My friends make fun of me when I order “SoCo”, saying that only college frat guys call it that, and that most people would have no idea what that even means? I your experience, what do most people call it?
I believe a Mint Julep is Bourbon sweetened with sugar and served in a tall glasss full of ice and mint leaves. But I could just be whistlin’ Dixie. 
I have a big ol’ bottle of brandy sitting at home, left over from a (failed) attempt at making tiramisu. Any suggestions on drinks to make with it, or should I just continue to let it gather dust on top of the refrigerator?
Morrison, while it’s true that only about 10% of people call it SoCo, I’ve never noticed that they’re just frat guys. Most people call it Southern Comfort.
Serendipity, you should never let a bottle of liquor gather dust. Even if it’s brandy, which I’ll admit is troubling.
You can make a Brandy Alexander with it; it’s a delectable frozen drink with one ounce brandy, one ounce dark creme de cocoa (chocolate liqueur), one ounce cream/half and half, two scoops of vanilla ice-cream and a handful of crushed ice.
Blend til smooth in a blender and slurp with a straw. Yum. (And if you don’t want to buy more liquor than you already have, you can substitute chocolate syrup for the creme de cocoa. Just add a bit more brandy, but not too much or you’ll melt the ice cream. Maybe half an ounce.)
You can also make this with no ice-cream, just a little more cream on the rocks, but it’s much more fun as an ice-cream drink.
And off the top of my head, that’s the only brandy drink I can think of; most people just drink brandy in a snifter, as an after-dinner drink, but since you bought a “big ol’ bottle” I imagine it’s a much cheaper brand you probably don’t want to try straight up.
Europeans drink brandy with Coke or Sprite; if you get desperate you might try it. I’ve also had people order brandy White Russians, which is brandy, Kahlua, and cream; I’ve never tried it but they seem to enjoy it. I’ll ask around at work to see if anybody else has any ideas on what to do with a big bottle of cheap brandy.
that_darn_cat, you are correct about the Mint Julep. I asked my boss; apparently it’s crushed ice, bourbon, muddled mint leaves, and simple syrup. (Sugar syrup.)
Like a mojito, with bourbon instead of rum.
And a brandy White Russian is apparently called a Dirty White Mother.
And I’m beginning to feel like I’m asking more questions than I’m answering. 
Oh, and for you, Serendipity, I looked around for brandy drinks…and honestly most of 'em were gross. The only one I remembered that might be tasty–b/c I’ve made it but never tried it–is a Sidecar.
1 1/2 oz brandy
3/4 oz triple sec (orange liqueur)
3/4 oz sweet and sour mix (nonalcholic; can be purchased at a grocery store)
Shaken over ice and strained into a martini glass with a sugared rim. It looks very snazz with a maraschino cherry dropped into it.
So if you ever get bored and try it, let me know if it was any good.
Sidecars are nummy, just so you know.
Me too! Sidecars are my favorite.
I always thought rye was canadian whiskey, e.g. Seagram’s 7
Thanks for the tips, Audrey! I’ll have to try them when I’m home for Easter Break.
Do you judge customers based on what they drink? For example, while I’ve never heard of Morrison’s friends’ theory that only frat guys call it ‘SoCo,’ I’ve certainly noticed that only girly-girls like to drink it (just kidding. I love SoCo, but my friends make fun of it. For low-budget drinking (esp. in public) there’s nothing better than SoCo and lemonade). So if he ordered something like that would you think less of him? Are there other drinks that make you think the customer is a lightweight or a girly-girl? Another example: Is it true that bartenders will point and laugh at a guy ordering a Midori Sour unless he makes it abundantly clear that he’s ordering it for a girl he’s there with? Or would you just assume that? Personally I’d never be caught dead ordering a Midori Sour in a bar so I just figure that anytime I do it goes without saying that it’s not for me. Although sometimes it goes with saying, if you know what I mean. When I’m feeling particularly insecure or whatever, lots of times I’ll accompany my tip for the Midori Sour and whatever drink I’m having with a sheepish smile and a “not for me.” Sometimes I’ve gotten in return a chuckle and a conspiratorial wink, sometimes a blank stare. If I alluded to that sort of thinking when ordering a drink from you would you have any idea what I was talking about?
If I wanted to impress you, what would I order?
What do you say when someone asks what your favorite drink is? In my experience bartenders almost always cop out of this question (eg. “It depends.” "Depends on what? “the weather.” -I’ve actually had this exact exchange more than once.). Why is that?
What one mixed drink do you serve most often?
