I don't currently drink but I might want to give it a try in the future so I figure I should probably ask my questions now so I'll know if I decide the time is right to give it a try.

1. How do you make a rum and Coke? Proportions, I mean. What works? I always thought for some reason that it sounded like a good drink to try.

2. What is a good starter beer? One that won't turn me off beer for life?

3. I remember my never-mo dad kept some alcohol in a cupboard but I think I remember wine and beer in the refrigerator. How do you know what goes where? (Man, that's embarrassing to ask. I should know that by now).

4. What is the best way to heat water for tea? How do you keep a pot of tea hot? Or do you just make keep making small pots? It seems like whenever I make tea for me and the kids, it gets cold before we finish our small ceramic teapot full.

5. How decaf is decaf tea? I'm tired of herb tea before bed and I love Earl Grey. But I don't want to be up all night.

Thanks guys. It's nice to have people to ask these questions without them wondering why a grown-up is so clueless.

With rum and Coke, I'd start with a small amount of rum in a glass of Coke. Add it gradually until you like the taste.A little rum goes a long way. Wine isn't usually served extremely cold, just slightly chilled. Of course, many people do keep it in the fridge. It is a personal choice,

1. Rum and Coke is a good starter drink. Start out with 3/4 Coke and 1/4 rum or 4/5 Coke and 1/5 rum. Get a better rum like Captain Morgan's. In fact in a bar this would be "Capt'n and Coke"

2. A starter beer.... Thats very personal opinion. I like Shock Top, and Red Trolly. Now that I like beer, I even drink Miller or Bud, but not when I was new. Also if you get drunk from liquor you can finish the night with a couple of beers. NEVER beer first. "Liquor before beer you are in the clear. Beer before liquor never sicker."

3. Most white wines and beer goes in the fridge. Red wines stay room temp. I keep my whiskey in the freezer, some people keep vodka in there too. It won't freeze. All liquor can stay out because you are going to serve the drink on ice anyway. I love trying new liquors now. I have developed a taste for scotch.

4. I have a traditional teapot on top of the stove. It might be a little uneconomical to heat a whole pot for one glass of tea. One mug CAN go in the microwave. I think there are tea cozies to go on the ceramic tea pots.

5. There are 100s of herbal teas to try. Decaf is not 100% decaf. If you are really effected by caffeine don't drink it before bed.

Rule of thumb for the new drinker is 1 part liquor to 4 parts mixer. You will discover tastes you like, and adjust accordingly.

Blue Moon with an orange wedge is a great starter beer.

Cheers!

Anything carbonated goes in the frig. Some people like their wine chilled by usually it's served at room temperature. I recommend starting with a light colored beer and a light wine. I always water down my hard liquor mixes, but I have a low tolerance for alcohol.

Drink everything with a full meal.

Heffeweizen is an excellent starter beer. Light but flavorful. Not bitter.

No problem, at least you can learn this all at once, most non-members and Jack Mormons had to learn as they went, hehehe.

I only drink a couple times a year. But here's how I rock it:

1. Back when I first started making my own drinks at home, I kept it simple with mixed drinks, and followed the same procedure many bar tenders followed in their beginning days. I kept a small, single-shot glass in the cabinet. I filled the shot glass to about 1/4 inch below the rim. Dumped the shot in a larger glass. Then filled the rest of the glass with ice and whatever I would like to mix in (orange juice, other fruit juices, water, soda, etc.). That way I always knew-- 1 glass equaled one shot. But of course, I have learned to eyeball a shot without measuring, lol.

Or try a pre-mixed one, like Smirnov Ice. You can also try wine. There is a really mild-tasting one, it mostly just tastes like fruit juice, and I can very easily get carried away with it because of that, haha. Its called:

"Carlo Rossi's White Zinfandel"

But it has a reddish/pinkish color. Pretty darn good if you ask me. This is what it looks like: http://la.foodblogging.com/wp-content/thumb-CarloRossiWhiteZinfandel.jpg

2. I honestly HATE beer, lol. But there is one I can tolerate, provided its VERY cold: Fosters. Other improted beers tend to be too strong for me, as imported ones are usually more potent than American. Or I guess you could try an American beer (Bud, Coors, Miller). A beginner may not like the stronger darker ones either. I would say try the lighter colored ones first.

3. You can keep wine in the cupbboard if you want. But unless you're in Europe, beer should be in the fridge. Personally, even if a wine or liquer is kept int the cabinet, I still put ice in it. So quite honestly, I just skip a step and keep all alcohol in the fridge.

