Follow the Leader: Episode 69: Alcohol Then and Now!
Martinex1: Welcome to another random adventure with Follow the Leader! Who says Tuesdays are the least exciting day of the week? Not us at BitBA! Let's get it rolling with a great new topic...
18 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I hope this isn't a controversial subject but what are your childhood memories of alcohol? Did your parents drink alcohol? If so, which kinds and any particular brands? Were you allowed to taste any? And do you drink alcohol nowadays? Which kinds do you like?
My main memories of alcohol in childhood are of sitting outside the occasional pub, and my dad giving us a sip of his beer to show us what it tasted like, having to drink sherry at weddings and drinking advocaat at Christmas. To be honest, sherry and advocaat are not good drinks. Beer is fine, with stout being my preferred tipple. I'm afraid spirits and wine just taste like paint stripper to me.
Ha! It was different for sure in the 60s... Soooo many homes in blue collar Chicago land had built in bars. A shot and a beer or a "hi ball" was how the adults exercised after work LOL!
My parents mostly didn't drink alcohol but at Christmas we had beer and Babycham. The beer was mixed with lemonade to make shandy and my sister and I were allowed to drink Babycham despite it containing alcohol. I still buy beer and Babycham every Christmas to keep up the tradition. When I was around 11 my father had a brief fad for dry red wine. He let me taste some and I thought it was horrible - I didn't try red wine again till my thirties. My father also bought Tia Maria but not for drinking - for pouring over ice-cream!! He said it tasted like toffee and I didn't even realise it was an alcoholic drink. I also remember going to a local pub with a friend and his dad when I was about 9. We sat outside drinking glasses of cider - to me cider tasted like pop and not at all alcoholic. After all, you could buy cider-flavoured ice-lollies for kids - but in those days you could still buy sweet cigarettes for kids too. My father tolerated alcohol as long as it was occasional and in small doses. His grandfather had been a successful businessman in Scotland but lost everything due to alcoholism. His grandfather's drink of choice was port (not Scotch?) and my father's attitude towards port was so contemptuous that I didn't taste any till I bought a bottle for my 40th birthday, just out of curiosity to see what it tasted like. By then my father was dead so I didn't need to worry about his disapproval.
What do I drink nowadays? For years I've bought a bottle of spirits every week, alternating between Scotch, rum, vodka and gin but recently I decided to cease this practice, to save money mainly. I haven't drunk any alcohol since Easter Sunday (April 1st) and I haven't missed it at all!
Though not a big deal now especially to Europeans, Coors beer brewed out in Colorado was non pasteurized through at least the 60s and thus had this mystical aura about it causing Chicago land men to smuggle it east of the Mississippi River. Allegedly this was a law because unpasteurized beer was potentially dangerous (according to the big brands like Budweiser, Anheuser Busch, etc. LOL). I was granted a taste of Coors secretly smuggled in to Gary, Indiana and pretty much thought it was much ado about nothing to my 9 year old brain!
Charlie, I've got a beer glass with the Coors logo on the side! (It actually says Coors LIGHT).
I didn't buy it - I found it abandoned in the street a few years ago, half full of a purple liquid. So I washed it and now whenever I buy the occasional bottle of beer or cider I pour them into my Coors glass :)
One of my clearest memories of childhood are my parents and their friends sitting in those awful metal outdoor chairs in the summer, drinking Tom Collins in those special tall tumbled glasses with glass stirring sticks. Probably will see that image on my death bed.
Now? Hardly drink at all. Though I still love Coconut Rum and pineapple juice.
If you haven't tried it, I strongly recommend Rum Chata, which is an alcohol-based version of the sweet Mexican drink Horchata. Three glasses over ice and I am one happy Yoyo.
I really like beer, but it doesn't always like me - so I drink it in moderation (never more than two pints at the bar or three bottles over the course of a night at home). I really love good champagne. I grew up thinking I didn't like champs, but I had only ever had cheap champs. On a whim I bought a pricey bottle of MOET for my 30th birthday and LOVED it. It was then that I discovered that at least when it comes to sparkling wine, you get what you pay for!
