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ClintonMagus Inner circle Southwestern Southeast 3997 Posts |
As a non-drinker, I am curious as to what the attraction is to drinking alcohol. I'm not talking about addiction or alcoholism, but only in a responsible setting. Does it really taste good? Does it make you feel better? Is it just an activity?
I have tasted wine, and do not care for the taste. I have never had a beer, but I can't stand the smell and have often heard the comment that "It is an acquired taste". Why would you want to acquire it? (My grandfather used to say "They need to put it all back in the horse"...) Do the various whiskeys and other drinks taste fruity, "grainy", "musty", or what?
Things are more like they are today than they've ever been before...
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MobilityBundle Regular user Las Vegas/Boston 120 Posts |
I was a longtime non-drinker, probably for the same reasons you are: I just didn't like the taste. (In particular, I didn't have any moral or health reasons to avoid drinking.) I guess I also wasn't subjected to sufficient social pressure to start drinking -- the "everybody's doing it" phenomenon didn't overpower my dislike of the taste.
I think some people (particularly young people) initially power through the bad taste in order to see what it's like to be drunk. After enough times, the taste is acquired. I didn't start drinking until about age 25. I had just made plans to move out of town, and I was going around telling my friends. One of my friends ran a small restaurant next door to a bar. It was slow when I told him, so he immediately invited me and his employee next door for a drink. I explained I didn't drink, but I'd be happy to join them. A few magic tricks later, and the bar tender was insistent on comping me a free drink. I explained my distaste, and he claimed to have the answer: a white Russian made with with vanilla vodka. And, wouldn't you know it, it actually tasted pretty good! Roughly, like a milkshake. After many months of drinking that drink, I branched out a little to wine. I didn't have a refined palette, obviously, but I did notice that drinking wine with food really changed the experience. I particularly liked red wine with dark chocolate. So I experimented a bit more, and still didn't really like much else. In particular, I didn't care for beer. Many years after that, I was vacation with my wife a couple years after starting a high stress job. A few days in to the vacation, we were at a beach-side restaurant in Mexico, with some awesome fish tacos, the sun shining down, the sound of the waves crashing against the beach, etc. My wife ordered a corona, and I thought, "Screw it. If ever there was a time that was right for beer, it's now." So I tried a sip of hers, and it made sense. I timidly ordered a beer for myself, and... success! Fortunately (or unfortunately?) my appreciation for beer managed to follow me back from Mexico. Many years after that, a friend was overjoyed to see a particular brand of whiskey on a menu somewhere. (This friend has a tattoo of the "Wild Turkey" logo over his liver... he's a serious whiskey drinker.) I had experimented with whiskey several times in the past, but never really liked it. But I'll be ***ed if this whiskey wasn't fantastic! I still don't like tequila. Maybe I need another trip to Mexico. So I guess my advice is, when looking back over all this: (a) Sometimes context really matters. Be open minded or sensitive to the context, but don't force it. "Context" includes what you're eating with the drink, where you are, who you're with, or even just your emotional state at the time. (b) I hesitate to use terms like "good" (as in, "good wine" vs. "bad wine"), because it suggests some kind of objective truth that I don't think exist. But be aware of the possibility that, to you, there might be good wine, beer, whiskey, etc. that will go down easier than the bad stuff. Of course, this "advice" is built on the assumption that you actually WANT to enjoy alcohol. But of course that's a reasonable assumption... alcohol makes everything objectively better. --- Oh, and to answer your question, absolutely different drinks taste differently. Even drinks in the same category. It's not just BS when people describe wines as dry, sweet, full-bodied, etc. |
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NicholasD Inner circle 1458 Posts |
I don't drink either, but I've tried beer, wine and liquor. Didn't care for the taste of any of them. That was almost 50 years ago. My feeling at that time, and still is today: If I don't like the taste, why would I force myself to try it again?
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acesover Special user I believe I have 821 Posts |
There are many wines and I am sure if you sampled enough you would find one that you enjoyed. However I would say it is just the relaxing with a friend and having a few drinks that is pleasurable. Definitely the ambience and the little buzz not the taste. However I am not one who likes to get falling down drunk, but of course did it a few times as a youngster. Where wine is concerned I love the sweet ones. I love the cheap sweet Manachietz or however it is spelled grape. So sweet.
