Wine & Spirits Advice

[bulldog]

I work in a liquor store and thought that I would help some people on here, who are willing, try some new stuff. Keep in mind I am no expert, and have not even come close to seeing or drinking every wine, beer or liquors out there. My specialty is liquors, however I do work with 2400 differents kinds of wine daily so I know some about wine and champagne :lol: Beer, we have about 100-150 types of beer at the store, so I have got those down, but there are TONS of microbrewery items we dont carry so :shrug


thanks to budeluv77 for giving me the idea to start this thread

Ben

[bulldog]

With Wine, post whether you want sweet or dry, red or white and what type of food(if any) you are going to be eating with it

With Beer, post what is your usual brand and what types you wanna stay away from i.e. wheats, darks, reds

With Liquors, just try to give me what type of flavor you want out of it the most and how much of a bite you want it you have.

[Wino the SuperHero]

i want to try absinthe. have you had it? whats the best way to drink it?

[bulldog]

well there is the now legal stuff and the illegal stuff. The difference being, you have a much more likelyhood of seeing that little green man with the illegal stuff, cuz it is hallucinogenic. The legel stuff, I have not tried, but one of the vendors that works our store tried to get us to start carrying it, my boss wouldn't have it though lol.

It is primarily made with 3 main herbs, Anise, Fennel, and Grande Wormwood. It will have a hell of a kick at 144 proof(can be more/less depending upon the manufacturer). It is historically diluted with water and sugar before it is drunk.

If you want even more info, the site I would recommend is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

Ben

[kalina]

I'd like to try absinthe someday. Okay, my question is not really a question but more like a thought...

Some places use Razzmatazz instead of Chambord because Chambord is considered expensive. My experience with Razzmatazz is it really doesn't taste like Chambord. The flavor is slightly different and the finish is quite different. I wish more places would serve Chambord and get rid of their silly Razzmatazz bottles.

[Ecstatic]

One of these days I'm going to try Lucid or some other brand of absinthe. Actually, I had what was claimed to be authentic absinthe back in the mid-70s (supposedly smuggled in from Spain, where it was never banned), but I don't remember it very well except that it tasted vaguely like licorice. The supposedly hallucinogenic properties are claimed to come from the chemical thujone, but others argue that it's simply the high alcohol concentration that matters.


The presumed active ingredient in wormwood's oils, alpha-thujone, has a similar molecular structure to menthol, a-pinene, eucalyptol, camphor and other monoterpenes. Formerly believed to have a THC (cannabinoid) structure-activity relationship and mechanism, a-thujone is now known to modulate only an entirely different receptor site, the GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) system. GABA moderates the firing of neural synapses; a-thujone mildly antagonizes such inhibition.

Though the concentration differs, a-thujone is a component of essential herbal oils commonly found in the kitchen: sage, tansy, and tarragon.

OK, my preferences....

Wine: I like red wines and only use white wines for cooking. Merlot and pinot noir are my favorite varietals. I can't really specify vintners as I can't afford the really good stuff, lol.

Beer/Ale: Rich, dark, full-bodied. By a country mile, I prefer British ales, porters, stouts, and bitters to German and Austrian lagers, wheats, and other brews, Flemish fruited beers, or other types. My all-time favorite brews are Caledonia Cream Ale (Scotland) and Wadworth 6X (Devizes, Wiltshire, England). Favorite US microbrews include those native to New England: Smuttynose, Otter Creek, Catamount, and Wattchusetts.

Liquour: The only spirits I consume are single malt highland whisky, and of these I strongly favor the peaty malts of Islay first and Speyside malts second. Lagavulin is my gold standard, alongside Bowmore, Ardbeg, and Bruichladdich. Macallan is the pinnacle of Speyside whisky, though I also favor Dalwhinne and, oh joy, Dallas Dhu (which has been closed since 1983; I am slowly nursing a lone bottle I have of this wonderful liquid). Highland whiskies rate lower on my scale, but I enjoy Glenmorangie.

Oh, I also appreciate a fine brandy, but at $500-1000 a bottle, I never buy the stuff. Cheap brandy is not worth drinking.

