MetaChat - what's your favourite cocktail?

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13 September 2007

what's your favourite cocktail? →[More:]

Hello all!

While I'm not much of a drinker (not at all until ~35, and a 1 drink limit to this day) I have recently cultivated an appreciation of the classic, old-school dry gin martini. I've enjoyed the occasional dirty vodka martini before, but my dad turned me onto his version last month when he was in town. I don't know why I didn't bother trying the gin version before, except to say that the smell of the gin was a bit overwhelming to me.

Mmmm. tastes like a cool, dusty mountain bike ride on the Western Slope!

What's yours?

post by: lonefrontranger at: 13:55 | 47 comments

Jim Beam (or another whiskey bourbon in a pinch) on the rocks with a splash of soda. Garnish with lime and a mint sprig. It's very refreshing but not overwhelming.

posted by muddgirl 13 September | 14:01

Bloody Mary, but it's got to be well-prepared.

posted by danf 13 September | 14:03

Anything with champagne!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 13 September | 14:06

White russian. I found Jeff Lebowski very persuasive in my impressionable youth.

posted by cobra! 13 September | 14:07

At the start of the night, dirty vodka martini (gin is too hard core for me, although I do love a gin and tonic). At the end of the night, instead of dessert, a seabreeze (oh so delicious). Any time, JD, straight up.

posted by gaspode 13 September | 14:07

cobra! - love the Lebowski reference, although I will say this... I have, shall we say, rather painful memories of white russians (inflicted by my dad and stepmother when I was thirteen, no less) that likely have played a significant role in the fear / aversion / respect I've had for strong alcohol throughout my life.

posted by lonefrontranger 13 September | 14:15

Not sure if it counts as a cocktail, but I always have enjoyed coconut rum with sprite. Don't really know if it has a name for that or not. Other than that, I love me some margaritas!

posted by fallenposters 13 September | 14:16

Cherry Blossom. Don't know what's in it, but they sell 'em at the top of the Hancock, and they're frigging amazing. Also, Beantinis at the Park Grill in Millennium Park.

My go-to cocktail is a Jack and Diet, though I've been known to enjoy a 7&7 on occasion.

posted by eamondaly 13 September | 14:16

I should mention that I've also been known to order a White Russian, but only if I've been drinking so hard my stomach hurts. It's the alcoholic's Pepto!

posted by eamondaly 13 September | 14:18

Straight up Manhattan with two cherries. Yum.

posted by iconomy 13 September | 14:19

JD straight up? What sort of drugs am I on? I mean JD, neat.

(oh yum, manhattan. although I like it with a twist.)

posted by gaspode 13 September | 14:22

mine's a vodka tonic w/an extra lime, please.

posted by syntax 13 September | 14:29

Perfect Manhattan, up.

posted by smich 13 September | 14:31

I've gone through phases. I really like whiskey cocktails, like the Old-Fashioned (which I sometimes get as a bourbon old-fashioned, but that's still whiskey) and the Sazerac. And I adore Manhattans as well, though I like them with rye whiskey.

posted by Miko 13 September | 14:33

Frankly Scarlett Martini: 3/4 oz Stoli Oranj, 3/4 oz. Hpnotiq, 1 oz pomegranate juice, a splash of OJ. Shake and strain into martini glass, float a little champagne, garnish with a twist. Not my favorite drink, but I did invent it for a contest a few years ago when Hpnotiq was trendy. Didn't win, but the bar I worked at sold the hell out of them.

My favorite cocktail is Bushmills over ice.

posted by BitterOldPunk 13 September | 14:38

Very dry martini, up, with a twist. Haven't had a gimlet in a while, but I recall enjoying them. Bloody Mary is nice on those mornings when one is somewhat impaired from the previous evening's festivities.

