How to Order a Drink at a Bar Without Looking Like an Idiot
From weddings to breweries, from barbeques to simple bars, alcohol is everywhere. Drinking is an integral part of our culture, and while it’s easy to stick with familiar drinks, you may want to learn more about them (or you may be a seasoned drinker and still know little about alcohol). Here are some of the basic alcohol-related terms you might want to familiarize yourself with before your next trip to the bar.
Types of drinks and mixers
What is an aperitif?
This is a drink to be drunk before meals. It can be vermouth, gin, martini, or other unsweetened alcohol (see “alcohol” below). Its sweeter counterpart, the digestif, is served later. Find more information about it here .
What are beaters?
Bitters are plant-based liquids mixed with water and alcohol. They are used in small amounts and are intended to enhance the flavor of the cocktail. For example, you may be familiar with orange bitters. Know that they have a fairly high ABV.
What exactly does a cocktail do?
A cocktail is not just a mixed drink. (For example, if you order a vodka and soda, it’s not really a cocktail.) A “real” cocktail needs alcohol mixed with ingredients, which should be fruit, juice, or other types of sugar and bitterness. Although it doesn’t really matter. Call your vodka a soda shake if you like.
What is a highball?
Alcohol is served in a tall glass with ice and a mixer, usually carbonated. Usually it’s whiskey. You can also say you want your drink to be “long” if you want it to be served in a tall glass. Conversely, say “short” if you want it to be served in a short or rocks glass.
What is proof?
This, like ABV, measures the amount of alcohol in a drink. The proof is the doubled percentage of the strength of any drink. So, if a drink is 40% ABV, it is 80% ABV. Pure ethanol has a strength of 200.
What is sour?
Sour drinks are usually served in short glasses. They have liquor, lemon or lime juice and sugar. In some places, the sour mixer will be ready and ready to go. (I’ve been drinking vodka sours for a third of my life and it wasn’t until three months ago that I found out that egg whites were sometimes added to them, which horrified me just as much as when I found out that anchovies were used in Caesar salad dressing. Avoid this horror. by making your own sour .)
What is a spirit?
Spirits are liqueurs that don’t contain added sugar, although things like flavored vodka muddy the waters. Their ABV is typically between 35% and 40%. Do not confuse here: spirits and liquor are one and the same. Liquor, on the other hand, is not the same. It is made from liquor and usually has a lower strength , but is sweetened. Amaretto is a liqueur.
What is a shot?
A shot is a unit of measure equal to 1.5 fl oz. When ordering a cocktail, the amount of liquor in it will be measured in shots. As you almost certainly know, you can also just order shots without any mixers or preparation. You just slam them shut and hope for the best. Whether you’re taking a shot or ordering a drink, you’ll consume alcohol in 1.5 fl oz increments.
What is well liquor?
Well, drinks are often advertised as part of happy hours, and if you visit a lot of bars, you probably know what those are. In case you don’t: Well, the drinks are simply made from the most basic and inexpensive spirits a bar has. Many people plug their noses (literally) and buy the cheapest liquor available, but if you want a nicer liquor in your drink, you will need to specify this when ordering.
What is a virgin drink?
A virgin drink is one that has no alcohol in it. If you work in a bar or restaurant where customers can buy you a drink and expect you to drink it in front of them, your establishment may have a different code word for soft drinks that you can say when ordering so you don’t have to drink. alcohol with customers while you’re on the clock. “Virgin” is a widely used term, although you may see “zero protection” or “no protection” cocktails on the menu. They indicate that these are “mocktails” or soft drinks.
Descriptions of alcohol
What does “ABV” mean?
Alcohol by volume, abbreviated as ABV, is the percentage of alcohol in a drink. You will see this, for example, on cans of beer, which are typically between 3.5% and 7% ABV. Here’s more on how to calculate ABV .
Why do people ask for a drink to be “dirty”?
When you order a “dirty” drink, especially a martini , you get a drink with olive juice.
What is a double, triple or quadruple?
Let’s say you order a double vodka sour. This means you get two shots of vodka per drink. Shots are defined below, but they are simply a measure of alcohol.
What does “dry” and “wet” mean ?
A “dry” martini has less vermouth than a regular martini, and another type of “dry” drink has less mixer than a regular martini. You will feel more alcohol. On the other hand, ordering a “wet” drink means you’ll get extra vermouth in your martini or extra mixer in your drink. There is actually a lot to learn about martinis if you want to delve into them specifically.
What does confused mean?
When the drink is cloudy, the ingredients (such as herbs, fruits, or spices) are stirred with a hard tool, usually in a shaker or stirring glass, before the rest of the ingredients are added. It enhances the flavor and is also nice to look at.
What does neat mean?
Ordering a “clear” drink means you just get the liquor in a glass. You don’t get ice, a mixer, or literally anything else. You will just sip the spirit.
How about “on the rocks” or “above”?
A drink that is “iced” or ordered “on top” is one that has ice in it.
What about “stir” or “shake”?
A stirred drink is what it sounds like: a drink that has been stirred rather than shaken before straining. Generally, cocktails and mixed drinks are shaken if they have a special ingredient in them, such as cream or egg whites. Others, such as martinis, are usually stirred. Find out what you prefer , but you should ask if you want to stir instead. Shaking helps the drink cool faster and also makes the drink lighter.
What is “straight up”?
If you order a straight up drink, you get it without ice and in a stemmed glass. Please note that it will still be shaken or mixed with ice, but the ice will remain after straining, so the drink will still be cold. That’s why it’s not the same as “neat”.
What is a topless drink?
When you order a Topless Margarita, you’re just saying you don’t want anything (like salt) on the rim.
So if you order a dry double vodka soda for some ungodly reason, you get this: two shots of vodka mixed with less lemon juice and sugar than usual, shaken with ice, but put in a stemmed glass without ice. Feel free to point out that you don’t want it to be made with hard alcohol.