Campari
For sure.
I’ve made a complete 180 on Campari. I haaaaaaated it and regretted buying the bottle the first time I tried a cocktail with it. Couldn’t believe how it ruined the entire drink. Since I had the bottle, I tried again, with a different drink. Even worse.
Was close to chucking the bottle out, gave it one last try with a modified Jungle Bird:
- 45ml dark (!) rum
- 15ml Campari
- 15ml simple syrup
- 30ml lemon juice
- 60ml pineapple juice
Shake with relatively little ice. Strain into low-ball glass lightly packed with crushed ice. Let dilute for a minute.
Surprisingly, despite being able to taste the Campari, this one was actually really great. Made it again a couple of days later, and again. Since then, it’s my favorite cocktail, period.
After a while, went back and tasted Campari pure and to my mild surprise, also liked it. Went back to the awful drinks (first one was a Negroni) and also really liked them now.
So… yeah. I don’t know why, but somehow, I went from hating it to absolutely loving it.
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All of the coffee flavoured energy drinks give me the turbo shits, hadn’t had any of them until recently so got a set imported, couldn’t work out what it was until I ran out of the cans and went back to normal (will agree they taste alright, if no a little like cafeteria coffee with UHT milk and plain sugar)
But I will argue that the European flavours actually taste like real fruits, you don’t get the petrochemical derived colours and flavours aftertaste that they try to mask with acidity in the US versions.
It’s why gamersupps is king - flavours taste like they’re supposed to, the only sour ones are intentionally so, and they replaced sugar with sucralose, so you dont get that stevia/artificial sweetener taste.
Which one specifically give you the shits. I want to gift it to a friend.
Tap water anywhere near London.
It’s like drinking chalk.
For me it’s anything diet or zero branded. Fucking aspertane. That bitter aftertaste just feels like someone raped the sugar out of the beverage.
I’ve always hated diet sodas but the new Coke Zero Sugar is pretty close to good. Zero alone wasn’t quite there, I used to mix it with the full sugar Coke, but they tweaked it and shifted to Zero Sugar, and got really close. It doesn’t have any aftertaste at all, it’s just not quite as sweet tasting, which is good. I’ve tried the Zero Sugar versions of a few other drinks, and they were acceptable, too.
I’ve never seen a drink company switch their formulations so quickly. Coke Zero wasn’t out that long before they launched the new improved version. They obviously realized that the Zero Sugar formulation was significantly improved, and what they were going for in the first place. They got close, got excited and pulled the trigger early on Zero, then discovered Zero Sugar was a far superior product, and made the switch.
I’ve actually seen a TV commercial in which they called Coke Zero Sugar their best Coke yet. That’s a big claim for a venerated old brand to make.
I swapped to coke zero years ago, the old formula was better imo, but new is still my favorite available
Weird fact about it, it has the same amount of calories per gram as sugar too! It just happens to be approximately 200x sweeter, so they can add 200x less.
They are all bad. Stevia sucks too imo.
Sucralose and Acesulfame are nearly just as disgusting to me. Stevia is the only one I can drink.
I’ve never looked up which exact sweetener is bitter to me, aspertane just seems very common. However, there have been no sugar free drink I’ve enjoyed.
Don’t get me wrong. These sweeteners are sweet, but then there’s this long lingering chemical bitterness. And it fucking stays in the mouth like onions or some shit.
Moxie, a regional soda in Maine. Imagine Dr Pepper mixed with root beer and cough syrup. Yeah, disgusting. Most do hate it, but there are enough people who like it to warrant a Moxie festival every year.
Sake
- Alcohol generally, beer more specifically.
I dont particularly like the taste of alcohol, and beer is just way to bitter for me generally. Ive had some wine that was decent, and occasionally ill have a cider, but I generally just don’t understand why people drink alcohol.
- Energy Drinks.
I don’t get why people like them, they taste awful. Red bull in particular makes me wanna throw up. Its so carbonated and so bitter they add so much sugar, and then you just get this sweet-bitter taste that is just awful.
- Alcohol generally, beer more specifically.
I dont particularly like the taste of alcohol, and beer is just way to bitter for me generally. Ive had some wine that was decent, and occasionally ill have a cider, but I generally just don’t understand why people drink alcohol.
I really enjoy the taste of alcohol, especially strong drinks like rum. I drink it neat and it’s amazing.
The bitterness of beer is also pleasant for me.We have a saying (wouldn’t be surprised if it exists in English as well) — taste has no friends. It’s all subjective.
what language is that saying from?
closest I can think of in USAmerican English would be “the customer is always right in matters of taste” (though it’s commonly shortened to just “the customer is always right” and the context and similarity to your quote are both lost)
personally, a saying I use a lot that’s in a similar vein is “to each their own”
Lithuanian.
