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[Mesa]

Eugh, coffee.
Tea addict here, though, so take that with a pinch of salt.

Which is a very odd sentence to say considering what thread we're in.

[Bauglir]

It's not nearly as bad as it sounds. Throw some butter in, too. Yes.

[MorleyDev]

Does Bailey's have actual dairy in it? I am so frequently stymied by my lactose intolerance...

Yes Bailey's is made with and contains cream.

I like both tea and coffee. Oddly enough I like my coffee really milky (no sugar though), and my tea completely black. Just take a tea bag and let it brew in boiling water for a bit. No sugar, no milk. At most, I'll add a bit of honey if I'm feeling the need for any sweetness added.

[Sappho]

I drink both as well, but in different situations. For energy and a quick hot drink I prefer tea. Not English tea, and never bagged (unless I'm at work with no time to prepare loose). Proper, real tea. Green, oolong, and pu-erh, mostly. I have access to really high quality stuff smuggled in from Taiwan, so I'm a little spoiled. No milk, no sugar. I also homemake kombucha, about 7 liters a week, which is more than I can drink so I'm constantly giving it away.

Coffee is something I enjoy when I'm home, usually on the weekends. I like it very sweet and with plenty of soy milk - I don't like the taste of black coffee. I know that lovers of black coffee will say that what I drink isn't "real" coffee, but it's a unique taste, not an imitation of something else. Jacobs Kroenung, brewed in a french press. 2 spoons of coffee and 1.5 spoons each of sugar and soy milk powder. I have this at about 2:00 in the afternoon, so the effects wear off as evening begins and I settle in. It's more of a ritual than anything, I suppose. And I've been reading recently about how science is proving that rituals have crazy strong (and positive) effects on our brains. No wonder religion is so prominent! It's making me want to design rituals for all my daily activities...

[Yoink]

I do love me some Irish Cream, great drink for relaxing, and just a little bit of it in coffee combines two of my vices into one mug of yummy.

Ohhh yes, I love doing that.
It's one of the, if not the tastiest hot beverage I've ever had.  Probably only a good leaf tea could rival it.
...Now I might have to get myself some Baileys.

[Tack]

Step 2 - Swirl the wine around until it has the consistency of a fine mist. Watch for trails on the sides of the glass. If it leaves trails, it's too sweet, and considered to be a children's drink.

Actually when wine sticks to the side of the glass, that means it has 'good legs', which means it is strong. Stronger wine will stick to the side of the glass better.


On another note, I suddenly really feel like making a peach pie.

[Yoink]

I kinda wish I could drink wine.
I can't stand the taste of it-- and I have no problem with whiskey, tequila, absinthe or other liquors.
Not sure why, but yeah. Kind of annoying given that wine is so popular.

[MorleyDev]

Oh I have problems with the tastes of those liquors. For a few seconds. Then those problems are swept away in a warm haze of mistakes and poorly considered dance moves. ...What? I only drink strong drinks when out on the town.

So today I breaded a Chicken Breast Fillet. With cornflakes. It worked quite well, a nice crunchy wrapping around the protein.

[Osmosis Jones]

I kinda wish I could drink wine.
I can't stand the taste of it-- and I have no problem with whiskey, tequila, absinthe or other liquors.
Not sure why, but yeah. Kind of annoying given that wine is so popular.

I've found with virtually every alcohol, it's a process of acclimatisation. They all taste bad at first (except for the really sweet liqueurs, obviously), but with time you learn to appreciate the individual complexities and appreciate them for what they are.

With that in mind, here's OJ's patented wine acclimatisation route:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

