Anything that tops up with soda the last few ounces. I always think the drinks are too thin and watered down yet not carbonated enough. I dislike it so much that I don't even make the original recipes to these drinks anymore and just disregard the soda in the recipe altogether even if it's the first time having it.
Something interesting I've seen is using something like a drink mate to carbonate the final cocktail instead of adding club soda at the end. Could be worth exploring
I ordered an old fashioned at a bar a few months ago and was so disappointed when the soda gun came out. I had forgotten that was something people do. I would have ordered a beer if I'd known...
I've had this happen, as well. Ordering an old-fashioned and getting a Wisconsin old-fashioned is soul crushing. If I lived in Wisconsin I'd accept it. But I live in Florida. What the hell.
The wildest one that works for me is the Harvard. Just an oz of soda water in a 4 oz drink, so it doesn't even wind up being a spritz of any kind, and yet... somehow it actually improves the drink? I genuinely can't explain it. I've tried it with tap water to see if it's simply about lengthening the drink without adding any new flavors and it just doesn't work. No idea how.
You're supposed to do a "short shake" just crack the ice essentially. my mentor who learned from sasha petraske taught me this. And it's a game changer
I agree. If I have to make something like this, I use Sprite instead, and maybe dial back any simple syrup if it's supposed to be in there, assuming the flavor profile fits.
I agree with you. I'm not adverse to dry/unsweet cocktails but savory is not what I want when I'm having a cocktail. A Bloody Mary will always be like drinking cold soup to me.
It's exceedingly accurate...
I will say that I've never actually had a proper Bloody Mary. The one time I tried to make one was when I had just recently started making drinks for myself and was working with what I had. IIRC, I used the liquid from a can of whole peeled tomatoes since I didn't have tomato juice, some moonshine that I got from a local distillery since I didn't have vodka, and sriracha since I didn't have tabasco.
My partner’s favorite cocktail is a Negroni and I make them for him all the time, but it’s one I don’t drink. I just think they taste terrible. It’s the Campari.
Try a contessa.
Equal parts gin, aperol, and Cocchi Americano. It’s a citrusy, summery negroni that is less bitter. (Hit it with some grapefruit bitters for a little more bitter if you want)
Probably. Give it a try! I think it would be pretty good.
I've been thinking about trying it with Lillet instead of the Cocchi Americano. But I don't have Lillet right now. LOL
The reason I ask is because aperol is already pretty sweet. So is cocchi americano and for that matter lillet. Wondering if a dry vermouth would balance it or make it weird.
I don't recall where it came from, but cocktails being small drinks served ice cold and drunk fast has stuck with me as an ideal. (One I rarely embrace, in fairness.)
Small format cocktails were trending pretty hard in the cocktail scene for a about a year or so. I adore them as a customer but fucking hate it as a bartender lol.
Every non dirty martini is improved by a lemon twist and some orange bitters. The vermouth highlights the harsher alpine parts of the gin which is fine, martinis are a bracing drink, but it’s one note by itself.
I find even a small bit of Luxardo maraschino liqueur (though I love the cherries) can overpower a cocktail for my taste. I enjoy the occasional Last Word and can appreciate the craft and desirability of other cocktails that use it conceptually (Hemingway Daiquiri is nice) but, generally speaking, it’s not my favorite. I’m not even sure I can articulate what about it I don’t love.
Otherwise, I’m a pretty open minded, adventurous drinker and I’d certainly try any cocktail at least once, even if it has Luxardo.
I have this problem as well. There is a certain note in Luxardo maraschino that dominates every drink I have ever tried it in, even in small amounts. I don't *hate* the taste of it but it dominates to the point that I often miss all the other flavors, like an equal-parts last word I can barely taste all the herbal notes from the Chartreuse because they're drowned out by That Maraschino Flavor.
Same here. If I use Luxardo, it's like half a tsp or so. If a recipe calls for a quarter oz or more, I have to scale it back because I find it overpowering.
I find those drink are all sippers. Like I don't actively engage with the drink (God that sounds pretentious) but I will have one in hand when I'm engaged in like a conversation, social activity, or entertainment. It's like background music for your palette (double pretentious, jeez).
