How can I drink alcohol without having to taste it?

September 10, 2005 3:17 AM

I like to drink, but I don't like alcohol. Or at least the taste of it. I never have, but lately, I haven't been able to drink much at all. I can detect even small amounts and have been known to grimace when drinking even a wimpy drink. But I love to party, and as a big guy, it takes a lot to get me drunk. Any ideas on dealing with this problem?

I'd love recipes or suggestions on how to weaken the taste without weakening the buzz. I'm not wealthy, so suggestions of expensive vodkas, while no doubt solving the problem, aren't that feasible to me. Additionally, I'm not looking for a lecture -- I know I don't need alcohol to have fun, and I don't have a drinking problem. But sometimes I'd like to be able to drink in social settings, which I cannot now do. I know AskMeFi won't let me down!

posted by anonymous to Food & Drink (48 answers total)

How about that staple of adolescence, cider and blackcurrant?
posted by the cuban at 3:41 AM on September 10, 2005

Yeah, kids drinks. Alcopops. Try stuff where the marketing seems aimed at pre-pubescent girls and you might be OK. But you might feel weird stood at the bar with a bottle of WKD...

I've a friend who can't stand alcohol, and rather surprisingly he recently discovered he liked Ouzo. So it might be worth trying some of those "weird" spirits or liqueurs - do you like almonds? try some amaretto. aniseed? pernod/ouzo/other pastis. What do you think about things like Baileys? That's another teenaged staple round here.

Also, fruit beers - Frambozen beer is delicious. If you can get hold of any lambic fruit beers, they taste more fruity and less like beer (Timmerman's blackcurrant lambic beer is fantastic. Probably not cheap though).
posted by handee at 4:01 AM on September 10, 2005

This is not what you want to hear, but you might be allergic to alcohol. Get tested.
posted by brujita at 4:19 AM on September 10, 2005

I don't like to the taste of alcohol, either. Usually I just have a shot as the first thing I drink. It's unpleasant, but it kills the taste of alcohol in most of the drinks I like for a while.
posted by Alison at 4:20 AM on September 10, 2005

The problem with alcopops is that they're so sweet, drinking them in the quantities required to get a bit tipsy can make you feel pretty sickly.

I also hate the taste of alcohol, so I do a couple of shots and then stick to water/soft drinks (no one can tell there's no alcohol in either, if you care about that sort of thing).
posted by speranza at 4:59 AM on September 10, 2005

It will take a fair few alcopops to get drunk, however. They usually have a far lower alcohol content.

Try a White Russian, perhaps? It's hard to give an answer without knowing exactly how much alcohol taste you can endure.
posted by madman at 5:22 AM on September 10, 2005

Try a whisky and ginger ale. Although whisky can make you feel sick if you chug a bottle, paradoxically if you take it easy it can really settle the stomach. The ginger also really calms the stomach.

No need to be anonymous. You're allowed to have girly drinks now - it's called 'metrosexual'.
posted by lunkfish at 5:26 AM on September 10, 2005

Lambrusco is very easy on the tongue. Not the sort of thing you knock back at a bar though!
posted by wackybrit at 5:28 AM on September 10, 2005

I like to drink, but I don't like alcohol.

Then why drink alcohol at all? Grab a ginger ale and be your friends' designated driver.
posted by Carol Anne at 6:00 AM on September 10, 2005

Some beers taste more smooth than alcohol-y to me - to the point where I only drink beer, no wine or liquor anymore. But cordials are the best taste masker in my experience - vodka or gin or even guinness with really thick lime or blackberry cordial. The problem there is the same as the alcopops - the stuff is so sweet you want to throw up. Maybe dig up a cocktail list and look for drinks with milk in them? Could be expensive if you're a big guy though. Liquers that are already sweetened, like Malibu rum, don't taste too alcoholic to me either.
posted by jamesonandwater at 6:21 AM on September 10, 2005

When you say you "like to drink," you mean you like to be drunk? Or like the social interaction? The purpose of drinking alcohol shouldn't be to become wasted; that's a trap. I suppose you could simply switch to marijuana, but that would be to re-enforce he troubling hint I find in your first sentence.
posted by mmahaffie at 6:48 AM on September 10, 2005

- jungle juice (vodka (lots) + kool aid mix + sprite), mix to taste
- creamy casa (vanilla vodka + orange soda)
- white russians (milk + coffe liquer + vodka)
- red bull and Jagermeister

these were my staple drinks for four years of college when we had a little extra cash (i.e. more than beer money). most of these drinks have very little "alcohol taste" to them.