4. For tea, I honestly just do it one cup at a time with a tea bag, and mug, and a microwave. But you can do it in a kettle on the stove. Some people put the bags in the kettle. I don't, unless I'm going to chill it for iced tea later. Weather you put them in the pot or not, you can just keep the stove on low or warm. That should keep it at abotu the temp you want until you finish it. Some people just let it cool off, and heat any future cups in the micro.

5. Decaf is usually decaf enough not to keep you awayke... Weather its coffee or tea. I had a friend come over once and drink some coffee. I like decaf just because I get the jitters with regular. After his second cup, he told me he still felt sleepy, and I told him "Well, its decaf! lol". So obviously, it doesn't do a good job of waking you up.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2010 01:00AM by melissa3839.

I also recommend buying a shot glass to help you measure out your drinks at first. I still use mine when I want to know exactly how much I'm drinking. I use this little one ounce glass measuring cup from Sur la Table. It's also good for measuring out vanilla for baking. :) But I'm sure you could find something similar at any cooking supply store.

http://www.surlatable.com/product/kitchen+%26+bar+tools/measuring+tools/measuring+cups+%26+spoons/mini+measuring+glass.do?sortby=ourPicks

With a rum and Coke, it's really just about personal preference. Pour about one ounce of the rum into your glass, then fill the rest with ice and Coke. If it doesn't taste right, add a little more rum. Just be careful because the Coke will really mask the taste of the rum so it's easy to get drunk without meaning to. I generally buy the Bacardi gold rum, as it's nice tasting but fairly inexpensive. Also be careful with the flavored rums; they're very sweet.

You can store all your liquor and wine in the cupboard without problems. Just put the wine in the fridge an hour or so before you plan to drink it; then it won't be too hot or too cold. White wine is generally served colder than red, but I do think red wine needs to go in the fridge at least briefly to get to a truly good temperature.

I usually make my tea one mug at a time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2010 10:34AM by emadee.

I had my first drink in my early thirties as an exmo, so here is my strong advice for the newb exmo drinker...

General advice:
- Buy small amounts. Don't waste your money on expensive stuff until you know what you like. I dumped over $150 down the drain (stupidly).

- Get spiced rum. It tastes like vanilla in your rum and coke. Start with one or two cap fulls. You'll be able to enjoy more later. I can now do a couple of ounces and really enjoy the effects.

- Light beers are good starter beers. Belgians and Germans. Blue Moon is a great entry level beer if you like oranges/fruity tastes. Get a REAL beer glass (wal-mart), get a big orange slice on there (helps bring out the citrus flavors which will really help), and pour the beer correctly (search youtube). You wanna end up with a head of foam, but not too much. It might take some practice.

- Try lots and lots of different things. Expect to not like a lot of it at first.

- The fruity cocktails at places like TGI Fridays usually mask any hint of alcohol pretty well. They can be a gentle introduction.

- Never be embarrassed to ask "stupid questions" about alcohol. You'd be surprised how hard it is to get answers some times.

- Once you find your favorite drink, don't EVER drink too much of if. It might make you so sick you will want to DIE, and you'll forever hate it. I cannot even smell Gin anymore without wanting to hurl. So sad, I make a great martini. That's what I get for downing 5 of them in 30 minutes. I can't even describe how miserable the experience was. Seriously, don't try it.

Blue Moon is a pleasant Belgian style beer, but it's not really a Belgian beer. It's made by Coors, which is an American company. I would not recommend an actual Belgian beer as a first beer because most Belgian beers have very strong flavors and high alcohol content.

There is one exception to that rule, though. The Belgians have a beer called Kriek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriek) -- it tastes like cherry soda without the sugar and usually only has about 2% alcohol. You probably wouldn't find it at a grocery store, but you might find it at a wine or liquor store. Belgians also make lambic beers, which are fruit based and don't taste like regular beer. Typical flavors include raspberry and peach... again, they are quite palatable if you don't like the bitter, harsh taste of beer. Lambics are usually pretty expensive in America.

If you want to try a beer that actually tastes like beer, I would recommend something mild like Corona, served very cold with a slice of lime. Start with something light like a lager or a wheat beer (hefeweizen). Hefeweizens go great with a slice of lemon. And people have already recommended Blue Moon.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2010 09:41AM by knotheadusc.

The only beer I really like is the Apricot Hefeweizen made by Wasatch Brewery here in Utah. I'm sure it (or something similar) could be used as a starter beer.