I go to the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to mixed drinks and I enjoy a Manhattan using Canadian whiskey. Does the manhattan taste good? Hard to say. It is rough at first sip then it goes down easier but again it is the company and the buzz not the taste. Be careful with these as they will knock you for a loop and you won't realize it and very quickly. It is definitely a drink that you must get accustomed too. I hate Scotch even though it sounds nice. Atmosphere has a lot to do with it for me. I definitely do not drink alone except if dining out alone I will have some wine with a meal. Another tasty bit of alcohol is Kahlua in a white Russian (vodka and cream) or just with cream, with cream a woman's drink but I do drink them for the taste.
If I were to agree with you. Then we would both be wrong. As of Apr 5, 2015 10:26 pm I have 880 posts. Used to have over 1,000
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tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
You will never know anything until you test it.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
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Circusman Special user Kent, England. 555 Posts |
I once told my late parents that "I may smoke - but I'll never drink"
Now I do both, and have done for many years. Like you, I did not like the smell of alcohol. But I changed over the years. I do drink too much at times, but it's mainly due to extreme pressures in life that I have, which are much greater than most peoples. Therefore I drink to give me some relaxation away from it. Having said that, if you can avoid it, them my advice would be to never drink OR smoke, if possible. I won't quit either, because to me it is a lifeline to escape from the reality hand that was dealt for me. Good luck & Stay safe ! Bobby. |
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Slide Special user 533 Posts |
Love scotch. I visited distilleries when I can. Scotch is a bit like wine in that the are all different. My dad gave me a sip of his beer when I was young and I loved the taste then and I love the taste now, although I don't drink domestic beers,with the exception of microbrews. I'm also a fan of martini's. One of my favorite things is to go to a "cocktail" bar, like Death & Company in the east village of new york where they really put on a show when making the drink. There is nothing like drinking a well made Manhattan in a great setting. I also love and seek out dive bars, old man bars, bars with music without amplification.
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irossall Special user Snohomish, Washington 529 Posts |
I too Love Scotch but only on the rocks or straight, not mixed with soda water. I did have a rusty nail once and it was very good. It tasted much like an old fashioned.
I drink for the taste. That is why most of the "hard" liquor I drink, I drink straight, not mixed. I also like the "buzz" I get after a few drinks. I NEVER get to the point of being drunk or sloppy. I like being in control. I enjoy the many Ales and Beers available today. On a hot day I like an ice cold Pilsner and on a cold day I like a highly hopped Ale served at room temperature. I only enjoy a Guiness Stout at room temperature. Iven
Give the gift of Life, Be an Organ Donor.
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Slide Special user 533 Posts |
A agree with you about drinking it straight. I once won $100 betting a guy who used to order Grey Goose and Cramberry, that he couldn't taste the difference between vodka, especially when it is mixed, so why pay extra for Grey Goose. He didn't believe me. Bartender set up shots. 3 times in a row, he failed to tell the difference, always picking the wrong vodka.
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
Famous drinking joke:
"I don't have a drinking problem. I drink, I get drunk, I fall down ... no problem!" |
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EsnRedshirt Special user Newark, CA 895 Posts |
Drinking is an indulgence- alcohol tickles the tastebuds and the brain, and can work well as a social lubricant, too.
I find that cheaper alcohol tastes worse- cheap whiskeys and tequilas taste rough (I liken the taste of straight JD to smelling paint thinner,) cheap vodka tastes "greasy", etc. A fine scotch feels and tastes smooth, and you can enjoy the subtle flavors that come from the aging process. Note that some fine liquors are also inexpensive- but it can take a while to find one you like. Same is true for beers- mass-market stuff like Budweiser (American Budweiser, for those of you reading in other countries) is watery and flavorless, and I avoid it whenever possible. Fortunately, there's a huge and growing microbrewery industry in the USA, so good beers are easy to find- and I also brew my own, so there's that, too. It's amazing the difference in flavors that can come from just the four ingredients (grains, water, hops, and yeast) and how it's brewed and fermented. My favorites are dark beers- porters and stouts, which can have a chocolate taste, depending on the grains. I'm also getting partial to dry-hopped IPAs, such as the Stone IPA. There's also hefeweisen, made from wheat instead of barley, that has its own flavor. I also like the fall, because I can find good pumpkin ales, which is a seasonal treat, really. My current homebrew stock is a case of honey porter, and the last three bottles of a Russian imperial stout I brewed last winter, which is about 11-12% ABV and has aged magnificently. I really need to make time to brew some more...