Do you prefer gin and tonic, vodka and tonic, or rum and tonic. Why?
Somebody above referred to the practice of filling expensive liquor bottles with cheaper bar brands. Does this really go on? To what extent? Would you serve a certain type of customer from one set of bottles and another type from another set? Or does everyone in these situations get stiffed equally?
Is it ever possible to get a phone number from a bartender? I understand that you are engaged, but aside from that (heh) would you ever actually flirt with a customer or is it all just part of the job?
*Originally posted by White Lightning *
Do you judge customers based on what they drink?
As far as SoCo goes, I don’t really think it’s a sissy drink; anything with 101 proof isn’t for skirts only. But yes, I do judge people on what they drink, to a certain extent, although it doesn’t really affect anything as far as they know. A young guy who walks up and orders a Grey Goose martini, straight up, very dirty, is obviously trying to impress me, himself, or someone in the vicinity, because most young men prefer beer if they’re honest, and anyone who spoils a good martini by ordering it very dirty is just trying to get it down his throat without choking on it. Trust me; I used to work at a martini bar and you should’ve seen all the wannabe GQ guys trying to choke down an eight dollar martini, to be “cool,” when you knew they were dying for a Bud Light.
Are there other drinks that make you think the customer is a lightweight or a girly-girl? <snip> If I alluded to that sort of thinking when ordering a drink from you would you have any idea what I was talking about?
I usually ask a guy who orders a strawberry daiquiri if he’d like the complimentary skirt that goes with it; I’ll be honest. Ditto for a guy who orders a malt beverage–like Smirnoff Ice or Skyy Blue. C’mon. Those are for girls who don’t like beer.
So yes, I would know what you meant if you explained yourself and tipped well when you ordered a Midori Sour. Or Amaretto Sour. Or anything sour. (Although I had one guy drinking double Amaretto Sours and he kept telling me to “make 'em stronger.” Get over it, dude! There’s no freakin’ alcohol in Amaretto! Order something with a little hair on it or stop pestering me!)
If I wanted to impress you, what would I order?
12-year-old Scotch. On the rocks. No modifier.
What do you say when someone asks what your favorite drink is? In my experience bartenders almost always cop out of this question (eg. “It depends.” "Depends on what? “the weather.” -I’ve actually had this exact exchange more than once.). Why is that?
I usually say my very boring–but honest!–stand-by, which is Absolut with a splash of seven. I’m not a mixed drinks kind of gal, unless I know the bartender and I have faith they’re not gonna kill me with modifiers. I do like Long Islands, but most bartenders put way too much sweet and sour, and not nearly enough liquor, for me to order them.
Most bartenders probably cop out on that question because they figure you’re asking so you’ll get an idea of what to order from them. Which is kind of like someone saying, “Hmmmm…what do you make best?” I hate that question, because it implies that most of my drinks suck, and that if you order that One Specialty Drink from me, you’ll get the one really good drink I can make. I take pride in all my drinks; asking me to make you “my specialty” is not the Magic Question that gets you an incredibly strong pour or whatever.
And if I sound a bit bitter it’s because people ask me this all the time. :smack:
What one mixed drink do you serve most often?
Margaritas on the rocks. I work downtown in San Antonio; everybody wants to drink margaritas. And I make a mean top shelf rocks. Yum.
Do you prefer gin and tonic, vodka and tonic, or rum and tonic. Why?
None, really. Don’t like tonic. Of the three, I’ll take gin and tonic, b/c if you mix it with vodka all you taste is the tonic, whereas gin at least has a modifying flavor. And I don’t get people ordering rum and tonic to any real degree; most people drink rum with Coke or fruit juice.
Somebody above referred to the practice of filling expensive liquor bottles with cheaper bar brands. Does this really go on? To what extent? Would you serve a certain type of customer from one set of bottles and another type from another set? Or does everyone in these situations get stiffed equally?
I’ve never done this, nor have I ever worked at a bar that did. This is why TABC requires that we scratch their labels off every bottle the moment it’s emptied; any full bottle of liquor is required to have an intact TABC label on it or it’s a huge fine if you’re caught with it. And an empty liquor bottle with an intact label is just as huge a fine. To prevent people from saving empty top-shelf bottles and filling them up later with the cheap stuff.
The only thing I’ve ever done is pour a really annoying/cheap person a well liquor when they ordered a call, and then charge them for the call liquor. No one has ever noticed it; it’s a tiny way I get revenge.
