Summer Coolers

[SARGE]

I never realized how good other drinks could be until I chunked the beer. Gal Bud introduced me to Arnold palmer tea (a tea and lemonade mix) and a salted rim and it poured over crushed ice is something else. I gulp several at a time. A limeade in a salted rim frozen/frosty mug poured over crushed ice a winner. For that just gotta have it category, a salted rim frozen mug full of frozen margarita tops them all.

[HAL9000]

I've never truly understood the allure of beer... nasty tasting stuff if you ask me... ranks up there with coffee...blech.... I swear it's a macho thing with many guys, the nastier the beer, the more of a man you are.... I usually just tell them when they grow up, they will realize there's much more out there to enjoy than just beer.

[pally01]

Hal I believe you to be the exception rather than the rule.

[HAL9000]

I dunno about that... I know a heck of a lot of people that don't like beer.... and what's with people that say "sweet sweet beer"... nothing sweet about it... it's bitter like coffee.... not as bad as coffee.. but still bitter.... I think they mean to say "sweat, sweat beer"... probably closer to the actual taste.

[pally01]

Lol. I do know my share of folks who aren't beer lovers. I know a boat-load who like nothing better on a hot day though too. I however do/did enjoy beer. I gave it up 12+ years ago and haven't touched booze since. I find drinks like what Sarge mentioned above to satisfy me when the need arises.

[strollin]

I'm one that thinks beer tastes nasty but I think all alcoholic drinks taste terrible. I guess i'm hyper-sensitive to alcohol or something of that nature.

[quartet-man]

I have never had beer, but I have been around it. If it tastes like it smells, I envision it tasting like pee, but then again I haven't had that either. I just think it smells about as bad. I tried coffee as a kid (we tried to make it instant) and didn't like it. I thought it might have just been that, so as a man in my twenties I tried it again since I liked the smell of it. It still wasn't good. I think both are likely acquired tastes.

[jdeb]

I love coffee but i think it was an acquired taste. I drink the Gevalia brand (automatically mailed) Mocha Java. I have been drinking it for 10 or more years now. I also buy their Tea as well and make it in the sun. I make it with fresh squeezed lemons and no sugar. I always have a gallon in the fridge.

[HAL9000]

I love the term aquired taste for coffee... kinda like eating your own stool is an aquired taste LOL...Quartet Man, I agree though, I love the smell of coffee and beer smells like a dirty urinal.

[quartet-man]

It is hard for me to envision anyone liking either one on first taste and I would think smoking would be the same way. Speaking of likes and dislikes, it is hard for me to imagine someone liking dark chocolate or black jelly beans or licorice. I love milk chocolate, but don't care for dark or for that matter cocoa, chocolate ice cream or chocolate milk. As far as jelly beans, I can eat most any of the non exotic colors, but black. I am not too fond of the white ones either, but at least could eat them in a pinch. Black ones forget it. Purple and orange are my favorites, lemon and lime good.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by HAL9000 I love the term aquired taste for coffee... kinda like eating your own stool is an aquired taste LOL...Quartet Man, I agree though, I love the smell of coffee and beer smells like a dirty urinal.

Speaking of dirty urinal... I used to clean the pipes of the men's urinals in the families Bar. Grossest thing really. The pipes solidify with yeast from all the beer pee. Nasty, whitesh brown, smelly jelly.

[HAL9000]

Originally Posted by jdeb Speaking of dirty urinal... I used to clean the pipes of the men's urinals in the families Bar. Grossest thing really. The pipes solidify with yeast from all the beer pee. Nasty, whitesh brown, smelly jelly.

Lemme guess... it's an aquired taste

[SARGE]

Since we don't like beer anymore, what summer coolers do you guys enjoy, as was indicated in my original post.

[EzyStvy]

Good question. I can't wait to see how many guys here drink wine.... It is of course the ultimate chick drink.... And if you drink wine do you drink it in PUBLIC

Sierra Mist works well for me...

[HAL9000]

I'll never understand the labelling of drinks and other things as male and female... those that do, I believe to have masculinity issues.

As for what I enjoy.... Smirnoff Ice, Mike's Pomegranite Lemonade, or a Vodka Special.... non-alcoholic, would be just a plain old 7-Up.

[strollin]

Plain old iced tea for me. Not that sickly sweet stuff they drink down south tho.

[EzyStvy]

Originally Posted by HAL9000 I swear it's a macho thing with many guys, the nastier the beer, the more of a man you are.... I usually just tell them when they grow up, they will realize there's much more out there to enjoy than just beer.

Does this mean you're having troubles with your female side Me so confused...

