First drink

[Nclgetawaymenhoney]

Dh always starts with a classic, pina colada, myself always margarita 

[RedwingHockeyFan]

I usually choose whatever the drink of the day is, every day.  If I like it I'll get another.  If not I'll get something else.

[slugg]

40 minutes ago, noelea626 said:

Hi Everyone,

 

My entire family is going on the Encore out of NY in April 2020 to Bermuda. I am going to do a priority drink list for sure. Frozen drinks vs. regular cocktails is always up for debate. My husband loves his screwdrivers and I flip flop between frozen and regular. I am going to follow this thread for sure for ideas. 

I grew up with screwdrivers. It was my dad’s go-to, standard drink. In general, in non-vacation mode, I stick to conservative drinks that are relatively unsweet. A beer, whiskey/scotch on the rocks, stuff like that. The sweetest “normal” drink for me is whiskey and Coke Zero. Try it some time - it’s better than whiskey with Coke Classic! But on vacation, I immediately go for everything out of the ordinary. Bring on the fruity drinks, crazy concoctions, or even something totally absurd that might lead to a good story!

 

I’ll share some fun advice that I give most people that ask about venturing out of their comfort zone with alcohol. I’ll qualify this by first sharing my alcohol credentials. My family is from countries without the concept of a drinking age, so I’ve been drinking literally my entire life. Additionally, my late father worked in the liquor industry for a majority of my lifetime. Through him, I’ve been exposed to virtually every variation of an alcoholic beverage you could possibly imagine. 

 

The reason why I’m sharing this is because I’m not the only one who changes drink preferences while on vacation. It depends on your overall tastes and personality, but lots of people enjoy a different variety of drinks (and food) while on vacation.

 

Perhaps you may want to consider the “adventure factor” of the drinks you’ll have on board. It’s easier to justify when they’re covered by your drink package, anyway. 

 

A frozen, adventurous drink for a beginner that’s a good place to start is simply layering two frozen drinks together. Order a piña colada and strawberry daiquiri and ask them to pour them in two glasses, half in each. That’s a fun way to get started without going too overboard! Don’t mix it; drink it in layers so you can taste each one and give yourself a good baseline for your next drink idea. 

 

Want to do a frozen drink that’s a bit out of the ordinary? Get ready for a potential upcharge and/or good tip for this one, but it’ll DEFINITELY be worth it if you want something adventurous and interesting. Ask for a margarita, but have them add half an avocado and half a jalapeño (or a whole one, if you’re daring like me). To take it to the next level (bar permitting), have them swap out the orange liqueur with melon liquer (usuallly Midori). The texture and flavor is unreal! I will say that the taste of the alcohol is masked more than usual with this combination, which could be a pro or con, depending on your preferences. As for my wife and myself, we always order this drink with a “double” of the tequila and the balance is just right. Trust me, this is an amazing frozen drink, even if you don’t like frozen drinks!

 

For a non-frozen, beginner friendly adventurous drink, it’s next to impossible to recommend one drink. My best recommendation is to think of unique pairs of liquor and mixers (vodka + orange juice, whiskey + cola, gin + tonic, rum + 7up, etc) and just try one at a time. You will find one or two that you like, then you can branch out from there with variations of it. But this will give you a good baseline. Don’t like something? Who cares! Get the next drink - you’re on vacation! If you find something you like, start to experiment with different additives (lime, olive, sour, etc) and go from there. Generally, I’d recommend trying lime with pretty much anything at least once. 

 

For the out-of-the-ordinary non-frozen drink, this is also hard to recommend because of wildly varying tastes. So here’s a list of cocktails I’d recommend trying based on generalized tastes:

 

Fruity and sweet: Hurricane. 

 

Hint of fruit and hint of sweet: Old Fashioned. 

 

Hint of fruit and hint of sweet with some grunt to it: Smokey Old Fashioned.

 

Salty, not at all sweet: Dirty martini. 

