Things you just don't get

[indesertum]



The Mendoza Line separating a bad bar from a decent one is the ability to make an Aviation/Last Word. These are relatively uncommon requests, but not so obscure that a good bartender does not know them off the top of his or her head. If the bartender gives you a puzzled look, get up and leave and don't go back.

to me the mendoza line is an old fashioned. if i get some abomination that's mostly soda water and a ton of muddled fruit i order a beer next or something neat.

also i didnt realize it but apparently straight up and neat are different things. and straight up can sometimes mean neat, but up always means straight up.

 

[MrG]

I need to try a good martini. It's not a drink I've ever really explored, partially because the liquors in one never appealed to me and partially because I've heard they can be so hard to get done well, but it's something I really ought to give a shot.

to me the mendoza line is an old fashioned. if i get some abomination that's mostly soda water and a ton of muddled fruit i order a beer next or something neat.

also i didnt realize it but apparently straight up and neat are different things. and straight up can sometimes mean neat, but up always means straight up.

"Neat" is completely unadulterated, right? At least that's what it means in other contexts. So "straight up" could ostensibly have something done that doesn't change the liquor's composition but still changes the drink (like chilling).

Is that correct?

I always just order "neat," since it's universally understood to mean, "place booze into glass and bring to me."

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I could be wrong, but I think it is the amount you receive that makes them different.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]



I need to try a good martini. It's not a drink I've ever really explored, partially because the liquors in one never appealed to me and partially because I've heard they can be so hard to get done well, but it's something I really ought to give a shot.

I'm not a martini fan. It tastes a bit harsh to me. In my experience, adding a dash or two of orange bitters makes it much more drinkable.

 

[indesertum]

^seriously if you think the martini is too harsh up the vermouth content. can actually be quite good. also stir longer because the dilution and cold will temper the alcohol

I need to try a good martini. It's not a drink I've ever really explored, partially because the liquors in one never appealed to me and partially because I've heard they can be so hard to get done well, but it's something I really ought to give a shot.
"Neat" is completely unadulterated, right? At least that's what it means in other contexts. So "straight up" could ostensibly have something done that doesn't change the liquor's composition but still changes the drink (like chilling).

Is that correct?

I always just order "neat," since it's universally understood to mean, "place booze into glass and bring to me."

yeah. neat means nothing done to it. up means stirred with ice then strained. straight up can mean neat or up depending on the person. on the rocks means poured over ice. but there's a rocks glass so sometimes people say on the rocks and they get it in a rocks glass.

 

[Connemara]



I chose olives rather than a twist depending the gin I am drinking. Also, I don't get any juice, just the olive.

Hendricks and cucumber.

 

[MrG]



I could be wrong, but I think it is the amount you receive that makes them different.

The internets seem to agree with me: "Neat" is just booze in a glass at room temperature. It gets more muddled when you start talking about "straight," "up," and "straight-up," but at least a couple of those terms (can) mean chilled and strained.

Edit: Looks like indesertum beat me to it.

I'm not a martini fan. It tastes a bit harsh to me. In my experience, adding a dash or two of orange bitters makes it much more drinkable.

The harshness is what put me off them years ago, but I wonder if my palate has changed enough to deal with it as I've gotten older and acquired a taste for undiluted booze.

Only one way to find out!

 

[Bhowie]

Neat is just in a glass no alteration

Up or straight up - means it has been shaken or stirred and placed in a glass with no ice. No difference between them.

Down - shaken or stirred with the ice included with the booze.

A negroni is an example of a cocktail that people will ask if you want it up or down.

If you order a shot I would just use the terms neat or chilled. There isn't any ambiguity when you use those words.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I was not planning on having any martini's tonight, but now I think I will have some! I love you guys!

 

[Piobaire]



I need to try a good martini. It's not a drink I've ever really explored, partially because the liquors in one never appealed to me and partially because I've heard they can be so hard to get done well, but it's something I really ought to give a shot.

