I have an obsession with personality analysis. I have dedicated countless hours to reading books about the enneagram and Myers-Briggs and taking personality tests, administering them to my friends, and discussing them ad nauseum. I used to muse about whether a person’s preferred style of cooking eggs might be a personality indicator of some sort. Do people who like scrambled eggs have a fundamentally different personality from those who like them fried? Do INTP’s favor omelets over scrambles?
It’s therefore unsurprising when I was asked to talk about what drink I drink at home, I instantly wondered if that choice is a reflection of personality as well? It feels like it ought to be. Or, if not personality, at least a reflection of some fundamental aspect of your tastes, preferences, and/or habits. The thing that is your go-to drink seems bound to be something that you really love. Unless it’s just something really simple—or, maybe, you don’t even have a the thing because you like to switch it up. But those options say something about you, too, right? So, what do you reach for when you want a drink at the end of the day?
I think because I’m a “beverage professional” people assume I drink interesting things at home. I don’t. In spite of making craft spirits and cocktails for my work, I don’t drink much at home. My go-to drink after work is as likely to be soda water with lime as it is anything else. I don’t say this to come across as particularly virtuous. I’m not. But, I do really like fizzy water. (Bubbly personality? No, no, that doesn’t fit.)
As much as I love great wine and beer, we rarely have them around the house. That would require going to a store and buying them—and I don’t often make that effort. Thus, we learn I may be a bit lazy. Or, more accurately, I hate any kind of shopping. Bottles of spirits last longer, so when I do buy them, at least they’re around for awhile. So, if I’m going to have a drink, it will probably be spirituous.
Because of this, here are the things I almost always have on hand:
Vermouth (I don’t buy wine, but I somehow find myself collecting vermouth. Perhaps this means my personality is more complex than it appears at first? Or I am internally inconsistent?)
Campari (because I LOVE Campari)
Gin and whiskey (because, well, we make gin and whiskey, amongst other things)
Bitters (a big bottle of Angostura bitters is an important thing to have and lasts a long time)
What’s great about this lineup of things is with it, I have a variety of different options if I decide I want a cocktail after work.
With whiskey, vermouth, and bitters I can make a Manhattan. If I add Campari instead of bitters, I can make a Boulevardier. With gin, Campari, and vermouth I get a Negroni. And for something lighter, I can have Campari plus vermouth topped with soda (that’s an Americano), or a simple Campari and soda. Then again, when it comes down to it, I may just have a splash of Scotch, neat—plus dark chocolate. Drinks are entirely negotiable, but chocolate never is.
So, there you go. I’m an INFJ, an enneatype 6, I like my eggs over easy, and if I go to pour myself a drink at the end of the day, I guess it’s more likely to be a whole system than a particular drink. Who are you?
Fiveandspice, a.k.a. Emily Vikre, is a writer, self-described "food policy wonk," and co-founder of Vikre Distillery. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota. You can read more of her writing here.
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