
Ask HN: What do you drink? - starpilot
Ethanol optional.  My favorite beverage in the world is a two-shot long espresso with a bit of sugar.  It's like a super-rich, more intense coffee.  Hackers seem to have interesting tastes, so let's hear them.
======
cynicalkane
Tea is cheap, lasts for months or years, and can be made in the office
kitchen. Black and oolong tea in the morning and midday, white tea in the
afternoon. Make it loose leaf in a sufficiently large infuser.

You can buy some of the most delicious stuff you've ever tasted for less than
a dollar a cup, and often the leaves can be reused. People in my office
express skepticism that I'm willing to spend so much on tea, then go down to
Starbucks for their bland-tasting $4 daily latte. Right now I have a tin of
carmely Yunnan tea with a powerful pepper flavor that really wakes you up.
Also, caffeine.

Other things I like: Three Floyds beer, North Shore gin, rye manhattans, dark
red wine, Intelligentsia coffee, Dr. Pepper. And lots of water.

~~~
rbxbx
Perhaps it's because I was just reading some very lyrical poetry to my
daughter, but up until the "Other things I like:..." bit, the first two
paragraphs read like a lovely poem dedicated to tea :)

But maybe that was your intent? _shrug_

~~~
cynicalkane
Well, thanks. I guess I'm a poet and I don't even know the aforementioned
fact.

------
Osmose
Water. I used to drink an unhealthy amount of Pepsi One, but recognized that
it was never making me any less thirsty.

It may be boring, but it's cheap (free), plentiful, and effective. The only
downside is that I have to rely on willpower for late-night hacking rather
than caffeine.

~~~
redcap
Will Power is my friend as well - water here too. I stick away from caffeine
apart from the occasional tea.

I figure that if I really need the boost it'll affect me more because I'm not
a regular user. Only downside is that 2 teas gives me the jitters.

------
danilocampos
A lot of water. As little soda as I can manage.

Indulgent: a cold glass of organic chocolate milk

When I'm expected to drink an adult beverage: gimlet (gin) or the palest beer
I can find.

Nothing on earth beats a glass of Trader Joe's Strawberry Lemonade on a hot
day.

~~~
lliles
+1 for Trader Joe's Strawberry Lemonade. I had it for the first time this
summer... great stuff!

~~~
bobf
If you're a Trade Joe's fan and are in the mood for a more Autumn-esque
beverage, try their spiced apple cider.

------
matwood
I always have water next to me. I go through liters/day, more on gym days.

I enjoy good coffee. Straight espresso is my favorite, although I will drink
regular coffee with just some milk in it. Maybe I'm odd, but enjoy
savory/bitter flavors much more than sweet.

Diet sodas. The regular versions are just too sweet. I probably have 1 diet
soda/day. The fizz and little bit of sweetness seems to go well with lunch.

Good beers. I love pale ales, but have been experimenting more with darker
stouts. A local bar makes a great coffee stout that is very tasty. I also like
wine and tend to bounce back and forth between wine and beer with dinner
depending on my mood and current weather.

Liquor drink of choice is vodka rocks or vodka tonic.

------
iuguy
Vesper Martinis. I am a Martini nut, and the vesper, whilst an acquired taste
is incredible stuff. If you're not able to make this and are in London, go to
the Dukes Hotel Bar in Mayfair and ask for one there. They will only serve you
two of them, on account of the strength.

You will need:

1 bottle of Berry Brothers No. 3 Dry London Gin (Tanqueray 10 will do as an
alternative, do not use Gordons)

1 bottle of Potocki vodka (a neutral vodka is great, Belvedere or Ketel one
will do, Finlandia is ok-ish, Smirnoff is not)

1 Bottle of orange Angostura Bitters

1 Bottle of Lillet Blanc - Do not use Martini Bianco, Noilly Prat can be used
but will change the taste substantially. Cocchi Americano can be used instead
(in which case don't use Angostura Bitters).

An Amalfi Lemon

To make the vesper, pour two splashes of Angostura Bitters into a classic
cocktail glass or Champagne goblet if you have one. Take a shaker, fill with
ice and add 85ml of the Gin, 15 ml of Vodka and 25ml of Lillet. Shake
vigorously for 10 seconds or stir for 30 (stirring will result in a weaker
drink from the melting of the ice, shaking oxygenates the gin and gives it a
sharper taste) and strain the resulting drink out into the glass. Take the
zest of the lemon, twist it, pass it gently over the rim of the glass and let
it settle in the centre. Serve.

At the moment I'm drinking mostly water as I'm trying to shift a bit of
weight, although I do love Dr Pepper Zero, or a great Latte. In Reading the
best Latte I've had can be found at the Workhouse Cafe near the Oracle.

~~~
nailer
A 'martini nut' would drink actual martinis
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini_(cocktail)>, rather than suggesting five
different types of vodka.

Nothing wrong with vodka drinks, I'm a big fan of Belvedere Black, but you
will get some funny looks from bartenders if you're being that precise with
your specifications yet using the wrong liquor for your drink.

Particular the Vesper, whose recipe is very well known.

~~~
crux
The Vesper is rather vile, but its very well known recipe does indeed include
vodka.

~~~
iuguy
Heathen!

To be fair, the first sip of a great Vesper tastes a little like Jet Fuel, and
I'd never drink one at anything approaching room temperature, but a badly
mixed Vesper is pretty much undrinkable.

------
OoTheNigerian
STAR (Beer) - When I am in Nigeria.

Budweiser (Beer) - When I am in the UK.

Ginger Beer - When I am Bored.

Water - When I have to.

Apple Juice - When I have spare pennies.

Plain Tea - When I want to feel like a Geek.

Milk - When I feel I should add some muscle.

Sprite - When.. When.. Whenever.

Coffee - Never again. Except I want an upset stomach.

etc - When I feel like being random.