also, you could just drink a weak rum and coke, and just have fun and not worry about "not drinking enough".
posted by ruwan at 7:04 AM on September 10, 2005

Try drinking vodka with cranberry juice. The taste of cranberry juice masks alcohol extremely well...in fact, bartenders hate pouring these (also known as "Cape Codders") because they get sent back frequently with comments like, "I can't taste any alcohol." THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF DRINKING IT. If you use high-quality vodka, like Grey Goose, it'll be much smoother. If you're at a bar, order it tall the first time- same amount of booze, but twice as much mixer as the normal cocktail. If you find you like it, try it as a cocktail and see if you can handle it (that way you won't have to ingest as much liquid). If you're doing it at home, experiment until you find a good proportion for your tastes.
posted by baphomet at 7:12 AM on September 10, 2005

Budweiser.

OK, that's my little joke out of the way. Clearly you want the buzz of alcohol without the taste. I think the only way to do that will be to disguise the taste with things that have an even stronger taste. So you're talking fruity stuff and, possibly, minty or spicy things. I'd advise you to experiment with cocktails involving those big, non-alcoholic flavours. An educated bar person should be able to assist you in your quest and they might very well find it a diverting challenge and give you a few tasters on the cheap.

As an aside, kudos for recognising that drinking alcohol is fun and enjoyable. I am so tired of the current wave of puritanism that seems to be swilling around the fine, merry art of boozing.
posted by Decani at 7:12 AM on September 10, 2005

gin and orange juice is my drink, and I can rarely taste the gin unless they use some got-rut stuff.
posted by bonaldi at 7:13 AM on September 10, 2005

Oh yes, what people have said about vodka - it's easier to cover the taste of that than just about any other spirit. How are you with wine, too? Some of the lighter whites might be in order - especially if you spritzer them... although then, of course, you're running into that girly drink territory. But as you're a big guy, who cares, right? :-)
posted by Decani at 7:15 AM on September 10, 2005

Another vote for any vodka mix drink. Expensive vodkas will be more pleasant of course, but even reasonalby priced stuff like Stoli and Absolute are easily masked when mixed. Vodka goes good with citrus juices like orange, grapefruit, lemonade, someone mentioned cranberry, white russians, etc..
posted by p3t3 at 7:35 AM on September 10, 2005

You could always try AWOL - alcohol without liquid. I have no idea how safe this thing is.
posted by nitsuj at 7:38 AM on September 10, 2005

If you don't like alcohol you can try those "non-alcoholic" beers with .5% alcohol/volume perhaps?

Alternately you can try drinks mixed with flavored vodkas, which have less alcohol than regular vodkas. My favorite is strawberry stoli + diet pepsi.
posted by clevershark at 8:03 AM on September 10, 2005

I was in your boat... "fruit" type drinks did it for me -- they seem to neutralize the nasty alcohol taste. Any kind of vodka and fruit (e.g. juices, as others have mentioned) are right on the mark. If the wallet allows, you can go for chambord or midori... I've found these to be quite palatable. Stay away from plain hard liquor -- whiskey and bourbon are your nemesis.
posted by rolypolyman at 8:30 AM on September 10, 2005

Medium-end saki will get you drunk quick without an alcohol-y taste.
posted by sonofsamiam at 8:31 AM on September 10, 2005

If your social sphere is the kind where ordering things like White Russians and Cape Codders might raise a few eyebrows, perhaps you could instead make a point of ordering chips and salsa or a basket of chicken wings or something. Your pals will think you're Mr. Generous, and nobody has to know that you're only munching on spicy foods to drown out the taste of alcohol.

