Liquors aboard Amtrak

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Shawn Ryu

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So my birthday is coming soon and I want to go on Amtrak trip to DC. And no birthday is complete without some heavy drinking. Whats the de jure and de facto rule on alcohol on board NEC or Acela?

And what liquors do they sell?
 
So my birthday is coming soon and I want to go on Amtrak trip to DC. And no birthday is complete without some heavy drinking. Whats the de jure and de facto rule on alcohol on board NEC or Acela?

And what liquors do they sell?
Amtrak does not allow you to consume "private stock" alcoholic beverages anywhere on its trains with the exception of sleeping compartments, which you presumably

will not have access to on your trip.

They are happy to sell it to you, however. Others can probably comment better than I can as to the specific selections available.
 
So my birthday is coming soon and I want to go on Amtrak trip to DC. And no birthday is complete without some heavy drinking. Whats the de jure and de facto rule on alcohol on board NEC or Acela?

And what liquors do they sell?

The liquors sold in the Acela cafe are Dewars, Jameson (sp) Irish whisky, Absolut, Beefeater,Jack,Beefeater, and Bacardi. The regionals will have similar choices with some minor deviations. As stated, bringing your own is "not allowed", but not enforced as long as discreet (sp).

Have a Happy Bday!
 
As stated, bringing your own is "not allowed", but not enforced as long as discreet (sp).

Have a Happy Bday!

It is always enforced "when you get caught." Amtrak sells plenty of alcohol onboard its trains. The liquor is the better bang for your buck. The beer can average out to around $100/case however the mixed drinks are pretty on par with many bars at $6 or $7 per drink.

Don't get so drunk that you get stupid and end up put-off the train. Enjoy and Happy Birthday.
 
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I never understood why some people need to drink with everything they do.
 
As stated, bringing your own is "not allowed", but not enforced as long as discreet (sp).

Have a Happy Bday!

It is always enforced "when you get caught." Amtrak sells plenty of alcohol onboard its trains. The liquor is the better bang for your buck. The beer can average out to around $100/case however the mixed drinks are pretty on par with many bars at $6 or $7 per drink.

Don't get so drunk that you get stupid and end up put-off the train. Enjoy and Happy Birthday.
I should have qualified my answer in that it applies to the NEC which is where the OP references traveling, The rest of the system is much stricter in its adherence to this rule.
 
I never understood why some people need to drink with everything they do.
I never understood why some people think the desire for a couple of pops on their birthday means they need to drink with EVERYTHING they do. :)
 
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I agree with the suggestion to go acela FC. They have knob creek bourbon in the FC car - yum! They also have prosecco and another kind of sparkling wine, plus red and white wine.

The attendants will be more than happy to keep the alcohol flowing throughout the entire trip. I have even had attendants give me a half full bottle of wine when leaving the train in PVD to take with me, or letting me take an extra little bottle of liquor that they might have dropped off earlier but I didn't drink on the train. Just tip generously - some of them even remember me now (2250 and 2252) - and get me my bourbon right away. :)

You can easily get hammered on that routing. I have definitely stepped off the train a few times and been more than a little tipsy.
 
I never understood why some people need to drink with everything they do.
I never understood why some people think the desire for a couple of pops on their birthday means they need to drink with EVERYTHING they do. :)
Yea, come on now, I rarely drink during the day outside my house unless its during a sporting event.

Also I assume drinking too much will get me thrown off the train, :giggle: Moderation aboard Amtrak I guess.
 
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Wow, good deal, they actually have something drinkable in FC on Acela? Now if it was only available on other trains. (not to worry, I bring my own if I choose to imbibe) I prefer a nice Islay scotch (Laphroaig 18 YO is my preference), but can drink Knob Creek in a pinch. Most bourbons are a bit too sweet for me, but I'm developing a taste for them. Delta FC does offer Glenlivit but seem to be out of it a lot....so, I've taken to enjoying Woodford Reserve. It's not to bad.

I think the last Amtrak train I was on and bought liquor, only had Dewars for scotch, and Jim Beam (or something equally un-drinkable!) for bourbon. Learned my lesson, now I bring my own if I will be wanting a beverage.
 
Delta FC does offer Glenlivit but seem to be out of it a lot.
Does that refer to Glenlivet 12, 15, 18, 21, or XXV?