Bitter and astringent: Dirty gin and tonic (gin and tonic with a splash of green olive juice).

 

Refreshing: Moscow Mule (optionally add mint). 

 

Refreshing with some grunt: Dark and Stormy. 

 

Something completely absurd but fun with friends: Irish Car Bomb.

 

 

And I think that covers the general staples. If you try all of those, you’ll have a better idea of what you like, then just keep trying stuff in those categories. 

 

Hope this helps - enjoy! 🙂

 

[Takoyaki]

was it a hurricane?

my wife loves fruity colorful cocktails and this is one of her go to drinks

Edited March 28, 2019 by Takoyaki

[marktwothousand]

6 hours ago, Von & John said:

First Drink Generally Proseco.   Like to kick it off celebrating w/  a sparkling. 

 

1 hour ago, Stealthdog said:

I always start with a Mimosa.  A couple years ago, we saw an exasperated woman trudge up to a bar and announce to everyone around there "I need a Mimosa."  Ever since, I always start a cruise with a Mimosa as a first drink in honor of that nameless woman.

 

I too, go with a simple Prosecco, mostly because it reminds me of a special time as well. Simple but classy. Its all downhill from there of course.

[Bocadude85]

12 hours ago, AdoraBelle said:

Going to hijack this thread ever so slightly because I can see it’s already gotten the attention of the pro drinkers. 🙂

 

I don’t drink much, usually not at all on cruises. Bad alcohol metabolism or something. Going to have the UBP next trip. I like Kir Royals (incidentally because I had one at Le Bistro on my first cruise ever). Is this a pretty common drink I should be able to get at most bars onboard, or at least some other fruity sparkling wine concoction? (No peach, please. I do really like the creme de cassis in the Kir royals, just not sure if that’s a common liqueur.)

 

I also like Kir Royales and have never had a problem getting them from any of the bars. 

[nhquilter1]

My go-to summertime drink is a gin and tonic but moving up fast in the line-up is a tequila gimlet! I am happy to drink them all day long! 
Can't wait for my Sept cruise (first time with the UBP!).

Cheers!

[Takoyaki]

5 minutes ago, nhquilter1 said:

My go-to summertime drink is a gin and tonic but moving up fast in the line-up is a tequila gimlet! I am happy to drink them all day long! 
Can't wait for my Sept cruise (first time with the UBP!).

Cheers!

Oh man a Gin and Tonic on a warm summer night is absolutely amazing,

You should try out a Tom Collins as well. Gin is totally my summer drink lol

[noelea626]

2 hours ago, slugg said:

I grew up with screwdrivers. It was my dad’s go-to, standard drink. In general, in non-vacation mode, I stick to conservative drinks that are relatively unsweet. A beer, whiskey/scotch on the rocks, stuff like that. The sweetest “normal” drink for me is whiskey and Coke Zero. Try it some time - it’s better than whiskey with Coke Classic! But on vacation, I immediately go for everything out of the ordinary. Bring on the fruity drinks, crazy concoctions, or even something totally absurd that might lead to a good story!

 

I’ll share some fun advice that I give most people that ask about venturing out of their comfort zone with alcohol. I’ll qualify this by first sharing my alcohol credentials. My family is from countries without the concept of a drinking age, so I’ve been drinking literally my entire life. Additionally, my late father worked in the liquor industry for a majority of my lifetime. Through him, I’ve been exposed to virtually every variation of an alcoholic beverage you could possibly imagine. 

 

The reason why I’m sharing this is because I’m not the only one who changes drink preferences while on vacation. It depends on your overall tastes and personality, but lots of people enjoy a different variety of drinks (and food) while on vacation.

 

Perhaps you may want to consider the “adventure factor” of the drinks you’ll have on board. It’s easier to justify when they’re covered by your drink package, anyway. 

