The Benefits of Quality Alcohol

[Empty V]

I feel like I've been having this conversation a lot lately so I figured I'd bring it up for discussion here.

I'm not a big drinker so when I do drink I don't want to waste it on crap. Not because I've got an ego and want to show off how sophisticated I am (because I'm not) but because I want to make the best out of my drinking experience. When you drink high quality alcohol you learn to appreciate it rather then focusing on getting hammered. For me it's all about learning and maybe helping others learn why they feel the way they do when they drink certain things.

Tequila

A few years ago for some reason I started researching and asking people about tequila. I learned a lot in a very short time and grew to love it. I also realized why so many people hate it and this is what inspired me to switch over to straight alcohol. Everyone I talked to who hated tequila based their spite solely on the fact that they had gotten trashed off of Cuervo and was extremely hung over.

There are tequila standards and there's a reason why they have different titles such as Gold, Silver/Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, and Extra Anejo.

Gold - A non-aged tequila made with a minimum 51% agave, the rest is sugar, flavoring and coloring - very very bad tequila
Silver/Blanco - Bottled straight out of the distillery, not aged at all
Reposado - Aged between 2 months and 1 year in oak barrels
Anejo - Aged for 1-3 years in oak barrels
Extra Anejo - Aged for 3+ years in oak barrels. There is a cutoff for aging because supposedly it all turns to a caramel like substance if aged for too long. *Extra Anejo is still pretty new to the tequila world.

There's to elements to discuss:
1. Why do we get sick?
2. How were immediately affected by alcohol consumption.

What makes you sick when you drink? - Sugar
'When high levels of sugar are consumed with alcohol you get sick. I think it has something to do with liver glycogen levels but if anyone knows the chemistry behind this it would help. So when you're pounding mixed drinks you will get sick. Even mixers with tonic will get you sick. Also lower quality alcohol usually has higher sugar content so you can easily get sick or hungover from straight alcohol just as easily.

What kind of drunk am I?
When I used to drink high sugar alcohol or mixed drinks my speech would slur, get the spins, and get fatigued as time went on. When I drink really good alcohol none of this happens. I don't get the spins, my speech is normal, I can carry on sober conversations, I'm totally aware, I don't ever get hungover and feel great the next day. You feel completely different too. You don't get drunk, you get really buzzed and it lasts just as long but without the side effects.

A few months ago 2 friends and I went down to Baja. The 3 of us put down an entire bottle of Porfidio Anejo in about an hour. All 3 of us felt great and our conversations didn't skip a beat. Every shot that we took we were able to sip and each one was amazing. Granted this is a $125 bottle but you can get this same experience out of the right $30 bottle. BTW this is my favorite tequila of all time. There's a whole story behind why it was discontinued for almost a decade and why it doesn't say Tequila anywhere on the bottle.



Prior to going to Baja we did a tequila tasting session (case study) and analyzed what we liked and disliked about certain tequilas. The reason why we did this is because they held Patron in pretty high regard but that's because that's all they knew. First off Patron is crap. They already had a bottle of Patron so I brought over 5 different Anejos. Oro Azul, El Charro, Corzo, 1921, and Partida. all considered very high end tequilas and priced between $30-$60 each. First we all had a shot of Patron and discussed the flavor. This was our first shot and didn't have anything to compare it to so we all agreed that it was OKAY even though it made our stomachs twist. Then we very slowly went through the 5 that I brought. After discussing each shot which got better and better we now had a baseline to compare the Patron to. Now we finished it off with a shot of Patron. Both of their responses were identical. They said Patron was garbage and swore to never touch it again.

Also a good tequila doesn't have to be aged. They just get more character as their aged and the finish(after taste) changes. I'm a HUGE fan of Partida. Their silver is outstanding and can definitely hold it's own against the best. Their Reposado and Anejos are aged in Jack Daniels barrels which gives them a very distinct flavor with hints of vanilla yet you don't lose the tequila quality.