** Is it ever possible to get a phone number from a bartender? I understand that you are engaged, but aside from that (heh) would you ever actually flirt with a customer or is it all just part of the job? **
I flirt with customers all the time; I consider it my job. But I don’t flirt to the extent that they usually call me on it. And if they do, I usually just smile and make a polite refusal. If I were a single girl, there are a few guys I might’ve given my number to, but not very many.
One of my coworkers met her current boyfriend over the bar, so it’s not impossible, but he came in for a month or so before he even let it slip that he liked her. The trick is to disarm her instinctive “a**hole radar.” Be friendly, be polite, behave yourself, don’t get totally wasted, tip well, and go in and visit her a time or two before you ask for her number. Or, better yet, give her yours, and say something innocuous like, “Hey, you seem like a really cool girl to hang out with. Are you doing anything on Monday? Maybe we could grab a movie or drinks or something.”
And don’t just talk to her, or she’ll know your gig. Be friendly and try to talk to everyone, including your fellow bar guests, and she’ll think you’re just a friendly guy. Not some freaky loner dude coming in just to stare at her all night long. Female bartenders usually have long list of freaks and a**holes they’ve encountered at work, so they’re naturally leery and somewhat jaded. Being told they’re hot or sexy or have beautiful eyes won’t wash; being approached with respect and friendly cameraderie (sp?) will go a lot further.
Any further questions?
Can you (or anyone reading this, for that matter) reccomend any cranberry juice-based mixed drinks, besides a Cape Cod?
I love tartness, and don’t like drinks with a harsh alcohol bite. I’ve been perusing my Big-Book-O-Drinks, but considering my alcohol experience is rather limited, I can’t look at a recipie and gauge mentally how it should/would taste.
Thanks!
<< This would be funny, if it weren’t happing to me. >>
Wow. That is what I order (unless it’s late, when I like to have a Rusty Nail). Except that I know barely enough about Scotch just to get by. How, exactly, would I order a 12-year old Scotch (ie. what specifically should I ask for)?
My dad’s favorite brand, which he introduced me to, is Chivas Regal, and I’ve always liked it, so that’s what I order. “Chivas on the rocks.” Does that come close?
Thanks so much for all the answers.
I don’t know what a Cape Cod is, and I’m not a bartender (obviously), but there’s always your classic vodka n cran. Isn’t a Sex on the Beach also made with cranberry juice? Or a Tequila Sunrise, which is very nice except that I personally don’t like drinking tequila in bars.
How old is the bottle of Galliano in your bar and when was the last time you used it?
*Originally posted by **Audrey Levins ***
…asking me to make you “my specialty” is not the Magic Question that gets you an incredibly strong pour or whatever.
So… what is the Magic Question? Enquiring minds…
I flirt with customers all the time; I consider it my job.
Well, that’s just the thing you see. You say you flirt, but it’s not real flirting, it’s just part of the job. How does one tell the difference? It may sound, by the way, that I’m some desperate lovesick boy trying to break the ice with a certain special barkeep; I’m not. I’m just curious.
Hey guys and gals! (Everyone who just asked me a question.)
I just answered all of your questions and then hit “submit,” only to realize I hadn’t logged in…so all my answers were erased. sob
And I’ve got to go to work now, so I don’t have time to retype 'em, but I’ll answer 'em again when I get back.
White Lightning:
Yup, that’s what a Cape Cod is: Vodka 'n cranberry juice.
Isn’t a ‘Sex on the Beach’ rather sweet though? (I have no idea why I think one is sweet, but eeeh.)
Cranberry and tequila… hmmm… That’s something to keep in mind.
<< Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. --Ernest Hemingway >>
Not to take over Audrey’s excellent job (or IANABartender), but brandy is good for spiking coffee, hot chocolate and egg nog. It’s also a key ingredient in Sangria.
Now a question for Audrey - do you know anything about port? What is a good moderate priced port?
Tequila Sunrise is (approximately) Tequila, OJ, splash of cran for the neato color. Maybe more ingredients, or more complex recipe than that (I only know drink recipes in the context of the superkmarket - party - plastic cup progression, so the fancy stuff is beyond me. To me a margarita is Tequila, Ice, Margarita Mix; blend. But all my friends think I’m a wicked bartender so I guess that’s what counts). I’m sure Audrey can explain more accurately.
I have no idea what’s in a Sex on the Beach. Doesn’t a ‘Cosmo’ also involve cranberry juice?
The drink my hall favored in my freshman year of college involved cranberry juice: vodka, orange soda, cran for color. I forget what we called it.