Open Bar

Tough choice.

I'm very much a whiskey guy. It's not an exaggeration to say that at least half my liquor cabinet is various bottles of whiskey, bourbon or rye. I've even got a jar of homemade moonshine. So depending on the bar it may be a case of asking what they have and thinking I should have brought my own.

On the other hand, having a good bartender means getting some mixed drinks that I wouldn't normally make at home. I'm partial to martinis (vodka, dry, dirty and on the rocks) and on a hot day or warm summer night I like a good mojito. I did actually go through a 2 week bartending course many years ago and am perfectly capable of making these myself along with all manner of fun drinks. But it's a lot more work than simply pouring a glass of whiskey or opening a beer bottle. Plus a lot of these drinks require certain ingredients that I wouldn't normally have on hand, so if I'm in the mood for a mojito at home it requires getting dressed and going to the store, then either drinking enough to use everything up or letting stuff go to waste.

Then there's the off chance that I get a terrible bartender. True story. I was at an open bar event and asked for my vodka martini. The bartender asked if there was a specific brand of vodka I preferred and I asked for Stolichnaya. He gave me my drink, I tipped him then went off to mingle. When I took that first sip I about spit it out, it was absolutely disgusting. It was sickly sweet and bitter at the same time with a weird chalky aftertaste. My friends laughed thinking I just couldn't handle a strong drink but then a few of them tried it and had the same reaction. I went back to the bar to thinking I got a dirty glass or something. By this time there was a different bartender and I told them the issue. They were confused about why my drink would be this wrong until I told them it was supposed to be Stoli vodka. This bartender apologized and said they were actually out of regular Stoli's and the bottle they did have was chocolate flavored.
 
Tough choice.

I'm very much a whiskey guy. It's not an exaggeration to say that at least half my liquor cabinet is various bottles of whiskey, bourbon or rye. I've even got a jar of homemade moonshine. So depending on the bar it may be a case of asking what they have and thinking I should have brought my own.

On the other hand, having a good bartender means getting some mixed drinks that I wouldn't normally make at home. I'm partial to martinis (vodka, dry, dirty and on the rocks) and on a hot day or warm summer night I like a good mojito. I did actually go through a 2 week bartending course many years ago and am perfectly capable of making these myself along with all manner of fun drinks. But it's a lot more work than simply pouring a glass of whiskey or opening a beer bottle. Plus a lot of these drinks require certain ingredients that I wouldn't normally have on hand, so if I'm in the mood for a mojito at home it requires getting dressed and going to the store, then either drinking enough to use everything up or letting stuff go to waste.

Then there's the off chance that I get a terrible bartender. True story. I was at an open bar event and asked for my vodka martini. The bartender asked if there was a specific brand of vodka I preferred and I asked for Stolichnaya. He gave me my drink, I tipped him then went off to mingle. When I took that first sip I about spit it out, it was absolutely disgusting. It was sickly sweet and bitter at the same time with a weird chalky aftertaste. My friends laughed thinking I just couldn't handle a strong drink but then a few of them tried it and had the same reaction. I went back to the bar to thinking I got a dirty glass or something. By this time there was a different bartender and I told them the issue. They were confused about why my drink would be this wrong until I told them it was supposed to be Stoli vodka. This bartender apologized and said they were actually out of regular Stoli's and the bottle they did have was chocolate flavored.
Never been much of a vodka drinker, but in Moscow back in 1995 I was introduced to pepper vodka. It was served ice cold (stored in a freezer) and downed straight in one gulp. ("NO SIPPY SIPPY" bellowed our host.) I'm not sure how many toasts were made that evening, but I was much the worse for wear the next day.