Martinis

patrickBOOTH · Feb 28, 2012

Rambo said:
I specify exactly how I want it when I order. Harvey knows my stance on this.

I've begun to do this, however I feel like even more of a prick telling somebody how to do their job. I guess I have to.

I have noticed the age of the bartender has a lot to do with it.

Rambo · Feb 28, 2012

patrickBOOTH said:
I've begun to do this, however I feel like even more of a prick telling somebody how to do their job. I guess I have to.
I have noticed the age of the bartender has a lot to do with it.

Maybe in NY. Personally, if I'm giving you my money I expect to get what I ordered. If I have to come off as a dick to get what I want, then so be it. Now if I'm getting it for free, then you can mix it whatever the **** way you want to.

I suspect we are of like mind.

patrickBOOTH · Feb 28, 2012

Rambo said:
Maybe in NY. Personally, if I'm giving you my money I expect to get what I ordered. If I have to come off as a dick to get what I want, then so be it. Now if I'm getting it for free, then you can mix it whatever the **** way you want to.
I suspect we are of like mind.

I don't know. If I go into a bar where the bartender is a tight t-shirt wearing hipster and I explain how I want my martini I can't not feel like a dick.

Piobaire · Feb 28, 2012

patrickBOOTH said:
Rambo said:

Maybe in NY. Personally, if I'm giving you my money I expect to get what I ordered. If I have to come off as a dick to get what I want, then so be it. Now if I'm getting it for free, then you can mix it whatever the **** way you want to.
I suspect we are of like mind.

Click to expand...

I don't know. If I go into a bar where the bartender is a tight t-shirt wearing hipster and I explain how I want my martini I can't not feel like a dick.

I always thought the best thing about having a hipster in a service position is that I can be as big a prick as I want and not have to feel like a dick. I mean, hipster?

Savile Row said:
Please tell me you are not one of those "a real man doesn't eat quiche" type cacklers.

Help me out here though. So Eric understands two shots of vodka is in no way anything one could remotely call a legit "martini." How does this statement apply to him?

patrickBOOTH · Feb 28, 2012

Piobaire said:
I always thought the best thing about having a hipster in a service position is that I can be as big a prick as I want and not have to feel like a dick. I mean, hipster?

Haha. Maybe, I don't know. I feel like "when in Rome" you know. PBR.

Ambulance Chaser · Feb 28, 2012

Solution is easy: Drink at a better bar. You can generally tell how good a bar is by the bottles it stocks. If it has five different flavored vodkas but no maraschino liqueur, order a beer.

Piobaire · Feb 28, 2012

Ambulance Chaser said:
Solution is easy: Drink at a better bar. You can generally tell how good a bar is by the bottles it stocks. If it has five different flavored vodkas but no maraschino liqueur, order a beer.

I think what you say has some pretty applicable wisdom to it, but even at some places where the bar stock is pretty impressive, the whole "dirty vodka martini" craze rules. I find upscale steakhouse bars/lounges to be like this. Great bottle selection but if it's a 20-something pretty blonde designed for maximum tippage from affluent middle aged men? Probably knows the "martini menu" as her stock and trade.

patrickBOOTH · Feb 28, 2012

Piobaire said:
I think what you say has some pretty applicable wisdom to it, but even at some places where the bar stock is pretty impressive, the whole "dirty vodka martini" craze rules. I find upscale steakhouse bars/lounges to be like this. Great bottle selection but if it's a 20-something pretty blonde designed for maximum tippage from affluent middle aged men? Probably knows the "martini menu" as her stock and trade.

Very true. I feel that most places have the beer menu down pretty well. It seems that microbrews and such are kind of, "in" right now.

Ambulance Chaser · Feb 28, 2012

I would trust a bartender at an upscale steakhouse to get almost everything right, particularly if the clientele are affluent middle-aged men who are the likeliest to be into classic cocktails. Last night, I went to a spirits tasting at a steakhouse in the W Hotel. One of the customers, a white, middle-aged man dressed in a suit, ordered a Manhattan as his opening cocktail. Being a huge Manhattan fan, I watched the bartender (Korean man who looked to be in his 30s or 40s) closely. He stirred the drink, added two drops of bitters (a detail many bartenders miss) and finished with a cherry that was not neon red in color. Granted, a Manhattan is not a difficult drink to make, but I have confidence that this bartender could competently make any drink I might order.

Rambo · Feb 28, 2012

Ambulance Chaser said:
I would trust a bartender at an upscale steakhouse to get almost everything right, particularly if the clientele are affluent middle-aged men who are the likeliest to be into classic cocktails.

This is VERY dependent on the city. Really good bartenders are a rare breed down here, even in high end joints.

Harold falcon · Feb 28, 2012

This thread is making me thirsty.

patrickBOOTH · Feb 28, 2012

Ambulance Chaser said:
I would trust a bartender at an upscale steakhouse to get almost everything right, particularly if the clientele are affluent middle-aged men who are the likeliest to be into classic cocktails. Last night, I went to a spirits tasting at a steakhouse in the W Hotel. One of the customers, a white, middle-aged man dressed in a suit, ordered a Manhattan as his opening cocktail. Being a huge Manhattan fan, I watched the bartender (Korean man who looked to be in his 30s or 40s) closely. He stirred the drink, added two drops of bitters (a detail many bartenders miss) and finished with a cherry that was not neon red in color. Granted, a Manhattan is not a difficult drink to make, but I have confidence that this bartender could competently make any drink I might order.

I went to Peter Luger's this summer with my dentist and his friends. I was the youngest person in attendance by 40 years. I had a few martinis and the older bartender who made them for me did a great job. All off the other people who were with me were waaaaay more affluent than I, by 10's of millions. I think the most impressive drink I saw ordered by them was a Grey Goose vodka on the rocks. I kid you not. they winced at my martinis.

Even at dives in New York, bitters in a Manhattan are pretty standard. Also, it seems that they like to serve them up if you don't specify on the rocks. I was always under the impression that a Manhattan demanded rocks.

Piobaire · Feb 28, 2012

Ambulance Chaser said:
I would trust a bartender at an upscale steakhouse to get almost everything right, particularly if the clientele are affluent middle-aged men who are the likeliest to be into classic cocktails. Last night, I went to a spirits tasting at a steakhouse in the W Hotel. One of the customers, a white, middle-aged man dressed in a suit, ordered a Manhattan as his opening cocktail. Being a huge Manhattan fan, I watched the bartender (Korean man who looked to be in his 30s or 40s) closely. He stirred the drink, added two drops of bitters (a detail many bartenders miss) and finished with a cherry that was not neon red in color. Granted, a Manhattan is not a difficult drink to make, but I have confidence that this bartender could competently make any drink I might order.

30-40 Korean guy =! blonde female 20-something tip machine

Btw, where I live? The biggest offender for dirty vodka martini without vermouth is a high end steakhouse with attached live jazz lounge. It has a great selection, and if you give clear instructions can even get a good manhattan with bitters (manhattan has been my cocktail of choice for about 25 years now), but the staff is not to be trusted on their own.

Rambo · Feb 28, 2012

Manhattan is served up and with bitters. Always. It should be served in a martini glass but I've seen others used and am not really picky about the barware in question.

patrickBOOTH · Feb 28, 2012

Rambo said:
Manhattan is served up and with bitters. Always. It should be served in a martini glass but I've seen others used and am not really picky about the barware in question.

Clearly... It is a cocktail glass, not a martini glass :teach:

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