Not a beer drinker (I like cordials, prosecco, cava, sangria, mimosas and a champagne based --not cava or prosecco-- kir royale, myself) but we currently live in Belgium and my husband's going nuts trying all the beer here.

His favorite so far is Delirium Tremens, but not sure if you can get that over there.

I love Polish cherry liqueur (wisniowka) and krupnik, too, plus all the vodkas I've tried so far, as well.

I don't go crazy on any one of them, just sip and taste, and then save some to try again another time. No matter what you start with, try and do the same.

Sip and taste, go to wine or beer stores (many offer tastings) and learn what you like that way. Then, enjoy!

That's so true about not getting carried away with your favorite drink! I used to love coconut flavored rum with Diet Coke, and now after getting sick on it the smell alone is just horrible. After coming home from a Halloween party in college (already tipsy), I poured two big shot glasses of the stuff for me and my roommate. When she turned hers down, I shrugged my shoulders and drank both of them one right after the other. Yuck. You'll notice in another comment I just left to be careful with flavored rums. There is a reason!

I went across the street to Barnes and Noble's tonight to read up on this topic. Imagine me with a stack of books on wine, mixed drinks, and beer. It was awesome. I'm such a nerd. LOL.

There are some excellent answers here so I'll just add my two cents.

2. I can't stand beer myself, but I can tolerate Keith's white with a slice of orange and Corona with lime. It has to be really cold, though. I still can't drink even cool beer.

3. The rule of thumb is beer/white wine should be chilled, red wine room temperature. Like bingoe4, I like to keep liquor in the freezer because I mix them cold anyway.

I have low alcohol tolerance but I've learned to enjoy a good buzz. How absurd is it that I used to think all who drank was evil?

Elise

I love gin, tonic and lime. Someone once told me that's called a Tom Collins.
Five in thirty minutes!! Holy MFG! I've had my turn praying over porcelain but your misery must have defied all odds.

Five martinis in 30 minutes!! Holy crap! I can only have a single one, but that's just me. I actually prefer the flavored martinis because they mask the alcohol flavor. I'm fine with a good scotch by itself, but that's about it.

Anyway, white wine and beer are best served chilled, while red wine can be slightly warmer, even at room temperature. For tea, I warm the pot first with hot water, and if it's a microwave safe pot, I'll microwave it first.

Word of Wisdom question? It was about 1840's when somebody catch me drinking beer, also I use to smoke after teld the brethen not to do so, I just married about 30 times I forget how many times it was fun, but do not tell Emma, and it was about the day when I die that I was with my brother Hyrum and other fellows in jail and we drank some whisky?? Also that same day we defend ourselves from these other guys "a mob" that came to kill us we use some pistols that somebody brough us to defend ourselves, I shoot all my 6 bullets from my pistol and a friend witness who survive said I kill 2 or 3 of them, but does not matter they make me a martir "hero" I said it before "I am greater than Jesus Christ....... I want to vomit now excuse me. COWARDS all are cowards especially the general authorities that they do not preach or take a time to answer all Church history issues, wrong profesies, DNA, Book of Abraham, Arquelogy, Linguistics, PURAS PENDEJADAS!! excuse my gramatical errors, 50 years in this Church and still waiting for a Lamanite apostol. The Church of LDS is an interprise making milllions of millions of dolars and given nothing in return. TAKE A ONE OR TWO BIG BREATHS AND RELAX THEN SAID:" VALLENSE TODOS A LA CHINGADA"

Go to the local yellow pages and find a wine shop (Spec's is okay if they have that in your area). Go ask questions! That's what they are there for and they love being helpful--they will tell you the difference between dry and sweet wines, why white wines should be chilled and red served at room temp, and what they mean by 'fruity' or 'spicey' and all those crazy things.

And if you do find a Spec's or large warehouse style liquor store, they can talk knowledgeably about ale vs. beer, how to properly store liquor and they will have books and pamphlets on how to make mixed drinks and all sorts of gadgets to make them.

Ease into, though! You don't want to get into trouble. Enjoy!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2010 09:11AM by nwmcare.

Instructions:

1. Buy beer.

2. Take beer home and chill to 38 degrees.

3. Open beer and drink from bottle (forget cans, they suck).

4. Invite woman over for beers.

5. Have her drink several.

6. Kiss woman with vigor.

7. Place hands on woman's...

..oh, sorry, I got carried away there. 1 - 3 are the most important.



