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.
The Story of Tonic Water
Originally, when whities were invading America to steal their land and shit, they got pretty pwned by malaria.
They noticed that the Native American Indians drank quinine (yes, Bio kids!) in a tincture (which is like an alcoholic brew thing) in order to fight malaria. So they were like "let's steal their malaria treatments too", because goddamn they'll steal anything if they manage to sail a boat there.
So the British mixed the quinine with water, and then with gin, in order to make the taste of quinine more palatable.
Even today, tonic water contains actual trace amounts of quinine. This can be detected in UV light, as I kindly demonstrated myself.
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| Left - tonic water. Right - regular water |
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