I'm a beer fan, myself, so here are a few beer suggestions: India Pale Ales taste most strongly of hops (so do some excellent American craft beers). Stouts, especially imperial and Russian ones, are often rich/heavy enough to overwhelm the taste of alcohol. The aforementioned ciders and lambics (the former tart, the latter sweet) might also be worth trying.
posted by box at 8:38 AM on September 10, 2005

I am assuming that you dislike beer as well as the taste of liquor, but beer's taste, while entirely unpleasant to those who dislike beer, is completely different than the taste of liquor. Maybe these are two separate dislikes? I've known a lot of people who dislike the taste of beer-hell, everyone at one point, no one took their first sip of Bud at 13 years old and thought it was delicious-and the only solution is learning to like beer by drinking it. It seems you cannot get over your dislike of the taste of liquor, but maybe you can learn to like beer. The "Learn to Like Beer" method, in case you're interested, is sitting down every night, doing whatever you normally do(TV, internet, etc), while forcing down a beer. Do this for however long it takes from beer to go from bitter, vile, and piss-tasting to crisp, delicious, and refreshing. Start with something like Corona which is light and harmless and everyone likes, rather than something like Budweiser, which really is vile bitter and piss-tasting, or the fancy expensive dark beers which taste way too deliciously beer-y for someone who hates the taste of beer.
posted by Juliet Banana at 9:00 AM on September 10, 2005

where I only drink beer, no wine or liquor anymore

posted by jamesonandwater

?
posted by Vidiot at 9:03 AM on September 10, 2005

Mass-produced American light beers (Bud light, Coors light, etc.) won't overwhelm you with the taste of alcohol... or beer, for that matter. It sounds like a snark, but taste-test a Bud light versus, say, a Stella Artois, and you'll be shocked at how true that is.
posted by clevershark at 9:07 AM on September 10, 2005

Disclaimer: all I know about mixed drinks I learned from reading Ask MetaFilter.

Every mixed drink combines three flavors: strong, sweet, and sour. A good drink balances all three, so they lose their individual characteristics and form a gestalt entity with a unique gustatorial identity. A cocktail also folds in a counterpoint of bitter. Anotherwords, the way to get rid of the alcohol taste in drinks isn't to use less alcohol, but to balance it properly with other flavors. This is why the screwdriver is such a popular drink: The vodka provides the strong, and the juice acts as both the sweet and the sour (though I like to add a bit of lime juice to give the sour an extra kick).

First, strong. You need to aim for neutral spirits. That's vodka, white rum, gin--anything that's clear and at least 80 proof. Your goal is to disguise this flavor, but not to overpower it. With a properly prepared drink, the strong flavor acts as a sort of base, a medium in which the sour and sweet interact. You will get so lost in sweet/sour dynamic that you'll never focus on the strong background.

Second, sweet. Use these sparingly. You have several options here. Most commercial orange and cranberry juices will end up in this category, as opposed to sour. So does Rose's syrupy sweet lime juice. And grenadine. And Cointreau. And soft drinks. And tonic water. And, of course, simple syrup (sugar mixed with water and heated 'til it becomes viscous).

Third, sour. Your main allies here are lemon juice and lime juice. Preferably fresh. In a pinch, plastic fruit-shaped bottles of juice will work, as long as you apologize to yourself later. If a drink recipe calls for lemon or lime juice, do not use sweetened juices like Rose's unless the recipe specifically asks for them by name. Remember, the idea is to balance flavors. Sometimes as small a step as rubbing the lip of a glass with a bit of lemon rind can drastically change the flavor of a drink.

Finally, bitter. You've got few choices here. Angostura or Peychaud's, and you won't be able to find Peychaud's, so Angostura it is.

Now, all you have to do is mix and match. Start with ice: cooler drinks reveal less of the taste of the alcohol. Then mix in a splash or two of a sour, a single dash of bitter, a jigger of one of the strongs, and top the glass with sweet. Stir. Enjoy.

Examples:

• The Moscow Mule. This is an old highball from when vodka first got trendy in America. Ice, lemon or lime juice, a jigger of vodka, and top with ginger beer. Properly made, the ginger will mask the strong, making it taste like an exotic soda.

• Cuba Libre. Rum and coke is a nasty highball. A Cuba Libre is a classy cocktail. Whereas rum&coke is a gamble--it'll either be too strong from excess rum or too sweet from excess Coke--a Cuba Libre is balanced. Ice, splash of lime juice, dash of bitters, a jigger of rum, top with Coke. For a more exotic feel, use only a shot of rum and also include half a shot of gin.

• Vodka tonic. I'm a purist and would prefer a gin and tonic, but gin's juniper flavor shines through the tonic, and might be too alcoholy for you. Ice, splash of lemon/lime juice, jigger of vodka, top with tonic water. If it's properly made it'll taste like a sublime lemonade. If it's too sour, add a dash of bitters. But be careful--too much bitters and the VT will turn pink and noxious.

