I discussed this at some length with the techie from the Pepsi distributor that adjusted our equipment when I briefly managed the bar at an Elks club.
A soda with ice in it is not “watered down.” The distributor adjusts the amount of syrup that goes into the gun based on the amount of ice that is traditionally placed in the glasses. The goal is that after some of the ice melts, the syrup content will approximately match what comes in a can or bottle.
According to him, they use more syrup in places that use a lot of ice (e.g., the American south) than they do in places where it’s traditional not to use ice (e.g., much of Europe).
Thus, a well soda (“gun drink”) with no ice around here is actually sweeter and stronger than a bottle or can of the same beverage.
I’ve noticed several bars lately that charge more for a drink when I order it neat. I asked why I’d pay more when I’m getting without the ice, and they said they pour more Scotch straight up than they do on the rocks, and they adjust the drink price to reflect that.
By the way, I don’t drink my Scotch neat to be cheap – I do it because adding ice to Oban or Macallan 18 violates Scottish law, maritime law, and several international treaties. I understand there are still places where it can get you burned at the stake as a witch.
By the way, I don’t drink my Scotch neat to be cheap – I do it because adding ice to Oban or Macallan 18 violates Scottish law, maritime law, and several international treaties. I understand there are still places where it can get you burned at the stake as a witch.
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Yeah, it’s not like “neat” Scotch automatically gives you a bigger pour–at least not at most bars I’ve been to. But when I ask for it neat (as I almost invariably do), I am often asked whether I want a double or single. I have seen some bartenders automatically pour you a double and charge you for a double if you ask for it “neat.” Of course, I’ve also been to some bars where “neat” gets you scotch in a shot glass (???) So it’s always good to ask, as there is a lot of variation here.
I should also respond to this quote: “You don’t get more alcohol this way, bc the alcohol is counted and measured for each drink, regardless of ice. I’m not even sure it would be legal to put more booze in there.”
Once again, it depends on the bar. Some places are very measured with their pours, using one of those doohickeys on the bottle, others use a jigger, and still others just eye-ball it. I’m quite used to seeing bartenders pour alcohol over a jigger, let it overflow, and then throw in a bit more alcohol for good measure, especially if you’re a regular and/or have been tipping well. There seems to be very little standardization about how its done, or even how much a “shot” of liquor constitutes. At one bar it may be 1.5 fl oz, at another 2.
Yeah nudder difference between there and here. Here, in most bars they have a 35ml optic on the end of Scotch and other spirit bottles. Some places they have a metal cup measure in 35ml and 70ml configurations. You are guaranteed a certain minimum for your money, which is good, but you’re never going to get more than you paid for, which is bad.
Yup, the only one (that I have noticed) to gives FREE refills is Subway (in Ireland, not sure about the continent).
However, some people are very shy of using the fill up option, the first time I used it, I was kind of afraid the staff would accuse me of stealing – they didn’t.
Soft drinks can be expensive here, compared to the US.
There is sometimes a Coffee unlimited, but it’s pretty rare.
In Ireland, you usually get Ice in your “soft” drinks, same when I went to Spain, Portugal & Turkey for holidays. However, in Germany, France & Switzerland your soft drink usually does not have ice cubes – except in McDonalds & Burger King.
But drinks are usually chilled and in a cold glass and the cooling down is not done by the melting ice cubes.
Personally, I do like lots of ice in my Coke, but I am the exception to the rule.
There are some “science” claims, that ice cold drinks in higher quantities are bad for your stomach or the “brain freeze” etc. - but for the most part it’s just habit.
Ice cube machines are not as common in Pub’s, Restaurants and Hotels, since people don’t really use them.
Also it waters down your drink – when you pay € 3 to €5 for your glass 0.3L of Coke – you want it full of Coke and not half full with Ice – people believe they get cheated and think the Pub, Restaurant or Hotel is charging them full price for ice and safe the good stuff.
I knew about the ice thing, but after about a week of touring in the summer, I really craved it. Seeing a booth at an outdoor fair with a sign that said “ice tea”, I eagerly ordered…and was brought a big glass of cool tea. I said, “Could I please have ice in it?”, and the kind man smiled, nodded “yes” and took the glass behind his curtain. After a minute of ice-chipping sounds, he came out with the glass of tea with the one little piece of ice in it.
The United States has tariffs and price supports that keep the price of cane sugar artificially high inside our borders, and subsidies that keep the price of corn artificially low. That’s why US soft drinks all jumped ship from sugar to HFCS around 1985-1990.
I discussed this at some length with the techie from the Pepsi distributor that adjusted our equipment when I briefly managed the bar at an Elks club.
A soda with ice in it is not “watered down.” The distributor adjusts the amount of syrup that goes into the gun based on the amount of ice that is traditionally placed in the glasses. The goal is that after some of the ice melts, the syrup content will approximately match what comes in a can or bottle.
According to him, they use more syrup in places that use a lot of ice (e.g., the American south) than they do in places where it’s traditional not to use ice (e.g., much of Europe).
Thus, a well soda (“gun drink”) with no ice around here is actually sweeter and stronger than a bottle or can of the same beverage.
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That may be so, but the fact remains that unless you wait for all of your ice to melt - and who does that? - you’ll still end up drinking a smaller volume of fluid from a cup with ice than from a cup without.
That’s part of it. But that saves only a penny or two (as witness the fact that “throwback” variants have the same retail price). Mind you, when you sell billions, pennies add up.
But one other reason is that HFC seems to have a lower ‘satiety’ factor that sugar, thus you can drink more without felling ‘full”. Witness the huge sizes of sodas here in America.
Of course I don’t ‘wait for all my ice to melt” before I start drinking. But at the end, I have no ice and no drink. Same amount of fluid has been consumed.
According to my Jewish friends, Coke does use sugar during Passover in some locations.
I use ice in my soft drinks.
But I also use ice (cubes or slush) in milk during the summer, too. Then again, I have had super-chilled raw milk in a dairy, minutes after it came from cows. And I’ve had body temperature milk direct from the cow sprayed into my mouth. Yeah, I’m weird that way.
Would it be illegal to get more than you asked for, though? I thought those practices–like the lines on half liter glasses on the Continent–were only to protect against short pours.
Wait, are you saying that HFCS makes you feel less full than sugar? I can honestly say that, aside from maybe milk, beverages rarely make me fell very full.
Is there somewhere I can read about this? As far as I know, cost was the primary reason we made the switch in the US, as evidenced by the fact that cane sugar is still used in a lot of other countries.