At the moment, Water.

~~~
iuguy
Wait, you go to the UK and drink Budweiser? Are you mad, sir? There's
beautiful fine British ales to be had, not to mention the congregation of the
world's finest lagers. Next time you're in the UK, please try a Peroni, a
Staropramen or a Schneider Weisse if you're used to Bud and get the
opportunity.

Also Nigerian Guinness is pretty tasty too :)

~~~
dfox
This depends on whenever it's american "budweiser" or original Budweiser
(Budvar). With original Budweiser being certainly better that anything
Staropramen, but you are probably in for a hangover, as it has particularly
high sugar content for light beer (the brewery had even financed scientific
study few years ago into what caused this).

~~~
cynicalkane
Budweiser Budvar is a fantastic beer, but Busch Budweiser actually came before
it. The original Budweiser is apparently sold as "Burgerbrau" in the US,
something I've never heard of.

<https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Budweiser>

~~~
vetinari
When talking about specific companies, yes, Busch was first. However, in this
case, this is "regional trademark", the beer with this name was brewed in
Budweis (Budejovice) long before the company was established. It is a name of
the town, after all.

The same way for Pilsner. "Pilsner Urquell" (Plzensky Prazdroj) is brewed in
Pilsen (Plzen).

~~~
cynicalkane
The point is the identification of Budvar as "original" is misleading at best.
A better word would be "authentic".

------
wyclif
Single malt whisky, usually Laphroaig. Neat with a few drops of distilled
water. In a proper glass that enhances the aroma and flavour, _not_ a "rocks
glass":

[http://www.amazon.com/The-Glencairn-Scotch-Whisky-
Glass/dp/B...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Glencairn-Scotch-Whisky-
Glass/dp/B001AW9GYS/)

~~~
will_critchlow
Yes. You're right for serious enjoyment of course but I really enjoy drinking
whisky from a cut crystal tumbler for some reason. I like savouring the good
ones from a proper glass, but there's something about the weight of a good
tumbler...

~~~
wyclif
What you need is a whisky glass, not a rocks glass. In terms of size they are
between a tumbler (or "rocks glass") and a shot glass.

------
surlyadopter
Premium single malt Scotch whiskey. Some of my best ideas have come to me
while drinking Scotch. Nota bene, some of my worst ideas have come to me when
drinking Scotch.

~~~
iuguy
I love a decent Speyside, but tend to prefer Irish single malts. Scotch-wise,
I quite like the Balvennie Doublewood. What do you drink?

~~~
surlyadopter
Can't go wrong with the Doublewood my friend. I'm working on a bottle of it
right now,

~~~
wyclif
Laphraoig.

------
jarin
What I used to drink: single-malt scotch, good (NOT Grey Goose) vodka on the
rocks

What I sometimes drink: local microbrews, imported pale ales, Trappist beers

What I usually drink now: PBR tallboys, Modelo Especial

I feel like the Benjamin Button of alcohol.

------
danieldon
I gave up coffee a year and a half ago. My current daily drink pattern:

* 8-13:30 - lots of water

* 13:30-19:30 - steamed milk

* 19:30-22:00 - water

* 22:00 - 1:00 - wine (usually italian red)

------
joubert
Rooibos tea - <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos>

------
defen
Ah yes my favorite topic. During the day it's just water and 2 cups of coffee
(morning and post-lunch).

For adult beverages I enjoy beer and various distilled spirits.

Beer: lately I've been really getting into Belgian and Belgian-style beers.
Trappist ales (Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle), lambic and gueuze (my favorite
style of beer), most things from Russian River Brewing Company, New Belgium La
Folie, etc

Booze: I'm a big fan of scotch, generally peaty ones. Laphroaig quarter cask,
Talisker, etc. I also like aged rums (Ron Zacapa 23) and rye.

~~~
tmatos
Almost 100% matching my drinking habits. Except the booze. My favorite one is
Martini Bianco with the same amount of pure lemon juice. Most people hate it.

~~~
defen
Are you saying a Martini made with Martini Bianco + lemon juice, or Martini
Bianco + lemon juice?

------
bl4k
* Coffee - short Italian espresso (always when out) or Turkish

* Red Bull - too much, a lot less than previously

* Beers - again a lot less alcohol than previously, because I prefer being in a productive mode, but Guinness, London Pride and English Ale (Rose n' Crown in Palo Alto, 21st amendment & Gordon Biersch in SF, The Porterhouse in Covent Garden, London & The Dove in Fulham)

* Scotch - as many different types as I can. Usually a compulsory purchase when going through duty-free at airpots. Macallan, JW, Famous Grouse

~~~
gizmomagico
"McCallan"? I hope you mean www.themacallan.com, but probably not.

Drop JW, Grouse, JB, Chivas etc, and start investigating _single malt_ scotch.
It's a whole new world. Try Macallan, Ardbeg, Bowmore.

~~~
randallsquared
I actually had been sticking with Macallan for a while, but went to a JW
tasting with friends a few weeks ago, and discovered that I like their Gold
about as much as Macallan's single malt.

~~~
gizmomagico
Have you tried the 18yo _sherry cask_ Macallan? I bet it's better than JW Gold
:)

~~~
randallsquared
Ah, quite possibly. I haven't had anything in Macallan but 12 year old. In
spite of nearing 40, I only started drinking, really, this year. So I have
much study, yet. ;)

------
rdl
I really like bottled iced green tea (available throughout Asia, and often in
the US). I used to be addicted to Diet Coke (2-8L/day), but now that I have
easy access to bottled green tea for $1/ea, that and water are pretty much all
I drink.

When I'm at home, I usually brew green tea and then drink it hot or iced, but
for travel, something you can buy on the street in vending machines, 7-11,
etc. is definitely worthwhile. I wish a fast food chain in the US would sell
it.

~~~
starpilot
My fast food tea hack (probably well known): fill cup with half iced tea, half
lemonade. A ghetto Arnold Palmer, if you will.

------
geuis
Scotch. Macallan 12 or 18, occasionally Glenlivet, and on special occasions
Johnny Walker Blue. mmmmm so good.

And coffee, but no soda. Stopped drinking soda many years ago.

~~~
runT1ME
Man those are the Scotches I _don't_ drink. JWB is good but too damn
expensive, I'll take a Laphroaigh or Lagavulin any day.

Or JW Green...

~~~
enko
Funny you mention JWB. I was at my local liquor shop on friday night grabbing
a bottle of JW Black, my normal "non special occasion" scotch. The guy in
front of me bought _four_ bottles of Blue, all the stock the shop had.

I felt so jealous of being able to just casually drop a grand on scotch that I
spent all weekend working on my startup.

