A Drinking Primer

After a day like yesterday, I thought a primer on drinking might help ;-)

Here are my favorite spirits and other "adult" beverages hehe.

Scotch: for a blended, Johnny Walker Blue neat in a shot glass is how I celebrate a great day in the market. Uh ... I didn't have one last evening :-( For less than a great day, I move down the Johnny Walker colors - gold, green, black and ... red. Actually I skip the red. For a single malt scotch, Glenlivit French Oak is my favorite. For a reasonably priced blended, I think Teacher's Highland Cream is best - it's often in my glass.

NOTE: For ALL whiskys or whiskeys other than Johnny Walker Blue and rums, I have them straight in a smallish ice filled glass. I let the ice melt a little before sipping so there's a bit less bite to hide the flavor.

Bourbon: I've tried almost all the premium bourbons and prefer Maker's Mark. Yes, I know it's owned by a big firm now. But I had it 25 years ago and know it's still a fine bourbon. I think it's finish is better than others, such as Knob Creek or Blanton's. For a standard bourbon, try Old Forester.

Irish: Jameson makes a fine 12 year old Irish whiskey. My old Irish bartender used to recommend it, but I think that's because at the time, Bushmill's was owned by an English firm ;-)

Rye: easy - Old Overholt is excellent and very smooth.

Canadian: easy - Crown Royal is best.

[by the way, I don't drink any standard American blended whiskeys - I either choose a straight rye or a bourbon, depending on my mood.]

Rum: British Navy Pusser's Rum is superb, and the best by far. Other fine rums are Plantation rums of Trinidad or other coppery-gold colored rums of Barbados made with sugar cane or pure cane juice. Put a small chunk of lime in your ice filled glass and wipe its rim with the lime, too.

Vodka: premium Polish grain vodkas are my favorites. If having it straight, I drink it freezer cold - 0 degrees F - in a shot glass. Have some buttered bread or tasty deli meat with it.

Gin: I like Tanqueray, but the other premium gins such as Bombay or Beefeaters are fine, too.

Port: Buy any "Late Bottled Vintage" port - these are superb and less costly than a Vintage Port.

Sherry: Try either a good Spanish sherry or Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry.

Vermouth: for my World's Finest Martini, use the French White "Lillet", an aperitif wine. It has a soft gold color and a far superior flavor to common vermouths

[Note: for my World's Finest Martini recipe, see my post of February 4, 2007. Also, for this special recipe, I use Gordon's gin and vodka since those were what James Bond specified. Those are inexpensive, but still produce a fine, fine martini as the flavor comes from the Lillet]

Liqueurs: There are many, many fine liqueurs. I like B&B, Drambuie and Cointreau.

Wine: I prefer a full bodied, flavorful red wine such as the Australian Shiraz.

Beer: The locally brewed Ipswich Ale is really super - a non-pasteurized British-stye "real" ale that must be kept cold. Otherwise, I drink St. Pauli Girl, a fine German lager.

There - now you can stock your bar with only tested, quality brands - certified by Bunkerman ;-)