What should I put in my flask?

Going out this weekend come rain or shine.

Putting up the hammock and kicking back - catch a few trout, whack a few bushes, wander around in granite.

What should I take along to pass around after dinner?

Since you left off brandy I'm going with rum--of the dark variety, maybe demerara (just say nein to Bacardi).

Hard to go wrong with that on a chilly night.

Enjoy your trip!

I'll have to go with whiskey, but I'd also have to refrain when the flask came my way. I just can't do hard liquor well at all.

I will, on rare occasion, partake in a nip of liqueurs. Limoncello is one of my favorites and you might find it in a good liquor store. Rosolio is another, but you can't find that anywhere here in the States. I've made both with Everclear as a base. The Limoncello came out great, but the Rosolio didn't do so well. It wasn't bad, but it was nothing like what I tasted once that came from an old Italian maker. That was some dreamy stuff and I'll buy a bottle or two of that if I ever find it again.

I like to bring liqueurs like these because most people have never tasted them and it's fun to share and try something new like that. They're also fun and pretty easy to make.

Jim Beam Black in a 1/2 Pt. Platty if you can still find one.
Black lable is fully aged and tastier...think "concentrated", since you'll be trying to save weight.

Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey

You need another choice: "Buy more flasks."

Bourbon is hard to beat after a good day of hiking/fishing/bushpushing...Turkey 101, Woodford Reserve, or even some good ole Evan Williams. I prefer mine mixed with a little bit of cold creek water. yum.

Sure, just rub it in. I might not be backpacking this weekend, but I am doing a 20 mile day hike up the mountain that is on the Paramount label. Last weekend my backpacking trip was cancelled due to a death in the family. My mom said there would be another death in the family if I skipped the funeral.

Anyways, I don't drink, so I didn't vote. Kinda like asking a vegetarian what is the best steak.

This is another reason to go with a group.

A couple of the usual suspects have earned a collective nickname of the whiskey brothers.

What! No spot for Scotch??

Tequila. Cazadores.

What kind of flask do you carry? I've been thinking about buying one of those Nalgene flasks from amazon.

I have no doubt a serious hiker like Lori would only carry titanium (smile)


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http://www.powderfin.com/snowpeaktitaniu...2010_f0520_2039

None of the above. Booze has killed more people in the outdoors than all the lions and bears combined, by a wide margin. BTW, this represents a distinct shift in my opinion from my earlier days, when I was a member of a hiking trio known as "The Roma Ramblers," the result of our consuming a bottle of Roma Zinfandel on top of our favorite summits. One of our number passed a few years ago, basically from the results of alcoholism. Eventually I got real tired of hauling out the bodies of inebriated climbers and cut way back on the booze.

Rant off, thanks.

If we were climbers or drunks, I would be concerned about this. Our consumption is best described as a few nips around a campfire on low to mid elevation rambles.

I wasn't on the hike where someone in our group toted beer up to the top of Alta Peak.... This year we are taking birthday cake for someone.

Ha, serious hiker, not a serious drinker. I have a Nalgene flask. Not sure how it works yet, prior to finding one on sale I used a plastic bottle.

I have no doubt that's true, and it's a point that needs to be taken into account.

A flask shared among a group isn't enough to get any one of them cockeyed, so I don't think offering a nip is something to worry about in a personal responsibility kind of way. I've shared a few nips and the warm glow it provides with friends who don't abuse good liquor and enjoyed our time together very much.

I have also been camping/backpacking with people who thought it was an opportunity to get smashfaced drunk more than a few times. Somehow, I've managed to stay out of the fray and avoid any catastrophic results. The worst I've seen happen is a guy who decided to do a fire walk on the coals of our campfire. I was sleeping when he did that, but was able to offer some neosporin and gauze, advil and emergen-C, and my congratulations to him the next morning

The last time I was out with the get-drunk crowd, I developed a terrible headache long before even having a few sips and going to bed early. And then I was kept awake while two of the guys got progressively more drunk, until they were urinating in the campfire to put it out.... Yeah, that doesn't work.

We may not be the quietest group around, but we're never falling down drunk. The hysterical laughter has more to do with the wealth of in-jokes we've developed over time. One word can send the rest of us rolling.

Last time it was a small 6 oz bottle of Japanese Whiskey. Smooth and deadly, but there were 8 of us. I just don't have the coin this time. Good Japanese whiskey can be upwards of 60 bucks for a small bottle.

tullamore dew

very smooth blended irish whisky and not too terribly expensive.

otherwise, sour mash in the 100 proof range.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll have to try some of them. In the end, after a trip to the local BevMo, I ended up with a bottle of Dutch Chocolate Vodka. I had no idea they made vodka in Holland, but, that's where it came from.... It's pretty smooth stuff and the bottle will probably last me a while at the rate I drink anything.

Am I the only one that think whiskey is for mountains and rum is for the beach? They just seem to be better matched that way?!?!. I personally like to stray from hard liquor, but until there a better way to carry ice cold beer (good beer that is!) on the trails. Hard liquor is only way to go. Oldranger, you make a valid point. I strongly prefer to not get smashed drunk in the mountains. The hard liquor is mostly to help me sleep. I can be in an epic battle with insomnia sometimes. I don't drink enough or fast enough to get a extreme buzz. Just enough to help me drift to sleep and wake up with no hangover.

To answer the original question, get some moonshine and mix it with apple cider, apple juice, and soak some cinnamon in there. The apple will reduce the harsh taste of unaged corn and delivers with a great flavor. The liquor store tends to have weaker alcohol content, so I recommend boil apple juice and apple cider at home let it cool down then add stronger corn whiskey.

Bulleit Rye Whiskey is great..goes down smooth. The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey is good also but I prefer the rye

She did say "whiskey" - I could only assume.. After all, anything else isn't

MacCallan Cask Strength Single Malt.

At about 62% alcohol it's more weight efficient. you do have to water it a tad, but that's water you don't have to carry

And if you're not going to drink the good stuff, just take everclear and dual fuel your stove..

Oh, at the time I just felt it needed it's own "special" category . I did vote whiskey.

I agree with that philosophy in going with cask strength. I generally prefer Laphroaig.

Personally I like to take a nice local Port wine out. The Brandy in the Port provides a nice warm feeling before turning into bed.

Nope!

Whiskey is definitely my drink of choice, so if I were going alone, or with friends who were also whiskey drinkers, it would probably be wild turkey 101. If it was purely for the buzz, I'd agree with Phats idea of using everclear for fuel and fun.

However, if its a diverse group and you want to find a middle ground, I would think something like a dark rum or brandy would be more palatable without a mixer. Clear liquor is rarely tasty on its own, and lets be honest, who just "nips" at tequila?