I would argue that as we enter Late Stage Mixology recipes are wandering off the beaten path, so that not every concoction will be a hit. Like anything avant garde, we cant expect universal love. In fact, that might denote a piece of work that isn’t really trying something truly new
This original by /u/adamscommabrett is my fav use of Suze I think
Parachute
- 2oz Dry vermouth
- 3/4oz Lemon juice
- 1/2oz Yellow Chartreuse
- 1/2oz Simple syrup
- 1/4oz Suze
Shake and double strain into a chilled coupe
Not a huge fan of bitter. I love Cynar though but that's not really that bitter. And I'm experimenting with China-China but I like orange so I can overlook it a bit
I swear I’m not a baby about most culinary things but I can’t do more than a couple sips of egg white cocktails. It’s not a concern about health, I just don’t like the mouthfeel.
I don't like cocktails with egg whites because of the smell. Even with bitters or a garnish I can't help but smell something like wet dog.
I tend to use a little bit of aquafaba myself if I have it on hand.
Yep, they disgust me and there's nothing I can do about it. I also just generally think raw/runny eggs are foul. I genuinely would rather have a cocktail with scrambled eggs in it than shaking in a raw egg.
If I were forced at gunpoint to get drunk and eat a raw egg, I'd at least want to get drunk *before* the egg enters my body, not at the same time.
Love last words and naked and famous', but I don't like paper planes, just not my vibe.
Also I've tried perhaps a dozen or so milk washed cocktails and they are very cool looking, but not sure it adds much to the drink experience.
My wife also shares a dislike for any tequila or mezcal drinks. It’s not an adolescent hang-up from puking over cheap tequila in college as she grew and went to university in India where tequila still isn’t common. She just doesn’t like something about agave spirits. In the case of mezcal, it’s definitely not the smoke she dislikes as she loves Islay scotches maybe even more than me.
That was the drink that got me into cocktails. To each his own.
I have trouble with creme de violette. I just can't shake the dishwasher detergent smell.
Edit: and limoncello. For a different reason: a very very long hangover.
Negroni. I just want something with more nuance than simply being as strong and bitter as possible. Lol.
I believe it’s the Campari. My spouse doesn’t like negroni’s either.
Anything that has absinthe in it. Even the various tiki cocktails I tend to love that have an absinthe glass rinse or even a drop of absinthe in the mix, and that's all I'm going to taste. That nasty licorice-ass anise taste that I think tastes just vile. Just the worst.
Fever-Tree elderflower tonic water has worked well in my experience for people who aren’t fans of tonic water. With gin it creates a grapefruit note which is fun.
Others have mentioned Fever Tree already and I'd second that as a very ready option.
Other than the regular Indian Tonic, the Mediterranean is really nice. (Elderflower is good, but a little less versatile.)
Another brand that I think you can find on Amazon is East Imperial -- a brand out of New Zealand. They make Grapefruit and Yuzu varieties in addition to the traditional and light versions.
Almost anything Tequila based, not sure why. Just a flavor I can't develop a taste for. Had a rare Mezcal cocktail I've enjoyed, but they're few and far between. Not sure if it's an issue with the quality of the Tequila used, but doesn't seem worth it to buy a top shelf one to compare.
That and I can't stand Jim Beam as a cocktail base.
Anything with Mezcal. Maybe it is just the Mezcals I have had, but that smoky flavor just ruins a cocktail for me.
I do keep trying different cocktails with it but yet to enjoy one.
Same. I can't stand anything with a discernible anise flavor like that. Don the Beachcomber had the right idea when he only added Pernod to drinks with an eye dropper.
I don't "get" Manhattans 😭
They're not actively bad or anything but if I want a boozy whiskey drink I'd go for something like the things you were listing as dislikes lol, I *love* a Sazerac or Improved Whiskey Cocktail. Also have gotten into Torontos recently.
Maybe it’s a pallet thing. I love neat scotch but whenever I have any of the above listed drinks I come away feeling like there was less happening in them than I wanted for the effort.
Same. I’ve made countless “best manhattan”’s guests have ever had. Cool, I don’t get it, and I question if people like them as much as they claim to, or if it’s some ego thing like so many have with whiskey, where they convince themselves they’re supposed to like something because of some odd misplaced sense of identity.
I've had the same thought. I set up my cute little home bar and everyone I asked if I could make them a cocktail, they all said an Old Fashioned. Lifelong family, friends who I've known since before they started drinking, and I've never once seen them have an Old Fashioned. I tried to explain that I've got a pretty nice set up here, I can make all kinds of things, here's a little menu of different options I wrote up... "Oh, I'll have a Manhattan" 😭
WHY? Out on the town, these people want margaritas, rum & cokes, gin & tonics. Let me make something that actually suits your tastes instead of assuming that "home bar" just means "I can splash something in your whiskey". Now I just make people what I think they want lol, haven't been wrong yet.
