Easily obtainable alcoholic beverage suggestions

I turned 21 about a week ago, and came to the realization that I have never partaken of the nectar of the gods. Not out of respect for the law or some sense of morality, mind you. I've just never been presented with an alcoholic beverage, and the trouble that would be required to acquire one didn't seem worth it. Now that I don't have to get friends over 21 or a fake ID, I'm kind of curious, and I turn to you fine folks. If you hang around Giant Bomb, surely you have taste. What would you recommend as a first drink, preferably one that I could just pick up at a convenience store?

Beer.

@Nux said:

Beer.

tanqueragy and tonic is probably pretty mild

Go to the store and buy a case of the cheapest beer they have. Then go back home and get fucking wasted.

Beer is a peasant's liquid. I went straight for whiskey, Jack & Coke is a nice starter.

Your first drink should be brewed! Might I recommend poitin. A few swigs of that should make up for the past 21 alcohol free years.

Vodka n' Cranberry Juice. Red Bull also cuts the bite down quite nicely.

Piece of advice when buying vodka. You don't have to spend an exorbitant amount of cash on vodka if you're going to mix it. Sky and Svedka is a decent cheapish vodka that mixes quite well. Absolut is also good.

I would go with beer or Jack Daniels & Apple Juice.

But be careful, Applejacks can get out of control fast.

Vodka and coke

@Slay3r1583 said:

Go to the store and buy a case of the cheapest beer they have. Then go back home and get fucking wasted.

If you don't throw up at first sip of how disgusting it tastes.

I'd suggest to be a gentleman, grab some wine. Entry-level classiness.

Whiskey and coke, particularly bourbon and coke, is a good starter drink. Gin and tonics are also, but you want to lay down the extra 10 bucks for tanqueray. If you want to develop a taste for beer, I found Corona was a good beer to develop a taste for it with (with lime, natch) - of course, once you have the taste, Corona isn't good for much at all.

Try a bit of everything for a first time, but make sure it is cheap, shitty alcohol. I don't know where you are, so there may be differences in what's available, but for some great shitty beer, try some Pabst Blue Ribbon, Natural Light, Milwaukee's Best, Keystone, Rolling Rock. Or try a 40 if your up to it. I recommend Steel Reserve or Colt 45.

@TheCreamFilling said:

Beer is a peasant's liquid. I went straight for whiskey, Jack & Coke is a nice starter.

You ruined your statement when you said coke; what are you, a woman?

Whiskey and coke. I tend to stick with Scotch but Bourbon will do the trick as well.

Yeah, jack & coke was my first go-to. Beer takes awhile to get used to and enjoy, I've found.

@AlexW00d said:

@TheCreamFilling said:

Beer is a peasant's liquid. I went straight for whiskey, Jack & Coke is a nice starter.

You ruined your statement when you said coke; what are you, a woman?

I was just saying it might be a good introduction for someone that's never had it before. It was for me when I turned 21 a few months ago.

Rum and coke, specifically Bacardi

Mike's Hard Lemonade, if you want to ease into it.

^I was just going to suggest that. If I recall correctly, my first time drinking we had a couple 6 packs of Smirnoff Ice and like a 30 pack of Miller Lite. Ofcourse, the Smirnoff wouldn't be suitable by itself but it's a good way to ease into things before downing way too many Miller Lite's and having a night to remember.

@TheCreamFilling said:

@AlexW00d said:

@TheCreamFilling said:

Beer is a peasant's liquid. I went straight for whiskey, Jack & Coke is a nice starter.

You ruined your statement when you said coke; what are you, a woman?

I was just saying it might be a good introduction for someone that's never had it before. It was for me when I turned 21 a few months ago.

NO. Drink a full litre of it straight, puke your fucking insides up and never drink again. It's what happened with me but I was like 16 and it was vodka. Pretty great now really, as I grew out of the 'thinking drinking is cool' stage when I was young so now I don't waste all my money on it like a load of people this age do.

Sorry for the tangent.

Get a bottle of wine

@AlexW00d said:

@TheCreamFilling said:

@AlexW00d said:

@TheCreamFilling said:

Beer is a peasant's liquid. I went straight for whiskey, Jack & Coke is a nice starter.

You ruined your statement when you said coke; what are you, a woman?

I was just saying it might be a good introduction for someone that's never had it before. It was for me when I turned 21 a few months ago.

NO. Drink a full litre of it straight, puke your fucking insides up and never drink again. It's what happened with me but I was like 16 and it was vodka. Pretty great now really, as I grew out of the 'thinking drinking is cool' stage when I was young so now I don't waste all my money on it like a load of people this age do.

Sorry for the tangent.

Well there's your problem: drinking to get drunk = doing it wrong. A nice buzz is all you need.

