Recommend Me My First Drink

[Tumedus]

Are you going for 21 drinks? If so 2 recommendations:

1) the signature sheet. Have a friend in charge of a pen and paper. Before each drink have him or her write it down and then you sign off on it. It's a great little nostalgia piece to remind you of what you will have forgotten. And looking at those signatures later will make you laugh.

2) Save the dairy based mixers for later in the night. If you are mixing a bunch of drinks, those are the most likely to come back on you. That is both good and bad as, done too early, it might end your run before necessary, but done later it can allow you to rally or just save you from a much worse hangover.

As for drinks, its been awhile since I've been on a 21 run (old fogey) but if you really have limited experience drinking, I would start with a shot of vodka. If you don't hate it work on some mixed drinks from that family. Grape knee high is a safe start as is a screwdriver. Once you have worked through some vodka drinks move to whisky or gin. If you tend to prefer beer go with whisky, if you tend to prefer wine or cider go with gin. Again if you like it, work on some drinks from that family. For whisky, jack and coke, whisky sour, 7 & 7 are easy drinks to down. I am not a gin person, but gin & tonic, martinis, cap & coke.

By this point, you shouldn't be coherent enough to be making your own decisions so just keep up with the signature sheet. Oh and if any of your friends try to convince you to drink something with a spicy sounding name along with a "cement mixer", punch them squarely in the jaw. You're drunk and 21, you can get away with it and they deserve it.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

Try a zombie if you can find someone that knows how to make one, or you're willing to make oen yourself. Tee hee.

I can recommend Gin and Tonics, long island iced tea, and party drinks. Dquiris, and margaritas. Basically the mixed stuff you hear about. Good for starters, and I've seen appletinis, and daquiris and such sold in grocery stores, and pharmacies in ready to freeze packs for 99 cent. Just freeze'n eat.

Simple Vodka, Tequila, or Sake works. Maybe on a dare a small bottle of everclear. <.< If Everclear's legal where you are.

Honestly, be as adventurious as you want with it. There's a wide world of alcohol, even among specefic types like beers. I don't recommend getting addicted, though. Drinking is kinda expensive these days.

 

[0 to 3 Sad Onions]

A drinking thread! Now we're in my part of town! A few words before we start: Drink responsibly, pace yourself, know your limits, don't drink just to get drunk, yadda yadda yadda.

Now that that's done, let's get down to brass tacks:

When it comes to beer, the best ones are usually the microbrews. I don't know which part of the country you're in or what the local breweries are like, but there's a good chance that a thriving craft beer scene exists all around you and you might not even know it. If you're feeling up to dealing with the crowds, go to the next beer festival in your area and avail yourself to what's there. Or just cruise around your area watering holes, preferably local restaurants as opposed to big and ask about what's available. My personal favorite is the Apocalypse IPA from 10 Barrel Brewing, which you should be able to find somewhere if you're in the Pacific Northwest. Beg, borrow, steal, kill...do whatever you have to do, just get thy hands on it!

As far as national beers go, Samuel Adams is probably the best of the bunch; their flagship Boston Lager is tough to beat and they also have a nice variety of seasonal beers in rotation at any given time. Stella Artois and St. Pauli Girl are also safe bets. Heineken, while not top-tier stuff, is a drinkable beer in its own right and only slightly less ubiquitous than Budweiser or Coors, so don't be afraid to adopt it as your "Hail Mary pass" brand. If it's pure, from-the-can swill you want or are stuck with, Pabst Blue Ribbon is the way to go. If you must drink Bud or Coors, check to make sure you're not going to be drinking the light versions thereof before you bite the bullet. Oh, and Rolling Rock is glorified piss water that might as well be sold to teenagers. Recommended for would-be beer drinkers who can't take beer and no one else. Leave it on the shelf.

