, I suppose. Had a brainwave to walk a bike to the next station and try it there (I don't know, we were relying on voodoo magic and prayers to get two bikes, okay).
Of course, no luck, because fuck me (us), right?
With no morale left, we met up with Bae and went to eat at a pub (derno about terminology, but it's place that serves alcohol and lets people smoke LOL). A note that Melbourners have a pretty intense smoking culture. I had a chicken parma which was delicious. All our food was delicious and so our night was not intensely wasted. But we did waste at least 2h trying to get two bikes.
Slept at around 11pm, after watching some Family Guy that happened to be showing. A lot of the humour comes from the fact that something stupid happens for so long that it becomes uncomfortable, and then it feels right to laugh to dispel the awkwardness. Anyways we did a bit of ironing, showered, and slept.
Wake up in the morning at 7am, even though my interview is at 12:15, because I'm a bro. Had a quick shower and ate a bowl of muesli that tasted terrible (damn you Uncle Toby). Walked with the group (they all had 8:15 interviews), checked out, went to Monash.
So note that I was at Monash at 8:15am and my interview was predicted to end at 4:25pm. That is 8 hours, mon amies. I bummed around at the food court, walked around, found out where the library was, charged my iPod while playing chess with it, went to food court to bum some more, bought calamari rings that had no calamari in them, bought flake and chips that was too rubbery and I didn't have a knife, and then finally went to interviews.
So what Monash does, is make some of the people who start at 8:15 wait until 12:15 after their interviews, so they can't communicate. I never really got it because if I waterboarded someone who did it on the 6th (I was on 7th), I could achieve the same cheating results. Anyways I checked in for interviews at 12:15. Then we waited until 2:15. Our interview was delayed until like 3:30-ish (guesstimating, since interviews take 1.5h and we finished at 5pm). Yeah anyways I had been in Monash for 7h+ before commencing interviews.
In the meantime, Max, Ray and Bae managed to pick up 3 bikes using Raymond's Mastercard and were riding around merrily.
Okay so I finished (luckily the interviews weren't as unlucky as the trip on the whole. Fingers crossed that I exchanged all my luck for what really matters ahaha). I'm on public transport.
Melbourne has a City Loop as well, but it sits for about 10min at the station while transitioning from regional to City Loop. So I figured. Why not get off at the first station, then ride a bike to the next station? I get my 10 minutes of glory, and I might save some time compared to taking a train.
So I get off at Flinders St (if you play Monopoly Australia, that's either a Green or Purple property bahaha) and then find a bike hire.
Apparently they don't let you hire bikes at peak hour.
So it's already 5:30-ish, we want to be at the airport at like 6:40-ish, and now I have to walk about 1.7km to Southern Cross Station. In our group Whatsapp I had to shorten it so often that now I feel like referring to it as SoCro. Well I didn't walk, of course, because I have developed a sense of urgency in all my time in Cadets :L. Still took me about 25 minutes, with all the uphills (LIKE. ALL UPHILL) and pedestrian crossings and watching cars and people and stuff.
So after my terrible day the rest of the dudes shouted me a beer, which I opened on an edge (it was my first time trying, and I managed to get it on the second go without breaking the glass. I feel like a true man :L).
Then we got onto the SkyBus (shuttle bus to airport from CBD), and Max and I got on, but Bae lost his ticket and had to get on the next bus. Ray waited for him because his ticket hadn't been scanned yet. So we all got to the airport. Bae managed to get a 1L water bottle past security by PLACING IT ON THE GODDAMN TRAY THAT GOES THROUGH THE X-RAY. Though perhaps domestic doesn't really give that much of a shit.
So Bae had a bad time too. At the airport I shouted Corona+Limes (holy fuck I got ripped by the airport jebus) for Max and Bae, cos Ray was too young LOL. At this point Max just gets free beer without suffering bahaha.
After Vaish told us that our flight was boarding and turned out not to be lying, we hurried over, but not before Raymond played that goddamn flying game where you use your arms to steer the airplane. He didn't even have anything to drink.
