The drinking thread

[Fiach]

 

I take that you won't accept the dare then?

Nah, I'm a lover not a fighter. Right up until someone forces me to be a fighter.   

I think I posted about that a while back. When I had a pit stop in Ireland we were told we could order car bombs all we wanted but not black and tans.

I remember talking about the "car bombs" but that's a lot more recent. "Black and Tan" as a paramilitary force only existed from 1920-21, so that was like 97 years ago. There probably isn't a living Irish person that was alive during that time. I wonder why the 20-30 somethings are still so upset about it.

700 years of occupation imbues people with an incredible ability to hold the grudgiest of grudges

 

Nah, seriously, people nowadays wouldn't bat an eyelid, I was just messing with you, since the good Friday agreement, things have progressed significantly, it's only in the more entrenched areas of Belfast of either persuasion, where the wounds are more recent and still raw, from the depredations of each side.

 

I used to play guitar in Belfast in the late 70s and had to have a bodyguard (NO! it wasn't because I was so crap!) , but that would be unheard of now, I would have no hesitation recommending Belfast as a holiday destination...as long as lounging in the sun wasnt on your agenda

[Fiach]

How could you not want to drink this????

Edited September 22, 2017 by Fiach

[Gfted1]

I used to play guitar in Belfast in the late 70s...

That's very cool! Do you have a link to any of your performances?

 

And I also cant believe youre one of the few people on this board older than me!

[Fiach]

 

I used to play guitar in Belfast in the late 70s...

That's very cool! Do you have a link to any of your performances?And I also cant believe youre one of the few people on this board older than me!

Nah, the guy with the chisel and rock couldn't keep up

 

I'll be 57 on oct 1st

[Hurlshort]

I believe a prerequisite of running an Irish pub is that you need to be ancient. Netflix had a good documentary on the subject, called The Irish Pub.

 

But yes, Guinness is not fresh in the US. That may change soon, however: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/31/diageo-opening-guinness-brewery-in-us.html

 

A good bar is likely to have better local options, and a bad bar won't know how to treat the lines or pour the beer.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Hurlshot

[Fiach]

I believe a prerequisite of running an Irish pub is that you need to be ancient. Netflix had a good documentary on the subject, called The Irish Pub.

 

But yes, Guinness is not fresh in the US. That may change soon, however: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/31/diageo-opening-guinness-brewery-in-us.html

 

A good bar is likely to have better local options, and a bad bar won't know how to treat the lines or pour the beer.

It would appear that video isn't available on Netflix here, but I'll link below to an interesting video on Irish pubs, a potted history of the country and a visit to the Guinness store.

 

Irish pubs are very weird at times. In the country rural areas, a pub wouldn't be just a pub, the owner would also likely be the undertaker,. Real estate seller, grocery store etc. It wouldn't be unusual to sit in a rural bar surrounded by funeral wreaths for example, although that would be quite rare nowadays.

I grew up in a pub in the west of Ireland, it would have been my grandfather's pub, so it would have been third generational, while the pub across the road would also have been an undertakers, my father used to be a horse trainer, so, while the other pub would have funeral stuff, the outside of our place was kinda like the old wild west, with horses tethered outside.

 

Cool memories, so thanks for bringing them back!

 

https://youtu.be/e_RoD_HMCMY

[Azdeus]

How could you not want to drink this????

 

Because it's not rum?

[majestic]

How could you not want to drink this????

 

On the off-chance that I commit some Irish heresy now:

 

Because I'd rather have a Kilkenny?

[Fiach]

 

How could you not want to drink this????

 

 

Because it's not rum?

Jeepers! How thirsty would have to be to drink that much rum??? You are definitely the pirateiest of pirates and you get my vote!

[Fiach]

 

How could you not want to drink this????

 

 

On the off-chance that I commit some Irish heresy now:

 

Because I'd rather have a Kilkenny?

Yeah, Kilkenny is really good, I'm sure there is some form of absolution available for drinking it

[Azdeus]

Jeepers! How thirsty would have to be to drink that much rum??? You are definitely the pirateiest of pirates and you get my vote!

A pint of rum isn't hard to finish, granted I normally drink it from smaller glasses, but a 70cl bottle is normally gone in about 4-5 hours when I'm thirsty.

(And in the mood to get really, really, really drunk... )

 

[Fiach]

 

Jeepers! How thirsty would have to be to drink that much rum??? You are definitely the pirateiest of pirates and you get my vote!

 

A pint of rum isn't hard to finish, granted I normally drink it from smaller glasses, but a 70cl bottle is normally gone in about 4-5 hours when I'm thirsty.

(And in the mood to get really, really, really drunk... )

It's not really my tipple, my dad used to drink ...guessing the name....Old Jamaica Sea Dog rum....with a drop of blackcurrant, I've tried it with a tiny dash of coke, but it's just too sweet for my taste.

 

We used to have an old ex British army pensioner come into the bar and drink it neat....

 

I can still smell his poop stink from when he went to the toilet lol!