Ron

My absolute favorite would be a Cape Cod, vodka, ice and cranberry juice. Repeat!

The only liquor I keep in the freezer is tequila and vodka.

LOL Ron!

dit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My absolute favorite would be a Cape Cod, vodka,
> ice and cranberry juice. Repeat!
>
> The only liquor I keep in the freezer is tequila
> and vodka.
>
> LOL Ron!


That sound good, Dr. dit! I'll take two, and call you in the morning...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2010 10:41AM by jon1.

Finally a topic I have some expertise in!

While Rum & Coke, is a good drink, as a beginner you should probably start with Vodka. It has less flavor and will leave a smaller "footprint" in the flavor of your drink. It also is not as strong(usually, check your proof level, 200 proof is 100% alc, 40 proof is 20% etc.). It can be paired with any soda, and also is great with all juices. If you like Ruby Red Grapefruit juice, I suggest you start with that (called a Red Greyhound). Purchase a Shot glass, and use that to measure the amount of alchohol you add to your drink. Fill it 3/4 the way full for the first glass(adjust level to taste on next glass), pour it over ice in a regular sized drinking glass, and add whatever juice or soda to normal drinking level. If you are a slow drinker, use a straw, and stir the drink to keep the liquor from "floating". If you still want to start with Rum, still use the shot glass to measure.

Beer is an acquired taste, period! I LOVE it, but it took getting used to. As a newbie, I suggest you try Michelob Ultra Light, as it doesn't have much flavor. Once you can handle it without making a face every time you sip it, you can move on to better stuff. Find a Microbrewery in your town and sample its wares. Brown Ales, and Porters are usually pretty sweet Beers. You are going to want to stay away from any Pale Ales for a while, but eventually you should try them.

As for wines, you are in California,...go to a winery! Even in my small town in VA we have a winery, and I love taking people there! You will get an expert to let you taste every wine they have for free(sometimes they charge a small fee for the tasting, but you can taste all you want for something like $5, WORTH IT!), and you can give the expert feedback like, "that was too bitter", or "too sweet", and they will suggest other types for you to try that fit your taste. When you find the type you like, just ask them what temp they suggest it served at, and they will tell you the exact temp. You should start with a sweet or dessert white wine, and move on from there. Don't be afraid to ask for help in wine stores. Even seasoned drinkers need advise picking out a bottle, and the employees love showing off their knowledge. Leting them know what your price range is up front, can save you a lot off time. $12 bottles can taste better that $50 bottles, so don't break the bank until you know your taste. Bogle is a good CA brand that has an "expensive" taste for under $20.

For Tea, I use my automatic coffee maker, but do not put anything in it but water. You will have the perfect temp to make your tea, and it will keep the rest of the water ready in the caraf. Green Tea is my favorite, I do Decafe.

Don't care for beer, but my fav is Bacardi rum with orange and cranberry juice (1/3 each) in a large glass full of ice. VERY good fruit juice.

Remember, the rum is just there as a preservative, for those that remember the line from Guys and Dolls.

I was 'taught' to drink as a kid... no BIC here :-)

rum&coke was always one of my favourites.... as a starter you mix a tiny amount of rum with a large amount of coke... experiment and you will get used to what proportions you like.

for a non-drinker, there are some great liquers which just taste fantastic.... try southern comfort and (fizzy) lemonade (burnt peaches flavour) or try Pernod and (fizzy) lemonade - a really, really strong aniseed flavour.
these will appeal to your sweet tooth. and make experimenting fun.
liquers and spirits are room temp..... mixers (lemonade, coke, water, etc) should always be chilled.

beers.... lager should be your first try, or an IPA, pale ale. If you dont like these at first, lager, pale ale and bitter beers can be mixed with lemonade to make shandy.... don't try that with stout (guinness) the result is awful.
beer is best served cold.

Blue Moon (beer) with an orange wedge. Can't be beat.

ron

If you ever want to keep the calories low you can make a Skinny Bitch- Barcadi and Diet Coke with a wedge of lime.

I agree- get a shot glass with the measuring lines! It will help you determine how much alcohol you want to start with. You can always add more if it's too weak.

