Hi guys ... I'm not a drinker (ok, I'm 41, only ever been 'drunk' twice but have now become partial to the odd (maybe three a month if I'm lucky) vodka and cokes) so I'm looking for someone to tell me what the actual taste of something tastes like. And the drink is, 151 rum. Yes, that one that's around the 80% proof mark. What does a shot of that actually taste like?? Thanks x
Do you mean Bacardi 151? That's 151 proof (75.5% alcohol). What it tastes like depends on the drinker's experience and intent. Someone who appreciates rum isn't going to just knock back shots; he's going to sip and savor it. That being said, Bacardi 151 isn't really a drink that's meant to be savored (in my opinion). It's fairly cheap and is mostly used for mixed drinks like rum and coke. The only reason people use it is because of its high alcohol content. If it's anything like other rums I've had, it's going to be sweet. Think sugar cane and syrup. Of course, because of the high alcohol content, it's going to have more of that alcohol burn.
Yep - that's the one. So if you've never had it, and you tried it as a shot, would it be the sort of thing that makes you cough and think "Jesus Christ, that's rough!"
It really depends on the person and circumstances. If your character is young and trying to get drunk, he'll just knock down that shot without trying to taste it. Which (unfortunately) usually results in a very annoying, burning feel in your gullet. It also depends whether he drinks it correctly or not. I never drank this bacardi, but I did drink absinthe (around 70%) a couple of times. And it makes a huge difference if you drink it correctly. When I knocked down a pure shot I didn't want to breathe, because it burned so much in my throat. But when I drank it correctly (with sugar and fire) I had no problem, I drank it like a normal booze. Edited to add: And I agree with @thirdwind here, I doubt a 75% drink is meant to be drank slowly and with pleasure. Unless your character is a little more badass, like this guy So I think it also depends quite a lot of the person drinking, and on his experiences, how he drinks it...
Thanks, guys. My character set out to drink beer to forget something that he'd been stewing over for a couple of months. He ended up being bought the 151 rum by a woman (he doesn't know her) who knows him and wants to get him in enough of a state to pump him for information.
I think people should get drunk at least once in their lives. For me, it's a very pleasant experience; I feel very happy when I'm drunk. "But the things I feel when wine possesses my soul / I will never tell to those who are not drunk." -- Li Po, "Drinking Alone by Moonlight"
Excellent .gif I, personally, find nothing more badass than a butch man at a bar ordering a tall glass of cool milk. And every time someone looks at him funny, he says, "Got a problem with my milk? I'll one guy, one bottle you so hard!" *sigh* perfect man...
Idunno about Bacardi 151, but I once took a shot of Everclear 151 (same alcohol content) out of (drunken) curiosity. It was painful, even though my perception of the burn of alcohol had already been dulled by quite a few shots of vodka without mixers or chasers. Basically, my mouth and throat felt like they were on fire and I felt like I could not breathe. But there is really no way to find out how something tastes other than to try it. How does he drink the liquor? In shots? Most beer is 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Bacardi 151 is 75.5% ABV. That is, for every unit of Bacardi 151, you would have to drink over 15 units of typical beer to get as drunk. For example, drinking 12 ounces (the volume of a bottle of beer) of Bacardi 151 is the equivalent of over 15 standard drinks, which can easily cause alcohol poisoning if consumed fast enough. Assuming that the drinker can even tolerate the pain. How experienced is the character at drinking? If he is experienced, then it seems most natural that he would know how drunk he wants to be and how much alcohol he should consume. If I were in his shoes and I wanted to drink in order to get drunk rather than to savor the flavor, then I would voluntarily choose liquor anyway. Could you clarify what you mean by "forget"? If he is inexperienced, then anything with 75.5% ABV would probably cause such intense and unexpected pain that he could not continue drinking, unless it is mixed with something (which seems to defeat the purpose of selling him liquor). Without knowing anything else about the characters or the situation, if I were in the shoes of a woman trying to get a character drunker than he intends, then I would convince him to buy a liquor that is designed for easy drinking, like plain Grey Goose vodka, which is the easiest-to-drink liquor that I have ever tried. Get him drunk by encouraging him to continue drinking despite his better judgment, not by tricking him into taking a shot of something much more concentrated than he expected. She could even persuade him to buy Grey Goose by offering it to him at a generous discount, since it is such an expensive premium brand. I could describe its taste in great detail if you are interested. (But, y'know, my recommendation still stands to try something for yourself instead of relying on others to describe it to you. ) For reference, Grey Goose, like most liquors designed for drinking, is 40% ABV -- more than half the ABV of Bacardi 151, and 8 times the ABV of most beer.
Eat before you drink, preferably something with a lot of fat for you to burn through once you ingest the alcohol. That'll slow down intoxication. However, if you really want to learn how to drink, come to the Balkans and have a taste of our home-made stuff. For example, home brewed rakia can be compared to absinthe, as its proof can go through the roof (up to 190). From my experience, most Westerners can't drink properly, so I suggest you take it easy on whatever it is that you drink.
Just Googled it. I got heart disease just by looking at it, so I have to concede that with a cuisine like that the Scots certainly can drink.
Best evidence I could think of... of course, the Northern Irish national dish is the Ulster Fry, so we give the Scots a bit of healthy competition.
OK, to clarify things a little further for you. The character was a drinker. He was also a womaniser. He's not the main character (he's a secondary character in my first book) but in book two, he comes closer to the front of the story as well as telling his own story alongside that of the main characters. Anyhoo, over the course of the first half of the story, he realises that the woman he met (towards the end of book one) is actually the best thing that's happened to him. He sees himself changing into the person that he wants to be rather than the person he is. Although he is very close to the main character (works alongside and is friends with him) he does have a certain amount of jealously for the MC (he knows of some but not all of the MC's misfortunes). So, he does something and the girlfriend basically breaks off their relationship. He tries - unsuccessfully - to talk to her but she won't answer his calls. After a while of waiting and doing as she'd asked when she told him to not contact her, he loses it and goes off in search of a drink. He's been arguing with himself about why they broke up so he just wants his mind to forget everything for a night so that he can start fresh with the hopes of hatching a plan to win the lady back. Now, the woman who buys him the 151 run (yes it's in shots) has a hidden agenda all of her own. The information she needs is actually about his friend so the more she can get out of him, the better. So she basically gets him a little drunk - enough for her to ask what's up and him to confess all about his jealousy of the friend and his break up from the lady. The woman he meets garners his trust and he begins to enjoy his evening, realising he's returning to being the person he hates. But he can't stop himself. There's a lot more to it that just what's written here but I hope that bit helps. x
If I was trying to get somebody drunk, I wouldn't use such potent shots. I would over-pour cocktails and let them get drunk without realizing how much they were actually consuming.