• Dark & Stormy. This suggestion isn't made with neutral spirits, but I include it simply because it's yummy. Ice, splash of lemon juice, jigger of Gosling's Black Seal Rum (no other rum is acceptable), top with ginger beer, rub lip of glass with lemon peel. Like the Moscow Mule, this one blocks the alcohol flavor quite well.

• Bloody Mary. You always have a chance of putting in too much vodka, but a balanced Bloody Mary disguises alcohol like none other. Recipes differ to such an extent that I'm hesitant of sharing any one in particular. In light of Katrina, Louisiana industry could probably use any money it can get, so just go for the Tabasco brand mix available at any and all liquor stores. It's drinkable. As long as you don't put too much vodka in, the spicy saltiness of the mix will block the strong flavor from your tongue, though you might taste the vodka if you burp.

If all these are too much trouble, or if they don't sufficiently block the taste, I have one other suggestion. When I first became of drinking age, and my palate lacked all sophistication, there was a certain highball I greatly enjoyed. Bacardi has this liquor they sell called Cyclon. It's Bacardi rum mixed with Cuervo and lime syrup. It's sweet on its own, but mix it with Sprite or 7-Up, and it tastes like a soft drink. You can pound them all night, or until you go into sugar shock. I stopped drinking this mix when I decided I liked balanced flavors better. Still, if you're desperate for something that will hide the alcohol and don't mind the sweetness, it'll do.

Oh, yeah. If you ever do have some spare cash lying around and have the opportunity to buy expensive vodka, go for Hangar One. They mix a brandy blend into their vodkas, and it creates an astoundingly smooth flavor without any of the vodka bite.
posted by jbrjake at 9:22 AM on September 10, 2005

You could try taking one of the benzodiazepines (e.g. diazepam, clonazepam, flurazepam). These drugs don't perfectly emulate the social and pharmacological dynamics of ethanol consumption, but they are noted for eliciting similar anxiolytic effects. The anxiety reducing properties of ethanol, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates are thought to stem from their effects on the brain's gamma-aminobutyric acid systems. Obviously, one should be wary of combining different depressants as they can act on the CNS synergistically.
posted by Human Flesh at 9:23 AM on September 10, 2005

On the topic of vodka... I read an article where even the cheapest nastiest vodka tasted suprisingly good after being run though a normal Brita-type filter a few times. It seems that the vodka market is really a sham, because the more you pay for vodka, the more "pure" and "without nasty aftertastes" it is. So really when you pay for classy vodka you're just paying for them to filter out all the shit that's normally in there. (Now I know there will be some vodka afficiandos that will say I'm full of shit.)

Anyway, since a lot of people have said that vodka based drinks mask the taste very well, and since you said you were low on cash, try getting a cheap vodka and filter it yourself. You might be surprised.
posted by Rhomboid at 9:36 AM on September 10, 2005

I believe Rhomboid is thinking of OhMyGodItBurns.com.
posted by Vidiot at 9:38 AM on September 10, 2005

I can't really tolerate the taste of alcohol either, but a couple of glasses (or a couple of bottles, depending on your tolerance) of inexpensive sweet champagne (I prefer Asti Spumante) or dessert wine (such as a muscat) pack quite a punch - these will, of course, be hard to come by unless you are drinking at an actual restaurant, so I used to buy a bottle with which to "pre-party" before actually heading out.

Also, Everclear (which I'm pretty sure is legal only in certain states) can be disguised even better than vodka - and is a LOT stronger - when blended with fruity drinks (Kool-aid, Crystal Lite, fruit juices, etc). Oh, college memories...

If your image can handle it (some guys are so weird about what they carry around), I think hard cider and bottled drinks like Smirnoff Ice are also a lot tastier than beer (and you can usually get these in bars).

Finally, I second what others have said about (probably irresponsibly) throwing back a couple of shots straight off and then just sipping on soft drinks or whatever while you let the shots take effect. Drinks mixed with milk/cream (White Russians and the like) are pretty great as well (but they can feel heavy pretty quickly).
posted by roundrock at 10:05 AM on September 10, 2005

A "Shut the Fuck up and Drink it" (1/3 whiskey, 1/3 tabasco, 1/3 vodka) should mask the taste of alcohol
posted by null terminated at 11:22 AM on September 10, 2005

Amaretto or midori sours! They don't even taste like alcohol--midori especially.
posted by hototogisu at 12:57 PM on September 10, 2005

I'm a lifelong teetotaler. When I was young, it was by choice. As I grew up, I found that being a socialable young, I had a lot of explaining to do when I was out with people who drank. Even today, it never fails. If I go to a bar and do not order an alcoholic drink, people will ask why.

