300777 Wed Aug 31 10:43:38 -0700 2005 32 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1673668 Despite lack of a scientific background, I do believe in the biological taste aversions some people have. For me, cilantro and ginger just taste wrong. That said, I'm also particularly sensitive to the taste of alcohol. Beer, hard alcohol and red wines are just flat out unpalatable. White wines are less intensely disgusting, but I would never describe them as tasting good. Believe me, I've tried to "develop a taste" and appreciation. I do wine tastings. I have sommeliers help out. I can talk day and night about the different tastes and complexities, varietals, pairing with food and so on about beer, wine and spirits. But in the end, there is a common thread among these beverages which I have never gotten "used to" or enjoyed. Some things are better than others, but in the end, alcohol never tastes great. I strongly believe this is beyond personal taste, but unlike cilantro and ginger, I've not heard many other people talk about TASTE aversions to alcohol specifically (yes, I know it makes many sick to their stomach or gives migraines). I'm curious if others share this taste aversion. (I realize it may almost seem embarrassing to admit in our culture). If so, do you still drink? Wed Aug 31 10:43:38 -0700 2005 0 MSPD 1 1673670 I know several people who don't like the "taste" of certain types of alcohol or all types of alcohol. If they don't lik it they don't drink it. I don't think they are embarrassed by it or causes them any social issues. Wed Aug 31 10:50:57 -0700 2005 1673668 0 JudiAU 2 1673681 I was surprised when one grad student in my lab was teasing another about his never ever even trying alcohol. I asked him if he had ever drunk too much and woken up with a hangover. Yes, he said. Well Frank never has; 'nuff said. I got the impression the non-imbiber had grown up seeing alcohol abuse in his family. He certainly did not begrudge others imbibimg, including his wife. Wed Aug 31 13:00:31 -0700 2005 1673670 0 semmel 1 1673673 Yes, I know several that can stand the taste of alcohol (and believe me, I've tried to disguise it when it's an intigral part of a dish.) When I'm having someone over that's told me that they don't drink or use alcohol, I attempt to make a dish that doesn't use it. They're appreciative and so am I because I understand how finding a particular food in a dish can ruin an otherwise wonderful evening. Wed Aug 31 11:29:01 -0700 2005 1673668 0 The Ranger 1 1673679 I don't like the taste of alcohol, period. Given that, I don't drink. Of course there's always the exception to the rule, I do like the occasional fruity/tropical drink, but it has to be fruity enough so I don't taste the alcohol and I might have one of those like every couple of years or so. I also like to cook with wine sometimes, but I don't taste any alcohol in the finished dish, just the taste of the wine. Just my two cents... Wed Aug 31 12:52:14 -0700 2005 1673668 0 Michelle 1 1673680 Speaking as one who has been a biochemist for 40 years, if it feels bad, don't do it! Wed Aug 31 12:53:40 -0700 2005 1673668 0 TCUJoe 2 1673682 I was remembering an observation I made in high school - the people who really didn't like the taste of alcohol at first were the same people who ended up with drinking problems. Obviously this particular sample developed a taste for it pretty quickly, but it did seem like maybe there was a reason their bodies rejected it at first - lower genetic tolerance? Who knows. Wed Aug 31 13:16:41 -0700 2005 1673680 0 julesrules 1 1673712 It seems you're going to get responses from many angles on this. But I don't think you're talking about the pros and cons or drinking or the why's either. I'm very much into wine, but there is a definite 'taste' in many wines (mostly reds) that I just don't like. Over the years I've come to believe that it is the taste of what I think can be described as "unbalanced alcohol". That is where the alcohol either dominates the other flavors and characteristics of the wine or where it is not 'complimented' by the other tastes. I'm not sure this 'theory' is technically correct from an oenology standpoint, but I've come to be able to distinguish most of the more usually described tastes (and aromas) in wine, and there's a commonality to many of the ones I don't like that I really believe is the alcohol. One of the reasons I think this is possibly related to the 'balance' of wine flavors with the alcohol, is that what I taste is not the same pure alcohol taste as hard liquor. Or it could be that alcohol from grain-based liquor has a different taste than that from grapes. I'd really be interested in any educated opinions on this subject. I already know that I shouldn't drink something if I don't like it. I would just like to be able to understand what it is that I don't like in a wine in more specific terms. Wed Aug 31 17:56:00 -0700 2005 1673668 0 Midlife 2 1673715 Thank you for that post. Like cilantro and ginger, I recognize the significance of the specific tastes of alcohol in its various forms. I think this idea is similar to what you