I wouldn't even know where to start a reply to this thread. I am a certified bartender (although never employed as one) so I've always got something up my sleeve. I also have partaken in way too much experimenting to know how to begin making a mixed drink. I'm not one to toot my own horn, but I take pride in my Macgyver-approach to making alcoholic beverages. A variety of ingredients is hard to find in most party situations, so you often have to make-do with convenience store purchases, if not then with what's laying around.
Buy yourself a nice shaker and mix things up in that. Anyone partying in a hotel, for instance, has no excuse to drink a warm beverage. You won't believe the difference in taste until you've had a perfectly chilled and mixed drink fresh out of the shaker.
I usually require three ingredients to make a solid, all-purpose mixed drink. Start off with your choice of liquors. Vodka is my go-to guy because of its versatility and all-round tastiness, SKYY being my top-value choice, factoring in taste and price. From there you have to choose the appropriate body. This seems like an easy job, but there are some no-no's that you learn from trial and error. You don't want to end up drinking something that tastes like a poor-quality wine just because you have the wrong liquor/juice combo. Solid choices are Hi-C if you've got a bad selection, or V8 Splash juices. Here my preference is, if you can find it, Tropicana Twister Cherry Raspberry Rev, which is so tasty, even when you don't mix it with alcohol. After that, I like to add some fizz with the cheapest Sprite knock-off I can find. Not too much or you'll dilute the taste. You can also use soda water if you don't want to taint the taste of the rest of the drink, but hell, you're probably making this in a gallon jug, solely to get you drunk the fastest way possible anyway. Shake it all up with ice if you can, and enjoy.
Another easy-to-make drink is Pink Skyy, which has probably already been invented, but I came up with it with a friend while working a bar at a yacht club a number of years ago. It requires your desired amount of vodka, a few drops of grenadine and fill with regular lemonade, shake and serve. Ever so tasty.
I'm no wine drinker, so I cannot comment on that portion. I absolutely love champagne, in turn I also pound mimosas and mimosadrivers (take a guess what that is...). Lately, since buying a bottle of vodka for a night of drinking had gotten pricey, I have aquired a taste for beer. Of the brands that might be recognized on these boards, my top brews have to be Alexander Keith's and Boddingtons, without a doubt.
I could go on for a long time, but I think we're hitting the town tonight and I am in no state to be seen in public, so I gotta go clean myself up.
, erm I mean eat...
).
