I'm not a big drinker. Often go months pretty much teetotal. However, occasionally I take a notion.
Anyway, a few minutes ago I popped into our local Spar shop as apparently we were in dire need of a cabbage.
Behind the counter was a display of spirits including a bottle of "London Gin" at £9.99. On a whim I bought it and and a couple of bottles of Spar tonic to go with it.
I'm testing it at this very moment and it's not bad ! I think I may have devised a new strategy which is that it's ok to drink unbranded alcohol in the week as it doesn't really count...
Had it been a recognised label it would have been decadence.
Any other obscure liquors we should know about? Just in case, you understand !
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One of my daughters is a quality control manager in a big booze bottling plant, the expensive stuff is like car badges, you pay for the name. It is called marketing. The ALDI / LIDL stuff gets you just as legless and after a couple who cares where it came from.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 23 Feb 12 at 18:48
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>> The ALDI / LIDL stuff gets you just as legless and after a couple
>> who cares where it came from.
>>
Said by a true 'Jock'...;-)
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>> Said by a true 'Jock'...;-)
>>
Not quite a "true" one, I am an ex pat. I drink about as often as Humph claims to. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 23 Feb 12 at 18:58
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I have to say, I have had some foul "unbranded" gin, and the very worse port I have ever tasted from Aldi.
Stuff like gin is subtle. You can tell the different brands apart.
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Well, all I can add ish it'sh jolly nish...
:-))
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Do you travel, Humph? On the flight back from Tenerife last week we splashed out a whole 12 euros (£10?) on a big 1 litre bottle of branded (Smirmof) Vodka. And that was 'export' strength 50% as well.
(Unfortunately it was a gift for stepson for looking after dog/house while we were away, so I can't tell you what it tastes like.)
Last edited by: Focus on Thu 23 Feb 12 at 19:22
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I do Focus but mainly in Europe so it doesn't make a great deal of difference. Cigs are irritatingly cheap in Italy...If only I still...
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Thu 23 Feb 12 at 19:25
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>> I do Focus but mainly in Europe so it doesn't make a great deal of
>> difference.
Isn't Tenerife Europe? (Geography's not my strongpoint.) That was just the duty-free price, on a Ryanair flight. For comparison, Asda want £12 for a 70cl bottle of normal Smirnof (£17.14 per litre).
Last edited by: Focus on Thu 23 Feb 12 at 19:29
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Right - so you don't get duty free if just coming back from the ('normal') EU. Didn't know that - I need to get out more :)
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Haven't been there for years, just spent what seems like hours at baggage reclaim in Manchester staring at Customs posters...
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I like plenty of tonic in my G&T, which makes the brand of gin largely irrelevant.
A couple of hotel bars I've been in recently appeared to be routinely serving Bombay Sapphire (I think), which is pale blue, or the bottle is.
www.bombaysapphire.com/#
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>> A couple of hotel bars I've been in recently appeared to be routinely serving Bombay
>> Sapphire (I think), which is pale blue, or the bottle is.
>>
>> www.bombaysapphire.com/#
Bottle is blue, not the gin!
I used to drink it when it first hit the shelves, its was a pleasant change, however they have pushed it up price to Tanqueray levels, and thats a much better gin.
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We went to this place the other night with a friend - second visit in a couple of weeks.
www.white-eagle.co.uk/index.shtml
Now that we know its regular patron is safely out of the way frightening Penguins it's been reclaimed by the locals.
They sell this...
www.welsh-whisky.co.uk/spirits/brecon-gin.aspx
Our friend said it was "lush" - not too expensive either.
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I've come quite partial to G&Ts, I agree Bombay Sapphire has gone up but I still think it's the best out there, lovely taste to it. Luckily I stockpiled last time I went to Gibraltar, I think 1L was about a tenner, so I've still got a bit left. Hendricks isn't bad either, it's scottish gin IIRC.
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G&T, got to be Beefeater gin.
Pink Gin (Pinkers), go to be Plymouth gin.
Don't like Bombay Sapphire, either mixed or neat. Gordon's was ok till the bean counters reduced the strength, from 40% vol to 37.7% doesn't sound much but by the time you add tonic, it all counts.
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>> . Gordon's was ok till the bean counters
>> reduced the strength, from 40% vol to 37.7% doesn't sound much but by the time
>> you add tonic, it all counts.
Reduction in alcohol of 5.75% so quite a bit actually.
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Hendricks and Tanqueray are nicest for me - wasn't that impressed with Tanq 10 (even less impressed by the pretend-metal plastic screwcap!)
Beer I find is far more variable - some 'own brands' (and some of the cheaper brands) are simply vile.
Surprisingly I rate Becks alcohol-free (Beck blue) highly as an alternative to drink-driving, compared to most other alc-free stuff.
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>> Surprisingly I rate Becks alcohol-free (Beck blue) highly as an alternative to drink-driving, compared to
>> most other alc-free stuff.
+1 - Its a refreshing drink in its own right
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The only other alcohol-free beer I've tried and enjoyed is Erdinger (wheat beer) - like a lightweight Hoegaarden.