describe. For example, I love al pastor tacos. When cilantro is available or offered, I don't request they leave it out. While cilantro alone tastes repulsive, I'm familiar enough with it as an element in the dish that the dissonance is welcome. It still tastes bad, but it's part of the character of the dish. This similarly applies to ginger in Chinese foods. The only way I can explain it is: foods where these flavors belong, whether I like them or not, would be like a puzzle with a missing piece if they were omitted. This applies to wine and alcoholic drinks. I appreciate and enjoy the complexities of flavor in wine but there is always a single element present that I will detest. I think it's physiological, but unlike cilantro and ginger, I haven't heard anyone discuss it in those terms. Wed Aug 31 18:15:50 -0700 2005 1673712 0 MSPD 1 1673713 I share your belief, MSPD. I, too, find the taste of wine, beer and hard liquor unpleasant. Tried for many yrs to acquire a taste for wine, both to fit in (I got tired of being teased about ordering a soft drink while everyone else was drinking alcohol) and because wine was supposed to enhance the taste of certain foods. Well, it didn't - not for me anyway. I can tolerate, at most, 2 sips of wine before it starts tasting foul (even the better vintages); so foul that I have to hold my breath to down it. Any more than that and I start turning red, have tachycardia, feel the blood pounding in my cheeks and temples, and feel like I'm running a fever. This reaction, I believe, is because I lack alcohol dehydrogenase(ADH), the enzyme in the liver that metabolises alcohol. I've often wondered if lack of ADH is related to a taste aversion for alcohol...... hmmm, gotta start looking up the medical/scientific literature. I do enjoy sweeter alcohols like sherry and port,when they're in desserts or fruit salads. Savory dishes containing wine are also OK (like coq au vin) because the alcohol has evaporated. I also like a G&T made to my specs - 1 teaspoon of gin to 8oz. of tonic! Wed Aug 31 18:01:09 -0700 2005 1673668 0 ju 2 1673761 I don't fully believe that your reaction to alcohol is directly related to ADH deficiency. Alcohol dehydrogenase is only part of the sugar to ATP process your body uses to extract the energy from sugars like alcohol. Your reaction is immediate. ADH deficiency is only resultant in prolonged normal effects of alcohol and being a "cheep drunk." Alcohol dehydrogenase is related to acetaldehyde dehydrogenase the enzyme that breaks down acetaldehyde, which is related to formaldeyhyde, the product of alcohol dehydrogenase. Acetaldehyde is far more toxic than alcohol, this being the source of hangovers. Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency is far more common than lacking the alcohol dehydrogenase. It may be posible that you do have an low ADH production, but then your reaction would only be compensatory. It is more likely that you have a reaction to the chemical just by taste, similar to how I react to fresh cilantro and just the feel in my mouth is leveling. Fri Sep 02 03:16:54 -0700 2005 1673713 0 The Giant Tomato 1 1673748 You obviously have a sweet tooth and do not like anything that does not have that special sweet taste. Thu Sep 01 15:40:42 -0700 2005 1673668 0 Bud 2 1673750 Hmmm, I've noticed that people who really like their booze also tend to like sweets. I happen to love sweets AND booze. Though not sweet booze. (Also love ginger, but not cilantro. Also butter, white bread, bacon, and a whole lot of other things I probably shouldn't.) Link: http://seasonalcook.blogspot.com Thu Sep 01 15:45:57 -0700 2005 1673748 0 curiousbaker 1 1673755 I have a similar reaction, but it's not that strong. Wine, beer, mixed drinks, most fortified wines, etc. I have no problem with at all - the flavor outweighs the alcohol "taste." But anything above about 40 proof - especially, heaven forbid, at US room temperature! - and I just can't get past the alcohol to enjoy the flavor. Like you, I can "analyze" it as an intellectual exercise, I just don't enjoy it. I never had any sort of other problem with alcohol even when I was young(er), dumb and occasionally drank primarily to get drunk - I just wanted it out of my mouth and down my throat ASAP! Thu Sep 01 18:37:13 -0700 2005 1673668 0 MikeG 1 1673764 I've never like the taste of alcohol either. And I'm a sweets lover by the way. Alcohol is OK in food, but I don't like a glass of wine or any booze. I've tried. The only thing I don't mind nearly as much is a fruity mixed drink or an ice cream mixed drink (like a Brandy Alexander), but while I have it I still keep thinking it would taste better without alcohol. Fri Sep 02 14:26:36 -0700 2005 1673668 0 katya 2 1673862 Count me with those who don't like the taste of alcohol. If you feel like you want to drink something for social reasons, try vodka and orange juice. Also, a nice frozen snow-consistency pina colada is pleasant on a hot day. Sangria is good, and if you make it at home you can manipulate the ratio of fruit juice to wine and put a lot of ice in your own glass. Portugese vinho verde is a very light wine