Obscure drinks destined to make you win friends and underhandedly influence people.

[TAITA]

The Mustard Pot is fast becoming an addictive must read on any topic but seems to be lacking that one vital ingredient - the one that we spend so many hours contemplating, sampling and then ultimately devouring in copious quantities - the drink.

So I have bravely taken it upon myself to venture where no man has before me, and set up a thread where we can share some of the more obscure drinking choices.

Fresita - A Chilean sparkling infused with handpicked strawberries and no sugar, this rates 5 legs on my legopener scale. I don't have a sweet tooth so one glass is enough for me although a hot summers night by the beach or the river might see me have two, this is guaranteed to get the juices flowing within your significant other. Major stores & liquorbarns @ $15 - $18.

On the subject of sparklings, Jacquart is the french champagne that the french prefer - another good leg opening tip from your old mate TAITA - and at about $40 from Dan Murphy's good value but only for the less experienced (read thirsty) lady drinkers.

I actually rate both wines very highly.

I'll add more if there is any interest in the thread.

 

[grizzlym]

The evil Dan Murphy's had a great buy on the Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz recently. $19.90 a bottle..... insanely cheap for a wine of this quality.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

This legopener scale....surely, can only be measured against the pinnacle that is Passion Pop.

But back on topic, in my prior role I would spend many hours in the day tasting and liaising around different drinks, but unfortunately for me I have an aversion to Wine.

RTD's are my go, and some of the trends in America that flavour houses would send samples of to my company were either ridiculous or ridiculous, in most cases.

Chilli flavoured vodka's. Smoke flavoured energy drinks. Savoury flavoured RTD's, yes I'm talking Cheese and Chive flavoured drinks.
Hamburger flavours, Sausage flavours, etc.

You can almost bet that we'll take some of these on in the coming years, such is our interest in following what happens over the ditch.

 

[Henry Jr]

Mmmmmmmmm - Beer!

 

[halfback dasher]

AAaaarrrr , the legopener...... I remember those days < Lean's Fwd and gazes out of the window , chin resting on his hands >
Must say the one that sticks in my mind as my "go too"....Was as follows..Rich vanilla ice cream Blended slowly , poor in KALHUA ( amount pending ice cream amount ) then add a dash of Bailys , a dash of strawberry flavouring and then grait rich dark choccy to pop on top , split a strawberry and place on the rim of the glass.....The garnish makes the drink.... Now this MUST be shared on a comfy sofa with a roaring fire......and soft music in the back ground......Mmmmm

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Wow Dasher - you've almost won me over.

Influencing people with drinks huh?

In my experience most people like to appear as though they know a lot about any given drink. Or more to the point people don't want to appear too un-knowledgable.

I've found that most of the guys I work with that are 'in the know' with wine have approximate 2-3 fine wine stories that get repeated everytime a company is being entertained. Funnily enough this seems to leave the impression on customers that these guys know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING to do with wine.

Having said that I'm free to proclaim here that my knowledge of wine is severely limited. I know that a sav blanc is a white thing and a pinot noir is a red one but beyond that it is completely random and up to the gods as to whether the wine I buy is fine of foul. So any hints, tips and theories (rules of thumb e.g. get yourself a sav blanc from the NZ maryborough region) would be handy.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

A shot of contreau dropped into a glass of red-bull.....Skittle Bomb. And yes, tastes just like Skittles.

Obscure enough?



I actually had some Beef Jerky infused Vodka on Sat'd night at my mates bar. It really did taste like Jerky...until that burn hits you late in the mouth.

 

[grizzlym]

TAITA, now I know the thread title says 'obscure drinks', but are you thinking it also includes just like good booze people have stumbled across too?

I know there are a few wine heads on this board (in the swirl, sniff, sip mode not the cask down the park types). Just wondering.

 

[TAITA]

TAITA, now I know the thread title says 'obscure drinks', but are you thinking it also includes just like good booze people have stumbled across too?

I know there are a few wine heads on this board (in the swirl, sniff, sip mode not the cask down the park types). Just wondering.

Definitely grizz - I love gasoline in plentiful quantities as much as I like quaffing - it's the drink thread and everyone is welcome.

