Belochka - The expression does have patent pending, but,being the generous person that I am, I will allow you to use it in special circumstances :).

Generally I'm not a great drinker, but when I do I go for the expensive stuff, like Glayva and things of that ilk. Love Highland Cream, too. A good scotch to warm the cockles o' me 'eart. But I'm a rather sad Cadburys so it doesn't take much to have me tipsy.





Cadburys: A glass and a half in every 200 gram block.

Kaz - Thanks, I bet I'll have to explain where the expression came from anyway when I use it. At least I'll be able to praise the use of collioqualisms in Australia :)

I use to like drinking whisky, until someone pointed out that the auld fighting water was living up to its name and I always got argumentative as hell. So nae more Laphroaig or Balvenie for me.

Simon - I don't the sketch that you've mentioned, but it sounds entertaining. Where would I find it?



Post Edited (06-11-03 19:09)

dave

yes -- that rings lots of bells. Baiting outsiders/foreigners/grockles into drinking more scrumpy than can possibly be good for you has long been a favourite pastime in most of the West Country . . . it's particularly effective on beer drinkers, as they tend to assume that (a) cider's a girl's drink so it can't be very strong (b) it comes in pint glasses, so if I can drink 8 pts of beer, I can drink 8 pints of scrumpy.

One's scrumpy tolerance does increase with practice, though . . .



Jesus saves; Buddha does incremental backup.

I was only ever once drunk, and that was by accident. Nobody ever bothered to tell me that Scotch whisky is different from Irish whiskey in far more crucial respects than the presence or absence of a letter E! I have to say I didn't enjoy the experience - I like to be able to think straight, and I wasn't so drunk that I didn't realise that I couldn't.



..........................................................................................

That which does not kill us makes us stranger.
(Llewelyn the dragon, Ozy and Millie)

Sarah

Sarah: did Iain tell you about his encounter with Manx rocket fuel ? A clear whiskey from the Isle of Man. Deadlier than average whiskey, judging by its effect on Iain.
The taxi driver looked deeply disapproving as Iain was being helped into his car and asked whether we thought he was going to be sick. It was New Year's Eve and the driver had just cleaned his car out after the previous fare had been ill. We confidently reassured the driver that Iain wouldn't be sick. We were sure about this because he'd spent the last 20 minutes pebbledashing the toilet and he didn't have anything left to bring up.

"O, for a beaker full of the warm South,
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
And purple-stained mouth."

I don't think Keats wrote anything meaningful about throwing up, unless its in his juvenilia?

Not wishing to start a competition about "the worst drink EVER", but here goes! :)

1.) This spot has to go to an unknown brand of Japanese vodka, imbibed at the house of a work colleague of my husband. The guy and his family visited Japan a lot and bought this back. No-one had tried it because the only part of the label in english was the degree of proof. I did, because I'm like that, and I have never drunk something before that evaporated into fumes the minute it hit my tongue. Interesting and yet horrible and will never be repeated!

2.) Czechoslovakian plum brandy. Taste vaguely of rotted plum and pure alcohol and nothing else.

3.) Cocktail made with absinthe. Vile.

That's my top 3 anyway!

Oh yeah, and to drag a thread related statement out of myself, if everyone who can still make the 13th July outing is happy to go to the pub I'll book a table sometime closer. Inside/pub garden? If inside smoking or non?



Post Edited (06-11-03 22:24)

Skiffle: that's not something Iain has ever told me! *wicked grin*

The worst drink I've sampled has got to be Turkish banana liqueur. I forget how the Turkish name is spelt, but it is pronounced roughly "mush" (with a heavy northern accent). I normally like fruit-flavoured firewaters of all descriptions, but this one was rougher than a Sheffield pavement. Blech...



..........................................................................................

That which does not kill us makes us stranger.
(Llewelyn the dragon, Ozy and Millie)

Sarah

For me it would have to be my father's attempt to make tomato wine. It was so bad that HE dumped it down the sink (which would mean more if you knew my father--he pretty much never throws anything away).



