Ordering "neat"

I'm a fairly new scotch enthusiast, and yesterday, when I ordered a glass at a small restaurant bar, I asked for it "neat". The bartender didn't know what a meant. When I said no ice, no water, she replied, "Oh, you want it straight up".

What is the normal way to order scotch without ice and water? "Neat" or "straight up"? I'm in the Southeastern region of the USA, in case that's a factor...

Reply to
Alex
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I use neat. Straight up is more....gangster sounding, like you're ordering some kind of home brewed tequila. No offense to anyone who uses "straight up".

Reply to
Darren J

I am kind of surprised a bartender would not know "neat"...

Will

Reply to
William Anderson

Heh. If you wanted a ball of malt, her brain would short-circuit.

cheers,

Henry

Reply to
Henry

Same exact thing happened to me. Now I just go with "straight up" to avoid confusion. Even then, I get ice 1 out of 10 times.

Reply to
SleepyWeevil

Bartending is a skill. The service employee that you encountered was lacking in skill. You should be able to order your beverage neat and a competent bartender should be able to pour that beverage in the way that you ordered without fuss or confusion. A bartender should serve your drink the way *you* ordered it, not the way *they* order it.

Just as an aside, I used to be a bartender. Now, as a consumer, I still look at the bartender customer interaction as a relationship. If I am going to be at the bar for a while, say, celebrating something with friends, I will introduce myself to the bartender. A short chat, why we're here, etc. I will then give the bartender my card for the tab and a bit of cash that I expect will cover the tip for the entire evening (a $1 a drink or 20%, whichever is greater). I make sure to tell the bartender that I will be working the tip from the cash, not the charge. That bartender takes care of me. And usually takes care of me better than any other patron in the establishment. I don't have to wait in line, my drinks are right and generously poured, he/she is cheerful, and the event is pleasant.

The chat insures that I have selected a bartender that knows the rinks that I will order. The bartender knowing that he/she is going to be generously tipped in cash almost guarantees great service. It has always worked for me.

Reply to
Jeff Folloder

"William Anderson" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

I recently ordered one "neat" and the bartender asked me if I meant that I wanted it stirred over ice and served in a chilled glass. I have seen "straight up" defined as "stirred over ice and served in a chilled glass". If a bartender doesn't know "neat", I don't know what other common term describes it.

I wonder how many people order whisky stirred over ice and served in a chilled glass?

Reply to
Pinko Flaggo

My hillbilly buddy says try "raw". He doesn't buy shots in a bar, though. Buys it by the qt in the mountains. They sit on the tailgate and have a drunkout (that's a cookout without food) in the pale moonlight.

If it's stirred *over* ice, ala icecream maker, and not mixed *with* ice, that might be OK, but I doubt it is.

Reply to
n_cramerSPAM

Interesting to read the various comments, which got me to thinking about a related aspect. Everybody is focusing on the 'neat' part (of course, because that's what was asked); I'm wondering about the whisky part.

Did you ask for a particular brand by name? Was it a single-malt or a blend?

Also, is it true that in America if you simply ask for whisk(e)y, you get a bourbonish blend of some sort? In Europe if you just ask for whisk(e)y--funny spelling, I know, but since there's no difference in the pronunciation--you'll almost certainly get scotch.

cheers,

Henry

Reply to
Henry

Yeah...us North Americaners are weird. We have some whiskey's that are a bourbonish blend (I think Jack Daniels is one of those) and we have some that are....well.....miscellaneous (like Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey, which is a rye whiskey thingy).

Darren J

Reply to
Darren J

AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!

Coming from shaw.ca you should certainly know better: Canadian (...rye...) = whisky, not 'whiskey'.

cf.

formatting link

cheers,

Henry

PS: what's with this silly 'when were you born?' pre-screening on North American alcohol-related sites? Obviously somebody passed a law somewhere...but do they really think that even the dimmest 11-year-old is going to put in the correct info if it means that he can't enter the page?

Reply to
Henry

In my experience, bars that obviously make an effort to serve a nice (but not necessarily large) selection of single malts will probably have a bartender who knows what "neat" means. If you only see two or three bottles of the more well-known single malts such as Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, and Macallan, be on guard. If I'm at a new place, I'll generally ask a bartender what single malts they have. Their response will often indicate how much they know.

Some other indicators:

- Dismal top-shelf situation in general

- No single malts at all

- Layer of dust on single malt bottles

If I have any doubts at all, I'll just say "no ice" to avoid any confusion.

I can sympathize with wanting to get a drink how you ordered it, but I would rather have the drink I want when I want it, and I don't care too much about educating someone who has been hired mainly to pour beer and Jack & Cokes.

Reply to
Aaron Couts

Never was that good a speller.

Pretty sure it's a legal requirement. There's fine print somewhere saying when you click "ok" you're certifying that you're age is correct when you entered it.

Reply to
Darren J

For my taste, I always order "neat" "with a water back" (the latter expression actually seeming to cause the most confusion). If I detect any trepidation, I quickly translate to "straight-up" "with a glass of water -- no ice, thanks -- on the side". I've otherwise been disappointed to receive my single-malt...

on the rocks in several ounces of water chilled and even once in a frosted glass

I've learned to keep a discrete eye on the first pour, just to make sure that I'm up to speed with the bartender's parlance, and to clarify if need be.

Reply to
Bill Tieleman

I've gotten mine with ice as well. I sent it back.

Then there was the time this place charged me extra for a neat pour. Like $1.00. Did that mean I got more?

Reply to
cosmicbob55

Where I go, they charge extra for the neat (snifter) pour, and you definately get more. On a ten dollar pour up to eleven, you probably get 25% more whisky.

Dave Hinz

Reply to
Dave Hinz

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