I had a realization this past weekend as I was in the local Liquor store how far I had come with losing my fears that Mormonism had ingrained into my conscience.

It was a hot weekend and we were low on beer and wine so I swung in to make my choices. That’s right choices! Just like a big boy! I like to try new beers and wines as I explore the universe of alcohol.
I grabbed of couple of new dark porters and some Sam Adams Porch Rocker.

Also grabbed a bottle of Scotch. I’m trying a different Scotches every few months knowing full well that I can reach the end of my life without ever getting to try them all.
What hit me as I was checking out was how nice it was to look around the store and see folks shopping for alcohol and not judging them for being drunken addicts. They were most likely just like me there picking up some brew for a party or afternoon sipping or some cold beers to drink on a blazing hot afternoon shoving landscaping rock because you only have that time to do it before the work seek starts again.

One lady saw the new porters in my cart and said “Hey have you tried that yet? We really love that!” “Nope. First time”

Normalness. No judgment of any shoppers.

I do remember my first day in a liquor store. I was about 53. Lost as a puppy dog I was. The help at the store were gracious. Uneasiness was my state of being. Non-mormon coworkers and friends could not believe I had never set foot in the devils storehouse before.

We are not big drinkers. But I do love a cold beer on the weekends and I do have a shot or two after work once in a while. But nothing, and I mean nothing brings tears faster to my eyes Than when my sweetheart comes out of the house when I’m outside working hard with a cold beer in her hand, or after a long day at the office she grabs the scotch and pours us both a small shot and says here, we deserve this, let’s sit and relax.

She brings me a drink because she loves me. That is the only reason. That kind of love and concern did not exist in my LDS marriage. Till the day I die I will kiss my sweetheart on the cheek and give her a hug, and tell her thank you every time she shows concern that her man could use a relaxing elixir.

Normalness

I am a bit embarrassed only by all my questions. I go to a pretty big and popular store in the area, and notice how sure so many people are of what they want. I'm full of questions and stand at the counter and ask for advice. That normally leads to me buying a whole lot of mini bottles as samples. That invariably leads me to buy a whole bottle of something I liked in a small sample, but something I don't like if I buy a whole bottle of it. Like fireball whisky. It was so good as a sample, but now I've still got half the bottle to drink down. Some of the things I'd like to buy don't come in pint bottle, either.

Anyway, I think they smirk a bit at my many questions. I have prefaced the questions with comments like, "I was raised in a non-drinking household and don't know much." Or, "I've only recently taken to drink, and could use advice." Something like that. At one store the owner is incredibly helpful and takes me around by the arm and says, "Now here's something I really like. I think you should try it." I'd go there all the time but it's like 5 miles away.

I really envy you that your wife doesn't mind you drinking at home. I can only drink if I'm out with friends. She doesn't want me having visible liquor at home or beer in the fridge. Man, I could use a good weizen right now.

What customers have told me is Fireball whiskey mixed with Horchata or RumChata is really, really good! Horchata may be harder to find, where you would have to go to a Mexican store to get it, but it's nonalcoholic. Supposedly these two drinks mixed with Fireball tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It sounds tasty, and eventually I'll try it.

Fireball with Angry Orchard is amazing! Apple cinnamon!! Yum!!

I just tried Angry Orchard mixed with Porter Rockwell fire whiskey and it was so good I went through 3 bottles of cider without even knowing it!

Isn't the expression, "taken to drink" an old-fashioned way of saying that someone has become alcoholic?

The fireball whisky website has lots of yummy recipes, my fav is apple schnapps (I just use apple juice), spiced rum (I use sailor jerrys), fireball and sprite.

This is good news. Can I add one thing to help you? If you are in Utah, don't necessarily rely upon the employees to know what you might (or might not) like. They are not trained in the arts of imbibing as their masters think they are. They are plebes who are able to afford minimums based upon their wages. (read: cheap vodka, rotgut wine, and canned beers).

Rather, rely upon the web. YouTube videos when it comes to wines, scotches, bourbons, and beers. If you are outside of Utah, rely upon the web but find local heroes at your favorite wine/beer/spirits stores. They know their stuff, for the most part. Also, don't discount the local sommeliers at restaurants. They are doing the Lord's work when it comes to pairing wines and foods.

Avoid fads. The classics are what keep going over the years. This applies to alcohol as well as fashion, music, and food.

Cake

"So, yeah...".

I can't tell you how many times i've bought a bottle of wine and the cashier has a question or comment. They usually ask if i've had it before, and if it's any good. Or they tell me it's their favorite or one of the best sellers.

I'd say that there are very few people who have tried it ALL, or know everything about every bottle of alcohol.

That's what it's all about! Experimenting, sharing with friends, and finding favorites or not so favorite. It's an adventure. You don't have to know anything about every thing when it comes to alcohol.

There are too many to taste and experience in a lifetime. Very often the waiter or waitress will recommend a very good wine with your dinner. Tell them how much you want to spend, and they will steer you to a good vino. Have no fear.

Don't be afraid to ask a bar tender for a recommendation when it comes to cocktails or straight up. That's their job! They enjoy showing you new and different things.

You're there to learn, experiment, and have fun. Bar tenders are there to teach you about different things you may not have known about. Don't get stuck in a rut by ordering the same thing all of the time.

I learned all of this by having a roomie for 5 years that was a bar tender. You're there to have fun. Their job is to make sure you have a good time.

Just don't drink and drive. It's not worth it. Cabs are cheap compared to the alternative.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2015 11:08PM by madalice.

Good...I got comfortable there years ago.....When I turned 21 (legal age in Alberta back in '69) Dad gave me the job of buying the beer for our old hired man who didn't drive. No worries....always wanted to run into a TBM trying to buy hooch incognito...never did,

Ron Burr

They go to the next couple of towns over.

but I like going to the liquor store. I go with my boyfriend quite often and I go get my son alcohol if I'm going to town and he doesn't want to make the same trip. I feel liberated. I've never asked questions of the employees. I just ask my boyfriend. Sometimes, though, when I was purchasing Scotch for my boyfriend for a gift, I had to walk around a while to find it.

It was much easier to shop at the liquor stores in Colorado than the state liquor stores in Utah.

I've never been uncomfortable in any sort of liquor store, even when I was a kid. The small ones around here when I was a kid, were just more like corner stores.

The funny part though is that back in the 1980s, I loved the old Liquor Barn stores. I loved their signs. I never set foot on one though. (FYI — Liquor Barn was like BevMo.) My mom acted like they were a den of evil. The funny part is that I now go to BevMo all the time for all kinds of things.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2015 12:05AM by Tristan.

There is nothing like a cold beer on a hot day!

I hear you. It took me a while. The first time was hard on the nerves. Now they know me on a first name basis. ;)

I had the privilege to buy my first pint of "anything" in Fred Meyer, on a Sunday..gasp.. I loved my Seattle vacation..

of crock-pot short ribs. I was an almost-out-Mo.

It took forever to find a single bottle of beer, because it tended to come in six-packs, and I knew from my pre-Mo life that I did not like beer.

But the funniest part was cruising through the liquor department in stealth mode, eyeballing all over the place for Mormons I knew, and scared silly of being caught.

The ribs were delicious. The beer gave them a nice tang. But shopping for that beer felt like walking through a field of land-mines. I was terrified of being caught.

Looking back, that seems so silly. . .