 

A frozen, adventurous drink for a beginner that’s a good place to start is simply layering two frozen drinks together. Order a piña colada and strawberry daiquiri and ask them to pour them in two glasses, half in each. That’s a fun way to get started without going too overboard! Don’t mix it; drink it in layers so you can taste each one and give yourself a good baseline for your next drink idea. 

 

Want to do a frozen drink that’s a bit out of the ordinary? Get ready for a potential upcharge and/or good tip for this one, but it’ll DEFINITELY be worth it if you want something adventurous and interesting. Ask for a margarita, but have them add half an avocado and half a jalapeño (or a whole one, if you’re daring like me). To take it to the next level (bar permitting), have them swap out the orange liqueur with melon liquer (usuallly Midori). The texture and flavor is unreal! I will say that the taste of the alcohol is masked more than usual with this combination, which could be a pro or con, depending on your preferences. As for my wife and myself, we always order this drink with a “double” of the tequila and the balance is just right. Trust me, this is an amazing frozen drink, even if you don’t like frozen drinks!

 

For a non-frozen, beginner friendly adventurous drink, it’s next to impossible to recommend one drink. My best recommendation is to think of unique pairs of liquor and mixers (vodka + orange juice, whiskey + cola, gin + tonic, rum + 7up, etc) and just try one at a time. You will find one or two that you like, then you can branch out from there with variations of it. But this will give you a good baseline. Don’t like something? Who cares! Get the next drink - you’re on vacation! If you find something you like, start to experiment with different additives (lime, olive, sour, etc) and go from there. Generally, I’d recommend trying lime with pretty much anything at least once. 

 

For the out-of-the-ordinary non-frozen drink, this is also hard to recommend because of wildly varying tastes. So here’s a list of cocktails I’d recommend trying based on generalized tastes:

 

Fruity and sweet: Hurricane. 

 

Hint of fruit and hint of sweet: Old Fashioned. 

 

Hint of fruit and hint of sweet with some grunt to it: Smokey Old Fashioned.

 

Salty, not at all sweet: Dirty martini. 

Bitter and astringent: Dirty gin and tonic (gin and tonic with a splash of green olive juice).

 

Refreshing: Moscow Mule (optionally add mint). 

 

Refreshing with some grunt: Dark and Stormy. 

 

Something completely absurd but fun with friends: Irish Car Bomb.

 

 

And I think that covers the general staples. If you try all of those, you’ll have a better idea of what you like, then just keep trying stuff in those categories. 

 

Hope this helps - enjoy! 🙂

 

Thank you for all of this information. All of this is most helpful in deciding what to try and what to avoid. This will be our first cruise and I will have my 8 and 10 year old daughters with me so while I will indulge in some beverages I will not being going off the deep end.

[hawkman402]

11 hours ago, worktocruise610 said:

you're making me thirsty!!!! and I have 46 days to go 😞 have a great cruise!!!! and if you want to have one for me that's okay too 🤣

 

I'll be sure to.  Of course I will probably have enough for all of the commenters on this thread!

[allshookup]

I'm not on vacation till I've had a Bahama Mama! 😊

[kfnesq]

For me, my vacation drink of choice (cruising or not), is a French 75.  One, because it's refreshing, and two, because it combines two of my favorite things:  gin and champagne.  A word to the wise--two of these are great, a third will be the devil coming for your soul. 

• 2 ounces  gin (I prefer Plymouth but no one ever has it)
• ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• 2 ounces Champagne
• Long spiral lemon twist (for serving)

[bjtravelnews]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

It depends on which bar I end up at first. If I go straight to O'sheehan's/The Local for lunch, then I will either do a Screwdriver or that Jack Daniel's Lemonade thing they have on the menu there. If it's the Atrium Bar right after boarding, it's a Mr. Worldwide (god I love those!). If it's one of the pool deck bars, it's a Mango Meltdown.

What's in the Mr Worldwide?  Never heard of it!   Thanks!

 

[CherWolf]

Hello everyone,

 

I can't give proper credit to the author of this wonderful spreadsheet, so I hope someone here will be able to do so.  One of the CC members posted this.  It sure made waiting for my last cruise lots of fun.  I hope it does the same for you.

