you make a lot of good points, here is some follow up:
there are literally 1 million cocktails (good and bad) get a few books , craft of the cocktail, the savoy, jerry Thomas, Gary Reagan, etc...and start from there
TomCollins basically = gin+ lemonade (however lemonade works with basically any spirit)
the word “simpleton” can be misgiving. I know many people who hate mixed drinks simply because they have never sat in front of a skilled bartender. Many people dislike a specific category because they have limited experience . I doubt you are a “simpleton” just maybe haven’t had the opportunity to expand your category and brand experiences.
I read you talked about a buddy that drank dewars...could have been me. I drank dewars in college because my grandmother did, and all I knew was dewars and Johnny walker...there are over 8k brands in the United States today (only 500 when I was at SU) so a lot of diversity per category today that wasn’t there 20 years ago.
Terminology:
Straight = no mixers (often used as neat)
Neat = in a glass , no ice, no mixers
Up= in a fancy glass (martini glass)
Straight up = (most confused term) 3 oz. chilled booze with no mixers (bitters or vermouth, etc.) strained into a fancy glass