That said, I went through a phase of tasting alcohol. I enjoyed the subtle flavors of scotch and wine a great deal. With scotch I could never overcome the alcohol taste. With wine, I could never overcome the tannic acid.

Nevertheless, I kept trying. I tried every drink my friends ordered, from a variety of beers to a variety of liquors and mixed drinks. Even the ones my friends said, "You can't even taste the alcohol!" were revolting to me.

However, I am lucky. I had a little too much tasting several times and became tipsy. Any sense of drunkenness, even just the warmness of inebriation, turned me off a great deal. I don't feel any inclination to have the yummy taste of scotch if the end result is any form of intoxication.

Have a go at the methods mentioned here to pre-numb your sense of taste. Maybe even using a numbing agent like Chloroseptic or Sucrets. Just read the labels first.
posted by sequential at 1:22 PM on September 10, 2005

Once I had this stuff called "jungle juce" I'm sure you can find recipies online, here's one (that includes vodka) and here's another which is more conventional, yet vauge. Basicaly it's everclear + tons of fruits and juces. Very strong, yet not much of an alchohol taste.

Probably the best way to get drunk cheap.
posted by delmoi at 1:23 PM on September 10, 2005

Oh yeah, my preferd way of getting drunk is to have a shot (or swig) of vodka, and then drown the flavor with another, non-alchoholic drink (like sprite, gatorade, etc).

That's really easy and quick :)
posted by delmoi at 1:25 PM on September 10, 2005

Fors some reason, I can't taste ANY alcohol when I drink a gin and tonic.
posted by jedrek at 1:51 PM on September 10, 2005

If you have the time, you can make your own infused drinks! A friend of mine takes a 40ounce bottle of white rum and lets it sit for weeks in a covered bowl also filled with mashed up berries (usually raspberries or strawberries). Filter out the skin and seeds and you have a VERY tasty drink that you don't need to mix with anything to enjoy.

The first time we tried it, I thought the alcohol might have evaporated, since we couldn't taste it - but t didn't freeze after leaving it overnight in the freezer so we know its still at least 20% booze
posted by jeffmik at 2:04 PM on September 10, 2005

My non-alcohol-liking husband likes vodka tonics, especially made with grey goose orange.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 2:25 PM on September 10, 2005

I second the White Russians. Or third them, perhaps. They're sweet, the taste of the alcohol is masked well [and they use vodka, which is less offensive than any other hard liquor], and they taste not quite like chocolate milk. [I'd suggest staying away from mixed drinks involving gin, but I think that's mostly personal prejudice on my part. I've never found anything that covers the nasty gin taste...] Vodka with fruit juice works well, as long as you don't go heavy on the vodka. [Most people do go too heavy on the vodka - you may want to work out the proportions on your own.]

If you're willing to look at beer, avoid swill like Budweiser or Coors. Corona's no good either. You may not taste much alcohol, but there won't really be anything worth tasting. Go for something like lambic, as someone mentioned above. I know several people who don't like beer in general but are fine with lambic. You may want to try samplers at local microbreweries to see if there's anything you find potable.

Wine-wise, light white wines are probably your best bet. Rieslings would be worth a try - German Rieslings are generally sweet, and they don't have the harsh flavour [tannic acid, I suppose? I'm relatively ignorant when it comes to wine] which I find in all red wines.
posted by ubersturm at 2:36 PM on September 10, 2005

Since others have suggested pot and valium-types, you can also consider GHB, which in low doses is described as being very similar to alcohol, with no hangover effects.

On the alcohol end of things, I dislike the flavour of almost all alcoholic drinks (beer, wine, spirits) but I actually don't mind two sweet asian liqueurs - plum wine and apricot wine. Neither is actually a wine, they are flavoured spirits.
posted by birdsquared at 5:37 PM on September 10, 2005

99 bananas and orange juice and crushed ice is kinda like a orange/banana smoothie... i can't taste the alcohol in it.


.//chris
posted by hummercash at 6:18 PM on September 10, 2005

GHB is very dangerous, the "awesome I'm high" and the "awesome I'm in the ER" is very thin. I highly recommend against taking it. Valium and other benzos are relatively hard to get and expensive, not in the least physically addicting. The question really wasn't "How do I get high" but "How do I acclimate myself to the taste of alcohol"?

