# the trick with tequila bottles **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 2000, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323 "2000-12-13T06:46:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/1 "2000-12-13T06:46:42Z")
_No not that trick._ Have you seen the 1800 bottles with the hollow top ? My question relates to that : When you turn the bottle upside down, it sure looks like a shot of tequila flows into the hollow glass top. SO . . . How do I get it out of there still measuring one ounce ? I hope this is not a stupid question, but I have done some trial and error on this one and I cannot figure it out. Is the hollow top only there for show ? It doesn’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/2 "2000-12-13T09:54:18Z")
Okay, **NothingMan** , you’re back in my good graces (I’m sure you are relieved 😉 )after the grits thread because my parents have a bottle of vodka with the same set up and I have wondered this forever. Please, someone, anyone–what is the answer? ---
**Author:** ![Moonshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Moonshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonshine)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/3 "2000-12-13T13:42:26Z")
Can you describe this set-up in a little more detail? ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/4 "2000-12-13T14:06:24Z")
Look at the last of ‘Bev’s Fave Facts’. [http://www.illinimedia.com/buzz/fall\_1999/19991118/feature2.html](http://www.illinimedia.com/buzz/fall_1999/19991118/feature2.html) You can thank me later:). ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/5 "2000-12-13T14:11:47Z")
Hmmm. I’ve bartended for years and never had this question or problem come up. I **did** have the know-it-barteder who first showed me this measuring tip, along with the snifter trick, but he didn’t show me how to _utilize_ it. My personal feeling would lead me to believe you could or would pour it from the bottle into the cap when in a desperation mode. That is, without having anything else to measure a shot into, for a drink, you could resort to pouring it into the top. It’s the only thing I can come up with. If you’d like, I can go to the bar up the street and have a couple 1800 shots and find out for you. You buyin? **Moonshine** - On certain bottles of liquor, in this case Cuervo 1800 tequilla, the top of the bottle, or stopper, has a hollowed out portion in it. When you flip the bottle upside down with the top on, what appears to be a full shot of liquor pours into the little resevoir. I think he’s asking us how you’re suppose to then tip the bottle back and retain the shot in the top. Right? ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/6 "2000-12-13T14:18:28Z")
Looked at the link **omni** , outside of thinking that Bev is an alright babe, I don’t think she answers **Nothingmans** question. **Nothingman** is wondering why the shot of tequila doesn’t pour back into the bottle as you flip it back up. Some will trickle back into the bottle during this process and ultimately not register a ‘true’ shot of tequila. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2000, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/7 "2000-12-13T14:41:19Z")
I think Nothing is referring to the ‘spillage’ factor and Bev’s tip isn’t very enlightening in that respect. Having never attempted the manoeuvre myself, I wouldn’t know. I believe Cuervo had a website ([tequilas.com](http://tequilas.com)), which could have shed some light on this question (in a FAQ section for example), but it doesn’t seem to be operational anymore. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/8 "2000-12-14T00:54:17Z")
[Tequilias.com](http://Tequilias.com) does work for me but just gives you general info. I tried [http://www.cuervo.com](http://www.cuervo.com) and got a screen saying the Site will be up in January ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/9 "2000-12-14T06:14:57Z")
**Cnote** , **omni** - you guys hit the proverbial nail. In fact the best I can do when attempting the “upside down flip method” (or something) is about half of the shot left in the top. Can anyone else provide some insight ? (Or should I take this one all the way to The Man ?) Alcohol waste **is** a terrible crime. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/10 "2000-12-14T15:49:46Z")
You know, there’s only a few threads around here that \* really\* get me interested. This happens to be one of them. Since I’m not going to be happy just sitting here waiting for an answer that may never come, I’m going to have to go out and find it myself. Besides, being an ex-bartender myself, I can’t just walk away from an unanswered question like this. I need the answer dammit! So, tonight, after I finish my day’s activities, I’m going up the street to some of my favorite haunts and get the answer for ya. I know, I know, you’re concerned for me. You should be. It’s not often I partake in the demon liqour that is Cuervo 1800. But answers must be found! By my estimates, the answer should show up here sometime after 11:00 p.m. CST, and 1:30 a.m. CST, 12/14-15/2000. Keep in mind, however, that when you read the inevitable liqour induced post from me tonight, it may not sound too coherent. But I’ll need to post something so as to jog my memory tomorrow morning when I check this thread. I’ll try to summarize then. Wish me luck. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/11 "2000-12-14T16:55:42Z")