The customer one we definitely took from English speaking world and even then it isn’t much of a thing.
The equivalent phrase in English is “there’s no accounting for taste”
Yes, and also “to each his own”
I think people don’t actually like energy drinks, they are just caffeine dependent.
I absolutely love the taste of energy drinks. The more artificial and tangy, the better. It’s hard to find, but there’s a soda that tastes like an energy drink without the caffeine and I buy it whenever I can.
I’m glad I’m not the only one. For some reason I like that generic energy drink flavoured energy drink.
You sick son of a bitch.
which drink is that?
It’s called “Illicit Cola”, I have no idea how regional it is
I’ve been saying for years I wish they made decaf energy drinks because I want to drink more of them than is medically advisable, thank you :D
Exactly! I wish there was a bigger market for it. But they make energy drinks that taste like juice instead :/
Sometimes I just want some chemicals.
I’ve never liked beer, most other alcohols I could drink very little. Recently I’ve found some really good ciders, they don’t have any of that bitterness that beer has. So far an unfiltered cider is the best.
I know multiple people who like Club Mate. It’s just an ash tray flavored energy drink to me, never liked it
Hefeweizens, just absolute trash. They all taste exactly the same, it’s like weak shitty grass tea.
Tap water. This is highly dependent on where you live. I’ve had well water that was better than anything I’ve ever drank and then there’s city/town water… ugh.
It’s funny how people bring up how advanced the local water plant is while turning a blind eye to the, I don’t know 50-60 year old piping that delivers it to your house? I have to run a whole house filter just to shower with it.
Water filters are a thing.
“I have to run a whole house filter just to shower with it.”
Adding in a water filtration system to make it drinkable costs more than just buying water jugs or refiling 5 gallon ones at stores. I mean the water comes out rusty sometimes.
I guess I meant more like a Brita filter. Or, my fridge has one built in. I never have to buy bottled water and it tastes great.
Yeah that doesn’t work where I currently live. Even the previous area, which was maybe 20 minutes away. I had a water filter just for my fridge in tandem with the fridge filter. White spots from the drops formed on the drip tray. And long story short, I spent a week in the hospital getting my kidneys cleaned out; not really sure how to describe it fluid being pumped through an IV.
Yuck… where I live I take clean water as a given (even if it tastes shitty). So my bad for the selfish perspective.
Numerous people have said coffee, but I will be more specific:
I despise 3rd wave coffee. Its often sour and disgusting.
I love Italian coffee though.
what is 3rd wave coffee? I was shocked the first time I tried a proper pour over light roast… the sweetness naturally in it is so good
Third wave coffee?? Fuck are coffee waves?
As I understand it, 3rd wave is in opposition to the old trend of blending coffees from different sources as well as mixing Arabica (considered the best) and Robust a (considered shit by lessers). So 3rd wave focuses on a single type of coffee from a single source, a heavy ficus on Aribica and much lighter, less bitter roasts. To me its all just sour.
I prefer blends as you can create unique flavor profiles. That woukd include blending Arabic a and robusta.
- eggnog
- milk
Possibly not liking the former is due to not liking the latter. I’ve never liked the taste of plain milk. I use it in cooking. I drink chocolate milk a couple of times a year. I’ve not drunk plain cow milk more than a couple of times in my life and didn’t like it. I threw up when quite young (preschool/daycare) to cereal with milk on it and again when I was like 6-8ish when my then-new stepfather tried to make me eat it. That probably didn’t help anything.
Negroni with prosecco
I don’t get beer
Since others are posting about the how and not the why:
I don’t like most beers, but the ones I like are refreshing (mainly Almaza the local standard here in Lebanon, a Pilsner if that means anything to anyone). It’s slightly bitter like tea, less so than coffee, and fizzy but not as much as a sugary drink. It complements a lot of foods, doesn’t really get you drunk quickly (I don’t drink to that point), is pretty widely available, and is nice to drink during a chat because it takes a bit of time, kind of like coffee or tea.
Supposedly Almaza is similar to Asahi or Kingfisher from India.
I’ve also enjoyed “interesting” beers but that’s how beer works for me. I’ve had Guinness, it’s interesting, more of a curiosity for me, very bready, I can see myself having it often if it was widely available.
If you’re talking more about the American movie style “buy a 96-pack of canned yellow water and consume half of it while watching American football alone” beer I have no idea what that’s about.
Just think of it as stanky sourdough social beverage. If that doesn’t appeal to you, there you go.