 

[go hawks!!!]

Pepperjack is a favourite in my cellar. Heathcote Estate is awesome and I choose any wine from Heathcote from the wine list.

Scotch:

Highland Park - Single Malt

My home brew is a must, my next door neighbour is the king of the home brew.

Beers:

Chimay Blue - Fantastic

White Rabbit - Healesville

Black Betty - Abbotsford

Crown Lager (nice and cold, from the back of the fridge)

Beechworth Pale Ale

Fat Yak

I am a sucker for local beer. I could name 50 from when I lived in the stats.

 

[TAITA]

I've found that most of the guys I work with that are 'in the know' with wine have approximate 2-3 fine wine stories that get repeated everytime a company is being entertained. Funnily enough this seems to leave the impression on customers that these guys know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING to do with wine.

Having said that I'm free to proclaim here that my knowledge of wine is severely limited. I know that a sav blanc is a white thing and a pinot noir is a red one but beyond that it is completely random and up to the gods as to whether the wine I buy is fine of foul. So any hints, tips and theories (rules of thumb e.g. get yourself a sav blanc from the NZ maryborough region) would be handy.

Solid point LP, really solid - I'm of the belief that wine is like art - that is, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

There is no right nor wrong, however if you want to 'educate' yourself the first lesson is smell comes before taste, well in a sense anyway. Whilst the palate can detect something like about 3,800 different nuances, the nose is far better equipped at something like nearly 14,000. A trained wine quaffer might be able to detect as many as 1000 different aromas based on 13 individual categories (that I can't remember off the top of my head).

Hence you see many people smelling and swirling the wine before tasting.

If you want to impress your office mates I'd suggest any reds from the Padthaway region in South Australia, cold climate Chardonnays from both the Mornington Peninsula and Macedon wine regions, and a personal favorite - Knights Granite Hills Wines, both reds and whites although the Shiraz is to die for, particularly the 2006 vintage.

As for Sauvignon friggen Blanc - yes my missus is a huge fan - and the Marlborough region is the duck's guts of the world apparently - however, whilst I can tell you what a bad Sav Blanc is, I'm afraid my palate is not developed enough to truly differentiate between the good and the truly great.

 

[TAITA]

Tried any of the Holgates Brewery out of Woodend GH?

 

[grizzlym]

Solid point LP, really solid - I'm of the belief that wine is like art - that is, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

There is no right nor wrong, however if you want to 'educate' yourself the first lesson is smell comes before taste, well in a sense anyway. Whilst the palate can detect something like about 3,800 different nuances, the nose is far better equipped at something like nearly 14,000. A trained wine quaffer might be able to detect as many as 1000 different aromas based on 13 individual categories (that I can't remember off the top of my head).

Hence you see many people smelling and swirling the wine before tasting.

If you want to impress your office mates I'd suggest any reds from the Padthaway region in South Australia, cold climate Chardonnays from both the Mornington Peninsula and Macedon wine regions, and a personal favorite - Knights Granite Hills Wines, both reds and whites although the Shiraz is to die for, particularly the 2006 vintage.

As for Sauvignon friggen Blanc - yes my missus is a huge fan - and the Marlborough region is the duck's guts of the world apparently - however, whilst I can tell you what a bad Sav Blanc is, I'm afraid my palate is not developed enough to truly differentiate between the good and the truly great.

As I told you, mate, I kind of stopped drinking wine when the monster was born. My liver thanks me because I kind of grew up marinated in the stuff. My brother is a sommelier and wine buyer.... and so it goes.

I've got some Knights from the 90s. There was one vintage where the cabernet was sublime - can't remember which though.

Have you come across Adam Marks from Bress in your travels? Heathcote winery. He' a freakin' lunatic, a very talented winemaker and a great guy. You two would get along like a house on fire. Complete nutter.

 

[go hawks!!!]

Tried any of the Holgates Brewery out of Woodend GH?

Yes mate, been playing to do a day trip soon.

For others who have not been or tasted:

http://www.holgatebrewhouse.com/brewery.html

 

[TAITA]

Just give me a yell if you want me to pick you up a case on the way through GH - there actually is a football connection with that old pub in that it was owned by the Le Brocq's - of whom Brian used to be on the old VFL tribunal.