I'm also a big fan of vodka and recently have gotten into Irish whiskey. One of the 2 baja buddies is from Russia and recently brought me a bottle that he said is the best Vodka in Russia. It's called Beluga Noble and I've been instructed to keep it in the freezer and only take it with a frozen shot glass. BTW in Russia they only take shots, no mixed drinks or sippers.

My Favorite Tequilas - Partida, Porfidio, 1921, Corzo
My Favorite Vodkas - Hangar 1, Ciroc
My Favorite Irish Whiskeys - Bushmills, Jameson

[AppleBonker]

Vodka is for people with busted taste buds. Carry on.

Edit: that bottle also has "tequila" written on it

[kornmanz]

I'm going to have to try some of these. Thanks for the post man. Good read.

[Empty V]

Vodka is for people with busted taste buds. Carry on.

Maybe you need to try a good one? I'm just sayin'. The other night I went out for a friend's b-day and he hates vodka. The bartender brought him a martini glass filled with straight Hanger 1 Mandarin vodka (made with real fruit not minerals or fruit flavoring like absolute) and he loved it.

Edit: that bottle also has "tequila" written on it

EDIT: That's because it's a pic of the old bottle before they were temporarily discontinued.

[AppleBonker]

It has nothing to do with the quality of vodka. It's not aged in something to give it flavor. It's basically just flavorless alcohol. That would be like comparing water to iced tea. One has flavor (which you may or may not like) and the other doesn't. If your taste buds are busted, it doesn't make much of a difference. As soon as you can enjoy flavor, vodka seems like a colossal waste of money.

[fiznat]

I don't know enough about tequila so I can't argue with what you said about it, but the information you posted on the science and effects of drinking expensive liquor is a bit off.

It may feel like the intoxication you get from quality liquor is more pleasant, but the effects on the body are the same regardless of the source of the alcohol. Blood alcohol content is blood alcohol content, and don't for a minute think that a .2 BAC from a $100 bottle is any different than .2 BAC from a $10 bottle.

Some people get sicker with sugary drinks, while others do not. There is nothing inherently sickening about sugar. Drink lots of alcohol and you will get sick no matter what. Again, this is regardless of what the liquor was paired with or how much the bottle cost.

[Amays U G37S]

I LOVE TEQUILA!

Thank god for this posting. I had no clue there was a Anejos made. How do you pronounce that?

And I did not know that gold was the base. I will never drink gold again.

However, most mexican resturants serve this type, Gold. I have to get my a** in a liquor store, with a blender, and margarita mix.

I cannot drink anything white, and frozen lime margaritas go down OH SO GOOD hombre.

Cheers!

[Empty V]

It has nothing to do with the quality of vodka. It's not aged in something to give it flavor. It's basically just flavorless alcohol. That would be like comparing water to iced tea. One has flavor (which you may or may not like) and the other doesn't. If your taste buds are busted, it doesn't make much of a difference. As soon as you can enjoy flavor, vodka seems like a colossal waste of money.

I can sip Ciroc on the rocks just fine but gray goose on the rocks makes me gag. I was out to dinner the other night and passed around my glass of Ciroc and everyone was blown away. they never thought vodka could be good and not taste like rubbing alcohol.

[AppleBonker]

You're missing the point. Good vodka is supposed to taste like nothing. Why pay more money to have less taste? Am I missing something?

[RCA]

I would love to hear your thoughts on rum Empty

[breadbox]

I thought the reason you got hangovers is just that your system can process a certain amount of alcohol at a time. How your body processes it is by turning poison into poison that can be removed from your system. The poison is methanol and the other poison is formaldehyde. On top of this alcohol is lighter than water. so your body fills up with it and replaces the heavier water with alcohol. Included in small part is the water/fluid in your inner ear, causing balance to be compromised somewhat. Then you hit your body's "wall" similar to the marathon runners wall but this is based on your body's weight and ability to metabolize. I hit the wall fast nowadays especially when drinking slow gin it seems.