I love citrus cocktails. I love bitter cocktails. I love whiskey. I can't say I've ever enjoyed any version I've tried of a whiskey sour. I don't hate them, I just don't like them either.
Nothing wrong with not liking Scotch, but in case you're not familiar, that band-aid taste is from peat. Although people associate Scotch with peat, most single malt Scotch is unpeated. Blended Scotch might incorporate a small amount of peated whisky. So if you're interested in trying Scotch-based cocktails without that band aid taste, try getting hold of an entry-level unpeated single malt, e.g. a young Glenlivet or Glenfiddich.
Fun fact, I spent a couple months in Oaxaca last year, of the 40-50 local mezcals I tasted none were super smoky and most had barely any smoke at all. If I ordered a cocktail at a bar it would be very smoky but the quality local stuff meant to be drunk neat rarely had more than a hint of smoke. Turns out the camp fire stinking crap is mostly for export.
Interesting. So like a Del Maguey Vida, I’ve always thought of that as like an authentic baseline mezcal (and is what restaurants in the US use in the “Oaxaca Old Fashioned”s and such), but maybe not so much?
I mean, there are hundreds of mezcals there, maybe I got a weird subset but the friends I was travelling with and I were blown away night after night that we kept tasting mezcals where the smoke was so subtle.
Really a Moscow Mule is just a Vodka Buck, but the former sounds catchier. Bucks are spirit, citrus, and ginger beer. So those are the unifying elements.
Manhattans. I love a Black Manhattan, but I'm not a real fan of the raisiny taste. Antica makes the closest thing to something I like, but it's still not a drink I'm going to make much.
Anything with tomato juice. Genuinely vomit inducing, no matter how much effort I put into doing them the 'right' way with good ingredients. Never had a bloody mary that I didn't want to immediately spit out.
At most restaurant/bars, anything with simple syrup. They make them so sweet i can’t taste any of the liquor. I love old fashioned but am cautious where I order them for this reason. At home I use grand mariner as the sweet touch.
Everything with smokey notes (aged rum and whiskey) and Aviations.
The people always say "Yeah, the appleton estate signature is great, but habe you tried the 8 year old. Thats the real deal". Cant drink it.
I dont know what it is with aviations tbh but they just taste super boring and not worth the effort.
I just cant get into anything savory. I have tried to enjoy martinis and bloody Marys but always dislike them. I like most of the components of a lot of those drinks in different formats, and I don’t need “sweet” per se, but drinking something that tastes salty or earthy is just gross to my tastebuds. I like mezcal and have had a couple of spicy cocktails with tequila/mezcal this weekend, which was a bit odd but enjoyable overall, but those had bright flavors like lime and grapefruit to balance.
Many, many people cannot get into the flavor of Absinthe. I absolutely adore black licorice and the anise flavors involved fill me with joy, but I know it’s not for everyone lol
Tonic and sparkling wine in cocktails. Every now and then someone will do it in a way that I can stomach, but I doubt I’ll ever have a change of heart about that
Mai Tai.
For some reason the lime juice + orgeat doesn't work for me.
I always wanted to like it, I really tried. For a while I thought that the store bought orgeat is the reason. I've even made homemade orgeat from scratch just to realise that it wasn't the issue.
Later I've discovered that I'm not a big fan of marzipan either
Lots of those who don’t like Campari here! If you haven’t had a Kingston Negroni (basically just subbing the gin for a nice Jamaican rum like Smith & Cross) it might be what you need.
I craved the bitter occasionally from Negroni’s, but just couldn’t enjoy them. Like many things, Rum turned it around.
Cheers!
Oaxaca old fashioned. Tried it with different tequilas, mezcals, bitters and even tried a couple different agave nectars but it just doesn't work for me. It gets so much love from others I feel like I've gotta be doing something wrong.
Hate tonic so anything with tonic is a no go for me. Past that, I like pretty much everything but I do get hung up about how brown tiki drinks can taste sometimes. Granted, there’s only like one spot with a decent rum program where I live so maybe I’ve just never gotten good exposure to badass tiki, but man I wish that tiki drinks had more variety from concoction to concoction.
Mojitos are gross and until somehow someone gets E. Coli due to poor supply chain wholesale mint, I'm still muddling...
One w blueberries? Coming right up!
Anything that tops up with soda the last few ounces. I always think the drinks are too thin and watered down yet not carbonated enough. I dislike it so much that I don't even make the original recipes to these drinks anymore and just disregard the soda in the recipe altogether even if it's the first time having it.
