Days of the Living Stupids.

[Seshat]

'flat' expression smiley

Row 2, column 3.

[marlovino]

I think I found an emoticon.




I found it at www.freesmileys.org click on angry smiley and go to page two.

[Seshat]

May I recommend an Australian distiller? http://www.bundabergrum.com.au/

Sadly, I can't personally recommend particular variants of theirs, but they have rums for a wide variety of tastes and price points.

They're set among the southernmost of our sugar growing regions (ie, the most temperate/least tropical), and a major train line runs right through the tropical sugar growing region in Australia and (last I looked) has a siding into their distillery complex. So they have easy access to all the sugar varieties Australia grows.

Pronunciation: BUN-duh-berg, with the 'da' syllable shortened into little more than the consonant and just enough vowel to make it to the second b.

Alternate pronunciation: Bundy.

[Jester]

Using a good rum for eggnog? That's a clear case of abusing alcohol.

Ruining eggnog with rum? Whyyyyy?! Of course almost everything just tastes like rubbing alcohol to me (though I can tolerate a few dessert wines).

I'm going to respectfully disagree with both of you. Every year at Christmastime, I make eggnog from scratch and add Brinley Gold Shipwreck Vanilla Rum to it. This is, in my opinion, the single greatest flavored rum in the planet. It is one of the only flavored rums I consider a good sipping rum. It is a rum that I have changed people's religions with.

And in the eggnog, it is simply magical. I have had people who did not like eggnog ask for move and/or ask for the recipe. I've added lesser rums to eggnog, and it turned out fine, but Brinley Vanilla in eggnog is amazing. So much so that, at some of the Christmas parties I've brought it to, the next year(s), guests have asked the hosts, "Is Jester bringing the eggnog?"

Jester, I'm pretty sure you named more varieties of just rum than my local liquor store carries of all spirits period.

I doubt it. Even the most basic liquor store still has a lot of varieties going on. Still, thank you for the compliment. I'm nothing if not thorough. (And those were off the top of my head.)

[computeraide]

Dumb. James Dumb.

HIM: [orders a martini]
ME: "Would you like that up or on the rocks?"
HIM: "Cold."

So... blended?

[Nunavut Pants]

Using a good rum for eggnog? That's a clear case of abusing alcohol.

It was so dangerous that it would have taken them 10 years to finish the bottle if they hadn't started abusing it like that... And did I mention that it was very tasty like that?

...Besides, the real liquor snobs would say that, being butterscotch-flavored, it was already so abused that nothing worse could be done to it...

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

Jester, I'm pretty sure you named more varieties of just rum than my local liquor store carries of all spirits period.

[WishfulSpirit]

Ruining eggnog with rum? Whyyyyy?! Of course almost everything just tastes like rubbing alcohol to me (though I can tolerate a few dessert wines).

[wolfie]

Dumb. James Dumb.

HIM: [orders a martini]
ME: "Would you like that up or on the rocks?"
HIM: "Cold."

I love it. What did you give him?

A bagel with LOX on it?

My favorite rum so far was a Stroh butterscotch rum. (snip) And it was quite deadly when mixed into eggnog....

Using a good rum for eggnog? That's a clear case of abusing alcohol.

[Kogarashi]

Note to Mods: We really need a flat expression staring emoticon for stories like these. Because I use that expression behind the bar A LOT.

How about this one? (Put it together based off of the smilies we already have on the site.)

[Nunavut Pants]

... I'll stick to my Brinley Vanilla in homemade eggnog, thank you very much. I've actually been able to convert people who claimed to not like eggnog with this particularly magical concoction.

That sounds awesome! If I ever get a chance to head waaaaaaaay out east and south around the holidays, I'll try to hit you up for some!

[dendawg]

Note to Mods: We really need a flat expression staring emoticon for stories like these. Because I use that expression behind the bar A LOT.

Not exactly an emoticon, but how's this look?



(No, I didn't make this, it's a rage face.)

[Jester]

A two for one coupon at a bar? I have never heard of such a thing. I wonder if you had said that you would "honor" it for their 2 beers if LIAR would have told you that the coupon was good for their entire order.

Such two for one coupons are relatively common down here, actually. Tourist town and such. Most have some restrictions on them. Ours have a maximum value, which only means if you exceed that value, you just pay the difference.

As for a two for one coupon for an entire order, we DON'T have those, so they would have been just as shit out of luck with that attempt as they were with theirs.

I love it. What did you give him?

