The NC Double Shot Round of 64, Flight 2: Co-H
May 18, 2011

We got some boozy doozies today, so let's get to it. My write-ups are below and voting is at Tomato Nation. Confused? You can find answers here.

1 Gin and Tonic vs. 16 French 75. See, this is a sucky match-up because I love both of these for entirely different reasons. GnT because it's basic, it's my house drink, and the Fever-Tree line of mixers is without equal. (Also, if you're of the lady leanings, gin-and-tonics are an old-school-wives' remedy for cramps. Just putting that out there.) ["If you're of any leanings at all, try mixing one in a pint glass the way my dad does it. It's the same amount of booze, but something about it, whether it's the more ice or the greater surface area, makes it incredibly refreshing." -- Bunting] Buuut, I love the French 75! It's so lovely with the Champagne and the brandy (originally gin) and the fresh lemon...AND it's featured in Casablanca, which has that scene of Victor Laszlo leading the band in "La Marseillaise" in order to shout down the fat Nazis, and I'm going to cry right here and now. Siiiiigh. G-n-T is going to get the popular vote here, but you all owe it to yourselves to order a French 75 next time you see it on a menu.

8 Greyhound / Salty Dog vs. 9 Hot Toddy. Wow, this is summer-versus-winter tipple for me. Edgy, slightly bitter, and made with gin, Greyhounds are my kind of drink. Adding a salt rim to the Dog just makes it better. (Also, I firmly believe Hound or Dog are both drinks that should be made with either fresh-squeezed or Fizzy Lizzy's grapefruit juice. You'll thank me later.) However, Mathra's Hot Toddy has cured me of way too many bad colds for me to toss it aside...UGH! I judge this too close to call, and trust the readers of Grub Report and Tomato Nation to make the right decision.

5 Daiquiri vs. 12 Gin Buck. All the Papa Hemingway fans will flock in to defend the character of his signature drink in the same way that annoying chick in my 20th Century Lit class defended Brett Ashley as a hero instead of admitting that Brett was really kind of a douche. ["I always thought of absinthe as his signature drink. No?" -- Bunting] And I'm one of those drink defenders. Now, I'm not the biggest Hemingway fan (only his true fans can call him "Papa" without having their skin crawl), but the man did love his cats, his turtlenecks, and a good drink. I respect all of that and I love the classic (not blended) daiquiri. Whether you choose to add Hemingway's addition of grapefruit juice or not, the daiquiri is one of the cleanest drinks out there in terms of simplicity, ingredients, and flavor, and I'm definitely a "less is more" girl when it comes to cocktails. The Gin Buck is also nice and simple -- though I'd sub ginger beer for the ale, personally -- and I enjoy it enormously, but it's not well-known enough to pull off a win here.

4 Frootinis vs. 13 Eggnog. I only like eggnog once a year, and even then it's a one-drink maximum for me. I usually add brandy or dark rum and grate some nutmeg across the top. That said, I recognize how gross it is. First of all, there's "egg" in it, which is hewful enough for me, but then there's "nog." I know what "nog" means, but "nog" still sounds like the noise you make when you realize you're drinking something with egg in it. I think eggnog has some major supporters, but they're no match for the legion of Appletini, Pomtini, etc. fans Sex and the City spawned all over us.

6 Dark and Stormy vs. 11 Hurricane. Guys, we totally did NOT intentionally pit the weather drinks against each other. It is kind of a cool happenstance, though. I'll have to look up what's in a Hurricane because I don't think I've ever had one, but it really doesn't matter because Dark and Stormys are another major favorite of mine. On the other hand, how can you resist the French Quarter drink that was so popular, a special glass was invented especially for it? Both of these are rum-based, but I think the perfectly layered Dark and Stormy is irresistible. Sailors say the layering is supposed to look like a stormy sea, but they're probably just drunk. I think East Coast sailors will outnumber the NOLA fans on this one and carry Dark and Stormy through to the next round.

3 Cuba Libre / Rum and Coke vs. 14 Grasshopper. Every time I drink a Grasshopper, I feel like Mrs. Havisham, but instead of moldering away in an old wedding dress, it's an old Girl Scout uniform. Gross all around. Every time I drink a Cube Libre, I feel like overthrowing some government, but I'm sure that's just because I've been hypnotized by the origin story Bacardi has been peddling. Which...doesn't quite ring true if you take Coca-Cola's Cuban history into account. Grasshoppers are popular enough that I hear people ordering them on a regular basis -- usually as an after-dinner drink or a dessert stand-in -- so an upset wouldn't surprise me. I'm calling it for Cuba, but it won't be a walkover.

7 Gimlet vs. 10 Hot Buttered Rum. While Hot Buttered Rum sounds like a perfectly delicious and warming idea, the result is...not so much. Mathra made me a HBR back when we lived in Boston, and it was good, but the butter leaves a path on the drink's surface that makes you think you're drinking an oil slick. Furthermore, a cocktail that you feel moved to drink only a few months out of the year is always going to lose to one you'll easily drink in any kind of weather. Although I should add that the typical Bay Area start to spring/summer/fall/winter is currently making me wish I had my hands wrapped around a mug of hot oil slick right now. Still, the Gimlet will take it.

2 Cosmopolitan vs. 15 Harvey Wallbanger. Let's get his out of the way: Harvey Wallbanger. THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID! Now I can move on, and say that there's almost no point in debating this match-up. I've never set lips on a Harvey Wallbanger, but they must be as fun to order as Bahama Mamas are embarrassing even if HBs sound atrocious. The story behind a HW is pretty awesome, though. Apparently there was this brah named Harvey, and after a bogus day getting seriously hammered by some gnarly swells, he liked to chill with this drink he made up: a Galliano-laced Screwdriver. After downing few of these, brah totally staggered into walls, hence the name. Pretty stories aside, we all know Harvey Wallbangers will get worked by the day-glo Cosmo. (Keckler's surferese provided by: Surfer Lingo.)

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