“Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” ~ CS Lewis

My favorite drink is Diet Coke with peach schnapps.

Nice quote.

I can't tell if you're serious. Wouldn't the world be a better place if people just drank what they wanted to drink?

As a former (beer) home-brewer (hence my HN handle), just drink what you want to drink. I may prefer craft beers, but that's a choice that I'm not going to force onto others.

Personally, I can't stand dark liquors. There is no enjoyment in scotch, whiskey or cognac for me, no matter how wonderful the particular brand is. (My father was in fine dining... I've tried them all) Burning my mouth and throat with a substance isn't my idea of a good time.

Give me a good craft beer, a nice gin, or a good bottle of red any day of the week.

You can definitely acquire a taste for dark liquor. People make the mistake of either 1) taking shots 2) trying to drink it straight 3) mixing it with something and drinking way too much. All of those add up to a bad association that you can smell every time you try it again in the future. You have to ease in to it. Start off drinking it on the rocks with a splash or two of water. Baby it. After a while the ice will water it down so much the taste isn't harsh at all, nor will it burn. Keep drinking it like this and eventually you'll start to acquire a taste for it and you can scale back on the amount of water you need to dilute it. Some people never like warm liquor which is fine, on the rocks is acceptable ;)

I'm sure you can acquire a taste for drinking lemon juice as well, but I see no need to. :-)

My life isn't missing anything by having a nice martini or port while everyone else has a Glenfiddick.

I'm a fan of almost every type of alcohol (perhaps that's a problem?) and agree there's no "best" option.

That said, I don't think your lemon juice example holds up - many of the most enjoyable things in life don't come naturally, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to acquire the taste for those things. Great alcohol, great food, great sex - most are not a "natural" taste growing up, and you can't fully enjoy them until you've acquired that taste. Having a dark drink on the rocks or with a splash of soda is definitely a great way to acquire the taste - and unlike lemon juice it's actually very enjoyable.

I'm no expert in adult-ism, but some of the most memorable times I've had in the past few years is when those "adults" (older & younger) in my life shed that sheen of expected behavior & professionalism and let loose. Real things happen. Nights you talk about for years happen. Sure, its not an every weekend or monthly thing, but those times are sure refreshing.

As good ol' Doc Holliday said: "In vino veritas"

I love bourbon and scotch as much as any self-respecting man, but the sheer variety of beer is what makes it my go-to option. There are few things more satisfying than a nice, cold craft beer, even more so when drinking with others as you can take a taste from everyone's glass.

This is a strange sentiment to me, moreso because it's something my own father has expressed he'd like to do. But as someone who considers "getting wasted" something I'm happy leaving to other people, what's wrong with drinking a nice beer or two, or a couple of glasses of wine, in good company?

How immature are you that you would call people who don't like the same drinks as you childish?