And hangovers are your body just hating you for taking on more than the system can filter. I used not get any hangovers til like 23.7 years old.

[Empty V]

I don't know enough about tequila so I can't argue with what you said about it, but the information you posted on the science and effects of drinking expensive liquor is a bit off.

It may feel like the intoxication you get from quality liquor is more pleasant, but the effects on the body are the same regardless of the source of the alcohol. Blood alcohol content is blood alcohol content, and don't for a minute think that a .2 BAC from a $100 bottle is any different than .2 BAC from a $10 bottle.

Some people get sicker with sugary drinks, while others do not. There is nothing inherently sickening about sugar. Drink lots of alcohol and you will get sick no matter what. Again, this is regardless of what the liquor was paired with or how much the bottle cost.

I never said anything about BAC level. I stated how I feel when drinking an alcohol that it better refined, clear of toxins(coloring, flavoring, etc.) and a lower sugar content. Sugar is a big deal and greatly affects your liver which is directly related to how you feel. TBH I have no idea how BAC is affected with different qualities of alcohol but BAC is trivial with this conversation because it's all about how you feel and the after effects.

[Empty V]

You're missing the point. Good vodka is supposed to taste like nothing. Why pay more money to have less taste? Am I missing something?

I always thought good vodka was supposed to taste like good vodka. I drink Ciroc and Hanger 1 because I like the taste and the way they make me feel. I think that most people are used to it tasting like rubbing alcohol that they just want the pain to go away.

[Empty V]

I would love to hear your thoughts on rum Empty

I really don't know much about it. I've had one home distilled rum and it was really good but super spicy. Also, I don't have much to compare it to. The woman and I went to Puerto Rico last May and visited the Bacardi factory. To our surprise they didn't have any ultra premium rums and when I asked the Bacardi bartender if they had any sipping rums he said no. That kinda sucked. One of my buddies just got back from Venezuela and brought a bottle but I missed the party. He said that they've got the best rum in the world down there.

[AppleBonker]

Sorry, my description was not entirely accurate. Alcohol does have flavor to it. But vodka isn't produced in a way that alters that flavor. Why would I want to drink something designed to be as plain as possible when I can have even a mediocre rum, gin, whiskey, scotch, brandy, etc. I generally don't like tequila, but that's just a flavor I don't enjoy. Given the choice between a bland cake and a flavorful cake for dessert, why choose the bland one?

[93coupe]

When I want to poison my body with expensive stuff, I prefer Clorox.

[Empty V]

Sorry, my description was not entirely accurate. Alcohol does have flavor to it. But vodka isn't produced in a way that alters that flavor. Why would I want to drink something designed to be as plain as possible when I can have even a mediocre rum, gin, whiskey, scotch, brandy, etc. I generally don't like tequila, but that's just a flavor I don't enjoy. Given the choice between a bland cake and a flavorful cake for dessert, why choose the bland one?

I get what you mean. I guess it all boils down to personal preference. I know one chick who works for an alcohol distributor and swears that Popov is quality stuff.

I thought the reason you got hangovers is just that your system can process a certain amount of alcohol at a time. How your body processes it is by turning poison into poison that can be removed from your system. The poison is methanol and the other poison is formaldehyde. On top of this alcohol is lighter than water. so your body fills up with it and replaces the heavier water with alcohol. Included in small part is the water/fluid in your inner ear, causing balance to be compromised somewhat. Then you hit your body's "wall" similar to the marathon runners wall but this is based on your body's weight and ability to metabolize. I hit the wall fast nowadays especially when drinking slow gin it seems.

And hangovers are your body just hating you for taking on more than the system can filter. I used not get any hangovers til like 23.7 years old.

This makes sense but I'm sure it's much more complicated then that. I absolutely do not know the science behind it but I think you have to first consider what's initially going into your system and determine how it's metabolized. I bet your metabolism has slowed as you've gotten older which has probably affected your ability to handle alcohol. Has your alcohol consumption rate slowed since your tolerance has dropped?

