Your favoite from each non-whiskey type of drink.

[Virus_Of_Life]

I finally decided I'd reply to this, but I gotta be honest I don't drink much other than Bourbon and Beer. I used to drink a lot of Cognac and Scotch as well as Tequila which I am starting to renew my love for. So I'll do my best here to list my fav's in each category.

Cognac: Remy, any of them the more expensive the better it seems to get but VSOP was my typical purchase.

Vodka: Undoubtedly Grey Goose, which I avoided for the most part because I hate to give money to a French VODKA, so I'd typically opt for Ketel One which is oh so very close to being as good as GG. And yes to those who say Vodka has no taste they have no idea what a good Vodka can taste like, for the price difference in a bad vodka and a great vodka, you just have to buy the good stuff. KO on ice is quite nice!

Gin: Can’t stand it, not yet anyway. Gin and Tonic is drinkable but only because the Tonic seems to cover up the nastiness of the gin…

Scotch: Used to be my drink and I loved (probably still would) Glenfiddich 15 year. Man that is a cool bottle in that triangle shape and really a good drink I always thought. I am sure if I tried it tomorrow I’d love it still, but not as much as bourbon!

Tequila: Another “ex” drink that is growing on me again; however in a different form. I used to drink just straight Cuervo, and good grief is that crap now that I am older. I now find the Blanco or Plata which are both names I guess for Silver to be to my liking. I guess this is because they are aged the least or not at all and I seem to like to flavor of Agave without any aging. A couple that come to mind are Gran Centenario Plata and Chaya Silver, both very good.

Rum: Not a really big fan but this is something that I have been investigating recently. Mixed with coke I really do like Captain Morgan’s Spiced, and straight I have yet to find anything I love, but 10 Cane which almost tastes more like a cheap scotch rum combo, but yet somehow is fairly enjoyable. I used this to make a few Daiquiris using “Hemingway’s” recipe and I did like it a lot…

Wine: I like it plain and simple favorites would be Syrah and Shiraz for reds, Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris for whites. But I do like many, many wines. Don’t drink as much since my bourbon obsession has grown but do enjoy good wines.

Beer: Same as wine, I like it, no I love it. I came from Oregon where I don’t care what anyone says we have the best Microbrews in the world, hands down. SO it is hard to speak of favorites because hardly anyone will no of them, but for a dark beer it is something called Terminator Stout from McMenamin’s brewpubs – an amaxing charcoal black stout. A really good ale would be Bridgeport Brewery’s Blue Heron Ale, I could drink it all day just about everyday! As far as everyday drinking beers go I love the fairly new Budweiser Select which is an extra light great tasting beer! And Budweiser is a good beer.

Rye: WT Rye so far, but that is only one of two I have had. Picking up Sazerac 18yo and ordering Rittenhouse BiB 100 and Sazerac Jr. soon so my experience with vastly change…

[1holegrouper]

Cognac:

Haven't tried this one yet. Maybe when the company is buying I might. Usually I always order a bourbon or sometimes beer.

Gin:

I never plan to be a gin drinker. Why have gin when you can have bourbon?

Scotch:

I look forward to sampling some good scotch when it's someone elses. It seems too expensive for what you get.

Tequila:

Jose Quervo Gold when at a mexican restaurant.

Rum:

Bacardi dark and coke but very rarely.

Wine:

A good merlot if I must.

Beer:

Microbrew IPA's are always good, Kronenborg, Anchor Steam, Foster's Bitter

Rye: look forward to exploring when out of NC. Here you can only get Jim Beam Rye.

Vodka: Ketel One is the smoothest I have found. I view vodka as merely a mixing drink though.

[BourbonJoe]

Here's my 2 cents:

Cognac: Hennesy (any Hennesy, the more expensive, the better)

Gin: Bombay Saphire, especially in a Martini

Scotch: I hate Scotch - ALL Scotch

Tequila: Cuzano Rojo Mescal with just salt and a lime wedge

Rum: I like rum with diet coke and lime. Mount Gay will do nicely.

Wine: German whites especially and Zinfandel from Sonoma.

Beer: Spaten, Lowenbrau or any good GERMAN beer.

Rye: Wild Turkey Rye is among my favorites

Vodka: Anything. I never drink it straight.

[barturtle]

Tequila: Cuzano Rojo Mescal with just salt and a lime wedge

Mescal and Tequila are not quite the same thing. There is usually a difference in the process(steaming v. roasting the pina; still types) and Tequila requires Agave Azul (Blue Agave) and also to be made in Jaurez(sp?). Mescal allows many more types of agave and a much larger range of places where it can be made(an entire state I believe).