NCL Drinks.xls

[Takoyaki]

1 hour ago, kfnesq said:

For me, my vacation drink of choice (cruising or not), is a French 75.  One, because it's refreshing, and two, because it combines two of my favorite things:  gin and champagne.  A word to the wise--two of these are great, a third will be the devil coming for your soul. 

• 2 ounces  gin (I prefer Plymouth but no one ever has it)
• ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• 2 ounces Champagne
• Long spiral lemon twist (for serving)

 

That sounds amazing!!! If they don't try and upcharge for this it may replace my Tom Collins and gin and tonics!

[kfnesq]

3 minutes ago, Takoyaki said:

 

That sounds amazing!!! If they don't try and upcharge for this it may replace my Tom Collins and gin and tonics!

They shouldn't.  They have something similar on the menu, at least at the Magnum's/Whiskey bar on the Jade.  HOWEVER, they make it with Hennessy instead of gin.  Don't fall for it!  The first day I just told them how to make it "the right way" and every day after that they knew me and what I wanted.  And it was covered in the regular drink package ( I had them make it with Bombay Sapphire).

[bjtravelnews]

57 minutes ago, CherWolf said:

Hello everyone,

 

I can't give proper credit to the author of this wonderful spreadsheet, so I hope someone here will be able to do so.  One of the CC members posted this.  It sure made waiting for my last cruise lots of fun.  I hope it does the same for you.

NCL Drinks.xls 40.5 kB · 9 downloads

Thanks for posting the link - printed it!!!  Now if I only have the time to try them all without falling over!!!!

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, bjtravelnews said:

What's in the Mr Worldwide?  Never heard of it!   Thanks!

 

 

A Mr Worldwide is a drink specific to NCL. Apparently they came up with it when Pitbull was part of the launch party for the Escape? Anyway, it's vodka, pimm's, strawberry puree, lemon juice, and sparkling wine. Usually topped with basil.

[basicprincess24]

15 hours ago, AdoraBelle said:

Is this a pretty common drink I should be able to get at most bars onboard, or at least some other fruity sparkling wine concoction? 

Try a Rebellious Fish! It's passion fruit and orange with sparkling wine, garnished with berries. One of NCL's signature drinks, so you should be able to get them at any bar. Delicious and refreshing, and not too sweet. 

 

Our first drink tradition is always a glass of bubbly with lunch at the buffet! It's a little cheesy but just feels like vacation kick-off to us. 🙂

[Georgia_Peaches]

Golden Margarita

Gold tequila, splash of o.J. topped with Grand Marnier.  Hope its still covered on the PBP!!

[CherWolf]

34 minutes ago, bjtravelnews said:

Thanks for posting the link - printed it!!!  Now if I only have the time to try them all without falling over!!!!

I carried it around with me and failed miserably in trying new drinks.  I stuck to my usual...wine.  LOL  I hope you have fun with it!

[CherWolf]

My first drink is always a glass of wine in the dining room with lunch. Vacation ground zero.   Ahhhh, cruise life. 

[bjtravelnews]

1 hour ago, basicprincess24 said:

Try a Rebellious Fish! It's passion fruit and orange with sparkling wine, garnished with berries. One of NCL's signature drinks, so you should be able to get them at any bar. Delicious and refreshing, and not too sweet. 

 🙂

Oh yes - forgot about these.  Got plenty of them at the atrium bar on the Breakaway.  Got to the point that when the bartender saw me coming, she started making one!

 

[bjtravelnews]

1 hour ago, CherWolf said:

I carried it around with me and failed miserably in trying new drinks.  I stuck to my usual...wine.  LOL  I hope you have fun with it!

I think the best part of the UBP is being able to try new drinks.   If I don't like something, I don't feel like I have wasted my money and just get something else!

 

[MyTMo777]

Bushwacker for me!