on ordering cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

a good friend of mine was just featured in an ad for bombay sapphire in this months GQ as one of like 16 innovative bartenders (congats to Cody Robertson, looking good man) and after checking it out i got to thinking.....

i couldn't order any of these elaborate beverages with a straight face if i had to. not that they would be tasty or refreshing or get you drunk or any of the other reasons that you have a cocktail, but jeez.

a side note is that i am a pretty simple consumer of alcoholic drinks. give me a gin martini up, a glass of pinot noir, a damn bottled beer, anything simple like that and i am more than satisified.

it is no fun to order something you have to explain how to make to the bartender. you look like a douche imho and i guarantee the server thinks you are one.

i am never ordering something with a "big" name.
ex. lemon tarragon tart or fire on ice. seriously.

alot of fancy, hip, new cocktails have 8 ingredients some of which many bars never carry.
(i am not refering to stuff on a menu, they are obviously within the limits, but still a bit much sometimes)

i could go on and on, but i want to ask these questions:

what is the most elaborate drink you can feel comfortable ordering?

does anyone have something they always order that they have to explain how to make everytime?

do you ever make your own multi ingedient, muddled, strained, mixed, set on fire cocktails at home?

i want to hear about edf's cocktail choices.

the simpler the better! [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] cheers. J.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

I tried buying 7 mind erasers for co workers, and the bartender at the bar/restaurant couldn't make it right. it came out mixed 3 times. This is why I don't like ordering complex drinks. Mind erasers isn't even that complicated, and they manage to eff that up.

I'm with you. gin and tonic. A yuengling, a Bass, or Killian's. Maybe scotch. That's what I order. Can't mess those up.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

wtf i thought mind erasers were quite standard, altho ill admit i dont have a clue whats actually in em.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

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wtf i thought mind erasers were quite standard, altho ill admit i dont have a clue whats actually in em.

[/ QUOTE ]

NLSoldier,

you are proving my point a bit, lol.

i wasn't really talking about shots or what not, but they totally apply to this topic as well.

how about just drinking some jager or shoot some whiskey or something? won't that do enough damage?

i actually heard some straight dudes (they seemed straight) order some "cowboy [censored] suckers" at a bar recently.

WTF?!

carry on, carry on.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

[ QUOTE ]
how about just drinking some jager or shoot some whiskey or something? won't that do enough damage?

i actually heard some straight dudes (they seemed straight) order some "cowboy [censored] suckers" at a bar recently.

WTF?!


[/ QUOTE ]

I tend to agree. I've always felt guys should stick to just pure alcohol. Leave the mixed drinks for the girls.

Shots: JD
Drink: cognac or cider/beer

There was a week where I started drinking Kir Royals then I realized it was a pink drink in a flute with a big strawberry so it had to go.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

I stick to the rule 'if I don't know what's in it, don't expect a bartender to know'. This is why I stick to vodka gimlets, gin or vodka tonics, shots of whiskey, and beer. On special occasions I'll order a special shot like a bazooka joe or jager bomb.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

The most complicated drink I order is a manhattan.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

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The most complicated drink I order is a manhattan.

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Last night at my regular bar the bartender asked me how to make a Manhattan...I was clueless.

I only order drinks that I know how to make so that if they ask me I can tell them. In town the most difficult drink would be Sex on the Beach, but in Vegas at Harrah's Diamond Lounges....anything goes!

Those bartenders know their stuff and usually will surprise me and bring me drinks with 7+ ingredients just to get the bigger tip from me. (I'm easily impressed and they know me, lol)

T

Re: on ordering cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

i ordered an appletini for theusher one time as a joke, and he countered with a melontini. i was v sad.

Re: on ordering cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

I generally stick to simple IBA drinks unless I know the bartender. I think the most complicated drink I'll order at a bar is a seabreeze (zomg multiple juices!), but usually I'll just stick to jack and ginger or whiskey.

Always good to know your bartender. That's when the fun starts.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

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The most complicated drink I order is a manhattan.

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On the rocks. This is my drink of choice.

Re: on ordering cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

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i ordered an appletini for theusher one time as a joke, and he countered with a melontini. i was v sad.

[/ QUOTE ]

I went to a birthday party at a brewery, and for whatever reason decided it would be amusing to order a chocolatini. The waitress stared at me and then started laughing. She then made an elaborate show at the table of putting whipped cream and cherries on it. It ruled hard enough that a couple of other people at the table decided to emulate me later. It was of course not funny when they did it.

