Liquor on a college budget

[Louis XIV]



When I was 19, I once walked into a bar (nobody seemed the wiser, I guess I have looked older than my age for awhile) - guy on the stool next to me started chatting with me, said I looked a little down in the dumps. I said "yeah, I just broke up my girlfriend" Guy bought me a Budweiser. We talked some more and he eventually asked how old I was, and said "19" - he took the beer back and said "get the **** out of here."

As a German I have to say there are certain differences to an American mindset which I find very strange.
While, according to my knowledge, you are allowed to drive a car at the age of 16 in the US, you are only allowed to do so in Germany at the age of 18.
Then again you are allowed to do so as fast as you want and your car is able to at a lot of unlimited stretches of the Autobahn, while at the same time speeding on an highway is supposed a very aggressive act of road terror which is punished savagely by the cops.
In Germany very little civilian people own a weapon, yet again every single US family I got in touch with had at least one if not a whole bunch of weapons at their house.
Kids are trained to use them at a young age and go on hunt even when still underage.
The gun appreciation thread shows there are even quite a lot of those who carry their handgun where ever they go on a day to day basis.
Last but not least in Germany you are allowed to buy and drink beer, wine and other low volume percent alcohol at 16, and to drink what ever liquor you wish at 18.
In the US in some/most states you are not allowed to drink beer till the age of 21.

In my opinion all those actions should be handled with the same care because they can seriously hurt yourself or others.
Also I sure know the culutural and historical background some of the more or less strict regulations come from at one place or the other.
Yet again as long as we talk privacy, no matter if it's driving a car on family property, going on hunt on a piece of your own land or if it's having a drink at your house, I think we should discuss maturity rather than age.
That's at least what I understand of freedom.
There will be those rare people who will be responsable enough at age 14, and there will be those mouthbreathers and inbred who will never be in their entire life, no matter their age.

lemmywinks seems to be fine, so here are my recommendations.
Not sure though they are all available at the US market:
Bourbon - Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon, makes a great Whisky Sour.
Gin - Beefeater London Dry Gin, imo great value for price, a lot better than Gordon's and even able to compete with the more expensive Tanqueray.
Jamaica Rum - Appleton V/X, nice entry level rum, if you are willing to spend a little more the Appleton Estate Extra is a nice upgrade.
Vodka - Absolut, Finlandia or Skyy but honestly, if you want to learn more about spirits, I'd step away from Vodka, it's more or less the same, neutral alcohol + watter, no matter which mid class product you buy.

 

[impolyt_one]

fwiw i can drink a lot now, but at 19 i was still getting my legs with alcohol and there were the expected mishaps and episodes. alcohol is just one of those things you get used to over
time; i'd be more worried if lemmywinks was treating a home bar as if it were a serious thing.

 

[b1os]

FYI, to be more precise, non-distilled alcohol is allowed to be sold to 16+-year-olds. Any kind of distilled alcohol is 18+. In Germany.

 

[lemmywinks]

I usually have a nicer beer every other night with my dinner depending on whether or not my dinner is 'worth it.' I usually get pretty drunk once a week, and hardly ever go drinking on back to back nights. I feel I'm a very responsible drinker for my age. I just want to have a nicer, more interesting experience with drinking, which is why I want to branch out to some spirits/liquors. I still love the hops.

 

[Piobaire]



I mean I guess not all plastic handle liquor is bad. If there is something worth drinking that you would still drink even if you weren't a college student, feel free to recommend it.

Any suggestions for gin? Gonna be spending a couple of days with just me and a lady friend in Tahoe slayer, and she said her favorite drink is a gin and tonic.

I think someone already gave you advice on this. He's pretty into cocktails so he might be worth listening to.

Yeah, Tito's is a great rec for good vodka that is not expensive. Wiser's Deluxe for Canadian whisky can't be beat for price and taste. Citadelle gin has me currently impressed and it's mid-market.

 

[cptjeff]

Gin: Brokers, Gordons, Beefeater on the cheap side. Never tried Citadelle, but all of those other gins are excellent options. Brokers is legitimately one of the best gins I've had, regardless of price. Same with Beefeater, which is a classic, world class gin. Gordons isn't quite as good, though that's probably on account of the lower proof- the flavors aren't as vibrant. Beefeater and Brokers are both at navy proof- 94, or 47% ABV. Gordons is at 80 proof, which is more standard these days. Not as good, but still cheaper than the other two.

