On 2012-05-15 21:43:25 +0000, Dave Smith said:

> I have had champagne cocktails and mimosas. They are okay, but a hell
> of a waste of good champagne. I see no point in using real champagne if
> you are going to mix it with something overpowering. It is IMO a waste.

I absolutely agree, you'd think you could just put vodka for the buzz
factor and save some money. Use a carbonated beverge if they like. I
think of sushi zealots who love to get almost any kind of fish, but
it's most inscrutable with mild white fish, then lard with wasabi: It
could be be almost anything! After so very many years, I rarely use
wasabi or even soy on a most fish, bumping it lightly into a slice of
lemon instead.

Each to their own. Maybe texture is all they care about with halibut.

> If you want to do it, use a cheap sparkling wine
> FWIW I picked up a couple bottles of Hungarian "champagne. We recently
> read a news paper food and drink column where a bunch of party-goers
> blind tasted a variety of champagnes and champagne style sparking wine,
> and it was ranked above some of the much more expensive French
> champagnes.

What tastes good tastes good.

> Vermouth makes a good mixer in some liquors. Canadian Rye is my least
> favourite type of whisky but the one I drink the most of because I add
> sweet vermouth to it to make Manhattans.

For a number of years I've been in endless experiments with many
vermouths, which no longer includes Martini & Rossi extra dry--the one
you find every where. Actually I don't like anybody's "extra dry",
just bitter and flat tasting.

>>> One Christmas we had a really expensive bottle of it and I marveled
>>> hours later that it still had bubbles rising-can't say I liked it though.
>>
>> If you don't like a certain quality that a wine produces then a more
>> expensive version of it probably won't change things. I thought I didn't
>> like white wines until I began drinking them with food. Now I like them
>> a lot, but still all by themselves they are not my first choice. I
>> prefer them with grub.
>
> Then there are people like my brother and his wife. When they come over
> I have to go out and get much cheaper crappier wine than I would ever
> get for myself. They prefer it. No point in wasting good wine on them
> when they will let you know they dislike it.

I have two strata of wines on hand, the "who cares" bottles of red
which most of my friends like, and none are rotgut. I'm glad to drink
it with pasta or something. And then there are the (somewhat) more
expensive bottles of French wines that I'm puzzling over and exploring.
They never rarely comment on anything they're drinking so why bother
with that.