An Amusing Start for 2012

[Jester]

One random mixed drink I had recently was one my Mom actually wondered about recently. Cream soda and vanilla vodka.

If your mom (or you) liked cream soda, suggest to her spiced vodka, such as Captain Morgan's, and Sprite. They combine to form a very lovely cream soda-like cocktail.

My friends and I are tempted to get the "DIY Juice to Alcohol Kit" and give it a try with something. (Probably something purple, a la "the purple stuff" from the old Sunny D commercials.)

Just remember that Sunny D is NOT really juice. Well, not wholly juice, anyway. It is 35% juice. If you are really going to try to ferment some juice, you should probably use real juice. Not saying you have to juice the fruits yourself, though, since there are 100% juice options on the market. If you want to go purple, may I humbly suggest my favorite juice, the berry flavored Juicy Juice? Wonderful stuff. (Have some in my fridge right now, actually....)

[Aisling]

And for kids, yes, a maraschino cherry.

Kids nothing! I'm 32 and I still want my cherry when I order a "fancy" drink. :P

[Jay 2K Winger]

If your mom (or you) liked cream soda, suggest to her spiced vodka, such as Captain Morgan's, and Sprite. They combine to form a very lovely cream soda-like cocktail.

Thanks for the advice!

Just remember that Sunny D is NOT really juice. Well, not wholly juice, anyway. It is 35% juice. If you are really going to try to ferment some juice, you should probably use real juice. Not saying you have to juice the fruits yourself, though, since there are 100% juice options on the market. If you want to go purple, may I humbly suggest my favorite juice, the berry flavored Juicy Juice? Wonderful stuff. (Have some in my fridge right now, actually....)

We're well aware that Sunny D is not real juice. The old Sunny D commercials had a bunch of teenage jocks looking through the fridge for something to drink, "We've got milk, purple stuff, oh hey, Sunny D!"

But I'll keep your suggestions in mind for when/if we try it out.

[Jester]

Jay, my point was not just that Sunny D is not real juice.

It was that, since it is not real juice, it probably won't ferment the right way.

I could be wrong, of course, but I am pretty sure it is the natural sugar in fruit that allows fermentation. The more I type this, of course, the more I realize I really don't know what the hell I am talking about. So perhaps you should try to mess around with the Sunny D. Perhaps even the purple stuff.

Let me know how it works out, so I can figure out how wrong I was.

[Becks]

Kids nothing! I'm 32 and I still want my cherry when I order a "fancy" drink. :P

Me, too!!!!!!!

The old Sunny D commercials had a bunch of teenage jocks looking through the fridge for something to drink, "We've got milk, purple stuff, oh hey, Sunny D!"

I remember those commercials, and I miss them.

[South Texan]

ME: "Um....no....it's basically cherry juice."

That term, used in connection with a virgin cocktail recipe, was just too punny!

[BeenThereDoneThat]

I liked getting Shirley Temples as a kid. I knew it was ginger ale...we liked ginger ale at my house (I'm thinking it was a favorite of my mom's, coming from a Scottish background). I didn't know what the red stuff was at the time but I never thought it was alcoholic seeing as I was a kid and all that.

[wolfie]

Jay, my point was not just that Sunny D is not real juice.

It was that, since it is not real juice, it probably won't ferment the right way.

I could be wrong, of course, but I am pretty sure it is the natural sugar in fruit that allows fermentation. The more I type this, of course, the more I realize I really don't know what the hell I am talking about. So perhaps you should try to mess around with the Sunny D. Perhaps even the purple stuff.

Let me know how it works out, so I can figure out how wrong I was.

Any sort of sugar will allow fermentation. On the other hand, although those zero-calorie artificial sweeteners make it taste sweet, they're useless for making your own booze.

Bottom line: If the Sunny D (or purple stuff) uses sugar (or HFCS) for sweetening, it's fine for making hooch.

[vikingchyk]

Kids nothing! I'm 32 and I still want my cherry when I order a "fancy" drink. :P

They put a cherry (and whipped cream) on my Shamrock Shake last week

[CalyCoRose]

I do like a Shirley Temple every once in a while, however, I do like a Roy Rogers too. (Which is a cola with grenadine). I used to drink those at the local Famous Daves restaurant near our house.

[Rainman]

That is hardly a new rule. Hell, that is a very OLD rule.

Hell, one of the very first phrases for whiskey was "aqua vitae," or "water of life."

And I certainly have gone about trying alcohol in many, MANY forms.

Oddly enough, there is one thing I have never done, which not only surprises a lot of people, but kind of surprises me.

