CNC Molds N Stuff Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 I've got a very American taste for an ice cold beer on a hot day when I am completely done working. (In deference to our European friends who like their beer room temperature.) I like a rum and cola. Usually diet Pepsi. I don't drink whiskey often, but I've gotten a taste for the good stuff when I do. Jack & Jim need not apply. Maker's Mark has a nice smell and fair taste. Pendelton seems smoother, but doesn't smell as nice. Lately I tried Bulleit Rye "Frontier Whiskey." I was expecting something harsh and rough. Its one of the best I've tasted of late. Smooth, nice flavor, pleasant smell. Almost worthy of sipping from a snifter. For a few years we got a taste for Benjamin Port (Australian brand I think) as a desert and holiday drink, but we have not been able to get any in years. Maybe I can talk Jadon into sending me some. LOL Now I am going to share a family tradition. Well sort of. I've been told in recent years bars have started making infused Vodka, but I never saw it back when I used to visit bars often. We called it Glug! Glug! Classically Plum Glug! This was my grandmother's recipe. We have since modified it, but I'll start with her's. Go out along the north side of the front yard and pick a bunch of prune plums at the peak of ripeness. When I stayed with them one of my chores was mowing the front lawn, and I would grab one to munch on about every third time the mower reached that side of the yard. Select enough to fill a gallon jar loosely stacked, and stab them all over with a fork. Loosely stack them in a flip top gallon jar with a good rubber seal. Pour a cup of white sugar in the jar on top of plums. Slowly pour vodka over the sugar and fill all the space between the plums all the way to the top. Leave a little space so you don't make a mess. Close the lid, put it in a cupboard, and forget about it for a few months. Decant and sample when ready. For those that don't know, there is a world of difference between a fresh picked ripe purple prune plum and a dried up prune in a box. Its a rich sweet full flavored fruit that has gotten a bit of a reputation because of its chewy desiccated version. Cranberry Glug Patti and I started making Glug 18-19 years ago. Some years we have done several jars. Other times life has kind of gotten in the way. We haven't made any the last few years. You don't usually see prune plums in the store, and the drive from Arizona to Ohio to my grandparents house is bit long to just pick a few. The guy who owns the house today is pretty nice though. He would probably let us have all we want. We used red plums. I picked through entire displays in two different stores to find enough that I thought were perfect for one jar the first time. We have tried Strawberries. That came out a little too fruity and sweet. I love fresh field ripe strawberries, but the drink was a bit too cloying. I suppose if you are one of those who sprinkles sugar on baclava you might like it. LOL. We tried other fruit, and oddly one year we wound up with way to many cranberries for Patti's home made cranberry sauce so we made a jar with those. We have also changed the alcohols slightly. The year we first did the cranberry glug we ran out of Vodka by the time I got to that jar so I tried to half vodka and half light white rum. They were both cheap liquors a friend had brought over for the holidays. I am still not sure why exactly. Anyway, cheap vodka and cheap rum seem to work just fine for Glug! Cranberries are pretty tart and we added more sugar to compensate. Since then cranberry Glug has become our holiday beverage traditions of choice when we think to make some early enough in the year and can get the cranberries. Patti has been diagnose as diabetic (marginal really) and I have gotten quite large due to good living so we don't eat much processed sugar anymore. (almost none) This year we decided to try Splenda instead of sugar. I'll let you know how it turns out in a few days. We made three jars. One will get dechanted on Thanksgiving day, and the others will get saved until Christmas and New Years. With the cranberries I put them in a gallon zip lock freezer bag, and pound on them with a meat mallet. It doesn't destroy them as much as you think. I just cracks all the berries. When you are done they mostly still look like berries, but have multiple breaks and cracks in them. I have to do this several times to fill a gallon jar. I loosely tumble the berries into the jar. Then two cups of sugar (or Splenda) get slowly trickled in on top. Some people might prefer only one, but we found it to still be quite tart with one. Mouth puckeringly tart. I'd say 1.5 at a minimum. Its your choice of course. Simultaneously grab a bottle of cheap vodka and a bottle of cheap white rum and up end them over the gallon jar until its nearly full. Close the lid and forget about it for a couple months. Patti and I actually leave them out on the kitchen counter. The cranberries slowly float up and rearrange themselves so you have a couple inches of clear liquid at the bottom. Over the ensuing weeks the liquid gets gradually deeper and darker red. Its quite attractive to see. This year I may press the berries when done to see what comes out and how it tastes. In the past we have just poured it out over a few layers of cheese cloth and funneled it into a decanter. Try your own variation... in moderation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Great read Bob. The Swedes are big on flavored vodkas, I sampled one or three when I was working over there. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Liquor isnt my thing, but you make the glug sound so good i may have to try it one day The only drink recipe i know involves V8 juice and a can of beer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohawkman Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Over the past couple years, I've developed a taste for whiskey. Especially bourbon. I don't like mixing, prefer it on the rocks or at room temperature. Bulleit's rye is great and so is their bourbon. Very distinct flavor. Knob Creek may be my favorite. At 100 proof, it goes down way to easy so I don't have it on hand very often. Tullamore DEW is what I normally have on hand. I'm told it mixes well with cola or ginger ale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNC Molds N Stuff Posted November 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Liquor isnt my thing, but you make the glug sound so good i may have to try it one day The only drink recipe i know involves V8 juice and a can of beer Yer doing it wrong. You are supposed to use Clamato. