|
Wine - Big fan of the Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz. The folks have a membership with the wine society so we get a whole range of different wines dielivered each month. We just knock them down with damn fine food. A good friend of mine has a family friend who runs his own tiny little vinyard out near Mudgee, NSW. We've had occasion to go up to the little cabin there and eat and drink heavily. Got some family in the Hunter Valley wine industry so I do feel I have a bit of an attachment to wine in this country.
I do love champagne, Pol Roger when I can afford it but domestics are okay.
Beer - Well, this is the country of the famous domestic beers. I'm not fussy, I drink what's there and I don't have brand loyalty. There are some that aren't that great but I couldn't be bothered talking about them.
Meridae'n made a good call with the Cascade Premium. Another good one is Coopers.
There are good European beers too and the Germans are geniuses. Look for Schofferhoffer wheat beer. The Dutch and Japanese have a few nice ones too.
Mixed - Enjoy a Gin & Tonic on a hot summer afternoon with Bombay Sapphire or Gordons, a small dash of bitters and a fresh lime wedge. Don't often touch anything with Coke in it. Don't like pretending my hard drinks are soft drinks. Used to work in a pub where I would work in the cellar during the day on Friday and start my staff drinks early that night.
The hot bar girls still on duty would conspire to pour me free G & Ts that were gin heavy, in some cases a 1:1 ratio. They knew that sooner or later I would get stupid drunk and amuse them. Dance monkey, dance!!
Spirits - Scotch on the rocks when I'm cooking up a big meal for the family, followed by a beer chaser in the final stages of cooking. Enjoy the single malts, especially Talisker from the Isle of Skye. Bundaberg is Australian for Rum.
Cocktails - bombay sapphire gin maritini, stirred not shaken with extra dry vermouth. Manhattan with Wild Turkey Bourbon, Rosso Vermouth and bitters coating the glass.
|