I don't remember, actually, since it really doesn't matter. Probably gave it to him on the rocks, though.

What I hate is when random customers try to get political. None of the employees will engage them, and most of the other customers avert their eyes. Every once in a while another vocal person will join in, and then we all have to listen to them agree with each other. It's very awkward regardless of their leanings....

My coworkers and I generally could give half a shit or less if our customers discuss politics among themselves, whatever our thoughts or leanings on the matter may be. It's when they try to involve us in their nonsense that we get irritated.

If our beloved forum goes down the tubes, you and Arga should start a blog together...

I'd certainly consider it. Arga?

So Jester, what is your favorite commonly-available rum? (By "commonly available", I mean one that you could buy in a liquor store with a decent selection, but does not specialize in rum.)

My personal favorite (although I haven't tried that many) is Admiral Rodney from St Lucia, which unfortunate is only sold in the USVI, or by special order. (At least, it's by special order here in NC)

I love how your favorite rum does not in any way fit the criteria you sets down for me.

Sadly, there is no easy answer to your question, as not only do liquor stores vary store by store, but availability varies region to region, especially in some states that have strict liquor laws, state-run liquor stores, and/or low demand for good rum.

But I'll offer some suggestions, noting that your local liquor store may or may not be able to get these.
Favorite rums from a major corporation: Pyrat XO Reserve (owned and distributed by Patron), Bacardi Reserva Limitada (thanks, Accounting Drone!), and Captain Morgan's Private Stock (my first sipping rum).
Some others that may be available nationally, based on the fact that they're made by foreign and thus not unique to one region of the U.S., but (some) are still affordably priced so may be in the better liquor stores, and some of them I've seen in liquor stores in other states: Zacapa Centenario 23, El Dorado 12, 15, 21, and 25, Pampero Anniversario, Zaya Gran Reserva, Centenario 20, 25, and 30, Pusser's 15, Atlantico Private Cask, Mount Gay Extra Old, Mount Gay 1703 (Mount Gay seems to be putting the year of their founding, 1703, on almost all their bottles these days, but this is a beautiful 30 year old sipping rum in a shorter and wider decanter style bottle, and usually retails for about $100 or so), Dos Maderas P.X. 5+5, Dos Maderas 5+3, Angostura 1919 (NOT the older and more expensive 1824, oddly), Angostura #1, any of the Brinley Gold Shipwreck flavored rums (Coconut, Mango, Lime, Coffee, and especially Vanilla, but NOT their Spiced), Kilo Kai Spiced Rum, Chairman's Reserve Spiced Rum, Chairman's Reserve Rum, Santa Teresa 1796, Abuelo Centuria, Penny Blue XO, Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 and Gran Reserva 18, Diplomatico Exclusiva Reserva (not to be confused with the more pedestrian Reserva), and Flor de Cana 12 and 18.

There, THAT should be a great starting list!

Stealing this quote. Stealing it so hard.

Seems a lot of people are. Go for it. Give me credit when you can, but regardless, have fun with it.

I mean, technically James Dumb answered the question. Ice would definitely make it cold!

As would having it "up," which is shaken over ice and then strained.

I had a bartender at a wine bar serve me a wine I really liked, and she brought the bottle out so I could photograph the label and find it later.

This happens so often at my bar, I couldn't even tell you how often. Hell, several times a shift, I'm sure. The majority of the time we turn someone on to a new rum they like,really.

And it was quite deadly when mixed into eggnog....

Sounds delicious, though I'll stick to my Brinley Vanilla in homemade eggnog, thank you very much. I've actually been able to convert people who claimed to not like eggnog with this particularly magical concoction.

[Nunavut Pants]

I've done the "take a picture of the bottle" thing as well!

My favorite rum so far was a Stroh butterscotch rum. My friends bought it as part of a grocery run. They thought the big "80" on the label meant 80 proof--actually, it meant 80% alcohol, 160 proof! I loved sipping it, just the tiniest bit would vaporize in your mouth and head down your throat with a warm/cold sweetness... And it was quite deadly when mixed into eggnog....

[manybellsdown]

If you're gonna be one of the people who say it's time to make America great again, stop being one of the reasons America isn't great right now.

+Eleventy-billion and a bag of chips.

Custy, just write the name of the rum down and look it up later. Chances are, there is a website and that would tell you where it's sold.

I had a bartender at a wine bar serve me a wine I really liked, and she brought the bottle out so I could photograph the label and find it later.