We did sloeberry gin and coke, before I was 21 admittedly. Barf!!!!! Also back after I was 21 we made wine coolers with box pink chabliis and 7-up. Actually not bad...

Now that you are a responsible adult, a cheap and relatively non-fattening beer like Natural light (Busch) 14.99 for 30, would be rather smart (My opinion). Have something like that for a usual house evening drink, and ohhhh, I like a Dark Rum and Ginger-ale myself on the rocks, Bourbon press at the bar.

@TheCreamFilling said:

@AlexW00d said:

@TheCreamFilling said:

Beer is a peasant's liquid. I went straight for whiskey, Jack & Coke is a nice starter.

You ruined your statement when you said coke; what are you, a woman?

I was just saying it might be a good introduction for someone that's never had it before. It was for me when I turned 21 a few months ago.

Honestly though, jack and coke is a great beginners suggestion. Most people seem to forget that alcohol tastes like ass before you get used to the overpowering flavor and can start appreciating a good bottle of whiskey.

1. Glenlivit (whiskey)

2. Jameson (whiskey)

3. Twisted Tea. (hard tea)

4. Beer. So many to choose from.

5. Coke or Cherry Coke to mix with the whiskey

6 RUM AND COKE!!!!!

Pick the people you want to drink with first, then the drinks. It's much more fun when you have like minded people, get to the same place, and have the same idea of fun. Unless you're friends are Jack and Jim.

You should get that promethazine with codeine mix

Tequila and water. No hang overs... and you get fuckkking wasted. :D

Pump a bunch of Everclear up your asshole.

@Funzzo said:

1. Glenlivit (whiskey)

2. Jameson (whiskey)

3. Twisted Tea. (hard tea)

4. Beer. So many to choose from.

5. Coke or Cherry Coke to mix with the whiskey

6 RUM AND COKE!!!!!

No 21 year old should ever start his drinking career with either Glenlivet or Jameson. You just can't appreciate the stuff, and at worse it'll turn him off completely.

Rum and cokes, on the other hand, are a great suggestion. You need to start with something that has a familiar flavor, and then slowly work your way into the finer stuff. A good rum and coke is a blend of both familiar and new flavors, which I think is one of the best ways to start off.

Hell, it doesn't even have to be rum. Bourbon works just fine as well. But the coke is the important bit, oddly enough.

Like some others have been saying, you could just go for beer. Chances are, though, that you won't like it - Most people don't, the first time around. You have to drink it, to get used to the taste.

If you're into sweet stuff, then I would recommend Southern Comfort and Sprite. It's fairly girly, but it's also pretty tasty.

For the more masculine approach, assuming you care, I'd go for Gin and Lemon - And I agree with the others: Buy some Tangueray. If that's not an option, Plymouth or Hendricks are good brands too.

Cocktails are a good bet too, as there is bound to be one out there you'll like. Without knowing your tastes, however, there are too many for me to really recommend anything.

Now that you're twenty-one, a word of caution:

Most "adults" in their twenties and early-thirties treat alcohol the same way eight-year-olds treat Halloween candy. Sure, you may be able to hold your liquor, but you'll pass that phase of booze-worship soon enough and have the rest of your life in which to look back and say, "Alcohol's done more harm than good."

This from a guy who has forty-odd bottle of liquor at any point in time and drinks only the Glenfiddich 18-21 every couple of months.

Go with gin and tonic. They're light, refreshing, delicious, and less dehydrating than most.

Get wasted if you like, but just remember that you're literally giving control of your memory and actions to a BEVERAGE. Think about that.

@notdavid:

Why does it need to be 'easily obtainable' apparent 21-year-old user?

I like White Zinfandel, Its a wine. I dont know, (or care) anything about it. But its a good wine.

@JasonR86: No job or car. But I'm totally legit. You a cop? You have to tell me if your a cop.

For realsies, though. I actually am 21 now.

@notdavid said:

@JasonR86: No job or car. But I'm totally legit. You a cop? You have to tell me if your a cop.

For realsies, though. I actually am 21 now.

Uh huh. So why does it have to be easily obtainable? No job means no money right? Did you want to steal it then?

Beer is generally a good choice but it's not everyone's preference (I loathe it) so if you don't like it then it's not a bad idea to try some red wine or whiskey. Both should be drunk nice and slowly so savour the taste.

Personally I'm a gin and tonic man but a lot of people hate gin. So I'll suggest jager which seems to be a drink most people don't mind for a first time drink. However I would also suggest tasting different kinds of beers to find out what you like. I would suggest some brown or amber ales which are less harsh than an IPA (Indian Pale Ale) and are not as heavy as a stout like Guinness. Good luck man and enjoy your first drink!

@Slay3r1583 said:

Go to the store and buy a case of the cheapest beer they have. Then go back home and get fucking wasted.

