THEJNSREPORT

Welcome to THEJNSREPORT’S: Alcohol and It’s Universe

I imagine for most alcohol consumers having an occasional cocktail is a routine part of a social interaction for decompressing amongst friends and strangers alike during or at the end of the work week.  Personally, I didn’t really start to consume alcoholic beverages even semi regularly until my junior year of College.  Now well over a decade removed from graduation I find it fascinating to discover all the the nuances there are within the realm of alcohol.  The alcohol universe is vast.  From beer to hard liquor to cordials to light whimsical cocktails for even the most discerning palates.  There’s always something new to learn and discover.  All that being said…

One of the biggest peeves of mine when out for a few drinks with friends is having to wait behind a bar novice(s) or inconsiderate patrons who are so absorbed in themselves and/or flirting with the bartender or chatting with their friends that they forget there are other customers who are also trying to get to the bar to order drinks as well.  In my experience I’ve found that sober this isn’t and shouldn’t be a hard concept to understand.  Get your drink and get outta the way.  I suppose I should realize that not everyone is sober there duh!!! LOL

Even still, I’ve seen  it where a “sober” customer who also had been waiting a while to get served received his/her drink order they decided to plant themselves in the same spot impeding other customers from getting to the bar to order as if they were the only people in the bar.  It’s sad and ridiculous bar etiquette that can and often does lead to fights.  For me if a place is too busy and it’s a long wait I usually head else where  to get service much quicker.  The pace of the city is not exempt in bars.

In other news, while doing some basic research for my own information I found this bit of info online.  An average shot of vodka has approximately 100 calories in it at 80 proof or 40% alcohol.  Suppose you were to have at least 3 shots of hard liquor at that proof.  That’s 300 calories right there give or take a few.   If your having a mixed drink usually a decent drink has 2 oz of alcohol in it plus whatever mixer you add so you could be consuming upwards of at least 200 calories or more calories per drink.

If you consider that probably more than one will be had during the course of a night out it’s logic to do the math and add the calories up.  See that you can easily drink yourself fat if consuming with no moderation in mind.  Of course I believe in the the “Drink Responsibly” ads.  The average bottled beer is 4% – 6% alcohol and depending on who is making it between 65 to 95 calories a bottle.  However, there are beers that have been brewed with strengths upwards of 40% alcohol.  You can find more historical information on alcohol production as well as facts at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer.

The firing squad lined up

As a personal preference I tend to prefer mixed drinks or a cocktail over beer but have had my share of decent to good beers too.  Blue Moon and other wheat ales are a go to for me when I decide to forego cocktails or shots of hard liquor.

I’m sure a lot of us have had the unpleasant experiences of bad hangovers.  I have had my share as well, so that now bit older a bit wiser I know when to say when.  This is probably the single biggest reason I think that some people prefer to have beer instead of shots because they can probably gauge their buzz or “intoxication” better with beer than they could a shot.  I know this to be true especially if having more than one shot is a high probability throughout the night.

For the same reason I prefer the concentration of alcohol better in mixed drinks or shots to beer, drinking water in between drinks or shots is an invaluable practice that all if not most alcohol consumers should engage in.  Alcohol consumption dehydrates you  therefore you need A) to have water in your system to flush the alcohol being processed by one’s liver and kidneys.  B) To help sober you up and/or at the very least slow down a “buzz”.

From Vodka to Gin to Tequila to Bourbon, Scotch, and Rum, I’ve sampled quite a bit of alcohol and come across many variations and names for drink combinations that I’ve never heard of but eventually managed to either make on my own or order while out.  Here are just a few of my go to favorites and in no particular order: The Skittle Bomb, Fireball Sour shots, Washington Apple shot, Lemon Drop shot, Platinum Margarita, Cadillac Margarita, Dark and Stormy, and Colorado Bulldog.

The Skittle Bomb consists of 1/2 oz of Stoli Ohranj, 1/2 oz of Stoli, Raspberri, 1/2 oz of  Skyy Citrus 1/2 Stoli Bluberri Fill a pint glass a quarter full with Smirnoff Ice or Mike’s Hard Lemonade and pour the 2 oz shot into it and drink all at once.  Tastes like Skittles!!!!  Fireball Whiskey with a splash of sour mix tastes like red hots with a tangy sour.  The Dark and Stormy is Bacardi Dark Rum and Ginger Beer mixed together over ice.

The Colorado Bulldog is a once in a blue for me as I generally don’t like to mix cream or milk with alcohol.  The Colorado Bulldog is Vodka, Kahlua, Bailey’s, and a splash of coke.  The Lemon Drop is Citrus Vodka chilled with a squeeze of lemon juice and served in a sugar frosted shot glass. This is an excellent shot in my opinion.   Lastly, the Washington Apple consists of  Crown Royal, Sour Apple Pucker, Cranberry Juice, and optionally a splash of Sprite or 7up.  This can be made as a cocktail or shot.  Either way it’s a great go to shot.

Till next time this has been another report by THEJNSREPORT.