~~~
runT1ME
I dunno man, I think if I had a grand to blow, I'd buy a bottle of Lagavulin
and keep the $930 change...

------
JeanPierre
Whenever I'm home, I usually drink milk: Something about milk makes it way
better than water when I'm home.

At times when I'm hacking up something during nighttime, a large cup of black
tea and milk. Not the usual hacker-coke/coffee, but it has the same effect.

I usually drink water during studies. Whenever it's getting late or I'm
getting tired, we have this espresso-machine not far away which gets quite
tempting.

~~~
RVK
I used to guzzle milk until I realized the calorific content of what I was
chugging. But Tea with milk gives you caffeine, antioxidants and calcium, and
hydrates you quite well according to research funded by the tea industry.

------
henning
I'm a pathetic caffeine addict so the mornings start with a large cup of
strong coffee.

Whenever I feel thirsty I make myself a nice pitcher of ice water with a
little lemon juice added to it.

At night, for beer I like hoppy West Coast style IPAs. If for some reason I'm
trying to get drunk as fast as possible, fill a glass partway with cheap vodka
and the rest with cheap beer (a strong beer cocktail, basically).

~~~
citricsquid
That actually sounds quite nice (the second). How do you do it, just squeeze
fresh lemon juice into it or some sort of bottled stuff?

------
dekz
From my time at essentially an internship, we've invented a new drink. We call
it the quad, which is 2 2*espessos from the coffee machine. It has a real kick
to it and is good to start off those slow mornings.

Other than that, pretty much tea (Generic black tea). I never drank tea before
starting, now I have a couple a day. I like the comfort of sipping a hot drink
while coding.

~~~
ra
upvoted for the quad.

------
tyng
Water definitely, unless I feel so sick of the taste(lessness) of water I'd
get an ice lemon tea. By the way I hate energy drinks but at times they can be
life savers...

Here's another post for discussion about the best hacker food
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1825811>

------
maryrosecook
Gimlets <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimlet_(cocktail)> They cut through like
a knife.

Gin Hemingways [http://www.liquoranddrink.com/Drinks/344-Hemingway-
Daiquiri-...](http://www.liquoranddrink.com/Drinks/344-Hemingway-
Daiquiri-\(Original\)/) Warming on a cold day.

Hefeweizen

Coffee

------
darshan
1) Buy green coffee from <http://www.sweetmarias.com/>

2) Roast it in a Hearthware i-Roast 2* .

3) Pull a ristretto [1] shot from a Rancilio Silvia* .

4) Enjoy!

I highly recommend home-roasting. It's fun to geek out about it and completely
control the process, experiment with different roast levels and curves, etc.
You get the freshest coffee in the world. If you drink coffee with any
regularity, the roaster pays for itself quickly and then you're saving money
on coffee [2].

* Of course other equipment can be used; I mention what I use because after a lot of research, I found these items to be the best bang-for-your-buck for beginners, and I'm quite happy with them after several years.

[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ristretto>

[2] Assuming you like roasting, or at least don't mind it much. I think it's
really fun, so it's a double win.

~~~
cubix
I have the same setup, plus an Macap M4 grinder.

For anyone considering getting into espresso, don't underestimate the
importance of a decent grinder.

~~~
crgwbr
That's some of the best advice for anyone getting into espresso. Good grind
consistency is really key to an even extraction. A good rule of thumb to
follow is up to $400, spend as much on the grinder as you did on the espresso
machine.

------
scythe
Water, milk, green tea, orange juice. Coffee, occasionally. Soda and energy
drinks, I go by an "only if it's free" rule.

Alcoholic: Yuengling is my go-to beer, I'm not exactly picky and I'll drink
just about anything if I'm looking to get drunk, which is usually. I love good
Scotch and always drink it straight.

------
techbio
Smoothies! I bought a blender (after I quit drinking, go figure) and get
frozen blueberries/strawberries, go to the farmer's market and get papaya,
mango, pineapple, dates, whatever. With or without ice cream, raw eggs, ground
nuts, protein. Eating/drinking fruit seems to bouy me up mentally, emotionally
and physically.

Cafe Bustello or Cafe Pilon -- bottom shelf grocery store, 1lb vacuum sealed
fine-ground espresso roast for $5. I think it's really good. Makes two mugs in
two minutes in a $12 Mr. Coffee.

Then I have about half an hour of kickstarted clarity, and an hour of weird
chemical jitters. I guess I drink it for the flavor.

Gallons of Brita filtered water from the fridge--tap water here is warm in the
summer. I would drink Fiji water, but with the amount I consume I could buy a
plane ticket to the South Pacific.

~~~
mrpants888
I also love to drink fruit smoothies in the mornings. I used to work at a
Jamba Juice so I replicate some recipes as best as I can remember.

Try getting a plain yogurt to blend in, if you like the taste of dairy. Also,
using a fruit juice as a base to blend into makes a huge difference. My
favorite is apple juice because it is just sweet and not
overpowering/citrus-y.

------
hga
Mostly water, with some original formula Gatoraid, made from powder from cans
(and a bit more concentrated that per the recipe).

Caffeine is a bad idea for me, although if I could find some decaffeinated
Earl Gray that didn't taste like mud I'd drink that too.

Back when I could drink alcohol (interacts poorly with some drugs I must take
now), Sam Adams Boston Lager was my favorite (and allowed me to say "Even my
beer is political!" :-). I was in the Boston area at the time and was lucky to
have a friend who appreciated good beer introduce it to me a couple of years
after it came out (up to then I was singularly unimpressed with generic
American wimpy downstream beer and couldn't understand why my parents drank it
... and now my father drinks Sam Adams).

------
corin_
I'm a big fan of Coffee from Starbucks, going with a venti vanilla latte or a
venti iced caramel latte (frappuccino) depending on the weather. When making
my own hot drinks, I'll switch hapilly between tea and coffee.

Cold drinks, I do like coke but rarely drink it (except if I'm eating out and
don't want to drink anything alcoholic), absolutely love orange juice (with
real bits in it, freshly squeezed), the occasional vanilla milkshake goes down
a treat, too.

Alcoholic, I'm a big fan of Corona (with lime, of course) when drinking out,
and when not trying to get drunk (e.g. while working) I greatly enjoy a good
scotch, or a glass of wine.