My favorite "I just started drinking, oh my god there's alcohol in this?" was weak gin and tonic. It tastes basically like Sprite. Make sure you go to a shitty coffee bar where the bartender poors drinks weak. You'll eventually grow to like the taste and can move up the chain.

Also realize no one really likes the taste of alcohol. You have to get used to it. I used to hate vodka and hard alcoholic drinks until I realized that there's something better than $9/bottle vodka. Yes I realize this violates your question parameters but for me at least, the answer was more expensive booze. I turned my nose up to McCormick's but thought Belvedere was a totally different spirit all together.

A wise man once said "If price becomes a problem, you're drinking too much." Belvedere is something like $70 a bottle but only $5.50 for Belvedere on the rocks with a lime. This is very easy to down and two or three should have you comfortably numb. Not to be an ass, but if you can't spend $20 to get drunk, perhaps getting drunk is out of your reach.
posted by geoff. at 6:45 PM on September 10, 2005

Also, as a guy drinking anything that's, uh not manly is not cool. The social implications are serious, even though it sems silly. Ordering jungle juice at a bar or amaretto sour is not a good idea. Remember John Lennon got thrown out of a bar for ordering a brandy alexander.
posted by geoff. at 6:46 PM on September 10, 2005

Sounds to me like you should smoke some weed. You can get your sillies on, and no hangover, just some wooziness and thirst the next morning. A sure fire way to ferret out the non-square types at social gatherings too. A one hitter is discreet, and allows for very precise dosage so as not to become too incoherent to hold up your end of the conversation. You can throw back tonic water or ginger ale or what-have-you to keep your hands busy at the party.
posted by Scoo at 7:28 PM on September 10, 2005

The purpose of drinking alcohol shouldn't be to become wasted; that's a trap.

Bah. How to define "wasted" is a debate for another day, but getting good and drunk is the absolute strongest historical argument for drinking alcohol.

Yes, booze can be very enjoyable as a restrained, aesthetic experience. Yes, there are flavor sensations that invite careful consideration and conversation and whole communities of snobbery, and that's all well and good. But to suggest that drinking to get drunk is wrongheaded? Bah! If that were the case, you'd have people sitting around at fancy social events arguing over the merits of orange juice vintages.
posted by cortex at 9:23 AM on September 11, 2005

Girl drink drunk!

Ok, here are some suggestions for good drinks in which you will taste little alcohol:

Come Fuck Me:
1 part Southern Comfort
1 part Peach Schnapps
4 parts Orange Juice
dash grenadine
dash pinapple juice

I was at the reception for a friend's sister's wedding, and this was the prefered drink of the strippers/bartenders who were in charge (they were the bride's friends). We started drinking sitting down, and the drinks don't taste like there's any alcohol at all. Then you try to stand up. And can't.

When I'm at home, I've learned to love a drink that, as far as I know, has no name.
It's one and a half shots of rum over rocks, then fill the glass with IBC cream soda (the best for the drink), and a shot of lime juice. If you have access to a blender, I recommend turning it into a smoothy. It's a good summer drink.

I also recommend brandy. In Wisconsin, they'll put brandy into anything that would otherwise have whiskey, and it's a much more mellow drink. A brandy and seven is delightful, has about the same alcohol content, and doesn't give that shitty burn.
posted by klangklangston at 11:17 AM on September 11, 2005

I don't think anyone suggested this explicitly, but since you probably won't completely avoid tasting the alcohol, you could minimize the amount you have to drink. Drinking higher proof alcohol like 151 or Absinthe will almost halve the number of shots you'll need to get drunk.
posted by too many notes at 11:44 PM on September 11, 2005

Keep drinking, and not always in large doses -- just do it regularly. If I don't have a drink for a couple weeks, I'll notice a little burn from a drink -- I'm assuming it's the burn of the actual alcohol you're disliking and not the taste of the liquor. Some actual tastes are acquired as not everyone is going to like whiskey, gin, or even vodka right out the gate. If you're someone who doesn't eat foods with a variety of tastes (i.e. every meal is pizza and some sort of soda) you're going to need some adjustment to the new world of flavor. Try a weak drink an evening, switch off every few days until you find one you like.
posted by mikeh at 8:49 AM on September 12, 2005