Take stock of one of those drinks you’ve had in America: Wine and Cocktails

Preface

In the more than a year I have lived in the United States, when it comes to food, it is basically lackluster.

American fast food such as fried chicken, burgers, and donuts are different from those in China, and they are not worthy of a separate article.

Mexican food seems to be more distinctive, such as burritos (Taco), but they do not meet the taste of Chinese people.

The BBQ in Texas is really good, it’s about the ingredients and the heat, that’s all.

But when it comes to alcohol, as a senior "alcoholic", I can still have a good chat.

Let’s talk about the classification of wine first. According to the sales channel, the license to sell alcohol in the United States can be divided into two types: spirits license and light liquor license.

Spirits refer to alcohol above 40 degrees, which are distilled alcoholic beverages; light alcoholic beverages refer to brewed alcoholic beverages, mostly beer and red wine.

The alcohol you can buy in ordinary supermarkets is light alcohol or brewed alcohol, such as beer, wine and cocktails.

Spirits must be purchased at liquor stores (Liquor Store/Beverage Store/Package Store), mainly spirits, such as brandy, whiskey, vodka, gin, Rum and Tequila. Of course, wine and cocktails are also sold in liquor stores.

What Americans like most is beer, which is the most common at various parties; followed by wine, which can occasionally be seen at some high-end receptions.

Liquor, I haven't seen it in other settings except in bars and restaurants.

How much wine did you drink that year?

First, let’s take stock of the various wines I drank in the past year.

Light wine, about 50L:

• Wine (Wine) 3.0L×6; 1.5L×6; 0.75L×2, total 28.5L
• Cocktail (Cocktail) total 22.75L

 Margarita 1.5L×12
              Rum & Coffee 1.75L×1
              Irish Country Cream 1.5L×1
              Egg Nog Wine cocktail 1.5L×1

Hard liquor, total 39L:

• Whiskey (Whiskey) 1.75L×5 0.75L×3, 11L in total
• Tequila/Tequila 1.75L×4, total 7L
• Gin/Gin (Jin) 1.75L×5, total 8.75L
• Rum (Rum) 1.75L×3, total 5.25L
• Vodka 1.75L
• Brandy 1.75L×3, total 5.25L

Wine, I can’t tell the difference

The beginning of drinking in the United States started with wine.

At first I was poisoned by the petty bourgeoisie and wanted to become a wine expert.

I bought different wines in the supermarket and came back to taste them, and I quickly gave up on this unrealistic idea.

Because I don’t have this talent, I can’t tell the difference between different wines.

If you can’t tell the difference between drinking Lafite in 1982 and Great Wall in 2018, then just choose the one that tastes good to you and is cheap.

In the next year, I basically bought wine at Costco supermarket because it was cost-effective.

It is said that the retail price of wine in general supermarkets is 50% higher than the wholesale price, while Costco's markup is about 14%.

Among them, Costco’s customized Kirkland brand wine is the most cost-effective.

This Spanish fruit wine has a sweet taste and an alcohol content of only 6 degrees. It is suitable for women and children, and is also suitable for Chinese tastes. It is $6.99/1.5L, which is a great value.

This California Cabernet Sauvignon dry red is the one I drink the most. It costs $7.99/1.5L. It tastes similar to the domestic Great Wall or Huaxia dry reds priced at 100-200 yuan/750mL.

This dry white Chardonnay from California is also $7.99/1.5L. I tried it from different vintages, but I couldn’t tell the difference and I didn’t like the taste.

At a party held by my tutor at my home, I discovered this simple version of California Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Red (Costco Boxed Wine), $12.99/3L, the best value.

The inside of the box is packed in a plastic bag and has a specially designed push-type switch, which is very practical and environmentally friendly.

This was the only wine variety I purchased in the next six months.

American cocktails

Cocktails are rarely sold in China and almost never tried.

In American supermarkets, you can see all kinds of strange cocktails, and you can't help but "experience" them.

Americans’ creativity with wine is reflected in cocktails, and there are almost no drinks that cannot be added to them.

But to be honest, most tastes cannot be complimented.

Irish Country Cream Cocktail is said to be a classic variety.

This eggnog is another so-called classic, red wine + cream + eggs?

However, the flavor is almost the same as the country cream version above.

Both cocktails are based on red wine and are therefore available in supermarkets.

The basis of this rum coffee cocktail is rum. If the alcohol content (20°) is higher than the above two, it can only be sold in specialty stores.

These wines are all very American: sweet to the point of being cloying .

Whether drinking it neat or on the rocks, it's not a pleasant experience.

Perhaps these wines are just ingredients for more complex cocktails and are not suitable for drinking directly.

Finally, I found a cocktail that suited my taste, the Golden Margarita.

Margarita is a cocktail made with undistilled tequila.

Made with ingredients such as tequila, lemon juice and Cointreau, it can be sold in supermarkets.

There are many types of Margarita cocktails, which can be paired with different juices. It is great to drink directly with ice cubes. It is known as the king of summer pool parties.

Golden Margarita is cheap and plentiful, $8.99/1.5L. Add ice cubes or frozen fruit as a table wine. It’s really great!

One thing to add is that all the prices above are excluding tax.

The tax rate on alcohol in the United States is relatively high and varies from state to state, and the tax rate on light wine and spirits is also different. In Texas, spirits seem to be $2.4/gallon.

But overall, the prices of alcohol in the United States are still very approachable.

For working-class people, having a drink every day is also a daily part of life.