Synthehol

[Myasishchev]

If it tastes so great then where are all the lager/beer flavoured sweets or vodka flavoured soft drinks?

I can ask the same question in a different way. If no one likes or cares about the taste of alcohol then why has there been an enormous growth of microbreweries in the past 10-15 years. Why are there more small batch artisan beers now than ever before? Why have the sales and price of scotch gone up so much in the last 5 years? Why have the price of quality wine futures (yes there's such a thing) exploded?

Hipster doofuses and conspicuous consumers.

we'd all be drinking grain alcohol mixed with kool-aid.

PJ is yummy.

Anyway, I have no idea how synthehol is supposed to work. Maybe a additive that hastens the catabolization of ethanol once a certain concentration is reached, prevor binds the alcohol into a sugar, or whatever, preventing outright drunkenness (the solution: drink your synthehol faster ).

 

[Ward Fowler]

If it tastes so great then where are all the lager/beer flavoured sweets or vodka flavoured soft drinks?

I can ask the same question in a different way. If no one likes or cares about the taste of alcohol then why has there been an enormous growth of microbreweries in the past 10-15 years. Why are there more small batch artisan beers now than ever before? Why have the sales and price of scotch gone up so much in the last 5 years? Why have the price of quality wine futures (yes there's such a thing) exploded?

Hipster doofuses and conspicuous consumers.

So any hobbyist who enjoys the taste of a quality beer, wine, or liquour is a "hipster doofus" and "conspicuous consumer"? Sorry, I'm neither. Stereotype much?

 

[Myasishchev]

I can ask the same question in a different way. If no one likes or cares about the taste of alcohol then why has there been an enormous growth of microbreweries in the past 10-15 years. Why are there more small batch artisan beers now than ever before? Why have the sales and price of scotch gone up so much in the last 5 years? Why have the price of quality wine futures (yes there's such a thing) exploded?

Hipster doofuses and conspicuous consumers.

So any hobbyist who enjoys the taste of a quality beer, wine, or liquour is a "hipster doofus" and "conspicuous consumer"? Sorry, I'm neither. Stereotype much?

Oops, I meant to put a little on that. I was kidding, sorry.

 

[CoveTom]

Should a captain of a 21st century cruise ship refuse alcohol at the captain's table banquet because he might be needed for an emergency?

Yes.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Should a captain of a 21st century cruise ship refuse alcohol at the captain's table banquet because he might be needed for an emergency?

Yes.

And that's probably the rule - I have no idea - or at least he should be able to be off duty at some time in a six month cruise.

Hence the need for synthehol.

 

[Ward Fowler]

Hipster doofuses and conspicuous consumers.

So any hobbyist who enjoys the taste of a quality beer, wine, or liquour is a "hipster doofus" and "conspicuous consumer"? Sorry, I'm neither. Stereotype much?

Oops, I meant to put a little on that. I was kidding, sorry.

Not a problem. I should learn to not be so sensitive.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I always wondered why the Ferengi, of all people, would invent synthehol. Wouldn't it be in their best interest to invent a drink which is *not* possible to slouch off the intoxication? They would want customers to be as drunk as possible, wouldn't they?

Why do people attend wine-tasting events if the sole purpose of alcohol is to get drunk?

To sit around and spout meaningless phrases? And no, I'm not thinking of anyone specifically here. Just a general observation on how totally vapid and snooty that pretentious wine talk tends to be.

 

[Therin of Andor]

To sit around and spout meaningless phrases? And no, I'm not thinking of anyone specifically here. Just a general observation on how totally vapid and snooty that pretentious wine talk tends to be.

You go to the wrong tastings then. I go on two free harbour cruise wine-tastings every year, and buy my supply at the end of a session. It's me, up to seven of my choice of invited guests, and the wine company's representative, at our little table.

No one is snooty or vapid. We don't try to guess which side of the vineyard caught the afternoon sun. We do get a little of the history of certain wine-making techniques, but it's certainly not vapid talk. It's a chance to taste a range of wines, so I can buy my favourites. And we don't go to get drunk.

 

[StarryEyed]

I always wondered why the Ferengi, of all people, would invent synthehol. Wouldn't it be in their best interest to invent a drink which is *not* possible to slouch off the intoxication? They would want customers to be as drunk as possible, wouldn't they?

Sure. But what better way to insure that your customer is impaired than slipping him/her alcohol under the guise of synthehol?

 

[Timo]

Also, this scenario has been suggested often enough:

"And what should you like next, Chief? Another of those single-malt things from that island of yours?"
"Qwack, youse a good custom... Wait, I'm the customer. Aaanyway, I sthhink I've had enough for-"
"ATTENTION ALL STARFLEET PERSONNEL! REPORT TO DUTY STATIONS! ATTEN-"
"Oops, sorry about that, folks. Another misfire, nothing to worry about. My idiot brother will fix it soon, just like the fire alarm and the decompression alarm. Now, what was it that you were saying, Chief?"
"Bloody 'ell."
"One Bloody 'ell coming up right away, Chief. You still have, what, ten hours of leave left? Let's get to the right mood, now shan't we?"

