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Is there a smart way to drink? Clearly, the first answer is "in moderation" and "with someone else behind the wheel." But when it comes to the etiquette and the economy of drinking, is there a way to come out on top? While I'm not exactly I barfly, I do know my way around a pint of Guinness or a gin and tonic. I've dated bartenders (a tricky proposition for someone in the 8-to-5 workplace) and now have one in my family (my sister-in-law has poured drinks for almost four years). There are things I learned being around this environment ... 50% of the time, for example, someone will order a Bud Light - good news for Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD), but maybe that's because I live in St. Louis. The most annoying customers (aside from bachelorette parties) are those who approach the bar without a clear idea of what they are ordering. And be ready to show you're willing to tip from the very first drink, or you could be subject to shoddy service.
There are apparently some secrets that my former friend and my sister-in-law have kept to themselves, however, but SmartMoney brought them to the surface this week - things your bartender doesn't want you to know...
Everyone's a gourmet. If your favorite drink is a Bloody Mary, for example, you may have it made different ways depending on which barkeep you approach. At my favorite bar in Cincinnati, for example, Rick adds extra horseradish, Lisa puts in a splash of Guinness, and Alex prefers pickle juice. Great news for the experimental, bad for those who want something standard made the traditional way.
Top-shelf is where the profits are. High-end spirits are money in the bank for bars, which is probably why there are now dozens of varieties of infused vodka. The Distilled Spirits Council reports that sales of the most expensive brands of liquor rose 18% last year, while the cheapest ("well" brands) rose by just 1%. But bartenders note that "A higher price doesn't always mean better quality" in the drink.
Tabs can be tricky. I generally believe that running a tab is a sensible way to limit tipping - you tip at the end of the night - 20% or whatever you feel the service warrants - rather than a dollar per drink. But evidently you need to watch your tab carefully, as the unscrupulous bartender may tack on a drink for himself or one of her friends.
Fast service could be bad news for your sloe gin. While turnover is better for the bar and for the bartender - serving more customers means more revenue - a quickly mixed martini won't taste as good as one made carefully and allowed to chill over ice for a longer period of time. Speed can also lead to carelessness, resulting in sloppy mixing techniques or even broken glass.
Dirt don't hurt? Bars are notoriously dimly lit. In addition to making people appear more attractive, this can hide a multitude of hygienic sins, from dirty floors and moldy ice machines to sticky countertops. Drinker beware.
Don't order a nice Malbec. Again, remembering back to my favorite Cincinnati tavern, they had two large bottles of generic wine - a white and a red - that sat open for days if not weeks. Whenever anyone would order a glass, the bartenders would kind of laugh nervously among themselves, smell for quality, and shrug. A restaurant or wine bar is the place to try out new varietals, not your favorite corner bar.
Drink prices are on a sliding scale. Depending on the customer, a bartender can choose to charge more or less for a cocktail. To prevent this, you can ask for a receipt with every purchase and show the bar's manager if there is a difference. Of course, you won't make any friends with the bar staff with this kind of attitude.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
Top-shelf is where the profits are. High-end spirits are money in the bank for bars, which is probably why there are now dozens of varieties of infused vodka. The Distilled Spirits Council reports that sales of the most expensive brands of liquor rose 18% last year, while the cheapest ("well" brands) rose by just 1%. But bartenders note that "A higher price doesn't always mean better quality" in the drink.
Tabs can be tricky. I generally believe that running a tab is a sensible way to limit tipping - you tip at the end of the night - 20% or whatever you feel the service warrants - rather than a dollar per drink. But evidently you need to watch your tab carefully, as the unscrupulous bartender may tack on a drink for himself or one of her friends.
Fast service could be bad news for your sloe gin. While turnover is better for the bar and for the bartender - serving more customers means more revenue - a quickly mixed martini won't taste as good as one made carefully and allowed to chill over ice for a longer period of time. Speed can also lead to carelessness, resulting in sloppy mixing techniques or even broken glass.
Dirt don't hurt? Bars are notoriously dimly lit. In addition to making people appear more attractive, this can hide a multitude of hygienic sins, from dirty floors and moldy ice machines to sticky countertops. Drinker beware.
Don't order a nice Malbec. Again, remembering back to my favorite Cincinnati tavern, they had two large bottles of generic wine - a white and a red - that sat open for days if not weeks. Whenever anyone would order a glass, the bartenders would kind of laugh nervously among themselves, smell for quality, and shrug. A restaurant or wine bar is the place to try out new varietals, not your favorite corner bar.
Drink prices are on a sliding scale. Depending on the customer, a bartender can choose to charge more or less for a cocktail. To prevent this, you can ask for a receipt with every purchase and show the bar's manager if there is a difference. Of course, you won't make any friends with the bar staff with this kind of attitude.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-13-2007 @ 4:44PM
Jeff said...
wow so I just read that whole article and the only usable advice was drink wine at a wine bar.
7-13-2007 @ 5:52PM
trent said...
i think you don't know anything about bartending. you should only write stories about thing you know about. i cant belive somebody actually let you publish this garbage. did you just turn 21?
trent
7-13-2007 @ 5:52PM
jennifer.k.lloyd said...
As for the "dirt" I just always hope that the alcohol kills the germs because I've seen what passes for glass washing at even some upscale bars.
7-14-2007 @ 5:46PM
Norm said...
Seem to have left beer drinkers out. Its a well known fact that draft beer turns a bigger profit than bottled beer.