Is it the season .... Or what?

[N80]

What does a finger equate to? A shot?

I'd say about 1 oz, 1/2 a shot. A lot depends on how much Holiday cheer I need.

Blenheims comes in two strengths, Hot (which is #3) and Not So Hot (which is #5....don't ask me why.) The Not So Hot is fairly manageable for most people. The Hot is an aquired taste and takes some getting used to. So for beginners, get the Not So Hot and then move up to Hot. After you've had either one, regular ginger ale loses all flavor and meaning.

 

[Chuck52]

I've tried most all the "special" ginger ales you see in the stores, and none are any where close to what I guess must have been the Blenheims #5. That stuff would be great to have on hand for treating nausea, in addition to just being great ginger ale.

Chuck

 

[rswyan]

What does a finger equate to? A shot?

Depends on how large the diameter of the glass is.

 

[Bird]

My education is obviously sorely lacking. I didn't even know any ginger ale existed besides Canada Dry. What number would it be?

 

[Chuck52]

Bird,

I'm not sure if the stuff my brother brought to the North Carolina beach where the family was gathering was what N80 is describing, though it was apparently a fairly local product, and it did have a number associated with it I think. Imagine chewing a mouthful of nice fresh straight ginger root. The stronger one must first start with a super concentrate of ginger extract. I wish I could grow ginger. I expect I could make something with horseradish that would have a similar kick, but I doubt it would taste good sweetened. I'm darn sure I wouldn't want to try it with whiskey, either.

Chuck

 

[N80]

Blenheims is a local, SC product. Although I think the original company has been bought out and is being bottled elsewhere. It is fairly hard to find. We have a local vegetable stand (The Tomato Place) that carries it. My wife keeps a small supply around for me.

This site (out of Seattle!) has some info about it.

Blenheim Ginger Ale

And you can buy it here...not cheap!

BeveragesDirect - Browse Products

Bird, if Hot is #3 and Not So Hot is #5 then Canada Dry is "D". They have virtually nothing in common!

Chuck, I have never been a whiskey drinker. I grew up around Scotch and water or bourbon in water folks. Never did aquire a tatse for that, and for the most part I'm still a gin and tonic fan. I'd liked Blenhiems for years and when I saw someone mix regular ginger ale and bourbon, I figured I'd try it with Blenheims. I had some Jim Beam around the house and tried it with that. I'm no whiskey connoisseur but it didn't work with Beam. Not bad, but not great...which is how I feel about Beam in general. So, a few years back my wife gave me a bottle of Jack (because I complained about the Beam) and I gave it a shot. Match made in heaven! One of my favorite drinks now.

Again, this is a slow sipper. Between the whiskey and the Hot, you kind of have to take it slow......envision the bubbly mix that Moe and Larry inevitably give to Curly to test!

 

[Bird]

George, for many years I kept a bottle of Jack Daniels black label on hand for company; never did like the stuff myself. In more recent times, I've kept a bottle of Crown Royal on hand; have a brother who always drank that in Pepsi (not bad, I've even occasionallly, though rarely, indulged in that myself) but now that brother quit drinking and that bottle has aged another year. I'll never forget when I was young fellow, and didn't drink other than maybe one beer a month, a co-worker, who liked bourbon, told me that scotch was an acquired taste; that no liked it until they tried it many times. Well, I still remember my first scotch; Johnny Walker red label, and I disagreed with his assessment. I decided right then that if I were going to drink any kind of whiskey, scotch and water is the only way to go. I ordered a scotch and soda once to see what it was like, took one sip, and told the bartender to throw it away and bring me a scotch and water.

 

[N80]

Alright. I'm going to take your word for it. My New Year's Resolution will be to aquire a taste for scotch and water! I may start working on it now though.

I'm actually not much of a drinker eiher. I have a few things that I like, gin and tonic, Jack and Blenheims, Coronas, a few varieties of grocery store wine and a few nice thick stouts. I probably have a drink 3-4 times a month.

I can't remember my last hangover......wait, that didn't come out exactly right.

 

[DUMBDOG]

If you are going to drink scotch and water, it might as well be the good stuff. Try Chivas. I purchased a bottle of it in 1991, now half of it is almost twenty eight years old now. The rest of it should be real good.

 

[MossRoad]

Depends on how large the diameter of the glass is.

... and how big your fingers are.