that you won't mind. There's also the option of walking around the party with a glass of tap water to give the impression you are drinking neat gin. Actually nowadays people are more tolerant of non-drinkers; forty or fifty years ago we were more singularized, I think. Mon Sep 05 22:57:09 -0700 2005 1673764 0 N Tocus 1 1673768 I was kind of waiting for somebody to say, but alchohol tastes bad because it's toxic. It's a poison. It dehydrates our tissues. That nasty taste is a warning. Nobody likes alchohol to start out with; nobody loved their first taste of scotch. That's why kids learn to drink on wine coolers. Over time, we desensitize ourselves to the alchohol taste, and learn to pick up and appreciate the other flavors in the beverage. I drink a glass of wine now, same wine tasted nasty to me as a kid, now I can detect all that berries and cocoa and cigar stuff, as well as the occasional dishrag. But you won't see any mature drinkers toking down Everklear, for good reason. If you don't like the flavor of alchohol, either train yourself to put up with it, or don't drink. No big deal. Fri Sep 02 17:22:35 -0700 2005 1673668 0 Shep 1 1673770 I do not like the taste of alcohol, either by the glass or in food. Oddly enough my exception is beer. I love a cold beer. I do prefer the lighter varieties and I like them cold. The very best beer I ever had was at the Budweiser Brewery in Sea World. I guess that proves I'm definitely not a connoisseur. I guess it was SO good because it was so fresh. Stop laughing at me now please :). I do cook with alcohol. I read that having the alcohol in the dish enhances the other flavors. I just try to simmer it uncovered a while to evaporate out the majority of the alcohol. I do frequently try other drinks. Good wine and non-sweet cocktails. I do not like artificial sweet drinks at all. However, I keep having that hard to swallow feeling. Its really disapointing but oh well. -Becca Fri Sep 02 19:19:21 -0700 2005 1673668 0 Becca Porter 2 4662912 Was doing some research on the topic and found this old thread. I have tried to aquire a taste for alcohol and it's just not happening. I've accepted it and moved on. I can tolerate it when its mixed with a lot of fruit juice or pina colada mix but I'd rather use my calories for food. The only drink I sort of like is Gin and Tonic but I don't crave it. My husband isn't into it either, so it works well for us to spend our $ on food. Thu May 07 10:31:45 -0700 2009 1673770 10278 Muhlyssa 1 4711547 Oh I can NOT stand the taste of alcohol as well! Although, oddly enough, I like to use it in cooking o.O. But yea...I think beer reminds me of wet socks Sun May 24 16:52:57 -0700 2009 1673668 212885 AngelSanctuary 2 4716073 I also do not like the taste of alcohol. I do use it in my cooking. I have a recipe for drunken meatballs - when I taste it and I like it that means it's done. I also get more invitations to places because I will be a designated driver that will never just have "one" drink that ends up being five so I am pretty popular. Tue May 26 12:52:50 -0700 2009 4711547 17878 Budser1228 1 4711950 I'm with you! I just canNOT stand the taste of alcohol. The only way I can drink is if the taste of the alcohol is almost completely disguised by something else. The only thing I can drink straight is Bailey's, and that's because I've gotten used to the bite. I can't stand beer and wine, hard liquor makes me gag. I end up drinking Mike's if I want to have some alcohol, or a fruity drink. Luckily I'm only a social drinker, and I bring my own! Sun May 24 20:33:53 -0700 2009 1673668 112034 spellweaver16 1 4716798 I have this terrible aversion also, but after forcing down the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th.....etc. It goes away! Tue May 26 16:41:53 -0700 2009 1673668 140140 mrbigshotno.1 1 4905569 the specific taste of the alcohol just makes me gross out. Although i would prefer it not too :P Definitely hard liquors, Anything where if u smell it, you can smell the alcohol. But fruity drinks and stuff i love :D. Fri Jul 31 00:48:08 -0700 2009 1673668 262418 bugmenot 1 4905966 I just assumed no one actually ENJOYED the taste of alcohol, but enjoyed the effects. I think it tastes terrible, but that doesn't keep me from going overboard. I don't understand rum-soaked desserts at all. I used to hate wine, but I'm trying to become a wine snob. I still don't like beer, and given the stronger choices available, would never choose it over a cocktail. Fri Jul 31 07:12:53 -0700 2009 1673668 18288 janethepain 1 4906153 I add my voice to the chorus--I can't stand the taste of alcohol either. Beer is just gross. WIne is slightly better (especially red wine), and Champagne is cringe-worthy. Strangely, I do enjoy "non-alcoholic" wines and such. Anyone else notice this? Takat Writing away about my latest 3 week adventure through China at http://katacomb.blogspot.com Fri Jul 31 08:14:17 -0700 2009 1673668 1098138 Takat 1 4906217 I'm a woman in her upper 30's and I actually do love the TASTE of many different alcohols. I'm a big beer fan and relish an IPA, stout, ale, porter, kolsch, etc. The complexities