Rugged mixed drinks?

October 16, 2008 8:06 PM

Alcoholics (of course you aren't): Need drink ideas that fit the theme "rugged". Fewer ingredients is better, and if you've got several suggestions that all require the same base liquor, that's wonderful.
posted by Picklegnome to food & drink (52 comments total)

Whiskey with nothing in it. No, don't look at my name, that's just a Dillinger Four song. Whiskey with nothing in it.
posted by Doublewhiskeycokenoice at 8:20 PM on October 16, 2008 [5 favorites]

Not just whiskey, rye whiskey. Straight up.
posted by letourneau at 8:23 PM on October 16, 2008

1. Gin (Gordon's) from freezer
2. Vermouth (whatever) from freezer
3. Olives and olive brine from jar in fridge
4. Mix to taste in a highball (generally I do 3 parts [shots] gin to 1 part vermouth, with a tablespoon of brine and three or four olives on a kebab skewer).

1. Gin (Gordon's) from freezer
2. Tonic from fridge
3. Two wedges of lime (lemon in a gin and tonic ought to be outlawed)
4. Remove seeds from lime wedges, use a spoon to crush wedges in bottom of glass, add ice, add gin, top with tonic.

1. Good (but not great) bourbon, for example Jack Daniel's
2. Ice.

1. Good (but not great) whisky, for example Glenfiddich
2. Ice.

1. Good (but not great) rum, for example Inner Circle
2. Ice.

1. Vodka (Finlandia) from freezer
2. Lemonade from fridge.
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:24 PM on October 16, 2008

The boilermaker is a pretty "rugged" drink, I suppose: beer with a shot of whiskey. In fact, even mixing them is optional.
posted by pullayup at 8:25 PM on October 16, 2008

Note re: suggestions for whiskey straight - this is something you "take", not something you "drink".

Not that there's anything wrong with that.
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:27 PM on October 16, 2008

Oh and in support of the vodka & lemonade, which sounds pretty, uh, soft when you think about it, the lemonade is basically to help you process the booze a little better, because vodka, especially delicious vodka right from the freezer, pretty much has no taste so it's easy to knock over a bottle in one go.
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:29 PM on October 16, 2008

The Blood and Sand, which is scotch and orange juice, I think. Also Hot Toddies on a freezing winter day.
posted by vrakatar at 8:30 PM on October 16, 2008

Cuba Libre a la Hemingway

Islay whisky neat or with a drop of water
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:32 PM on October 16, 2008

Rusty Nail, Three Wise Men.

Or my favorite: Turkey straight up, or Jameson with ice...NOT SHAKEN!
posted by TomMelee at 8:34 PM on October 16, 2008

Need drink ideas that fit the theme "rugged".

Make a spodie and call it "prison hooch."
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:49 PM on October 16, 2008

Vodka and Gatorade - gets you drunk and prevents dehydration.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 9:17 PM on October 16, 2008

Rugged drink: the old fashioned.

Sugar cube, bitters, one ice cube, and some delicious bourbon. Start stirring with one hand as you loosen the laces on your boots with the other.

Take a moment to pull our your knife and dig out a splinter you picked up while hiking to the hut you're in now. Pull said splinter out with your teeth, then spit the bloody thing onto the floor. Add another ice cube and some more bourbon, then stir some more.

Start skinning the rabbit you caught on the way up. Throw the offal to your failthful boarhound who's been lying at your feet until now. Add another ice cube and some more bourbon, then stir some more.

You've been stirring for at least five minutes now.

Kick your boots off and put the rabbit into a pot while your pick at your teeth with your knife. Have a sip. Suck your teeth. Look out over the woods and watch the eagle hunting at twilight.

Congratulations. You now have a rugged mixed drink.
posted by twirlypen at 9:32 PM on October 16, 2008 [5 favorites]

I have nothing to say except whenever I have asked a bartender for "anything strong" or "whatever you like." I always, always, always get a Rusty Nail. It is Scotch and Whiskey And Honey. It is made of poor decision making.
posted by The Whelk at 9:50 PM on October 16, 2008 [4 favorites]

just give them a cup of gin. the bigger their balls, the fewer ice-cubes they need. if we're talking breakfast drinks, i'd recommend one part fernet branca (you can get it at good liquor stores) and one part either club soda or cheap beer. its a great stomach settler in case too many cups of gin were consumed the night before.
posted by junipero at 9:54 PM on October 16, 2008

Prairie Fire:
1 shot crap tequila
half shot of hot sauce, the more firey the better.