This is the best idea I have heard, since all alcoholic drinks taste horrible.

BAILEYS.

I'd love to recommend Colt 45 Blast as it's cheap and 1 is likely all you'll need. However it's also absolutely disgusting and is the only drink so far to have ever broken my iron stomach and high hangover resistance, haha.

Most things have been covered already. But recently I've taken to mixing Pinnacle whip cream flavored vodka with a Starbucks frappuccino to get my night started. Both delicious and smooth.

@mlarrabee said:

Now that you're twenty-one, a word of caution:

Most "adults" in their twenties and early-thirties treat alcohol the same way eight-year-olds treat Halloween candy. Sure, you may be able to hold your liquor, but you'll pass that phase of booze-worship soon enough and have the rest of your life in which to look back and say, "Alcohol's done more harm than good."

This from a guy who has forty-odd bottle of liquor at any point in time and drinks only the Glenfiddich 18-21 every couple of months.

Go with gin and tonic. They're light, refreshing, delicious, and less dehydrating than most.

Get wasted if you like, but just remember that you're literally giving control of your memory and actions to a BEVERAGE. Think about that.

The job of your frontal cortex is to constantly judge you. Every day. For everything you do. It does this day in, day out. Alcohol slows this judgmental prick down just enough to let a couple of fun things through. We outgrow our need for alcohol because we learn to live with our inadequacies. Doesn't mean they're no longer there, just that we've come to accept that we will never be the guy who walked on the moon for the first time, or the man who successfully separated twins conjoined at the head for the first time.

Also, my decisions while sober have gotten me into much bigger trouble than my decisions while drunk. I'm looking at you graduate school.

@AlexW00d said:

@TheCreamFilling said:

@AlexW00d said:

@TheCreamFilling said:

Beer is a peasant's liquid. I went straight for whiskey, Jack & Coke is a nice starter.

You ruined your statement when you said coke; what are you, a woman?

I was just saying it might be a good introduction for someone that's never had it before. It was for me when I turned 21 a few months ago.

NO. Drink a full litre of it straight, puke your fucking insides up and never drink again. It's what happened with me but I was like 16 and it was vodka. Pretty great now really, as I grew out of the 'thinking drinking is cool' stage when I was young so now I don't waste all my money on it like a load of people this age do.

Sorry for the tangent.

I refuse to drink alcohol as well but I'm not an asshole about it, provided a person drinks responsibly.

If you never had a drink before you were 21. Why would you get someone older or a fake ID to buy it for you? If you are 21, all you need is money and an ID to get booze. Buying from a store or going to a bar. Drinking alcohol is not that is crack up to be. It's okay relax and have a good time once in a while. If it is done too much, it can lead to negative consequences. Throwing up, passing out and having headaches is not an ideal way of having a good time. Call a cab or sober friend to drive you home if you had too much to drink.

Cider is the best alcohol this side of champaign.

Vodka and anything is a good starter. It'll have a kick, but not too much of one, and if you chill the vodka you'll barely taste it.

beer or larger nice, ciders are great for starting off.

@Sgykah said:

@mlarrabee said:

Now that you're twenty-one, a word of caution:

Most "adults" in their twenties and early-thirties treat alcohol the same way eight-year-olds treat Halloween candy. Sure, you may be able to hold your liquor, but you'll pass that phase of booze-worship soon enough and have the rest of your life in which to look back and say, "Alcohol's done more harm than good."

This from a guy who has forty-odd bottle of liquor at any point in time and drinks only the Glenfiddich 18-21 every couple of months.

Go with gin and tonic. They're light, refreshing, delicious, and less dehydrating than most.

Get wasted if you like, but just remember that you're literally giving control of your memory and actions to a BEVERAGE. Think about that.

The job of your frontal cortex is to constantly judge you. Every day. For everything you do. It does this day in, day out. Alcohol slows this judgmental prick down just enough to let a couple of fun things through. We outgrow our need for alcohol because we learn to live with our inadequacies. Doesn't mean they're no longer there, just that we've come to accept that we will never be the guy who walked on the moon for the first time, or the man who successfully separated twins conjoined at the head for the first time.

Also, my decisions while sober have gotten me into much bigger trouble than my decisions while drunk. I'm looking at you graduate school.

I understand and appreciate the facetiousness, but far too many people actually do use alcohol to cover their own insecurities. That's a bit like sitting on the couch smoking weed because one is depressed about how all one did yesterday was sit on the couch and smoke weed. A lot of people drink to escape their problems, all the while oblivious to the fact that they could solve half of their problems themselves if they'd put down the bottle and work their *** off. That's a gross over-simplification, of course, but I've seen several of my friends turn from useless party animals to decent, happy people with meaningful lives once they placed alcohol in a better place on their priority list.