Go in steps. Get a really nice, floral, easy gin like Citadelle and get a top shelf vermouth (I'm using Noilly Pratt these days). Try my recipe of 3 oz gin, 1 oz vermouth, and 1 soupspoon size addition of olive brine and a dash of a good (not Reagan's, it sucks!) orange bitter. Just one dash.

Or do the above with a vodka of choice (I like Tito's, or when I'm out as no one seems to carry that, Ketel).

to me the mendoza line is an old fashioned. if i get some abomination that's mostly soda water and a ton of muddled fruit i order a beer next or something neat.

also i didnt realize it but apparently straight up and neat are different things. and straight up can sometimes mean neat, but up always means straight up.

An old fashioned is something even good bartenders will **** up. No one wants to make such a simple drink and most everyone wants to muddle fruit and add soda water.

 

[ethanm]

Old fashioneds are gross. Who are you, early seasons Don Draper? Mint julep's also suck and taste like Band-Aids.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I always just get a vermouth rinse. Like Churchill said, "I like to pour a glass full of gin and then observe the vermouth from across the room while I enjoy my martini."

 

[indesertum]

^dude try it with more vermouth. you might like it

Old fashioneds are gross. Who are you, early seasons Don Draper? Mint julep's also suck and taste like Band-Aids.

dude if you have a favorite bourbon or rye whiskey you owe it to yourself to make a good old fashioned with it. its a pain ********** to make if you use a sugar cube or granulated sugar because you have to muddle it until there are no more granules, but otoh you can control the dilution better.

this version by chris mcmillan is great

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

he has interesting take where he muddles the peel instead of just squeezing it over the drink. he also gives you a swizzle stick so you can control the dilution yourself


his video on the mint julep is so entertaining

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

i love how he uses a hammer to pulverize the ice. like who does that? and what bars still have a julep cup? to me a mint julep is more akin to an old fashioned except you muddle mint instead of sugar. too many bars just give you a mojito with bourbon instead of tequila (with soda water or worse, soda in it)


old fashioned is probably my most favorite cocktail. add some lemon juice and you have a whiskey sour.

Neat is just in a glass no alteration

Up or straight up - means it has been shaken or stirred and placed in a glass with no ice. No difference between them.

Down - shaken or stirred with the ice included with the booze.

A negroni is an example of a cocktail that people will ask if you want it up or down.

If you order a shot I would just use the terms neat or chilled. There isn't any ambiguity when you use those words.

never heard of down. so would you say stirred down if you wanted it stirred, strained, and poured over ice?

 

[MrG]

A few things, indesertum.

1) I don't know if he mentions it in the video, but the ice bag is a Lewis bag. They're awesome (I've used one and keep meaning to buy one).

II) I own a pewter julep cup. It's also awesome.

C) I agree that ordering a mint julep in a bar is a risky proposition, but mojitos are white rum, not tequila. They are also awesome when done well.

Also, mint juleps are woooonderful. The Yankee above has no idea what he's talking about.

Go in steps. Get a really nice, floral, easy gin like Citadelle and get a top shelf vermouth (I'm using Noilly Pratt these days). Try my recipe of 3 oz gin, 1 oz vermouth, and 1 soupspoon size addition of olive brine and a dash of a good (not Reagan's, it sucks!) orange bitter. Just one dash.

Or do the above with a vodka of choice (I like Tito's, or when I'm out as no one seems to carry that, Ketel).
An old fashioned is something even good bartenders will **** up. No one wants to make such a simple drink and most everyone wants to muddle fruit and add soda water.

Thanks for the advice. I would have no idea where to start, so this is a good guide.

 

[indesertum]



A few things, indesertum.

1) I don't know if he mentions it in the video, but the ice bag is a Lewis bag. They're awesome (I've used one and keep meaning to buy one).

II) I own a pewter julep cup. It's also awesome.

C) Mojitos are white rum, not tequila. They are also awesome when done well.

Also, mint juleps are woooonderful. The Yankee above has no idea what he's talking about.
Thanks for the advice. I would have no idea where to start, so this is a good guide.

lol i was thinking of a margarita. i is noob

i've been wanting to try dolin white on rec of huntsman, but noilly pratt is the go to for me.