Self-proclaimed Jack-of-all-trades and google expert*.
* = Take any advice from this person with a grain of salt. |
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EsnRedshirt Special user Newark, CA 895 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-11-20 14:04, Slide wrote: After three shots, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between vodka and water
Self-proclaimed Jack-of-all-trades and google expert*.
* = Take any advice from this person with a grain of salt. |
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Slide Special user 533 Posts |
If you are ever in New York state, I recommend a visit to the Tuthilltown distillery. Makers of Hudson Spirits, it was the first distillery to open in New York since prohibition. Their story is amazing. In order to speed up the process, they actually drilled holes in the barrels to create more surface area and bombarded the kegs with rap music ( I kid you not) in order to create constant vibrations while it is aging. They were able to dramatically lower the aging time by that process. http://www.tuthilltown.com/
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-11-20 14:04, Slide wrote: Would you have paid off if he was right 2 out of 3 times?
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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Slide Special user 533 Posts |
He didn't even tell me about it until after the fact. He had done the experiment on his own. The bartender told him he wouldn't be able to tell the difference either. I was happy he told me about it, because if he had said nothing, I would have never known. He did pay me though.
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
Some people above have said that they tried beer, wine, and / or liquor a few times and did not like the taste.
That is like someone saying they tried a couple of cheeses and did not like the taste so they never eat cheese anymore. Or someone who tried one or two types of fish and decided they do not like fish. Or someone who tried a turnip once and did not like it, so now they avoid all vegetables. My point is that all of these things can have many, many, nearly countless, flavours, depending on how they are prepared. Some alcohols are fruity, some grainy, some spicey, some woody, some chocolatey, some musky, some like vanilla, some like cherry, etc. Almost countless flavours. So assuming you like the taste of at least something in this world, there are probably a bunch of different beers, wines, or liquors you would like the taste of.
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-11-20 11:09, ClintonMagus wrote: What I said about taste applies to smell as well. What, you don't like the smell of chocolate, vanilla, fruit? Because all of those describe the smell of various types of beers. If your friends drink beers that smell like swill or something that leaked from a horse, maybe you need friends with a better sense of taste?
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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Slide Special user 533 Posts |
LOL!
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Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
The only alcoholic beverage I ever drank that I liked, was Gin. I loved the juniper berry distillate flavor. I drank in college, mostly beer I could not stand the taste of, and all for one of two reasons. Either I thought drinking would help me fit in, or when I was having a hard time in the world, it made me feel better.
in 1983 I was doing a handcuff bet (escape) and I was drunk. I got out, and in the right amount of time too, but it taught me a lesson. I do better without booze and choose not to drink anymore. I find I don't need it.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
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Payne Inner circle Seattle 4571 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-11-20 15:17, balducci wrote: For me it is the taste of the alcohol I don't like. I don't mind too much the taste of wine, beer or other libations when used in cooking as the unpleasant alcohol back taste is no longer present. I've never had a drink where I couldn't taste the alcohol in it so it's all unpleasant for me to consume. Quote:
there are cheeses I like and don''t like. I however have never had an alcoholic drink that I found palatable. People over he years have given me all sorts of libations. Sure that there would be one I could stomach. So far they have all tasted awful. Quote:
I generally only like fish deep fried. Perhaps there is a deep fried cocktail out there I haver yet to try. Quote:
I generally like my vegetables raw. I like raw wine (unfermented juice). Martinelli's Sparkling Cider being a favorite of mine. Quote:
As long as they have alcohol in them they all taste awful to me. Quote:
Not as long as it's alcoholic. Plus it's all rather expensive and has no effect on me. The only time I ever consumed a moderate amount of alcohol was six to eight shots of high proof vodka in an hour or so. I experienced zero effect. There was no "buzz" of any kind at all. It was a horribly unpleasant experience as the stuff tasted just like rubbing alcohol. So it all tastes awful, costs a lot of money and has no effect on me. Why would I ever drink?
"America's Foremost Satirical Magician" -- Jeff McBride.
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