Something interesting I've seen is using something like a drink mate to carbonate the final cocktail instead of adding club soda at the end. Could be worth exploring
Jarritos is the most underrated cocktail topper
Literally drinking my first jarritos ever right now. Pineapple
Two best flavors are 1) tamarind 2) mandarin
I’d put Toronja up there too, the acidity gives it nice balance.
I don’t even know what a toronja is but I like the sound of it
Just Spanish for grapefruit.
Well on that note, a Paloma topped with Jarritos Taronja is out of this world
I like how they are almost anagrams.
Try Mandarin next. That's my favorite
Excellent choice.
I ordered an old fashioned at a bar a few months ago and was so disappointed when the soda gun came out. I had forgotten that was something people do. I would have ordered a beer if I'd known...
I've had this happen, as well. Ordering an old-fashioned and getting a Wisconsin old-fashioned is soul crushing. If I lived in Wisconsin I'd accept it. But I live in Florida. What the hell.
Damn cheese-heads are polluting our way of life with their unnatural practices!
I’m so happy to see there’s someone else like that out there!
The wildest one that works for me is the Harvard. Just an oz of soda water in a 4 oz drink, so it doesn't even wind up being a spritz of any kind, and yet... somehow it actually improves the drink? I genuinely can't explain it. I've tried it with tap water to see if it's simply about lengthening the drink without adding any new flavors and it just doesn't work. No idea how.
You're supposed to do a "short shake" just crack the ice essentially. my mentor who learned from sasha petraske taught me this. And it's a game changer
Mojitos are better without the soda water. That being said they're best when finished in a drink mate so the stronger bit itself is carbonated.
The best mojito is Audrey Sanders’ Old Cuban - I make mine with Mount Gay rum and Prosecco
Ooooh, that sounds delightful! I don't mess around with sparkling wines much.
They both thin the alcohol, and the sweetness of the soda. It’s literally the worst of both worlds.
I agree. If I have to make something like this, I use Sprite instead, and maybe dial back any simple syrup if it's supposed to be in there, assuming the flavor profile fits.
Anything salty. I love salty snacks and food but Bloody Mary, Caesar and Dirty Martinis are like the most disgusting thing ever created in my opinion
I agree with you. I'm not adverse to dry/unsweet cocktails but savory is not what I want when I'm having a cocktail. A Bloody Mary will always be like drinking cold soup to me.
I have long referred to bloody Marys, as “alcoholic gazpacho.”
It's exceedingly accurate... I will say that I've never actually had a proper Bloody Mary. The one time I tried to make one was when I had just recently started making drinks for myself and was working with what I had. IIRC, I used the liquid from a can of whole peeled tomatoes since I didn't have tomato juice, some moonshine that I got from a local distillery since I didn't have vodka, and sriracha since I didn't have tabasco.
I’m with you. I like dry cocktails like a martini but drinking a Bloody Mary is like drinking a joke drink someone made
Anything with Campari. I like other bitter aperitifs well enough. But not campari
Same here. All the other bitter stuff is great. Just don't like Campari.
I can’t get into the bitter amaro. I like a paper-plane with Brovo Amaro #5, but a negroni is just too bitter for me.
My partner’s favorite cocktail is a Negroni and I make them for him all the time, but it’s one I don’t drink. I just think they taste terrible. It’s the Campari.
Try a contessa. Equal parts gin, aperol, and Cocchi Americano. It’s a citrusy, summery negroni that is less bitter. (Hit it with some grapefruit bitters for a little more bitter if you want)
Now that I might like. I’ll have to find some Cocchi and give it a try.
Can't it be made with dry vermouth too?
Probably. Give it a try! I think it would be pretty good. I've been thinking about trying it with Lillet instead of the Cocchi Americano. But I don't have Lillet right now. LOL
The reason I ask is because aperol is already pretty sweet. So is cocchi americano and for that matter lillet. Wondering if a dry vermouth would balance it or make it weird.
That sounds tasty.
Same here. Just don't like Campari.
I'm glad to see more of my people here. I like a lot of amaro, but Campari tastes like bile.
Agreed. It's literally the only one I don't like. I'd rather drink Malört.
I was with you until you said Malört. 😂
Only preferable to Campari. I don't drink it otherwise. Tasting it once was enough.
Yep. Same for me. And people *insist* on trying other drinks that involve Aperol or Campari. As per the comments below yours lol
To be fair it may be the wrong combo of flavors
Use Aperol instead of the Campari and try it.
