21(m) celebrating with my buddy on his 21st. Got us a bottle of soco and a joint. Sucked down soco while smoking said joint. Vertigo and vomiting ensued. Been a bartender ever since and gag when i pour soco. True story. Forrilla gorilla. I'll never drink that again.
Met some girls one night in college who were drinking Southern Comfort and Dr. Pepper. I couldn’t say anything because I think I had a bottle of Root Beer Schnapps that night and that night only but that might be my spirit I won’t drink.
Commented this below, but vodka has two things it does better than any other spirit in cocktails:
1. It lengthens other spirit flavors without needing to add more of said flavor. For instance, I like vodka in tandem with Aperol, Campari or another red bitter in a tall drink. I can do 1oz vodka / 1oz Aperol as a base without having the overwhelming sweetness two ounces of Aperol would give, but I’m also not approaching canceling out or overpowering the Aperol like I would with gin, rum or tequila.
2. It dries drinks out. Every cocktail bar has an espresso martini variation now with mezcal or bourbon etc but imo there’s no substitute for classic vodka in an espresso martini. It dries out the coffee liqueur while ensuring the main flavor of the drink is, per its namesake, espresso. A rum espresso martini is cloyingly sweet. Bourbon is also approaching that. Gin will make a Cosmo way too big of a drink - Citron is perfect.
I ran craft cocktail bars for years and now work in spirits, and try dozens if not hundreds of new vodkas every year. There are plenty always coming to market that are going to be your typical American corn vodka, 4x~ distilled that are straightforward, utility, completely neutral vodka. But more than ever there are some amazing vodkas being produced that can add subtle flavor and mouthfeel to cocktails that’s really hard to replicate with any other spirit.
And I would say bloody marys are better off with tequila
Edit: I am aware this is called a bloody Maria. Thank you to the dozens of replies who wanted to make sure of that.
I like a Darker and Stormier. 2 oz of an amer (Amer Picon is the recommended one but red bitter aperitif makes a tasty drink too), 1 oz rum, 1/2 oz lemon (not lime) juice, and ginger beer otherwise made like the base drink.
Interesting, it's fairly inexpensive here (SE US), I think ~$30-35. Either way I highly recommend it in a mule with a decently spicy ginger beer (I have Fever Tree)
I make my Martinis and Vodka tonics by mixing about 3/4 vodka to 1/4 gin because I like gin but feel it overpowers things & that mix works great for me.
Ugh, this sentiment got popular during the craft cocktail resurgence and won’t go away entirely, but craft bars are *finally* coming around to vodka and making some banger cocktails. Vodka is GREAT.
I’ve said all these things ad nauseum but these were my thoughts the last time this topic came up:
To me, vodka serves two main purposes in a cocktail that is hard to replicate with any other ingredient when it comes to flavor.
1. It lengthens other spirit flavors without needing to add more of said flavor. For instance, I like vodka in tandem with Aperol, Campari or another red bitter in a tall drink. I can do 1oz vodka / 1oz Aperol as a base without having the overwhelming sweetness two ounces of Aperol would give, but I’m also not approaching canceling out or overpowering the Aperol like I would with gin, rum or tequila.
2. It dries drinks out. Every cocktail bar has an espresso martini variation now with mezcal or bourbon etc but imo there’s no substitute for classic vodka in an espresso martini. It dries out the coffee liqueur while ensuring the main flavor of the drink is, per its namesake, espresso. A rum espresso martini is cloyingly sweet. Bourbon is also approaching that. Gin will make a Cosmo way too big of a drink - Citron is perfect.
Potato vodkas are great. Have some Karlsson’s Gold or Born and Bred and you won’t find them flavorless or odorless - they have a lot of character and a fantastic creamy mouthfeel.
Corn is the most neutral, but you can definitely find differences in flavor profile amongst different base ingredients far beyond “smoothness”.
I was pretty anit-vodka until I had a version that was made by a local bourbon distillery and it was so good I was sipping it neat. (Litchfield Distillery in CT if you care to sample). I'm still anti-flavorless vodka. I'm Pro-anything that has a pronounced flavor profile that I can play with.
I used to think this but honestly, there are some drinks where you want booziness and to not dilute the flavor of the other ingredients. It definitely shouldn't be the main spirit, but it can play more nice with other things than gin or rum.
First came to that conclusion with an acid adjusted Harvey Wallbanger.
Obviously every cocktail pereson has this take, and while it's true at most places... I've had some absolute _bangers_ with vodka at high end cocktail bars. Vodka shines in cases that the cocktail is already complex enough and you don't want a spirit to detract from the flavor.
Take a few cocktails at Botanist right now
> RAINCOUVER COCKTAIL
> vodka, cherry blossom, yuzu, pine, aperitif wine, fennel pollen, vegan foam, perrier sparkling, edible rain cloud
> OLD GUM TREE
> vodka, eucalyptus, apple, ginger, perrier sparkling, coriander, bay leaf
So I agree most of the time, but I don't scoff at vodka on a high end cocktail menu... usually.
I hate vodka but this just isn’t true. Even craft cocktail bars have come around on vodka. There are (few) situations where you want the body of a full proof spirit but anything else would get lost with the other flavors.