Now to discuss liquors. First off, you do NOT want to trifle with them. Even a comparatively weak liquor will still have at least two or three times the ABV of even the strongest beer you know, so pounding them like brewskis is akin to playing Russian roulette. Even veteran drinkers would do wise to tread carefully in Liquorville. Another thing to be wary of is cost. It's not that drinkable brands or varieties that won't make your wallet cry uncle don't exist -- Black Velvet is one; Southern Comfort is another, though it's not to everyone's taste -- but the better ones also tend to be the more expensive ones. Not helping is that a) liquors tend to be sold in smaller quantities and for higher prices than beer and b) ordering anything involving them in a restaurant is a good way to send your bill into the ionosphere, even if you stick to the well drinks. If money's at a premium, stick to beer.

My first choice of poison with liquor is whiskey. Take a glass, add three ice cubes, fill it to the rim and you're set. Brand-wise, Black Velvet always gets the job done, but if given the choice I'd go for Maker's Mark or Crown Royal in a heartbeat. JD's always an option, but it's not a personal favorite. Moving beyond whiskey, we have...a shit-ton of other things. If you're looking to jump onto the brandy train, start with Hennessy. Jagermeister's nice, but its taste is best described as "NyQuil without the cold medicine," so it might not be for you. Vodka is meant to not have a taste on its own, so treat it as a cocktail component first and a stand-alone drink second while your palate for it develops. Tequila's better in mixed drinks than by itself, but to its credit, it does have subtle undercurrents of flavor that'll reveal themselves if you drink it slowly. I'm not the biggest fan of rum or gin solo, but both are critical components of some boffo mixed drinks, so I'll not slander their names.

And we can't talk about liquor without talking about cocktails. My favorite cocktail would have to be the Long Island Iced Tea, but it'll still take a nation of millions to keep me away from a margarita, a Brandy Alexander or a martini. Any place where you can get a good version of any one of those is to be treasured and any bartender who can do all four well is a god among men. If you're ever in doubt of someone's ability as a drink maker or you don't want to risk springing something tricky on them, you can always order something simple like a rum and coke. Get yourself a copy of a bartender's guide, leaf through it and see what strikes your fancy. Do some experimentation on your own as well.

That leaves wine. I'm not really a wine person, so I'll pass the baton to someone else better educated on the subject than me.

I hope all of that covers at least the bare basics. There's a lot I'm leaving undiscussed, but this is a primer, not an advanced thesis.

 

[SquirePB]

Skittles vodka is the shit. Grab a few bottles of vodka (I use cheap stuff cos you won't be able to taste it so it doesn't matter) and a few packets of Skittles. Separate the Skittles into individual colours and then put them into the bottles of vodka and allow them to dissolve. Strain out the sediment at the bottom and then you have the best drink ever. It also mixes really well with lemonade.

Or go up to a bartender and ask for an ABC shot. That's always fun.

 

[Dwarfman]

I'm finally legal drinking age as of today and I have managed to avoid drinking anything alcoholic for 21 years. Well, okay a couple of sips of wine here and there but no one counts those, right?
Any recommendations for someone who hasn't a proper drink yet?

Stay the heck away from spirits, liquors and RDTs - Ready made drinks like alcopops and such. If you haven't had a proper drink yet your body isn't used to drinking 'hard' products like these.

You say you've had wine before. Save a little extra cash and go to a nice restaurant with someone you like have a few glasses of wine with your meal. Not only do you get your 'First glass of alcohol', it will be a product which you've sampled before - and thus used to the taste - and the food will absorb the alcohol - so you don't get completely wasted and make a total Cadbury of yourself.

The big things to remember.

Start simple - Stick to mid-strength beers and wine - I'll include ciders in this mix as well. Don't go ordering cocktails or spirits cause they look or sound cool and for heaven's sake DON'T GO MIXING DRINKS! If you want to start the night with a beer, stick with beer and so on. Leave the swapping and changing of alcohol to us pros who no longer give a fuck about our internal organs.

Start Small - I drink beer by the pint. You shouldn't. For starters if you don't like the taste of something and go large your going to have 5 - 30 minutes of hell as you hold that gun to your head convincing yourself to drink the swill you've just ordered. By drinking small amounts you allow your body to get used to alcohol, you also teach yourself how to pace yourself when drinking.