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Verteron]

Whenever I hear the term "easily shaken off" I mentally picture a half-dozen drunk-looking Starfleet officers sitting on the bar stools at Ten Forward suddenly shaking their heads back and forth rapidly (Roger Rabbit style) and then being fine to return to duty.

Who knows, perhaps 24thC tech means the effects are literally easily shaken off? Maybe synthehol is a special alcohol-like molecule that is somewhat unstable, and breaks down easily when subject to bodily vibrations?

Either that, or I wonder whether there might be a 'magic hypospray' involved in the process, something that you can inject in to the bloodstream designed to bind very quickly to any synthehol molecules left in your system preventing them from messing with your brain?

 

[NickInABox]

After all, beer tastes, smells, and looks like goat urine. If it couldn't get you drunk, why would you ever drink it?

Ohhhhh my head. You did NOT just go there...

 

[The Castellan]

This sounds like their equivelent to Aspartame.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I always wondered why the Ferengi, of all people, would invent synthehol. Wouldn't it be in their best interest to invent a drink which is *not* possible to slouch off the intoxication? They would want customers to be as drunk as possible, wouldn't they?

Sure. But what better way to insure that your customer is impaired than slipping him/her alcohol under the guise of synthehol?

Good point.

Are you suggesting that there's no actual drink called synthehol, only one that the Ferengi *say* is synthehol but is actually as potent as the real thing (i.e. you can't slack off the effects like they say you can)? Wouldn't it be easy to test for that sort of thing, though?

 

[Klaitu]

Really? You guys have actually met people who geniunely and naturally like the taste of, say, tequila?

Because everyone I have ever met started drinking because alcohol gets you drunk, not because it "tastes awesome". After repeatedly getting plastered for several years, they developed a taste for alcohol, which is where the upper-class of alcohol tasting came from (wine tastings and so forth)

Think back.. the first time you had a drink, did you go "mmm, that tastes amazing!"

Heck, maybe you did, I've just never met anyone who did.

 

[The Castellan]

Really? You guys have actually met people who geniunely and naturally like the taste of, say, tequila?

Because everyone I have ever met started drinking because alcohol gets you drunk, not because it "tastes awesome". After repeatedly getting plastered for several years, they developed a taste for alcohol, which is where the upper-class of alcohol tasting came from (wine tastings and so forth)

Think back.. the first time you had a drink, did you go "mmm, that tastes amazing!"

Heck, maybe you did, I've just never met anyone who did.

Yesh...you think fraturnaties and sororities care for good tasting booze? No, they want to get hammered.

 

[Neutral Zone]

Yesh...you think fraturnaties and sororities care for good tasting booze? No, they want to get hammered.

Agreed, over here when the younger peoplr go binge drinking, it's not for the flavour, it to get as smashed asap, look like a right pratt and leave whatever over the pavement at the end of night plus the possibility of getting arrested! Things haven't really changed over the years though, I did it back in the 70's and then came to my senses eventually

 

[Therin of Andor]

Because everyone I have ever met started drinking because alcohol gets you drunk, not because it "tastes awesome"

My Dad and several male relatives were heavy drinkers, so I didn't really seek out alcohol till I was almost 20, and then it was an icy cold beer in a pub with college friends on a rare, broiling hot day. Or a glass of red or white with dinner at a party. We also had monthly wine 'n' cheese afternoons, at which cheap cask wine was served. (I assume some people then kicked on at the pub into the wee hours, but I was already on my way home.)

I found dry red wine to be an acquired taste, but fruity whites, sweet reds, Souther Comfort and liquors needed absolutely no initiation period. Now, at 50, I enjoy numerous wine types. It "tastes awesome". Never been tempted by tequila, and scotch kinda needs Coke in it. Scotty would be horrified.

Maybe you hang with the wrong crowds?

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

I can appreciate the difference between good and bad alcoholic beverages, but I wouldn't drink any of them if they didn't give me some kind of buzz. But there is a difference in taste. If I'm in the mood to get drunk, though, all that ultimately matters is that it doesn't make me gag. Generally if I'm at a bar or a restaurant that serves drinks and I want to get good and buzzed, I order a long island iced tea. Sometimes they're good, sometimes they taste like someone squirted lemon juice into some Jack Daniels. I can't really tolerate wine. It makes me feel really hot and flushed, and it gives me a headache.

 

[SilentP]

I always wondered why the Ferengi, of all people, would invent synthehol. Wouldn't it be in their best interest to invent a drink which is *not* possible to slouch off the intoxication? They would want customers to be as drunk as possible, wouldn't they?

Sure. But what better way to insure that your customer is impaired than slipping him/her alcohol under the guise of synthehol?

Good point.

Are you suggesting that there's no actual drink called synthehol, only one that the Ferengi *say* is synthehol but is actually as potent as the real thing (i.e. you can't slack off the effects like they say you can)? Wouldn't it be easy to test for that sort of thing, though?

I think the Ferengi invented sythehol as an alternative to alcohol, so that it didn't cause actual physica harm to customer (i.e. liver damage etc.) since that would harm your customers and stop them from buying it for longer (don't want them dying from alcohol poisoning or the like, would you? ). Remember in 'Little Green Men', Quark and the gang were shocked by smoking, as it caused physical harm?