I gave up hard liquor in my late 20s and have never had much of a taste for wine, though I do enjoy an occasional sangria.
Oh as for alcohol in my childhood, my mom loved Manichevitz for some reason (we are not Jewish) and that was the first alcohol I ever tasted at age 6. It was gross to me then and gross to me now. The first time I got drunk/hungover I was 8 years old. It was New Years 1979/80 and there was a HUGE family party out on Long Island (the last time all those people were in the same place - I met family I would never meet again). I went around to every relative asking for "a little sip" and they all obliged me not realizing that I was asking that of everyone. I ended up drunk as hell and miserable for the first day of the 80s.
Later in my teens, I snuck gin out of the kitchen cabinet - as my mom used to love it - but had given up drinking, but still had a few bottles around.
My Dad always enjoyed a beer, and Plum Wine if we went to a Chinese restaurant. I remember beer and wine commercials on tv being almost ubiquitous in the 70s. Loved the animated Hamm's Bear.
I never drank as a youth, but do occasionally as an adult. Like Osvaldo, I like a good champagne. Sangria from time to time, or a margarita . Never acquired a taste for beer, but my nephew introduced me to mead. Pretty good, and makes me think of Conan...
My dad drank beer (mostly Bohemian back then, which I later discovered has kind of a watered-down taste to it) and sometimes rye and water.
I recently quit drinking--trying to lose some weight and generally get healthier--but I drank beer mostly, with occasional forays into rye and vodka. I drank Pilsner (a Canadian brand) for years, then switched to fancier stuff ... Stella, Heineken, and MGD. I also liked Guinness, but it was even more expensive, so I didn't buy it often.
Not many memories of alcohol as a kid. Neither of my parents drank, although my dad, like my grandfather and several uncles, often made wine from the grapes we had growing on our property. He never drank it, though, usually only offering it to relatives and other guests who came to visit. And it wasn't very good - too sour and too strong. It wasn't until much later that I learned wine can actually taste good, and not like vinegar that can get you drunk. Otherwise, I remember always being curious about beer as a little kid; it had that lovely golden color and foamed up when poured into a glass (like root beer!), and I saw how much adults seemed to relish it. I thought it must taste like the best cream soda ever. And then once, at some family gathering, my older brother poured himself a glass out of the eyeshot of the adults and let me have a sip. Geez, what a disappointment! It was sour, bitter and awful! It took me a long time to learn to appreciate beer, and I'm still a bit of a snob about it: I like the really well-made stuff, like the craft brews in the US, and luckily in Europe you can find some good beers, especially if they're made by the Czechs or Slovaks. Even so, I'm still not really a beer drinker - I prefer cider, and once when I spent the better part of a summer in England in 1997 I was in heaven due to the ready availability of high quality ciders. Otherwise, when I drink something alcoholic, which is rare, I prefer a good wine (including sparkling wines/champagne and late harvest desert wines) or some of the sweeter beverages, especially liqueurs or vermouth.
Colin this is a fun question. Be thankful you've never had to drink Coors Light! I stick with craft beers mostly and have an unwavering passion for Schwabisch Hall's beer from Germany known as Haller Lowenbrau!
What an interesting discussion! My dad drank beer. Schaeffer, Ballantine Ale, sometimes Pabst. My folks had the usual early 70s assortment of liquors, but that was mostly for parties, which were few. When I was 12 ('76!) my friends would somehow get hold of cheap beer, like Schlitz. I did not enjoy it. Consequently, I abstained from alcohol throughout my teens and twenties!(My nickname in the band was The Milkman.) When I did start trying beer, my palette had become more "refined" and I could enjoy good flavorful beers, like Edo. Over the last twenty or so years, it has been fun trying different varieties from different brewers, of whom there are many here in New England! A few years ago, I was introduced to fine Wine, Whisky, Whiskey, Bourbon, Rye, and even Gin. Fortunately for my general health, I cannot afford to make a habit of such tippling! I've never been drunk. but I do enjoy a well made cocktail!
