Not in the sense that I need one to get me through the day, but I need a signature drink. A go-to drink that I order when I go to the bar, or a brand that I keep stocked in my house for a nice nightcap.
I need a drink.
My early drinking days were filled with plastic jugs of cheap vodka from the bottom shelf, bottles of Coke emptied of half its contents and refilled with booze and bags of Franzia that we milked for its Chillable Red contents. Seriously, I drank so much Whaler’s Vanilla Rum and Coke that when Vanilla flavored Coke came out, I couldn’t drink it in public without looking around for the cops.
On my theatre internship in Arizona, I discovered the wonder that is wine. I’d had red wine before, but it wasn’t until I was out with a group of actors that I idolized that tried white. One of the actors ordered Pinot Grigio and I said that I’d have the same. This started my love affair with the tart little beauty, though for about three months I ordered it with a mumble because I didn’t know how to pronounce Grigio correctly.
“I’ll have a Pinot Greegrerezio.”
Oh yeah. 22 was a classy year.
When I worked for a alcohol distributor, I tried every type of booze under the sun, but never found a favorite. Seven and Seven became my drink, born of laziness, iced with lots of lime. I also learned to like beer; Heifeweizen being my brew of choice, with that debated little slice of lemon squeezed in. (Maybe I just like citrus?)
Now, I’m a grown-up (HA!) I would like a drink of choice. Something I can order at the bar easily and quickly, so that I don’t end up hemming and hawing until the bartender gets irritated and makes me a Scooby Snack or an Oatmeal Cookie shot to get me out of his face. (Apparently indecision indicates that I’m an amateur and need something that will rot my teeth out of my head.)
Beer is tasty and my fave, but it makes you bloaty. Wine is lovely, but I feel the need to finish the bottle because I follow-through, dammit. But wine makes you soccer mom drunk, where you walk around thinking you’re SOOOO SEX-AY, but in reality you’ve tucked your skirt into your panties and have drooled in your cleavage. I need a cocktail that I can sip on after the baby has gone to bed, listening to the ice clink in my rocks glass as I cuddle with Jethro by the fire and listen to Teddy Pendergrass.
Okay, so it’ll be in a mason jar and I’ll be on the couch watching NCIS with Jethro as I screech at him to get his toes OFF OF ME, YOU KNOW I HATE FEET.
But still. A drink. I wants it.
So, how about it, moppets? What’s your favorite go-to adult beverage? What should I make Jethro meet me at the door with in one hand and my slippers in the other? Gimme!
Kind of a Mess 
Currently mine is a Manhattan if I’m out for drinks, or a raspberry vodka tonic if I’m out dancing. If I’m at home, I’ve been loving G&T’s with Barr Hill Gin. That stuff is amazing, but too much $$$ to order when I’m out.
A Manhattan always sounds SO FANCY, like how Cosmos used to be before Sex and the City. If I’m in the bar with you and you order a Manhattan, I’ll automatically assume you’re worldly and way cooler than me. (Which I know to be true of you, so there you go…)
Because you like citrus-y drinks, I nominate my current faves:
A Sidecar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidecar_%28cocktail%29)
And either
The Americano (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americano_%28cocktail%29)
or the related
Negroni (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negroni)
Depending on whether you appreciate gin. Good drinking!
Ooo, I’ll have to try these. I’ve heard of a Negroni, but I automatically see “Negro” in the name and give it the side-eye every time.
Poor Negroni. I’m sorry I assume you’re racist…
Yeah, I think this poor, maligned Italian drink could use a re-branding campaign. Vermarigin or some sort of other portmanteau may be in order.
If you join or found your local chapter of LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails) you have an excuse to try out dozens of drinks. This hasn’t totally worked for me, because the ones I like tend to be really expensive or really obscure, but it did introduce me to the wonderful Dark & Stormy. This is my chapter: http://lupeclansing.wordpress.com. Seems like you’d fit right in 🙂
WHAT IS THIS WONDERMENT YOU HAVE SHOWN ME?!?
My local chapter is pretty defunct. I think that needs to change….
I realize gin is one of those hate-it-or-love-it beverages — but a classic gin and tonic will never be beat for me. I typically go with Hendrick’s or just your good ol’ Bombay Sapphire.
Interestingly, I hated gin for a long time. Then I tried a local, small batch made gin and it is pretty much my favorite thing. So quality can go a long way.
