what's your poison (and by poison i mean delicious alcohol)

[FinchChunk]

I'll admit to not having had much experience with gin, but Aviation tastes so good neat that I actually feel kind of bad using it in a mixed drink. (Not that I'm going to let that stop me, of course.)

Could I recommend the Aviation cocktail? Maraschino liquor takes a little bit of finding but it's far from impossible and well worth the effort. Don't think maraschino cherries, I hate those and I love these.

Glad I could save just one more soul from hated sobriety.

I think I've found my cocktail. When I learned the recipe I just kept making them until I ran out of lemon juice. These are great!

[Victor Laszlo]

I made my own sour mix.  It's equal parts simple syrup, lemon juice and lime juice.  It works!

I've used it in amaretto sours and now in a Black-Eyed Susan.  What else can I use my awesome sour mix in?  Don't say whiskey sours.

[Vinny Possum]

Pisco Sours

[duz]

Could I recommend the Aviation cocktail? Maraschino liquor takes a little bit of finding but it's far from impossible and well worth the effort. Don't think maraschino cherries, I hate those and I love these.

I think I've found my cocktail. When I learned the recipe I just kept making them until I ran out of lemon juice. These are great!

The recipe in the side bar is totally wrong, it leaves out the Violet Liqueur which is essential in making a fantastic Aviation.
This is the brand of violet liqueur I use and as such, a similar ratio for the recipe.
In other gin news, I found that Plymouth makes a navy strength gin so I'm restocked.  If you're unfamiliar with the term, it means high enough proof that if spilled on gun powder, it's still ignitable.  That means this gin is 114 proof.  It is amazing if you can handle it.

[Emperor Jack Chick]

i'm drinking hendricks with some basil simple syrup, lime juice, and fresh basil shaken

[Gyro]

I'm still sort-of figuring out my taste in alcohol. So far I like red wine, white wine, scotch, mojitos, rum, Jagermeister, and certain beers, while the only things I know I hate are Jack Daniels and vodka on the rocks.

Chai Tea Latte recommended brandy on the TF2 server, I think, and maybe something else.

Any suggestions on what to try next?

[Nifty Nif]

I'm still sort-of figuring out my taste in alcohol. So far I like red wine, white wine, scotch, mojitos, rum, Jagermeister, and certain beers, while the only things I know I hate are Jack Daniels and vodka on the rocks.

Chai Tea Latte recommended brandy on the TF2 server, I think, and maybe something else.

Any suggestions on what to try next?

If you like Scotch, try other whisk(e)y!  If you like something complex and mixed, go for rye in a sazerac or Manhattan.  If you want something sweeter, you can try bourbon in the same drinks or do a sweeter drink.  Try something like a mojito without the lime juice--swap in bourbon for the rum and go heavy with the mint and sugar.  You can add lemon juice if you want for a whiskey smash, or leave it out for a mint julep.  These are some of my favorite summertime drinks.

If you're looking to branch out, start trying interesting liqueurs and fortified wines in highballs!  Also great for summer.  Consider investing in a bottle of Lillet blanc, Campari, Cynar, or Aperol, and some little bitty bottles of club soda.  Take your big bottle and mix yourself 1 shot of liqueur/wine with as much or as little soda as you want with plenty of ice.  Try different levels of dilution to see what you like, and if you don't end up enjoying the liqueur on its own, you can mix it into a batch of sangria.  If you like these, move on to other bitters, interesting wines, and amari!  The possibilities are endless.

[chai tea latte]

To reiterate the advice I gave over pm:

A) go to cocktail bars while they're relatively quiet and order drinks. Ask the bartender why things work together.
B) buy Angostura and orange bitters
C) try a Horse's Neck made with brandy (i like both fruit brandies and cognacs, you might too).
D) find a vodka, gin, and whisk(e)y drink you like and you'll always be able to order or mix something you want
E) friends don't let friends drink Long Islands.

I actually like the honey southern comfort (straight, I'm a monster), and cake vodka, though, so you should probably ignore my advice.

[Carbon]

I recently tried some shōchū for the first time and found it quite enjoyable.

[Nifty Nif]

To reiterate the advice I gave over pm:

A) go to cocktail bars while they're relatively quiet and order drinks. Ask the bartender why things work together.
B) buy Angostura and orange bitters
C) try a Horse's Neck made with brandy (i like both fruit brandies and cognacs, you might too).
D) find a vodka, gin, and whisk(e)y drink you like and you'll always be able to order or mix something you want
E) friends don't let friends drink Long Islands.

I actually like the honey southern comfort (straight, I'm a monster), and cake vodka, though, so you should probably ignore my advice.

I like cake vodka too, and this seems like sound advice to me, so maybe nobody should be trusted. 
How did you get into brandy?  What kinds do you drink?  I want to try calvados, can you recommend a brand?

[chai tea latte]

To reiterate the advice I gave over pm:

A) go to cocktail bars while they're relatively quiet and order drinks. Ask the bartender why things work together.
B) buy Angostura and orange bitters
C) try a Horse's Neck made with brandy (i like both fruit brandies and cognacs, you might too).
D) find a vodka, gin, and whisk(e)y drink you like and you'll always be able to order or mix something you want
E) friends don't let friends drink Long Islands.

I actually like the honey southern comfort (straight, I'm a monster), and cake vodka, though, so you should probably ignore my advice.

I like cake vodka too, and this seems like sound advice to me, so maybe nobody should be trusted. 
How did you get into brandy?  What kinds do you drink?  I want to try calvados, can you recommend a brand?

I can't recommend calvados since I used to make my own applejack. Sorry! You want something that's a nice happy gold colour. Use it to make a Jack Rose or try it with ginger ale.

I started drinking brandy because my grandmother used to, although I don't drink it straight like she did. I like fruity brandies for making Horse's Necks and the few times I've had cognac (VS - aged two or three years - is enough for me although fuuuuuuuck when I tried a shot of Hennessey XO it was super nice) it was also nice but not caramelly enough. I usually drink HNs, G&Ts, and rum and cokes if I'm mixing something at home (and cider or wine if I'm not), but vary it up when I go out.

Anything aged less than 4 years (VSOP) will probably have some of that fusel bite if you're sipping it.

[duz]

A) go to cocktail bars while they're relatively quiet and order drinks. Ask the bartender why things work together.

Agree 100%.  This is how I learned of a ton of different ways to drink gin.  And also how my friend bought me a ton of whiskey to try and convince me of its superiority (he failed).

And relating to point E, there's a cocktail lounge I go to that in their lengthy liquor list, has only one vodka listed and a note to not order a long island.  They're mainly a whiskey bar but they have a nice selection of rare gin which is why I go.

[Captain Capacitor]

Crown Royal, greatest poison my people have ever produced.

[Emperor Jack Chick]

i have recently discovered the joy of growler fill stations. so in the course of my daily regular grocery shopping I can go and get a 6pack worth of beer filled for considerably less money and have it be considerably more fresh.

yes please!

[chai tea latte]

i have recently discovered the joy of growler fill stations. so in the course of my daily regular grocery shopping I can go and get a 6pack worth of beer filled for considerably less money and have it be considerably more fresh.

yes please!

it feels like in Vancouver growler refills are the main way people drink beer. There are just so many breweries and they're all so accessible it's hard not to just get a refill on your way home from work or whatever.

The best thing is to go try a couple of beers and get a growler of whichever one you liked most and then have a glass of it with dinner. Growler fills are great.