Honestly though, a well-made bourbon, neat, is hard to beat. Current fave: Bulleit.

posted by bmarkey 13 September | 14:45

I love white russians, too.

posted by fluffy battle kitten 13 September | 14:45

Gin gimlet, but I usually drink beer or wine.

posted by rainbaby 13 September | 14:57

I'm with you, I never touch spirits.

posted by chuckdarwin 13 September | 15:04

In the summer, if I'm tippling:
- gin and lemonade. My sister, all unasked, made me one one hot evening, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted not at all like hair tonic. Light, a trifle sweet, and refreshing.
- Pimm's cup. Yes, aren't I precious.

In the autumn and winter:
- hot cider with applejack.

Year-round:
- dark & stormy, at a family celebration.
- vodka and soda with a twist of lemon. (The lemon tastes great, and also gets the bartender's attention so I actually get soda, not tonic.)
- once in a while, a Jack and Coke with lime, the drink of bar skanks everywhere!

posted by Elsa 13 September | 15:19

Oh! I forgot my standard at-home cocktail: a slim finger of vodka in a tall glass, a splash of cranberry juice, a generous squeeze of lemon, and fill it up with seltzer. Mmmm, good without the vodka, too.

Though, to be honest, at family gatherings I often pass the cocktail hour with a tall glass of ice water, to the consternation of my cocktailing bloodline. "Can't I get you a real drink?"

posted by Elsa 13 September | 15:23

I really don't drink that often, but when I do, my favorite is a gin gimlet. Least favorite cocktail EVER was Light Rum and Mountain Dew, nasty, nasty, nasty!

posted by King of Prontopia 13 September | 15:30

I'm a beer guy, but I do think both mojitos and Bloody Marys are delicious. (And I often get a Bloody Mary at brunch on Sundays.)

posted by BoringPostcards 13 September | 15:43

I'm also a beer guy (or, occasionally, a whiskey guy), but I also enjoy a nice G&T, or any of the several slightly-different drinks with vodka and cranberry juice in 'em.

posted by box 13 September | 15:53

mai tais, vodka gimlets, english roses, washington apples and black russians.

posted by Ambrosia Voyeur 13 September | 16:33

I love a well done bloody mary.
I also have a great fondness for cherry vodka and red bull.

One of my exes said I always decided on drinks based on my hair and/or outfit.

posted by kellydamnit 13 September | 16:33

I had a thing for dirty vodka marinis, with Glacier vodka, for awhile. Manhattans, too. It all comes down to the olive or the cherry.

posted by Pips 13 September | 16:42

Nothing too sweet, and no milk in my spirits, please. Other than that I'm fairly onmibibenderious.

Very dry and very dirty gin Martinis, up, do hold a special place in my tipsy widdle heart, though.

posted by AwkwardPause 13 September | 16:52

Very dry martini (Chopin or Belvedere) with a twist, served up. If I'm at a restaurant, always in a small whiskey glass, not a goblet. Martini glasses just look like you're trying to hard. If I'm at home I would do the same thing in a champagne goblet. It preserves the temperature, but ordering it at a bar or restaurant makes you again, look like you're trying too hard.

That said, I'm not fond of spirits. I get nervous and I start drinking (not to get drunk, just to be doing something). That's why I stick to beer, you can actually drink it.

posted by geoff 13 September | 17:01

Mojitos. Thought I think it's considered a slutty kind of drink.

Strongbow Cider is my usual.

posted by jokeefe 13 September | 17:13

I love me some margaritas, but only drink them very, very rarely - I am usually driving if out somewhere and I really struggle to stop at one or six. Another Strongbow regular here.

posted by dg 13 September | 18:03

once in a while, a Jack and Coke with lime, the drink of bar skanks everywhere!

err, these days I do believe the current generation of bar skanks drink Cosmos, mojitos, or any of the oh-so-trendy pomegranate-laden drinks. Now, cougars, on the other hand, as I have been advised by my young male cougar-hunting acquaintances, do drink Jack & Cokes (or rum & Coke, or mimosas if it's before noon...).

personally, I can't abide any form of fizzy pop to begin with, and sweet and/or dairy combined with alcohol makes me writhe (see white russians reference above).

posted by lonefrontranger 13 September | 18:20

I should mention that I've also been known to order a White Russian, but only if I've been drinking so hard my stomach hurts. It's the alcoholic's Pepto!

