What are you Drinking?

[Barrister]

Better than that wop pisswater I drank the other week.

Now the truth comes out.

[Capetan Mihali]

Got a good deal on some DAB beer ($16.99/case of 24 330ml bottles).  I like it, don't know if it is considered a good beer in Germany.

Currently sipping a Cynar (Italian artichoke-based bitter liqueur) and tonic. 



Recommended for fans of Campari, it's much cheaper at least in South Jersey liquor stores.  The state stores in PA don't carry it.

[Siege]

I don't know what I am drinking.

Is that bad?

[Alatriste]

I would answer 'No' but that would cause an awful paradox and risk destroying the whole continuum space-time (and besides, it could be construed as me accepting I'm Eurotrash, which would be far worse)

[merithyn]

Had a glass of my homemade apricot mead last night. It needs to age a bit more, but it's really not bad even now.

[Caliga]

Had a glass of my homemade apricot mead last night. It needs to age a bit more, but it's really not bad even now.

Recipe PLZ. 

[merithyn]

3 lbs honey
1 gallon minus one pint distilled water
1 pkg. yeast (I used Lalvin K1V-1116)
3 lbs fresh apricots, pitted and chopped into large pieces

Mix honey and water together in large stainless steel or enamel pot. Heat gently over a low heat until honey has dissolved completely. Turn heat off and check temperature. Allow the mixture to cool until around 85-90F. Stir in yeast. Pour into 1-gallon glass carboy. Attach airlock to top of carboy, cover with heavy towel or burlap to prevent sunlight from getting in, and set in a cool, dark place for two weeks or until it stops bubbling. Rack the mead into a second carboy filled with chopped apricots. (You may have to go ahead and bottle some of the mead, as it may not all fit in the second carboy with the fruit.) Re-attach the airlock, cover the carboy, and allow to ferment for another two weeks or until it stops bubbling.  Once it's done bubbling, bottle the mead into dark bottles and seal them. Let sit for at least three months.

The longer it sits the more smooth the flavor. I have a friend who will make up a 5-gallon carboy of mead and bottle it, then open one bottle of mead every year for seven years. He says that the same batch of mead changes flavor every year, so it's like drinking seven entirely different batches. He believes that the absolute best time to drink it is at 12-18 months after bottling. My mead was bottled the second week of August. I got impatient. 

[Caliga]

Where does one buy honey by the pound and how much does it cost?  Also, are we talking wildflower honey, clover honey, or what?

[ulmont]

Where does one buy honey by the pound

One can buy it at Walmart (up to 48 oz containers, at least) and Netgrocer.com, just to pick two off the top of my head.

Looks like price varies, but I see it as low as 32 cents an ounce ($12.79 for a 40 oz container).

Or Amazon ($22 for 2 3-lb jars):
http://www.amazon.com/Millers-Honey-Wild-3-Pound-Pack/dp/B001E5E12S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1252612501&sr=1-1

[merithyn]

Where does one buy honey by the pound and how much does it cost?  Also, are we talking wildflower honey, clover honey, or what?

I buy mine from the local farmers' market. The guy I buy it from has his own hives locally, so the honey helps with allergies, etc. It costs me $11.50 for a 3 lb. jar. I've heard that Meijers and Walmart have cheap, decent honey in bulk, and I know that Sam's Club sells it in 5 lb containers and larger.

The type of honey does affect the flavor of the mead. So far, I've stuck to clover honey. My supplier also has honeysuckle and some other type that I can't remember right now. Since I'm very much experimenting at the moment, I didn't want to mess with different honey flavors. Clover honey, distilled water, and then variations on the yeast and flavorings. Once I have more of an idea of what I'm doing, I'll vary the honey a bit more.

I've also made a couple of cordials recently: Maraschino Cherry Vodka and Apricot Brandy. They're still aging, too, but they don't have to age nearly as long as the meads do. By three months, they're very drinkable, with them being perfect at about six months. After that, they're a bit too sweet for me. The cherry vodka cordial should be perfect just in time for Christmas, while the apricot brandy will be perfect for Valentine's Day.

Easy Cordial Recipe

1 large mason jar with tightly fitting lid (You can use a spaghetti sauce jar that's been well cleaned, or any other container that will close up tightly.)
8 oz. jar maraschino cherries, drained
Average quality Vodka
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Drain maraschino cherries, leaving fruit in their original jar. Pour vodka over cherries to cover. Set aside to let marinate for 7-10 days. Strain flavored vodka into mason jar. (You can eat the cherries now... mmmm) Mix water and sugar together, heating gently until the sugar dissolves, making a simple syrup. Pour simple syrup into mason jar with flavored vodka. Close tightly and let sit for 1-2 months. (It isn't necessary to seal the jar, and in fact, you can open the jar whenever you want during the process without ruining it.)

Very drinkable at a month if you like the taste of vodka. Otherwise, wait a bit longer and the bite from the vodka will smooth out as it reacts to the simple syrup. The longer it sits, the less bite it has, the sweeter it becomes and less alcoholic the drink.

[charliebear]

I'm enjoying a very cold bottle of water, as I've just finished mowing the lawn. 

[Duque de Bragança]

Another Paulaner Hefe Weißbier Dunkel before going on the Wacht am Main Saturday Night edition.
They were somewhat cheaper at the REWE last week.

[Fireblade]

Gin and tonic. I don't know if my grandmother ever drank it, but whatever, I'm too tired to make sweet tea (her favorite drink) right now.

RIP grandma.

[MadImmortalMan]

Guinness. When that runs out, I have scotch. If OSU is losing badly at the half, I'll need a lot of it.

[jimmy olsen]

Gin and tonic. I don't know if my grandmother ever drank it, but whatever, I'm too tired to make sweet tea (her favorite drink) right now.

RIP grandma.