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Yer doing it wrong. You are supposed to use Clamato. LOL. Tried it... I like V8 more My kid loves V8 juice too, so it is multi purpose..... Ill never forget when he was in kindergarden and he told his teacher he drinks beer with dad... I had some explaining to do on that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Sounds good Bob. I quit drinking a number of years ago or I would have to give it a try. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Wow.....that was an impressive read, Bob. Thanks for sharing! I'm strictly a beer guy. Don't mind an occasional mixed drink, but can't get passed anything straight. We have a concord grape vine in our back yard, and a couple years ago the wife and I made some wine out of it. The plus side? We got 2 cases out of one vine. That just blew me away! The down side? It may has well have been called "DON'T MAKE ANY PLANS!!" That stuff had a brutal alcohol flavor, with juuuuuuuuust a hint of grape. Lesson learned on that is don't add sugar. Evidently, we added too much sugar. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Alsworms - I learned that lesson too, when I started brewing beer. There is a reason why the best beers are around 5 - 6%. The worst part was, I lost all my friends. They were afraid to visit my house, in case I made them try out a new brew. I rarely drink these days, it hurts and I lose too much time. Vodka is OK, but if I want to treat myself, it would be Glenfiddich. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Good point, Dave. I've tried those IPA's bottled at 7 to 9%, and can't stand the taste of any of 'em. Then again, I drink the absolute wimpiest beer on the planet: Michelob Ultra Please keep the stone throws to a minimum. lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Good point, Dave. I've tried those IPA's bottled at 7 to 9%, and can't stand the taste of any of 'em. Then again, I drink the absolute wimpiest beer on the planet: Michelob Ultra Please keep the stone throws to a minimum. lol Michelob makes a damn fine beer!... I prefer the full flavor now, but there was a time you would have found my fridge full of Ultra I guess you could call it a "phase" in my early 20's.. I met some new friends who were small name professional boxers.. I went to watch 1 fight and was hypnotized!.... Next thing you know i was at the gym 4 days a week, running 4 miles a day, atkins diet and all that...... It was a good thing, i gave up alot of BAD habits!.... But i couldn't give up beer.... Sounds counter productive, but i was able to drop 30 lbs in 3 months living on meet, cheese and Michelob Ultra I stuck with it for a year, but seeing the older guys who had been fighting most of their life stuck in my head.. They all had flat faces and puffy ears.. Some were a little cross eyed, and some sounded like Sylvester Stalone when they talked Nowadays i just watch it on TV.. One day i fliped onto a fight on Showtime and there was one of my old sparring parteners!... About halfway through the 3rd round i turned to my wife and said "that coulda been me", then turned back just in time to see him get knocked out........ I guess that was some sort of sign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 I hear ya, JR. About the only carbs I take in now is beer, and thankfully Ultra is very low in them. I did the P90X workout for about 3 years, and have been doing one called "Body Beast" since the beginning of the year. At 48, I'm in the best shape of my life. My wife keeps telling me "Just think how good you'd look if you didn't drink your beer." LOL! btw......what happened to the good ol' Michelob days......before Ultra? I know it's a Bud product, but seems to me they sold just fine.......and that stuff was GREAT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Last time i checked they still had the regular Michelob lager at my local beer store... Havnt had it in a while, might have to pick some up after work Good beer is a treat for me... Back when i was broke, i conditioned myself to cheap beer (Busch, Milwaukee, Keystone, ect.) and it stuck... Im use to it, actually like it, and with as much as i drink the savings add up! As for being in shape, i havnt worked out since i started making lures.... I use to hit the Bowflex every day after work, but now i hit the work bench instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 So true. I gained over 60 pounds in the few years that I poured. I guess standing at a work bench AND drinking beer do NOT equal a healthy lifestyle. lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNC Molds N Stuff Posted November 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 Well, today is the day. Was tempted last night, but I settled for a beer and then off to bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish_Hacker Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) Tried it... I like V8 more My kid loves V8 juice too, so it is multi purpose..... Ill never forget when he was in kindergarden and he told his teacher he drinks beer with dad... I had some explaining to do on that one! You ever had a Michelada? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelada There are different versions of it. I like them all when eating seafood or .... I just like them. Those Glugs sound really good. I will have to try that. Thanks for the tip. Edited November 26, 2015 by Fish_Hacker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 You ever had a Michelada? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelada There are different versions of it. I like them all when eating seafood or .... I just like them. Sounds good, minus the lime juice! When my uncle was staying with me, we would cut raw habanero slices and float in red beer... He's a huge pepper head! (careful, no typo there!) And found his passion growing them... He grew his 1st habanero plant in my house... My stupid cats made life hard on that plant!.... Once he got his own place, he literally turned it into a pepper jungle! Now he grows caribbean ghost peppers, carolina reapers, trinidad scorpions and a few of his own hybrids.... He sends me jars of salsa that could make a blind man see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 Michelada's are awesome......if they're made right. Don't ever.....under ANY circumstances......get one of those pre-made styrofoam cups at a mini market! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rynesgto Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) I'm a big IPA drinker, but the past couple years I started experimenting with bourbon. Of all the ones I've tried, Woodford Reserve is my favorite Edited December 28, 2015 by rynesgto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