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Now Hoegaarden....don't like the white stuff much (ok on draught) but far too gassy in bottles - but their special brown stuff.........
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I have been known to down Rattlesque quantities of lager on occasion, although I buy it from the supermarket or the offy depending whose special offer is best. I don't care what brand it is as long as it's at least 4%, and I struggle to tell the difference between supermarket own-brand at £2.40 for 4 cans and premium brands at twice that amount.
As ON says, after the first couple it's all much of a muchness anyway :)
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>> As ON says, after the first couple it's all much of a muchness anyway :)
Buy the first two pints and rent the next 6.....
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Being primarily a drinker of cask beer, I tend to avoid cheapo stuff unless it's a brew I'm familiar with. I do buy bottled beers from various supermarkets, Fullers being the mainstay; the current HM cellar comprises London Pride, ESB and 1845, the latter snapped up in copious quantities last autumn when Tescopolis were rash enough to be flogging it at four for a fiver.
Mrs. H is alcohol intolerant so knows as much about booze as I do about nuclear physics; hence my dismay at finding my cherished bottles of Talisker whisky and Appletons rum being used for enhancing our Christmas cake and a batch of rum and raisin buns respectively!
Last edited by: Harleyman on Thu 23 Feb 12 at 20:36
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They aren't all the same, the gins and vodkas and other spirits. Some make you much iller than others, although of course they all make you ill if you ask for it.
Same thing applies to illicit poteen, Calva or any of the myriad local variants. Some are OK, others less so. I even left a drink once in Africa because it made my knees turn to jelly after one good sip. Something not quite right there, my organism murmured discreetly. So I gave slight offence by not drinking any more. You don't want any more methyl than, er, none at all really.
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Talisker flavoured christmas cake - that must be an experience. I haven't drunk the stuff for ages, since I was wild camping in the Lake District with a mate - the evening meal consisted of a bottle of Talisker and some fried sausages - we were quite unwell in the morning, apparently I didnm't cook the sausages properly :-)
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Well, the epilogue is that I stopped after two. Contrary to above suggestions it went rapidly downhill in pleasure terms about halfway through the second glass. The smell began to remind me of something my mother used to use to polish the door brasses with. Still, what remains will do fine for future visitors I dislike.
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Just pour it into an empty branded bottle.
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Not a bad shout Rob but then there's always the danger of not remembering which is which !
Failing all else it'll do nicely for getting tar spots off the cars...
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Bought 12 cans of Tesco premium lager for £6 today. 440ml and 5% so 2.2 units costs 50p! . I could get drunk on around 6 cans of that stuff, so that is drunk for £3 seems far too cheap!.
No idea what the Tesco stuff tastes like, but it will save me money before meeting up with my mates in town and onto the club.
If I seem drunk on here tomorrow evening blame Evil Tesco and their cheap booze. At that price you're forced to drink a lot of it :D.
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I am a gin drinker and LOVE the blue bottle..
Was given some vodka - 2 x 1 litre - which I have never drunk for years - and with Schw tonic is very palatable
I would imagine cheap vodka - being tasteless - is OK ..
Cheap gin? Morrisons Finest is very palatable.. but nasty gin is HORRIBLE.
Asda were doing an offer on cases pf 150ml cans of Schw tonic.. £2.50 instead of £3.96 so cleared the local shelves.... Offer finished now.
Good tonic water makes bad gin acceptable
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"please take me with you - I can see"....thump.
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"we were in dire need of a cabbage"
Plenty of them posting here if you need one, Humph.
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I had alf a bottle of Guinness about 3 weeks ago, proper stuff like, brewed in Dublin, I could easily get a liking for that.
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Aldi gin is good value for the money and diluted with tonic is fine.
No expense spared gin is Bombay Sapphire.
My Dad used, being career R.N. to drink pink Plymouth, of course!
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Bottled Guinness used to be bottle conditioned (nice) but they stopped years ago, about the time the process stared to be fashionable again.
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is a nice wee tipple. Only comes in small bottles, but you'd not want to drink a lot anyway - it's not that sort of beer.
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Bottled Guinness (from Dublin) is still rather nice though (even 'the wife' likes it) and its certainly better IMO than the North London brew (hic!)
7.5 ABV that Extra stuff :)
Last edited by: Dog on Fri 24 Feb 12 at 09:30
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>> Bottled Guinness (from Dublin) is still rather nice though (even 'the wife' likes it) and
>> its certainly better IMO than the North London brew (hic!)
>>
>> 7.5 ABV that Extra stuff :)
No longer brewed in London - Park Royal closed in 2005.
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>>No longer brewed in London - Park Royal closed in 2005<<
Yes, I've just been reading that (well I'll be a monkeys!)
"The Guinness brewery in Park Royal, London closed in 2005. The production of all Guinness sold in the UK and Ireland was moved to St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin".
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Guinness Park Royal brewery closed in 2005. All UK sold Guinness should now be Dublin brewed although some oddities still get imported.
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Prefer the plain bottled/canned version to the 'draught' in cans with a widget.
>> Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is a nice wee tipple. Only comes in small bottles, but
>> you'd not want to drink a lot anyway - it's not that sort of beer.