I think the last Amtrak train I was on and bought liquor, only had Dewars for scotch, and Jim Beam (or something equally un-drinkable!) for bourbon. Learned my lesson, now I bring my own if I will be wanting a beverage.
In my experience typical spirits include Canadian Club, Jack Daniel’s Black, Dewar’s White, Absolut, Beefeater, and Bacardi. Not a single top-shelf option among them. But, as many have learned you can bring whatever you want so long as you know how to conduct yourself in the company of strangers. I enjoy drinking, but I do not enjoy giving drinkers a bad name, and I certainly don't want whats happening to smokers to happen to drinkers because we abused (or allowed others to abuse) our good fortune. Amtrak's rules are easy to understand but also miss the point entirely. The issue shouldn't be about where you bought your liquor from so much as how well you can handle yourself and how disruptive you are toward others.

In a previous era you could bring whatever you wanted aboard an aircraft and simply hand it over to the stewardess to pour. This allowed you to have the brand of your choice at a reasonable price while also allowing the airline to help prevent overindulgence. It was a responsible solution that was beneficial to all interested parties. Technically self-supplied liquor is still allowed by the FAA, but the airlines themselves would rather make it all about who does the selling than who does the actual drinking. Likewise, Amtrak will happily sell you more than enough to liquor to get completely plastered and even let you drink it whenever and wherever you please so long as you bought it from them.
 
Delta FC does offer Glenlivit but seem to be out of it a lot.
Does that refer to Glenlivet 12, 15, 18, 21, or XXV?

I think the last Amtrak train I was on and bought liquor, only had Dewars for scotch, and Jim Beam (or something equally un-drinkable!) for bourbon. Learned my lesson, now I bring my own if I will be wanting a beverage.
In my experience typical spirits include Canadian Club, Jack Daniel's Black, Dewar's White, Absolut, Beefeater, and Bacardi. Not a single top-shelf option among them. But, as many have learned you can bring whatever you want so long as you know how to conduct yourself in the company of strangers. I enjoy drinking, but I do not enjoy giving drinkers a bad name, and I certainly don't want whats happening to smokers to happen to drinkers because we abused (or allowed others to abuse) our good fortune. Amtrak's rules are easy to understand but also miss the point entirely. The issue shouldn't be about where you bought your liquor from so much as how well you can handle yourself and how disruptive you are toward others.

In a previous era you could bring whatever you wanted aboard an aircraft and simply hand it over to the stewardess to pour. This allowed you to have the brand of your choice at a reasonable price while also allowing the airline to help prevent overindulgence. It was a responsible solution that was beneficial to all interested parties. Technically self-supplied liquor is still allowed by the FAA, but the airlines themselves would rather make it all about who does the selling than who does the actual drinking. Likewise, Amtrak will happily sell you more than enough to liquor to get completely plastered and even let you drink it whenever and wherever you please so long as you bought it from them.
But, but, if my dad had provided his own on the airlines, he wouldn't have had a display case of all the little bottles he brought home from his trips. :eek:
 
Glenlivet 12. It's not bad, I can still enjoy it. It's not what I'd drink if I could bring my own on with me, but it's acceptable. I prefer an Islay Scotch, but a Speyside like Glenlivet isn't bad either-Glenlivet is just sort of the Budweiser of Scotch, it's gotten so big, I think the subtle quality of craft distilling is gone-but, at least it is available! While I tend to enjoy Scotch in the spring and summer, come fall/winter, I tend to switch to Bourbon or Rye. They're just....warming somehow. Though, to be fair, I don't drink all that much anyway, usually just when flying/travelling, or on a Fri/Sat night I like a drink or two- a bottle lasts a while-which is why I don't mind spending a little more for quality!

Edit to add-That said, you don't necessarily need to shell out big bucks for good Whisky (or, Whiskey if you prefer, or are Irish..) one of my favorites, is Bulleit Rye, (their Bourbon is nice too) and it's less than $30/bottle. Give it a try, great on the rocks, or in a Manhattan. Good sipping Whisky!
 
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Glenlivet 12. It's not bad, I can still enjoy it. It's not what I'd drink if I could bring my own on with me, but it's acceptable. I prefer an Islay Scotch, but a Speyside like Glenlivet isn't bad either-Glenlivet is just sort of the Budweiser of Scotch, it's gotten so big, I think the subtle quality of craft distilling is gone-but, at least it is available!
In my view there is a substantial difference between Glenlivet 12 and Glenlivet 21. I'm actually not much of a Scotch drinker these days, and much of what I've had in the past was from the blended side of the market, but I found Glenlivet 21 to be a good value for the money. I actually used to be a Johnnie Walker fan in the past. However, while JW Black may be perfectly passable and JW Blue may be immanently presentable they both seem to suffer from a status premium that exceeds their actual quality. With regard to Laphroaig my local chain doesn't seem to have the 18 year, only the 10, 11, and 25. Ten or eleven can be a little short for a Scotch and the $400+ bottle of 25 year is beyond my price range for a brand I've never tried. I'll keep the 18 year in mind though.

