Adult Beverage Thread (Mostly Booze)

[andydp]

I thought I had posted my adventures in the "Augean Stables Like" cubby that was my Father in Law's liquor storage area. 

There were several OLD bottles various spirits.  A couple of half bottles of vodka and gin which are long gone.  Bought a 1.75 Vodka for use with my tonic water.  (Been a long six weeks.) It's getting low so, I'm saving it for Saturday afternoon before my wife's big FIVE-O HS reunion.  I took the unopened bottles of Macadamia Nut Liqueur and dark rum home.  I will determine a good use for them.  I also took home an unopened bottle of Taylor Tawny Port. That one will need close investigation.

Right now, I'm trying to kill off a bottle of Christian Brother's Brandy.  Since its not Courvoisier, its being mixed with 7Up.  I promised my SIL I'd make her a Seagram's Seven Manhattan.  I'm getting low in Vermouth; we'll kill that bottle Saturday night.  I'll have a "shopping list" for our next visit: vodka, and a vermouth to mix with an "unassuming yet satisfying" rye or blended whiskey.

[goldenvalley]

Christian Brothers Brandy...yeech! Better to dump it than to add calories to your diet trying to make it taste better.

[andydp]

Apr 28, 2022 21:24:23 GMT goldenvalley said:

Christian Brothers Brandy...yeech! Better to dump it than to add calories to your diet trying to make it taste better.

I realize CBB is strictly a liquor you use to make something else.  Using diet 7 Up or Ginger ale.  No sense making it  more caloric. 

Besides, anything to dull the sound of EWTN is welcome.  (94 Y.O. Irish Catholic MIL)

[andydp]

A question for the membership:

When I was a young man I would visit my aunt's "dive bar" in Bridgeport CT.  My cousin ran the bar and I would have fun looking at all the bottles.  One product that caught my eye me was Four Roses. Frankly, I remember Four Roses as being the liquor if choice with the "regulars" at my aunt's bar.

In all my drinking adventures I never really bought or tasted it. For years, I thought it was a blended whiskey.  Only a couple of years ago, I found out it was actually a bourbon.  They're now trying to up the image with single barrel, 10 year old, etc etc. Never saw it as something to specifically look for.  I may have to break down and try a bottle.

Have any of the members tried it ?  What's your opinion ? Something to use for a Manhattan or on the rocks ?

[andydp]

Its after 1600 here in NY State.  Guess what I'm having at happy hour ?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i415QwSj0Og

Personal note: these are probably the best scenes in the movie.  Factoid: the Twin Beech that was used in the aerial scenes was retired after the movie. It had been abused too much. I also have great admiration for the stunt pilot's abilities.

[goldenvalley]

I haven't seen that movie in years.  Will dig it up someday.  

[andydp]

Drinking at Nanas:

Stopped at the Class VI store at Ft Dix.  "Class VI" (six) is logistical talk for personal items, like the Post Exchange. In current use, its basically the post liquor store.  You can get some very nice bargains with the added bonus of not paying sales tax.  I got a 750ml bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon for $18 on special.  Eagle Rare usually sells in the $25.00 range.  As always you need to know your prices.

I just purchased a 1,75L bottle of whiskey and a bottle of Gallo Vermouth for $20.00.  Nothing special, since I'll probably be the only one drinking the stuff while visiting. Ft Dix has a good selection of medicinal spirits but some bases have more extensive inventories.  I have noted that if there's a lot of BIG brass (like Generals) there's a good chance the place will be well stocked.  

I may be purchasing a bottle of Buffalo Trace at the Navy PX for about $20.00.  At one per customer/day I get the feeling its a good price.

[LFC]

[andydp]

Jun 12, 2022 16:18:16 GMT LFC said:

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Yeah baby !! BTW: Neither has chocolate cake.

[LFC]

[andydp]

It is said, when Dom Pérignon tasted his first batch of champagne he exclaimed:  "Come quick ! I am tasting the stars !"

My Son in Law took me to Leopold Brothers Distillery in Denver.  I was privileged to get a few free samples since my SIL has a commercial relationship with the (actual) Leopold Brothers.  I was given a sample of their Summer Gin. It was unbelievable  ! I can honestly say you can drink this neat or with one ice cube.  It may not be in the stratosphere like Dom Pérignon's champagne, but its pretty close.

