Social drinking

Let's get the ball rolling with a drink. Beer, wine, or liquor? I'll share my three current choices and we can discuss.

• Stockyard Oatmeal Stout (Stockyard Brewing Company, Chicago, Illinois. $4.99/ 6pk)
  

• Masciarelli Montepulciano d"Abruzzo (Distributed in Seattle by Grape Expectations Inc. $6.99/btl).

• Hendrick's Gin (Distilled in Scotland, around $27/750ml.)

Starting with a neat gin out of one of my crystal tumblers will surely lubricate the taster. If you are after your favorite potable's true soul, neat is the way to capture it. A good huff at the mouth of my vessel is conjuring a thorny, rose-headed beast. The gin is infused with a measure of rose petals and it is pretty discernible. The juniper that this style of distillate is so well known for, actually plays second chair to the initial floral aromas. Truly this is gin, so the evergreen is still in there. It is just not as resinous as some other gins. Some may like it, some may not. I like it...I like it just swell. I've tasted drier gins, that is for certain. This liquor is a sweeter interpretation of the style. A little cucumber essence is deposited on the palate too. An above average gin overall. Is it worth the price? It is if you are looking for some nice gin under $30. Not a super deal though.

Stout beers are generally opaque, roasty ales. There are scores of different styles of stout. Dry, Sweet, Imperial, Chocolate, Coffee, Cream/Milk and Oatmeal are all fairly common these days. Stockyard Oatmeal Stout is pretty solid. Made in Chicago by a satellite brewery of Goose Island Brewing Comp., it is well worth the $4.99 price tag, if you can find it. I like to give a beer a good hard pour into my pint glass. Blowing a little CO2 out of the ale helps you taste it. Carbonic acid burns the taste buds. I'm not telling you to flatten all of your beer before you drink it, but a little less zing will bring out some extra nuance. Really...it will. Smells like a nice, hearty breakfast cereal. Palpable roast barley character, oily body, and a bittersweet cocoa finish. Nothing off of the charts, but really one of the very best craft/import beers for the price. This fact alone is enough to win some repeat consumption.

This Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is a stellar little table wine. Redolent of black cherry, white pepper, and a little vanilla dirt. Some tannins provide a skeleton and frame this wine nicely. My rules for table wine start with the price. $12 or less is my ceiling, though really I tend to keep it under $10. I like French Cotes du Rhone, and Cotes du Ventoux, Spanish Rioja, or Tinto and Italian Chianti, Barbera d'Asti, Montepulciano d' Abruzzo, and Primitivo. You can usually find one of these styles at a super quality steal. Pay attention to the distributor if you can. Some of those distributors got mad wine skills.