So we boarded on time, of course, and dicked around a lot on the plane. To my knowledge, about 8 other Rusians were on that flight, but we only saw like 2 others. Slightly inebriated, we just chilled for most of the flight.
Max got his suffering when the plane was landing. The pressure in the cabin was messed up (if you were on JQ 596, please confirm this) so my ears were feeling weird too. But according to Max he felt "marbles in his veins" and feared for his life. Being a good friend I gave him gum and then just kept laughing at him :D.
So there ends the story of what I/we suffered in Melbourne. I hope you can find some sort of enjoyment out of our misery :L
scams... scams everywhere
Holy crap I just found this rather genius disguise for a pyramid scheme.
Invest £3,000 in the group, and you will receive £24,000 for every eight members you recruit.
Because you're raising awareness and should be rewarded or some shit. I don't really know what the rationale is behind the money exchange but it's probably something like that.
Want to shut this down? Dirty misogynists can go to hell.
And then there are women who join and think it's a gamble whether you get money or not (2nd last para)... The same article reveals that the person at the top is a businesswoman (para3), making this whole deal less sinister than if it had been a man at the top[original research?]. The usual explanation for that is that the patriarchal society intrinsically views women as harmless and any evil shit they do can't really be that bad.
*****
Also I was on a thread about Nigerian 419 Scams on Reddit, and came across this beautiful exchange. It is pure pure genius. It's pretty long, but you must read it to get the full effect. But, tl;dr this guy got $80 in cash from the Nigerian scammer by pretending to be a Father of some stupid ass (+made up) church.
*****
Lastly why the hell did they call a piece of super absorbent cloth a "Shamwow". As far as I'm concerned, there is no definition of "sham" that isn't related to deceit and general shittiness. Has anyone ever bought a Shamwow branded cloth? And if so, is it actually a quality product, because wtf?
Invest £3,000 in the group, and you will receive £24,000 for every eight members you recruit.
Because you're raising awareness and should be rewarded or some shit. I don't really know what the rationale is behind the money exchange but it's probably something like that.
Want to shut this down? Dirty misogynists can go to hell.
And then there are women who join and think it's a gamble whether you get money or not (2nd last para)... The same article reveals that the person at the top is a businesswoman (para3), making this whole deal less sinister than if it had been a man at the top[original research?]. The usual explanation for that is that the patriarchal society intrinsically views women as harmless and any evil shit they do can't really be that bad.
*****
Also I was on a thread about Nigerian 419 Scams on Reddit, and came across this beautiful exchange. It is pure pure genius. It's pretty long, but you must read it to get the full effect. But, tl;dr this guy got $80 in cash from the Nigerian scammer by pretending to be a Father of some stupid ass (+made up) church.
*****
Lastly why the hell did they call a piece of super absorbent cloth a "Shamwow". As far as I'm concerned, there is no definition of "sham" that isn't related to deceit and general shittiness. Has anyone ever bought a Shamwow branded cloth? And if so, is it actually a quality product, because wtf?
vroom vroom motherfucker
a) Women are bad at driving
b) Asians are bad at driving
c) "Wow you're such a good driver"
Okay let's start with a) and b). I've never really understood what it meant to be a "bad" driver. Is it lack of vehicle control? Disobedience of road rules? Extreme passiveness (driving at 50km/h on a freeway)? Extreme aggressiveness (though usually they're just a bad person, not limited to just driving)?
Because obviously, I've seen women be assholes on the road, but only just as often as men. Although I have seen 2-3 (60-70yo) women majorly fuck up intersection rules, and I think one man, which really isn't enough to show a pattern.
By the way, the people who live at the Baptist nursing home in Carlingford are reckless as all hell. They jay-hobble across Pennant Hills Rd, and often cross Adderton Rd without even looking, dangerous as fuck if there are people turning right into Adderton.