[AppleBonker]

I guess it all boils down to personal preference

And I'll never fault anyone for their personal preferences. But why go for hamburger when you can have steak IF you have the ability to taste? After that thought, it's all me busting balls.

[Empty V]

I guess it all boils down to personal preference

And I'll never fault anyone for their personal preferences. But why go for hamburger when you can have steak IF you have the ability to taste? After that thought, it's all me busting balls.

One person's hamburger is another person's steak, right? Balls Busted!

[Urabus GodofTraction]

What makes you sick when you drink? - Sugar
'When high levels of sugar are consumed with alcohol you get sick. I think it has something to do with liver glycogen levels but if anyone knows the chemistry behind this it would help. So when you're pounding mixed drinks you will get sick. Even mixers with tonic will get you sick. Also lower quality alcohol usually has higher sugar content so you can easily get sick or hungover from straight alcohol just as easily.

It's not the sugar. Fiznat is right, except he was too kind in calling what you're babbling science. The alcohol itself messes with glycogen levels, not sugar.

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/ ... /54-60.pdf

Check it. See Table 2 on page 56.

What you're confusing with sugar and "purity" is apparently officially called a congener, and sugar was not listed as one.

[Empty V]

It's not the sugar. Fiznat is right, except he was too kind in calling what you're babbling science. The alcohol itself messes with glycogen levels, not sugar.

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/ ... /54-60.pdf

Check it. See Table 2 on page 56.

What you're confusing with sugar and "purity" is apparently officially called a congener, and sugar was not listed as one.

First of all I never called it science and said that this is what I have experienced with low and high sugared alcohols. I also stated that if anyone knows better then please explain. With that said sugars (carbohydrates) directly affect glycogen level. Glycogen on Wikipedia If you don't agree with my babbling then show some facts opposed to a "table" that has little to no information supporting your information.

[fiznat]

Glycogen is essentially stored glucose (sugar). The majority of it is stored in the liver. Glycogen release is stimulated when blood glucose levels drop (like during fasting) through the release of glucagon from the pancreas. Sugary drinks will increase blood glucose levels, and therefore increase the amount of sugar that is converted to glycogen for storage. It is true that this process involves the liver, but this is certainly not the mechanism for alcohol-related illness. You may not have specifically mentioned BAC, but you should have. That is the primary factor that matters here.

I thought the reason you got hangovers is just that your system can process a certain amount of alcohol at a time. How your body processes it is by turning poison into poison that can be removed from your system. The poison is methanol and the other poison is formaldehyde. On top of this alcohol is lighter than water. so your body fills up with it and replaces the heavier water with alcohol. Included in small part is the water/fluid in your inner ear, causing balance to be compromised somewhat. Then you hit your body's "wall" similar to the marathon runners wall but this is based on your body's weight and ability to metabolize. I hit the wall fast nowadays especially when drinking slow gin it seems.

This is pretty much all incorrect.

-The alcohol we drink is ethanol (not methanol), and the metabolism (more specifically, catabolism) of the chemical is an extremely complicated process, but the end results are CO2 and H2O, not poison. One of the steps in the mechanism produces acetaldehyde, which may have been the cause of the confusion with formaldehyde. The two aren't the same though.

-Alcohol is less dense than water, but this has nothing to do with the body's alcohol/water balance. The kidney filters based on osmotic pressures and active transport mechanisms, not density. The body does not replace water with alcohol. We get hangovers for lots of reasons, but most agree that the major cause is dehydration. Alcohol inhibits a hormone called ADH (antidiuretic hormone), which helps the body hold on to it's water. Inhibiting ADH has the effect of the kidney releasing more water than it normally would into the urine (which is why you pee alot when you drink). The resulting dehydration is a large contributor to hangovers.

-The bit about the fluid in your ear is one of those things that sounds like it makes sense, but in reality is kinda ridiculous. The loss of balance we see in drunk folks is the result of alcohol's depressive effects on the central nervous system, not alcohol in the ear.