Edit to add-That said, you don't necessarily need to shell out big bucks for good Whisky (or, Whiskey if you prefer, or are Irish..) one of my favorites, is Bulleit Rye, (their Bourbon is nice too) and it's less than $30/bottle. Give it a try, great on the rocks, or in a Manhattan. Good sipping Whisky!
Never tried it but that's certainly a nice trial sized price.
 
I'll second the Bulleit Rye, it is very excellent, really smooth. My local store has it for $20 a 5th. If I run out of private stock on board I usually do a Beefeater & cranberry or a Jim Beam Black & Soda (or ginger ale). We usually take a black box of wine (3L) on our sleeper trips which very rarely gets emptied before our destination.

I'm going to have to try the Acela FC when we go visit Boston in the next year or two, sounds like a fun time.
 
Wow, good deal, they actually have something drinkable in FC on Acela? Now if it was only available on other trains. (not to worry, I bring my own if I choose to imbibe) I prefer a nice Islay scotch (Laphroaig 18 YO is my preference), but can drink Knob Creek in a pinch. Most bourbons are a bit too sweet for me, but I'm developing a taste for them. Delta FC does offer Glenlivit but seem to be out of it a lot....so, I've taken to enjoying Woodford Reserve. It's not to bad.

I think the last Amtrak train I was on and bought liquor, only had Dewars for scotch, and Jim Beam (or something equally un-drinkable!) for bourbon. Learned my lesson, now I bring my own if I will be wanting a beverage.
Glad I am not the only one to not like Jim Beam.

I wish I could bring Captain Morgan aboard though. Order some coke and...
 
I'll second the Bulleit Rye, it is very excellent, really smooth.
Thirded. My sentiments exactly, and very reasonably priced for the level of quality. This is what I usually get if I decide to go for something nicer than usual. [To the OP: I also enjoy Jim Beam, though I usually go for Evan Williams]

Back to Amtrak, if beer is your thing, the Downeaster has the best selection by far in my experience since they make a big deal about having Maine-brewed selections available.
 
I think the last Amtrak train I was on and bought liquor, only had Dewars for scotch, and Jim Beam (or something equally un-drinkable!) for bourbon.
Glad I am not the only one to not like Jim Beam. I wish I could bring Captain Morgan aboard though. Order some coke and...
I agree that Jim Beam is a bit too rough to be enjoyable, but Captain Morgan errors in the other direction by being far too sweet. Adding sugary soda doesn't really do anything to change that.

Back to Amtrak, if beer is your thing, the Downeaster has the best selection by far in my experience since they make a big deal about having Maine-brewed selections available.
Much of the time the dining car staff seems to have no earthly idea which beers were actually stocked and what has already run out. I've ordered dozens of phantom beers myself and watched others order one beer that suddenly became another without explanation or acknowledgement.

My recent experience is that Western LD trains frequently run out of Jack Daniel's.
I actually used to hate Jack Daniels and it amazed me how popular and how common it was. Then over time it sort of grew on me. Now I kind of like it. My favorite Jack Daniels cocktail so far was a Whisky Basil Lemonade. Good stuff. Most of my favorite cocktails have involved fresh herbs and/or fresh vegetables and/or fresh fruit. Fresh ingredients can make all the difference in the world in my view.
 
Amtrak could make a lot of money if they got bar cars for NER and Acela trains.Offer larger varieties for everyone to enjoy. Its a fact that people spend a lot of money on alcohols.
 
I took the Vermonter last month and they have just started by train to make the train more Vermont by selling Long Trail Ale in the cafe car (there were table tents on each table advertising this) and also some local of potato chips. I wish Vermont could use their state supported clout to make the cafe car a more Vermont experience with Vermont products, like the Downeaster and how great the bistro cars are out on Amtrak Cascades.

I wonder if New York State could do something with the Empire Service to have local New York State products once it has to take over state funding.
 
Back to Amtrak, if beer is your thing, the Downeaster has the best selection by far in my experience since they make a big deal about having Maine-brewed selections available.
The Cascades have a selection of "craft beers" from the Pacific Northwest.
 
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