I say this not so much for correction, but because I believe they are different, yet related, beasts-much like scotch and irish malts( or maybe more like bourbon v. Tennessee whiskey).

[TomH]

Here's my list

Rum: 21 year old Appleton's

Cognac: Don't drink this anymore....I get BAD heartburn if I drink it, even if it's only one glass

Brandy: Same as Cognac

Gin: Never touch it....tried it once (standard martini) and decided it was a waste of a good olive

Wine: Rhone reds (Chateauneuf-du-pape) and Champagnes

Vodka: Normally consumed in a drink mixed to where the vodka is just used to give it a kick. Drink vodka slushes made with Absolute when we go to the Carribean. The only other "name" I ever drink is Grey Goose which Palamino's uses to make a vodka martini that has to splash of Laphroig (real nice).

Beer: Hair of the Dog - Fred and Doggie Claws. Drink Red Stripe occasionally to put myself in an island mood (don't know why because I never drink it while in Jamaica <G>).

Scotch: No way to come up with a favorite...too many great ones all having different tastes, plus I have over 40 bottles of expressions that I have not tried yet on the shelf. Oban, Lagavulin, The Macallan, Aberlour a'bunadh, and Glenfarclas are probably my favorite single malts. Love the Compass Box blends, especially the all grain blend "Hedonism".

Tequila: Again, haven't tried a lot, but Herradura is my favorite so far. For a nice sweet taste of tequila, my wife and I both love 1921 Tequila Cream

Bourbon: Too many yet to taste but George Stagg and the William Larue Weller are at the top of my list right now.

[Mad Mac]

Rum: Mount Gay Extra Old or New Orleans Cane, Amber - don't drink rum much anymore - too many hangovers! Of course a Mojito is always nice on a hot summer day...

Tequila: 1800 - but I really don't drink much tequila - my wife is the margarita fan!

Scotch: Laphroaig 12 yr, Highland Park 18 yr - for completely different reasons I love them both. I love the phenol of Laphroaig, and the perfect balance of HP18 reminds me of how good whisky can be.

Rye: Sazerac 18 yr: Lots of bite, and despite the age it's not too woody. About as good as Rye gets in my book.

Vodka/gin/wine - not for me

Mac

[arsbadmojo]

Rum: Pusser's Navy Rum for dark, Bacardi Silver for light.

Gin: Plymouth (A recent discovery, taking the crown from Bombay Sapphire) but I keep a bottle of Boodle's around too. My brother-in-law is a HUGE Bombay Sapphire fan, and he was over last weekend for my daughter's first birthday. He had been wanting to try Plymouth for awhile, and even he agreed that it was better.

Tequila: I have a bottle of Cuervo Gold for mixing, a half bottle of Sauza Gold that someone gave me, and a small bottle of Patron Anejo for drinking straight, which I never do, but you never know...

Vodka: Stoli is my old standby, just recently got some Luksusowa (a potato vodka) based on numerous reccomendations. It is very good.

Scotch: The Balvenie Doublewood. The perfect ratio of taste/price. I don't have any blended scotch in stock - and I want to have some, just...because, so I'll probably pick up some JW Red one of these days.

Beer: Negra Modelo. I like a lot of beers, and am never shy of slumming it; the garage fridge has cans of Old Style, Olympia, Natty Light, PBR...I love one of the old cheapies after mowing the lawn in the summer or for cooking. About the only beers I don't like are Bud Light and Corona - but even then I'll drink a Corona too sometimes with Mexican food, but never by itself.

[elkdoggydog]

Rum: Flor de Cana 7 year old, Bacardi 8- both good, affordable sippers. I waste these on coke, too, but I like it. I had some of the nice Appleton Estate stuff lately, but there was a particular fruitiness to it that I didn't care for too much.

Gin: Bombay Sapphire is always nice, but I recently tried Plymouth after reading about it here- really good stuff. I like the Sapphire for a gin and tonic, which is my typical application for gin- I really like the particular taste of the botanicals. Plymouth makes a better martini, though.

Tequila: All I do is mix it, so I go cheap, but not too cheap.

Vodka: Same as tequila- Gibley's works for me. My friend made me a vodka martini with really nice vodka, and I can appreciate the top-shelf stuff for that, but I pretty much use it for white russians and when friends want to mix it.

Scotch: Not a big scotch drinker- I like Glenfiddich or a nice blend, though I plan to try some more malts before too long.

Irish: Along with American whiskeys, the only whiskey I drink regularly. I like Powers and Redbreast a lot. Tullamore Dew is a nice, easy to sip whiskey for a night when I don't want to think too hard about my drink. The Bushmills Malt is tasty, too.

