Friday, March 03, 2006

I walk up to the bar and point to the top shelf

Tea is the most comforting drink in the world. Hot tea, Earl Grey or English Breakfast, black. The world seems a little more right when you are drinking tea. I like it hot or cold although I prefer hot. I will drink it sweet or unsweet. I will not compromise on it being very strong. I will not drink it from restaurants that keep it in metal tins, it makes it funny tasting. I like it flavored, or plain, and I like it with fresh mint leaves if I have them.

My favorite wine is a white wine, not classy I know, but good. It is called Muscatto Allegro. Its sweet. Easy to drink. I like it when I have had a bad day and want something soft to make the evening a little more fuzzy around the edges. Also happens to be the only wine my friends can agree with me on. If I am not drinking it, I prefer cabernet sauvignon.

I used to hate orange juice. I drank it a lot as a child with my asthma medicine, which I broke open and put into the juice because I couldn’t swallow pills yet. I still don’t drink it often. My grandmother, whom I lived with, had good orange juice at night when she came home from work, I discovered later in life this is because it was a Screwdriver, and not really just orange juice.

In my church when I was little they served grape juice for communion. I was always disappointed when bottled grape juice didn’t taste as nice as the thimble full I got from those teeny cups. As I got older the boys who served the cups to us would stow away the unused and we would shoot it after the service.I

detest milk. I will only drink it cold with cinnamon rolls. I like it with chocolate. I have no idea where this prejudice came from. I do, however, like to drink steamers, which are of course steamed milk with whipped cream and flavored syrup.

I didn’t like beer until a few years ago. I discovered this is because I had only had light beer and I prefer dark beer. I once accidentally bought a case of rolling rock at a Sam’s club. I saw that the 24 pack long-necks were on sale, we were having a party and I knew everyone I knew liked it. I grabbed a 24 pack. When we got to the front they told me to wait and they would bring the rest of my case. I can’t even look at the bottles now, I am so sick of it.

Crown Royal is my favorite whiskey to drink. On my 21st birthday my friend Aeneas came down and we played Trivial Pursuit as a drinking game and used the bottles of Crown he bought me as our shooter. I like to drink it neat. The only thing I like better than whiskey is scotch. I like both with a cigar. It tastes nicer that way for some reason.

The drink that officially made me sick when I turned 21 was called a banana republic and it had banana liquor, banana rum, coconut rum and some sort of vodka in it with pineapple mixer. It was good, but it made me sick. I had been drinking whiskey all day/night.Beloved and I took a vacation a year or so ago and the owner of the bed and breakfast made breakfast for us. She served Mango juice at breakfast. It was delicious.

When I was in high school I drank cranberry juice all the time. I never liked it. I am unsure why I did it. I also had a proclivity to instant cappuccinos that they sold in my cafeteria. I don’t like those either. Those, though, I am pretty sure I drank because I only slept about 4 hours a night.

I do not like coffee, although I will drink coffee drinks. There is one brand of decaf I like, and it is served in one restaurant in my town. I will drink coffee with a lot of creamer in it. I also like *real* cappuccinos with extra espresso in them. I will drink a shot of espresso if I need a pick me up for a study session [when I was in school] or have had a late night.

I drink far too much soda. I prefer coke or mountain dew. Mountain dew is especially good with old fashioned cherry syrup in it. I like cherry drinks of all sorts. I like ginger ale dry. I prefer hot soda to cold and canned to bottles, although glass bottles are the best.

The drier the champagne, the better.

Gatorade [and all sports drinks] is evil.

I’ve of course left the most common for last. Water. I will drink it, especially when I am sick. I will drink it from the tap, although we buy four cases of water every few weeks or so, Beloved grew up on spring water from a well. I prefer plain to flavored, sparkling above all. I will say this: I would rather swim or soak in water than drink it.

So that’s me and beverages.

8 comments:

-L said...

What a great post, Alecya! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your beverages of choice. :)

Like you, I love tea! One of the most simple yet blissful moments, I think, it just holding a a hot cup between your hands. :) Like you, I don't drink coffee (I can't believe there's another person in the world!). And like you, I love Mountain Dew - although I've never tried the cherry!

Congrats on the job as well! Woohoo! *throws confetti*

Time to mosey down the hall for today's first cup of tea... =)

Alecya G said...

Leah! yeah, I love tea. I drink probably 8-10 cups a day, at least. I should buy stock in Twinings.

I never hear the end of people who can't believe I dont like coffee.

don't drink code red! But some of the Rose's grenadine or go to a Steak and Shake [if there's one in your neighborhood] and get it that way. Code red is nasty. I hit on it when I was working at Steak and Shake 3rd shift.

Hope your tea is good...how do you drink yours?

HistoryGeek said...

What kind of self-respecting midwesterner doesn't drink coffee! I'm shocked, I tell thee.

I didn't start drinking tea until after I left the midwest. I like it strong. I love chai, unsweetened. Don't add sweetener to my tea, ever.

I think I'm going to steal your idea for my own post today.

Anonymous said...

Since you did mention Steak and Shake, they still serve that nectar of the gods called Mr. Pibb. Don't forget.

Aravis said...

I grew up drinking tea, my mother being English. Sometimes my grandmother made me "cow coffee" which was mostly milk with a hint of coffee, or Postum. To this day I prefer my real coffee light and sweet. My husband loves the smell of coffee but hates the taste, so you're definitely not alone alecya. :0) I drink tons of iced tea, both decaf and not. I buy cases of bottled water and add 4-C tea mix (they come in boxes of individually portioned tea, 1 packet per bottle). I drink those all day long. I used to love Heinekin beer, Sombreros, Cuervo 1800 and if I was having wine, it was White Zinfandel. Wine usually gave me terrible headaches and made my face turn red. Zinfandel was the only kind that didn't. Whiskey made me sick, just smelling it, after a terrible bender I went on with it. I also loved doing upside-down shots with Mountain Dew and vodka.

I won't drink ginger-ale. That was always given to me when I was sick as a kid. I used to drink Coke or Root Beer, or an occasional cream, black cherry, strawberry or grape soda. But I hardly ever drink soda anymore. It doesn't refresh me, and I have to watch out for dehydration. When I'm not dieting, though, I love a good Shirley Temple. And if I'm going to drink water, it has to be room temperature or I get a stomach ache.

What a mixed lot we are! *G*

-L said...

I drink my tea straight...Yum, yum, yum!

I have a very difficult time finding Twinnings though! I am having my pen pal bring me a box when we hook up in NYC in April because my stock is almost gone!

Alecya G said...

Leah - what kind of twinings do you like? I'd happily send you some if you tell me what type you drink. If its anything normal, I can probably get it. Twinings is the "it" tea around here

-L said...

Aw, aren't you so nice!! I will let you know if my friend doesn't bring me some in April...

=) Yah!