Oh, and what I drink most: water, all day, every day.

------
Mz
I drink a good deal of diet coke, though less than I used to. As I get
healthier, I don't need and cannot tolerate as much caffeine. I also keep an
assortment of fruit juice in the house. These days, I frequently mix fruit
juice with diet coke. I have even begun taking a small bottle of fruit juice
to work and mixing with diet coke bought on site (from a vending machine or
the cafeteria).

As for alcohol, I don't tolerate most alcoholic beverages well. I do okay with
Kahlua but still don't like the taste. I tend towards frozen drinks, like a
Mud Slide or Kahlua Cappuccino. If my tongue is numb enough, I can hardly
taste the alcohol. :-/

------
jeffmiller
All day - water, tons

6am Coffee

9am More coffee

12pm Iced green tea

1pm Coffee

3pm More coffee

6pm-9pm Wine, sake, or a few Manhattans (beer when I was in my 20's, but no
longer)

Hangover hack: set a time cutoff and NEVER drink past that time, no matter
what. That time can be > midnight when you're young, but move it back by an
hour every few years.

------
hellweaver666
Usually during the day, I try to drink cups of hot water, rather than coffee.
It's a little strange at first, but satisfies my need for a hot drink while
keeping me away from the caffeine monster. Just lately, I've been having the
odd coffee to keep me going, as my wife and I have a new born baby and sleep
doesn't come as easy as it used to.

Cherry coke with lots of ice. I'm addicted to this stuff, but I know it's
really really bad for me, so I try to keep my consumption to a minimum (I
still usually get through a couple of 2 litre bottles each week).

I don't really drink much anymore but when I do, I like a long Jack Daniels
and coke with ice.

------
pontifier
I drink mostly water... A few days ago I drank my first pepsi from a can.

I'm drinking beer right now..(Budweiser)

If I drink the hard stuff or too much I have been known to effectively walk to
the police station and ask to be arrested.. literally in one case.

------
amih
I prepared this morning two liters of fruit and vegetable juice. It is made of
(in descending order) Carrots, Apples, Fennel and Cabbage. It took me a little
more than half an hour to prepare. I drank one glass right out of the juicer
and took the rest to work in some reused water bottles. (reuse is much better
than recycle) I also took with me three large ripe bananas - ones with spots
on their peel. I don't do this every day, but sometimes I summon enough will
power to do it. I once managed to drink vegetable and fruit juice for 10 days
straight, maybe I will do a 90 day juice feast someday.

------
bartman
In the morning I usually have AeroPressed coffee, sometimes with milk,
sometimes not. And then during the day I just drink water or teas (green,
white, black). I tend to forget juices in the fridge so I rarely get any.

As for alcoholic beverages, I discovered a cucumber variant of the Moscow Mule
to be my absolute favorite drink. Smash 2-3 slices of cucumber in a glass, add
3 parts ginger ale/beer (beer is better, but hard to get), 1 part good vodka
and a little lime juice, decorate with some more cucumber. The cucumber adds a
fantastic fresh taste to the cocktail and makes the ginger ale sparkle even
more.

------
ramidarigaz
One of the best meals I've had in a long time was in Singapore. I stayed in
"Little India" which is chock full of tiny little Indian restaurants. The best
dish was the mutton masala. Absolutely delicious, but the finishing touch that
made it amazing was the simple ginger beer. I want to go back to Singapore,
just to eat some mutton masala and drink ginger beer...

EDIT: And, on a hot summer day, my absolute favorite drink is this, with ice:
[http://www.rwknudsenfamily.com/products/natural_juices/hibis...](http://www.rwknudsenfamily.com/products/natural_juices/hibiscus_cooler)

------
arithmetic
I used to drink 3 cups of coffee a day. I've now brought it down to twice a
week, and it's stayed that way for almost a year. I'm very happy about that.

When I do drink coffee, I prefer french press coffee. I live in Seattle and
there are plenty of great coffee shops within a couple of blocks of where I
live.

I've also started running quite a bit recently, and I drink Nuun when I crave
salt/electrolytes. It's refreshing (I pick lemon-lime flavor) and super low-
calorie drink.

I've learnt to drink water (instead of carbonated drinks) when I'm thirsty at
work.

And finally, I love port wine and have a glass of really good port once or so
a month.

------
WesleyJohnson
I was pretty much addicted to Mountain Dew for the better part of 12 years. In
early 2009 I finally switched to Diet Dew and then late 2009 I switched over
to Diet Coke. Not sure if that's any better for me than Diet Dew, probably
not. I try to incorporate water as much as I can and Iced Tea as well. I tend
to drink Chocolate Milk in spurts as well, such as getting it 3 or 4 times a
week in the mornings for a couple months and then not getting it again for
another couple months. I just get tired of it after a while because it's so
_heavy_?

------
novel
Was never much into coffee, so only drink not strong coffee with milk in the
morning.

During the day I drink pure water and black tea with strawberry of maybe
fruits, something like that.

In the evening I drink fat-free kefir (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir>).

About two months ago I started adding as less sugar as possible to coffee and
tea and one month ago I drink tea and coffee without sugar at all. I have a
feeling that digestive system started working much better after this change.

------
w1ntermute
I always keep my water bottle with me, and refill it as soon as it's empty. I
completely stopped drinking soda (except for social purposes) about 5 years
ago for health reasons.

------
DanBlake
Morning: Normal Coffee with cream - The bolder the better.

Meals: Sparkling water- I am completely off of soda now. Usually flavored but
sometimes not. I don't like the taste of drinking flat water so this was a
middle ground that let me have a drink with lunch that didn't feel/taste odd.
I usually drink this : <http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/image/Staples/s0217240_sc7>

Alcohol: Smokey single malt scotch on the rocks

~~~
gizmomagico
You don't put ice in single malt scotch.. a few drops of water is fine,
according to your personal preferences, but no ice.

~~~
sp4rki
I cringed when I read that. A splash of water is ok, but scotch is only drank
on the rocks if it's mixed. If you really want to have it _cold_ put a glass
in the fridge serve your ambient temp scotch in it and let it stand for a
minute or two.

~~~
joshfinnie
I really never agreed with the whole philosophy that you are never to drink
scotch with ice. It brings out an interesting flavor that you cannot get when
drinking it neat.

I also don't think it is such a cut-and-dry issue as some people make it out
to be. Macallan even produces this:
<http://www.notcot.com/archives/2010/01/the-macallan-ic.php>

~~~
sp4rki
I meant mixed as in blended. Sorry or the confusion. Blended scotch is ok to
drink on the rocks... sometimes it's the only way actually. Single malt is in
a whole different class though.