• Start with something that tastes almost, but not quite, entirely unlike wine; sangria, mulled or gluhwein, etc. We want to get you used to the astringent tannins that linger at the end of a sip, but the various added spices etc. will help mitigate the earlier flavours.
• Next, we move on to sweet wines; I'm talking port here. Lots of port... red port, white port, doesn't matter (although a good tawny port is exceptional, if you can get it), just make sure it's sweet. We've gotten you used to the tannins, now we're introducing you to the earlier flavours, albeit in a heavily sweetened, slightly altered form.
• All good? Alright, time to put on the big boy shoes, and go for the real deal. Actual, proper wine. Now, although most people seem to feel that white is an easier drink for a new-comer (I used to share that impression), red is at not as heavy as people think! Well, unless you get a Cab Sav maybe. Mainly, I find most whites to be more acidic on the tongue; while I like acid notes in my food, it tends to bother me if I drink too much, while reds have a more rounded flavour. That said... don't get hang-over drunk on red, ever.
  Now, if you've selected your preference for red or white, let's talk grapes; now, we can pick something fruity and sweet, if you want to drink it straight... but that's boring. Instead, let's have some fun. Go to a good restaurant and order (or go to the shops and buy, then cook) a good meaty steak, dry-aged, cooked medium rare. Got it? Good, now get yourself a bottle of Argentinian Malbec, or a good Australian Shiraz (the grape variety is also known as Syrah, particularly in Europe, although there is often a slight variation in style of Syrah wines versus Shiraz) with rich blackberry notes for personal preference. Talk to the sommelier if you can, and get their advice, they know their shit.
  You see, the trick with learning to drink wine is the pairings. Rich hearty reds go well with a good steak. With whites, I prefer to use cheese and crackers; here's a list (both red and white) of common pairings, but talk to your local bottleshop clerk when you buy as well. The right food helps break up the overpowering aspects of a wine, and the lingering fats etc. can actually modify the flavour of your next sip to make it far more palatable.
• Get it? Got it? Good... now, go get a beer, and experience true flavour complexity

[Yoink]

Ooh, thanks for the guide!
That said... I think I might skip straight to step 4. Maybe repeat that one a few times and then move on to the wine part. That'll work!

[MaximumZero]

Sorry, man, I can't stand beer. I've sampled near a hundred of kinds of beer (I used to run a sports bar, and had to know the product,) and I just can't bring myself to like any of them. The only beers that don't actively raise my hackles are Guinness, Killian's Irish Red, and Oberon. I regret ever tasting Corona and Dos Equis.

[Osmosis Jones]

Sorry, man, I can't stand beer. I've sampled near a hundred of kinds of beer (I used to run a sports bar, and had to know the product,) and I just can't bring myself to like any of them. The only beers that don't actively raise my hackles are Guinness, Killian's Irish Red, and Oberon. I regret ever tasting Corona and Dos Equis.

100? Is that all? So you're still a rookie then

Dos Equis and Corona are not beers. They are diluted urine.

If you like guinness, well... you're halfway there. Guinness in Aus and Japan (never tried in Ireland, maybe it's different there) is a stout, but a terrible one. That said porters and stouts, made by microbrewers, display just about the most interesting, complex flavour profiles you can get. A chocolate stout is good for people who prefer a sweeter palate (I've had one that tastes almost exactly like rum and raisin chocolate, only with a 9% abv kick at the end), or a coffee stout for those that want something a little more savoury. There are a million varieties though.

If you like Irish red... I'd suggest you try either a Belgian red ale, or some proper golden and amber ales. Again, look for microbreweries though; I find major breweries (with one exception in Aus) tend to make pretty bad goldens, if they make em at all.

Can't say much on the wheat beers though, as I'm not a fan of that style.

EDIT: Ah, missed that you said you ran a sports bar, so I may have come off a touch condescendingly, sorry. Still, I can never sing the praises of microbrewers high enough. Sure, some are bad, but when they're good, they can be amazing.

[Yoink]

...I find major breweries (with one exception in Aus) tend to make pretty bad goldens, if they make em at all.

What exception would that be? Just curious.

[Osmosis Jones]

...I find major breweries (with one exception in Aus) tend to make pretty bad goldens, if they make em at all.

What exception would that be? Just curious.

I am very partial to the James Squire Chancer golden ale. They also do a good amber and an amazing Sundowner during the summer months (e.g., now). Their porter is passable, but I'd pass on their IPA. Best thing is though, most of their branded bars also have their own brewing facilities, so every Squire's bar will have 4 or 5 seasonally varying, unique beers. Some amazing... some terrible

[Sirus]

Alcohol? Gimme the weakest fruitiest margarita you can manage and I'll still take small sips to avoid getting smashed

Anyway, for dinner I splurged and picked up this sort of beer-battered fish sandwich. Was good. Also fits the thread title perfectly.