Whiskey: Evan Williams is a great choice for bourbon. The 1783 is even better, and only a buck or two more. Teachers or White Horse for scotch, presuming you like smoky- if you don't, you'll suffer. Ballantines if you don't, though not liking smoky scotch is a serious affront to humanity. The cheapest irish whiskeys are all pretty similar, and they're all worth buying- the floor on Irish whiskeys is ~$20, so you'd expect that. The classic irish style is a very clean barley taste, and it can be a nice change of pace from really complex scotches. Canadians are blended rye, typically, and often somewhat fruity. I don't have a whole lot of experience there, but don't go absolute bottom shelf- there's a lot of rotgut in that aisle.

Vodka: Luksusowa, which is a Polish Potato Vodka. I don't have much use for vodka myself, don't even keep it around, but this is the one I get when somebody asks me to grab something for them. It's got a nice texture, and well, it tastes like a nice, pure vodka.

Rum: Ron Abeulo Anejo. Cheap and excellent, though it can be hard to find. I just use Cruzan for mixing, and I go for Barbancourt 8 for sipping. Gosling's is a good option too, for a syrupy black rum. If you want a spiced rum, Kraken or Sailor Jerry are much better than Captain Morgan in the same price bracket. I don't even bother with white rum, I find aged or dark is more interesting in anything I make.

Oh, and don't be afraid to try new things. Just because these are good options doesn't mean they're the only options. If you see something in your price range that looks intriguing, and a quick search yields good reviews (a smartphone is good, or just searching something on the computer when you get back to consider for a future visit), go for it. If you decide you're willing to spend mid 20s on occasion, you're going to have a lot of options, and a lot will be pretty good.

Also, don't listen to others and give in to the typical college culture of drinking. Be your own man. I was, and I while the stuff I kept around wasn't top quality, the cocktail recipes were, and I had a few friends who really appreciated the respite from incredibly crappy beer. If anybody presses you on it, tell them you like your drinks to actually taste good.

 

[fuji]



Gin: Brokers, Gordons, Beefeater on the cheap side. Never tried Citadelle, but all of those other gins are excellent options. Brokers is legitimately one of the best gins I've had, regardless of price. Same with Beefeater, which is a classic, world class gin. Gordons isn't quite as good, though that's probably on account of the lower proof- the flavors aren't as vibrant. Beefeater and Brokers are both at navy proof- 94, or 47% ABV. Gordons is at 80 proof, which is more standard these days. Not as good, but still cheaper than the other two.
Whiskey: Evan Williams is a great choice for bourbon. The 1783 is even better, and only a buck or two more. Teachers or White Horse for scotch, presuming you like smoky- if you don't, you'll suffer. Ballantines if you don't, though not liking smoky scotch is a serious affront to humanity. The cheapest irish whiskeys are all pretty similar, and they're all worth buying- the floor on Irish whiskeys is ~$20, so you'd expect that. The classic irish style is a very clean barley taste, and it can be a nice change of pace from really complex scotches. Canadians are blended rye, typically, and often somewhat fruity. I don't have a whole lot of experience there, but don't go absolute bottom shelf- there's a lot of rotgut in that aisle.
Vodka: Luksusowa, which is a Polish Potato Vodka. I don't have much use for vodka myself, don't even keep it around, but this is the one I get when somebody asks me to grab something for them. It's got a nice texture, and well, it tastes like a nice, pure vodka.
Rum: Ron Abeulo Anejo. Cheap and excellent, though it can be hard to find. I just use Cruzan for mixing, and I go for Barbancourt 8 for sipping. Gosling's is a good option too, for a syrupy black rum. If you want a spiced rum, Kraken or Sailor Jerry are much better than Captain Morgan in the same price bracket. I don't even bother with white rum, I find aged or dark is more interesting in anything I make.
Oh, and don't be afraid to try new things. Just because these are good options doesn't mean they're the only options. If you see something in your price range that looks intriguing, and a quick search yields good reviews (a smartphone is good, or just searching something on the computer when you get back to consider for a future visit), go for it. If you decide you're willing to spend mid 20s on occasion, you're going to have a lot of options, and a lot will be pretty good.
Also, don't listen to others and give in to the typical college culture of drinking. Be your own man. I was, and I while the stuff I kept around wasn't top quality, the cocktail recipes were, and I had a few friends who really appreciated the respite from incredibly crappy beer. If anybody presses you on it, tell them you like your drinks to actually taste good.

When will it be my turn for american alcohol prices? Mid 20s is a 70cl bottle of smirnoff in England.

 

[ErnestoG.]

bulldog gin

 

[cptjeff]



When will it be my turn for american alcohol prices? Mid 20s is a 70cl bottle of smirnoff in England.

And that's pounds? Geez, sorry 'bout that. And that's going off of Virginia prices- if I buy something when I'm in DC proper, it's even cheaper. A decent 10 year single malt runs about $40 here, Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare level of Bourbon ~$23.

But hey, you guys get a sane healthcare system from those taxes, so there's that.