[sx moneypit]

When I want to poison my body with expensive stuff, I prefer Clorox.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

It's not the sugar. Fiznat is right, except he was too kind in calling what you're babbling science. The alcohol itself messes with glycogen levels, not sugar.

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/ ... /54-60.pdf

Check it. See Table 2 on page 56.

What you're confusing with sugar and "purity" is apparently officially called a congener, and sugar was not listed as one.

First of all I never called it science and said that this is what I have experienced with low and high sugared alcohols. I also stated that if anyone knows better then please explain. With that said sugars (carbohydrates) directly affect glycogen level. Glycogen on Wikipedia If you don't agree with my babbling then show some facts opposed to a "table" that has little to no information supporting your information.

I guess the rest of the paper was above your reading level then, yeah? The link beautifully sums up hangovers and other alcohol related illnesses. Not once is sugar content mentioned as an issue.

And I said Fiznat called it science. But I can see how you were confused.

Again, my link DOES know better, so feel knowledge'd.

[fiznat]

Not once is sugar content mentioned as an issue.

The article does have a section on alcohol-induced hyplogycemia (low blood sugar), but nothing relating hangover symptoms and high sugar content in drinks. In fact, it would seem from the evidence you presented that high sugar drinks will do their part to reduce hangover symptoms! haha. Zing.

[Jesda]

NATTY LIGHT M I RITE?

[Empty V]

Glycogen is essentially stored glucose (sugar). The majority of it is stored in the liver. Glycogen release is stimulated when blood glucose levels drop (like during fasting) through the release of glucagon from the pancreas. Sugary drinks will increase blood glucose levels, and therefore increase the amount of sugar that is converted to glycogen for storage. It is true that this process involves the liver, but this is certainly not the mechanism for alcohol-related illness. You may not have specifically mentioned BAC, but you should have. That is the primary factor that matters here.

This is pretty much all incorrect.

-The alcohol we drink is ethanol (not methanol), and the metabolism (more specifically, catabolism) of the chemical is an extremely complicated process, but the end results are CO2 and H2O, not poison. One of the steps in the mechanism produces acetaldehyde, which may have been the cause of the confusion with formaldehyde. The two aren't the same though.

-Alcohol is less dense than water, but this has nothing to do with the body's alcohol/water balance. The kidney filters based on osmotic pressures and active transport mechanisms, not density. The body does not replace water with alcohol. We get hangovers for lots of reasons, but most agree that the major cause is dehydration. Alcohol inhibits a hormone called ADH (antidiuretic hormone), which helps the body hold on to it's water. Inhibiting ADH has the effect of the kidney releasing more water than it normally would into the urine (which is why you pee alot when you drink). The resulting dehydration is a large contributor to hangovers.

-The bit about the fluid in your ear is one of those things that sounds like it makes sense, but in reality is kinda ridiculous. The loss of balance we see in drunk folks is the result of alcohol's depressive effects on the central nervous system, not alcohol in the ear.

Extremely informative, thank you! I take it you're somehow involved in the medical world. Care to fill us in?

[Empty V]

The article does have a section on alcohol-induced hyplogycemia (low blood sugar), but nothing relating hangover symptoms and high sugar content in drinks. In fact, it would seem from the evidence you presented that high sugar drinks will do their part to reduce hangover symptoms! haha. Zing.

[fiznat]

Extremely informative, thank you! I take it you're somehow involved in the medical world. Care to fill us in?

Not an expert or anything, but an aspiring one haha. I've been a paramedic for almost 10 years now and I spent the last 6 months or so studying for the MCAT (which has a lot of this kind of stuff on it). I don't mean to be a know it all or anything, just this crap has been my life for a few months now and I jumped at the opportunity haha.

NATTY LIGHT M I RITE?

lol Jesda you have not changed...

BTW is it me or is the NICO server a whole lot slower than it used to be.......

[skydragoness]

NATTY LIGHT M I RITE?

Oh good to see you again Fiznat!

I don't drink tequila, but good to know that Patron is crap.