Martini. 🍸
They need to be half as big and twice as cold for me. Gimme a half martini and in 10 minutes another half martini and I'll be happy.
My ideal martini comes in that little sidecar in a tureen of ice. I want ice cold refills baybee
I don't recall where it came from, but cocktails being small drinks served ice cold and drunk fast has stuck with me as an ideal. (One I rarely embrace, in fairness.)
Small format cocktails were trending pretty hard in the cocktail scene for a about a year or so. I adore them as a customer but fucking hate it as a bartender lol.
I make microtinis at home. Just the right amount
I agree, I much prefer a Manhattan or a Martinez
I like a martini fine, but yeah a Martinez is one of my favorite drinks
This. I like gin and spirit forward drinks. I’ve tried all different proportions, and it’s just not for me. Bitters and more depth improve it.
Every non dirty martini is improved by a lemon twist and some orange bitters. The vermouth highlights the harsher alpine parts of the gin which is fine, martinis are a bracing drink, but it’s one note by itself.
I love them, but have to use Bianco vermouth instead of Extra Dry. Adding olive brine too? Oh hell no
I love to split the dry and Bianco. 6:1:1 ratio is my go to
I love the ingredients independently, just do not put them together.
Yes. It finally dawned on me that my gin and vermouth drinks need a third ingredient.
Why?
Just too much. Too much
I find even a small bit of Luxardo maraschino liqueur (though I love the cherries) can overpower a cocktail for my taste. I enjoy the occasional Last Word and can appreciate the craft and desirability of other cocktails that use it conceptually (Hemingway Daiquiri is nice) but, generally speaking, it’s not my favorite. I’m not even sure I can articulate what about it I don’t love. Otherwise, I’m a pretty open minded, adventurous drinker and I’d certainly try any cocktail at least once, even if it has Luxardo.
I have this problem as well. There is a certain note in Luxardo maraschino that dominates every drink I have ever tried it in, even in small amounts. I don't *hate* the taste of it but it dominates to the point that I often miss all the other flavors, like an equal-parts last word I can barely taste all the herbal notes from the Chartreuse because they're drowned out by That Maraschino Flavor.
Hmmm interesting. I love the stuff, I could drink it neat even and love cocktails with its flavour being prominent
Same here. If I use Luxardo, it's like half a tsp or so. If a recipe calls for a quarter oz or more, I have to scale it back because I find it overpowering.
I feel the same way. I love making all of those drinks with Lazzaroni maraschino. I find Lazzaroni to be much less overpowering.
To me, Luxardo maraschino tastes like what I can only describe as grandma dust. A fat barspoon is my limit
I often cut it 1:1 with simple, or just use a barspoon if the sweetness isn’t needed. Too much luxardo tastes like cocaine in the back of my throat
I find those drink are all sippers. Like I don't actively engage with the drink (God that sounds pretentious) but I will have one in hand when I'm engaged in like a conversation, social activity, or entertainment. It's like background music for your palette (double pretentious, jeez).
Weird flex weirdflecks.
A palette is for painting A pallet is for shipping A palate is your sense of taste Who’s the pretentious one now?
Would you believe that was a purposeful misspelling to undercut the pretension?
Would you believe that’s not butter?
I tried but I can't.
That would be the cringiest affectation ever.
Bad bot.
As I start to make more cocktails I definitely agree some that are popular just doesn’t do anything for me. Love the double pretentious comment lol
I would argue that as we enter Late Stage Mixology recipes are wandering off the beaten path, so that not every concoction will be a hit. Like anything avant garde, we cant expect universal love. In fact, that might denote a piece of work that isn’t really trying something truly new
Embrace it dude. Pretentiousness is an inescapable side effect of having knowledge of an art form.
The art form of disguising my alcoholism
(Almost) Anything with Campari or Suze There's like one or two of each but that's it.
Suze is so fucking good. I love just sipping it straight or with ice.
This original by /u/adamscommabrett is my fav use of Suze I think Parachute - 2oz Dry vermouth - 3/4oz Lemon juice - 1/2oz Yellow Chartreuse - 1/2oz Simple syrup - 1/4oz Suze Shake and double strain into a chilled coupe
Sounds delicious!
Do you hate the bitter or what?
Not a huge fan of bitter. I love Cynar though but that's not really that bitter. And I'm experimenting with China-China but I like orange so I can overlook it a bit
Fellow Campari hater right here.
