Fairy Dust - All About Absinthe

The summer before my freshman year of college, one of my best friends made out with his beautiful, 30-year-old Swedish house sitter. All it took was Jamiroquai’s Traveling Without Moving and one shot each of a drink called absinthe.

Fortune might not favor all of us like it once did my friend, but this is not to say absinthe cannot play host to a good night. You probably have heard the stories from friends, or possibly even tried it yourself. Legend has it that this green, anis-flavored drink makes you hallucinate after a glass or two. This is true, but not so true.

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Food Pairings: What Beer to Sip Over The Holidays

The holidays are coming up and that means alot of good food. But it can also mean a lot of good beer to accompany that food. The Brewers Association put together a great list of beer pairings for the various meats you might feast upon in the coming holidays. We made a recap of the list for you, and then we added our very own College Drinker recommendations. Follow this guide to make sure that you are making the best toasts that you possibly can.

Plus you can tell everyone at the party why you choose the beer you did and sound really smart (or really annoying)…

Traditional Roast Turkey: “The roasted and caramelized skin matches well with amber ale, a strong golden ale or an amber lager in the Vienna style.”
College Drinker says: Try Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s Eliot Ness.

Smoked Turkey: “If your local brewery offers a smoked beer, that can serve as a complement to smoked turkey as well. Look for a porter, Scotch ale or amber ale in the smoked style.“
College Drinker says: Try Stone Smoked Porter.

Cajun Turkey: “Celebrated beer writer and New Mexico resident Stan Hieronymus suggests a malty IPA to go with his favorite Cajun turkey recipe. For a malty alternative that will stand up to the heat, try a dark bock or strong Scotch ale.“
College Drinker says: Try Two Hearted Ale (Bell’s Brewery).

Ham: “Like the fruit and cloves often used to prepare ham, the fruity, clove notes in weizen or the stronger weizenbock compliment ham at the dinner table.”
College Drinker says: Try Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat.

Duck: “The darker meat of duck offers a richer flavor than turkey and can stand up to a richer beer as well. Here a Belgian-inspired dubbel or a hearty Oktoberfest lager would go well.“
College Drinker says: Try Allagash Dubbel.

Goose: “Here too a richer beer than you would choose for turkey is in order. A Belgian-style triple or biere de garde would work well or maybe a bock or Scotch ale.”
College Drinker says: Try Shiner Bock (Spoetzl Brewery).

Salmon: “A dunkel lager or Scottish ale can offer a clean toasted malt note to offset the firm flavors of salmon without a lot of bitterness that would overwhelm the fish. Other options would include a mild ale or steam beer.“
College Drinker says: Try Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark.

Leg of Lamb: “Pale ales provide a pleasant foil to lamb with spicy or herbal character to compliment the character of the meat along with some toasted malt notes. Or for more harmony with the roasted flavors of the meat, try a hoppy brown ale or porter.“
College Drinker says: Try Dogfish Head’s India Brown Ale.

Beef Tenderloin: “This rich hearty cut of meat deserves a robust beer as a counterpoint but also calls for some contrast to clear the palate between bites. The ideal companion would seem to be an IPA or Imperial IPA. Other options might include a tripel or old ale.“
College Drinker says: Try Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

11 Easy to Make Whiskey Drinks

Got a bottle of whiskey and not much else? Don’t know what you can possibly mix it with?

Many whiskey cocktails are complicated or call for a special type of whiskey. But we’re in college and we don’t usually have all that shit! So we collected 11 super easy whiskey recipes that you can make with pretty much any whiskey and don’t require strange and hard to find ingredients. So if you’re not much for shooting that whiskey straight, hopefully you’ve got the right stuff to make at least one of the drinks below:

1) Whiskey Sour

Other Ingredients: Lemon juice, simple syrup

A classic - Pour about 2 shots of whiskey, about the same amount of lemon juice, and one ounce of simple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Shake all the ingredients with ice. Then strain into a glass filled with ice.

2) Manhattan

Other Ingredients: Vermouth, Bitters

Pour a shot of whiskey, 1/2 oz of vermouth, and 2 dashes of bitters into a glass with ice and stir it up really well.

3) New York Cocktail

Other Ingredients: Lemon juice, sugar, Grenadine

Pour about 2 shots of whiskey, half as much lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of grenadine into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake it all up. Strain into a chilled glass.

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Filed Under Booze 101, Featured Article, Featured Drink, Stuff to Know · 3 Comments  

Tequila Sunrise

About: Originally served at the Arizona Biltmore, the cocktail is named for the way it looks after it has been poured into a glass. The name was popularized by the 1973 Eagles single “Tequila Sunrise.”

Ingredients:

• 3 oz Tequila
• 5 oz Orange juice
• 1 oz Grenadine
• ice

Directions:

1. Place the orange juice and about two shots of tequila in a cocktail mixer with crushed ice.
2. Shake thoroughly, and pour into a glass with ice cubes already in it.
3. Add the grenadine slowly, allowing for it to rise.
4. Stir it all up really well for the best taste.

We have more great tequila drinks.

11 Super-Easy to Make Tequila Cocktails

Got a bottle of tequila and not much else? Don’t know what you can possibly mix it with?

We collected 11 super easy tequila recipes that don’t require strange and hard to find ingredients. So if you’re not much for shooting that tequila straight, hopefully you’ve got the right stuff to make at least one of the drinks below:

1) Tequila Sunrise

Ingredients: Orange juice, Grenadine, ice

A classic - Place the Orange Juice and about two shots of tequila in a cocktail mixer with crushed ice. Shake thoroughly, and pour into a glass with 2 ice cubes already in it. Next, add the grenadine slowly, allowing for it to rise. Stir it all up really well for the best taste.

2) Tequila Slamer

Ingredients: Fizzy lemonade (best is canned because it fizzes more), or champagne

Pour the tequila and lemonade into a shot glass, leaving about a fifth of the glass unfilled. Cover the top of the glass with your bare palm, grabbing it, and raising the shot glass above the table. Now “slam” the glass down (don’t break it). This mixes up the two ingredients, making the drink fizz. Now try to down it in one gulp.

Note: If you’re using champagne as an alternative to lemonade, this is called a “Slammer Royale.”

3) The Bull

Ingredients: Light beer (Mexican beer is best), lemonade

Pour the tequila, about half a glass of light beer, and the lemonade in a glass and enjoy. The colder this drink is, the better. [Read more]

White Russian

About: The favorite drink of “the Dude” from the Big Lebowski, the White Russian is not traditionally Russian, but it is called that because vodka is the primary ingredient.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz vodka
• 1 oz coffee liqueur
• cream (or milk)

A standard shot of 80-proof liquor is about 1.5 ounces. measure accordingly.

Directions:

1. Pour vodka and coffee liqueur over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass.
2. Fill with light cream or milk and serve.

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