to eschew all forms of alcoholic drinks bar one, which one would you save?
After extensive research conducted over decades, in my case it would be:
Whisky. Scotch Whisky. Allowable variants include Irish and Japanese whisk(e)y.
I admit I’m probably sold on the marketing and the imagery and the sense of place which I know others experience through wine for example. But as I say, that’s me.
Less favourable variants – Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey. It’s nothing to do with quality – I’m just not personally as keen on the sweet taste.
Anyway – that’s my view. Your thoughts?
One that my wife doesn’t like. She’s not an alcoholic, by any stretch of the imagination, but it would solve a few problems!
Actually, cross reference that with something that the idiots who spoil football matches don’t like too. Would be nice to go to an away match with our nutcase element sober. Although you’d probably have to ban drugs too to completely turn it around.
So I guess you’re left with something like advocaat. Surely nobody likes that? Maybe Dutch football hooligans, but that’s okay, as I don’t think Barnsley are in danger of qualifying for Europe any time soon.
For full disclosure I should point out that I no longer drink, so I am able to be a stick in the mud and answer purely out of self interest!
Very sensible Paul. With me it’s a work in, er, progress…
Craft beer. Ive pretty much given up drinking anything else.
It would probably be good red wine, although whisky is a close second.
I don’t drink much these days – maybe a bottle at the weekend and the occasional beer / whisky, so if it came to totally no alcohol, I could probably cope. One caveat though is that my elder boy has just turned 18 and is acquiring a taste for craft beer – of which I am helping him develop……
Jack Daniels! My go-to drink of choice.
Much as I love red wine and single malt – not in the same glass, you understand – it would have to be ale, from the sheer practicality of it being the lubricant to my social life.
Champagne, darling.
Beer (in it’s many variants).
I have recently become enamoured with the joys of Irish Whiskey, but Beer remains the top choice.
Irish whisky followed by japanese then scotch
Wild turkey the preferred bourbon.
After the mental elimination rounds it comes down to red wine, much though I would miss beer and gin a glass of red wine out on sheer versatility.
Beer for its sheer ubiquity. The enjoyment of a decent 3.4 – 4% ABV that can be supped in volume, 2-3 pints is volume these days, over a long w/e day. Lovely.
I haven’t drunk for years, but the hardest to give up was Amaro Lucano. It’s a digestive liqueur from Puglia. Bitter tasting, it’s very “marmite”, with some saying it tastes like cough medicine, while to others it’s the perfect way to finish a meal. I’m in the latter category.
Either Bluebird Bitter or Jever Pilsner. Engerland v Deutschland final!
French red, Languedoc by choice. In Montpelier (and in Sainsbury’s, actually) they have Pic St Loup which is bloody gorgeous. So that would have to be the last to go.
That is indeed a lovely drop of wine.
Scotch for me too, I love highland, lowland and particularly Speyside but I usually prefer to glug Famous Grouse than sip Macallan.
I drink too much and must cut down a bit tomorrow.
We’re on hols at the mo’ ( deepest Devon, thanks for asking) so can indulge more than usual for us, a bottle a night rather than a bottle a week – & it’s red all the way. The only dilemma is Rioja ( my fave ) or Pinot Noir (Mrs Jim’s). Either would do me until I shuffle off.
I filled a sizable flask with Bushmills single malt, but I probably won’t touch it & it’ll go back in the bottle when we return home.
I think one’s tipple of choice may be influenced by who you drink with & so many peeps I know have now sworn off or aren’t allowed that pub life for meis dead really & beer never gets a look in.
I’m partial to a G&T or some red wine at home, but my good old standby when out and about is a couple of pints of nice draught IPA or Golden Ale, not too high ABV about 4.5% max. Occasionally I like a Guinness if I’m in a pub with Irish clientele.
Before I retired I never drank alcohol Mondays to Thursdays unless I was out somewhere, which was pretty rare. Maybe I should go back to that regime in order to cut my excess weight down.
Although I have all but stopped drinking alcohol over the last couple of years, I do still have the occasional pint of Guinness (6 pints so far this month, so currently averaging about 4 units per week, well below the recommended 14). Funnily enough, I have received a text this morning inviting me to join a few old chums for a beer in the local Wetherspoons in Dumfries. So, couple of pints tonight and my UPW count for this month will be around 5. How dull…..
Anyway, as I have rarely been a spirits or wine drinker, it would have to be the Guinness I would save.
Proper Job.
I don’t drink enough of them to warrant having them taken away – any such action would be cruel beyond belief. However the ones I would hate to never be able to have again are:-
A good Gin and Tonic – Bombay/Fever Tree is a good start.
A St.Emilion area red – we just booked to there in April and will stock up.