Similarly when someone is in a car and comments "wow you're such a good driver". What the does that mean? Does it mean "you do not fuck up"? Because that's not a "good" driver that's just goddamn average. A good driver would be a racer who sees the road in terms of racing lines when they drive at 200+km/h. I can understand the comment if it's a L-plater within his/her first 20 or so hours. And they seem to possess some sort of natural talent for handling heavy machinery. Then okay "you are a good driver", because a pat on the back here is meaningful. But if the driver is past that (especially P-platers, where you're more likely to cart friends around), then really it's more appropriate to not say anything than say something so meaningless, unless the driver pulls some sick act of regaining control after skidding on gravel.
b) Asians are bad at driving
c) "Wow you're such a good driver"
Okay let's start with a) and b). I've never really understood what it meant to be a "bad" driver. Is it lack of vehicle control? Disobedience of road rules? Extreme passiveness (driving at 50km/h on a freeway)? Extreme aggressiveness (though usually they're just a bad person, not limited to just driving)?
Because obviously, I've seen women be assholes on the road, but only just as often as men. Although I have seen 2-3 (60-70yo) women majorly fuck up intersection rules, and I think one man, which really isn't enough to show a pattern.
By the way, the people who live at the Baptist nursing home in Carlingford are reckless as all hell. They jay-hobble across Pennant Hills Rd, and often cross Adderton Rd without even looking, dangerous as fuck if there are people turning right into Adderton.
Similarly when someone is in a car and comments "wow you're such a good driver". What the does that mean? Does it mean "you do not fuck up"? Because that's not a "good" driver that's just goddamn average. A good driver would be a racer who sees the road in terms of racing lines when they drive at 200+km/h. I can understand the comment if it's a L-plater within his/her first 20 or so hours. And they seem to possess some sort of natural talent for handling heavy machinery. Then okay "you are a good driver", because a pat on the back here is meaningful. But if the driver is past that (especially P-platers, where you're more likely to cart friends around), then really it's more appropriate to not say anything than say something so meaningless, unless the driver pulls some sick act of regaining control after skidding on gravel.
gan bei
HELLO I have been cocktail-ing the hell away. I make most of these using International Bartender Association recipes, except where they have failed me. I'll add a "Recommended" next to drinks I recommend you try at least once in a bar (because some of you have/have thought of asking me).
Here is an update!
Martini
A nice drink, but I can't help but to feel that my using Beefeater isn't the right gin to bring out the beauty in this drink.
Gin & Tonic*interesting story of tonic water - Recommended! Ask for Beefeater or Hendricks
But holy shit Beefeater is delicious in a GnT. The tonic water has a sort of tartness to it that complements the broad flavour of the gin.
John Collins
I like it for liking lemon juice's sake. I can't decide whether the juniper backing it up justifies the addition of gin, but if you're drinking for liquor's sake, go ahead :D
Cuba Libre
It does not take a genius to mix a rum and coke, so I did not insult my own intelligence by practising :L. However I tried it once with Bundaberg rum, and may I recommend: If you want coke as a mixer, use rum as the base. Jack and coke does not have as good a synergy.
Daiquiri
I haven't actually made one of these yet. It's just mixing sugar, lime juice, rum, and is relatively unexciting. They gain appeal as you prefix this drink with the name of a fruit (strawberry, mango, banana, etc). But I don't own a blender so that's pretty sad.
Mai Tai
Haven't made any of these either, as I do not own either dark rum or orange curacao. I look forward to tasting this because it sounds fruity as all hell.
Mojito - Recommended!
One of the most visually appealing drinks I know how to make. Yesterday when it was a boiling 40 degree day, I made mojitos for my dad and myself. I think I've got this drink down pat now. The only problem I have is that, with the mint leaves at the bottom of the glass, they often clog up the straw, but I might avoid this as I get better with the bar spoon. But it is uber refreshing and I recommend you try it during your summer (Y)
Margarita
Have not made this yet. Limes are expensive. Mayhaps I will try it soon. It is, after all, a quintessential cocktail. I can sorta imagine the taste. I haven't had it yet so I'm hesitant to actually recommend it, but you should say "fuck the rules" and try it without my backing.