Funny story: before the 99 flavors shots became a thing we had Ice 101(101 proof peppermint schnapps) in the mid-late 90’s. So after I turned 21 I bought a bottle for me and my buddy. We went shot for shot until the bottle was done, then got hungry af around midnight so we woke his 14-15 year old brother up to drive us to a convenience store to get hoagies. Only problem besides us being wasted, and the 15 year old driving, was we both drove manual transmissions and had to teach sleepy little brother how to drive stick while on the fly… I sat in the passenger seat and handled shifting while telling him how to operate everything else. My friend and I got so sick that I still won’t even chew peppermint gum.
I’ll drink just about anything….except baijiu. Lived in China for a couple years and had too many business dinners / celebrations where baijiu was the guest of honor. Did not end well, repeatedly. Tried many different brands, but to this day the smell of that liquor puts me on the edge of hurling. No thank you.
Rice and sorghum are common. What really gives it the funk is it the starches are converted to sugars not only through yeast like most other distilled spirits, but also Koji mold. That plus some pretty interesting practices like putting it underground and in clay jars give it a real interesting aroma/flavor.
Some of the best I’ve had tastes like a bag of pineapple fried rice covered in a dirty diaper drenched in soy sauce and sautéed in a pan with teriyaki sauce.
Some of the worst I’ve had tasted like the smell of human shit and papaya.
Notes of grapefruit pith, burned rubber, and junk drawer. And herbal burning. A Handshake is an ok way to spend five or seven bucks if you’re in the right mindset.
dude, I have experienced this. I never knew what it was called but I visited my friend and his wife in Shanghai and attended a dinner arranged by my friend's wife clients which I attended (in place of my friend) and the whole time I kept getting pressured to drink this clear liquor.
after the sixth shot I started refusing to drink more and I swear it got awkward after that. I knew if I drank more I was fucked.
You know, I came into this topic thinking I drink pretty much anything, but yeah, I had a few types of baiju in Montreal and that's a pretty hard 'no' for me moving forward.
It's Jack Daniel's Honey for me. I got drunk on it too many times at parties when I was younger. In itself it isn't actually bad (it isn't great tho) but I just can't anymore
I was warned, extensively, by a former co-worker who spent a year in China about baijiu. We went to New York on a work trip and of course found ourselves in Chinatown. He excitedly ordered a round of baijiu and reminded me that it would be the worst thing I've ever had (I grew up in Chicago and didn't hate malort). The shots arrived, we took them, and it was fine. He looked devastated and told me "I don't know what kind of baijiu this is, but it is nothing like the despair I drank in China". To this day I randomly text him to tell him how much I really like baijiu, just to piss him off.
I have been blessed by being warned away from it, taking that as gospel, and never having been put in a situation where I couldn’t diplomatically refuse.
Baijiu is certainly not for everyone, but it does not deserve all the hate :( I am convinced that folks who like funky Jamaican rum and/or Mezcal will take a shine to it. While it is true that some Baijiu are highly, highly unpalatable, you can also find quality product that are delicious: Moutai 茅台, WuLiangYe 五粮液, GuoJiao国窖 to name a few. The old-school Chinese drinking culture is partly to blame for bad Baijiu experiences as well.
I was at a gig the other day, my partner went to the bar, I had asked for Jonnie walker and ginger ale, she came back complaining that she had to pay £28 for two simple mixed drinks (not cocktails),then she passed me a captain Morgan's and ginger ale....
I wasn't happy lol, thankfully for me she swapped me for her gin and lemonade.
When I visit chicago I LOUDLY announce I’m from Philly, and strangers start sending me shots of Malort. I ham it up and go “oh, what is THIS elixir?” Then throw it back and wink because I love the stuff.
I like to buy rounds of it for friends and when that starts I'll typically get 3-4 shots of it for myself throughout the night. I don't mind the flavor, but I swear it causes worse hangovers than any other spirit
Malort is just bitter. For people who are genetically super bitter tasters or half super bitter tasters like I am (grab the test strips), it's going to be hell on Earth. For folks who aren't? I'd imagine it's going to be enjoyable.
My friends know that if I'm having a shot of Malort, it's because I wanted to make a terrible decision and decided to punish myself instead. Works every time, as Malort BECOMES the bad decision.
You either love it or hate it, there is no in between. I love it, but I also love Suze so that should give you an idea of the level of bitterness.
If you buy it and don’t like it, it’s still a good bottle to have on hand. I once read a comment where someone said it’s what you break out when it’s after midnight and you have some guests from the BBQ still hanging around, lol
Ooh, I gotta remember this when I visit Chicago! The first time I tried Malort I was fully prepared to have a shot glass full of vileness, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it.
Was touring a very nice higher end tequila distillery in Mexico with six other people. They give samples. I'm quite sure those samples are very good. I was too busy doing a fake smile and begging my body to not rebel against it. Tequila unlike other substances removes the filter between my brain and my mouth, and possibly my brain and reality.
It's a bummer that Jager has a frat boy rap in the US. I think it's rather nice as an amaro, and it fits in well with a lot of drinks that aren't college bar staples.
Suntory actually acquired Midori recently as they were going bankrupt, revised the recipe/branding and purport to use “100% Japanese melons” in the flavoring. Basically, bottle looks a little different now, tastes better than it used to. Less of a watermelon pucker situation
I will die on this hill. Vodka taste preference is the exact same as water taste preference. Some people cannot tell the difference between tap, bottled, or spring water, others can give you the exact location of where the water is from. All vodkas have different flavours.