[Azdeus]

It's not really my tipple, my dad used to drink ...guessing the name....Old Jamaica Sea Dog rum....with a drop of blackcurrant, I've tried it with a tiny dash of coke, but it's just too sweet for my taste.

 

We used to have an old ex British army pensioner come into the bar and drink it neat....

 

I can still smell his poop stink from when he went to the toilet lol!

My favourite so far would be Ron Barcelo, but I haven't really tried hard to expand my horizons on the subject matter. Each time I go into "systembolaget" and look around I chicken out and buy the one I normally like. It's a bit to expensive to experiment and maybe not liking it. :/

 

My friends tried to get me to tag along on their little "dudes only weekends" where only straight booze was allowed, so I had to find something I liked. Whiskey isn't my cup of tea, vodka is a tad to boring, cognac is vile so rum it is.

 

I'll tell you this though, if I want to leave nasty presents for your friends, beer is my go to drink of choice.

 

 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Azdeus

[Keyrock]

After moving down to Charlotte a year and a half ago, I discovered the Michelada, on account of The Queen City's fairly sizable (and growing) population of Mexican descent.  It very rapidly became my favorite alcoholic beverage, as I'm sure I've talked about here before.  It was already a pretty inexpensive drink to make as I found Rolling Rock to be the best beer to use for it, since it works best with a light, watery beer, rather than something heavy or hoppy, and Rolling Rock is dirt cheap 'round these parts ($6.64 for a 12-pack  ).  The one semi-expensive component was Clamato, my juice of choice for the drink, but using a cheaper alternative, like tomato juice or V8, produces a significantly more bland drink.  Luckily, Walmart now sells a generic brand knockoff for roughly 60% of the price of Clamato, so I get to enjoy my favorite beverage and be even more of a cheap bastard. 

[Fiach]

After moving down to Charlotte a year and a half ago, I discovered the Michelada, on account of The Queen City's fairly sizable (and growing) population of Mexican descent.  It very rapidly became my favorite alcoholic beverage, as I'm sure I've talked about here before.  It was already a pretty inexpensive drink to make as I found Rolling Rock to be the best beer to use for it, since it works best with a light, watery beer, rather than something heavy or hoppy, and Rolling Rock is dirt cheap 'round these parts ($6.64 for a 12-pack  ).  The one semi-expensive component was Clamato, my juice of choice for the drink, but using a cheaper alternative, like tomato juice or V8, produces a significantly more bland drink.  Luckily, Walmart now sells a generic brand knockoff for roughly 60% of the price of Clamato, so I get to enjoy my favorite beverage and be even more of a cheap bastard. 

That looked great until I had to look up what Clamato was, I had made a successful stab at it, just looking at the name, but once the clam was confirmed, it kinda put me off, does it tasted fishy? (I hate da fishys ), could you suggest a non fishy alternative, cos I'd love to give it a try!

[Keyrock]

 

After moving down to Charlotte a year and a half ago, I discovered the Michelada, on account of The Queen City's fairly sizable (and growing) population of Mexican descent.  It very rapidly became my favorite alcoholic beverage, as I'm sure I've talked about here before.  It was already a pretty inexpensive drink to make as I found Rolling Rock to be the best beer to use for it, since it works best with a light, watery beer, rather than something heavy or hoppy, and Rolling Rock is dirt cheap 'round these parts ($6.64 for a 12-pack  ).  The one semi-expensive component was Clamato, my juice of choice for the drink, but using a cheaper alternative, like tomato juice or V8, produces a significantly more bland drink.  Luckily, Walmart now sells a generic brand knockoff for roughly 60% of the price of Clamato, so I get to enjoy my favorite beverage and be even more of a cheap bastard. 

That looked great until I had to look up what Clamato was, I had made a successful stab at it, just looking at the name, but once the clam was confirmed, it kinda put me off, does it tasted fishy? (I hate da fishys ), could you suggest a non fishy alternative, cos I'd love to give it a try!

 

Clamato doesn't taste fishy at all IMHO, the clam juice is barely noticeable, it's just enough to give tomato juice (which is the dominant flavor but kind of bland on its own) some tang and make it less bland.  As an alternative you can us a Bloody Mary mix.  Then you'll also need lime juice (use an actual fresh lime, thy're cheap and much better than bottled juice), salt, and beer of your choice, of course.  The proportions are up to you, experiment until you find the right juice, spices, and proportions to suit your taste.  For example, I add a couple dashes of FYM original hot sauce and a little bit of dill weed to my Micheladas, besides Rolling Rock, Clamato, salt, and lime.  I probably use roughly 3 ounces of Clamato with a 12 ounce beer (which conveniently fits a pint glass or stein perfectly.

 

Speaking of Steins, when my dad sold our old house in Connecticut and completed the move down to Florida recently (just in time for Irma  ) he passed down my late grandfather's stein collection down to me:

 

 

Some of the steins have some small cracks or chips in them, but some of them are well over 100 years old too.