--------------
"I've often said that the difference between British and American SF TV series is that the British ones have three-dimensional characters and cardboard spaceships, while the Americans do it the other way around."
--Ross Smith

Belochka _
My preferences for the 13th would be in the pub's gardens if the long-range weather-forecast (nearer the day) is favourable, and if inside then non-smoking.

************************************************************

"This was willed where what is willed... can get rather silly."

I'll keep an eye on weather behaviour for end of June/beginning of July, and then attempt a guess for outside or inside tables at the pub!

I'm sort of impressed that you can make alcohol out of just about anything, although bananananas wouldn't have sprung to mind instantly and definitely not tomatoes! And I thought damson and elderflower wines were exotic. :)

Pub is fine with me - picnic is fine with me. Either way, as a driver I can't (and won't) drink so it's the old Ginger Pop for me!!

let me see..

ginger - check
pop - 1 small child in house, check.

makes me a ginger pop. :-)

Where and when shall we meet up then Dave? ;-)

hang on, you said *old* ginger pop...

oh, right, that's still me then.
:-)

Pottering about in a vast Sainsbury's a few weeks ago and saw 'Fentiman's Curiosity Cola'. A traditional, herbal based recipe apparently (no - not *that* sort of herb !).
Well I gave in to my curiosity and bought some. It's rather nice; a thick, sort of liqourice/colts foot rock flavour, not unlike dandelion and burdock, but with a fruitier flavour. I liked it enough to buy more later. It's much less gassy than modern colas too.

Great name for a cola! Sounds quite tasty too although I've had to give up fizzy drinks (apart from fizzy water, yay!), my dentist gives me quite enough lectures as it is without giving him further excuse.

Never could stomach Coca-Cola anyway, too much sugar syrup blecch!

Howdy folks, been away from the group for a week, good to see everyone is around - bar Jon -

Yesterday | went up to scout out the White Horse in person. It is well signposted from A420 Oxford road. The lanes are fairly reasonable but the big brown National Trust signs dwindle out and only fingerpost 'White Horse Hill' signs appear after awhile. Beware of horses they seem to leap out of nowhere into the narrowest lanes. Went back via Wanborough to juction 15 M4

The car park is a good size with ice cream van. White Horse leaflets at 15p each available from National Trust trailer. I've got one so we can all share it! - could be fun. I've got an OS map too.

There is a picnic area - no dogs allowed.

The White Horse is about 500 yards over roughly 50 degree angle slope (can't ever get the ration bit right), forget the buggies unless you want a hernia.

It's the highest point in Oxfordshire with a fantastic view.

As I've said before if anyone wants a bed for the night I've got a double sofa bed in the spare shoebox - I mean room. With the added bonus of a trip to Leigh Delamare, Devizes and whistle stop tour of Swindon. Failing that if you can make it to Chippenham Train station (one stop away from Swindon) I'm happy to pick you up.

Magda - if you do get here you and your husband are welcome to stay for a few days, it's a good place near Bath and Lacock and a load of chocolate box villages. Same goes to Twila.

We will be able to play dodge the sheep's droppings

Fentiman's Orange Jigger is even nicer than their cola - if you see it, buy it.



PSD

==========

This is the work of an Italian narco-anarchic collective. Don't bother insulting them, they can't read English anyway.

LP - You chose a really beautiful day to go, the view over all that countryside sounds well worth the trip alone.

Wish I could've made the offer of drop in for a refreshing beverage of choice, bit of a diversion for a beverage I know.

Thinking of the White Horse leaflet, um well I was thinking of it as a surprise idea but... I like playing with Photoshop and was planning a little commemorative card to hand out for the 'first' visit. Would anyone like to collaborate on a few suitable words for the inside? I'd be really grateful for any suggestions :)