21st and First Legal Drink

Hey, I'm not trying to sound like a tough guy here, but ... come on! I think it's a rule that you'll start and finish your 21st with shots. At least where I'm from.

I'm going out on a limb but I bet your first 21 year old drink will not be your first drink. Have what you always drink, drink in moderation, renew your vow never to drink and drive-you have made that vow haven`t you- and have good memories of you first night drinking as a responsible adult.

As far as cocktails Gary and Mardee Regan have a book called New Classic Cocktails I suggest you get a copy and read through it. Something will click with you, when one does try it.

I first met Gary back in the mid 70`s, he was the new kid at a place that was one of my regular stops. I was running a mini group of places on NYC East Side I think we had about 4 then and was alway on the look for bartenders. We never worked together but I always enjoyed stoping in when he was working. A good bartender can make a scotch and water into something special, from the first sip of my Dewars and water I knew he had what it takes. The art of making a simple highball stand apart from every one you had before is the sign of a great bartender. He takes that same simple purity to wonderful places with this collection of must try drinks.

I would suggest you start tasting the base spirits on one rock with a thimble of water.

Gin Vodka Scotch Rye Bourbon Rum Brandy to get used to their pure taste. I suggest one of the traditional "good brands" the best selling "call" brands. They are available every where and are kind of middle of the road tasting giving you an idea of the benchmark flavors of the spirit.

The best way to pick the brand is ask the barkeep to choose one for you. Tell them that you are trying to get a feel for what each spirit tastes like. Bartenders love to help you become an educated customer.

There is nothing better than having a good bartender make you their pet project.

Tipps is spelled TIPPS it means to Insure Prompt Personable Service. While undertipping is frowned upon

the sincerity of the thank you that goes with the tip is the measure of it`s value not the President on it.

Enjoy

I did mention you should never drink and drive didn't I.

wineturtle wrote:

I would suggest you start tasting the base spirits on one rock with a thimble of water.

Gin Vodka Scotch Rye Bourbon Rum Brandy to get used to their pure taste.

Damn, he is 21 not a 50 year old alcoholic.

Have a Shirley Temple

Gorilla Fart

2 shots of Yukon Jack, 2 shots of Jose Cuervo, 2 shots of Jim Beam.

Let me know how it goes... cuz I forget how my 2007 New Years Eve went!

Ask for a Four Horseman

Swing by the men's bathroom and "order" a Cleveland Steamer. Thank me later!

Mojito.

Budweiser Draft. Ease into it, young Grasshopper.

I highly recommend asking the bartender for a rusty trombone.

get a car or jager bomb

More important than what you order is where you go. A really good bartender will make balanced drinks that are terrific and you won't even care what base spirit you're drinking. There is a huge gulf between most bartenders and the really good bartenders out there. In a business where many of the legends are from the 1800s, Gary Regan is a living legend, so wineturtle offers excellent advice. Another great book is Eric Felten's How's My Drink which gives you recipes for many classic cocktails but also the stories behind them and so the book is very entertaining.

fwiw wrote:

More important than what you order is where you go. A really good bartender will make balanced drinks that are terrific and you won't even care what base spirit you're drinking. There is a huge gulf between most bartenders and the really good bartenders out there. In a business where many of the legends are from the 1800s, Gary Regan is a living legend, so wineturtle offers excellent advice. Another great book is Eric Felten's How's My Drink which gives you recipes for many classic cocktails but also the stories behind them and so the book is very entertaining.

mid 1970s

Gary worked a Drakes Drum on Second- lot's of running connection Trish Jones(a slash dancer) wife of Ultra runner 2:30ish marathon Brian Jones&long time NYRR Tech committee member worked there and one owner Frank Handlemann(?) was running about as fast. Len Dewy and the CPTC (I think it was that group) held meetings there using the $3.95 Bicycle Brunch as a draw.

Slash is a good term in the saloon biz actress/waitress. dancer/waitress, model/waitress morphed into waitress/actress then to waitress sans slash-- pretty, fit, long term knowledge of the craft and people people- good staff makes a place hum. Some of the folks known to have a burger and a a pop there were Mary Steenburgen a good waitress at Noahs Ark she morpned in to Actress sans slash and Walter Willis who worked for Jack o'Neil in his westside joint central cafe or cafe central, liked to sit at the bar- he married a gal named demi-tass or somethin and was in a couple of movies I think.

When Ranger Ron was dating Altie- a self-labled klutzy waitress with a shitty memory- my gf and I often met them for brunch there- I saw Gresh just sold a pair of his old skates for 3 grand and she sued him for an amount with more zeros than three- stuff happens. nice walk down memory lane for me.Thanks....So OP if you are ever in NYC give me a shout and I buy you a glass of wine.

Four Loko

Guaranteed blackout wrote:

Four Loko

Wow, beat me to the punch.

I would just take whatever people give you. If you are doing it right, you shouldn't have to pay much the whole night. That being said, car-bombs are delicious.

Your 21st is not a time for enjoying drinks, it is a time to get shitfaced hammered and become a man. You take whatever shots your friends give you and you will like it. Four horseman, fishermans loogie, prarie fire are shots you should expect. Your friends will probably be nice for a few and give you things like jager bombs and starry nights but they will still get you very drunk. A few days after your 21st when you have recovered from the epic hangover you can go out and enjoy a good beer or a nice mixed drink.

Soon2be21 wrote:

If I am at a bar I don't want to waste my money on a drink that I could easily make myself.

I don't think you'll have to waste your money; unless, you are really friendly when you're drunk. From what I have typically witnessed and/or experienced, as soon as somebody finds out that you are twenty-one everybody and their mother wants to buy you a drink that night.

They will probably try to buy you stuff that will make you sick or black out; so, maybe, you don't want to tell anybody that you are turning 21.

if its your first drink, perhaps you should start with a warm glass of milk and a tuck-in from mommy

go out to have fun

drink while having fun

when fun is had

some times sober

sometimes drunk

going out to get drunk

does not seem to be a fun idea