HikeArizona.COM

Curious for those that drink alcohol on backpacking trips, anyone have any good suggestions for light drinking recipes. Spiced rum and powdered cider or Everclear and KoolAid is a standard of ours. Any other suggestions?

I forgot to say that the last time I hike to Havasu there were five people in the party who brought in Bags of wine. Simply remove the bag from the box of Franzia.(hey, after hiking 11 miles Franzia aint that bad, dude.) They seem to hold up and even have a pour spout. Now, if I could only get my drink tube in there...

mikeinFHAZ wrote: after hiking 11 miles Franzia aint that bad

I don't want to sound like a snob, but I don't think theres ever a time that Franzia 'aint that bad'...


And my camelbak comes pre-equipped with a drinking tube anyway.

I thought I saw a polycarbonate flask at REI. It would be light and couldn't corrode.

I can't find it on their web site, but I found this...

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Product ... &langId=-1

FOUND IT!!

I found it on campmor...

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/ ... rmenbr=226

I dont disagree, MATT. I dont see a problem with being a wine snob. What I do want to know is what is a good vino for beef jerky and pasta.(or other typical camp food) I heard a winemaker once say that all the talk of matching wine to food is all B.S. and I should drink what tastes good. What do ya think? I also have a spare Platypus that I now have considered my wine bladder. Thanks man! oh, I also hear there are some good grapes coming out of Oregon and Australia that are dropping bombs on the competition. What I need is a "wine drinking for dummies" book

We had Franzia with us on our trek to Havasu & it tasted real good. After 11 miles in the hot sun -- the wine tasted a bit extra "Winey" but that was OK ....

Oh...It was hauled down in a Nalgene.

one more thing, I just got a Lexan Flask from GSI. It is tough as nails and holds 1 pint of firewater. And to boot, the lid doubles as a 1-ounce shot glass.

Franzia is "way OK" when you've carried it 11 miles. Maybe not right out of the store. But "way OK" after 11 miles. Maybe it's the 11 miles of shaking that changes the chemical composition of Franzia. Maybe not.

J&S

But just think, if Franzia is "way OK" after 11 miles, Somthing that's pretty good anyway would be fantastic. I guess I can see the economy of the pre-bagged wine, but I wouldn't trust one of those plastic bags the way I do my camelbak.
I'm just biased I s'pose...


Mike; my personal favorite is chianti, I'll drink it with just about anything. Its perfect for pasta since its an italian wine. I would say just find what you like, theres plenty of 8 or 9 dollar bottles of decent wine out there, you just have to try them. Trader Joe's has suprisingly good $3 bottles of wine (white and red, I don't remember what kinds but probably sauvignon and merlot)

after you finish the wine from the franzia, blow a little air back into the bag. It makes a decent field pillow in a pinch.

I say carry whatever kind of wine that you want, as long as you are the one carrying it. :idea:

I think the Franzia with a nice vintage 1992 MRE meatloaf makes a nice compliment. If you really want to get fancy eat it with the included vegetable cracker and Jalapeno cheese spread. My god matt- we are talking about backpacking here.

Is that wrong that the food is older than the wine???????

mikeinFHAZ wrote:I dont disagree, MATT. I dont see a problem with being a wine snob. What I do want to know is what is a good vino for beef jerky and pasta.(or other typical camp food) I heard a winemaker once say that all the talk of matching wine to food is all B.S. and I should drink what tastes good. What do ya think?

I agree with the winemaker. Drink what you like. All that matters is that you enjoy it. Someone once told me that beer and Tollhouse cookies don't go together. I don't know. I like beer. I like choclate chip cookies. Seemed like a good fit to me.

In response to pfredricks' reply:

Now pete you know I can't argue with the vegetable crackers and jalepeno cheese spread! But I'll take the '92 beef stew over the meatloaf, wash it down with a swig of chianti and move over to your (or was it AKs???) patented trail-gurrita (vodka and gatorade) for desert.

Campfire Margarita:

I can frozen LIMEADE

100% blue agave TEQUILA

salt from your buddy's sweaty hat (optional)

MIX Limeade, it will say use 4 1/4 cans o' water, dont.
Use just under 4 cans.
Add Tequila to taste. Do Not use any tequila that doesnt
contain 100% blue agave. You will be crucified.
Carry in your spare Platypus (matt) semi-frozen prior to hike.
refuse the
urge to drink on the trail unless you want to fall
to your death.
I use cheap pumpkin limeade from Safeway and mix the 'quillya
to taste, usually 1 part to 3.

p.s. dont try to carry Matt in your Platypus. I meant the margarita silly.

Seems to me that from a lightweight backpackers standpoint, until they invent powdered alcohol, that grain alcohol (Everclear), is the way to go.
Mix w/ Gatorade/Crystal-Light, etc. There you go.

In response to hikeaz's reply:

I like the way he thinks!

I do believe that "powdered Vodka" was invented for those Oh So Thirsty Russian Cosmonauts. This may have been linked to the crash of the Russian Space Station...

neverfear everclear

In response to mikeinFHAZ's reply:
:BH:

Just got a chance to log on and check to see all your responses. You all are hilarious, i gotta join you all some time. I see a common interest.

In Reavis Ranch last weekend and packed up my nalgenes with wine. Worked real well, especially packed in the dog backpacks. Nothing like having some wine and not having to carry it.

I found small, 250mm containers of wine at Target, yes Target. They have a Chardonay, Metlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon. It is sold in packs of 4. Each container is about the size of a Red Bull can. Basically this breaks down to 3 servings per bottle. A hefty pour. Each is its own container that can be stuffed anywhere in your pack and you don't need a cup, sorta like a juice box for adults without the straw and shapped like a can. Runs about $10 for the block of 4. You won't find it at Trader Joes or Fresh & Easy, but maybe AJ's. Giving them a try this weekend on my trip to the sups.

Some pals of mine bring vodka and some sort of lemon or lime powdered drink mix. I'm not much of a drinker, but I have tasted it, it's not bad at all. And I'd think it would be lighter in weight than the wine.