They have a variety of excellent spirits.  The most impressive of the whiskeys is their Three Chamber Rye.  They claim to be the first since prohibition to make this.  Click on the Three Chamber link for the story.  I was gifted their small batch American whiskey for Christmas.  I have been nurturing that bottle like it was liquid gold.  On a special day, I'll use it for a truly magnificent Old Fashioned. (Just like dad used to make)

www.leopoldbros.com/spirits

ETA: I just purchased a bottle of the George Dickel-Leopold Brothers collaboration whiskey.  I'm going to assume its not readily available on the East Coast.  I had a sample pour of this Saturday, I wanted it.  The Denver store (Argonaut Liquors) I got this from, had about 55 bottles in stock.  I only needed/could afford one.  My wife is returning in September, so I'll give her a follow on mission.

[andydp]

On a positive note... An appropriate news item for Bourbon Month

Jim Beam outlines $400 million expansion to ramp up bourbon production

Jim Beam plans to ramp up bourbon production at its largest Kentucky distillery to meet growing global demand in a more than $400 million expansion to be powered by renewable energy.

The project will increase capacity by 50% at the Beam plant in Boston, Kentucky, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the same percentage, Beam Suntory said Wednesday.

www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/jim-beam-outlines-24400-million-expansion-to-ramp-up-bourbon-production/ar-AA11QniA

[andydp]

MrsAndy has been in Denver for a while. Before she left, she was given money and a shopping list:

Leopold Brothers Navy Strength Gin (Note 1)

Leopold Brothers George Dickel Rye collaboration.

I also gave her the mission of getting three small bottles of the Navy Gin for some friends. They are only available at the distillery.

I’m pumped !

Note 1:  In case you're wondering what "Navy Strength Gin" is:  www.dandywithlens.com/navy-strength-gin/

[goldenvalley]

Sept 29, 2022 2:46:22 GMT andydp said:

MrsAndy has been in Denver for a while. Before she left, she was given money and a shopping list:

Leopold Brothers Navy Strength Gin (Note 1)

Leopold Brothers George Dickel Rye collaboration.

I also gave her the mission of getting three small bottles of the Navy Gin for some friends. They are only available at the distillery.

I’m pumped !

Note 1:  In case you're wondering what "Navy Strength Gin" is:  www.dandywithlens.com/navy-strength-gin/

Thanks for that article.  I had no idea about that there was any relationship between gun powder and gin.  

[andydp]

For a few months I was kicking myself in the patoot for NOT buying some Buffalo Trace Bourbon at $20.00 in the local Navy BX. 

I checked today and there were bottles available.  The shelf said $35, go to checkout and it rang up $22.  Talked wife into buying another bottle. As the perfect wife she also bought a 1.75L bottle of bottom shelf vodka i.e. what I use in vodka and tonic, for $8.50.  

Neener !! Neener !! 

[andydp]

How is this for a Winter weekend ?

Tonight: (Nov 25)  Single Barrel Eagle Rare Bourbon, shrimp cocktail, Christmas music from Spotify on the Eco Dot. Shrimp and bacon omelet in a while.  Seton Hall plays the Sooners of OU tonight at 2000 on ESPN 2.  Be there or be square !!

Tomorrow (Nov 26) we go to Ticonderoga  (Note 1)  for a Christmas Tree spectacular at the Hancock House. Followed by lunch at Paradox Brewing. Great pizza and beer. What's not to like ?  Weather is expected to be great for the time of year.

Sunday (Nov 27) Sit home and veg out.

Note 1: If you're a Trekkie you know there is a Star Trek set in Ticonderoga where fans make "movies".  William Shatner has been known to visit the set.  For a real geeky piece of info:  the set has an original "Kirk style" chair as seen on the Enterprise.  

[andydp]

When I was doing my in depth research on "Navy Strength Gin" I came across another, more common source: "Plymouth Navy Strength Gin" by Black Friars Distillery

Plymouth Gin

Writing about navy strength gin without mentioning Plymouth Gin would be like writing about math and not mentioning numbers.

