Cocktail suggestions

[Vlad]

Hello, Speakeasy noob here. I have recently become interested in adult beverages. I'm soliciting suggestions for cocktails. I am looking for things that are tasty but which don't make me feel like a fool when I order it. Something classy, with history being a bonus. Examples:

Old Fashioned
Sazerac
Gin and Tonic

Maybe the ultimate level of coolness in simplicity is scotch neat ( or whatever you Speakeasy guys drink), but that level of whiskey appreciation is beyond me right now.

 

[Ethan.Bassist.]

Whiskey Sour
Martini
Manhattan

 

[vegasvics]

You would be hard-pressed to have listed three drink examples that were more different from each other. At the risk of generalizing in the extreme, there are three basic kinds of cocktails: Highball -- booze and a mixer (gin and tonic, rum and coke, vodka and OJ, etc). Sour -- booze mixed with lemon, lime, or sour mix (whiskey sour, margarita, etc), and Aromatics -- booze mixed with another kind of booze (Manhattan, Martini, Negroni, etc). Then there is always just straight booze, neat or on the rocks. Of course, there are gazillions of variations on these themes, but to get you started I think this is fair.

As a new drinker, maybe you should start with simple highball using a mixer that you like. These are nearly impossible for a bartender to screw up, and you'll be able to get them anywhere from a dive bar to a five star restaurant to an airplane. From there work you way up through the sours, and then when you're more comfortable try an aromatic

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Manhattan, learn to make your own properly so you know what/ how to order, same with a properly made martini, think about a negroni....sazerac is a great drink, but depending on where you live, you may not get a bartender who knows what one is...learn your gins and whiskeys...

 

[BlackBard]

You would be hard-pressed to have listed three drink examples that were more different from each other. At the risk of generalizing in the extreme, there are three basic kinds of cocktails: Highball -- booze and a mixer (gin and tonic, rum and coke, vodka and OJ, etc). Sour -- booze mixed with lemon, lime, or sour mix (whiskey sour, margarita, etc), and Aromatics -- booze mixed with another kind of booze (Manhattan, Martini, Negroni, etc). Then there is always just straight booze, neat or on the rocks. Of course, there are gazillions of variations on these themes, but to get you started I think this is fair.

As a new drinker, maybe you should start with simple highball using a mixer that you like. These are nearly impossible for a bartender to screw up, and you'll be able to get them anywhere from a dive bar to a five star restaurant to an airplane. From there work you way up through the sours, and then when you're more comfortable try an aromatic

+1. The best advice for a new drinker that I have heard in a long time.

 

[Devilpup]

Tom Collin, and mojito. Also check out some of the "small screen network" videos on youtube.

 

[PMT]

Aqua Velva of course! 1 oz gin, 1 oz vodka, 1 oz blue curacoa, top with sprite, looks like aqua velva after shave

 

[auk1124]

Vodka Tonic. Impossible for a bartender to screw up, and a very good basic drink.

 

[Vlad]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. By "feeling like a fool when ordering", please don't take that to mean I want only drinks I can order. I'm just saying that when I get home from work, my drink is not gonna be a Sex on the Beach, or Buttery Nipple. I have some self respect, and I want a self-respecting drink, you know what I mean?

 

[AjaxLepinski]

This is all you need...
A Manhattan made with 2 shots of Rye, 1 shot Sweet Vermouth, 3 good solid shakes of Angostura bitters and a teaspoon of cherry juice.
Planet of the Apes: 2 counts Rum (or more), 1 count Ginger Ale, 1 count Banana puree, 1 count Orange Juice
Sangria: 6 counts Merlot, 1 counts Triple Sec, 1 counts Brandy, 1.5 counts Cranberry Juice, 1.5 counts Orange Juice

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Vlad:
How about these two cocktails (which are favorities in our home);

1. Sidecar - Cognac, triple sec and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Sidecar Origin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidecar_(cocktail)

2. Greyhound - Gin or Vodka, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (use salt-rim glass for Salty Dog).

Greyhound Origin: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090727043412AAEgMm9
Salty Dog Origin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salty_dog_(cocktail)

"I have taken more good from alcohol than alcohol has taken from me”. Sir Winston Churchill

 

[OldAF]

Some indication of what you like will yield better recommendations.