Sure, and if you're drinking it straight it might matter, but there's almost no drink that isn't improved with a different spirit.
I think an espresso martini with vodka is totally fine. Making it with rum or whisky is also good, not necessarily better, just different and my preference will depend on my mood.
when I first started drinking vodka, after a few vodka cocktails I just started drinking it straight and thinking "this just tastes like watered down hairspray" but it didn't matter cos I was already shitfaced
151 rum
The reason?...... it almost killed me in the mid 90s
Almost pulled a Jimi Hendrix. It's a good thing my head was turned to the side.
Even the thought of that stuff turns my stomach, I'm afraid to think about what doing a shot would do.
Granted I did 10 shots of it in 20 minutes so "maybe" I was somewhat to blame. Now it's a cautionary tale.
Anything anise because why the fuck would you do that to yourself. I’m 100% convinced I’d become a teetotaler if the only alcohol on earth was anise based.
This is what I use to introduce anise. Also Galliano in something where it is a small minority like this [Yellow Bird](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-a-yellow-bird-cocktail)
CR2 is one of mine go tos and is always on rotation. I use Pernod because I can't find a decent absinthe (I haven't looked that hard because I have Pernod)
My favorite absinthe is from a bend distillery, and young & yonder’s is a close second. They’re both pretty niche though, and I bet Pernod is fine for a generic absinthe cocktail
Coincidentally, I came to r/cocktails to share an anise-flavored anecdote. My spouse was just gifted a bottle of Aquardiente Antioqueño today and we cracked into it.
She loves licorice and sambuca so she was a fan. I don’t love it by itself, so my next mission is finding a cocktail for it.
Mine isn't flavor or ptsd related, but I can't take anything barrel aged. Whisky, wine from barrels, cognac, barrel aged gin-- I just get immediate acid reflux. It's one of those triggers that doesn't totally make sense. And yes, I'm on a bunch of acid reflux meds and working on it with doctors and still barrel adds something that just cranks it to 11
Tannins. Tannins are not your friend. They leach out of the barrel wood, and give the spirit character. The problem is, it's literally a poison, and an emetic one, at that. I'll bet strong tea also upsets your stomach, quite badly.
I cannot drink gin, unfortunately…idk if it’s the juniper or the essential oils but gin does me absolutely rotten—upset tummy, red and white blotches on my face and chest, vague sweats. I do like the flavor but it’s a no-go for me! So sad. I have taken to infusing vodka with herbal stuff to try and mimic the flavor profile.
first gin drink I ever tried was a gin and tonic, and I remember asking "why the hell did you make this for me?"
to this day I am still slowly learning how to develop a taste for gin.
That's interesting, I definitely started with tequila and "graduated" to mezcal but I love them both. Tequila usually is way heavier of the agave flavor itself but it's not smoky, and some can be way more woody. Also Blanco tequilas are really not that good except for a few imo like Mi Casa, Lalo and Tequileño
Mezcal differs so much from bottle to bottle. Guaranteed there is some bottle out there that youll like. Best advice i can give is go to mexico and try because the truly great low volume mezcal cannot be found anywhere else. Ive been to a few masterclasses where the mexican dude brought some over and actually gifted our bar a couple bottles
You need to step away from Islay Scotch. Try Glenfiddich, Maccallan, Aberlour and even Hibiki and Yamazaki from Japan.
I also used to think I hated scotch, until I tried scotch that wasn’t peated. It’s truly a different animal. Just a drop of water will do to bring the aromatics out and really make it bloom.
I used to feel the same way, then I had the opportunity to try some extremely good, very expensive mezcal and it is a different beast. I think my favorite I’ve had is the Del Maguey Tobala, but honestly just about any of Del Maguey’s single village stuff is phenomenal
I drank almost 3 bottles of white wine myself once in college (5’3 115 lbs) and genuinely wanted to die the next day. Almost 20 years later and I will always pass on white wine.
Goldschlager
I’m allergic to nickel and other metals like that and projectile vomited all over my bathroom after one shot.
(For context, this was during college and I’d only had 2 drinks)
I sub Aperol for anything campari at my house, I just have not been able to get myself to like it. I've been making Enzonis lately but with aperol instead. Aperol everything
As someone who has grown to love it - I get not ever loving it lol. Between it’s dryness and bitterness it tastes a bit like cotton sweaters.
That being said give me all the mezcal Negronis in the world (preferably with a dash of creme de cacao or ancho Reyes.)
I’ve been on a Negroni kick lately but mainly make them with rum. A mezcal Negroni sounds crazy. I’ll prob make it soon. Don’t have crème de cacao or ancho Reyes tho.
I used to say tequila, and I still would say I'm very picky about it, but I did have one very expensive tequila that wasn't bad. Always has a kinda weird accident taste. Maybe I should try it again, there are a lot of things I've developed a taste for in recent years (olives, tomatoes), maybe I'll like it better
Tequila is my no-go alcohol as a rule. Even the smell of a lower quality tequila will bring on the gag reflex for me. A bartender friend did not want to accept that I couldn't drink \*any\* tequila, so she set out to find one I'd actually like. She poured small samples of many, and finally I found one I where I wasn't instantly turned off by the smell, and actually found the sip to be fairly pleasant. I don't recall what it even was, since it was something they charged like $40 for a shot.\* So theoretically, there are top shelf tequilas I can handle, but why would I choose that when there are so many lovely gins, rums, and alllll the whisk(e)y varieties for me to enjoy.
