I truthfully did not have a sip of alcohol until I was eighteen. I was at a cotillion after party; I drank a six pack of green apple Smirnoff and spilled it all over my black hair extensions. Fortunately with age I've out grown my taste for fruity drinks. With age you'll also find that your drink preferences will change and you'll even discover your own signature drink.
You more than likely will not have your favorite drink for your first time drinking. First time drinks are usually opportunity drinks; they're not your first choice, but rather what's available easily or at the moment especially considering most people's first times drinking are done in secret. Your first drink is also usually something your parent or relative drinks.
In high school and first year or so of college, people drink whatever is cheap and gets you drunk in the shortest amount of time. This is the era of Everclear, box wine, Four Lokos, malt liquor and trash can punch. If it can be shot gunned or chugged through a beer funnel, it's being consumed during these few years.
Twenty one is a truly defining year in one's life. This is the first time you can freely walk into any bar and pick absolutely anything you want. Say goodbye to the opportunity drinks, the box wine, the malt liquor and the beer that costs $4 a six pack and say hello to freedom. This is the year to experiment and develop a specific preference on liquors, mixing combinations, craft beers and types of wine. I had no idea how many possibilities there really are for drinks. Experimentation at this age is often influenced by pop culture. I had no idea what was in a cosmo, but I knew Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City made them look glamorous. I had never tried a martini but I knew James Bond liked his shaken not stirred. This was the age that I discovered which liquors made me call my ex, which beers paired best with Sunday football and which wine made me fall asleep fastest with my cats.
Although you experiment with alcohol the most at the age of twenty one, you don't choose your signature drink until your mid twenties. Your signature drink is the drink that you can have either one or eight of and still feel great doesn't alter your personality. I feel very fortunate to have discovered my signature drink in college. I'm majoring in Titos vodka and sprite with a minor in Shiner Bock.
Once your signature drink is established, your journey on the road of alcohol will go smoothly. Feel free to stop and smell the beer o ritas and Vegas bomb roses along the way; even the most seasoned alcohol veterans deserve a little holiday.