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 Originally Posted by jyms
Perfect timing for me then. Here's the thing. I am a beer drinker, I don't drink often but when I do I can drink enough. I drink tequila when the time is right and the party is well past post game in the dressing room or in the bleachers after a softball game. What's my question you ask? Well I want to take up a new drink, something that says "I'm cultured, I'm not a college frat boy and also be able to tell quality from antifreeze. I was thinking scotch. How do I go about learning to like it? what's the best way to start drinking it, maybe mixed, neat, or just thinned with water and ice? What brand to start?
Dear jyms,
"Scotch, scotch, I love scotch." - ancient unknown philiosopher
Scotch, like olives, Don DeLillo novels and cunnilingus with certain women, is an acquired taste. It might take longer for certain people to make that acquisition, but most get there if they try enough times. The premium blended scotches like what Chivas (goes great with fettucine alfredo, so says Hunter Thompson) J&B or Johnnie Walker (but not Red...I think Red sucks and it's not worth your time or money) produce are a good starting point - you won't know enough about Scotch yet to know what qualities you'll appreciate. Generally with blends, the higher priced stuff will be smoother but which bottle from those labels that you should buy really depends on the price point you can afford.
Have a couple of drinking sessions with a blend and then bust out a great and relatively inexpensive single malt you can find in any LCBO like Glenfiddich or Glenlivet. The single malts will have unique tones to them so you can keep trying until you find one you think is best (a probably impossible task but trying is fun). Whether or not you appreciate them more than a blend depends on your palate, really.
As far as how to drink it, forget mixing with a lot of soda or water. What's the point of taking a relatively expensive item and mixing it with a substantial quantity of something of lesser purity? You might as well stick with Canadian rye if you want to mix. I really recommend diving in. Start by drinking it on the rocks. If it's too harsh for you, wait 5 minutes...the melting ice will take away the edge of the burn. If you find yourself starting to enjoy it after a couple of drinking sessions, try it neat and see which is your preference.
Here's the thing though; everybody is drinking scotch now. You could say drinking scotch, even great single malts, has become downright plebeian. You say that you've got tequila experience under your belt (I'm going to go on a limb here and say you're talking about Cuervo, cheap Sauza or maybe even Patron by the way you said it) but have you ever really had a premium tequila? I mean sipping tequila. I mean quality Reposados and Añejos. I mean the shit that rivals the best scotches, vodkas and brandies for an epicurean alchohol experience. You could become the ubiquitous guy who really knows his scotch or you could be that pretty unique guy who knows his tequila, who blows people's minds by offering them a new experience. Which would you rather be?
First things first, forget Gold tequila if we're sipping. This is what a lot of people think makes for premium tequila but it's anything but. The colour is actually caramel (or sometimes just food colouring...oy) and masks the harshness of cheap liquor, making it better than blanco for shots but doesn't make for a quality beverage. Look for the terms resposado (aged 2 months or more in oak) or añejo (mucho aged - more than a year in oak) on the label. The aging really mellows the tequila. Herradura makes a good resposado and Cabo Wabo is good (but due to a massive marketing campaign, I think you'll find it overpriced) and you should be able to find those anywhere. Sauza Resposado is probably your cheapest bet and is decent but you can do better for even $15 more/bottle. Great but harder to find resposados/anejos are made by Don Julio. I don't think I've ever seen these at a regular LCBO, only at duty free and massive LCBOs like the Summerhill LCBO in Toronto. Don't waste this shit on shots, margaritas or other mixed drinks. This is for sipping only. Those are just a few suggestions, you'll find tons of tequila rankings on the net and there's no shortage of stuff to try.
Whatever you go with, good luck getting drunk in a sophisticated manner.
Warmest Regards,
Benny
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