See what you’ve done, **NothingMan**? Do you see?? You’ve awaken the Beast!! _ **HAPPY?** _ ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/12 "2000-12-14T17:05:43Z")
I barely know ye, but please reconsider. I know your commitment to the Straight Dope’s creed (i.e. fighting ignorance) is commendable, but surely this musn’t be done regardless of the cost\*. Even Unca Cece wouldn’t expect this of you. \*Cuervo ain’t exactly cheap. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/13 "2000-12-14T17:14:30Z")
Too late **omni**. Passion dictates that I find the answer… at all costs- body, mind, and soul. ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/14 "2000-12-16T13:16:53Z")
**Cnote**? I take it the research went better than planned . . . [sub]sssshhhhhhhhhh . . . he’s still asleep[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2000, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/15 "2000-12-18T12:32:35Z")
Well, I’m still alive… but just barely. Four days of intensive research has left my body, mind, and soul, battered beyond recognition. Actually, it doesn’t feel _that_ bad, I exaggerate. It just sounds better that way. If it’s any consolation, however, I was feeling a bit ill Saturday afternoon. Let me explain. On Thursday, I proclaimed before one and all here that in the evening, with all of my ‘gung-ho’ attitude and zeal, I would put some kind of closure to this question. So what did I do? I went home and fell asleep on my couch. For obvious reasons, I was deeply disappointed and angry with myself. I knew that kind of answer would only beget the wrath of my fellow posters ticked at my wimpyness, so I laid low and didn’t post. I would redeem myself on Friday night. And redeem myself I did. With a couple of friends in tow, I visited a liquor store, three different dive-bars, and a high-end bar for that touch of class. I also thought the variety in bars would make for a more unbiased answer. It didn’t. Every person I talked to that evening, including the follow-up trip on Saturday morning for a little ‘hair of the dog that bit me’ drink, said that the stopper top on the bottle is only decorative- it serves no useful purpose at all. Furthermore, they contended, no one in their right mind would even _try_ to use it as a measuring device. One bartender, at the dive bar, went so far as to say, “Who gives a shit about the top anyway?” Hmmm. He has a point there. “Well I sure don’t!!” I said, pounding back the shot to reassure the bar of my studliness. I did everything in my power not to gag on the stuff. Needless to say, I got out of there before my cell phone could ring and reveal my true socio-economic status. It was a narrow escape. So, a couple close calls and a hundred or so bucks spent later to feel like crap, and all I end up with is a lame answer- These kinds of fancy tops do not accurately measure drinks. They’re designed to get someone to buy tequila, and not some obscure, secretive means of measuring drinks. And come to think of it, after a shot or two, I could really care less if the top had a useful purpose or not. I became more interested in not making a complete ass of myself in the bar. All in all, I’m beginning to regret I ever opening this thread. I mean, do you think the next time you could ask me which sexual position is more fun and exciting? ---
**Author:** ![retsin2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@retsin2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/retsin2000)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2000, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/16 "2000-12-18T14:15:04Z")
Cnote, Maybe it is time for you to investigate those cool little glass cacti inside some Costa bottles. Godspeed. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2000, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/17 "2000-12-18T15:58:17Z")
What!?! Cacti inside Costa bottles? Hold on there a moment. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2000, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/18 "2000-12-18T16:46:25Z")
> [@](#): > > All in all, I’m beginning to regret I ever opening this thread. Man, you may be further along than you thought:D. P.S.: I hope you don’t expect re-imbursement from the Straight Dope Petty Cash Fund. _Some_ expenses clearly are inadmissible, even in furtherance of the fight against ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![retsin2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@retsin2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/retsin2000)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2000, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/19 "2000-12-18T17:20:56Z")
Oops. That should be **Casta**. Anyway there is a picture of said bottle [here](http://www.tequila-internet.com/CASTA/weber.html). I don’t feel too bad about the typo since the site above says this tequila is “Amazingly smoot.” ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2000, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trick-with-tequila-bottles/45323/20 "2000-12-18T18:59:10Z")
Couple of bits I liked from the Casta website: > [@](#): > > Due each bottle is hand blown glass, everyone and some of them may have apparent differences, but all have been cheked in order to reassure the volume indicted on the label. and > [@](#): > > Each piece requiered twelve of our most experienced craftsmen and twenty minutes of skilled artistic work. heh, heh.