Not necesarily brewed in Ireland though. Last one I had was from Nigeria!
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So how about this then ... I like bottled Guinness (or from the pump)
Wifey brings home some tins from Tesco and I said that I prefer the Dublin brew,
She says it IS brewed in Dublin (quite right)
But I can taste a difference and I much prefer bottled, to tins.
Anyone else notice a difference, or do I need to get my bumps felt?
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In this one case your bumps are fine.
Stuff in bottles ALWAYS tastes better than stuff in cans. Bottled coke is a far better drink than canned coke.
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>>Stuff in bottles ALWAYS tastes better than stuff in cans.
+1. I never buy beer in cans.
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Beer of choice holidaying in France is Pelforth Blond.
Mrs B and I did a blind taste of canned and bottled - could detect the canned every time from metallic smell and aftertaste.
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In some countries, bottled beer is cheaper than canned. And you get some money back on the bottle when you return it to the shop. This was the case in Greece and Croatia.
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My dad was telling me that in the early 80's the local off licence used to have draught pumps. So you could bring your own bottles and they would fill them up.
Really fancy some hoegarden this evening but its over £4.00 in my local now so I may just buy a bottle before I go out.
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(Get the violins out!)
I can remember a time when me and 'the wife' were sooo poor, we took the empties back to the offy and then bought one portion of fish & chips.
We had an argument over something or other, the fish n' chips got thrown in the bin, I then retrieved them (I told you I was a Dog) and ... ate the lot (mostly)
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I was just amazed that things like that happened until quite recently, although the early 80's was 30 years ago now. Makes feel old.
It is sad really that all off licences do now is resell bottles and cans. I am sure there would be a niche market for proper draught beer in off licences. It would mean they could compete much better with Tesco etc.
I don't know how my local offy survives as there is Tesco Express just two minutes walk from it.
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>>I am sure there would be a niche market for proper draught beer in off licences<<
There you are then, a new venture for you and your m8's - micro breweries seem to do alright (from what I hear)
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Zero, you need to branch out a bit...
Lidl do two "brands" of gin. One is £9.99, the other £9.79. (or are the 8.99 and 8.79?) The cheaper one is revolting, the expensive one is my daily gin of choice, being quite Tanqueray-esque.
Gordons I find wishy washy - the export strength has more flavour.
Hendricks is just a marketing wheeze.
Tanqueray is my favourite gin, a good strongly flavoured brew. But is it worth twice the cost of Lidl's?
Tanqueray 10 (or whatever it is called) I really disliked.
Bombay Sapphire is for people who don't like gin - very thinly flavoured.
Beefeater has an awful synthetic taste.
Plymouth I like too - easier to find these days than it used to be.
As a general rule, I drink Lidl's more expensive gin. Aldi have a considerably more expensive gin which is quite nice too.
The key thing in gin is the tonic water. For me, Schweppes every time; own brands are too sweet and quite horrid. And then ideally a slice of lime.
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In Greece we've bought wine from the barrel. You bring your own bottle. The same 'barrels' they use in the restaurants. Not my favourite wines but very drinkable in warmer climates.
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I've bought wine en vrac from cooperatives in the Languedoc. You take your own five-litre HDPE container and fill it from a thing like a petrol pump. Not sure if it still happens - this was in 2000 and I've not been to a major wine-making area since - but it was cheap and fun for the houseful we had at the time.
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>>I've bought wine en vrac from cooperatives in the Languedoc.
Not exactly "unbranded" is it. Most wine doesn't (mercifully) have a brand (of the sort that requires massive advertising etc. like Hardy's).
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I've actually had a bit of a sore head this morning. I only had two of those gins last night so it does seem a bit unfair! Ok, I don't usually drink much or very often so I've probably lost the ability to deal with it but nonetheless...
Will be sticking to stuff I've heard of in future. Tea sounds like a plan for example !
:-)
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>>Gordons I find wishy washy<<
Ideal for a LibDem I would have thought!
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Shwpps Tonic water with the added tinge of lemon goes very nicely into a G&T!
Isn`t London Gin a brand in it`s own right?
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London Gin is a style and distillation method.
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Yes, it's like Cheddar cheese, more London Gin is made outside London than in. Of the major brands, only Beefeater is a London Gin by style and origin; I've been round the distillery :o)
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I drink many litres of tonic water. It makes a nice drink with orange squash!
Currently I using ALDI concentrated orange squash @99p a bottle + ALDI diet tonic at 39p a bottle.
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Anything alcoholic I have drank in the past.Don't touch the cheap stuff now.Have good quality wodca at home .Genever Advocate and various wines.
I have a pint of beer Guinness or a bitter.Heineken or Amstel beer and sometimes Grolsch.
We used to live near a brewery in R/Dam.Orangeboom beer very tasty.
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>>Orangeboom beer very tasty<<
Its a Lager not a tune ;)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrQDIDknL1Y
Last edited by: Dog on Fri 24 Feb 12 at 13:36
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Its the local brew Dog with a Genever chaser it becomes a tune.>:)
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"Unbranded" alcohol - Old Navy