Start Slow - Too often I meet people who only drink to get drunk. This is a bad mindset. I get drunk all the time, but this is not the reason why I drink - it alas is a consequence of my actions. Don't give into the temptation of chugging down your drinks. PACE YOURSELF. Get into the habit of getting a glass of water between drinks. Eat either with or before you start drinking and stay the hell away from shots.

...Oh yeah. You seem like a smart kid but I'll say it anyway. IF YOU DRINK AND DRIVE YOUR A BLOODY IDIOT!!!!

With that out of the way, enjoy your first drink responsibly and have fun.

 

[adamsaccount]

Absinthe, my friend, its illegal in most countries so that tells you just how good this shit is.

I had a mini of those on a train the czech republic and i spent the rest of the journey salviting into strangers laps.

However im not sure if this was the absinthe or just general depression of being in a train in the czech republic with no passport or money, Anyway, try absinthe, ittl probablly be ok and if its not then at least your too pissed to care

 

[clayschuldt]

Long Island Ice Tea...it has a wide assortment of booze in it, and it is delicious.

 

[wetfart]

A couple things to keep in mind:

1) Just because you try something, like beer, and decide you don't care for it, don't rule out the entire selection of the beverage. For instance, I HATE IPAs. I've found a few that are okay if I pair them with the right food but that's it. Conversely, my brother really enjoys them. I like Stouts, Barley Wines, and Porters. My brother in law does not. So be sure to try a mixed variety.

2) Also keep in mind that certain drinks are to be enjoyed at varying temperatures and paces! Something like a barley wine is a good "after dinner" beer. Something to be drank slowly, possibly even from a brandy snifter.

Be smart and drink responsibly!

Absinthe, my friend, its illegal in most countries so that tells you just how good this shit is.

Actually, since the 1990s, the ban on absinthe has been lifted in most countries and it is now freely available. I have heard however that it doesn't taste that great if not prepared properly (poured over sugar on a slotted silver spoon). I doubt you're going to find that in your run-of-the-mill bar.

 

[Billy D Williams]

I love myself a good whisky sour, its seriously one of the best drinks I've ever had. Just get some decent whisky (Jack Daniels is a really good whisky that is also affordable) and some sweet and sour mix (I recommend citrus but there are TONS of flavors) and mix it to your tasting, I prefer it to be about 70% sweet and sour and 30% whisky but its totally up to your preference. Also, while its good at room temp or slightly chilly its MUCH better when you serve it on ice.

Also, if your worried about it being to strong, so long as you don't put in to much whisky (which if it starts to not taste very good probably you put to much in) a full solo-cup wont be any stronger than ~3 beers and even that is a stretch so don't worry to much about that.

 

[seventy two]

My first ever 'drink' was a shot of tequila, I do not recommend it. For the most part I drink vodka/rum and something. In the beginning I would say drink it with something plain like Sprite(I would say gin and tonic but I am a fan of neither) so you actually taste the alcohol and are aware of how much you are drinking. Personally I love Dr.Pepper for mixed drinks(It goes good with most spirits).

 

[King Kazma]

I'm going to let someone else give out some advice for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKBTLgTubFw

 

[Tom Roberts]

Screwdriver (OJ & Vodka), Harvey Wallbanger (OJ, Vodka & Galliano (a sweet Vanilla Liqueur)), Bartender's Root Beer (Coke, Soda, Kaluha, Galliano)
You could also try a Brown Cow (Milk and Kahluha) or Paralyzer (Coke, Vodka, Milk, Kaluha)but for myself I've found that milk based drinks are really, really awful if/when you throw them up. So if you plan to drink heavily, I'd avoid them.

Never got into beer. Allergic to hops, so I'd get epic hangovers from 4 beer.

I've done wine and ciders with food, and found several combo I like, but I don't generally solo the stuff.