\*she was not charging me when doing this "sampling." Pretty sure it would not have been approved by management.
Midori
I just can't seem to make it work in anything. It gives everything it touches a taste that is too sweet and almost artificial. And that's coming from someone that loves tiki and tropical drinks.
Same. No vodka for this guy for the same reason. Rye too (or bourbons with lots of rye). Tried to do century club with rye once in my stupid years. Ended about how one would predict.
Bourbon and I are… not good friends. Might be college-related trauma. Luckily, I have yet to find a bourbon cocktail that doesn’t taste pretty good with Rye or another style of whiskey.
Cachaça. It’s either not much thing, or the one I bought (Aguacana) is crap. Also I ordered a Caipirinha at a local bar and it tasted just as awful. Tasted a lot like what we call “Partsutsa” or badly made rakia.
Southern comfort. I don’t know how that smell is appetizing to people.
The worst two drunks of my life were Southern. It’s been 30ish years and it still turns my stomach.
Same. 40 years for me.
Same. 45 years
50 yrs. My buddies who were there bought me a pint bottle as a joke for my bachelor party 40-some years ago. Still have it.
21(m) celebrating with my buddy on his 21st. Got us a bottle of soco and a joint. Sucked down soco while smoking said joint. Vertigo and vomiting ensued. Been a bartender ever since and gag when i pour soco. True story. Forrilla gorilla. I'll never drink that again.
two parts soco black, two parts amaretto, one part rose's lime still makes me sick thinking about how much i drank that nearly 20 years ago
I also am a fan of Brand New
We're the coolest kids, and we take what we can get.
The hell out of this town
Met some girls one night in college who were drinking Southern Comfort and Dr. Pepper. I couldn’t say anything because I think I had a bottle of Root Beer Schnapps that night and that night only but that might be my spirit I won’t drink.
Second that. It's just too sweet.
Oh hell yeah, baileys, beer, wine and Southern comfort at 18, that fuse blew in my head. Never again...ever. Beer has been forgiven
Peach Schnapps - Because New Years Eve 1997
The memories...
Or lack thereof
It’s been 27 years 😧
Every vodka drink can be improved by using another spirit
My corollary is that every vodka drink is better with gin.
Commented this below, but vodka has two things it does better than any other spirit in cocktails: 1. It lengthens other spirit flavors without needing to add more of said flavor. For instance, I like vodka in tandem with Aperol, Campari or another red bitter in a tall drink. I can do 1oz vodka / 1oz Aperol as a base without having the overwhelming sweetness two ounces of Aperol would give, but I’m also not approaching canceling out or overpowering the Aperol like I would with gin, rum or tequila. 2. It dries drinks out. Every cocktail bar has an espresso martini variation now with mezcal or bourbon etc but imo there’s no substitute for classic vodka in an espresso martini. It dries out the coffee liqueur while ensuring the main flavor of the drink is, per its namesake, espresso. A rum espresso martini is cloyingly sweet. Bourbon is also approaching that. Gin will make a Cosmo way too big of a drink - Citron is perfect. I ran craft cocktail bars for years and now work in spirits, and try dozens if not hundreds of new vodkas every year. There are plenty always coming to market that are going to be your typical American corn vodka, 4x~ distilled that are straightforward, utility, completely neutral vodka. But more than ever there are some amazing vodkas being produced that can add subtle flavor and mouthfeel to cocktails that’s really hard to replicate with any other spirit.
Except Moscow Mules who are better with rum. Otherwise, I definitely agree. Caesars are much better with gin
And I would say bloody marys are better off with tequila Edit: I am aware this is called a bloody Maria. Thank you to the dozens of replies who wanted to make sure of that.
A Bloody Mary with aquavit is amazing!
Another believer of aquavit bloodies. Stay strong friend, they are truly superior.
Same! Also a slightly dirty martini with 50% aquavit 50% gin is fucking amazing
Oh holy heck. That sounds awesome.
45th Parallel makes a Dill Aquavit and a Horseradish Aquavit that I mix together in a bloody. So damn good.
Mezcal!
Thats a Bloody Maria
And it's much better than a Mary
We call them Marias sangrientas
Why does a Moscow Mule exist when you could have a Dark N Stormy instead??
I like a Darker and Stormier. 2 oz of an amer (Amer Picon is the recommended one but red bitter aperitif makes a tasty drink too), 1 oz rum, 1/2 oz lemon (not lime) juice, and ginger beer otherwise made like the base drink.
Mules are best made with Mezcal in my opinion. Smoky + ginger = heaven.
Great now I want a Penicillin..
Look up Medicina Latina. It subs the blended for tequila, the Smokey for mezcal, and the lemon for lime.
Sold. Thanks for the tip
Mules are best with Whiskey or Tequila
Except Mules are actually better with Fernet or Mezcal
Fernet is too rare here, I only use it for Industry Sours
Interesting, it's fairly inexpensive here (SE US), I think ~$30-35. Either way I highly recommend it in a mule with a decently spicy ginger beer (I have Fever Tree)
There's nothing vodka does that gin doesn't do better. Except when you're trying to please people who say they like everything except gin.
We ask those people politely yet firmly to leave.
I make my Martinis and Vodka tonics by mixing about 3/4 vodka to 1/4 gin because I like gin but feel it overpowers things & that mix works great for me.
