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PaperclipPerfector  20hr ago (text post)   913 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 23, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Got any favorite mixed drinks? What are mixed drinks that everyone should know how to make?

I suggest a Manhattan and a chrysanthemum. For the Manhattan, I find that Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth goes well with a high rye bourbon, while the more intense vermouths that are beloved of craft bartenders, like Carpano Antica, really want a rye whiskey; both ways are good. The chrysanthemum is delicious and lower proof as cocktails go, because its base “spirit” is dry vermouth, but you have to like the two or three dashes of absinthe to appreciate it.

Coke Zero mixed with crushed ice.

I've been liking 1 1/2 oz bourbon, 1/4 oz peach liqueur, 3 dashes walnut bitters.

I have a disturbing and unhealthy obsession with Mint Juleps.

This is more of a party drink since it makes a lot, but I'll throw it in anyway since it won me some favor when I first met my in-laws: Bourbon Slush. You'll need frozen orange juice concentrate, frozen lemonade concentrate, and some sort of tea with spices and orange peel such as Bigelow's Constant Comment, and bourbon. Brew three or four tea bags, mix in the concentrates and bourbon, maybe add some extra sugar if you like your drinks extra sweet, and re-freeze the whole thing. Thaw until slushy before serving.

I'll always have a soft spot for a Southern Comfort Collins, ever since my grandfather started me drinking them at weddings since it was the drink of choice at his own.

The Ramos Gin Fizz:

2 oz gin 1 oz heavy cream 1/2 oz lemon juice 1/2 oz lime juice 2 tsp sugar 1 egg white a few drops of orange flower water

Put all the ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice for at least a minute, long enough to beat the egg. Then pour into a Collins Glass and top with club soda. Don't try to substitute any ingredients, either. Orange flower water is from the flower of the plant and not the fruit, so substituting orange juice or orange bitters will give an entirely different flavor. It's not a particularly easy ingredient to find, though it should be available at Whole Foods and most Asian grocery stores.

This may be the perfect cocktail, as it checks off every box: The gin does what the gin does, the cream give it richness, the citrus makes it refreshing, the sugar adds sweetness, the egg white gives it body, the soda gives it a crispness and backs the intensity off a bit, and the orange flower water... that's for mystery. It's also completely immune from bastardization, because it's immune from becoming popular enough for that to happen. It has a lot of ingredients, one of which isn't used for anything else (though it isn't expensive). It takes a long time to make, but you can't order one in a bar or make it in huge batches. You have to make them at home, one or two at a time. But I assume you it's worth the effort. That brings me to another favorite gin drink, the Gin Rickey:

Gin Lime Juice Club Soda Just enough sugar to take the edge off

I used to drink Gin and Tonics but after a while the sweetness of the tonic water became cloying, and switching to diet didn't help. These really cut through on those summer days when it feels like a Precambrian swamp outside. And you can order these in a bar. In fact, ordering these in a bar that prides themselves on their cocktails hits a certain sweet spot: Nobody ever orders them, but bartenders feel like they should know how to make them, so you're likely to get a "What's in that again?" Thus, you can avoid some bastardized house version by explaining to the bartender how to make the drink without being one of those assholes who orders drinks the bartender doesn't know how to make.

Gin Rickey... bartenders feel like they should know how to make them

Or they will ask if you just finished reading The Great Gatsby. But seriously underrated.

G&T also solid, but only if served by a pretty British Airways flight attendant with a slight scowl but otherwise impeccable manners.

I'm going to make that first one but it's hardly a "fizz".

Why isn't it a fizz? It's carbonated.

Sorry, I missed the club soda at the end.

Hot Tottie. I like to brew a strong black tea, probably two bags. Then in goes fresh squeezed lemon juice, honey, and as much damned Applejack or Apple Brandy or Whiskey as I please.

Another good one is a Godfather. 1 part Amaretto and 4 to 8 parts Bourbon or Whiskey. I went through a lot of those once upon a time.

Equal parts drinks are easy to remember. And often delicious!

Negroni

One of the best and easiest, and lots of ways to adjust it depending on the gin and vermouth used. 30ml each of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. I prefer to mix it in the glass, biggest chunk of ice you can get is best. Express a thick slice of orange peel then drop it in.

Final Ward

Rift on the Last Word (which uses gin and lime instead of rye and lemon). Superior in my opinion. 22.5ml each of rye whiskey, green chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and lemon juice. Shaken and garnished with lemon peel.

And since everyone should try some Fernet Branca at least once...

Midnight Stinger

30ml each of bourbon and Fernet Branca 22.5ml lemon juice 12.5ml rich simple syrup Shake and serve over crushed ice. Mint for garnish.

Grape juice + seltzer water → healthy soda

This also works with apple juice, but not with orange juice. I assume that the suspended pulp in orange juice somehow interferes with the bubbles.

Anything that can serve as a nucleation point will fuck up carbonation.

I've tried to use cider in my carbonation rig before just to see what would happen.

What happened is that I ended up cleaning cider off my ceiling.

By the beach: A Piña colada In general? A Long Island Iced Tea.

Old Fashioned with whiskey.

How do you make it though? For such a simple drink there is a lot of variety...and some real abominations out there. I usually go 60ml bourbon (or rye), 2-3 dashes of Angostura, barspoon of rich simple syrup, orange peel garnish.

If you toss a couple cinnamon sticks into your simple syrup while its simmering you can elevate bottom shelf bourbon in an old fashioned.

  1. 2-3 dashes of Angostura, teaspoon of sugar, drop of water. Muddle until dissolved.
  2. Add 50ml of Irish whiskey, ice cubes and orange peel garnish.
  3. Top up with soda water (I think this is a vital step to offset the sweetness of the sugar and bitters, and often overlooked).

Huh, that's the first time I've heard of topping up with soda water. So it becomes almost a highball then? Guess I'll have to try it.

The classic Martini (I use Plymouth gin and vermouth in a ~4:1 ratio)
Manhattan
Sidecar
Negroni

Summer: Gin and Tonic

Autumn: Brandy Old Fashioned

Winter: Hot tea toddy

Spring: White Russian

Got any favorite mixed drinks?

Hot temperatures outside: sidecar
Cold temperatures outside: white Russian (or black Russian if the dairy makes you nervous about hangovers)

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