I have a love affair with gin when I used to make Tom Collins. (the real one, not with a mix.) However, I think I had too many of old Tom, and his buddy John Collins, and I was put off of them. I might have to resurrect them, using good gin this time…
I’m pretty similar to you – my go to cocktail is Vodka Cranberry, which is tasty, but not too exciting. And I almost never have one at home, because we never keep vodka in the house. I like the idea of a signature drink through.
My very first drink as an adult was a Cape Cod at Chili’s! (With a squeeze of lime….AGAIN with the citrus!) It’s nice because vodka doesn’t give you too bad of a hangover and cranberry is good for your private bits. It’s a win all around!
I don’t know if you guys can get navy rum down there, of if it’s one of those rare Western Canadian things, but damn, I love me a navy and diet. Every single night as a night cap.
Gin, lime cordial, bitters in a pint glass with a can of ginger ale/7-up on top is my summer drink of choice. You can barely taste the gin if you do it right, but you do have to be careful not to gulp them down.
Strongbow/whatever other cider they have is my bar drink. Looks like the beers that everyone else has, but tastes better.
A tasty treat is a banana paralyzer (banana liqueur, vodka, Kahlua, coke, milk) that’s a bit too precious for out of the house, but great at home.
Um… I drink a lot. Yeah.
Um, and if you didn’t drink a lot, then I wouldn’t have gotten to try those awesome ciders and that Sailor Jerry’s rum you gave me!
Cider is one I forgot; I do love Strongbow but it’ll knock you on your boo-boo if you forget they are alcohol and drink them with a straw on a hot day. (Not that anything like that has every happened. *cough*)
And funny enough, apparently my dad’s home country, Guyana, makes a lot of navy rum, specifically Demerara. It’s in my blood, y’all, I should try it!
I also need to try your gin drink, that sounds tasty!!
I am amazed that there are other gin and tonic suggestions in these comments! Whenever I go out, that’s usually what I order, and while the bartender never thinks twice, my companions refer to me as an old lady. But I really do like a good gin and tonic.
When I’m not in a gin-y mood, I usually just put my vodka of choice into whatever juice I have. Vanilla vodka is especially delicious in citrus juices, kind of tastes like a creamsicle.
Ooo!! You know what’s good? I was making up some fake wedding cocktails for a friend and dreamt up the “Creamy Tart” (because I’m a mean friend.) It’s whipped cream vodka, orange juice and splash of grenadine. Yummy!
Whiskey and ginger [ale]. And if they happen to not have ginger [ale] (FOR SHAME!), diet coke.
I wish I could do whiskey. I was a bourbon gal for a bit, but mostly because I wanted to be a bourbon gal, not because I truly liked it. You are way more grown-up than I…
De-lurking to comment on such an important topic. Talking about drinking is as close as I can get to the real thing for another few months. (I’m eight months pregnant and so looking forward to having a drink again.)
Vodka tonic with Absolut Mandarin, Jack and coke, and gin and tonic are my go to drinks both going out and at home. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey is delicious with coke too. As for wine, I definitely do not have sophisticated tastes as I prefer the pink ones, as long as they aren’t too dry. So I tend to drink those in the privacy of my own home, I definitely did not admit this to anyone in the viticulture sensory lab I was in while working on my Master’s. I often feel like I need to branch out.
Gin and tonic is my easy drink, but I also like vodka with flavored La Croix water. I try to avoid sugar/caffeine in my mixers, and I’m not badass enough to do dry martinis.
When I’m out I drink Jameson, on the rocks. I prefer the Irish whiskey because it’s so much smoother compared to Jack Daniels or Jim Beam in my opinion. During the summer months nothing beats an El Presidente Margarita at my favorite mexican restaurant while sitting on the patio. It’s made of something like 7 different liquors, and will literally knock you on your ass after two of them.
When I’m at home I tend to drink Champagne. I usually go for the Barefoot brand. Sometimes, I will mix it with Cranberry Lime seltzer if I’m feeling fancy. Those are also great on a summer day, or any day really. But yea, that’s about where I start and stop. Don’t get me wrong – I’ll drink just about anything, but if you find me out at a bar, I will have a glass of Jameson in my hand*.
*I take no responsibility for what may ensue if you try this though. Jameson makes me a happy, fun, exciting drunk, where as Jack makes me bite people (true story).
My all-time favorite drink is a mudslide (and not the screwed up version with the crushed ice), but it works better in cooler weather than in the summer. My second choice is an apple martini. I basically rate the quality of a bar based on how well they make an apple martini 🙂
A few suggestions if you’re into citrusy or almond — Bee’s Knees, Amaretto Sour, or Toasted Almond. My go-to simple bar drinks are rum and cokes or gin and tonics.