18 comments:
I hope this isn't a controversial subject but what are your childhood memories of alcohol? Did your parents drink alcohol? If so, which kinds and any particular brands? Were you allowed to taste any? And do you drink alcohol nowadays? Which kinds do you like?
My main memories of alcohol in childhood are of sitting outside the occasional pub, and my dad giving us a sip of his beer to show us what it tasted like, having to drink sherry at weddings and drinking advocaat at Christmas. To be honest, sherry and advocaat are not good drinks. Beer is fine, with stout being my preferred tipple. I'm afraid spirits and wine just taste like paint stripper to me.
Ha! It was different for sure in the 60s... Soooo many homes in blue collar Chicago land had built in bars. A shot and a beer or a "hi ball" was how the adults exercised after work LOL!
My parents mostly didn't drink alcohol but at Christmas we had beer and Babycham. The beer was mixed with lemonade to make shandy and my sister and I were allowed to drink Babycham despite it containing alcohol. I still buy beer and Babycham every Christmas to keep up the tradition.
When I was around 11 my father had a brief fad for dry red wine. He let me taste some and I thought it was horrible - I didn't try red wine again till my thirties. My father also bought Tia Maria but not for drinking - for pouring over ice-cream!! He said it tasted like toffee and I didn't even realise it was an alcoholic drink.
I also remember going to a local pub with a friend and his dad when I was about 9. We sat outside drinking glasses of cider - to me cider tasted like pop and not at all alcoholic. After all, you could buy cider-flavoured ice-lollies for kids - but in those days you could still buy sweet cigarettes for kids too.
My father tolerated alcohol as long as it was occasional and in small doses. His grandfather had been a successful businessman in Scotland but lost everything due to alcoholism. His grandfather's drink of choice was port (not Scotch?) and my father's attitude towards port was so contemptuous that I didn't taste any till I bought a bottle for my 40th birthday, just out of curiosity to see what it tasted like. By then my father was dead so I didn't need to worry about his disapproval.
What do I drink nowadays? For years I've bought a bottle of spirits every week, alternating between Scotch, rum, vodka and gin but recently I decided to cease this practice, to save money mainly. I haven't drunk any alcohol since Easter Sunday (April 1st) and I haven't missed it at all!
Though not a big deal now especially to Europeans, Coors beer brewed out in Colorado was non pasteurized through at least the 60s and thus had this mystical aura about it causing Chicago land men to smuggle it east of the Mississippi River. Allegedly this was a law because unpasteurized beer was potentially dangerous (according to the big brands like Budweiser, Anheuser Busch, etc. LOL). I was granted a taste of Coors secretly smuggled in to Gary, Indiana and pretty much thought it was much ado about nothing to my 9 year old brain!
Charlie, I've got a beer glass with the Coors logo on the side! (It actually says Coors LIGHT).
I didn't buy it - I found it abandoned in the street a few years ago, half full of a purple liquid. So I washed it and now whenever I buy the occasional bottle of beer or cider I pour them into my Coors glass :)
One of my clearest memories of childhood are my parents and their friends sitting in those awful metal outdoor chairs in the summer, drinking Tom Collins in those special tall tumbled glasses with glass stirring sticks. Probably will see that image on my death bed.
Now? Hardly drink at all. Though I still love Coconut Rum and pineapple juice.
If you haven't tried it, I strongly recommend Rum Chata, which is an alcohol-based version of the sweet Mexican drink Horchata. Three glasses over ice and I am one happy Yoyo.
Yoyo
I really like beer, but it doesn't always like me - so I drink it in moderation (never more than two pints at the bar or three bottles over the course of a night at home). I really love good champagne. I grew up thinking I didn't like champs, but I had only ever had cheap champs. On a whim I bought a pricey bottle of MOET for my 30th birthday and LOVED it. It was then that I discovered that at least when it comes to sparkling wine, you get what you pay for!
I gave up hard liquor in my late 20s and have never had much of a taste for wine, though I do enjoy an occasional sangria.
