Serious drinkers: How did you learn to appreciate drinks "neat"?

[Agent11]

I only drink liquor neat.

I also drink tea and coffee without sugar or cream.

You should learn to appreciate the beverage in its unadulterated form.

 

[Ns1]

I only drink liquor neat.

I also drink tea and coffee without sugar or cream.

You should learn to appreciate the beverage in its unadulterated form.

thus the OP....

I drink tea straight up, GREAT coffee straight up, good coffee no milk minimal sugar.

 

[Vic Vega]

When you had that first shot of whiskey, you seriously didn't think "oh my god this is the best thing I've ever tasted in my life", did you?

I like alcohol, but I find I like it in a very "asian" manner - mixed drinks, light beers, soju/sake-grade liquor.

Whenever I try to have whiskey straight up it almost makes me gag. A buddy ordered me a jamison on the rocks and I couldn't get past half of it.

HTF do I learn to appreciate this shit? Beef up my tolerance and keep on drinking or what?

Not be a pussy? I don't know, really the fact that you post this (no offense intended and I honestly mean that) indicates you're probably not a "neat" guy.

 

[Vic Vega]

Oh, and if you drink coffee with sugar, that's not "straight up" (though I have never heard this term applied to coffee but I understand your meaning).

 

[Gillbot]

Find something that appeals to you and, well, drink it.

This ^

Whiskey is nasty..... I tried tequila and wasn't a fan until I tried Cabo. It's still a bit harsh going down but still overall good. Then on a whim I tried rum and that's where it was at!! I have no problem drinking it neat at all. Just find your taste and go from there.

 

[IronWing]

Serious drinkers: How did you learn to appreciate drinks "neat"?

Use a straw. Extra credit for a curly straw.

 

[Ns1]

Oh, and if you drink coffee with sugar, that's not "straight up" (though I have never heard this term applied to coffee but I understand your meaning).

I drink it both ways depending on the quality of the coffee.

 

[Poulsonator]

I only drink liquor neat.

I also drink tea and coffee without sugar or cream.

You should learn to appreciate the beverage in its unadulterated form.

This for me as well. Just have always liked the taste.

 

[preslove]

I liked bourbon neat, then one night drank half a bottle. Haven't bought another bottle since. Beer and wine on occasion for me, lol.

Tiekwanyin oolong tea with >70 or 85% cacao dark chocolate is my main beverage & food combo for subtle & extended periods of time. I have an 8 oz infuser cup, and a teaspoon of tea is perfect. By the third infusion, I have the tannin-y taste of both the tea and the chocolate.

Thing is, the amino acids in the tea and chocolate are extremely good for you. Alcohol, not so much.

 

[Agent11]

A good experiment would be with scotch. Buy a bottle of the cheapest crap you can find and also buy a bottle of something decently nice, like Chivas Regal or Glenlivet 18.

Then compare them. That should give you an idea of what to appreciate.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

A good experiment would be with scotch. Buy a bottle of the cheapest crap you can find and also buy a bottle of something decently nice, like Chivas Regal or Glenlivet 18.

Then compare them. That should give you an idea of what to appreciate.

That's the most biased excuse of an experiment I've ever heard of.

 

[OogyWaWa]

my best advice is to educate yourself and then experiment. A lot of the time you find something you don't like is because the person serving it to you doesnt know what they are doing. Also, being in the right mindset helps.

You tube 'ralfy' for a never-ending barrage of whisky reviews and tons of educational videos.

Anyways, at the end of the day, it's all about what you enjoy. If you don't like it, dont drink it/buy it.

Some recommendations I find most friends like:
rum: el dorado 15yr
scotch: glengoyne 10 or 15
gin: bombay saphire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCXkAy5XvcU

 

[trmiv]

I've never been able to get past the burn of straight alcohol. Wanted to get into scotch, etc but the expense makes it hard to experiment.

 

[lxskllr]

I've never been able to get past the burn of straight alcohol. Wanted to get into scotch, etc but the expense makes it hard to experiment.

Some stores have high end miniatures. It's a cost effective way to try a few different kinds.

 

[IronWing]

OP, if you weren't slamming hard liquor in high school don't even bother trying to start now. As your body matures it develops sense and tries to limit your intake of poisons, new poisons anyway.

 

[phucheneh]

Neat drinks are just the 'sophisticated' way of being a bottle-drinking alcoholic.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Neat drinks are just the 'sophisticated' way of being a bottle-drinking alcoholic.

Better than being a martini-drinking alcoholic, poserwimp.

 

[uclaLabrat]

Neat drinks are just the 'sophisticated' way of being a bottle-drinking alcoholic.

neat drinks are the nectar of the gods, for someone with a tolerance greater than a 95 lb japanese woman.

 

[Apex]

neat drinks are the nectar of the gods, for someone with a tolerance greater than a 95 lb japanese woman.

There are some 95lb Japanese women that'll drink you under the table. Scary stuff.

"You" being the general you, not you specifically.

 

[Vaux]

It sounds silly but I never really drank whiskey until I watched the series Deadwood. For some reason, that made me want to try it. So I did and I tried some of the cheap stuff first and thought it was ok. Made me feel manly and all of that lol. Anyways what really did it for me was when I opened up a bottle of Jim Beam Black Label and smelled it, and I could smell this deep wood smell that I thought was great. I tried sipping it and loved it and now I don't drink it any other way. I like Crown Royal alot also.

 

[colonelciller]

lots of things are acquired tastes... the more you have it (over time) the more your brain grows to like it... i think whiskey is one of thosethings.

join a scotch whiskey club for a year... fun, tastes good, interesting to learn about, wife thinks it's sophisticated and not just a night out at the bar.

as to whiskey, if it's on ice or refrigerated you completely kill the nuances of the flavor/smells.

i'd say to try putting just enough whiskey in your mouth to wet your tongue... you get the flavors but none of the bite from the alcohol... repeat.

also consider adding a few drops of water to the glass... it changes the flavor profile and instead of tasting mostly ethanol you can find new flavors/smells.

lastly, shooting whiskey has nothing to do with tasting it

 

[colonelciller]

Neat drinks are just the 'sophisticated' way of being a bottle-drinking alcoholic.

lol... no

 

[Puppies04]

When you had that first shot of whiskey, you seriously didn't think "oh my god this is the best thing I've ever tasted in my life", did you?

I like alcohol, but I find I like it in a very "asian" manner - mixed drinks, light beers, soju/sake-grade liquor.

Whenever I try to have whiskey straight up it almost makes me gag. A buddy ordered me a jamison on the rocks and I couldn't get past half of it.

HTF do I learn to appreciate this shit? Beef up my tolerance and keep on drinking or what?

Depends, how old are you?

 

[Ns1]

Depends, how old are you?

29

 

[Fayd]

Stuff I like at two price points, and think is approachable for a beginner...

Irish - Tullamore Dew, Black Bush
Bourbon - Old Forrester, Knob Creek
Scotch - Famous Grouse, Macallan
Tequila - 1800 añejo that's all I have. Don't know a cheaper one
Rye - Pikesville is good and cheap. Don't know more expensive ones

for the tequila: Sauza Hornitos reposado. it's the stuff i use to make margaritas, and it's pretty decent on its own. doesn't taste dirty like the unbranded anejo I got from costco, or just bad like jose cuervo. (not real tequila.)

that said, i'm not much of a liquor drinker. like the OP, i prefer mixed drinks.

I just bought a bottle of fireball whiskey. (whiskey that tastes like red hots. dont let the packaging fool you, it's not hot.) my brother gave me a couple shots of it, it was pretty good. so i got a bottle.