Outside of occasions like this, I tend to order beer or gin and tonic. I have on occasion been places - usually restaurants, but sometimes small, flashy bars - where there's a bartender dying to show you something new, and then I just ask them to make me something they think I'll like.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

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Last night at my regular bar the bartender asked me how to make a Manhattan...I was clueless.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anyone not knowing how to make a Manhattan should be ashamed to call themselves a bartender.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

Screaming Viking, nobody knows how to make this one.

editted to add: I usually stick to beer.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

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wtf i thought mind erasers were quite standard, altho ill admit i dont have a clue whats actually in em.

[/ QUOTE ]

I too thought it was standard. Learned my lesson.

Layered drinks I guess shouldn't ever be considered standard, huh.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

Use this website when you have a bunch of random [censored] laying around the house to mix drinks with.

http://idrink.com/

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

[ QUOTE ]
Screaming Viking, nobody knows how to make this one.

editted to add: I usually stick to beer.

[/ QUOTE ]

Norm,

i know jack frost is going to start nipping at your nose does a screaming viking nip at your liver? J.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

What I really hate is when bars make you a mixed drink and there is almost no alcohol in it. You end up feeling the sugar more than anything else. My solution drink, 4 fingers of scotch on the rocks.

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I went to a birthday party at a brewery, and for whatever reason decided it would be amusing to order a chocolatini.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm actually shocked they even had the ingredients for it. Also, you should probably post this one in the "Jokes that fell flat IRL" thread.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

My buddy ordered a Black and Blue (Guiness and Blue Moon) at Buffalo Wild Wings and got a blackened burger with bleu cheese on it. Hilarious.

Also, at clubs (not bars, clubs, which I rarely go to) I almost exclusively drink vodka crans. Some people say I'm gay but I love the taste and can drink them unbelievably fast.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

[ QUOTE ]
My buddy ordered a Black and Blue (Guiness and Blue Moon) at Buffalo Wild Wings and got a blackened burger with bleu cheese on it. Hilarious.

Also, at clubs (not bars, clubs, which I rarely go to) I almost exclusively drink vodka crans. Some people say I'm gay but I love the taste and can drink them unbelievably fast.

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good story about the drink mistake.
my father once ordered a whiskey Ditch (whiskey water obv.)on vacation and the very offended waitress looked like she was going to slap him. she had never heard of such a thing.

ok as op in this case my opinion continues to count:

you may be gay, but vodka crans do not make you so.

taking 1 alcohol and mixing it with 1 other things + ice

that is ok. i almost don't care what they are, although i suppose things like malibu rum, sloe gin, etc are a bit much.

so no one is admiting to be a chronic drinker of so something exotic and ridiculous that you are known as the dude who only drinks "tie me to the bedposts" or "a little green man from mars on the rocks"

someone out there does and i want to know why! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] J.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

Wow. Am I the only one who LOVES exotic girly drinks? I would drink these things more often except I can never remember any of the names.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

forgot to add, I love these drinks because they taste good.

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Wow. Am I the only one who LOVES exotic girly drinks? I would drink these things more often except I can never remember any of the names.

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I love 'em but too many can be overpowering. I generally reserve them for when I'm at home - plus I can experiment more. Also - the crazier the drink the more overpriced they tend to be which is hella lame. However, with a bartender I know, I say bring on the mai tais! And the pink flamingos! And please to be remembering the umbrella. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

My biggest problem with mixed drinks is that they're usually very sweet and filling, so I can't drink more than a couple of them without feeling sick. That's why basically the only drinks I'll order are Long Islands and Gin/Vodka and Tonic/Sprite. I guess on rare occasions I'll get a Jagerbomb or a Jack and Coke, but other than that, it's beer and straight liquor for me.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

I tend to just drink beer because I like it better, it doesn't get me violently drunk as quickly, and it's cheap. If I order liquor I almost always order it straight. Whiskey, scotch, or tequila are pretty much it for me.

I'm not trying to sound all butch here, I'm just not a very interesting drinker.

