Sipping Stylish II

Yes, I know that Sipping Stylish I was ages ago, but now that I'm back stateside and don't get to hit the bars as much, I have to devote a lot of thought to what I buy to drink. Granted, cocktails and drinks out are expensive, but if you don't like what you get, you're only committed to it for a glass. If you buy a bottle of wine that you don't like, well, that's a bit trickier (not that a bottle of wine ever lasts more than one night, but chances are, you'll have more than one glass). When you're buying larger stocks of booze, and you want the drinks to flow for longer than your cash, well, you have a tricky selection to make. On Friday, I had a perfectly palateable bottle of Pinot Noir that tasted like a good buy, considering its price, but Christ, did I have a cheap-tannins hangover the next morning. Ugggh.

More successful was the bottle of Ballatore Spumante that I got for last weekend. I know, I know fake champagnes are skanky, but it's not like I expected Veuve Cliquot quality for a California wine price. And frankly, given my expectations going into it, I wasn't disappointed. Now, you can't buy an $8 bottle of sparkling white wine and expect pear and honeysuckle notes, but you can expect a perfectly nice bellini if you toss in some fresh peach juice, and a nice clear head in the morning (if you don't overdo it, obviously).

And really, what more can a college student ask?