------
danparsonson
Tropicana fruit juice at home - best juices I've ever tasted, by miles. I'm
also getting into Fentiman's Ginger Beer.

Water at my day job, which I've always found really refreshing.

~~~
eel
Agreed on Tropicana fruit juice, including their orange and also their 100%
fruit juice blends.

For apple, I like Simply Apple. It has a noticeably different (and better)
taste from the standard juice aisle apple juices.

------
kilian
Coffee (home-ground, moka pot) in the morning and throughout the day, Tea
(herbal and/or earl gray) in the evening. Water every now and then (but not
enough).

Rarely I drink a glass of orange juice with my breakfast. If I get the chance
(i.e. come close to an organic store) I'll get a large pack of coconut water
and drink it all up.

I used to drink a lot of beer, but lately I've been switching to red wine and
at the same time lowering my overall alcohol intake.

------
chrisbolt
Water

Lattes

Blue Moon, or any other hefeweisen on tap

Gin and tonic, either Hendricks or Tanqueray

I only got addicted to caffeine 2 or 3 years ago, but now I feel tired without
it. And the sheer variety of beers astounds me.

~~~
eitally
I like your style. I don't know of anyone else personally who drinks
Hendricks, but I'm pretty confident in saying it's the best gin in the world.
When we're feeling frisky and just happen to have all of the ingredients, we
make G&Ts with a little pomegranate syrup and a slices kumquat. As you might
imagine, the stars don't align like that too often. :)

If I'm traveling I'll drink whatever local beverages I can find (teas,
coffees, beers, wines, liquors, juices), but at home it's mostly water, one
cup of coffee (half-decaf) in the morning, and lots of herbal/green/white teas
in the cooler months.

~~~
cromulent
I like Hendricks but it's very expensive here, so I might only get one or two
bottles a year. I tend it drink it straight on ice - it's the only gin that I
do that with.

~~~
joshfinnie
I too enjoy Hendericks over all other gins. Next time you are drinking your
hendricks on the rocks, try muddling a slice of cucumber first and then add
your ice and gin. It's great and refreshing!

------
smutticus
Lately I've been making a big smoothie 2-3 times a week in the blender and
just keeping it in the fridge.

yoghurt/milk/2 apples/2 oranges/2 bananas/cinnamon and vanilla extract.

The trick is that the bananas and oranges cancel out as base and acid while
the apples are neutral. So you can substitute pineapple for the oranges or
grapes for the apples for example. But I always keep that base and acid
balance.

That and I love Simon Levelt Smokey Earl Grey.

~~~
lotusleaf1987
If you like Butterfingers, try 2-3 scoops vanilla ice-cream some carrot juice,
and some peanut butter, it tastes very very similar to the inside layer of a
Butterfinger candy bar, but is much healthier. I don't know exactly how much I
add of carrot juice or peanut butter, I add to taste and consistency, after
you make it 1-2 times it's really easy.

------
eof
Lots of tea (mostly english breakfast), lots of water, and I buy the odwalla
super food (or similar) things in the big jug and drink one a week or so.

For booze, I like a good beer, paler in the summer, darker in the winter.

I fucking love bourbon, knob creek especially. Saphire martini (up), knob
creek manhattan, easy on the vermouth, extra bitters (also up), or a shitty
gibson martini on ice with lots of vermouth and lime.

------
LaGrange
Mostly water, often chai masala (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_chai>)
or earl grey, more rarely Pespi Twist, espresso macchiato, rooibos
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos>), green tea, gin + tonic.

On hot days: relatively lots of squeezed lemon juice and ice + water.

------
will_critchlow
No-one talking about tequila? A good tequila is next on my purchase list for
my spirits cupboard.

Generally, I'm a whisky man. Islay and Speyside particularly (Ardbeg or Caol
Ila would probably be the desert island whiskies, though my guilty pleasure is
a 12 y.o. Glenlivet).

Obviously, I mainly drink water. Whisky isn't what you go for when you need
refreshing.

Also, is there a correlation between black coffee drinkers and whisky
drinkers?

------
Qz
Lots of water. I have two containers of lemonade mix that I never use because
I'm usually too lazy to mix it up. Water is cheap and I'm on a budget!

As for alcohol, I usually have rum with coke, or scotch if I'm not paying.
Beer and wine are both awful. But I rarely ever drink as I'm the driver 99% of
the time I might otherwise have the opportunity. I don't mess around with
that.

------
chromic
I have a small stockpile of non HFCS dr. pepper....

At work, it's Pu-erh, Jasmine, or Oolong in the morning and water + a diet
soda or two during the day.

------
russellallen
Laphroaig. But not everyday!

------
wazoox
First thing in the morning, two squeezed oranges, then some tea (two mugs or
more, black, no sugar, no milk). Sparkling water at lunch, usually. One
espresso after lunch (black, no sugar, no milk). Some more tea at 5 o'clock.
Water at dinner, maybe some wine, and soup in winter. Herbal tea at night.
Total liquid consumption: between 2 and 4 liters, every day.

------
zackola
\- tap water

\- coffee w/1% milk, frothed.

\- usually gin (Hendricks is a fav), lately I've been exploring american
whiskey/rye. Holy cow is this stuff amazing: <http://whistlepigwhiskey.com/>

\- at the office our senior geek keeps a bottle of santa teresa 1796 rhum.
That's a staple on chilly Friday afternoons in the later part of the year.

------
waterlesscloud
Until the last few months, it would have been Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew, and
Mountain Dew. But I've given up the HFCS for now. 1 cup of coffee in the
morning, not particular about what kind, but only drink it black. Ridiculous
amounts of water.

Alcohol- 7 & 7 is my cocktail when out. I go through phases of wine. Sauvignon
Blancs at the moment.

------
spacemanaki
Intelligentsia coffee when I can get it. These days we've been using the
"toddy" for cold brewed coffee. It results in a quite nice cup of hot or cold
coffee and takes about as much time to make a single serving as instant would,
but doesn't taste foul. In the past I've used a moka pot on the stove and
still do on occasion.

------
kunley
2 liters of water a day.

White tea. Clears the mind and raises energy smoother & better than coffee,
without later energy drop. Remember that as for any tea you cannot pour it for
more than 3 minutes, otherwise it will make you more sleepy, not less.

Czech & Slovak beer.

White vodka - the healthiest of alcohols, if you know when to stop and don't
mix with other booze.