[HAL9000]

The only troubles I have EzyStvy is assembly language programming.

[quartet-man]

First I dropped pop. Then, I used to drink a ton of Gatorade (orange or lemon lime) which I believe too is an acquired taste. Later, I drank Crystal Light until I couldn't find it anymore and now I drink Grape (sometimes orange) Faygo Diet pop. It doesn't have caffeine or sugar. At work I drink cans of light Countrytime Lemonade.

If I am out at a restaurant I drink lemonade, tea (with artificial sweetener if possible), orange, root beer, Mountain Dew or Mello Yellow, cream soda, or if I have to Sprite or 7up (got tired of those years ago and it is hard not to associate them with being sick). You might notice that colas are suspiciously absent. I can drink them as a last resort, but don't care for them anymore.

When I was a kid, we drank Kool Aid for years. Later, when we were able to afford pop, it was Pepsi or Coke or a generic cola. I liked it then (maybe because it was pop and I had no point of reference), but either grew very tired of it or found I liked the others better.

[Force Flow]

Anything that is an acquired taste isn't really worth acquiring.

[jessho]

I like fresh brewed tea poured hot over ice with a leaf of fresh mint and a slice of orange.

Try it Sarge, although I have no idea where you can find fresh mint.

[quartet-man]

Originally Posted by Force Flow Anything that is an acquired taste isn't really worth acquiring.

There is a legend that the previous tenor of the Oak Ridge Boys (who had a tendency to shave pitches) asked Dad Speer after they (the Oaks) sang something like "what did you think of that?" Dad Speer said something to the effect of "I've heard so much off-pitch singing, I'm starting to like it."

[EzyStvy]

Originally Posted by Force Flow Anything that is an acquired taste isn't really worth acquiring.

Now if we could only convince kids that theory.... Taking shots out the parent liquor bottles would come to an end and so would teenage alcoholism ...MAYBE

[glc]

I like coffee - black. I have a little 4 cup pot and drink a pot every morning. I also like beer but seldom drink it any more, a 6 pack lasts me months. It has to be good beer, mainstream American beer sucks.

So - what do I drink? Mostly water. I like unsweetened ice tea, lemon optional. Southern "sweet tea" is nasty. If I drink soda (also seldom), it will be Sprite/7-Up/Sierra Mist, I hate artificial sweeteners. If I want something carbonated, I usually drink orange La Croix water.

[quartet-man]

Originally Posted by glc . I hate artificial sweeteners. If I want something carbonated, I usually drink orange La Croix water.

I hate saccharin, but Equal, Splenda etc. are good and with Diabetes, I need to cut a lot of sugar.

[glc]

I need to cut a lot of sugar.

The older I get, the less I like ANYTHING sweet.

Have you tried Stevia? Walmart has boxes of packets in the diabetic section. It's natural, not chemical.

[quartet-man]

Originally Posted by glc The older I get, the less I like ANYTHING sweet. Have you tried Stevia? Walmart has boxes of packets in the diabetic section. It's natural, not chemical.

No, I have never heard of it. I took the diabetic classes when I was first diagnosed (around 5 years ago maybe) and that one either didn't exist or wasn't mentioned. I really don't add artificial sweetener to anything per se (unless I get unsweetened tea at McDonald's or something), but a lot of the things I get sugar free have Splenda in particular in them. However, it is nice to know about for the times I do need the sweetener even if I have to take some packets of it myself.

On second thought, I suppose it could have been mentioned in passing and it didn't stick with me due to it being fairly rare in things. I might have to pull out the binder I got from the class.

[glc]

Stevia was virtually unknown outside of exotic herbal stores 5 years ago.

[SARGE]

Originally Posted by jessho I like fresh brewed tea poured hot over ice with a leaf of fresh mint and a slice of orange. Try it Sarge, although I have no idea where you can find fresh mint.

In a clay pot on the patio.

[thefultonhow]

When I'm working on cars, or moving lots of computers at work, I guzzle soda. I like Sprite, orange (Sunkist/Fanta) and strawberry (Fanta) soda, cream soda, root beer, and sometimes ginger ale. I'm not a fan of regular (Coke/Pepsi) soda. I also like lemonade. I try to avoid caffeine after around 2pm or I'll be up all night, and I've never touched alcohol in my life. It seems that in my family, the best way to not be an alcoholic is not to start.

Soda is a weak spot, though. Like glc, I can't stand artificial sweeteners. All that high-fructose corn syrup isn't very good for me, though. We just received 115 Dell OptiPlex all-in-ones (four boxes each) at work, and I'm doing an engine swap on my brother's car this coming weekend, so I'm sure I will consume a bunch soon.