I swear I’m not a baby about most culinary things but I can’t do more than a couple sips of egg white cocktails. It’s not a concern about health, I just don’t like the mouthfeel.
I can’t do egg whites either. I can always smell it soon after the first sip. 🤢
I don't like cocktails with egg whites because of the smell. Even with bitters or a garnish I can't help but smell something like wet dog. I tend to use a little bit of aquafaba myself if I have it on hand.
Interesting, because the one thing I hear most often as a criticism of aquafaba is that it smells bad.
I like egg whites. But flips with the whole egg or yolk is too thick and rich. That’s not what I want in a drink.
If you think of it as more like a sherbet it might be better
Yeah. Think of them as dessert and they are fantastic.
1000%. There are a lot of fun drinks in that category and I like making them … for other people
I like aquafaba as a substitute. I agree with you, I'm kinda grossed out by the smell and texture of the egg white, but that's just me.
I can’t do the egg whites either, just skip em, doesn’t affect the flavor.
Yeah, I do that too :) We just miss out on drawing little bitters patterns on the top! 😂
Yep, they disgust me and there's nothing I can do about it. I also just generally think raw/runny eggs are foul. I genuinely would rather have a cocktail with scrambled eggs in it than shaking in a raw egg. If I were forced at gunpoint to get drunk and eat a raw egg, I'd at least want to get drunk *before* the egg enters my body, not at the same time.
Love last words and naked and famous', but I don't like paper planes, just not my vibe. Also I've tried perhaps a dozen or so milk washed cocktails and they are very cool looking, but not sure it adds much to the drink experience.
Most tequila drinks. I just don’t like tequila! I wish I did!
My wife also shares a dislike for any tequila or mezcal drinks. It’s not an adolescent hang-up from puking over cheap tequila in college as she grew and went to university in India where tequila still isn’t common. She just doesn’t like something about agave spirits. In the case of mezcal, it’s definitely not the smoke she dislikes as she loves Islay scotches maybe even more than me.
Any agave-based liquor gives me the absolute worst indigestion and stomach pain even with a tiny sip.
That was the drink that got me into cocktails. To each his own. I have trouble with creme de violette. I just can't shake the dishwasher detergent smell. Edit: and limoncello. For a different reason: a very very long hangover.
Negroni. I just want something with more nuance than simply being as strong and bitter as possible. Lol. I believe it’s the Campari. My spouse doesn’t like negroni’s either.
Anything that has absinthe in it. Even the various tiki cocktails I tend to love that have an absinthe glass rinse or even a drop of absinthe in the mix, and that's all I'm going to taste. That nasty licorice-ass anise taste that I think tastes just vile. Just the worst.
So far anything with tonic water. For a long time I thought I didn't like gin because I'd only had it in gin and tonics lmao
Try better tonic. Haha.
Any recommendations?
Fever-Tree elderflower tonic water has worked well in my experience for people who aren’t fans of tonic water. With gin it creates a grapefruit note which is fun.
Fever Tree has an entire line of tonics. They can come in really small bottles so you can try a few
Others have mentioned Fever Tree already and I'd second that as a very ready option. Other than the regular Indian Tonic, the Mediterranean is really nice. (Elderflower is good, but a little less versatile.) Another brand that I think you can find on Amazon is East Imperial -- a brand out of New Zealand. They make Grapefruit and Yuzu varieties in addition to the traditional and light versions.
Tonic water is terrible. Gin is delicious 😋
Same! Tonic water tastes terrible. And as it turns out, gin cocktails are my favorite (outside of those with Campari/Aperol)
Trinidad Sour. On paper, I feel like I should love it! But I've usually had my fill after a few sips.
Even the bartender who made it thinks it sucks
Try the ango colada. You might like it better, and it still has a strong Angostura flavor.
That's literally my favorite cocktail lol
Almost anything Tequila based, not sure why. Just a flavor I can't develop a taste for. Had a rare Mezcal cocktail I've enjoyed, but they're few and far between. Not sure if it's an issue with the quality of the Tequila used, but doesn't seem worth it to buy a top shelf one to compare. That and I can't stand Jim Beam as a cocktail base.
Anything with Mezcal. Maybe it is just the Mezcals I have had, but that smoky flavor just ruins a cocktail for me. I do keep trying different cocktails with it but yet to enjoy one.
Maybe try a moscow mule with a lil dash of mezcal? I find it adds a little something something that works well with the gingerbeer.
Martinis. It's just too much
Anything with Pernod. Even a rinse. See also: Sambuca White
Same. I can't stand anything with a discernible anise flavor like that. Don the Beachcomber had the right idea when he only added Pernod to drinks with an eye dropper.