~~~
aik
What do you mean 'cannot pour it for more than 3 minutes'?

~~~
TamDenholm
I think he means let it steep in the water for at least 3 minutes before
pouring.

~~~
aik
I thought that, but ideal steeping time varies greatly on the tea. He may be
referring to white tea specifically? And why will it make you more sleepy, not
less?

~~~
Super_Jambo
Tea contains tannin as well as caffeine, the tannin is a relaxant the caffeine
a stimulant, the caffeine comes out first. According to fmltea[1] the caffeine
will all be drawn out in the 1st 2mins and the tannin in 5mins. I have
previously heard that the greatest caffeine hit is obtained by leaving the
teabag in for 30 seconds, I imagine it will depend greatly on the type of tea
and how you brew it.

It does however tell you that with tea unlike coffee, stronger flavor does not
mean stronger caffeine.

[1] <http://www.fmltea.com/Teainfo/caffeine-tannin.htm>

------
tzury
_Office Hours (05am - 16pm)_

Water, Tea and Coffee, no particular order, just get up from the chair every
hour or so and make myself a cup of hot beverage (Tea or Coffee) and a cup or
two of water.

At home, water only.

 _On Weekends, (evening standard):_

I treat myself with a double shot of single malt (Glenmorangie) or cognac
(Remy Martin), and/or very few beers on the after noons.

------
travisjeffery
Green tea (mainly, other teas as well), and Blueberry/Bananas/Whey Protein and
Soy milkshakes. No alcohol for me! :)

------
TomasSedovic
I used to drink ungodly amounts of Red Bull which I stopped doing.

I drink a lot of water and a lot of tea (usually Earl Gray, Gunpowder or Pu-
erh).

Once a week I make three infusions of Mate and about three times a week I get
a mug of hot chocolate.

When the mood strikes, I enjoy a green tea (usually the ones from Japan) or
Rooibos.

No coffee and no alcohol. Never liked the stuff.

------
MK5
Casual : Coke (vanilla and Cherry) Late work : Redbull Tired : lemon tea
Morning : cold coffee Night : cold water

------
metamemetics
Water and Cocoa. By cocoa I mean Undutched (non alkalized) pure unsweetened
cocoa powder and water.

I used to drink a lot of tea, but cocoa actually has way more antioxidants and
I much prefer its effects to nearly every other psychostimulant.

[alcohol for socializing: context dependent. alcohol for hacking:
whiskey+matcha green tea ]

~~~
TrevorFancher
Do you simply mix cocoa with cold water?

~~~
metamemetics
No, hot water. Plus Honey if you need a sweetener. Milk works too. Also if
you'd rather eat cocoa than drink it, I would order bulk organic cocoa nibs
rather than processed sugarified chocolate bars.

[ If you want to get fancy I'm sure you could order raw cocoa beans and roast
them like you do coffee beans ]

------
rbxbx
LaCroix flavored water is my daily standby. No calories, caffeine, or
artificial sweeteners.

Usually a large (3 shot) iced Americano (unsweetened, black) a day... smooth,
delicious, and energizing.

Intensely hoppy beers without much malt are the call of the evening, or maybe
a decent gin with the aforementioned LaCroix as a mixer.

------
look_lookatme
Water: tap, a lot

Coffee: whatever I get at my local bakery. It's good. 3 cups a day.

Beer: mostly cheap stuff, PBR, Budweiser, High Life, etc.

------
novum
I have a french press on my desk at work. Without coffee, how can you save the
world?

Other times: OJ and water. I average less than 1 alcoholic drink per month: I
don't like the taste of most alcohol and I intensely dislike being drunk. I do
like a glass of cabernet now and then.

~~~
starpilot
When I made my own coffee I used an AeroPress:
<http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm>. Incredibly smooth coffee, no bite
at all to it. Buying fresh beans and grinding them became too much of a hassle
and expense eventually though.

------
DuncanIdaho
1.) Water 2.) Black Tea with Mint instead of morning coffe 3.) Red wines (semi
dry) 4.) White wines (dry and sweet) 5.) Occasional beer 6.) Coffee 7.)
occasional liquor

I'm actually drinking less and less coffee and beer. Both are being
substituted by tea and wine respectively.

------
hasenj
Water

Lemonade/Lemon juice

Mountain Dew - I like it, but I could live without it; in fact I haven't been
drinking it for a long time now.

Tried coffe for a while; the taste is just horrible, although it does help
wake up your brain.

Chocolate - although not exactly a drink, but sometimes I 'consume' it in
liquid form.

------
Tyr42
I like peach juice. Or even peach/white cranberry. I also like Tea, though I
don't drink it regularly. Except when I'm eating at an oriental type
restaurant. I have a stash of English breakfast tea for mornings when I am
really tired.

------
rodh257
7 litres of water a day. I started drinking more and more, and now I just sit
there constantly sipping water all day (well, when I'm not in the
bathroom....)

