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I never intended to become an alcohol snob.
Originally, I wasn’t very picky at all. In college, I would often drink whatever was handed to me. It was usually terrible, but I wasn’t drinking to enjoy myself – I was drinking with a goal in mind. Most of my early experiences with alcohol weren’t pleasurable, and I still get sick just smelling Southern Comfort.
But I knew that I didn’t like beer.
That started to change when I first went to England. My friend, Rik Sowden, made me realize that I actually really like beer – it was just American lagers that I didn’t like.1 I got introduced to beers of all kinds, and got a chance to find out what I like and what I don’t like. Over the years, as I got an appreciation for beer, I was able to become more experimental and branch out, but I really needed to understand what was good and what I liked first before I could really do that.
But I knew that I didn’t like wine.
When I first moved down to Georgia, I was living here by myself while the rest of my family stayed in St. Louis to wrap up our affairs there. I spent a lot of time making new friends, but mostly I hung out with the friend I already had – Kelley. Kelley is a big fan of wine, so that meant I got to try a lot of different kinds of wine. I learned a bit about the different types of grape and why its better to drink certain kinds over other kinds. I know I have a lot to learn still, but like with beer, I realized that only certain kinds of wine bothered me.
But I knew that I didn’t like tequila.
While I was in Puerto Vallarta, we went to a tequila distillery, and I learned how tequila is made.
Afterward, we got to try “puro” tequila, or tequila that is made exclusively from the agave plant. Our host explained that many tequilas are made with 51% agave and 49% sugar, which is why it’s a bit harsher and gives you a nasty hangover. And sure enough, drinking only puro tequila, I never had a hangover the entire time I was in Mexico.
I’m certainly no expert on alcohol. I’m actually still learning a lot about various types and styles, and the various effects and tastes they have. But I am finding that if I want to enjoy what I’m drinking, I generally go for the good stuff.
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- Also, I learned that lager is only one type of beer, rather than just another name for it. I really didn’t know much about beer at the time. ↩
Yup. You buy tequila here, you buy 100% agave, baby.
Tastes delicious.
Find mezcal if you can, too.
— c.
Is mezcal a brand, or a kind of tequila?
My experiences nearly mirror your own. I hated beer, until I had some good stuff. Introduced my ex-wife to good beer too (Brickstore Pub ftw). Then I learned about the differences between a lager, stout, porter, ale, IPA, etc.
Similarly, I first had tequila at Tinney’s house. It was Cuervo, and to say I didn’t like the taste or the burning sensation in my stomach afterward would be an understatement. Then at some point I had Patron, which I found to be drinkable when mixed. Then my friend Russ let me try some from a bottle of tequila he’d got from the middle of nowhere, Mexico, for $3. That shit went down almost as smooth as water, no exaggeration. I stopped after 2 shots because I knew I could quickly get myself in trouble.
Wine I’ve always liked, but it also tends to give me a headache even as I’m getting a buzz off of it. So maybe I just need to start drinking the good wine, eh? Got any suggestions? I generally like white wines that have, for lack of a better term, a hint of a “buttery” feel to them. I like dry reds, but only in small doses (no more than a glass).
Some people actually have a mild allergy to red and purple grapes in high enough quantities, which means that drinking red wine gives them a headache. That might be what’s going on with you.
I’m certainly no expert on wine, but I think the “buttery” wines are Chardonnay. One thing I’ve taken to doing is writing down in my iPhone what wines I like, and using that inform other buying decisions. Be picky, be finicky, and you might find that a certain kind of wine or a certain region of wine tastes better for you.