Tequila Sunrise
Another visually appealing drink that I have not yet tried. I need to buy grenadine (only like $12 from Dan Murphy's!) but I've been too lazy to go. Soon, I always say. I'm not sure how good this will taste though. Tequila + OJ?? Can't imagine it. It might be one of those magical matches.
I find that, as vodka is the neutral-est of the neutral grain spirits, it has a good presence in many cocktails. Especially with fruit juices to make tipsiness accessible to those that don't really want to enjoy liquors.
Contrary to popular belief (and anyone who has consumed vodka without shooting it will agree) vodka actually has a distinctive taste, which perhaps is more easily accessible when you've put vodka in the freezer for a few hours to close down the alcohol burn. It's faintly, but distinctly "bready".
Also I recommend every try a Vodka Cruiser at least once, because they're done pretty nicely. But no more than 5 times because, seriously, why?! Also I will decline 9/10 shot games because there is nothing fun about irresponsible drinking >=O.
Appletini - Recommended!
Those that follow my Instagram will know of my struggles with this cocktail. IT WAS THE COINTREAU!!! Had to substitute that for the much mellower triple sec, and now it's delicious. I use bottled freshly pressed cloudy apple juice too, for maximum quality. It's now one of my best cocktails. I could make it Christmassy by adding a cherry and swirling in some syrup.
Cosmopolitan - Recommended!
The classic girl cocktail, if you will. I managed to accidentally stumble upon a great recipe when I misquoted the recipe I had committed to memory. Now the cranberry masks the terrible alcohol taste and I am victorious.
Cape Cod
Ocean Spray cranberry juice has this really weird aftertaste at the back of the palate. The finish feels rather like grape skin (I'd say tannins, but I don't really know what they taste like soooo). Anyways I don't really see why you'd drink a Cape Cod seeing as you could just drink cranberry juice WITHOUT the alcohol...
Kamikaze - Recommended!
Bloody delicious, as all citrus cocktails are. Lime juice is tarter than lemon juice, which makes it different from a Vodka Lemon Drop.
Moscow Mule
Ginger beer and Vodka. What would it taste like? Ginger beer. I only learn these so I can match the name to the recipe, I don't actually bother making these peon-ic drinks.
Sea Breeze
My first drink was a Sea Breeze. It has some sentimental value but nonetheless I have somewhat forgotten the proportions of the recipes by now BAHAHA. It has cranberry, grapefruit, and vodka in it. Something like 4:1:1 or something. I'll have to check.
Sex on the Beach
I hear from a friend that these suck. I am sure I can make them taste good. It would be useful for me to offer someone Sex on the Beach, insist (then prove) that it is indeed very very good. Bahahaha.
Screwdriver
Another peonic drink that will unsurprisingly just taste like orange juice.
Vodka Lemon Drop - Recommended!
Was very popular at our English party. If you knew the recipe you'd probably book a dentist appointment before drinking it, but it's bloody delicious (Y).
This is something that you cannot imagine how good it tastes until you taste it. Lemon juice is sweet and sour. Jack Daniels is smokey and... whiskey-ey. But you put them together and you have an orgasm (jk Orgasm is Baileys, Amaretto, Cream, Kahlua). But I seriously recommend it. It's a summer drink.
Manhattan
The martini of whiskeys. Adds a fuller bodied taste with the vermouth. Unfortunately I do not have sweet vermouth and so just had a Dry Manhattan (Cyclone Sandy disagrees har de har). I imagine that it'd be better with red vermouth though.
Mint Julep
Hmmm not as great of a combo as a mojito. From the Southern USA, apparently. I'm not sure if I'm doing it wrong or something but the flavours aren't really meshing for me.
Old Fashioned
This is THE WAY to enjoy whiskey itself, short of consuming whiskey neat or on the rocks. I need to try this with Scotch too (JD counts as bourbon for me, for now). By the way, Johnny Walker Red can go to hell. If you wanna try Scotch go Johnny Walker Black (or any other colour, if you can afford it), or Chivas.
Whiskey Sour - Recommended!
Like the Lynchburg Lemonade, the marriage of whiskey and lemon is phenomenal.
