thoughts on Black Russians, with a digression onto my family's attitudes toward alcohol in general

[edenfalling]

Today's experiment: walk in to town, buy vodka and Kahlúa (1L of Sobieski -- because it was the second cheapest and vodka tastes of nothing anyway -- and 750mL, respectively), lug both bottles home in a handle-free paper bag, discover that (happily!) the ice cubes I made to soothe my mom's paranoia prior to Sandy last fall have only sublimed about halfway to nothing, dig out dinky tin measuring cup, and make myself a Black Russian.

Mmmmmmmm.

I love Black Russians. They are the simplest damn drink to make, they taste lovely, and unlike some other mixed drinks, you never forget that you're drinking something with a high alcohol content, so inebriation can't sneak up on you unplanned. There are disputes about the precise ratio of vodka to Kahlúa -- apparently Kahlúa makers would like you to use a 3-to-2 ratio, whereas the International Bartenders Association would like you to use a 5-to-2 ratio -- but I split the difference and use a simple 2-to-1 ratio, as my mother taught me.

She used to drink a single Black Russian sometimes upon getting home from a really cruddy day at work, and was willing to let me sample them when I asked, which is how I knew I liked them.

This was my parents' basic approach to any alcoholic beverage -- if Vicky or I asked, they would let us get a teaspoon and have a single swallow of whatever they were drinking. Which is why I knew from a very, very, very young age that I cannot stand the taste of beer (do not argue with me about different types of beers, the poor quality of American beers, or anything else; what I dislike is the inherent flavor of beer itself, which no amount of "quality" or other flavors will ever disguise), prefer white wine to red, and think brandies are nice but not worth the expense. I don't remember exactly when they began allowing us to have a champagne cocktail at special family occasions, but I'm pretty sure it was before we turned 21, in both my case and Vicky's.

My parents drink mostly with dinner, but also a bit socially. The intent is either to accompany a meal or to get mellow -- never to get outright drunk. I suspect this modeling of a reasonable relationship with alcohol and the refusal to make drinking some kind of inaccessible, fetishized symbol of adulthood is why I never got into any kind of drinking culture in high school or college, and why Vicky only flirted with the edges of the heavy drinking scene.

In any case, I have tried a few other mixed drinks over the years -- several random kinds when I had a month's exchange trip to Germany at 17 and was legally able to buy and drink alcohol, and a couple others since then -- but I am not in the habit of going to bars so I tend to stick to what I know. Which is that Black Russians are awesome.

And now I can make them at home. :-)

Comments

[branchandroot]

*nodnod* My family's approach was much the same. It was actually coffee they kept me away from more. *wry* And lo and behold, coffee was more magically grown up to me than wine. Good thing the whole 'stunt your growth' is a myth.

And Black and White Russians were what got me through my sophomore summer of university, the one time I used them to self-medicate in the first "omgackwtf!" of crisis. Worked nicely since, as you say, you can't forget you're swallowing quite a lot of alcohol. ...I have all the ingredients on hand, I should make White Russians this evening. They're a lovely summer drink with ice and I have that half and half waiting to be used.

[edenfalling]

I don't recall being allowed to try coffee the way I was allowed to try alcohol, but that may have simply been because I didn't ask -- I found the smell of coffee vaguely nauseating as a child and didn't really get past that until I started working at the smoke shop (where, among other things, we sell coffee beans and brewed coffee-to-go). My parents were kind of ridiculously relaxed about a lot of things, in retrospect. The only things I remember them putting hard age limits on were A) staying alone in the house, B) getting to hear my dad read "The Wendigo" aloud (which was sensible, as the story is terrifying, particularly when read in the dark, in the north woods, less than a mile away from Lake Windigo), and C) meeting Howard, a family friend who had no use for small children. Oh, and getting my ears pierced; that was forbidden until I was 12, so naturally I insisted on getting them pierced as my birthday present and felt quite grown-up. *wry*

Alcohol is not what I'd call an effective long-term self-medicating solution, but yeah, it can be VERY useful to blunt the sharp edge of a crisis until one regains a bit of emotional self-possession. Or just to say, "Yes, I have had a shit day and now I'm going to relax for an hour before I have to face anything serious."

[lady_songsmith]

Pretty much how they did it in my family too -- I was allowed a sip of Dad's beer from the time I was old enough to ask, and a tiny glass of wine at dinner anytime I wanted. We had these itttttty bitty cups - metal, actually - that held probably less than a shot glass. I don't know what they were actually supposed to be for. Graduated to a little splash in a real glass by the time I was ten or so, I think.

I vividly remember one afternoon in my early teens when I made some remark about flavored liquers -- I think I'd been watching a cooking show? -- and ended up being presented with a taste-test of the ones we had in the liquor cabinet, like it was no big deal at all... and it wasn't.

And yeah, never had any inclination to drink hard. I also know I cannot stand cognac, even the good stuff. Keeps me from ever blowing any money on it, I guess, LOL.

[edenfalling]

I didn't get a taste test for liquors, but my dad was quite happy to explain what was in each bottle, what they were made from, and what they tasted like. I suspect if I'd asked for a taste, he wouldn't have minded; it was more that I wasn't interested in tasting at that point, because I didn't see it as any big deal. Because as you say, it wasn't.

It's amazing how treating something as normal can make it BE normal. :-)

[monkey5s]

I did not grow up in a drinking household, but other family members did drink. I recall my uncle trying to get me to try his straight-up whiskey once- I put my nose over the glass to see if it had a smell and it felt like my nostrils were burning. I declined his offer.

But Black Russians! Yes, they are awesome! I now drink beer and wine, but mixed drinks feel like such a commitment of resources, so my recipes for rum drinks and vodka drinks just sit there. I might go ahead and buy a little vodka and Kahlua next trip to the store, that would be a nice treat!

[edenfalling]

Mixed drinks are expensive! Or at least, the ingredients often are, so they are the sort of thing one wants to sample before committing to buying a whole bottle of whatever. Which I guess is what bars are useful for. *wry*

Good luck trying out some of your drink recipes!

[akatsuki210.livejournal.com]

Yay, a fellow beer-hater! I've never liked it either, even high-quality beer (like from a local microbrew that my friends who know about beer think is good).

Haven't tried a Black Russian--I like Kahlua, but I've never been much of a vodka person. Mojitos are good though.

[edenfalling]

I have never seen the point of vodka on its own, but it's a pretty good base for mixing other stuff into.

It's always nice to find someone else who dislikes beer. :-) I have the damndest time convincing people that no, really, I just do not like beer, and whatever possible exception they want me to try is not going to work because it will still BE beer and therefore will taste like beer. I guess it's kind of like the situation of people who don't like chocolate -- beer is so universal a drink that disliking it seems to be literally unthinkable to a lot of people.

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

I learned to like beer, but that was because I was living in the heart of Beertopia. I also like brandy very, very much:)

Your parents had a good attitude toward alcohol. I will occasionally drink to get mellow; have not drank to get drunk since I was in college. I have a very low liquor level and decided early on that I didn't like drinking until I puked because I hate puking. My kid had some problems with getting into alcohol when he was younger, so we stopped having it in the house. I kind of miss it. I should buy a bottle of white wine while he's away for the summer.

[edenfalling]

I got drunk once as a teen, just to see what it was like, and found the loss of my ability to exercise self control so upsetting that I decided never to do that again. And I have never been drunk since. Mellow, sure. Tipsy, yeah, sometimes. But not outright drunk.

I wish you a very relaxing summer!