Whatcha drinking (2018-2022)?

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Recently my only relationship with spirits has been as an addition to certain food dishes. In the past (a long time ago) I had a penchant for cognac or brandy and malt whisky but that has reduced over time. Now it's beer and the occasional bottle of red wine for drinking. I never really liked gin, rum or vodka (although I have drunk the odd Bloody Mary (with chillis)). Most liqueurs I find find far too sweet for my taste.
 
I recall (which is slightly surprising) something that happened at a pub in which I was a regular in Oxford. They used to have one of those big optic bottles that people put change in and periodically, the bottle would get emptied and the money sent to a local charity. One evening, the bottle got stolen by some dodgy characters (not regulars, complete outsiders).

Someone - not me - came up with an idea and a few brave souls signed up to it. It was known as "Round the Optics" although it went beyond to optics to the bottles on the shelves behind them. The rules were simple: the "player" bought a single shot of whatever was next on their list and drank it neat, whereupon they would put 10p into the new charity bottle.

This wasn't too bad when you were drinking whisky, cognac, rum, etc. but things like gin without a mixer were a bit tough. As for those liqueurs (and there were lots of them), all you could do was close your eyes and swallow. A few of us made it all the way through over the course of a few months.
 
TastyReuben said:
I'm making a little chocolate cake with Guinness, so I'm drinking a bottle of that (minus the bit for the cake).
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Really? Does the beer do the yeast job? What kind of choc cake is it? Honestly never heard of cake with beer in it, but it is just me probably😁😎🙈
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
During the Wine Challenge, I saw this one at Kroger, and I thought: Um....no. But, that was because I was buying for cooking purposes (which would still be a NO). But, as a dessert wine? Sure.
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A wine tour would do me good, rarely do I drink wine hence very little insight...there are people who know what goes with what and which year and what is better.. and my eyes get big...
 
Timenspace said:
A wine tour would do me good, rarely do I drink wine hence very little insight...there are people who know what goes with what and which year and what is better.. and my eyes get big...
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I had always heard that red wines go with red meats, and white wines go with lighter colored meats (fish and chicken). This always seemed more like silly color coordination than something sensible. Then, I recall hearing some wine expert saying you should "drink whatever you want"...that's not helpful! :laugh:

Apparently bolder (red) wines overpower more delicate foods (like fish), but work better with bold flavors (like red meats and cheeses). But, don't listen to me: I'm still figuring it out myself!
 
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Duck59 sharing his spirits inspired me to get the whole family together for a family photo. From left:
  • Detroit River Blues Gin - the Juniper Berries challenge is still resonating!
  • Absente Absinthe - Vincent Van Gogh approves (I kept the box that it came in, which has his artistic visage on it)
  • Dubloon Rum - a cheap but tasty and strong (92 proof) rum
  • Centenario Anejo Tequila - excellent mid-range tequila...almost too good to use as a mix or for shots.
  • Templeton Rye Whiskey - one of the few rye whiskeys...rye whiskey is my first choice when I want an Old Fashioned.
  • Four Roses Bourbon - a superb all-purpose bourbon that's ~$22 for a 750 ml bottle...a bargain. You can tell by the massive size of this one that this is what my family and I use for our 8 p.m. COVID Cocktail.
  • Four Roses Bourbon Single Batch - the previous bourbon's high society cousin. It costs 3 times as much, but really isn't that much better. This one is saved for special occasions.
I completely forgot that I also have a bottle of vodka that I keep in the freezer. I have never had vodka as anything other than a mixer.

One might think that having this many types of liquor is a sign of a serious problem. I'd tend to agree if all those bottles were empty, but it will take quite some time to drain them all (maybe by the end of the year?) Just as I do in the kitchen, with different seasonings and such, I like to have options. :drink:
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
View attachment 59455

Duck59 sharing his spirits inspired me to get the whole family together for a family photo. From left:
  • Detroit River Blues Gin - the Juniper Berries challenge is still resonating!
  • Absente Absinthe - Vincent Van Gogh approves (I kept the box that it came in, which has his artistic visage on it)
  • Dubloon Rum - a cheap but tasty and strong (92 proof) rum
  • Centenario Anejo Tequila - excellent mid-range tequila...almost too good to use as a mix or for shots.
  • Templeton Rye Whiskey - one of the few rye whiskeys...rye whiskey is my first choice when I want an Old Fashioned.
  • Four Roses Bourbon - a superb all-purpose bourbon that's ~$22 for a 750 ml bottle...a bargain. You can tell by the massive size of this one that this is what my family and I use for our 8 p.m. COVID Cocktail.
  • Four Roses Bourbon Single Batch - the previous bourbon's high society cousin. It costs 3 times as much, but really isn't that much better. This one is saved for special occasions.
I completely forgot that I also have a bottle of vodka that I keep in the freezer. I have never had vodka as anything other than a mixer.

One might think that having this many types of liquor is a sign of a serious problem. I'd tend to agree if all those bottles were empty, but it will take quite some time to drain them all (maybe by the end of the year?) Just as I do in the kitchen, with different seasonings and such, I like to have options. :drink:
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Wooow.
LoL to the Covid after 8 pm cocktail.
What do you by mean vodka as a mixer?
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
I had always heard that red wines go with red meats, and white wines go with lighter colored meats (fish and chicken). This always seemed more like silly color coordination than something sensible. Then, I recall hearing some wine expert saying you should "drink whatever you want"...that's not helpful! :laugh:

Apparently bolder (red) wines overpower more delicate foods (like fish), but work better with bold flavors (like red meats and cheeses). But, don't listen to me: I'm still figuring it out myself!
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Back around 1990, I went to a dinner sponsored by a computer magazine that was hosted by a columnist for a sister wine magazine. It was around a six course (small plates) meal, and there was a different wine with each course. He explained the pairings, and why they work. Every pairing was excellent. It was fascinating. Of course, I don't remember anything he said, now. I couldn't afford the wines he selected, anyway.

CD
 
Timenspace said:
Really? Does the beer do the yeast job? What kind of choc cake is it? Honestly never heard of cake with beer in it, but it is just me probably😁😎🙈
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There's no yeast in the cake, the raising agent is baking soda. The Guinness works well with chocolate and just adds a nice flavor (as MG pointed out as well).

The Late Night Gourmet said:
I had always heard that red wines go with red meats, and white wines go with lighter colored meats (fish and chicken).
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I frequently mention things that Jacques Pepin has said in his shows and in interviews, and what he said about wine with dinner was enlightening.

First, it's important to note that he grew up in a family of restaurant owners near Lyon, a gastronomic capital, before going on to his storied career as chef to the French president and all that, so he's been around some wine in his day.

He said that people always expect him to have very specific ideas around wine and food pairing, but that in his experience in France, that was more of a thing for diners in a restaurant, that the average French family eating at home always had white wine to start and red wine with the main dish, and it didn't matter what the starter and main dishes were, that it was always white wine with the starter and red wine with the main dish, and that's how he drinks his wine to this day, and he rarely spends more than $15US on a bottle of wine.
 
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