Comments on: Up, Neat, Straight Up, or On the Rocks

By: Emily

Emily — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 21:34:47 +0000

I prefer my Ciroc or Kettle One chilled. No ice. How would I order i if I wanted it with a twist? Up wih a twist?

By: Atroc

Atroc — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 05:25:51 +0000

So, this guys saying that “neat” means on one rock? That is th stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. And who on earth thinks a rocks glass is called a “small bucket”?

By: jefffrane

jefffrane — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:20:13 +0000

In a blog argument last year, one derp was claiming that his use of “40″ had nothing to do with malt liquor or ghettos. He tried to claim that “40″ was how anyone ordered a beer, not only in the US but all over Europe and the UK. Typically for a troll, he refused to back down in spite of a storm of derision.

Oh, maybe it was vernacular.

By: Wootten

Wootten — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:53:29 +0000

I’m sure you understand Dance clubs very well and really there’s nothing wrong with dive bars. However, I’ve been tending bars for 39 years and currently call Top of the Mark my final gig. Maybe finding some humility yourself and actually practicing the art of mixology instead of preaching it would aid in your despair.
And really, there is no need to respond Sir.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:14:29 +0000

I have been drinking for a fair amount of time, in bars all over America.

I have NEVER ordered a drink “neat” and gotten anything other than the spirit itself in a glass with no additions, accompaniments, etc.

By: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jeffrey Morgenthaler — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:38:11 +0000

Wootten – I’m sure that’s how you do it at whatever dance club or dive bar you’ve been working in for the past year, but I assure you this is not really proper terminology. It is, however, the sort of lazy calls bartenders in, say, dance clubs and dive bars use.

By: Wootten

Wootten — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:58:56 +0000

Do your research on vernacular champ. Ordering a drink “neat” means adding one ice cube to a “shot” in a double shot or a small bucket.
Your definition of “neat” is called a “shot”. Just an FYI.

By: Luther

Luther — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 02:06:57 +0000

It’s been nearly a year but I ordered “johnny walker black, double, neat, water back” and the waitress seemed confused but didn’t ask any questions. She returned from the bar and asked me to explain, hence, the bartender didn’t know either.

I really felt like I was in the twilight zone as I have asked for the same drink nearly every night for forty years in exactly the same manner as I stated above & this was the first time I actually stumped the stars.

By: John Claude

John Claude — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:22:27 +0000

Bob. I’d hardly call “on the rocks” an unusual request for a scotch. If the server (who often times is not that well versed with bar terminology) comes to me with an order for a drink that seems a little…off, I’ll send them back to clarify, and like I said, I generally repeat back to the customer when they order something. I’m not going to be a pretentious douche and say something like “Oh, you want this $25 scotch ON THE ROCKS???” and try to shame my customer. If it’s what they ordered, and what they specifically want, I’m going to give it to them. I may say something like, “You drink it neat ever? I really like the blah blah blah aspects of it…”, but generally I’m not here to judge someone’s palate.

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 01:24:29 +0000

Jean Claude
With all due respect to you, if someone is ordering a $25 scotch in an unusual way, should you not make sure you have understood the order correctly? After that, it’s all on the customer.

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 01:20:22 +0000

Interesting thread as I had my first experience with this sort of thing just this evening. I ordered a 15 y/o Single malt straight up with water on the side. The waitperson understood that I meant undiluted/unchilled whiskey with a small glass of water on the side yet the bartender overruled her and shook the whiskey over ice and served it in a martini glass with a brimming glass of water.
My waitperson was superb and replaced the drink even though I said it was not necessary. And yes, this positively impacted on her tip.
I’ve been of legal drinking age for 40 years and this is the first time I’ve ever had this sort of confusion ordering a decent single malt with water on the side. I am aware of the ambiguity in the terms neat, up, straight up but the nature of what and how it was ordered along with the bartender’s overruling of the waitress should have at least prompted a request for clarification from the bartender. After all, the bartender is the professional and should have an understanding of how things should be served even when the customer might like it served differently.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:08:34 +0000

@ #10, regarding “water back”, and interpretations thereof:

I ordered a Scotch at a hotel bar in Minneapolis a couple years back, with water back. Simple enough…

I got what I asked for, but with a curve…in this particular bar, ordering Scotch w/ water back got you a double pour on the spirit. I was so busy running my mouth and enjoying the drink the doubling didn’t register in my brain till I went to pay the tab.

So, for you professionals, I ask: is this unusual? It didn’t break my heart to get that double Scotch, but it *did* surprise me.

By: Bryon

Bryon — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:01:03 +0000

Good article and comments. As a scotch enthusiast this was interesting to read. I usually order mine with a ice cube or two, I will have to try it neat soon. I am not a big people person but would like to learn the craft and maybe own day own a nice bar.

Cheers

By: Arme

Arme — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:13:54 +0000

I ordered an Irish whiskey, neat, is a bar one time. The bartender said they had Dewars. I told her that was Scotch, not Irish, and ordered rum, neat instead. She asked “What’s ‘neat’?” I almost walked out of the bar.