Eamondaly you are a genius! Why didn't I think of this?

posted by youngergirl44 13 September | 18:33

Diesel Fuel on the rocks.

(actually, I enjoy the occasional gin & tonic, white and black russians, the occasioanl margarita, mint julep, stinger,mai tai and olde fashioned. The best cocktails in the world are served at Angel's Share, on Stuyvesant Street.

posted by jonmc 13 September | 18:42

Bloody Mary's are great with breakfast, actually.

posted by jonmc 13 September | 18:45

Seasonal variations of the Rob Roy (don't forget the bitters). Summer:Dry Rob Roy, on the rocks, with a twist, and a splash of soda. Spring & Fall:Perfect Rob Roy, with a twist. Winter:Classic Rob Roy. On my birthday and Christmas, a Bobbie Burns, or seven.

posted by paulsc 13 September | 19:16

JAEGER BOMBS! JAEGER BOMBS!

posted by jason's_planet 13 September | 19:54

Another vote for Mojitos and Margaritas. I don't like my drinks to taste of alcohol; never developed a taste for it, thank the gods. My family's history with mind altering substances has been tempestuous.

posted by deborah 13 September | 20:28

The wonders of the martini (whether vodka or gin, clean or dirty, etc.) are totally lost on me. Give me whiskey on the rocks any day and I am happy as a little Irish clam. My other default is vodka/cranberry with lime.

When it's warm, I love a good mojito; once in awhile I'll have a margarita (rocks, no ice), but only in limited amounts, as tequila and I have a bit of an uneasy history.

And nothing beats a really well-made Manhattan (up, 2 cherries), a taste I developed courtesy of my grandmother (grandpa preferred Rob Roys). I have a hard time finding them mixed really well here in L.A., though, so it's a bit of a rare treat for me.

posted by scody 13 September | 20:41

(er, that margarita should be rocks, no SALT. Maybe I need one right now.)

posted by scody 13 September | 20:44

God, how did I forget the margarita? I guess because I'd never order one in your basic cocktail bar. If I'm going out for margaritas, I'm going out specifically for margaritas, at a place that makes them really well.

It's a perfect summer drink. Somehow the taste encapsulates the pure essence of being at the beach: the fresh tangy snap of citrus, the briny salt, the dreamy, vague tequila finish.

I agree, the problem with margaritas is that they're all too drinkable. SO delicious you want to keep sipping, and then....uh-oh. That's when you start accidentally calling them "garmaritas," as I'm afraid I did, one night I have yet to live down.

posted by Miko 13 September | 22:12

I usually work my way through the flavored vodkas--though I don't like cherry, pear or raspberry. I like to look at cocktail lists, to see if anything grabs me. Also Irish whiskey or the lighter single malt Scotches.

posted by brujita 14 September | 00:24

I prefer straight drinks to cocktails in general, but do enjoy margaritas & caipirinhas.

posted by misteraitch 14 September | 00:57

jason's_planet, please tell me you're kidding, right? Jaegerbombs have such a... fratboy connotation to me ::shudders delicately, fans self::

posted by lonefrontranger 14 September | 01:37

As a (now) non-drinker, I steer clear of non-alcoholic cocktails. In my drinking days, I never went for the paper umbrella-and-fruit type of drinks, and it seems that they're the only type of thing on the menu for non-drinkers.

I used to like Manhattans, although I was never much of a spirit drinker. There used to be a cocktail bar in Covent Garden called Rumours, one of the first cocktails bars in London (outside the big hotels) and their happy hour was from 5 till 7. I'd regularly go in straight from work and be trashed by 6.30. Er, happy days ... right?

posted by essexjan 14 September | 02:25

Sloe Gin Fizz: 1 part gin, 1 part sloe gin, 3 parts sweet 'n' sour mixer, 2 parts 7-Up. Fru-fru and yummy.

posted by JanetLand 14 September | 09:24

jason's_planet, please tell me you're kidding, right?

I'm kidding.

posted by jason's_planet 15 September | 13:24

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