I don’t get beer
neither do I … gotta buy it to have it
the trick is to be 15 and get started with a 40 of colt 45 that your friend’s mom got for you and your friend for helping with yardwork. choke that down just for the buzz and then actual craft beer is like candy
THe trick is to be 10 and your family allows you a little pony beer (old 8 oz glass bottle) 1-2 times per year. It takes away the mystery and when I was older, I didn’t feel a need to go get alcohol behind anyone’s back. And when I was 21, I drank occasionally, like with pizza sometimes or spaghetti, or a mixed drink socially or something.
Of course, for those that are alcoholics or otherwise get addicted to the alcoholic effects, it can be a struggle, but not really probably relating to when you start drinking in such cases.
Of course, for those that are alcoholics or otherwise get addicted to the alcoholic effects, it can be a struggle, but not really probably relating to when you start drinking in such cases.
There’s actually a well known, clear link between drinking debut age (first drink) and rates of alcoholism, as well as other adverse effects (something about employment I think, and drug use for sure).
If I recall correctly the age of debut is statistically even more impactful than the age one starts drinking regularly, when it comes to rates of alcohol dependency.
A lot of other things factor in as well, and a lot of things factor in to push an early debut of course… but drinking debut age is definitely a factor in alcoholism.
Stealing keystone light from your parents in 7th grade makes all other beer taste amazing except for Miller light
It is possible that you just haven’t had one you liked yet. The are a lot of different flavors and styles. I like some but not others. Then again, why bother since drinking isn’t really all that great for you anyway. 😄
For me, anything with hops in tastes awful.
How old are you? (this is a legit question, not trying to judge or anything). Do you drink coffee? If so, how do you like it?
Late 20s, never got into coffee except for mocha on rare occasions
I have a working theory that the availability of sweeteners has altered drinking preferences over generations.
When I was growing up everybody drank coffee and beer (and smoked cigarettes, which is probably a little related but a different story).
Coffee and tea were the only feasible way to get caffeine. Sure, cream and sugar was available and used, but as you get more acclimated to the taste you can forgo the stuff and just drink it black.
Likewise, beer is what you had. That was it. There were no sweetened alcoholic drinks in the can or 12 oz bottle form. With the exception of wine coolers but that was marketed more towards older women. And those usually only came in 4 packs. You could do wine or hard liquor with a mixer, but that was expensive and/or likely to get you hammered too quickly. If you wanted affordable casual drinking with friends you were drinking beer. And there weren’t even craft beers or microbrewers, just watery chilled donkey piss like Budweiser, Coors, etc.
Most people who started drinking did so with beer. By the time you had a year of sneaking beers with your buddies you were already used to the taste. Hell, I remember when Zima came out and it was a big deal (it was one of the first widely available easy to drink sweetend adult beverages, probably malt, I would guess).
And weed wasn’t common either, except in very secretive circles, so if you wanted a buzz, you were drinking.
Anyway, now you’ve got a whole cornucopia of alcoholic drinks that are easy to sip, caffeine that tastse like a soda, and vapes that taste like candy.
Nobody has to ever acquire a taste for bitter things again.
We must be the same age. Zima was a revelation, especially with the jolly rancher in it. Then in college it was just Beast Light because that’s what was available to me.
It’s a nice theory, but you’re forgetting about ciders and drinks like mead, which can be very sweet.
As for caffeine, I found that if you started drinking it with sugar, you have to actually want to give up sugar to switch to black. There’s no need to ever drink it black otherwise. I gave up sugar in my 30s and had to acquire a taste for black coffees. I gave up milk around the same time, which also dulls the bitterness. My parents, who are now in their 60’s and 70’s still drink milk and sugar. My gen z brother also prefers black.
Also that doesn’t explain things like german marzipan, which is bitter AF, and used in desserts. Same goes for cocoa, or dark chocolate. They’re entirely optional bitter products that are still popular.
Additionally, new craft beers are selling their bitterness as a feature in the form of IBU listings. (Successfully, I might add, I’m a sucker for a high IBU beer)
Bitter is just another flavour profile, and some people like it, some people don’t.
Did you grow up in a renfair? 😛 I never even met anyone who had ever drank mead until I was in my late 20s and hanging out with DnD nerds.
Since the 1970s, in the US beer consumption has steadily gone down 20%, wine up 40%, spirits took a deep dip but came up to 105%.
Growing up I definitely had friends that very quickly switched to mixers as soon as they could or wouldn’t drink beer but I’d say, as a whole, a general trend, less people in today’s times have grown up with bitter profiles being a necessary part of their imbibing, be it alcohol or caffeine, so when they do get that first sip of some old skunk beer they understandably recoil. Since they have no reason to continue drinking it when there’s a Mike’s or White Claw next to them… that’s that. I hear way more people say they don’t like the taste than I did 20 years ago. But it’s just a pet theory, might be other factors going on, too.