Your people will kill you, but it's worth it.
posted by deezil at 9:56 PM on October 16, 2008

and FYI, a note on my previous post: these two drinks have gotten me through many multi-hour off-road drive across East Africa. I'd say thats rugged...but i'm a girl so what would i know?
posted by junipero at 9:57 PM on October 16, 2008

Rugged, eh. I'm going to suggest campari drinks. People put a lot of stock in whiskey, and god knows I love the stuff, but it's far too quotidian to really shout ruggedness -- sort of like responding "beer," which whiskey is, essentially, but fermented. And whiskey can be quite sweet. Steer clear of Hemmingway's drinks. The man may have been tough, but he liked sweet, fruity cocktails.

Campari, however, is bitter. It's essentially a big bottle of bitters. But mixed properly, it makes a hell of a cocktail with a real punch to it. The negroni (1 part gin, 1 part sweet vermouth, and 1 part Campari) is the classic, but Campari and ginger ale is excellent (3 oz Campari, 6 ginger ale), as is Campari and orange juice (3 and 6 again, over ice), and perhaps Rose Water (1/3 oz Campari, 1 tsp grenadine syrup, 6 oz lemonade.)
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:03 PM on October 16, 2008 [2 favorites]

This one's pretty stealth ... but definitely has a rugged gravity. And it's simple.

Make a normal gin and tonic, plenty of ice. Add a shot of light rum (light in color, not alcohol content). It tastes exactly like ... a gin and tonic, but not a double, something to do with the flavor of the rum getting neutralized by the gin, yet smoothing it out a bit at the same time. Like I said: stealth ruggedness. The guy who introduced it to me called it a London Tonic.
posted by philip-random at 10:05 PM on October 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

All said and done, it looks like most votes in are for gin.
posted by junipero at 10:07 PM on October 16, 2008

Give them farmland and a spring and let them make their own.

Seriously, I would go for the saloon-style service with whisky served up gruffly in a shot glass. The advantage is that if someone doesn't like whisky, you can serve any drink in a tiny glass with roughly the same amount of fun.
posted by transient at 10:09 PM on October 16, 2008

I have heard the MOJITO is seriously rugged.
posted by degoao at 10:21 PM on October 16, 2008

Brass Monkey. Drink the neck of an Olde English 800 40oz, then top off with orange juice (no pulp). Screw the cap back on and invert to mix. It tastes pretty good for the first few sips. That will change. And the next day, you'll need to set aside some time for the awful, awful aftershocks.

Ignited shots of Everclear of Bacardi 151 are "jump-start the party" classics. Not recommended for those with long hair or bushy eyebrows. Blow it out first.

Any liquor sold in a plastic bottle is pretty rugged in my book - especially tequila. Not having ice, fruit, mixers, or other potential condiments ensures ruggedness. Everything should be taken straight, and the only chaser should be beer. Natty Ice would be my choice.

And if you're playing drinking games, have everybody who is playing pour some of whatever they're drinking into a community glass - they can pour as much as they want. Loser drinks the entire thing. RUGGED.
posted by krippledkonscious at 10:37 PM on October 16, 2008

Pour gin, add one drop of bitters.
It's pretty rugged.
The Royal Navy used to drink them in the nineteenth century.
You can't get more rugged than sail-era sailors.
I'm telling you, gin and bitters.
just don't tell anyone the drink is called "pink gin"
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 10:44 PM on October 16, 2008

Well, I don't how rugged some of the ingredients are but I think you would have to be sort of rugged (or blind) to drink something that looks like this.

Have found several variations of the recipe but this one seems most interesting:
* 1 oz. each vodka, gin, and tequila
* 1 tsp. Bailey's Irish cream
* 2 drops grenadine
* 1 olive
posted by fuse theorem at 10:46 PM on October 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

There is the Dead Nazi, which is a shot of Rumple Minze and a shot of Jaegermeister.

I can't say that I recommend it. Just putting that out there.
posted by louche mustachio at 11:04 PM on October 16, 2008

Have found several variations of the recipe but this one seems most interesting:
* 1 oz. each vodka, gin, and tequila
* 1 tsp. Bailey's Irish cream
* 2 drops grenadine
* 1 olive

A brain hemorrhage! Haven't seen one of those in years. It's actually pretty tasty.