Edited September 23, 2017 by Keyrock

[Fiach]

 

 

After moving down to Charlotte a year and a half ago, I discovered the Michelada, on account of The Queen City's fairly sizable (and growing) population of Mexican descent. It very rapidly became my favorite alcoholic beverage, as I'm sure I've talked about here before. It was already a pretty inexpensive drink to make as I found Rolling Rock to be the best beer to use for it, since it works best with a light, watery beer, rather than something heavy or hoppy, and Rolling Rock is dirt cheap 'round these parts ($6.64 for a 12-pack ). The one semi-expensive component was Clamato, my juice of choice for the drink, but using a cheaper alternative, like tomato juice or V8, produces a significantly more bland drink. Luckily, Walmart now sells a generic brand knockoff for roughly 60% of the price of Clamato, so I get to enjoy my favorite beverage and be even more of a cheap bastard.

 

That looked great until I had to look up what Clamato was, I had made a successful stab at it, just looking at the name, but once the clam was confirmed, it kinda put me off, does it tasted fishy? (I hate da fishys ), could you suggest a non fishy alternative, cos I'd love to give it a try!

Clamato doesn't taste fishy at all IMHO, the clam juice is barely noticeable, it's just enough to give tomato juice (which is the dominant flavor but kind of bland on its own) some tang and make it less bland. As an alternative you can us a Bloody Mary mix. Then you'll also need lime juice (use an actual fresh lime, thy're cheap and much better than bottled juice), salt, and beer of your choice, of course. The proportions are up to you, experiment until you find the right juice, spices, and proportions to suit your taste. For example, I add a couple dashes of FYM original hot sauce and a little bit of dill weed to my Micheladas, besides Rolling Rock, Clamato, salt, and lime. I probably use roughly 3 ounces of Clamato with a 12 ounce beer (which conveniently fits a pint glass or stein perfectly.

 

Speaking of Steins, when my dad sold our old house in Connecticut and completed the move down to Florida recently (just in time for Irma ) he passed down my late grandfather's stein collection down to me:

 

 

Some of the steins have some small cracks or chips in them, but some of them are well over 100 years old too.

I had one just like the wee monk guy, my mom gave it to me, she called it a Toby Jug for some reason. Awesome collection, the cracks mean nothing, it's the memories that fit in them

 

Definitely giving that Clamato Concoction a try, cheers!

Edited September 23, 2017 by Fiach

[Guard Dog]

I was having a conversation with someone tonight and they asked me about good bourbon for under $20 a liter. I told him to drink something else. There are none.

 

Guard Dogs rules of life #6: Good whiskey isn't cheap and cheap whiskey isn't good. 

[Fiach]

I was having a conversation with someone tonight and they asked me about good bourbon for under $20 a liter. I told him to drink something else. There are none.

 

Guard Dogs rules of life #6: Good whiskey isn't cheap and cheap whiskey isn't good.

 

We have a (imo) good whiskey saying here.

 

"Whiskey when you’re sick makes you well; whiskey when you’re well makes you sick." - Irish Proverb

[Keyrock]

I was having a conversation with someone tonight and they asked me about good bourbon for under $20 a liter. I told him to drink something else. There are none.

 

Guard Dogs rules of life #6: Good whiskey isn't cheap and cheap whiskey isn't good.

That's the truth. A nice thing about vodkas is that you can get good Polish vodka for a very cheap price (I recommend Sobieski if you prefer a grain vodka and Luksusova, my personal favorite, if you prefer a potato vodka.) Most other hard liquors you need to spend money to get something decent. Cheap whisky is raw sewage. Edited September 26, 2017 by Keyrock

[Gfted1]

Drank some Jameson's Black Barrel last night with my neighbor. It was alright.

[ShadySands]

Had a thimble full of Bruichladdich Port Charlotte because I needed some smokey peaty goodness in my life

[Fiach]

My whiskey tipple is Bushmills Black Bush

 

It's distilled in N Ireland, beside The Giants Causeway (claim to fame as the cover of Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy album).

 

http://www.bushmills.com/whiskey/

Edited September 26, 2017 by Fiach

[Amentep]

I had one just like the wee monk guy, my mom gave it to me, she called it a Toby Jug for some reason.

I think (and am no expert) that a true Toby Jug would need to be a jug (ie have a spout designed for pouring, often in the form of a tricorn hat) and be designed with a seated figure (or alternatively, the head of a king).

 

I think the monk would just be a "character mug".

[Fiach]

 

I had one just like the wee monk guy, my mom gave it to me, she called it a Toby Jug for some reason.

I think (and am no expert) that a true Toby Jug would need to be a jug (ie have a spout designed for pouring, often in the form of a tricorn hat) and be designed with a seated figure (or alternatively, the head of a king).I think the monk would just be a "character mug".

I have no idea, I'm sure neither did she tbh, it's just what she called it, but what you say makes sense, it would need a jug-like spout I would imagine. I do seem to remember another one she had, dunno where it is now, but it may have been where she got the Toby Jug appellation, it did have a spout and handle, it had a deep orange rim and a very deep dark blue enamel type paint with cream detail. Maybe she though they were all Toby jugs

 

Kinda like the attachment, but no lid.

Edited September 26, 2017 by Fiach