Liquor, Sir
 

So in college we drink, Keystone, sometimes Miller Lite, Bud Lite and other cheap beer. Hard stuff we consume Skol, Bacardi, Captain Morgan and other cheap stuff. Will my taste in finer alcohol change as I get older? Do you oldies remember drinking in college? How does it compare to your current drinking moods?

The amount I drink is proportional to the amount of alcohol I can buy that doesn't taste like piss. Always has been. That said, I have a drink or two a month, usually beer, sometimes cider, rarely a mixed drink (margaritas, mmm).

I don't think taste in alcohol changes to much with age, but with changes in what I'll call attitude. If you become a (aspiring) high-powered lawyer or somesuch, you're not going to drink Bud with your peers because of signaling concerns and the fact that you could likely easily afford better, not to mention taste.

When I was younger I drank mostly mixed spirits. Usually scotch (johnny walker) and dry. I then moved on to bourbon and coke. These days I mostly drink white wine. Usually bottles around the $15 mark. If I'm drinking spirits these days it'll usually be vodka or gin. I also like cocktails more these days, although I think I would have liked them back then too, but I couldn't afford to buy them. I ever only had cocktails if someone else was buying when I was younger. These days I have a fairly comprehensive bar though, so I can make whichever cocktail I feel like.

Hmmmm...I could be an alcoholic.

You'll probably find that the tonier potables are smoother on the palate, and that you can afford their higher price. A Napoleon or VSOP Cognac is going to taste nicer than a bargain-labeled brandy. If you decide to explore single malt Scotches, take them straight up [Brit.: neat; but most American bartenders don't seem to know the term], in a brandy glass. Perhaps a little water, but no ice, not for that stuff.

lol...re: cheap beer (Miller Lite etc.) When I was in college it was Old Milwaukee Light (Old Mud) 'cause you could get it for like 4 bucks a case!

The commercials for OML at the time said "It just doesn't get any better than this." Which we worked into conversation at every turn.

Oh, and a friend and I had a thing for Boone's Farm Tickle Pink. God I was such a doofus!

what? no Goebel?

No Gennessee Creme Ale?

Hello???? Piels anyone?

Most of this stuff I have no idea what it is.

Was?

That's not been my experience. My goto order is "Maker's Mark, neat" and I've never run into a bartender who didn't immediately know what I was talking about.

In HS it was Genny Creme Ales or Little Kings. We had more disposable income then...in college we scraped $$ together with buddies to get some beer.

Point taken.

:p

bold mine

Not when you're hanging out at Billy Bob's Saloon and Grill. Philistine. ;)

And the subject of pricier alcohols, Perry Winkle's point is a good one. The setting of an event has a lot to do with it. There are some bands I worth with where I'll get made fun of for drinking anything other than beer, and anything pricier than a Sam Adams. On the other hand, if I'm hanging out with the producer and the engineer (the guys actually making money!) the price tag on the drinks goes up in a hurry.

There is really a difference in taste and quality, though. Have a friend line up a blind taste test for you between something like Maker's Mark (the first rung on the higher priced bourbons) and the big plastic jug at your local grocery store labeled "bourbon"). Do the same for tequila, scotch, ale, and vodka. Then, screw and fight until dawn, because you're gonna be f'd up. So, be sure to video the taste test.

Liquor... wow, the last time I had real liquor was, let's see, a friend's bachelorette party 3 years ago. 2 or 3 mixed drinks, nothing big. Before that, it was my own bachelorette party coming up on 5 years ago. I'm such a square.

Wine is much more my thing these days, and I have definitely improved my appreciation for it since graduating college. I mean, it was always okay before, but since then I've had time to find a few I really like.

I don't drink much liquor either. Really, the only time is if I'm out at a Mexican restaurant and have a margarita or two.