The loner (because it has no single base spirit):
Long Island Iced Tea
Originally used to disguise contraband liquor as iced tea during the US prohibition, it has evolved into a palatable (apparently) citrus-y cocktail. So far I haven't found an occasion where I'd want to consume 2.5 standard drinks in one sitting. Perhaps when I get uni offers or something ahaha.
Here is an update!
Gin
A note here that I find drinking gin neat pretty nasty. Probably nastier than soju. But it's much better when it's diluted and the flavours are allowed to open up instead of smashing you all at once.Martini
A nice drink, but I can't help but to feel that my using Beefeater isn't the right gin to bring out the beauty in this drink.
Gin & Tonic*interesting story of tonic water - Recommended! Ask for Beefeater or Hendricks
But holy shit Beefeater is delicious in a GnT. The tonic water has a sort of tartness to it that complements the broad flavour of the gin.
John Collins
I like it for liking lemon juice's sake. I can't decide whether the juniper backing it up justifies the addition of gin, but if you're drinking for liquor's sake, go ahead :D
Rum
Bacardi White Rum is a joy to consume neat. It's so bloody smooth and it's less than $40 for a bottle too. I will eventually move on to dark rums and spiced rums, but I haven't found a good place to start yet.Cuba Libre
It does not take a genius to mix a rum and coke, so I did not insult my own intelligence by practising :L. However I tried it once with Bundaberg rum, and may I recommend: If you want coke as a mixer, use rum as the base. Jack and coke does not have as good a synergy.
Daiquiri
I haven't actually made one of these yet. It's just mixing sugar, lime juice, rum, and is relatively unexciting. They gain appeal as you prefix this drink with the name of a fruit (strawberry, mango, banana, etc). But I don't own a blender so that's pretty sad.
Mai Tai
Haven't made any of these either, as I do not own either dark rum or orange curacao. I look forward to tasting this because it sounds fruity as all hell.
Mojito - Recommended!
One of the most visually appealing drinks I know how to make. Yesterday when it was a boiling 40 degree day, I made mojitos for my dad and myself. I think I've got this drink down pat now. The only problem I have is that, with the mint leaves at the bottom of the glass, they often clog up the straw, but I might avoid this as I get better with the bar spoon. But it is uber refreshing and I recommend you try it during your summer (Y)
Tequila
I bought El Jimador's, which is 100% agave but the alcohol burn is freaking ridiculous. I know I can find good tequila somewhere, but I'll have to keep searching.Margarita
Have not made this yet. Limes are expensive. Mayhaps I will try it soon. It is, after all, a quintessential cocktail. I can sorta imagine the taste. I haven't had it yet so I'm hesitant to actually recommend it, but you should say "fuck the rules" and try it without my backing.
Tequila Sunrise
Another visually appealing drink that I have not yet tried. I need to buy grenadine (only like $12 from Dan Murphy's!) but I've been too lazy to go. Soon, I always say. I'm not sure how good this will taste though. Tequila + OJ?? Can't imagine it. It might be one of those magical matches.
Vodka
I have Absolut Vodka. Not the worst, but definitely not a great vodka. The taste of alcohol overpowers many a cocktail. However, this is perhaps useful to me in order to make my drinks extra awesome in the event I buy better vodka like Belvedere.I find that, as vodka is the neutral-est of the neutral grain spirits, it has a good presence in many cocktails. Especially with fruit juices to make tipsiness accessible to those that don't really want to enjoy liquors.
Contrary to popular belief (and anyone who has consumed vodka without shooting it will agree) vodka actually has a distinctive taste, which perhaps is more easily accessible when you've put vodka in the freezer for a few hours to close down the alcohol burn. It's faintly, but distinctly "bready".
Also I recommend every try a Vodka Cruiser at least once, because they're done pretty nicely. But no more than 5 times because, seriously, why?! Also I will decline 9/10 shot games because there is nothing fun about irresponsible drinking >=O.
Appletini - Recommended!