Probably a better adjudicator than a publican though as I used to deliver beer there in another life, and lets just say his rotation policy wasn't all that good - I discovered a barrell that had been sitting in his shed for 7 years.

Bress is killing it grizz, infact as Gh said, all Heathcote wineries are. Very hard to believe if you saw the 'industry' 20 years ago when their were less than a handfull of operations over there.

There is one particular boutique one up at Greytown that is doing very well with it's 100 year old vines - might have to do some googling because the name doesn't come to mind immediately.

 

[TAITA]

Yes mate, been playing to do a day trip soon.

For others who have not been or tasted:

http://www.holgatebrewhouse.com/brewery.html

We should get the Social Club involved and organise a golf day one Sunday morning - get the train up and a hit - I'm much more value on the 19th hole (comical actually as I spend most of the day looking for the ball) but that's okay.

Thoughts?

 

[Hawkinspired]

Stay clear of the New Zealand Sauv Blancs! If you must support the 'Sauvalanch' at least buy Australian Sauv Blanc.

The Kiwi's can legally add sugar which probably explains its popularity. You can't do that in Australia. I don't know about you, but i prefer my wine without sugar!

 

[krisholio14]

The evil Dan Murphy's had a great buy on the Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz recently. $19.90 a bottle..... insanely cheap for a wine of this quality.

Agreed.

In the white department, Pike's riesling is a steal at the price.

 

[krisholio14]

Stay clear of the New Zealand Sauv Blancs! If you must support the 'Sauvalanch' at least buy Australian Sauv Blanc.

The Kiwi's can legally add sugar which probably explains its popularity. You can't do that in Australia. I don't know about you, but i prefer my wine without added sugar!

Considering all wines contain some level of sugar just thought i'd clean that post up

 

[krisholio14]

Tried any of the Holgates Brewery out of Woodend GH?

The ole Winter Warmer is a cracker of a beer.

Others have improved in quality and consistency over the years.

 

[Henry Jr]

We should get the Social Club involved and organise a golf day one Sunday morning - get the train up and a hit - I'm much more value on the 19th hole (comical actually as I spend most of the day looking for the ball) but that's okay.

Thoughts?

Grizz to drive the bus Taita?

 

[go hawks!!!]

We should get the Social Club involved and organise a golf day one Sunday morning - get the train up and a hit - I'm much more value on the 19th hole (comical actually as I spend most of the day looking for the ball) but that's okay.

Thoughts?

TAITA, i reckon that is a good idea, i'm down!

 

[grizzlym]

Stay clear of the New Zealand Sauv Blancs! If you must support the 'Sauvalanch' at least buy Australian Sauv Blanc.

The Kiwi's can legally add sugar which probably explains its popularity. You can't do that in Australia. I don't know about you, but i prefer my wine without sugar!

The fact is that many people wouldn't know what a decent sav blanc should taste like. With all of the 'tricks' that go on in the world of commercial wines, true varietal character gets lost.

Some years back, I remember going down to Bass Phillip for a vertical pinot tasting , and watching the tanker trucks make their way to the Mornington Peninsula filled with King Valley fruit to augment the weedy sav blanc the area produces. I remember when Giesen and Oyster Bay first hit the Australian market they were good wines for the Roubles.

Then they sold their souls to Murphy's (the mongol hordes of the wine world), dropped their pants and the quality just plummeted. compared to when they first came out, they're just the vinicultural equivalent of NZ fast food now.

As for suagar, look no further than most sub $20 Cab Merlots. They're made squarely for the middle palate of Australia. High sugar and alcohol content disguising (mostly) astringent and weedy wines. There was a certain merlot from one of the big companies that had more sugar than an equivalent sized UDL. as a winemaker so aptly put it, "cab merlot is the UDL for grown-ups". Not all of them mind you, but there is a market trend out there.

 

[grizzlym]

Grizz to drive the bus Taita?

Can I wear my mod uniform?

 

[halfback dasher]

Golf , drinks and good company.......IM IN....