of a good beer wake up my different taste buds and there is little I enjoy more. I also like wine and am perfectly happy with both cheap and pricey. I would say I like beer a bit more, but wine goes well with some foods and doesn't make you feel as full. Have never been a fan of sweet drinks and would rather have my tequila straight than mixed with grenadine and OJ in a sunrise. Fri Jul 31 08:34:30 -0700 2009 1673668 76025 mojoeater 1 4906956 I believe that an aversion to any flavour, alcohol or otherwise must be purely psychological rather than physiological. Not making any judgements here, it just makes sense to me. What a person experiences early in their life, the depth and breadth exposure to different flavours, will form a pattern that is nearly impossible to alter for the rest their life. When you factor in the varying role that social morality plays in how different cultures value and use alcohol the issue becomes much more loaded than a simple matter of taste. My personal example would be this: I'm born to Scottish parents who very much enjoy drinking beer wine and scotch. They have a certain disdain for sweet fruity drinks most of the time. They're also both heavy drinkers. I grew up in that environment, observed their behaviour, internalized it, and now I'm pretty much like them. If you look at it that way, we each have a different story to tell about our likes and dislikes, particularly with alcohol. I'd actually be interested in hearing similar stories (or completely different ones) in the same vein. Fri Jul 31 12:32:23 -0700 2009 1673668 259720 haggisdragon 2 4907076 Well, my parents are pretty neutral about alcohol. Not big drinkers, but not against it. I was allowed tastes of the stuff from the age of like ten, so there was no big negative message against it or anything. I've just hated the taste of most stuff... Perhaps its something you must develop? Maybe I just haven't drunk enough, LOL. Takat Writing away about my latest 3 week adventure through China at http://katacomb.blogspot.com Fri Jul 31 13:06:51 -0700 2009 4906956 1098138 Takat 2 4907082 <I believe that an aversion to any flavour, alcohol or otherwise must be purely psychological rather than physiological...What a person experiences early in their life, the depth and breadth exposure to different flavours, will form a pattern that is nearly impossible to alter for the rest their life.> So you're saying that the only reason things taste "bad" to some people is that they never learned to like them? You don't think, perhaps, that human beings might have evolved to reject certain flavors because those flavors indicate a substance might be harmful? There's a reason you don't know anyone who enjoys drinking Drano, and it isn't that no one is taught to appreciate the deliciousness of Drano. Fri Jul 31 13:08:56 -0700 2009 4906956 13722 small h 3 4907311 I see your point small h. My argument against that would be that many things that are commenly ingested have toxic components to them. A couple of examples from the top of my head would be potatoes, and anything with caffeine in it. Not everybody enjoys potatoes or coffee but I wouldn't neccesarily suggest that this is because their body is reacting to the toxicity. It is possible I suppose that some people dislike alcohol because they have an allergy to gluten, or alcohol itself. That would be a physiological reaction, but slightly different from reacting to poison. I think the concentration of poison is important. Obviously nobody is going to learn to appreciate Drano, because they would drop dead trying. On the other hand you might not like Tuna very much, but I wouldn't suggest that thats because its loaded with unsafe levels of mercury. You have pointed out a logical loop hole in my original statement though: <I believe that an aversion to any flavour, alcohol or otherwise must be purely psychological rather than physiological> I wasn't thinking about Drano when I said that, just what we would accept as fit for human consumption. Also I'll accept that there's a physiological component that may come into play as well as a pyschological one. For some people an aversion to the taste of alcohol might phsiological. For some it might be psycological. For some it might be both. Fri Jul 31 14:15:42 -0700 2009 4907082 259720 haggisdragon 4 4907385 I absolutely agree that psychology plays a factor - some people are grossed out by sea urchin, which clearly isn't poisonous, or I'd be dead. But how about those people who think cilantro tastes like soap? I don't think that's conditioning - I think to them it really *does* taste like soap, because of the way their taste buds react to it. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/301847 Fri Jul 31 14:39:02 -0700 2009 4907311 13722 small h 2 4935296 For years I really enjoyed all kinds of alcohol - now most of it just tastes bad to me - especially beer and wine. I have noticed though, that the ones I don't mind are usually produced locally. Maybe it has to do with the freshness. I have a friend who has pretty much gotten the same way. Mon Aug 10 20:50:50 -0700 2009 4906956 1100772 bobandannaweaven