[NadiaUSA]

2003 Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache, 750 ml

i like this one with my rissoto

[hwbs]

Bruichladdich is sweet....we used to carry it....pricey though

[Wino the SuperHero]

thanks so much for the advice. now i must go use my powers to consume alcohol.

[BBKing]

Absinthe is a very nice drink which was long forbidden in my country the Netherlands. Back in the days in the production process some dangerous stuff could come in the alcohol. It is said that van Gogh went crazy of absinthe and cut his ears off!

This brings me to the following. I think it is ridiculous that dangerous potential life destroyers like whiskey and schnaps can be bought really easily (at least in Holland) by people how have a problems with enjoying alcohol in a normal matter. So much families and lives have been destoyed by alcohol. If it was invented in the present days (like XTC or GHB) it would be for 100% sure on the illegal substance list all over the world.

I stopped drinking three years ago because I am one of the (many) humans how cant handle alcohol in a healthy matter. The only substance I use know to relax is marihuana (only in the weekends). Luckily I can do that legal here in the Netherlands. I find it much softer in its effects and in its addiction potential. It may sound stupid to a lot of people on the board here but my mind is much clearer, I dont hurt people anymore when I say stupid things when Im drunk, my emotions are a lot more balanced and I dont suffer from terrible hangovers and black holes in my evening.

Im not saying that you should give up drinking but you should be extra aware of its dangers since it is socially much more accepteble than more softer and less dangerous substances.

[ARMANIXXX]

Oh, I also appreciate a fine brandy, but at $500-1000 a bottle, I never buy the stuff. Cheap brandy is not worth drinking.


__________________________________________________ ___________



Whats wrong with cognac brandy?

A bottle of Remy VS or XO can both easily be had for under $100.

[Ecstatic]

Remy Martin is acceptable, but not much more than that, and I'd rather sip a single malt. I was spoiled many years ago when my father-in-law (to celebrate our nuptials, as I recall) broke out a bottle of exquisite 100-year-old brandy. That was fine indeed.

[bulldog]

I'd like to try absinthe someday. Okay, my question is not really a question but more like a thought...

Some places use Razzmatazz instead of Chambord because Chambord is considered expensive. My experience with Razzmatazz is it really doesn't taste like Chambord. The flavor is slightly different and the finish is quite different. I wish more places would serve Chambord and get rid of their silly Razzmatazz bottles.

Chambord kicks ass, best aftertasting liquor I have ever had and I would recommend it to anyone, straight shot or mixed. Chambord at our store is 19.95, while Razzmatazz is 9.99, my guess is that a lot of places use Razzmatazz because it is not an imported liquor, and they could probably get a quantity deal.


Ben

[bulldog]

bump ;)

[glenntinnyc]

2003 Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache, 750 ml thats like picking a Ferrari in a what car do you like poll. Just for the record La Tache is an excellent wine and I have nothing against Grand Cru Burgundy but if we are trying to give some advice here on what to drink you may want to think of some Premiere Cru negociants like Robert Chevillion who releases excellent Burgundy normally from Nuits St George. And if you have more 03 La Tache leave it alone , it a baby right now.03 was marked by excessively high heat in Frane and as such the wines became much more concentrated resulting in a more jammy and higher alcohol style. It will take a few more years for the tannin structure to balance out with the overwhelming fuit. Look to the 99's or 96's if you can still find them or the 02' if you cant.

[bulldog]

Well since noone wants specific advice, I'll just start giving out general advice.
We'll Start With Liqueurs

Chambord: Razzberry aftertaste, goes down very smoothly straight, expensive as hell (considering the size of the bottle(750ml)lol)if your not packing big bucks.

Dr. McGillicuddy's Cherry Schnapps: Sweet, Smooth, great straight or mixed, and that is all that needs to be said about this great liqueur.

Sambuca: Needs to be tried at least once(straight), so you can say you have tried the most foul liqueur ever. Whether you try the white or black, it wont matter, just let it sit in your freezer for 24-48hrs and then pour a shot for you and your friends.

X-Rated and Hypnotiq: Very popular drinks with the ladies, quite expensive though considering if you have 1-2 ladies that like it at the party, it wont make it through the night. Fruity Flavors, Hypnotiq: Grapefruit, X-Rated: Passion Fruit

More to come soon

Ben