Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

Gimlet > Tom Collins

You're welcome.

Re: Not with a bag but with a whimper.
 

Although the labels are doctored (as the networks were wont to do during that era), it appears that Jim Rockford was a fan of The King of Beers.

As discussed many times here, I am also a fan of mass-market American pilsner.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZT0PUA14ll...00/Budman3.png

Re: Not with a bag but with a whimper.
 

Yes, Plymouth, the gin of choice for Travis McGee. It's good to see it back.

Not familiar with The Last Hurrah, but I'll try giving it a read. And Rockford may be what finally gets me to cave and subscribe to Netflix.

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

Depends on the time of day, the time of ear, and the occasion. A cocktail hour with clients or colleagues is perfect for a gimlet. Sitting out on the deck with a cool breeze coming across the marsh and the sun blazing overhead, Tom Collins or G&T is the way to go.

For those "my baby done left me" moments, or those "I left my heart on the train from the Peninsula" moments, only a martini will do.

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

I am just a big fan of gin & tonics lately. And also akvavit, but I'm odd that way.

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

This is gin season. A gin and tonic is perfect from now until October. And there are more excellent gins now than ever. There is no need to discuss anything you can get in the large bottles, since you've all had those. In order of preference:

The Botanist. From Islay. Crisp, clean, notable botanicals but still simple; the best.

Old Raj Blue Label. Navy strength, golden tint. Powerful. Use less in each drink, and have more drinks.

Ransom. A dark and musky gin. Old style.

Pymouth, mentioned above by Not Bob, is a classic.

I can't recommend Hendrick's; I just think the cucumber overpowers everything. I'm not a fan of Greenhook from Brooklyn, or Leopold's, but others whose opinion I respect enjoy them.

Gin and tonics are apparently the national cocktail of Spain, and I've tried using bitters, coriander, and other stuff, like our Spanish friends do, but I always come back to gin, tonic, and a little lime. Summer refreshment with a nice kick.

Re: Not with a bag but with a whimper.
 

I know there is technically a difference between Bud and Bud Light, but whatever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4p8LylVs_g

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

There is a gin season. It starts on New Year's Day and end's with the ball drop on Times Square. You don't like gin and tonics after October? That's why god invented the martini.

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

Columbus Day marks the seasonal shifts for me. Whites and rose' to pinot noir. Gin and tonics to scotch, bourbon, and calvados. Corona to IPAs.

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

I can still taste the akvavit from my trip to Norway a year or so ago. The night we did the big dinner with one of the producers guiding us through, the first dozen tasted fine, but by the end of the second dozen I was less of a fan.

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

Makes me glad I don't drink martinis.

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

I struggling with the season reasoning that would lead one to regularly drink Corona other than while immediately adjacent to water.

Then again, I mostly reject seasons rationing of beverages. Bourbon's good in the summer too. Rose can be nice in the winter. Why do we have to have rules about everything?

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

If anywhere in the Iberian peninsula, the stuff to drink in summer is chilled white port. A few places have started bringing it in over here, but it is indeed the finest drink around for the summer heat.

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

Rose is proof that the French are just trolling us with their food and drink snobbery. That's wine worthy of upstate New York's finest vineyards.

Re: Though Raymond Chandler made a mediocre gimlet
 

I don't disagree with your first paragraph at all; Mrs. Bueller and I make a pilgrimage to the Outer Banks every October. Corona seems like a natural.

As to the second point, these aren't rules at all. They're guidelines. I like the idea of changing things up, and a seasonal switch is as good a reason as any.

On GGG's point about clear beverages: I get to China, on average, once a year for the last ten years. Mou Tai is the national hootch of China. It is used in a game called Get the Westerner Drunk, which the Westerner usually doesn't realize he is playing. The taste is gasoline, but with a longer aftertaste. Toasts are performed which require one to down a shot of the stuff frequently if you are the guest of honor. Hand to God true story: I was given a free trip to Hohhot Inner Mongolia for drinking my host into oblivion. The forty pounds I've put on since my athletic days was a big help.