Those that follow my Instagram will know of my struggles with this cocktail. IT WAS THE COINTREAU!!! Had to substitute that for the much mellower triple sec, and now it's delicious. I use bottled freshly pressed cloudy apple juice too, for maximum quality. It's now one of my best cocktails. I could make it Christmassy by adding a cherry and swirling in some syrup.
Cosmopolitan - Recommended!
The classic girl cocktail, if you will. I managed to accidentally stumble upon a great recipe when I misquoted the recipe I had committed to memory. Now the cranberry masks the terrible alcohol taste and I am victorious.
Cape Cod
Ocean Spray cranberry juice has this really weird aftertaste at the back of the palate. The finish feels rather like grape skin (I'd say tannins, but I don't really know what they taste like soooo). Anyways I don't really see why you'd drink a Cape Cod seeing as you could just drink cranberry juice WITHOUT the alcohol...
Kamikaze - Recommended!
Bloody delicious, as all citrus cocktails are. Lime juice is tarter than lemon juice, which makes it different from a Vodka Lemon Drop.
Moscow Mule
Ginger beer and Vodka. What would it taste like? Ginger beer. I only learn these so I can match the name to the recipe, I don't actually bother making these peon-ic drinks.
Sea Breeze
My first drink was a Sea Breeze. It has some sentimental value but nonetheless I have somewhat forgotten the proportions of the recipes by now BAHAHA. It has cranberry, grapefruit, and vodka in it. Something like 4:1:1 or something. I'll have to check.
Sex on the Beach
I hear from a friend that these suck. I am sure I can make them taste good. It would be useful for me to offer someone Sex on the Beach, insist (then prove) that it is indeed very very good. Bahahaha.
Screwdriver
Another peonic drink that will unsurprisingly just taste like orange juice.
Vodka Lemon Drop - Recommended!
Was very popular at our English party. If you knew the recipe you'd probably book a dentist appointment before drinking it, but it's bloody delicious (Y).
Whiskey
Lynchburg Lemonade - Recommended!This is something that you cannot imagine how good it tastes until you taste it. Lemon juice is sweet and sour. Jack Daniels is smokey and... whiskey-ey. But you put them together and you have an orgasm (jk Orgasm is Baileys, Amaretto, Cream, Kahlua). But I seriously recommend it. It's a summer drink.
Manhattan
The martini of whiskeys. Adds a fuller bodied taste with the vermouth. Unfortunately I do not have sweet vermouth and so just had a Dry Manhattan (Cyclone Sandy disagrees har de har). I imagine that it'd be better with red vermouth though.
Mint Julep
Hmmm not as great of a combo as a mojito. From the Southern USA, apparently. I'm not sure if I'm doing it wrong or something but the flavours aren't really meshing for me.
Old Fashioned
This is THE WAY to enjoy whiskey itself, short of consuming whiskey neat or on the rocks. I need to try this with Scotch too (JD counts as bourbon for me, for now). By the way, Johnny Walker Red can go to hell. If you wanna try Scotch go Johnny Walker Black (or any other colour, if you can afford it), or Chivas.
Whiskey Sour - Recommended!
Like the Lynchburg Lemonade, the marriage of whiskey and lemon is phenomenal.
The loner (because it has no single base spirit):
Long Island Iced Tea
Originally used to disguise contraband liquor as iced tea during the US prohibition, it has evolved into a palatable (apparently) citrus-y cocktail. So far I haven't found an occasion where I'd want to consume 2.5 standard drinks in one sitting. Perhaps when I get uni offers or something ahaha.
summer!
One of the greatest feelings is taking a cool shower on a hot day like today, so that my shell temperature (skin temperature) drops to like 30 degrees or something, but my core is still burning strong at 37 or whatever.
Then after the shower I put the towel over my shoulders, and it reflects all the core heat and transfers it to shell really damn fast, and it feels like the towel was just taken from a heater, or being warmed by the sun. It feels great and not stickily hot at all :D
Then after the shower I put the towel over my shoulders, and it reflects all the core heat and transfers it to shell really damn fast, and it feels like the towel was just taken from a heater, or being warmed by the sun. It feels great and not stickily hot at all :D
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