A good Bitter – none of this IPA malarkey. And served at rom temperature, not bloody chilled.
If push comes to shove and I have to choose it would have to be the G&T.
I like a good bitter too, I’m particularly partial to an Old Speckled Hen, a Royal Oak or an Old Peculier, but nonetheless a really good, ice-cold IPA, right at this moment in time, beats a warm jumper of woolly pipe-smoker’s ale hands down. And if you’re after a good IPA, ignore all this craft malarky that only comes in infant sizes and swerve past all that American bullshit, get a good Cornish pint of Proper Job.
*chugs down last quarter of current pint, heads to fridge*
@Vulpes-Vulpes I like proper job too.
It’s the Craft ales that taste like Grapefruit or Lemon that I detest and yes most of them are American. I handle a fair amount of hops exports and imports and all the US imported hops have got citrus tones.
I am also getting very fed up with beer that tastes like fruit…if I want fruit then I’ll have some fucking fruit, not beer. Beer should taste of beer.
With any luck the next trend will be beers where you can taste the malt, and I can stop being disappointed by seeing a good range of handpumps in a pub only to find that they all serve blonde hop-bombs so indistinguishable they may as well lead to the same barrel.
Wholeheartedly agree. I had a half earlier this year because I was driving. Couldn’t even finish it. Vile muck.
It’s nigh on impossible to find a decent pint of bitter these days. Bloomin’ rubbish.
At risk of sounding like an alcoholic, I’d take the bullet. Drinks are very much of a time and place. On a hot day a G&T or a vermouth and tonic is wonderful. After playing football, nothing beats a cold beer. On a winters evening, a real ale (light in alcohol) is perfect. Red wine with some cheese and biscuits. Cold white wine with some food. Champagne when champagne moments arrive.
So, I’m not picking one – I’m sticking with them all and you can shoot me – let’s put something in the diary for 2067 when I shall be 100.
You may be an alcoholic. You associate enjoyable things with alcohol, they will still be enjoyable without alcohol …
I’m not sure I am associating enjoyable things with alcohol. I played football last night (it was hot) and I didn’t have a beer afterwards (too tired and had work today). I enjoyed the football nonetheless – scored 2 and set up 2 – what’s not to enjoy?
Not everyone who enjoys a drink is an alcoholic, a common misconception made by alcoholics.
Well he was also saying he’d rather be dead than be without alcohol.
My tongue was ever so slightly in my cheek by the way.
Good to hear @Leedsboy
Not everyone who enjoys a kick-about is a footballer, a common misconception made by people who enjoy a kick-about.
I’m thinking of having a gin and tonic in the garden later, but I’m worried I might be becoming a gardener. The gin and tonic will still be enjoyable without the trowel.
Absolutely. I associate alcohol with enjoyable things; I’m worried in case that means I’m an enjoyable-thingaholic.
I enjoy sliding down the dew-covered grass bank outside my house. It’s a slippery slope.
I enjoy adding small comments to other people’s posts.
One thing leads to another.
I enjoy cracking open The Afterword first thing in the morning and having a couple of swift comments to set me up for the day, but… well no actually that really is addiction, isn’t it?
Better start going to FF (Flouncers on Facebook)
My name is Foxy, and I’m an Afterwordholic.
A nice Loire red, not too heavy, good to chill in the warm summer months, 12.5% so you can enjoy a few glasses and not feel like crap the next day.
Stella.
By Starlight?
As much as I love everything else, gin could never go. The versatility of it, and the fact there is so much left to sample…
I’ve recently given booze the old heave-ho, but I do still enjoy a non-alcohol beer, and in fact have just had one.
So beer.
Scots single malt for me, specifically Islay malts…..
A good Margarita.
It has to be beer, and if I have to be specific then that would be a good bitter. Proper beer…not fruity nonsense, ‘craft’ bollocks etc.
I am also partial to a g&t, Irish whisky, red wine, white wine, port, sherry, a proper martini (shaken not stirred), Jack Daniels….see, I’m giving up a LOT here!
Acquired a liking for Port when my nephew joined the Royal Marines.
Port toasts at the very flimsiest of excuses with yer bootnecks.
I don’t expect anyone else to nominate this drink, but mine is Vermouth Bianco…
I don’t really drink at all anymore, but when I do I like a small aperitif before dinner, and that’s the one.
Vermouth and tonic is my preferred summer drink. Lillet is very good and I had an Italian vermouthbthat was delicious but I can’t remember the name of it.
Contrary to this thread it is my wedding anniversary (23 years if you’re asking) so we’ve been on the bubbly, rosé over a meze and now a cheeky Armagnac chapeau de nuit.
How very Afterword to sneak three items into a list thread where you’re only allowed to post one.
Happy Anniversary!
Congratulations!