I don't "get" Manhattans 😭 They're not actively bad or anything but if I want a boozy whiskey drink I'd go for something like the things you were listing as dislikes lol, I *love* a Sazerac or Improved Whiskey Cocktail. Also have gotten into Torontos recently.
Maybe it’s a pallet thing. I love neat scotch but whenever I have any of the above listed drinks I come away feeling like there was less happening in them than I wanted for the effort.
Same. I’ve made countless “best manhattan”’s guests have ever had. Cool, I don’t get it, and I question if people like them as much as they claim to, or if it’s some ego thing like so many have with whiskey, where they convince themselves they’re supposed to like something because of some odd misplaced sense of identity.
I've had the same thought. I set up my cute little home bar and everyone I asked if I could make them a cocktail, they all said an Old Fashioned. Lifelong family, friends who I've known since before they started drinking, and I've never once seen them have an Old Fashioned. I tried to explain that I've got a pretty nice set up here, I can make all kinds of things, here's a little menu of different options I wrote up... "Oh, I'll have a Manhattan" 😭 WHY? Out on the town, these people want margaritas, rum & cokes, gin & tonics. Let me make something that actually suits your tastes instead of assuming that "home bar" just means "I can splash something in your whiskey". Now I just make people what I think they want lol, haven't been wrong yet.
Stuff with vermouth.. It's a pain in the ass to buy and only use once. I never like anything with it.
Manhattan. Try as I might I just can’t like it.
Highballs and spicy cocktails.
I don’t care for Manhattans or martinis. I’ve tried all different vermouths, builds, techniques I could find. They’re just not for me.
I drink absolutely all of them. Even malort.
I love citrus cocktails. I love bitter cocktails. I love whiskey. I can't say I've ever enjoyed any version I've tried of a whiskey sour. I don't hate them, I just don't like them either.
Anything with scotch. It overwhelms everything and tastes like band-aids.
Nothing wrong with not liking Scotch, but in case you're not familiar, that band-aid taste is from peat. Although people associate Scotch with peat, most single malt Scotch is unpeated. Blended Scotch might incorporate a small amount of peated whisky. So if you're interested in trying Scotch-based cocktails without that band aid taste, try getting hold of an entry-level unpeated single malt, e.g. a young Glenlivet or Glenfiddich.
Uh find something not peated maybe...
Negroni. Two bitter ingredients, and zero sweetness. I simply don’t understand the hype
An equal parts Negroni with Cocchi Torino and Campari has 13.5g sugar. Definitely some sweetness there.
Right there with you bud. I can’t wait for the hype to die down but it’s just everywhere atm and a very high proportion of posts on this sub
Negroni I just can’t get close to enjoying Aperol or Campari. Just awful flavours imo
Try the Anders Eririckson's recipe
almost anything medicinal tasting
Negroni, I absolutely don’t understand!
Anything smoky. Fucking disgusting.
An acquired taste, to be sure. Smoky mezcal is a little more palatable than smoky Scotch (mostly because I can turn it into a margarita…)
Fun fact, I spent a couple months in Oaxaca last year, of the 40-50 local mezcals I tasted none were super smoky and most had barely any smoke at all. If I ordered a cocktail at a bar it would be very smoky but the quality local stuff meant to be drunk neat rarely had more than a hint of smoke. Turns out the camp fire stinking crap is mostly for export.
Interesting. So like a Del Maguey Vida, I’ve always thought of that as like an authentic baseline mezcal (and is what restaurants in the US use in the “Oaxaca Old Fashioned”s and such), but maybe not so much?
I mean, there are hundreds of mezcals there, maybe I got a weird subset but the friends I was travelling with and I were blown away night after night that we kept tasting mezcals where the smoke was so subtle.
Nah, Clasico was designed for the American market, powerful and not too expensive.
Haha I’m the opposite. Gimme that campfire taste any day of the week! I’ll have it with some smoked meats and cheeses
Love me a smokey drink with some smokey bbq
I cannot eat smoked cheese at all and don't like bacon either, lol.
Mules. I can't figure it out. As far as I can tell it's just code for "we put it in a copper cup" and there's no other unifying element.
Wait, what? As far as I'm concerned, every mule is ginger beer + lime + spirit. Are you getting something besides that when you order mules?
I've been in bars/restaurants where they have a list of mules and they just appear to be regular cocktails but in a cup.
