Some people drink 'Cambric tea', which isn't really tea: 2 parts milk, 1 part boiling (or microwaved) water, toss in a teaspoon of sugar (and in my case: a squirt of caramel).
I sometimes drink it if I can't sleep - warm milk is supposed to make you drowsy. I don't know if it works or not, but it gives me something to do before heading back to bed with a book.
(A quick google lists it as a "children's drink" - funny, because I've mentally associated it with old men)

BTW I am not trying to aquire a taste for alchohol. I just wonder why people like it.

Because people like different things - that's really all it is *shrugs*

[quote name='Servant of the Lord' timestamp='1333396473' post='4927609']
If you're going to develop a taste for something, you can't go wrong with tea - and it makes you seem pleasantly eccentric if you live in America.
But again, don't drink as a substitute for tap water.

BTW I am not trying to aquire a taste for alchohol. I just wonder why people like it.
[/quote]

I file this one under: effects of alcohol, not under taste of alcohol. There are 1000'n'one ways to make alcohol taste good (or disguise it), but most people don't take advantage of it (many men think its unmanly for whatever reason, and others just don't know about the tricks), which leads me to guess most people drink it for its intoxicating effect, because when it comes to choice of drinks, there are many better beverages out there (fruit juice goes better with food than wine, and soda/tea goes better with food than beer, and spirits are so food specific, water works better ). But the intoxication i think is the key, if you control it well, it can be quite pleasant and relaxing, but getting to that balance point isn't guaranteed, so its easy to overdue it or never get there, and the additional chemicals/compounds found in various brews and vintages also can affect this, so i would attest this to peoples choice in brands,etc. And of course, there is a lot of bad alcohol out there, just pure utter crap (I'm staring at you major beer brands, wines, and spirits). Getting "good stuff" is hard when all your local stores sell is the bottom of the barrel because the major public doesn't know any better (Damn you lucky Europeans, your industry wasn't destroyed by prohibition).

Otherwise, Its one of those mysteries why so many people like it, when its so random a drink. But we owe modern existence to alcohol, its one of the reasons humans actually started agriculture in the first place. So, don't pan it just because you don't like the idea of alcohol, pan it because you don't like consuming it, which i believe is what you said.

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Well to me ALL of them taste the same - like rubbing alchohol."

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Same here. Apparently it's genetic; the sense of taste does vary across the population. A substantial fraction of people (sometimes quote as high as 25%) exhibit a specific genetic variation which is referred to as being a "supertaster". Common characteristics include dislike of alcohol (because they can taste the alcohol above any other flavours in the drink), dislike of smoking and coffee {I drink coffee for the caffeine, but I don't actually enjoy it much. I kind of prefer the "tasteless" instant coffee... :-}

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, quite frequently dislike "hot" foods and instead prefer salty/umami flavours. Because taste and scent are closely linked, there are other effects -- it's common for people in this group to dislike "perfume" smells because the carrier oils (undetectable to others) overwhelm the actual scents. It's a perfectly normal human variation.

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If you don't like it then don't drink it. The great thing about people is they all have different tastes. People are wired to like different things and most wouldn't be able to fully explain why they like something. I can't stand coffee, something about it really turns me off. If I want a caffeine shot I'll drink a sugar free Red Bull (luckily work has an entire fridge full of Red Bull and other energy drinks).

As for the taste, I'm sure I have probably conditioned myself to tolerate it for the 'reward'. Back in high school before I partied I couldn't stand beer at all. In college I didn't hang out with computer people but engineers who drank like fishes and did all kinds of drugs. So I drank more to be involved with the social and dating scene. Now I do actually find some beer enjoyable to taste (usually heavier microbrew kind of stuff). Still not really a fan of hard alcohol or wine but I've wired myself to tolerate it so I will drink them.

And honestly, after a week of inane meetings, action reports, mentoring junior programmers, and writing my own code. It feels good to get out and interact with 'normal' people for awhile (as with most game studios my office is quite a sausage fest). If drinking and getting numb is part of that then so be it.

Now, there is some truth to Ravyne's idea that you gain more appreciation of subtlety and nuance with experience. That's been true for me in coffee, beer, whisky, rum, cognac, even cigarettes. So it does take experience and time to develop a sophisticated palate. But the "like/don't like" thing is certainly not "just" a matter of acquired taste.

This.

I didn't use to drink wine till I was 25. Then I started trying out different wines and found myself intrigued by the variety it can have. It was nothing, though, till the day I was shown around an actual winery and given a rundown of the massive complexities and nuances of winemaking and what the effects of all of these different variables have on the final product. Wine literally went from a drink to science in my eyes. That didn't mean I acquired the taste - I just learnt to appreciate wine for what it's worth. Acquired taste works for specific flavors (eg preferring sparkling or red wine over other types), but not for something as generic as alcohol in general.