My girlfriend used to order a girly drink called a Prison Bitch all the time, but that was just because our bartender thought it was hilarious to hear her order it. It was pretty good though. But I don't get down with the sweetness of those kinds of drinks.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

i usually stick to vodka soda twist, but half the bartenders of the world stick a wedge of lime in the glass. MFWTF.


when im feelin saucy its Pearl Coconut and Sprite FTW.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

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forgot to add, I love these drinks because they taste good.

[/ QUOTE ]

... and you're gay.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

Kettle One + Tonic, no lime no straw

Welcome to my world of bar drinking

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

Again, I mostly drink straight drinks or beer as well. I think the most complicated one I ever order are Cadillac Margaritas, but those aren't really that complicated.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

A dry martini w/ a twist is about as "interesting" as I order on any sort of semi-regular basis. Unless I'm just looking to get massively [censored] faced. In that case, it's time for a few Irish car bombs.

There are a few places where the bartenders know me, and they'll occasionally use me as a taste-test guinea pig for whatever new concoction they're doing. I've had some amazingly freaky (good and bad) stuff that way.

When I'm looking to sit back and enjoy my alcohol, it's martinis, good single malt scotch (straight up, always), wine or beer. Simple is good.

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[ QUOTE ]
forgot to add, I love these drinks because they taste good.

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... and you're gay.

[/ QUOTE ]

Might be getting leveled, but I really hate [censored] like this. Very frat boyish IMO.

Some of those drinks are [censored] delicious. Do you pass on certain restaurant dishes because STEAK is more manly? FWIW I can't drink much of them either due to how sweet/filling they are, but I'm not going to pretend that I wouldn't love to be able to get drunk off of Smirnoff Ice or something.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

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i usually stick to vodka soda twist, but half the bartenders of the world stick a wedge of lime in the glass. MFWTF.


when im feelin saucy its Pearl Coconut and Sprite FTW.

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Vodka soda>>>vodka tonic (if its a decent vodka). I usually just say 'vodka with soda', and grab a lemon wedge myself from the bar.

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
forgot to add, I love these drinks because they taste good.

[/ QUOTE ]

... and you're gay.

[/ QUOTE ]

Might be getting leveled, but I really hate [censored] like this. Very frat boyish IMO.

Some of those drinks are [censored] delicious. Do you pass on certain restaurant dishes because STEAK is more manly? FWIW I can't drink much of them either due to how sweet/filling they are, but I'm not going to pretend that I wouldn't love to be able to get drunk off of Smirnoff Ice or something.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are getting leveled. Boris being a [censored] has nothing to do with the fruity drinks he consumes.

Re: on order cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

I like ordering an amaretto sour. It tastes nice and is hard to mess up.

I also like ordering a Baileys on the rocks. This, also, is hard to mess up.

I think simple is better. Mixing drinks is like making a salad. A simple salad with lettuce, croutons, cheese and caesar dressing tastes good. But a salad with loads of ingredients, such as lettuce, croutons, cheese, tomatoes, M&Ms, chili peppers, o-toro sashimi, french onion soup, chocolate and angostura bitters will taste bad, even though the ingredients in isolation might be great.

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bartenders dont care to make anything you order if it's not crowded.

Re: on ordering cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

i rarely order complicated drinks. almost all are setting-specific, like a round of B-52s at a VFW post. there's just too much good beer available.

Re: on ordering cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

I generally don't drink anything with more than two ingredients. 98% of my drinking involves beer, bourbon on the rocks or g&t with a slice of lemon (I still get a lime 2/3 of the time). The most complicated drink I order with any regularity is a martini, which I like in and out, lightly shaken, up, with a twist. I'll only order this at a place I'm confident they'll understand. In general ordering needlessly complicated/obscure drinks annoys bartenders unless the place is dead and they have nothing to do.

Re: on ordering cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

Simple is good.

Martini, vodka or gin based, is about as complicated as I get. Though I do recall a long island ice tea that I ordered years ago that was not only excellent, I thought I was glowing. Anyway I also go with any Good single-malt scotch, neat or on the rocks.

Beer is good also, a Belgian Trappist Ale say (Chimay) or perhaps a bit lower on the scale with a colt-45 malt liquor or Old English 800 if you have to catch the m-train back to the barracks.

-Zeno

Re: on ordering cocktails at a bar or restaurant
 

whoiam,

you also have that mexican drink. i think that has a bundle of ingredients in it.


i also like ouzo. that stuff is good.