Also green tea, coffee if I'm real tired, V if I'm even more tired, and
Vodka/Scotch on weekends.

~~~
iampims
Why 7 litres? You could be damaging your kidneys if you drink too much.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
>Why 7 litres? You could be damaging your kidneys if you drink too much.

Also a [mild?] effect from water toxicity could occur - basically watch you're
not flushing away all your electrolytes.

------
ihartley
Water (Probably about 1.5 liters a day) Beer (Cases of Stone IPA from costco
are nice) Kombucha and Ginger beer that I brew myself Mexican Coke (Sometimes
with whiskey) I try to get iced tea at restaurants (with lemonade if they have
it)

------
kjell
Good thread. I don't have much dot add, but: water water water. I've got a
weak spot for a big glass of orange juice in the morning and go through phases
of making yogurt/banana/frozen berry smoothies. Favorite drink is a gin tonic.

------
_corbett
Club Mate when in German speaking lands is a favorite. My other favorite non
standard staples are tap water + a few tablespoons of juice, microbrew beers,
soy chai with a double shot of espresso, coffee made with Moka pots, and gin.

------
mey
In no particular order, what I drink day to day I vary with no set routine.
For personal health reasons I've cut out fats/simple sugars/alcohol/carbs from
my diet so this list is much smaller then it used to be.

* Iced Tea and Arnold Palmer's

* Americano's

* Diet Barq's

* Water

* Fat Free Milk

------
kamechan
i'm in the imperial IPA capital of california, san diego, so i tend to fill a
lot of growlers. ballast sculpin (2010 world beer cup winner), port brewery's
swami (first imperial ipa in the california style) and booya steez, alesmith's
wee-heavy and speedway stout, and we must not forget green flash and all their
wares...their imperial ipa probably being the best.

when i'm not drinking that, i drink lots of water. a moderate amount of
coffee, some laphroaig or lagavulin (i like the peaty stuff), some noah's mill
micro-batch bourbon, and lots of mugicha.

------
paraschopra
Chai, chai and some more chai. It is kind of milked tea but uniquely special
to North Indians. In India, coffee is almost non-existent -- tea / chai rules
the day.

Beer or vodka, mostly on weekends only (with friends).

~~~
iuguy
I loved Chai when I was in Gurgaon. Great stuff.

------
kapilkaisare
Water

Fruit juices: Orange, Apple, Carrot/Orange blends

Ethanol: A home concoction I dubbed "Blood of the Kraken"- two parts Old Monk
rum, one part Teacher's scotch, a full lemon squeezed in. Never, ever, more
than a double peg.

------
babyboy808
I started juicing (organic) about 6 months ago and love it! My current fav
juice is carrot & apple. If you want the freshest and most natural juice try
juicing your own.

Also, love me some Ice cold coke!

------
CapitalistCartr
Sweet tea. Not tea with sugar in it, the Southern drink. And no ice.

~~~
Skroob
When I go down to Miami, I often forget and ask for sweet tea, and get unsweet
with sugar packets. It's not the same!

Also, how do you get it with no ice? Most of the sweet tea I get here is
brewed very fresh, and without the ice it would be hot.

~~~
CapitalistCartr
I only wish I routinely got it that fresh. Rarely is that a problem, and when
it is, I use a bit from the water glass.

Regular with sugar is definitely not the same. In a pinch, I've ordered hot
tea, and made my own at the table.

------
hdeshev
Water. I quit drinking coffee three years ago and never looked back.

------
sonoffett
Coffee in the mornings, I've started mixing a pinch of mate to add some extra
flavor.

Alcohol of choice is russian river's pliny the elder if I can find it--or
stone brewery's russian imperial stout.

------
mgcross
Coffee (Higher Ground at the office), Green Tea, Beer (Great Divide DPA or
IPA; Paulaner Hefeweizen; Sam Adams) & 10-12 glasses of water throughout the
day. No soda or juice.

------
qtrng
Water, coffee, protein-things as I'm lifting

Alo Drink: <http://www.alodrink.com/> The citrus, melon, and wheatgrass
flavors are the best.

------
usaar333
Water here.

And a Diet soda or two a day. Whatever is deeply discounted at Safeway I get.
My favorite drink of all time is Diet Cream Soda, but that doesn't seem to be
sold in the Bay Area.

------
thomasswift
Water, diet coke, coke. Beer: standards are fat tire and heinekens. If a
recent trip was made to wisconsin, spotted cow beer(I'm in Illinois so it's
not available here)

------
andrewvc
Water and Coffee. Occasionally a diet coke. I used to be quite anti-coffee,
but it really does make me sharper and more productive. That, and it tastes
delicious.

------
chrisaycock
I never drink coffee (no tolerance for caffeine), and rarely drink tea. I
usually drink water during the day.

As for alcohol: wheat beer, port wine, and single-malt scotch.

------
finemann
* Plenty of Water * Carbonated Drinks - Pepsi, Coke, Thums Up, 7up and M.Dew * Green Tea, Coffee (black preferred) * Haven't had alcohol in my life!

------
erynvorn
Tea, then a large cup of coffee, then water in the afternoon. If I take coffee
after 16:00, I'm awake till 2:00 in the morning, so I stick to water.

------
wturner
Coffee with sugar and cardamon.

Also, Kava.

Those two in addition to lots of coconut water

------
xiaoma
2-3 liters of unsweetened tea, mostly green and some wulong

2 liters of water

0-4 liters of beer, mostly Tsingdao, Yanjing or imported stuff from Japan or
Europe

an occasional coffee

No milk, no soda and no juice

------
aik
I'm addicted to beer with coriander, most notably Franziskaner, but also ones
like hoegaarden.

Otherwise water is good, or a 1/3 tomato juice 2/3 water blend.

------
bron
A lot of water, some oolong/green tea, some coffee(very selective), Single
malt whiskies and South American wines.

Oh! And Ice COLD Beer anytime of the day!

------
synacksynack
Twinings Earl Grey and San Pellegrino do it for me.

~~~
binarysoul
Seconded twinings Earl grey... Tried a few other Earl greys, and they usually
don't taste right

~~~
starpilot
I like the Earl Grey Bravo from Adagio Teas:
<http://www.adagio.com/black/earl_grey_bravo.html>. It's definitely the most
perfumey and citrusey Earl Grey I've had, which may not be to every person's
liking.

------
adolfoabegg
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tereré> when working and with friends :)

------
checoivan
Previously: Obscene amounts of coffee. Now: Mate tea :), and coffee but just
1, or 2 tops a day.

Also, replaced coke/diet coke/mtn dew with water.

------
cies
in order of frequency: * water * green tea, preferably 'tie guan ying'
(chinese green) * juice

i've outgrown alcohol but my taste for beer never left me, so in bars i now
drink alc.-free beer when available.

i don't drink coffee. i sometimes grab a redbull to keep me awake at nights,
interesting how well caffeine helps with that if you have barely any tolerance
to it.

------
esponapule
Water, Water with lemon, Water, some wine and then some more water. and NEVER
corn water (i.e. pepsi, coke, snapple, etc...)