Oh as for alcohol in my childhood, my mom loved Manichevitz for some reason (we are not Jewish) and that was the first alcohol I ever tasted at age 6. It was gross to me then and gross to me now. The first time I got drunk/hungover I was 8 years old. It was New Years 1979/80 and there was a HUGE family party out on Long Island (the last time all those people were in the same place - I met family I would never meet again). I went around to every relative asking for "a little sip" and they all obliged me not realizing that I was asking that of everyone. I ended up drunk as hell and miserable for the first day of the 80s.
Later in my teens, I snuck gin out of the kitchen cabinet - as my mom used to love it - but had given up drinking, but still had a few bottles around.
My Dad always enjoyed a beer, and Plum Wine if we went to a Chinese restaurant. I remember beer and wine commercials on tv being almost ubiquitous in the 70s. Loved the animated Hamm's Bear.
I never drank as a youth, but do occasionally as an adult. Like Osvaldo, I like a good champagne. Sangria from time to time, or a margarita . Never acquired a taste for beer, but my nephew introduced me to mead. Pretty good, and makes me think of Conan...
My dad drank beer (mostly Bohemian back then, which I later discovered has kind of a watered-down taste to it) and sometimes rye and water.
I recently quit drinking--trying to lose some weight and generally get healthier--but I drank beer mostly, with occasional forays into rye and vodka. I drank Pilsner (a Canadian brand) for years, then switched to fancier stuff ... Stella, Heineken, and MGD. I also liked Guinness, but it was even more expensive, so I didn't buy it often.
Not many memories of alcohol as a kid. Neither of my parents drank, although my dad, like my grandfather and several uncles, often made wine from the grapes we had growing on our property. He never drank it, though, usually only offering it to relatives and other guests who came to visit. And it wasn't very good - too sour and too strong. It wasn't until much later that I learned wine can actually taste good, and not like vinegar that can get you drunk.
Otherwise, I remember always being curious about beer as a little kid; it had that lovely golden color and foamed up when poured into a glass (like root beer!), and I saw how much adults seemed to relish it. I thought it must taste like the best cream soda ever. And then once, at some family gathering, my older brother poured himself a glass out of the eyeshot of the adults and let me have a sip. Geez, what a disappointment! It was sour, bitter and awful! It took me a long time to learn to appreciate beer, and I'm still a bit of a snob about it: I like the really well-made stuff, like the craft brews in the US, and luckily in Europe you can find some good beers, especially if they're made by the Czechs or Slovaks. Even so, I'm still not really a beer drinker - I prefer cider, and once when I spent the better part of a summer in England in 1997 I was in heaven due to the ready availability of high quality ciders.
Otherwise, when I drink something alcoholic, which is rare, I prefer a good wine (including sparkling wines/champagne and late harvest desert wines) or some of the sweeter beverages, especially liqueurs or vermouth.
Colin this is a fun question. Be thankful you've never had to drink Coors Light! I stick with craft beers mostly and have an unwavering passion for Schwabisch Hall's beer from Germany known as Haller Lowenbrau!
What an interesting discussion! My dad drank beer. Schaeffer, Ballantine Ale, sometimes Pabst. My folks had the usual early 70s assortment of liquors, but that was mostly for parties, which were few. When I was 12 ('76!) my friends would somehow get hold of cheap beer, like Schlitz. I did not enjoy it. Consequently, I abstained from alcohol throughout my teens and twenties!(My nickname in the band was The Milkman.) When I did start trying beer, my palette had become more "refined" and I could enjoy good flavorful beers, like Edo. Over the last twenty or so years, it has been fun trying different varieties from different brewers, of whom there are many here in New England! A few years ago, I was introduced to fine Wine, Whisky, Whiskey, Bourbon, Rye, and even Gin. Fortunately for my general health, I cannot afford to make a habit of such tippling! I've never been drunk. but I do enjoy a well made cocktail!
Just last night my wife and I were laughing about how you can't even call Coors Light beer! ;)
Yep, Osvaldo, as the Monty Python gang once joked, it's like making love in a canoe...
Action #1000 comes out today! A mile stone! Not sure I would grab a hundred for investment purposes though! LOL
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