Beer is foul. I've yet to find a beer that is good, but I've run across beers that aren't as foul as others I've tasted. I have other reasons for avoid beer (gluten), but that's unrelated.
The absolute best drunk I've been was with a very specific white wine that someone told me to try. It was so good that before I had realized it I had downed almost the entire bottle and I was throughly drunk. It was a very pleasant drinking experience all around.
The worst drunk was when I was mixing beer and shots. I /thought/ I was being careful and keeping an eye on what I was drinking, but apparently not. I walked home at 11pm feeling really good and not at all drunk, and by 2am I was feeling even /more/ drunk. It wasn't until 7am the next morning that I finally sobered up enough to sleep soundly... and it was a school day.
It depends a lot on the quality of the alcohol and what you're mixing it with. Shots, in my experience, always burn at least a little bit. If my intention is to get drunk, shots are the best way to do this. I can keep track of how many shots I've had and stop when I know I'll be drunk enough to enjoy myself but be able to sober up quickly as well.
Mixed drinks are hit and miss. Some are just awful, others are decent. But it's hard to keep track of how much alcohol you've had, and they're typically expensive at bars. $12 in a Vegas casino can get you a one-shot drink, or a four-shot drink, and it's still really not worth it either way.
It can take the fun out of drinking for a lot of people, but if you can keep track of how much you've had to drink (five shots @ 200lbs is how many it takes to get me drunk but still sane), you can also calculate how much you need to maintain being drunk. Drink plenty of water -- I've even gone to the point where after using the bathroom I'll cup my hands in the sink and gulp water down. Don't sleep while your head is spinning, and eat a small amount of food throughout the night. If you follow that, you'll probably not end up with your head in a toilet.
For what it's worth, while drunk I'm still mostly sane. I get relaxed, but a lot of my mental limitations are still in place. I'm more friendly, and somewhat more crazy, but I don't go blurting things out or acting too stupid. I think it's mostly about finding a happy middle ground where you're drunk, you can enjoy yourself, but you know your limit and can refuse to drink more.