By: Ian

Ian — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:11:42 +0000

Down means the same thing as up but in a rocks glass.

Chilled over ice and strained into an empty rocks glass.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 20:28:26 +0000

What does it mean when ’served down’?

By: Angela

Angela — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:32:03 +0000

I guess it’s a Bham thing. It was started by Highland Bar and Grill and now it’s everyone’s favorite thing. People just love crushed ice, I think. I just feel bad for the purists who keep getting a layer of ice when they don’t want it. Thanks!

By: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jeffrey Morgenthaler — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:45:02 +0000

Angela – THis is honestly the first time I’ve ever heard of someone muddling a Martini, so I might not be of much help. Other than to say this: that if you’re going to use that much crushed ice to chill what should be a stirred drink, you’re going to be adding a hell of a lot of water. If that’s what your guests like, then by all means give it to them.

But when I drink a martini, I like it to be cold and strong. And I leave the muddler in my tool bag.

By: Angela

Angela — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:25:07 +0000

I bartend at a fine dining establishment in Birmingham, Alabama. This blog is excellent. I frequently make Sazeracs, French 75s, old fashions, and other classic cocktails. The ordering process is indeed a lost art, though. I always know what to expect when someone asks for a martini list versus a cocktail menu. I once even had someone ask me if I make a good apple martini. I told them that I will indeed make them an apple martini and that I hope that they will enjoy it. (I personally think that touting my apple martini skills would be the equivalent of our sous chef touting his hamburger-helper making skills).
I have problems with people ordering martinis. A trend here in Birmingham is to muddle martinis very heavily. The result is a very cold drink with a layer of crushed ice. Most customers have come to expect this and I always ask my customers if they would like for their martini to be heavily muddled. Most people LOVE it. However, I still get those purists who order their vodka or gin martinis “straight up” and by that mean that they do not want the drink to have any vermouth and to be stirred and not shaken or muddled.
What is your take on heavily muddled vodka or gin martinis?

By: John Claude

John Claude — Mon, 17 May 2010 23:19:48 +0000

Here’s the rub though. Chuck’s “request” isn’t unusual in the least. When someone is paying $25 per drink, one can assume they know what they want. Especially given the pompous attitude Chuck is bringing to the table here. I always repeat orders back to the customers, but I have a feeling Chuck would be too busy patting himself on the back about his excellent taste in drinks to even notice.

Let me make this clear though, I would never, ever, berate or tell a customer to suck it. Things happen, that’s the nature of the business, and with the markup on booze, it’s not such a huge los to have to pour a drink out here and there. But for Chuck to tell me I’m a bad bartender because I’m not a mind reader is ridiculous. Had he made a strange request, sure, I’d verify, but with a normal request, no, I’m not going to grill him about his choice.

Allowing a customer to make a mistake (Tequila Alexander?) can be construed as silly, but ordering a scotch (even if it is expensive) rocks is not “a mistake”. It’s a very, very, very common order.

By: BP

BP — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:45:42 +0000

Fun comments to read, even thought they span 2 years now.

Having spent a lot of time on both sides of the bar, I can relate somewhat to Chuck is saying. To me, good service includes verification when it seems someone is making an unusual order. When it’s me taking the order, I’ll try to act like I’m the idiot. In Chuck’s case, I’d probably confirm the rocks order by saying something like “I’m sorry, did you say you wanted that ‘neat’ in a rocks glass, or over ice.”

Allowing the customer to make a mistake is not good service IMO. And in his defense, Chuck did say he would offer to pay for his mistakently ordered drink. Some of the responses made it sound like Chuck asked the bar to pay for his mistake.

By: John Claude

John Claude — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:02:20 +0000

G-Man.

I’m sure you learned sone wonderful things in bartending school, but trust us, “Up” does not mean neat.

By: G-man

G-man — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:25:22 +0000

At bartending school we were explicitly told, up, neat, straight and straight up all mean the same thing. Warm shot right out of the bottle. Although “straight up” was used to refer to cocktails that are mixed with ice then strained into a chilled glass. But now the term “chilled shot” has come into use to avoid the confusing of whether you want the shot chilled or not. If they don’t ask for a chilled shot and they say “straight up, stright, neat, or up” you give it to them neat. If they complain you can always toss it into some ice and give it to them chilled, after all you can’t un-chill it, if they didn’t want it that way.

By: John Claude

John Claude — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:18:21 +0000

I think you mean a Ketel One Kangaroo.

By: Frumpulent Grumpton

Frumpulent Grumpton — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:40:26 +0000

“And if, as a bartender, you’ve received an order for a Ketel One ’straight up’, you should probably check with your customer to make sure they’re looking for chilled vodka and vermouth, and not a glass of warm vodka.”

I think you mean, “a Ketel One Martini”. Where did the Vermouth request come from?