So, I'm turning 21 this Friday...

[Fatty Bo Batty]

Any good drink recipes or advice? I like whiskey, and my parents already bought me a bottle of Grand Marnier as a birthday gift.

[a gross spider]

Any good drink recipes or advice? I like whiskey, and my parents already bought me a bottle of Grand Marnier as a birthday gift.

Since you already have cognac, might I recommend making Vieux Carrés? You'll need to grab several more liquors, but they're good things to have in your home bar anyway.

Have fun!

[Emperor Jack Chick]

Put on your best fedora and drink hard apple cider.

Beer, shots of whiskey, metal. Its the perfect combo.

remember to pound a glass or two of water before you hit the sack

[chai tea latte]

-if you go to a bar, tell the bartender it's your twenty-first birthday and then immediately tip them because you're going to be both intolerable and fun in equal measure
-drink water, more than you think you need to
-have a good time i guess?

Here are the drinks I drink at home most often:
gin and tonic (the quality of yr gin does actually matter, and never buy beefeater)
horse's neck (I like them with bourbon instead of brandy but try both)

[montrith]

Drink some milk before you go out. Snack on pickles, almonds, cheese etc. They say vitamin B is good for you too?

[chai tea latte]

ahaha nobody should willingly drink fireball if there are other options

[Emperor Jack Chick]

i got nothing against ciders. shits tasty. but the people who go on and on about them seem to align well with the people who wear fedoras as a fashion statement.

also yeah fireball is fucking disgusting.

[Bobalay]

Try Fireball and if you like it, keep drinking it.

[A Whirring Bone-White Gleech]

Seconding the old, trusty Gin and Tonic.  Also yeah, the gin matters - but a lot of pretty cheap gins are plenty good.  I straight up like Seagram's, but if you don't want to go that cheap, New Amsterdam is perfectly good.

Good rums are great, they're plenty drinkable and much cheaper than lots of other official Good, Expensive Liquors.  I love Kraken - it's an unoriginal opinion, but everybody loves Kraken for a reason, it's straight-up awesome.  Rum and Cokes are a good, conventional choice, and there's also the Dark n' Stormy - rum with ginger beer.

Whiskey straight is also good, I like pale, mild whiskies.  I'm a southern hick, but I like corn whiskey.

Newcastle is a pretty awesome English brown beer, if you want to go that route.

[Lemon]

-if you go to a bar, tell the bartender it's your twenty-first birthday and then immediately tip them because you're going to be both intolerable and fun in equal measure

Seconded!

The other thing I'd throw in here is that this will be your first chance to drink legally, but not your last. So go get hammered, but you don't have to sample every weird drink that's ever existed. Try to stick to a single nice thing, like a dark & stormy or a whiskey sour or a G&T, and then one other weird thing for funsies (which should probably have Jägermeister in it because what the fuck). What I'm saying is, don't change drinks often in a single night.

Also I'm hoping one of your friends is paying. And I'm hoping another one of your friends fucks you. BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY ALRIGHT?

[nigeline]

-if you go to a bar, tell the bartender it's your twenty-first birthday and then immediately tip them because you're going to be both intolerable and fun in equal measure

Seconded!

The other thing I'd throw in here is that this will be your first chance to drink legally, but not your last. So go get hammered, but you don't have to sample every weird drink that's ever existed. Try to stick to a single nice thing, like a dark & stormy or a whiskey sour or a G&T, and then one other weird thing for funsies (which should probably have Jägermeister in it because what the fuck). What I'm saying is, don't change drinks often in a single night.

Also I'm hoping one of your friends is paying. And I'm hoping another one of your friends fucks you. BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY ALRIGHT?

As a bartender, fuck and yes. I will treat anyone with a birthday well - 21, 51, 81 - if they are awesome, fun-loving individuals who know how to tip all right. Tip right away and be gregarious but not loud and overbearing; everyone will have a great time.

As a drinker, I highly recommend you follow Lemon's approach of sticking with one basic drink and mixing it up when people order (you) shots. G&T, gin and soda, screwdrivers, rum and coke, cider, or wine are all good options. Just don't think downing Fireball or Jag is going to last all night, no matter how young yet seasoned your liver may be.

On gin, there are definite differences between gins, but price point isn't an exact measure of how you'll like the taste. If you like a softer, sweeter gin, Hendrick's or Seagram's is a good choice. A more citrusy gin? New Amsterdam or the Tanqueray varieties. The Bombays and Plymouth are sharper, more herbal gins. Just don't go with bottom shelf like Phillips, Pinnacle, or Nikolai - you're better off infusing vodka on your own....

[Fatty Bo Batty]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I really appreciate it!

[chai tea latte]

how did this go???

[Fatty Bo Batty]

It went well! I stuck with rum and cokes for the most part, dotted with some straight bourbon. Drank lots of water, and didn't have a hangover the next day, so it was a great time.

[Lemon]

Did anyone fuck you?