------
perucoder
Coke Zero for programming and for relaxing, a good rum and coke. I found a
nice rum called Barcelo. It has the best taste.

~~~
modernhermit
Another good rum for the price is Flor De Caña from Nicaragua. Usually around
$20 a bottle for the 4 year aged rum, but the 5 yr, and 7 yr are affordable as
well.

~~~
Afton
I drank Flor De Caña when I was in Nicaragua in '96. Haven't thought of it
since until you jogged my memory. Thanks.

------
jpmc
Yerba Mate: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate>

------
drobilla
Switching from coffee to white tea is one of the best things I've ever done. I
typically drink several litres a day.

------
gst
\- Morning: soy milk

\- During the day: tap water (excellent here in Vienna)

\- Once a day: fresh pressed juice (mostly either orange, kiwifruit, or
banana)

------
Br1c3
ITO EN Green Tea - unsweetened and pre-made. <http://www.itoen.com/>

------
jwdunne
Dr Pepper, Tea and Water. My holy trinity.

------
perlpimp
Espresso, SuperPump 250 for workouts/energy, Lots of water, juice with Greens
Plus. Ocassional diet soft drink.

------
T-R
Anything with Kirin's 小岩井(Koiwai) branding on it, Martinelli's apple juice,
Earl Grey or medium roast coffee.

------
macco
Cold green tea. Just put the 3 tea bags in a liter of cold water. Wait half an
hour and your ready to go.

------
runT1ME
In order of frequency from most to least Water Coke Cabernet or Malbec
Laphroaigh or Johnny Walker Green

------
sp4rki
Double shot of freshly ground Kotowa Red with a splash of half and half an one
fifth of decent bourbon.

------
sliverstorm
In order of quantity:

-Water

-Whole milk

-Straight gin/whiskey

-Lemonade

I'm beginning to integrate coffee into my beverage intake, it falls between
water and milk.

Sorry for the not-so-interesting tastes :)

~~~
nwomack
straight gin? gin+tonic is somewhat drinkable, gin straight up is the worst
drink I can think of.

To each his own, I suppose :)

------
vjk2005
Hot tea in the Winter. Sarsaparilla in the Summer. Outside the house it's the
one and only Coke.

------
rsandor
Coca-cola. It's bad but I loves it.

------
wilgert
By intake volume: 1\. Water 2\. Beer 3\. Fruit juice 4\. Coffee 5\. Other
(Soda's, Wine etc.)

------
jfb
Tap water, Gerolsteiner mineral water, Bell's beer, loads of coffee, orange
juice.

------
jaxn
Bourbon, water, and coke. Often times separate, sometimes in combinations.

------
atirip
3,5% milk

------
forsaken
Orangina.

~~~
starpilot
I love Orangina. I had it in France when I was a young boy, was stoked to find
it here in the states at Whole Foods.

~~~
mey
There are a number of places that carry Orangina these days, Trader Joes for
example.

------
RealGeek
Cappuccino and Red Bull. We don't get good coffee in my current city :(

------
luminary
Coffee: Stumptown (recently moved to SF from Portland)

Tea: Peet's Assam Extra Fancy

------
38leinad
as i am surprised that no one has mentioned it: when ever i am in the uk or
ireland i get a nice cold pear cider (bulmers, magners...). just love to drink
it instead of a beer!

------
katieben
water, diet Dr. Pepper, trying to replace that with lemonade because it's
cheaper/healthier and I still get the sweet taste.. but I do love soda. (:
Also Yuengling, PBR.

------
stuhacking
Daily: Sparkling Water and Tea.

Leisure drinks: Frappucino, Iced Tea, Diet Coke.

------
bigbang
~10 glasses of water/day . ~2 coffee/day. 0.5 Redbull/day.

------
bkrausz
caffeine: mocha or diet soda

ethanol: [vodka|rum] + diet soda

ethanol when there's an open bar: good scotch

I occasionally start drinking a lot of water instead of caffeine, but that
only lasts a month or two.

------
theprodigy
Rockstar energy drinks- it's like my coffee for the day.

------
zaidf
Fighting a four-year addiction to Vitamin Water :)

------
ascuttlefish
Coffee, milk oolong tea, and water. Mostly water.

------
atomical
whole milk, dark beer, and port

Port is probably my favorite drink.

------
shykes
Ridiculous amounts of green tea, all day long.

------
lowks
Chinese puerh tea

------
epi0Bauqu
20oz Cokes and water (sometimes seltzer).

------
abraham
Lots of water and on occasion red bull.

------
gaak99
21st Amendment Back in Black IPA.

------
gaak99
21st Amendment Monk's Blood.

------
gbrindisi
Water | Coffee | Bitter Red

------
intellectronica
Blood.

------
Tyrant505
IPA

------
cosmicray
water, tea, fruit juice. when I'm out, an occasional glass of wine.

------
jseifer
_In no particular order:_

* Water only when I'm thirsty

* Orange Juice

* Coffee in the mornings

* Raw whole milk

* Homemade beef broth

 _Alcoholic wise:_

* Craft beer

* Wine

* Vodka

* Scotch

And that's about it.

------
biafra
Club-Mate, Milk (3.8%)

------
warp
cheap cola light and energy drinks. it's a bad habit.

------
pistoriusp
Tea, lots of tea.

------
bgowttamen
hot south indian coffee every 3 - 4 hours

------
singer
5 Hour Energy

------
jules
Water.

------
sgt
Coca cola.

------
points
Pepsi Max

------
abgoosht
milk

------
lotusleaf1987
Non-carbonated: Water, milk, iced-tea

For water, I refill an old glass apple juice container and fill it with Brita
water and make sure I always drink about 3 liters a day.

Carbonated: Coca-Cola, Sprite, Diet-Coke (is it just me or does Diet Coke
never seem as cold as Coke even if kept in the same spot of the fridge?)

Beer: Alaskan Amber Ale, Bluemoon, or a microbrew pale ale.

Rarely: Earl Grey tea, but usually with sugar or honey

No wine, no hard alcohol, no cocktails, no coffee. Not sure why but not really
into them.

------
shareme
2 2liters lemon soda with 4 to 6 green tea bags brewed in..

or

2 2liters lemon soda with hot coca mix with cinnamon mixed in

------
BenSchaechter
I'm borderline addicted to Crystal Light.

