The allure of a glass filled with a whiskey or bourbon has always eluded me. Photographically, I love the look of a slightly brown shade filling the inside of a glass sitting atop a bar, but I can't get myself to sip it. Like most people in their 20's, I'm a pro at shooting back some Jameson with a couple of friends, but there has always been a small community of whiskey connoisseurs that I have yet to break into. Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I don't want in.
I can remember back to living in Denver, picking up one of its many local papers, and reading an article about how men no longer order drinks properly. There was advice in the article about only drinking alcohol out of a highball and only if it was brown or clear. Taking this knowledge, my roommate and I set out each night to impress others with our sophistication. Although we hardly had any money, we never spent it on food. It was always booze and cigarettes, because when you think of sophistication, you think of booze and cigs.
The toughest part for me was not knowing what to order from the bar. While my roommate was keen on whiskey and brandy, I was more of a white russian/rum and coke kind of guy. One was neither brown nor clear while the other was considered a bit girly. So, what was I going to do? Would I bite the bullet and gain a taste for sipping whiskey, or would I call it quits and stick to my two favored cocktails?
Well, the fact that white russians are made with milk completely goes against my stomach and the lactose intolerance I suffer. So, there went that drink. I can count the number of times I've had it since reading the article, on one hand.
Rum and cokes would remain a staple in my cocktail ordering arsenal because I hail from the land that made it famous. Rejecting rum would be blasphemous and I don't think I could recover from that. Not to mention that most of the great drinks that come out during the holidays are filled with rum.
There are some drinks that don't match this criteria at all. Screwdrivers and Bloody Marys are a staple at brunches and neither one of them resemble what the author of the article was expressing. Although I won't ever order them, all girly drinks are some crazy shade of pastel and are incredibly delicious.
Then I thought about the millions of other drinks out there. Most of them are clear or brown and they're enjoyable. Who's to stop me from ordering a drink and question my "manhood"? No one. I'll order what I like and keep it simple. I'll be the embodiment of sophistication and enjoy my rum and cokes with a twist.
Of course, this entire post will be null and void if I find myself lounging on the beaches of a tropical island.
The toughest part for me was not knowing what to order from the bar. While my roommate was keen on whiskey and brandy, I was more of a white russian/rum and coke kind of guy. One was neither brown nor clear while the other was considered a bit girly. So, what was I going to do? Would I bite the bullet and gain a taste for sipping whiskey, or would I call it quits and stick to my two favored cocktails?
Well, the fact that white russians are made with milk completely goes against my stomach and the lactose intolerance I suffer. So, there went that drink. I can count the number of times I've had it since reading the article, on one hand.
Rum and cokes would remain a staple in my cocktail ordering arsenal because I hail from the land that made it famous. Rejecting rum would be blasphemous and I don't think I could recover from that. Not to mention that most of the great drinks that come out during the holidays are filled with rum.
There are some drinks that don't match this criteria at all. Screwdrivers and Bloody Marys are a staple at brunches and neither one of them resemble what the author of the article was expressing. Although I won't ever order them, all girly drinks are some crazy shade of pastel and are incredibly delicious.
Then I thought about the millions of other drinks out there. Most of them are clear or brown and they're enjoyable. Who's to stop me from ordering a drink and question my "manhood"? No one. I'll order what I like and keep it simple. I'll be the embodiment of sophistication and enjoy my rum and cokes with a twist.
Of course, this entire post will be null and void if I find myself lounging on the beaches of a tropical island.
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