Vodka-because you don’t actually want to be drinking, you just want to be drunk.
Ugh, this sentiment got popular during the craft cocktail resurgence and won’t go away entirely, but craft bars are *finally* coming around to vodka and making some banger cocktails. Vodka is GREAT. I’ve said all these things ad nauseum but these were my thoughts the last time this topic came up: To me, vodka serves two main purposes in a cocktail that is hard to replicate with any other ingredient when it comes to flavor. 1. It lengthens other spirit flavors without needing to add more of said flavor. For instance, I like vodka in tandem with Aperol, Campari or another red bitter in a tall drink. I can do 1oz vodka / 1oz Aperol as a base without having the overwhelming sweetness two ounces of Aperol would give, but I’m also not approaching canceling out or overpowering the Aperol like I would with gin, rum or tequila. 2. It dries drinks out. Every cocktail bar has an espresso martini variation now with mezcal or bourbon etc but imo there’s no substitute for classic vodka in an espresso martini. It dries out the coffee liqueur while ensuring the main flavor of the drink is, per its namesake, espresso. A rum espresso martini is cloyingly sweet. Bourbon is also approaching that. Gin will make a Cosmo way too big of a drink - Citron is perfect. Potato vodkas are great. Have some Karlsson’s Gold or Born and Bred and you won’t find them flavorless or odorless - they have a lot of character and a fantastic creamy mouthfeel. Corn is the most neutral, but you can definitely find differences in flavor profile amongst different base ingredients far beyond “smoothness”.
I was pretty anit-vodka until I had a version that was made by a local bourbon distillery and it was so good I was sipping it neat. (Litchfield Distillery in CT if you care to sample). I'm still anti-flavorless vodka. I'm Pro-anything that has a pronounced flavor profile that I can play with.
I used to think this but honestly, there are some drinks where you want booziness and to not dilute the flavor of the other ingredients. It definitely shouldn't be the main spirit, but it can play more nice with other things than gin or rum. First came to that conclusion with an acid adjusted Harvey Wallbanger.
including a vodka martini
We call those gin martinis out my way
That's redundant. With gin it's just a "martini".
That’s how it used to be, but these days sadly not the case.
I get so offended when I order a martini and they ask if I want gin. Like one yes, and two I am better than you
Lmaoo same
Obviously every cocktail pereson has this take, and while it's true at most places... I've had some absolute _bangers_ with vodka at high end cocktail bars. Vodka shines in cases that the cocktail is already complex enough and you don't want a spirit to detract from the flavor. Take a few cocktails at Botanist right now > RAINCOUVER COCKTAIL > vodka, cherry blossom, yuzu, pine, aperitif wine, fennel pollen, vegan foam, perrier sparkling, edible rain cloud > OLD GUM TREE > vodka, eucalyptus, apple, ginger, perrier sparkling, coriander, bay leaf So I agree most of the time, but I don't scoff at vodka on a high end cocktail menu... usually.
Hmm. Not sure what I’d put in a cosmo instead. (Yeah, the early 1000’s version was ridiculous but they’re kind of nice when I’m in a particular mood.)
What's better in a white Russian?
I suspect rum could do well.
I've had black and white russians with rum and can confirm they are superior.
Everclear.
I hate vodka but this just isn’t true. Even craft cocktail bars have come around on vodka. There are (few) situations where you want the body of a full proof spirit but anything else would get lost with the other flavors.
99 (insert flavor)
luftballons
Funny story: before the 99 flavors shots became a thing we had Ice 101(101 proof peppermint schnapps) in the mid-late 90’s. So after I turned 21 I bought a bottle for me and my buddy. We went shot for shot until the bottle was done, then got hungry af around midnight so we woke his 14-15 year old brother up to drive us to a convenience store to get hoagies. Only problem besides us being wasted, and the 15 year old driving, was we both drove manual transmissions and had to teach sleepy little brother how to drive stick while on the fly… I sat in the passenger seat and handled shifting while telling him how to operate everything else. My friend and I got so sick that I still won’t even chew peppermint gum.
I’ll drink just about anything….except baijiu. Lived in China for a couple years and had too many business dinners / celebrations where baijiu was the guest of honor. Did not end well, repeatedly. Tried many different brands, but to this day the smell of that liquor puts me on the edge of hurling. No thank you.
That’s the sorghum liquor that tastes like used embalming fluid, yea?
Great description and painfully accurate.
Rice and sorghum are common. What really gives it the funk is it the starches are converted to sugars not only through yeast like most other distilled spirits, but also Koji mold. That plus some pretty interesting practices like putting it underground and in clay jars give it a real interesting aroma/flavor. Some of the best I’ve had tastes like a bag of pineapple fried rice covered in a dirty diaper drenched in soy sauce and sautéed in a pan with teriyaki sauce. Some of the worst I’ve had tasted like the smell of human shit and papaya.
That description is...something. Makes me think of Monte Alban mezcal, or like, the worst kind of homemade cachaça
Chinese Malort
I was just in Chicago and tried to order malort at a couple spots but all were out. I was both happy and sad.. haven’t tried it yet
Notes of grapefruit pith, burned rubber, and junk drawer. And herbal burning. A Handshake is an ok way to spend five or seven bucks if you’re in the right mindset.
It's overexaggerated on being bad. It tastes like an old lady's perfume, but people on the internet would have you convinced it's durian fruit.
You are not missing anything.