You’re on to something about choosing flavor profiles though. After about a year or two drinking sugary creamy coffee I gradually switched to black. I like the flavor, as well as dark chocolate and stout beers. I think some people are wired for it, like in the examples you provided. Interestingly, I’m not super crazy about sour, and I’ve met a few people who absolutely love it. Candies, drinks, etc.
Ha ha ha, no I just had some devious friends coming up. Mead is probably the easiest thing to make yourself at home, and you can do it with really unassuming ingredients. Bread yeast, and store bought honey will make a perfectly serviceable mead. Just buy flour and bake some bread at the same, and no one suspects a thing… until you overdo it, and get violently ill in the living room lol, tends to be a give away. I actually think the friend who started it was part of a DnD group, so it may still have started there.
I still do it as a hobby but with proper yeast and nutrients etc. now. Plus I actually know about things like stabilization and back sweetening! Muuuch nicer end product!
My point was more that sweeter options have always been available. I don’t know what it’s like in the US, but you can always find cider here. Doesn’t matter how small or backwater the pub is, there’ll be one on tap.
As for beer consumption going down in the US: You can get some really dry wine that’s quite bitter too. (And ciders and meads too come to think) and conversely you can get some really sweet, easy drinking beers too. Also, alcohol consumption across the board is down globally, so while I don’t dispute that beer consumption is down everywhere, I’m just not sure it can be entirely blamed on being bitter. Things come in and out of fashion. My personal working theory is that it’s become too expensive to drink casually.
I’m not super crazy about sour
Oh I love sour! I make my own hot sauces too, and while I do make them quite hot, I also add straight citric acid to them, and many people find my sauces to be pretty gross lol! Guess I’ll stick to my day job ha ha ha!
Sweet is actually the flavor I could take or leave. Not saying I hate it or anything, it’s just kinda low down on my preference list. I’m very much a savory snacker!
I don’t even want the buzz, so if I’m going to drink socially it’s all about taste.
Late 20s you need to revisit all the shit you didn’t like before, especially moldy cheese. Sweet starts to suck a bit and bitter gets good.
Also not sure if it’s my addiction but black coffee is amazing. It’s an acquired taste and most people go milk and sugar - > milk - > black. Green tea, black tea, mushrooms, spicy, wasabi, mustard, strong gouda, grana padano and so much more are all so good.
What’s weird is ciders exist that taste just like juice yet they are the niche drink.
I can drink a lot of beer and I can drink a lot of apple juice, but I can only drink a couple of ciders before I am done.
You just need the right beer. Sam adams and Octoberfest. Cali squeeze blood orange tastes like orange hi-c. Devils gap Jalepeno ale. There are some good tasting beers
I’ve tried some “good” craft beers based on friends’ recommendations and still not good. I think beer just isn’t for me. I much prefer cider.
You should find a smoothie beer. They exist in all fruit flavours, I personally love them. And sour beers. Vault City and Funky Fluid are my two favourite breweries.
Recently visited The Wee Tap in Edinburgh and have tried lots of Vault City. None beat Azvex Operation Genome [26.05] Mango and Blackberry Ice Cream Sour though. Could put that in the meal deal isle with the other smoothies and no one would notice the difference.
Ooh, haven’t tried that one!
A beer shop close to me has a deal with Vault City (started two months ago): they get ALL the beers Vault City produces. I guess I’ll be spending more money going forward lol.
Btw, if you like sours, try the Foundation by VC. It’s what all their sour beers are based on, and it’s really good!
If you like cider but not beer, have you tried a mead yet? There’s no need to keep trying beers if they’re not for you.
I rarely consume alcohol nowadays (maybe 1-2x a year), but I’ll keep that in mind.
Good for you. I’m a more frequent drinker but I think it’s a good thing that it’s going out of fashion – it’s definitely one of the most harmful intoxicants.
It’s pricey too. I’ve been drinking alcohol since my early teens. If I had to estimate how much I’ve spent on booze during that time, it would probably be enough to pay for a decent car.
Sure, but kinda ALL beer is an acquired taste, and frankly I don’t think I’ve ever thought, “I sure do want a tasty beverage and don’t care about the alcohol content” and ended up drinking beer. Even if you’re not getting drunk, the alcohol is the point, and everything else is mitigation.
That said, when I am feeling like a little bit of alcohol, I like a nice malty dark beer, stouts of course, but even a simple schwarzbier dark lager can do the trick. A very dry cider is even better though, edging close to the point where I might actually pick it purely for taste.
All beers are bitter, things humans evolved to stay away from (bitter signals poison). If you like beer, it’s because you’ve become accustomed to it, not because it’s a good flavor to humans.
Not exactly true.
Anything fruit flavored that doesn’t actually contain any actual fruit. They all taste like poison to me. Energy drinks, vitamin water, orange crush… You name it
