LIL: Liquor Is Life

Warning: If you are under 18 years of age and not allowed to take alcoholic beverages, please do not continue reading for you may be encouraged to try them... and start loving them. You have been warned!

When was the first time I have tasted one of the most enticing things in life?

Ah, I remember now. It was an ordinary August night in a simple little town. I was on my second year of high school then, when I had first tasted one of the best things life has to offer... alcoholic drinks.

Ah, yes. We were young back then. A group of 12-, 13-year olds. Puberty has started to kick in and we are very eager to try out some of the things that are forbidden.

It was in that August night, when our group decided to purchase the first fermented beverage that will bring a very unusual, yet, extravagant sensation to my palate.

Being in a very small town in the province and being sons and daughters of common folks, we are delighted by the simplest of things. Also, we can only afford the simplest of things. Our group dedided to go to the nearby 24-hour convenience store and buy a bottle of alcoholic beverage that our money, combined, can afford. We bought "Lambanog", bubble gum flavor, and we bought two bottles of it. Lambanog is a wine native to the Philippines. It's a very strong wine, yet, we did not dare have the pure one. We settled buying the flavored one, for we know that we're not accustomed to the taste of alcohol. The flavored one is very light, but it still possesses some of the spirit of the pure Lambanog. After finishing the two bottles, we all agreed... that it was one of the finest moments in our life. And so it begins...

Then, I tried beer. Ah, beer... nothing beats the classic. Beer. At first, I did not like its taste. It's bitter, and quite unpleasant. But as time passed by, as I grew accustomed to its flavor, beer has become an ordinary drink with an exquisite feel for me. A lot of my female companions do not understand the exciting taste and feeling that this drink gives. They do not understand the delight that beer delivers. I can't blame them. For you see, beer doesn't have the same charisma to girls as it has to boys.

There are different brands of this malt beverage, local and international, with prices ranging from a mere 20 pesos to 200 pesos a bottle. There are also different amounts of alcohol in different brands. There are light, ordinary, strong, and very strong. I don't like the light ones. I guess they just don't have enough alcohol in them to satisfy my thirst. I usually have the ordinary and the strong ones. They're just, perfect. Just recently, I have tasted Leffe, sold for more or less 200 pesos a bottle. It was very smooth. So smooth that when it reaches your stomach it delivers a tingling sensation to your core. I've tasted this wonderful beer because of Joy, Raz, Augs, and Don. Kudos to you!

Next... brandy and tequila. I completed my college years in a school mostly inhabited by the male species. And as everybody knows, where boys go, alcohol will follow. I have been to different occasions where beer is overflowing. A bottle here, a pitcher there, a barrel here, a keg there. Oh what a sight. But, it was not enough. Our thirst for alcohol is insatiable. We wanted more. And so, we bought four bottles of brandy.

In our native gatherings, when a hard drink is being consumed, a ritual is conducted. The "Tagay". All of us gathered around in a circle, and using a single shot glass, and another glass for the chaser, the bottles of brandy fell. The succeeding sessions were never complete without the bottles of brandy and the ritual. Then, the brandy wasn't enough. And so, tequila was brought to our attention. We emptied bottles of tequila the same way we did the bottles of brandy. Only this time, instead of a glass of chaser, salt and a sour fruit are its pair. And so it goes, and so it continued...

Wine has also been part of our alcoholic diet. However, we did not consume wine the way we consumed brandy and tequila. It was reserved for a bit formal occasion. I never liked the taste of white wine. The red wine, on the other hand, is the one I favored more. Its rich taste complements the taste of cooked meat, especially, steaks.

When we felt that we are ready to try something new, scotch came to us. Johnnie Walker, red and black label. Ah, one of the best we ever had. Fantastic drink, scotch is. Strong, aromatic, and simply, heavenly. Just like the wine, scotch is also reserved for special occasions, for we could not afford a bottle every now and then.

After my college years, it was the dawn of vodka and the shooters. Vodka instantly became my favorite of all alcoholic drinks. I fell in love with its taste. It's wonderful. I never tasted any fermented beverage as good as Vodka. As compared to scotch, I can afford to have the delightful taste of Vodka whenever I want. Then came the shooters. Shooters are more like a combination of different alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in one small shot glass. I've known the Screaming Orgasm, Slippery Nipple, Blowjob, and Brain Hemorrhage. Though their names are quite unusual, their tastes live up to those names. Added to their unique names is a variety on which you can enjoy them. Flaming shooters! You could take them through the shot glass itself or through a straw. I was not able to experience the flaming shooter through the glass itself, but I did enjoy taking the flaming shooter through a straw. Usually, a single shooter, costs roughly 150 to 250 pesos depending on which type.

As the years go by, I have been introduced to different alcoholic beverages, martini, margarita, and more. I have also been exposed to their different brands, each having its distinctive taste. I have tried much, and I will try more... and this I will tell you... I will love and cherish every moment of each shot of hard drinks... I will love and cherish every moment of each bottle of beer.

To those who love liquors... Cheers!!! To those who don't love liquors... DROOL YOU SOCIAL OUTCASTS!!! Ha ha ha ha ha...