As far as alcohol is involved overall, though - it's not the taste you should be after, it's the experience. Taste in and of itself is only the tip of the iceberg. If you can't appreciate or control your buzz, then stop wasting your money on alcohol altogether.

Personally I dislike the taste of alcohol and only like coffee with creamer and sweetener, tea with sweetener, and other sweet things like soda and milkshakes. (I do drink caffeinated soda all the time, so that is basically filling the same role for me that coffee does for many people.) I wanted to be able to drink socially, so I tried several kinds of alcohol. The only one I actually enjoyed drinking is a sweet wine (concord especially) cut by half with fruit juice (e.g. concord grape juice). Alcoholic cider cut with a non-alcoholic cider (the kind with lots of sediment) is also pretty good.

"
Well to me ALL of them taste the same - like rubbing alchohol."

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]

Same here. Apparently it's genetic; the sense of taste does vary across the population. A substantial fraction of people (sometimes quote as high as 25%) exhibit a specific genetic variation which is referred to as being a "supertaster". Common characteristics include dislike of alcohol (because they can taste the alcohol above any other flavours in the drink), dislike of smoking and coffee {I drink coffee for the caffeine, but I don't actually enjoy it much. I kind of prefer the "tasteless" instant coffee... :-}[/font]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]

, quite frequently dislike "hot" foods and instead prefer salty/umami flavours. Because taste and scent are closely linked, there are other effects -- it's common for people in this group to dislike "perfume" smells because the carrier oils (undetectable to others) overwhelm the actual scents. It's a perfectly normal human variation.[/font]

That totally describes me - I have a keen sense of smell which is easily irritated by perfumes and I can't eat anything spicier than a medium salsa or buffalo sauce, and even that I usually drown in sour cream or ranch dressing. Not a huge fan of salty foods though - I love french fries as much as anyone but mostly I like sour and sweet tastes the most. Hard liquor in general tastes like licking an envelope to activate the glue to me, whether it is whiskey or brandy or rum. Beers smell like someone poured malt vinegar over yeast, and taste extremely bitter. Wines also very bitter except for the sweetest types like concord and sangria.

Seeing as Ive drunk more alchol than anyone here Ill give my input

Im not a fan of spirits most taste like shit, there are some exceptions though, eg certain cocktails, gin & tonic perhaps being the most common.
Most common beers have practically no taste, I do like belgian or german white beers
here in NZ ive only been drinking
http://shop.countdown.co.nz/Shop/ProductDetails?Stockcode=338142&name=atlas-beer-high-strength-12
http://shop.countdown.co.nz/Shop/ProductDetails?Stockcode=910444&name=crest-beer-super-xstrong-single
http://shop.countdown.co.nz/Shop/ProductDetails?Stockcode=917210&name=gordons-gold-beer
all 3 have a glorious taste
wine - well try a gewurtz

Of course theres such a thing as acquired taste, eg myself I hated doffee the first ~10x I tried it now I love it, same with various vegeatables when I was a kid eg brussel sprouts, lettuce now theyre quite tasty
Im sure most ppl here can testify also that they didnt like certain vegetables as a kid but they do now

I haven't drank much alcohol in awhile and I don't usually like to have any with food but there's been a couple times lately that I've been thinking it'd be nice to have a beer with some kind of greasy food like pizza, lasagna, or maybe spicy chicken wings. As for harder alcohol, I think my preference is for sweet tasting stuff over a dry wine or streight shot of vodka or something. The only reason I think I'd really deviate from my preferences is in an effort to show some sense of sociability.

I think the whole alcohol & sociability thing is kinda like (pleasurable effects notwithstanding), "I have a glass of poison in my hand, you have a glass of poison in your hand, we have something in common so now we talk about stuff." And then after that it's about trying to maintain your sense of belonging (and your excuse to drink) by insisting that others either start or continue to drink. So it seems to me that essentially the "social" part of drinking simply equates to a persons desire to submit to peer pressure. Not necessarily a bad thing but, like the drinking itself, excessiveness can be a problem

There's definitely a difference between "drinking to get drunk" and "drinking to enjoy," albeit the two don't need to be mutually exclusive. I can't really enjoy a bar or club sober so drinks are the first thing when I go out with friends. On the other hand, I will occasionally pour a shot of brandy into my hot lemon tea in the cold evening; the extra "bite" from the alcohol gives a really nice and enjoyable sensation, even if the buzz is negligible.

Likewise, "acquiring a taste" doesn't always imply forcing yourself to like something; sometimes it just grows on you. I spent a year on study abroad North Ireland with complete aversion to beer, but seeing as it's about 3 times cheaper than spirits, I would try them occasionally thinking I could learn to like them, eventually gave up. It wasn't until a few weeks later when one late night at a pub I was feeling really sugar-ed-out after two Ciders that I had this strange itch for something to offset it, something bitter, something more yeasty, something... and so, I "acquired taste" for beer.