If you like sweet/sour the sour range of drinks may be for you.
If you like sweet/bitter you may like a Gin and Tonic or a Negroni.
Do you like or hate lemon, lime, grapefruit or orange?

In any event I would buy some supplies and try making a few for myself. Then you'll know what they're supposed to taste like when made with quality ingredients vs the premix crap you get in most bars.

 

[Tim_McD]

Summertime cocktails are one of the many joys of drinking and some of my favorites are

1) The Dark 'N Stormy: Dark rum (preferably Gosling Black) and ginger beer (a spicier alternative to commercial ginger ale), with a wedge of lime

2) Mojito: Another rum drink, but the mint kick takes you in a different direction than the sharp ginger burn of above

3) Gin cocktails: In addition to the G&T (ultimate summertime classic that protects you from malaria); Tom Collins (NO premix - they taste like powdered drink mix i.e. Tang)

4) Pimm's No 1 Cup; Mixed with Sprite, this infused gin will surprise you. Believe it or not, it is supposed to be garnished with a cucumber spear

5) Campari Smash: A mix of bitter Campari and sweet limoncello....for when you have no intention of driving later in the day

 

[Cochese2323]

+1 for Old Fashioned

Are you from Wisconsin or the Midwest? I didn't know anyone outside here knew what they were. I would actually truly recommend avoiding specialty drinks like an Old Fashioned, Mojitos, etc. because you will have many different versions of those types of drinks in different places. I love Old Fashioneds but will only drink them at certain places because they suck when not made properly. Vegasvics hit it on the head, a bartender can't really screw up a rum and coke or a vodka tonic.

All that said, my go to drink is Absolut Citron and soda. I prefer a double in a tumbler(short glass). Very light, refreshing drink, doesn't make you feel too full but gets the job done.

 

[djh]

You would be hard-pressed to have listed three drink examples that were more different from each other. At the risk of generalizing in the extreme, there are three basic kinds of cocktails: Highball -- booze and a mixer (gin and tonic, rum and coke, vodka and OJ, etc). Sour -- booze mixed with lemon, lime, or sour mix (whiskey sour, margarita, etc), and Aromatics -- booze mixed with another kind of booze (Manhattan, Martini, Negroni, etc). Then there is always just straight booze, neat or on the rocks. Of course, there are gazillions of variations on these themes, but to get you started I think this is fair.

As a new drinker, maybe you should start with simple highball using a mixer that you like. These are nearly impossible for a bartender to screw up, and you'll be able to get them anywhere from a dive bar to a five star restaurant to an airplane. From there work you way up through the sours, and then when you're more comfortable try an aromatic

This is great advice, thanks for posting.


I would also suggest, Vlad, that you might be able to tell us a little about which spirits appeal to you (no sense in suggesting gin & tonic if you despise gin) and perhaps even which mixers you enjoy. Then we should be able to hit you with a pretty targeted list of drinks worth trying out. If I recall correctly, you live somewhere that tends to be pretty warm- spirit and fruit juice tends to be quite refreshing.

 

[427TRI]

A classic Daiquiri, but most places don't know how to make it anymore.

 

[njpaddy]

Beefeater & tonic with a lemon twist. For an even more refreshing drink if you're home, squeeze a 1/4 of a lemon into it. Even people who say they hate gin, ask for one of my G&T's when they visit.

 

[rushchairman]

make a name for yourself. order a boilermaker.

 

[BlackBard]

make a name for yourself. order a boilermaker.

The following comment is meant in the kindest way possible.

The OP (Vlad) said,

I am looking for things that are tasty but which don't make me feel like a fool when I order it. Something classy, with history being a bonus.

A boilermaker is NOT a cocktail. It is not classy. It is a way to get stupid drunk in one of the quickest ways possible. Ordering one WILL make you look like a fool.

 

[bigxnyc]

I'll echo the manhattan suggestions. Tasty, hard to screw up, and 90% of bartenders will know how to make it.

Do tailor your drink order to the establishment - more complicated drinks in fancier places and highballs and straight booze in the divier joints - until you know the bartender.

Tip a bit extra when you order an old fashioned. Bartenders don't like to muddle things when the bar is busy.