Jester? (&/or other bartenders)

[C. Cecil Ivanish]

Can I bump in suggesting Scandinavian ciders, that tend to be much sweeter than their British/Irish/French/Belgian counterparts?

I don't know if they are available in the USA, but I'd suggest Rekorderlig and Koppaberg. Try their pear ciders.

[Jester]

I have yet to taste one decent chocolate alcoholic drink. They never really taste like chocolate. The only half decent one I've ever had was with some random people in my dorm freshman year that were making Peppermint Patty shots (Peppermint Schnapps & chocolate syrup). Tasty, but extremely sugary.

For beer, try Young's Double Chocolate Stout or New Belgian's 1554.

For a great winter cocktail, try a Girl Scout Cookie: hot chocolate with Bailey's and peppermint schnapps.

Can I bump in suggesting Scandinavian ciders, that tend to be much sweeter than their British/Irish/French/Belgian counterparts?

I don't know if they are available in the USA, but I'd suggest Rekorderlig and Koppaberg. Try their pear ciders.

Just had a Kopparberg Pear Cider the other day. Loved it in many ways, but the aftertaste was so sweet it lost points with me. Still rated it a 6.5 out of 10 though.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

Greenday,

I've tried a few of the chocolate liqueurs, and the problem I find is that many use artificial flavoring. Still looking for one that actually uses real cocoa. If you want to make a chocolate liqueur yourself, the biggest piece of advice I can give is to use some sort of fat or cream in the mix, as that is what will dissolve the cocoa. Also, find a good cocoa powder from a higher end mfg. I'm partial to Callebaut myself, but ghirardelli can be found in a lot more places.

[Greenday]

For beer, try Young's Double Chocolate Stout or New Belgian's 1554.

For a great winter cocktail, try a Girl Scout Cookie: hot chocolate with Bailey's and peppermint schnapps.

I don't mind some chocolate beers, they are okay. But cocktails just tend to taste horrible.

I thought Girl Scout Cookies were Bailey's, peppermint schnapps, and coffee liqueur.

[Jester]

Never had or heard of them like that, Greenday. Not saying someone doesn't make them like that. But the way I described will make your drink taste exactly like a Thin Mint, which in my mind is still the only real Girl Scout cookie. And it is the way I've seen it (and drank it) for almost 20 years.

[KiaKat]

We just picked up a new Creme de Cacao that is supposed to be spectacular. I'll update with the name when I get a chance to look at the bottle.

RE: Gin - not all of them are bitter! I'll add more when I don't have to run back to the store... stupid short lunch break.

[C. Cecil Ivanish]

Just had a Kopparberg Pear Cider the other day. Loved it in many ways, but the aftertaste was so sweet it lost points with me. Still rated it a 6.5 out of 10 though.

Not too big on it myself (my wife loves it though), but I thought that as the OP is looking for something with no bitter aftertaste...

[Jester]

True enough, but there are far better pear ciders out there. Fox Barrel and Woodchuck both make stellar versions, for example.

[wolfie]

True enough, but there are far better pear ciders out there. Fox Barrel and Woodchuck both make stellar versions, for example.

I guess those 2 manufacturers Excel at making pear cider. Do they sell their product in Pony kegs?

[Jester]

Okay, Wolfie, I know you're making a joke or pun of some kind, but I'll be damned if I know what it is.

[Marlowe]

Sorry if this is a repeat of what anyone else has said, but here are a few favourites:


1. Look up the recipes for cocktails like Singapore Sling/Cherry Amaretto Sour/Strawberry Daiquiri/Purple Rain/WooWoo. These taste amazing, and a lot of people say they can barely taste the alcohol in them so they just taste like fruit drinks.
2. Baileys. For a larger drink, try an Irish Car Bomb (Catholic, of course, the Scots can't make whisky) which tastes like a milkshake... although you have to drink it quick.
3. Malibu rum with pineapple juice tastes like a yummy coconut tropical drink. YUM.
4. Personally I like Jameson 10yr with a splash of ginger but otherwise neat, no ice... but I'm also a whisky drinker so that might not be your thing. Jameson has a taste of oaky apples to me though, so you might like it. It's definitely not bitter.
5. Cream vodka with orange juice makes delicious screwdrivers that taste like ice cream. On the infamous Night in Portland Where I Did Not Know US Measures Are Twice The Size of Irish Ones, I put away easily five of these. Doubles. Plus about six or seven double rums. Yikes.
6. Pear cider (Kopparberg) is also very good. My housemate loves it and she usually loathes alcohol.

If I think of any more I'll add an edit Hope this helps!

[wolfie]

Okay, Wolfie, I know you're making a joke or pun of some kind, but I'll be damned if I know what it is.

The Pony, Stellar, and Excel were the first 3 models of car Hyundai sold in North America. All are out of production (Excel lasted the longest, but its final model year was 1994).

[dalesys]

... Hyundai ...

To quote the King "You ain't nothin' but a Hyudai, cryin' all the time..."

[wolfie]

To quote the King "You ain't nothin' but a Hyudai, cryin' all the time..."

Of course, the King was wrong about the relative performance of a V6 Tiburon and the hatchback version of VW's A1 (first generation small car platform) "You ain't never caught a Rabbit"

[dalesys]

..."You ain't never caught a Rabbit"

Was that the one with the "ML8 ML8" plates? White, of course.