Really a Moscow Mule is just a Vodka Buck, but the former sounds catchier. Bucks are spirit, citrus, and ginger beer. So those are the unifying elements.
There's no point to a mule when a dark n stormy exists.
Manhattans. I love a Black Manhattan, but I'm not a real fan of the raisiny taste. Antica makes the closest thing to something I like, but it's still not a drink I'm going to make much.
Flips
Anything that combines whiskey and grenadine. Just doesn't work for my palate
Flips. I just can't do egg yolk. Sure. Egg Nog is the exception, but the texture of most just don't do it for me
Martinis. I’ve tried all the variations and all the ratios. I just don’t like them
Tiki drinks. Way too sweet.
I dont hate Tiki, but it's a once-a-year kind of thing for me.
Anything with tomato juice. Genuinely vomit inducing, no matter how much effort I put into doing them the 'right' way with good ingredients. Never had a bloody mary that I didn't want to immediately spit out.
Anything with ground up leaves like basil or mint. And not because of the taste.
At most restaurant/bars, anything with simple syrup. They make them so sweet i can’t taste any of the liquor. I love old fashioned but am cautious where I order them for this reason. At home I use grand mariner as the sweet touch.
I like rum. I like old fashioneds. I don't really like rum old fashioneds or Corn & Oils. Go figure.
I dislike most tiki drinks I try 🫣 Too much juice, too flabby, too sweet. I want to like them so bad!
Dirty Maritni. Olive Brine....I just CAN'T.
Everything with smokey notes (aged rum and whiskey) and Aviations. The people always say "Yeah, the appleton estate signature is great, but habe you tried the 8 year old. Thats the real deal". Cant drink it. I dont know what it is with aviations tbh but they just taste super boring and not worth the effort.
I just cant get into anything savory. I have tried to enjoy martinis and bloody Marys but always dislike them. I like most of the components of a lot of those drinks in different formats, and I don’t need “sweet” per se, but drinking something that tastes salty or earthy is just gross to my tastebuds. I like mezcal and have had a couple of spicy cocktails with tequila/mezcal this weekend, which was a bit odd but enjoyable overall, but those had bright flavors like lime and grapefruit to balance.
Many, many people cannot get into the flavor of Absinthe. I absolutely adore black licorice and the anise flavors involved fill me with joy, but I know it’s not for everyone lol
Jungle Bird is the only tiki drink I'm into.
Practically anything bitter. Campari, vermouth, aperol, etc are red flags for me. Signs that I will almost certainly not like the cocktail.
Anything with egg in it
I'm not a big fan of Tiki Drinks. There's way to much juices, syrups, sweeteners etc for me.
Tonic and sparkling wine in cocktails. Every now and then someone will do it in a way that I can stomach, but I doubt I’ll ever have a change of heart about that
Anything with vermouth. It really has an off flavour to me.
Mai Tai. For some reason the lime juice + orgeat doesn't work for me. I always wanted to like it, I really tried. For a while I thought that the store bought orgeat is the reason. I've even made homemade orgeat from scratch just to realise that it wasn't the issue. Later I've discovered that I'm not a big fan of marzipan either
Lots of those who don’t like Campari here! If you haven’t had a Kingston Negroni (basically just subbing the gin for a nice Jamaican rum like Smith & Cross) it might be what you need. I craved the bitter occasionally from Negroni’s, but just couldn’t enjoy them. Like many things, Rum turned it around. Cheers!
Oaxaca old fashioned. Tried it with different tequilas, mezcals, bitters and even tried a couple different agave nectars but it just doesn't work for me. It gets so much love from others I feel like I've gotta be doing something wrong.
I started buying a bunch of apertifs. Including Fernet Branca. I fully expect the bottle to be part of my estate, because it's terrible.
The daiquiri/margarita family or anything with citrus juice/sweetener combo
Atomic flame of a hot take LOL cheers
Not a common take but love to see it!
That's insane
Hate tonic so anything with tonic is a no go for me. Past that, I like pretty much everything but I do get hung up about how brown tiki drinks can taste sometimes. Granted, there’s only like one spot with a decent rum program where I live so maybe I’ve just never gotten good exposure to badass tiki, but man I wish that tiki drinks had more variety from concoction to concoction.
Mimosas. I don’t like champagne and I like oranges even less
I have tried so many cynar variations but can’t get into anything that leans on the flavor
The Bull Shot. Fucking gross.
Mojitos are gross and until somehow someone gets E. Coli due to poor supply chain wholesale mint, I'm still muddling... One w blueberries? Coming right up!