So tonight I decided to make a jack and coke with no idea how to. I think it was maybe a 60/40 mix. It was quite the shock with the 1st sip. Diluted it with more coke in another glass and was able to drink the one I had. Once the buzz started to kick in I put the rest in a jar for later. I need to use an oven and don't want to be drunk. Hopefully its still good in a few days on my next night off. What are your guys 1st time drinking stories?
For any "shot-and-a-mixer" drink, typically served in a rocks glass with ice, the rule of thumb is to fill the rocks glass with ice, pour a shot and add the mixer, aiming for about a 50/50 mix between the two.
And no, flat soda mixed with Jack Daniels won't be all that tasty days later...
If the Jack & Coke is already mixed- it won't be good later. Invest in a shot glass or jigger. Use it to measure for your mixed drinks. That way you don't over pour. That will also help you adjust your ratio to what you like taste wise. Keep in mind different liquors have different alcohol levels. Typically rum is less than vodka or whiskey. Think about how you want your drinking night to go. If you just want to chill with some friends, and have 4-5 drinks- go with the lighter stuff. Remember most people are fun when they have a nice buzz going. Drunks just turn into assholes.
Measuring mixed drinks is good - I was professionally trained as a bartender and we all started using a jigger, the best being (in ounces) 1 by 1.5. One ounce on the small side, an ounce-and-a-half on the big side. That's for a house where an ounce is the house shot - typical of many joints. Some go smaller, some go bigger. The jigger is invaluable in making the "make-or-break" drinks - drinks that have to be made perfectly due to there being very little mixer in them to disguise mistakes.
The alcohol levels of the vast majority of liquors (not liqueurs) sold in the US are 86 proof. Divide the proof number in half to get the percentage of alcohol by volume, so 86 proof = 43% alcohol by volume. This came about with government regulation of the manufacture of alcohol following prohibition - you rarely see "bonded whisky" these days, but "bonded" meant it was made under direct government supervision. The Feds did this because during Prohibition there was a LOT of skanky stuff out there being passed off as liquor, some of which being dangerous if not deadly.
But back to my point - most booze is 86 proof. Jack Daniel's makes a green-labeled 80 proof whisky (it's a bit smoother, actually rather tasty). Southern Comfort comes in a 101 proof variety as well as 86. Some rum brands make a "151" version, 151 proof (and highly flammable). Everclear is 190 proof, the next best thing to pure alcohol - you should never drink this stuff straight unless you really, really don't like yourself much. Beyond these and a few other variations, the rest is 86 proof. Alcohol recipes are made based on the liquor being of a consistent strength and the bar and restaurant industries depend on this as a measure of knowing just how much alcohol a patron has in their system.
Rum will TASTE like it's lower in alcohol because it's sweeter - most rums are made of sugar. Vodka can be harsh because you taste the alcohol more. Whiskies like Scotch are harsher to new drinkers because of the peat smoke flavor - peat fires are used to dry the grain and the smell becomes part of the finished product. Bourbons (including "Kentucky whisky") have a taste more like perfume - this comes from the barrels. Bourbon is aged in fresh barrels that have been charred on the inside to impart some of the carbon and the sap into the whisky - it gives bourbon a distinct flavor, and many liquor companies will actually buy used bourbon barrels for aging other liquors because of the flavors imparted into them by the bourbon aging process. It's kinda strange, but good-condition used aging barrels will fetch a good price.
Yeah, I'm a mother-ef'in' encyclopedia...
This is my own recipe for a drink that will keep the night going very nicely with a minimum of casualties. Women will like it more than men, but the formula is adjustable for men's palates.
The Poolside
Fill a tall (or Collins) glass with ice to the top
1 ounce Malibu rum liqueur
1/2 ounce Amaretto Di Saronno
Fill to the top with orange juice
Garnish with an orange slice
For added flavor, leave room to dribble (pour slowly and in a small amount) some peach schnapps over the top.
For a more Caribbean flavor, substitute mango juice for orange juice.
For just a little more kick (more of a love tap, really), substitute Malibu Black (70 proof) for Malibu (42 proof).
For a different flavor that's less sweet, "come to the Dockside..."
The Dockside
Fill a tall (or Collins) glass with ice to the top.
1 ounce spiced rum - my preference is hard to get: Conch Republic Spiced Rum with 24k gold flakes. It's only sold in Key West, FL. Captain Morgan's will do fine.
1 or 2 "spits" Amaretto Di Saronno
Fill to halfway with club soda
Fill to top with orange juice (or citrus juice[-s] of choice)
Squeeze a lime wedge over it and toss it in (optional)
A "spit" is when you use a bartender's spigot on the bottle, cover the air hole in the back and just turn over and return the bottle quickly, releasing about the amount of liquid one would when spitting.
For a little more kick, just a little dribble of overproof rum on top, such as Bacardi 151.
The drink has a great flavor to it but it's not knock-you-on-your-ass strong. You could have a few of these over the course of an evening and keep a mellow buzz on without going over the top, unless you chug these like shooters. Even then, there's so much mixer in there, you're likely to fill up your stomach before you have enough alcohol to do any real damage.
