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

[Oyeve]

My parents always had cutty sark laying about when I was a kid in the 70s and I would always sneak nips here and there. I guess I built up a taste and tolerance early on. I only drink whiskey straight and I never do shots as you lose the appreciation of the whiskey that way. IMO.

 

[Gillbot]

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.

Same with me until I tried Cabo. If you get the higher end stuff, the burn really isn't there if you find your taste.

 

[Zeze]

Quite frankly, it's the EXACT mechanic of learning to like coffee.

As a kid, it just tasted like crap and bitter. Then you grow to appreciate it.

When I drank scotch for the first time, all I could taste was the strong alcohol scent. But once you get used to it, your palate is able to get past the 'alcohol-ness' and actually start to taste the nuances of the scotch.

After that, scotch actually start to taste SWEET to me. Glenlivet taste like light grapes in the end..... mmmmmmmmmmm...

 

[K1052]

Drank lots of shitty booze when I was young and moved into the good stuff as I got a little older. The coffee analogy is a good one.

One downside is that the bottles I want now are in the 50-150 range instead of 20. On a kick for brandies (mostly Armagnac) and small batch rye whiskies right now.

 

[biostud]

A good bottle of rhum is really tasty. (Not the kind you put a drink)

It has a taste of burnt sugar/chocolate without being sweet. If it's too strong in taste put in a couple of ice cubes. Also don't gulp, just take small sips to let the flavor evolve in your mouth without having the alcohol burn and make you gag.

Cheap alcohol often taste very harsh when not in drinks, while expensive stuff has more flavors and are more smooth.

Cruzan Estate Diamond rhum was the rhum that opened my eyes to the taset of high quality rhum.

http://www.ministryofrum.com/rumdetails.php?r=154

I bought this a couple of weeks ago.

 

[GWestphal]

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

Not everyone has the same taste. When I first tried scotch, I bought a bottle of Glenlivet 12 yr. It was alright, but I couldn't really figure out what all the fuss was about. I couldn't really see spending $40+ on a bottle of something that I didn't enjoy. I tried a few other scotches over time, but pretty much had the same result. Then I landed on Highland Park. From the first glass, I REALLY enjoyed it. It has a unique sweetness and a lot of interesting flavors that makes it truly fun to sit there and sip.

I don't consider myself a serious drinker, but the moral of the story is: try a few different things, and don't force yourself to drink something. You may just not like whiskey. There's nothing wrong with that. There's no sense spending money and choking down something that you don't enjoy.

I was the same way with Military Special. It had me from hello, I just wish we could remember our time together...

 

[shortylickens]

I started with St Maarten guavaberry. It made the transition easier.

 

[Raduque]

gin: bombay saphire

I love Bombay Sapphire, but the first time I tried it, I thought somebody poured me a glass of rubbing alcohol.

My uncle and I killed half a bottle of Maker's Mark this past Easter, and it was good.

I've tried dozens of different tequilas from Juarez to Don Julio, and my favorite by far is Patron silver for shots and Cuervo 1800 silver for mixing. Cabo Wabo is just nasty.

I'm a definite rum guy. My favorites, both I can drink straight up right out of the bottle are Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay Coconut and Kraken Black Spice. I've put the Kraken in just about everything as a mixed drink, too. :awe:

 

[sjwaste]

Depends on the liquor, but I don't see anything wrong with not liking something neat. I still don't prefer my Scotch neat. I like either an ice cube or a little bit of water in it. I don't taste the subtleties without, it's just alcohol burn. Now, I'm not saying water it down so much that you don't taste anything. But if you're not appreciating it neat, try chilling it a little first and then drinking it slowly (so that it warms up on your palate and you gradually get all of the flavors coming in). Again, you don't impress anyone by sticking an expensive bottle in the freezer for a bit, but it's a good technique.

You gotta drink how you like it. Just like food.

 

[PrinceofWands]

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?

I did. I liked the taste of hard alcohol the second I tried it (I was 18). I HATED beer though. Wouldn't touch it. I was never into mixed drinks very much, preferring straight whiskey, bourbon, cognac, or shots. For most of my life my favorite drink has been 151. Fill up a flask and sip on it all night, or line up the shots.

 

[Murloc]

Been there done that, still have not learned to appreciate drinks neat. I drank IPA's for a month straight and couldn't appreciate that either.

you have to do it often enough. Also maybe you just don't like it, it can happen, lots of people are non-drinkers.

Personally I never tasted all these drinks like whiskey or gin or bourbon, they aren't that popular here either. I like wine and beer and am content with it.

 

[SketchMaster]

The hard truth is you have to stumble your way through until you find something you like, everyone has different tastes.

Case in point: At my 27th Birthday party I let a friend and his wife try some of my 15yr Macallan Fine Oak (about $120). He loved it, the wife hated it. Then to play a bit of a prank I gave them some Laphroaig 10yr (VERY smokey. I only use it for mixing. ~$50).

Husband haaated it... But the wife loved it.

Go figure.

I hated straight whisky until I found Glenlivet on a random night out. Now I've learned how to taste all the layers and can drink things I never would have cared to try four years ago.