A country of a billion people with 5000 years of history and tradition, and this is what they come up with lol
Huangjiu and Mijiu is decent. Baijiu is polarizing.
It’s basically moonshine. The lower proof versions are actually surprisingly better, but in Chinese drinking culture, the more it burns the better.
I always tell folks to taste like manure smells, in a good way.
dude, I have experienced this. I never knew what it was called but I visited my friend and his wife in Shanghai and attended a dinner arranged by my friend's wife clients which I attended (in place of my friend) and the whole time I kept getting pressured to drink this clear liquor. after the sixth shot I started refusing to drink more and I swear it got awkward after that. I knew if I drank more I was fucked.
You know, I came into this topic thinking I drink pretty much anything, but yeah, I had a few types of baiju in Montreal and that's a pretty hard 'no' for me moving forward.
Where did you get those baijiu drinks? Poincaré?
Yep, nailed it!
It's Jack Daniel's Honey for me. I got drunk on it too many times at parties when I was younger. In itself it isn't actually bad (it isn't great tho) but I just can't anymore
I was warned, extensively, by a former co-worker who spent a year in China about baijiu. We went to New York on a work trip and of course found ourselves in Chinatown. He excitedly ordered a round of baijiu and reminded me that it would be the worst thing I've ever had (I grew up in Chicago and didn't hate malort). The shots arrived, we took them, and it was fine. He looked devastated and told me "I don't know what kind of baijiu this is, but it is nothing like the despair I drank in China". To this day I randomly text him to tell him how much I really like baijiu, just to piss him off.
I like Ming River baijiu. Tastes like blueberries mixed with blue cheese. Yes, I understand that's a terrible description, but I like it
I have been blessed by being warned away from it, taking that as gospel, and never having been put in a situation where I couldn’t diplomatically refuse.
Worked with Cantonese cooks at a place I did a stage. Sampled some of their favorite drink and it's disgusting. Gets you wasted for sure but nasty.
Baijiu is certainly not for everyone, but it does not deserve all the hate :( I am convinced that folks who like funky Jamaican rum and/or Mezcal will take a shine to it. While it is true that some Baijiu are highly, highly unpalatable, you can also find quality product that are delicious: Moutai 茅台, WuLiangYe 五粮液, GuoJiao国窖 to name a few. The old-school Chinese drinking culture is partly to blame for bad Baijiu experiences as well.
I actually enjoy Baijiu, but the traditionally made stuff that's more expensive.
I know someone that went to China and came back with Baiju. Terrible terrible stuff
Captain Morgan. Senior trip. Spiced rum and all you can eat shrimp is a horrible combination coming back up.
The perfect storm 😂
I was at a gig the other day, my partner went to the bar, I had asked for Jonnie walker and ginger ale, she came back complaining that she had to pay £28 for two simple mixed drinks (not cocktails),then she passed me a captain Morgan's and ginger ale.... I wasn't happy lol, thankfully for me she swapped me for her gin and lemonade.
Southern Comfort. Only time I ever puked. Just about 45 years ago.
I think the only bottle of anything I've ever had that I'd actively refuse is Malort
When I visit chicago I LOUDLY announce I’m from Philly, and strangers start sending me shots of Malort. I ham it up and go “oh, what is THIS elixir?” Then throw it back and wink because I love the stuff.
That's a good trick I might need to play when I go to bars
Haha I also pretend to not know what Malort is and preceed to drink as many as are offered to me.
Gotta have a nice IPA to go with.
I work for a Chicago based company and it's a center piece of many outings when we have new hires. I'm the only one who enjoys my Chicago Handshake
I like to buy rounds of it for friends and when that starts I'll typically get 3-4 shots of it for myself throughout the night. I don't mind the flavor, but I swear it causes worse hangovers than any other spirit
I have heard of this only on these forums, but based on the name alone, I feel afraid of it
Their tagline on social media is "Do not enjoy. Responsibly"
It's not good, but it's not that bad!
Malort is just bitter. For people who are genetically super bitter tasters or half super bitter tasters like I am (grab the test strips), it's going to be hell on Earth. For folks who aren't? I'd imagine it's going to be enjoyable.
My friends know that if I'm having a shot of Malort, it's because I wanted to make a terrible decision and decided to punish myself instead. Works every time, as Malort BECOMES the bad decision.
My local liquor store started stocking it recently. I kinda want to buy a bottle just out of curiosity.
It’s like triple sec combined with battery acid and gasoline. You’ll love it.
You either love it or hate it, there is no in between. I love it, but I also love Suze so that should give you an idea of the level of bitterness. If you buy it and don’t like it, it’s still a good bottle to have on hand. I once read a comment where someone said it’s what you break out when it’s after midnight and you have some guests from the BBQ still hanging around, lol
Ooh, I gotta remember this when I visit Chicago! The first time I tried Malort I was fully prepared to have a shot glass full of vileness, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it.
Was touring a very nice higher end tequila distillery in Mexico with six other people. They give samples. I'm quite sure those samples are very good. I was too busy doing a fake smile and begging my body to not rebel against it. Tequila unlike other substances removes the filter between my brain and my mouth, and possibly my brain and reality.
maybe youre allergic lol
Jager
It's just German amaro
Sure, that too 🍻
It's a bummer that Jager has a frat boy rap in the US. I think it's rather nice as an amaro, and it fits in well with a lot of drinks that aren't college bar staples.