I have been drinking Gatorade since I was about 17 or 18. For those keeping score, I'm 41, so that's well over 20 years. And I've always thought that it would make a great mixer for a drink. Most people think it would go great with vodka. Not being a vodka fan, I always thought of it more as a rum receptacle.

And yet, despite being a 1-2 quart a day drinker of Gatorade (sometimes more), and despite being the Rum Guy at a rum bar, and despite being a regular drinker of alcohol AND a mixologist...I have never, ever, EVER made a cocktail using Gatorade. Not a single time. Not for myself, and not for anyone else. Nor have I ever DRANK a cocktail involving Gatorade that someone else made.

Kinda weird, huh?

I've been a legal drinker for only 6, almost 7 years now, but I have tried the gatorade/sports drink mixers with the intent to hydrate while dehydrating myself Not the best in my opinion if you are trying to conceal the taste of the alcohol (which may or may not be one's intent anyway) I have found, for my personal taste, I like sodas, strong juice, or a combination thereof, as mixers. Soda neutralizes the punch of the liquor, juice hides the taste, resulting in a delicious beverage which makes me happy

[Shalom]

I don't drink.

That having been said, I went out a few times after work to a bar with coworkers on payday. Everyone else was drinking alcoholic beverages, so I asked the bartender if she had anything non-alcoholic. She closed the bar, went to the bodega next door, and came back with a six-pack of Coors Cutter. (And the 0.5% alcohol in there was enough to get me a little tipsy, which is why I don't drink...)

The next time I went there, she didn't have any more of that ersatz-beer, so she made me something with ginger ale and cranberry juice cocktail instead. I suppose that's pretty similar to what y'all were discussing with the Grenadine; she never told me what it was called.

The other times, I asked for orange juice and tonic water. Got some strange looks, and one time a mixologist shrugged and said "Well, it's your stomach." What the heck, I think it tastes good...

[Jester]

Soda neutralizes the punch of the liquor, juice hides the taste, resulting in a delicious beverage which makes me happy

You've touched on a couple ways mixers work, but not all of them. Mixers also can be used to complement or accentuate a particular spirit.

Personally, I think Gatorade would work well in these latter departments, at least as far as rum goes, which is the direction I would take it in. I don't imagine they'd be good with vodka, but then, I don't like vodka, and I think that certain vodka bite would come right through the Gatorade.

[C. Cecil Ivanish]

One day, these four Italians (from Italy, not Italian Americans) come in to my bar.
...
They were, however, shocked and appalled that I dare to ask for their ID.
...
It was $28. Now I just KNOW I am not getting a tip from them, and I'm fine with that. I'm used to that. Different customs, blah blah blah. But when the guy looked at me and asked, "Can I just give you $27?" I just stared. Was he broke? Did he not have enough to cover the tab? Nope. He just didn't want to break another ten.

Hi, I'm Italian

A couple of points, not to point out anything you might have misunderstood (you are right, they were a bunch of cheap-ass eejits) but to clarify how some things may have happened.

IDing - in Italy it is a relatively new practice and it is done only if the person ordering the drink is suspected to be underage. Someone who clearly looks over 18 probably has never been carded in his/her life.

About the tipping: there (I left the country 8 years ago) all bars and restaurant have a "service charge" that replaces the tip. Pretty much, you pay a fixed sum that (normally) goes straight to the tip-box. Tips are normally given to service that goes FAR above normal.
Of course, those people should have thought maybe for half a second that they are NOT in Italy and possibly asked someone before visiting the US.

And yes, a minor amount of haggling (for sums not over a couple of Euros) is accepted in many areas of the country, especially in restaurants and bars. It is considered rude, but sometimes very pushy people will end up getting a discount. I don't know where the idea comes from and I have never done it, but it is indeed a custom. Normally it happens late in the day when one orders food that can not be preserved for the following day (typically tramezzino in bars, my experience is that near to closing time the prices are cut anyway).

So, whereas I do perfectly understand your surprise and anger, believe me - yes, it is customary. For rude people.

[Dilorenzo]

Hell, one of the very first phrases for whiskey was "aqua vitae," or "water of life."

Irish for it is uisce beatha, same thing. I do love my people sometimes.

Regarding the Italian one... spent quite a bit of time over there as a child, with my fathers side of the family. That is not only not common, it'd usually be ground to get you hit over the head with something ('less of course you were a regular and actually found yourself a little short. Then you'd just get a smack and told not to do it again). Never ran into what Cecil did - but different areas are just that - vastly different.

(One last point. Sometimes I fancy whiskey sour. Don't like a cherry in it. Just want a whiskey sour, not a whiskey sour with some red.)