Post #803519 by tikibhoy on Sat, May 14, 2022 1:59 PM

That's an excellent question! Honestly out of 78 drinks, I'd probably make maybe a dozen of them again. A lot were really quite "meh", some were flat-out not good, but there are some tasty drinks in there for sure as well.

I've often wondered that since a lot of the drinks on the list came from the 1930s through the 1960s, how much of an influence smoking had on the "general" tastes of the times, since it was so prevalent. Drinks that tasted great to a smoker from the 1930s might not be all that awesome to a non-smoker in the 2020s. I don't have any empirical evidence to back that up, but suffice it to say, a number of these drinks don't really translate well to the modern palate.

Some highlights:

The Spindrift, which my notes say is lemony and creamy from the vanilla, and packs a nice kick.

The Ancient Mariner, which has a nice spice component to it (it's a "modern" drink, from the 1990s) that most of the other drinks on the list lack.

The Shark's Tooth, which is fruity and balanced, with a strong and satisfying kick.

The Astro Aku Aku, which was complex and layered, sweet with a note of licorice.

Some lowlights:

The Rum Runner, which I noted was "a sweet sweet mess", and "like a gross cough drop".

The Tahitian, which was "disgusting, bitter, not good, with a weird note of chocolate at the end. One of the worst ones on the list."

The Tortuga, which was "not good. A very odd taste, the combination of creme de cacao and red vermouth."