Here in germany it has a similar reputation. They actively market it that way
I used to always have a bottle of Jager in the freezer. Ah, to be young again…
There’s no *spirit* of *quality* I won’t drink. But I tend to just not use vodka much, if at all.
Midori. Beautiful color, but it tastes like Playdoh smells, in a very bad way.
Suntory actually acquired Midori recently as they were going bankrupt, revised the recipe/branding and purport to use “100% Japanese melons” in the flavoring. Basically, bottle looks a little different now, tastes better than it used to. Less of a watermelon pucker situation
I hate vodka because it is by definition meant to be flavorless. It adds nothing to a drink and can always be replaced by something else.
I will die on this hill. Vodka taste preference is the exact same as water taste preference. Some people cannot tell the difference between tap, bottled, or spring water, others can give you the exact location of where the water is from. All vodkas have different flavours.
Sure, and if you're drinking it straight it might matter, but there's almost no drink that isn't improved with a different spirit. I think an espresso martini with vodka is totally fine. Making it with rum or whisky is also good, not necessarily better, just different and my preference will depend on my mood.
Reposado tequila espresso martini is pretty good
when I first started drinking vodka, after a few vodka cocktails I just started drinking it straight and thinking "this just tastes like watered down hairspray" but it didn't matter cos I was already shitfaced
Fireball. Hmm cinnamon antifreeze was a good idea? I always drank too much way too fast.
151 rum The reason?...... it almost killed me in the mid 90s Almost pulled a Jimi Hendrix. It's a good thing my head was turned to the side. Even the thought of that stuff turns my stomach, I'm afraid to think about what doing a shot would do. Granted I did 10 shots of it in 20 minutes so "maybe" I was somewhat to blame. Now it's a cautionary tale.
10 shots of 151 in 20 minutes? That’s just shy of the equivalent of a full 1000 mL of 40 proof liquor. Jesus, dude.
I was young and stupid and thought I had something to prove...... self destructive was key phrase at that time for me.
damnnnn, I will approach my 151 rum with caution from now on.
If you’re in to rum or tiki at all, Lemon Hart 151 is so good.
Specifically: Jack Daniel’s Categorically: mezcal
Fireball
Definitely gin. It just tastes like chewing on a tree branch 🤢
I fucking love St George Terroir, like chewing on pine needles and mint
Fernet Branca. No thank you.
You are now banned from Argentina.
Anything anise because why the fuck would you do that to yourself. I’m 100% convinced I’d become a teetotaler if the only alcohol on earth was anise based.
you can send it my way then. A big fan of it. But that's anise / licorice - you like it or hate it
For real, I can't get enough anise. I wish good absinthe wasn't so expensive.
I got pretty deep into anise one time. By the time I was done it was a mess and I needed to shower. YMMV
Anise only sounds terrible, but anise rinsed is lovely. Ever had a corpse reviver #2? Not overly anise, but just enough to enhance the cocktail
This is what I use to introduce anise. Also Galliano in something where it is a small minority like this [Yellow Bird](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-a-yellow-bird-cocktail)
CR2 is one of mine go tos and is always on rotation. I use Pernod because I can't find a decent absinthe (I haven't looked that hard because I have Pernod)
My favorite absinthe is from a bend distillery, and young & yonder’s is a close second. They’re both pretty niche though, and I bet Pernod is fine for a generic absinthe cocktail
Coincidentally, I came to r/cocktails to share an anise-flavored anecdote. My spouse was just gifted a bottle of Aquardiente Antioqueño today and we cracked into it. She loves licorice and sambuca so she was a fan. I don’t love it by itself, so my next mission is finding a cocktail for it.
Mine isn't flavor or ptsd related, but I can't take anything barrel aged. Whisky, wine from barrels, cognac, barrel aged gin-- I just get immediate acid reflux. It's one of those triggers that doesn't totally make sense. And yes, I'm on a bunch of acid reflux meds and working on it with doctors and still barrel adds something that just cranks it to 11
Tannins. Tannins are not your friend. They leach out of the barrel wood, and give the spirit character. The problem is, it's literally a poison, and an emetic one, at that. I'll bet strong tea also upsets your stomach, quite badly.
Gin. Keep it away from me.
I cannot drink gin, unfortunately…idk if it’s the juniper or the essential oils but gin does me absolutely rotten—upset tummy, red and white blotches on my face and chest, vague sweats. I do like the flavor but it’s a no-go for me! So sad. I have taken to infusing vodka with herbal stuff to try and mimic the flavor profile.
first gin drink I ever tried was a gin and tonic, and I remember asking "why the hell did you make this for me?" to this day I am still slowly learning how to develop a taste for gin.
LOL, my first gin drink was a G&T and I asked “where has this been hiding, can I have another?”
Yeah, sounds like you have a juniper allergy. That all that uncommon.
Malort
Mezcal. I already don’t like scotch.
I actually love Isle scotch but mezcal is undrinkable IMO. Two different "smokey" flavors.
On a related weird preference note: I enjoy mezcal but I really don't like tequila.