As far as wine, I love white very cold. I think Lucky Duck Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio is good for such a cheap price. Sangria is very good and sweet as well. I tried a white wine from the NM San Juan region called "Girls are Meaner" which is very sweet and mild. I don't know if you can find that in Cali right now.
Blue Moon, Raspberry and Apricot Heifervizens are delicious beers for beginners

Any beer can be a good starter beer; it really depends on what your tastes are. If I had a detailed decsription of your taste likes and dislikes, I could recommend a specific beer or range of beers. Stay away from the "macros" (the Bud/Miller/Coors mass market crap). Treat beer like you would wine: drink it in the proper glass for its style - there are as many different styles of beer glass as there are styles of beer -, drink it at the proper temp (Americans drink beer FAR too cold; but then mass marketed American beer tastes like crap, so the cold masks the flavor) so the flavors of the beer express themselves, and pair it with the proper food.

If you are interested, I can give you more details if you e-mail me at joesmithscelestialbastard@yahoo.com

Where is your blog?

Since it has my IRL info at the blog, I won't just link it here. E-mail me and I'll get back to you with the link.

I started like this. I ordered a Corona Lite and lemon slice at a Mexican restaurant and sipped it with my meal. The lemon added a nice taste. I ordered that half a dozen times before I tried Bud Light, which I also liked. The truth is, Budweiser has been taste tested to appeal to the greatest number of Americans. That doesn't mean it's great beer. Just that a lot of Americans think it tastes good. I think it tastes okay, the way I think a McDonald's hamburger tastes okay. I wasn't ready to try anything like Guinness Extra Stout, though, until I'd gotten an idea how beer should taste with a simple beer with wide appeal like Budweiser. My current favorite is Newcastle Brown Ale, but I also like Yuengling Lager. I don't like Corona Lite now. I think that tastes evolve with beer, and you may want to plan for that. :)

Red wine was always a no-brainer for me. I've loved it since the first one I ever sipped when I was at a mortgage brokers party.

Go out for dinner sometime with your friends and order a beer. It's really a nothing. I was surprised how Mormons had made such a big deal out of such a little thing once I finally TRIED IT. It's not so much a matter of health or habit as it is of separating and isolating Mormons from the rest of the world.

And really, it's a good tutorial despite the fact that she keeps repeating that phrase over and over again as if one has forgotten that she's all about the Perfect Cup of Tea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYxpbUYfvrw&feature=related

1. Rum & Coke. Use a short cocktail glass. Pour 1 shot of rum. Fill the rest of the glass with Coke. You're looking at about an ounce of liquor to about 4-6 ounces of mixer for any given cocktail. ("Cocktail" = liquor + a mixer)

2. Good starter beers. I recommend very light, pale beers. Corona is a good starter beer, with a wedge of lime jammed into the bottle. I like craft beers, like Yuengling. Just order lager or pale ale and or ask the bartender to recommend something mild and light to someone who is new to drinking beer. You might like Bud Lime even.

3. I keep vodka in the freezer because shots go down better when the vodka is really cold. Especially good expensive vodka; it's like doing shots of water. Red wine should NEVER be refrigerated unless you have a wine fridge set to 62º. Red wines should never be served any cooler than that (it messes with the flavors and makes the wine taste... dull). White wine, beer, and any other liquor can be kept in the fridge, but can also be stored at room temperatures, away from bright direct light and out of a hot spot, say near the heater vent or near a sunny window. Hot sunlight is bad for alcohol. White wines can be served at temps under 50º and beer can be served at temps around 40º.

4. Hot water for tea. Invest in an electric tea kettle. This is useful for heating water for other things (like dissolving boullion cubes for instance). Make only as much tea as you can drink while still hot. Flip the on switch on your electric teakettle and, presto! More tea in five minutes. I have a Bodum tea ball, which makes 2-3 cups of tea at a time. Perfect for two. When your tea gets cold, you can always pop it in the microwave for a minute or two to heat it back up. Same goes for your ceramic teapot. Surely, that thing is microwaveable, right?

5. Decaf tea. I can't imagine wanting to drink such a thing. I can tell you that black tea (Earl Gray) has more caffeine in it than coffee. If you want tea before bed but don't want to have insomnia, then I recommend herbal teas. Chammomile, valerian, passionflower, and catnip are all herbs that will relax you and help you sleep. I love valerian tea for helping me seep. Earl Gray will jack you right up. Drink that before 6 p.m., don't bother with "decaf" tea, and just go straight for herbals at night. Plenty of nifty flavors to choose from...

> I can tell you that black tea (Earl
> Gray) has more caffeine in it than coffee.

a common misconception. Dry tea has more caffeine in it (weight for weight) than coffee..... but you use less Tea (weight) for the same liquid volume than coffee.

overall, a cup of tea will generally have just over 1/2 the caffeine of a cup of coffee