The Black Friars Distillery in Plymouth, England has been producing Plymouth Gin in the same place since 1793. This makes it the oldest working distillery in England. The building housed a monastery prior to 1793.

Plymouth Gin has deep roots in the British Royal Navy. For almost 200 years, a navy ship would never leave port without a bottle of Plymouth Navy strength Gin onboard.




I managed to find some in Delaware at Kreston Wine & Spirits $34.99.  I will be conducting an in-depth analysis when we return to NY.  The good thing was to find it available "locally", so I don't have to depend on traveling to Denver.  Although Leopold Brothers makes fantastic healing waters, its good to have a local source if you need some.  

[andydp]

After finding out Four Roses is a Bourbon, I had to try some. I always thought it was a blended whiskey.  I keep saying the only people that drank Four Roses were the "regulars" at my aunt's bar.  

The opportunity presented itself in the form of a 10% discount at a local purveyor of healing waters. I purchased the ”small batch” version to try and have begun my in-depth examination. First impression: is it’s a good “middle ground” bourbon on a par with Rebel (Yell) basic. A solid “seven”. It will make a great base for a Manhattan or Old Fashioned.

[goldenvalley]

Uh oh! Whiskey fungus!

The ethanol-fueled fungus known as whiskey fungus has thrived for centuries around distilleries and bakeries. It’s been the source of complaints from residents who live near Kentucky bourbon distilleries, Canadian whiskey makers and Caribbean rum manufacturers.

Now, it is driving a wedge between some residents of Lincoln County, Tenn., and Jack Daniel’s, the famed distillery founded in 1866 in neighboring Moore County.

For months, some residents have complained that a sooty, dark crust has blanketed homes, cars, road signs, bird feeders, patio furniture and trees as the fungus has spread uncontrollably, fed by alcohol vapors wafting from charred oak barrels of aging Jack Daniel’s whiskey.

So far there is no research on whether there is a potential for this turning into a The Last of Us situation though:

James A. Scott, a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto who has studied the fungus since 2001 — and helped name its genus, Baudoinia, in honor of Baudoin — said he was not aware of any research specifically looking at the health effects of exposure to the fungus.

But the fungus can destroy property and can cling to almost any surface, he said. A puff of alcohol, Dr. Scott said, makes it remarkably resistant to temperature changes, allowing it to withstand hot summers in Tennessee.

“The fungus is pretty destructive, and the only way to stop it is to turn off its alcohol supply,” Dr. Scott wrote in an email. “It wrecks patio furniture, house siding, almost any outdoor surface. I’ve seen trees choked to death by it. It is a small mercy that it does not also appear to have a negative impact on human health.”

[andydp]

Sláinte chuig na fir, agus go mairfidh na mná go deo!

(Health to the men, and may the women live forever!)






Handling St Patrick’s Day like a true “pro”: (L to R) Early afternoon : Irish Coffee. Pictured: Sheelin Irish Cream a flavored wine with a great coffee creamer taste. Happy Hour: Fighting 69th Irish Whiskey 80 proof. After dinner: Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream Liqueur 34 proof.

Side note: I mentioned how much I liked St Brendan’s on another site. A lady answered she knew the distillers and makers. She noted they were a family business and great people.


All kidding aside: please be responsible in your use of these fine libations.

[LFC]

Welcome to Ireland, courtesy of Family Guy.

[pnwguy]

Shared by a friend today.

[LFC]

[andydp]

So...what did you do this morning at 0800 (ish)

Arrived 0820 at a local purveyor of medicinal elixirs to purchase a single bottle of Buffalo Trace single Barrel Bourbon.  Temps about 31 ish with a slight breeze, making it 20ish.  One bottle per customer. Sold out in about 20 minutes.

I found they had a very nice stockpile of Old Elk Port Barrel Aged Bourbon.  I'll get mine next week after pay day.  They will also be selling single barrel Eagle Rare on Apr 5.

[andydp]

Two weeks ago I spent 45 minutes in line to purchase a bottle of Buffalo Trace Single Barrel. Not having learned my lesson, tomorrow (Saturday Apr 8). I’ll do the same again for a bottle of Eagle Rare Single Barrel.
At some point I have to start savoring these fine Bourbons.