Jägermeister is great with any soda or beer. On its own it will satisfy your cough syrup fix. Rum is pretty good, at least alcohol with some taste, I just don't like the coconut variety. Other than that, how about wine? I'm sure there are a lot of fantastic Californian winery products near your place.
I never liked whiskey nor understand their appeal, tried Jack D, Johnnie Walker and can't differentiate with vodka. And for that I go for vodka. Moreover, the strong alcohol taste is not that much different from Korean soju, Japanese sake, or Chinese baijiu.