 

[OintmentFly]

Koppaberg or Rekorderling cider mate. Great stuff.

 

[Vehlm]

So many good suggestions, but so very few specialty shots! If you want to try something interesting, go for a chocolate cake shot. The interesting part is that there is NOTHING in it involving chocolate, yet it takes just like chocolate cake. You can get it at most bars, but if you want to make it yourself you'll need:

Frangelico (hazlenut liqueur, the most expensive of the lot)
Vodka (any brand works, but a vanilla vodka works best)
Lemons, cut into wedges
Sugar

Mix equal parts Frangelico and vodka (usually one ounce each), and dust a single lemon wedge with sugar. Take the shot, then bite down on the lemon. Chocolate cake goodness and a drink that does the job will follow!

 

[Amakusa]

Hmmm i can only think of three but that is because i love them heh. The first two are off the spirits variety and i guess the third one is but not sure since kahlua is milk based byitself, like baileys.

1) Plum Wine: Drink served warm. It's a strong but also a sweet drink
2) Vodka Lemon Lime: A strong drink that doesn't have that gross alcohol taste.
3) Kahlua and Milk: alcoholic milkshake i guess.

 

[generals3]

I'm finally legal drinking age as of today and I have managed to avoid drinking anything alcoholic for 21 years. Well, okay a couple of sips of wine here and there but no one counts those, right?
Any recommendations for someone who hasn't a proper drink yet?

I'd suggest beer, beer and beer again. You can start off with the average pils and than work your way up to the stronger lagers. (And stay away from light beer, it's just colored water)
I would also recommend a good whiskey on the rocks (or without rocks) and lastly don't underestimate good wines. (yes wine is a real drink as well)

 

[Daveman]

I'd recommend something shit, because most people don't enjoy their first drink anyway. How about a can of fosters? Literally every other lager is better than it so you may even be able to enjoy those in the future.

 

[IronMit]

Does anyone ever like beer the first time they have it? Tasted like cheap champaign to me the first few times.
You might be into sweeter cider if you don't hate Dr Pepper.

Have a cocktail or spirits. Long island ice tea.
Malibu and coke tastes like a dessert so that could be fun.

I would avoid whisky and wines on your first day, you don't want to mix them with other alcohols

 

[Krustosaurus]

I've never really enjoyed beer, cider or wine so I tend to stick to cocktails and other sweet drinks. I'll just say a few of my favourites:

Peach Schnapps and lemonade,
Vodka, lemonade and blackcurrant (Vodka with any mixer is good),
Cherry Sourz and Lemonade (although I'm not sure you can get Cherry Sourz in America),
Southern Comfort and coke/lemonade,
Jägerbomb (shot of Jägermeister in a glass of energy drink).
Captain Morgan's and coke is nice but not something I could drink all night.
So yeah, I drink mostly sugary rubbish but it tastes good...

 

[s0p0g]

if it's warm where you live, you HAVE to go with a reeeaaally good G&T (Gin and Tonic)
-chilled highball glass
-fill up (!) with the coldest ice you can get
-add some good Dry Gin (Tanqueray 10, Bombay Sapphire (yeah i know, half the poeple love it, the other half hates it - just give it a try), there are some really flower-y spanish Gins, too) (not chilled)
-fill up with good Tonic Water, like Schweppes
-Gin to Tonic ratio should be somewhere around 2:1 - 1:2 or anything in between (i like them a bit stronger depends a lot on your Tonic Water and the Gin)
-add a few drops of lime juice or a slice or whatever - just enough so you can taste a hint of lime through the mix - but always (!) the juniper on top of everything else, mind you!

OR just grab a good European beer, if you can get your hands on it. Polish, Czech, German, Irish,...
never wrong, goes with anything, anywhere, anytime, anyone
but DON'T trust a beer in a green bottle!!


and drink responsibly.
seriously, you chilling in your own puke ain't cool. never.
texting or calling people in the middle of the night and talking about whatever crap comes to your intoxicated mind isn't cool either.