I've always found grappa to be pretty rugged.
posted by fshgrl at 11:16 PM on October 16, 2008

$5 fifths of tequila purchased from an Arizona gas station. I have all but a few desperate swigs of one left I'll send you if you really want. Some settling may have occurred.
posted by moift at 11:25 PM on October 16, 2008

For the record, Campari is what my wife drinks, and she's about as rugged as a doily.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 11:49 PM on October 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

coffee with whiskey in it, but that's actually breakfast

also - the salty dog - 1 part vodka, 2 parts grapefruit juice, a squeeze of lemon and a shake of salt. this is really tasty and boozy
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:08 AM on October 17, 2008

358 Magnum recipe

The 358 Magnum burns going down then gives a cool blast back up.

2/3 oz Bacardi® 151 rum
2/3 oz Goldschlager® cinnamon schnapps
2/3 oz Rumple Minze® peppermint liqueur

Shake ingredients together over ice in a cocktail shaker; strain into a shot glass, and serve.
posted by bjgeiger at 1:35 AM on October 17, 2008

Black and Tan
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:39 AM on October 17, 2008

Talisker (Scotch Whiskey from the Isle of Skye). Neat. Peaty, smokey, salty goodness.
posted by Elmore at 1:48 AM on October 17, 2008

letourneau 's got it: straight rye whiskey, preferably Old Overholt.
posted by saladin at 4:00 AM on October 17, 2008

Agree with the folks advocating for Rye. It's about as rugged as you can get without tipping over that "alkie that drinks anything" line.

And, it's a great base for a cocktail. Many folks actually prefer their Manhattans made with rye.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:28 AM on October 17, 2008

brutal hammer - equal parts red wine and vodka.

i get shivers just thinking about these things. and the name - it doesn't get much more rugged than that.
posted by soi-disant at 4:31 AM on October 17, 2008

Campari is effete, and gin is only rugged if you're English. Any shot is for frat boys and alcoholics. The correct answer is a hot toddy, made as described by David Bradley in The Chaneysville Incident: "four fingers of whiskey, and if you have no honey, three thumbloads of sugar, and when the water boils, pour it slow till the fumes rise and make your mouth water." Stir it with your finger, an' take care you don't burn yourself.

If you don't want a hot drink, then I just made up this super-rugged drink. It's called the Jack Palance. It tastes awful (I imagine; I'm not about to try it), but it will get you drunk. Put some corn whiskey in a glass (if you can't get corn whiskey, you can use rye). Add a dash of bitters, and a few drops of liquid smoke. Stir with something inappropriate, like a disposable lighter or your finger. Don't put any fruit in it. Fruit is not rugged.
posted by fidelity at 6:24 AM on October 17, 2008

The only rugged drink, short of a longneck, is whiskey - neat. Rye, Scotch, bourbon: doesn't matter so long as it's neat.

On reflection, rum from the bottle is probably okay, too. I would rule vodka out, unless you're in Eastern Europe. In the US, vodka has (unfortunately) too much of a sorority girl/yuppie stigma to be properly classified as "rugged."
posted by kaseijin at 6:59 AM on October 17, 2008

Nthing rum, which is not only rugged, it's outlaw rugged.
posted by rokusan at 7:07 AM on October 17, 2008

Hmmmm....rugged. I would imagine anything that you distill for yourself would probably be pretty rugged the first few go-arounds.
posted by mrmojoflying at 7:20 AM on October 17, 2008

Induces stupidity or rugged?

Spodie or, as it is call in southern US frat circles, Hunch Punch, isn't rugged but does induce stupidity. (Nothing that includes Hawaiian Punch like ingredients can be considered rugged in my book).

Tequila shots with lime and salt - rugged and induces stupidity.

Boilermaker - rugged but I can't stomach enough of them to induce full stupidity.
posted by Carbolic at 7:53 AM on October 17, 2008

I have nothing to say except whenever I have asked a bartender for "anything strong" or "whatever you like." I always, always, always get a Rusty Nail. It is Scotch and Whiskey And Honey. It is made of poor decision making.