Beer: There are few that I don't like, but Fat Tire Ale from the New Belgium brewery, Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA, and the Old Rasputin Imperial Stout from the North Coast Brewery are probably all-time favorites.

[Phischy]

Rum: Can't stand commercial 'bar' rums like Baccardi anymore. Used to love Captian Morgan, then it became too pricey so I looked for an alternative and found Sailor Jerry. Bar none the best spiced rum on the market. 92 proof, tasty and cheap. If you find yourself in San Diego, go to the Bali Hai for the Mai Tai's. They are unreal, but be warned, drink no more than 2. 3oz liquor, no mixers and they go down so smooth you'll be plastered before you realize what happened.

Gin: Usually Sappahire but I found Broker's which is OK for G&T, now I've got to get Plymouth.

Tequilla: Haven't had anything worth sipping, although I've got anjeo Patron sitting virgin, I'd like to try some others out for sipping. I like Mexi Margs: 1.5oz top shelf teq., 1oz Cointreau, 1/2 fresh lime squeezed and maybe .5 oz floater of Grand Mariner. GOOD stuff.

Vodka: Drinkable Rubbing alcohol. Why anyone drinks this straight I have no idea. For a great mixing vodka that won Double Gold in San Fran, get Monopolowa, cheap and good for a V&T. Hell you're mixing it anyway so there's no point in spending much money on it.

Beer: I homebrew. My favorite local beers are Ballast Point, good stuff and right around the corner.

Scotch: I have a buddy that won't shut up about Balvenie and we love the same Bourbons so I'll probably be giving that a go, specifically the Doublewood and the Portwood.

Favorite Desert Drink: 1oz Vodka, 1oz Kaluha, 1oz Baileys. Yum.

I also enjoy a good Port Wine.

[CrispyCritter]

For pastis, I also have a bottle of Pontarlier-Anis now, in addition to my Herbsaint. I consider it a cut above Herbsaint, but I would not at all say that Herbsaint was bad.

The Pierre Ferrand Reserve cognac that I mentioned previously in this thread has been opened and extensively sampled - and it's Good Stuff. I'm wishing now that I had sprung for the 750 ml bottle instead of the 375.

Pilschy: Good call on the Sailor Jerry. I'm going to have to get some more of that... the one bottle I had didn't last very long.

[gr8erdane]

I don't see where this Sailor Jerry worship is coming from. Last fall I bought a bottle to mix with apple cider on the way to a hayride and found it atrocious. I didn't drink enough to even warrant a designated driver that night because of the almost straight alcohol taste and woke up the next morning with the mother of all hangover headaches that laughed at my extra strengh tylenols. I found the nose to be almost rubbing alcohol. Actually no better or no worse than regular Bacardi I guess but I didn't really taste any of the "spice". Of course it might have been cork tainted. Oops no cork.

[Phischy]

I love Sailor Jerry, I've tasted some really horrible spiced rum and my standard for 'good' was Captain Morgan until I discovered Jerry. Every single person I've introduced it to (and I was the first to try it among my drinking friends) and they now really enjoy it as well.

[mitchshrader]

BUT: For Affordable AND tasty..

best rum is barbancourt 15, .

best cognac is Daniel Bouju Brut De Fut Royal

best scotch (non-peated) is Balvenie 15 single barrel

best scotch (sherried) is Macallan 18

best scotch (Islay) is Laphroaig 10 yr Cask Strength

best scotch (all around) Highland Park 18

best scotch (Blend) is JW Gold

best bourbon is Pappy Van Winkle 20 yr old

best Rye is Lot 40 or (possibly, still waiting a sample) Old Hotalings

no, the Rittenhouse BIB is NOT the best rye, though a great value and worth buying.

people who drink tequila, gin, & vodka...

well..

GOOD. leaves more whisky and cognac for me. But I'm not going to be responsible for encouraging their perverse masochisms..

[Big Chipper]

Rum: Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 year-old. Premium sugar aged in American charred oak barrels. Different from most...excellent (and only $35 at my local liquer store)

Tequila: Sauza Tres Generaciones Anejo - mmm...mmm...good

Vodka: Stolichnaya Elit - good, but premium vodka is premium vodka

Gin: Old Raj - straw colored; very dry; tons of aromatics..best I've tried

Cognac: Don't drink it much, but had a shot of Remy Martin Louis XIII once and it was outstanding (better be for $1,600 a fifth)

Beer: Chimay Grande Reserve - very nice high gravity Belgian Trappist ale