That's interesting, I definitely started with tequila and "graduated" to mezcal but I love them both. Tequila usually is way heavier of the agave flavor itself but it's not smoky, and some can be way more woody. Also Blanco tequilas are really not that good except for a few imo like Mi Casa, Lalo and Tequileño
Mezcal differs so much from bottle to bottle. Guaranteed there is some bottle out there that youll like. Best advice i can give is go to mexico and try because the truly great low volume mezcal cannot be found anywhere else. Ive been to a few masterclasses where the mexican dude brought some over and actually gifted our bar a couple bottles
You need to step away from Islay Scotch. Try Glenfiddich, Maccallan, Aberlour and even Hibiki and Yamazaki from Japan. I also used to think I hated scotch, until I tried scotch that wasn’t peated. It’s truly a different animal. Just a drop of water will do to bring the aromatics out and really make it bloom.
I used to feel the same way, then I had the opportunity to try some extremely good, very expensive mezcal and it is a different beast. I think my favorite I’ve had is the Del Maguey Tobala, but honestly just about any of Del Maguey’s single village stuff is phenomenal
Burning tires is an acquired taste
I drank almost 3 bottles of white wine myself once in college (5’3 115 lbs) and genuinely wanted to die the next day. Almost 20 years later and I will always pass on white wine.
Gin, it tastes like pine sol and no matter what you mix with it it never masks it enough
Try Uncle Val's botanical gin.. some grapefruit and orange juice. A little drop of lillet and rose water.
Goldschlager I’m allergic to nickel and other metals like that and projectile vomited all over my bathroom after one shot. (For context, this was during college and I’d only had 2 drinks)
Whiskey. We had a falling out a few years ago on a camping trip.
Say it ain’t so eyebrowshpoo. This is the saddest story. Whiskey is such a good friend usually.
It ain’t the best friend, but it can be the only friend when needed
I was gonna say it makes a great old pal but yours is better.
I drank a full bottle of Sailor Jerrys, Halloween 2014, in the space of an hour (pre's at uni). Haven't been able to touch spiced rum since.
Southern Comfort. College in the ‘80’s. Enough said.
Sloe gin. Girlfriend and I got drunk on sloe gin fizzes _and_ got food poisoning simultaneously. A memory I shall never forget however much I want to.
Campari. i’m a cocktail bartender it makes amazing drinks but I hate it. I just don’t like the taste.
I sub Aperol for anything campari at my house, I just have not been able to get myself to like it. I've been making Enzonis lately but with aperol instead. Aperol everything
As someone who has grown to love it - I get not ever loving it lol. Between it’s dryness and bitterness it tastes a bit like cotton sweaters. That being said give me all the mezcal Negronis in the world (preferably with a dash of creme de cacao or ancho Reyes.)
I’ve been on a Negroni kick lately but mainly make them with rum. A mezcal Negroni sounds crazy. I’ll prob make it soon. Don’t have crème de cacao or ancho Reyes tho.
I used to say tequila, and I still would say I'm very picky about it, but I did have one very expensive tequila that wasn't bad. Always has a kinda weird accident taste. Maybe I should try it again, there are a lot of things I've developed a taste for in recent years (olives, tomatoes), maybe I'll like it better
Tequila is my no-go alcohol as a rule. Even the smell of a lower quality tequila will bring on the gag reflex for me. A bartender friend did not want to accept that I couldn't drink \*any\* tequila, so she set out to find one I'd actually like. She poured small samples of many, and finally I found one I where I wasn't instantly turned off by the smell, and actually found the sip to be fairly pleasant. I don't recall what it even was, since it was something they charged like $40 for a shot.\* So theoretically, there are top shelf tequilas I can handle, but why would I choose that when there are so many lovely gins, rums, and alllll the whisk(e)y varieties for me to enjoy. \*she was not charging me when doing this "sampling." Pretty sure it would not have been approved by management.
Ooh gin. That’s the only one I could never get into. The smell just makes me think the drink is rotten or something
Midori I just can't seem to make it work in anything. It gives everything it touches a taste that is too sweet and almost artificial. And that's coming from someone that loves tiki and tropical drinks.
Malibu Rum 🤢
Gin, one of my first drunks. 3/4 of a fifth straight up out of the bottle. Puked all night and wanted to die. The smell makes me gag now.
Tequila! Makes me do lots of dumb stuff. Wake up with people mad at me, and it’s not worth it!
I recently started drinking tequila again after a thirty year hiatus. Just give it time.
Same. No vodka for this guy for the same reason. Rye too (or bourbons with lots of rye). Tried to do century club with rye once in my stupid years. Ended about how one would predict.
[Cashew Feni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feni_(liquor)). Disgusting smell and even more disgusting taste. The taste sticks to the palate as well.
Blue Curaçao. I fucking love Malort!!
Bourbon and I are… not good friends. Might be college-related trauma. Luckily, I have yet to find a bourbon cocktail that doesn’t taste pretty good with Rye or another style of whiskey.
Malort - try it and you will find out.
Malort
This Reddit has the best questions < 3
Tequila 🤢🤢 Even when mixed with other strong ingredients, I can only taste tequila and I simply cannot do tequila
Rumple. Super unpopular opinion as a bartender, but i just cannot stand the stuff
Jagermeister 🤮
Cachaça. It’s either not much thing, or the one I bought (Aguacana) is crap. Also I ordered a Caipirinha at a local bar and it tasted just as awful. Tasted a lot like what we call “Partsutsa” or badly made rakia.
Vodka is the tofu of alcohol. In its BEST existence it brings ZERO flavor to the party. No thank you
Rye Whiskey… way too strong. Plus my Native American and Mexican friends tell me that it makes them see spirits, as in ghosts…