A Rusty Nail is scotch and Drambouie. Also, scotch is whiskey.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 8:27 AM on October 17, 2008

What could be more rugged than a Caesar? It is the classic Canadian mixed drink. Also called a Bloody Caesar. Not sure how easily you will find the ingredients stateside. Look for Mott's brand clamato juice.

1.5 oz vodka
6 oz Clamato Juice (or a mixture of tomato juice and clam juice)
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Dash Tabasco
garnish with celery salt/seasoning salt, and a stick of celery if you're feeling fancy.

It's traditional to "rim" your glass with seasoning salt before you pour up your drink. That way each sip is full of salty goodness. I know it's not simple, but it is rugged. Name me one other drink that incorporates seafood, salt, and tomatoes.
posted by Brodiggitty at 8:30 AM on October 17, 2008

There is the Dead Nazi....
358 Magnum recipe...

A few of you seem to be confusing "rugged" with "high alcoholic content." While high alcohol may be necessary for a rugged drink, it is by no means sufficient for one. Nothing that tastes of cinnamon or peppermint or licorice is "rugged" in my book.

As for my recommendation, I'll second the mentions of whiskey, neat.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 8:49 AM on October 17, 2008

Harper Cranberry -- 2 parts bourbon to 3 parts cranberry juice. Just two all-american ingredients.
posted by madmethods at 9:18 AM on October 17, 2008

Irish Car-bomb - Irish whiskey with a (tiny) float of Baileys in a shot glass dropped in a 2/3 pint of Guinness and CHUG!
posted by The Light Fantastic at 9:24 AM on October 17, 2008

Rugged, to me, is a JackHatten;

2 1/2 oz Jack Daniels
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
3 dashes Agnostura Bitters

Shake, serve on rocks. Usually with a speared cherry, but considering you want it rugged, spear it with a roofing nail.
posted by scabrous at 9:54 AM on October 17, 2008

There's just no such thing as a rugged mixed drink. It has to be a neat spirit - whisky, rum, maybe vodka - drunk from the bottle (for some reason, a half bottle of a cheap brand seems most rugged) at room temperature, in big gulps.

Also, scotch is whiskey.

No, it isn't. Scotch is whisky.
posted by jack_mo at 9:57 AM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

I have to agree that mixied drinks just aren't rugged.
You might be able to argue "manly yet refined" or something. But I don't think "rugged".
I think the drink should be neat. Just not Scotch, unless you are Scotch. Scotch is the least rugged whiskey around. It falls on the rugged scale somewhere near flavored vodkas.

A rugged drink is drunk from the bottle, preferably a handle, that is warm from sitting in the garage. I prefer whiskey but anything will do. You should not pay more than $30 for the handle. Old Chart, Old Grandad, Old Overholt, Old Crow. If it has "Old" in the name, you are on the right track. Some of those are better than others.
posted by Seamus at 10:03 AM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

I've had and enjoyed Bloody Caesars whenever I visit Windsor, but I wouldn't call them "rugged." It's a Bloody Mary with Clamato juice. (And a Bloody Mary doesn't strike me as "rugged." Any drink with a woman's name in it can't sound rugged.) I agree with Rye whiskey...that was hard-bitten Detective Joe Friday's drink of choice (Rye, straight up). Years ago I'd occasionally go out after hours with a variety of folks from work; the rugged Glengarry Glen Ross-type salesmen always ordered Rusty Nails.
posted by Oriole Adams at 10:16 AM on October 17, 2008

y'all are crazy. Beer and a shot. End of story. Well whiskey and whatever local swill they serve - here in Texas it'd be a Lone Star, back in Brooklyn a Rheingold.

Beer an' a shot.
posted by dirtdirt at 10:44 AM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

turgid dahlia:

"suggestions for whiskey straight - this is something you "take", not something you "drink".

Not that anyone is reading this anymore -- but you may "take" it I, however, do drink it and enjoy it.
posted by 517 at 11:14 AM on October 17, 2008

Scotch is the least rugged whiskey around.

I take it you haven't tried a cask-strength Laphroaig, then? Whisky from Islay is so heavily peated that it carries prominent overtones of brake fluid; my Campari-sipping wife says it smells like fresh road tar.

It's made on an island that has been almost completely deforested--they ran out of wood to roast their malt so they use peat.

Gruesome, glorious, brutal stuff, Islay whisky.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 11:40 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]