The Mixology Talk Podcast, Episode Forty Three
When you walk into a bar you’ve never been to before, here are some visual cues that can help you decide whether to order a classic cocktail – or play it safe with a beer.
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In today’s Episode…
We’re talking about a couple of things you can look for when trying to decide what to order at a bar. There are a lot of different kinds of really great bars out there, and not all of them are the best places to order a fancy craft cocktail. So if you’re wondering when to take the chance, here are a couple things to look for.
Bar Tools and Glassware
If a bar isn’t marketing itself as a craft cocktail bar, it’s unlikely the management will find room in their budget for high end tools and glassware. So take a look: are they using a high end yarai mixing glass, or mixing their cocktails in a pint glass? Have they invested in Julep strainers, or are they using hawthorne strainers for everything?
By the way:
I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing if a bar isn’t doing the things we’re mentioning in this post. I’m saying that their strength may not be craft cocktails. And of course, this is just a guess – we could be completely wrong!
Mise en Place
What is within arm’s reach of the bartender? There’s a good chance that whatever it is, that’s what they will be using. So look for things like fresh fruit or homemade ingredients. Personally, I tend to shy away from cocktails if I see things like a large number of shot glasses or red bull!
The Back Bar
Also known as “where all of the bottles are” – you can learn a lot from taking a close look at the spirits they keep on hand. I generally look for three things:
- Excessive Dust (Not good!)
- Unfamiliar bottles (Good! They are branching out on their liquor buying.)
- Again, signs of house-made ingredients (Barrels, bottles, etc.) – Another good sign!
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What do you look for in a craft cocktail bar? Did we miss anything?
do you prefer comments here or on youtube? anyway: i think you two pointed out some good things to look out for. although i’ve started using a tin to stir after reading Dave Arnold’s book, but anyway. I think large bitters selections are usually a good sign, but not always, as i have an example of a bar from my hometown that was a place to go for beer, but they got some local bitters in very early on right at the start of the bitters craze, but they probably wouldn’t have known what to do with them.
With my girlfriend’s and my cross country road trip coming up in just more than a day i’m sure we’ll be doing the deciphering of many bars to figure out if they are cocktail worthy or not.
Hey Jordan, I prefer comments here because we sometimes overlook them on YouTube!
Good call – a Bitters collection is a great sign!
One thing that bothers me is when a place has a decent cocktail menu and the ingredients listed indicate that I’m probably going to get a very tasty drink, but then the drink is brought out to me and it has in it the same tiny, machine-made, ice cubes they use to shake with (and not decent sized, non-diluted, fresh ice). The drink gets to you already half-diluted and the taste is thus already ruined. I had this happen to me recently with a cocktail that was supposed to be “special” take on a Manhattan (on the rocks, which wasn’t indicated). (There were supposed to be two additional liqueurs in there, which I also tasted nothing of, because either they didn’t add them in the first place or the diluted ice muted the flavors, and it just tasted like a watered down Manhattan. Now, I’m sure you, but especially Chris, also hate watered down Manhattans!)
A watered down Manhattan is actually one of my signature cocktails. I call it The Hurricane Sandy.
I can’t tell if you’re serious or not lol.
I don’t try to order a Sazerac unless I see the following:
A handlebar mustache
Plaid
Tattoos
Ha! Yeah, I’m usually not willing to risk a Sazerac unless I’m within 5 miles of Bourbon Street!
For the true elitist: 😉
If you see any cocktail in a darker shade of blue than an Aviation – you are not in a craft cocktail bar.
If you see any sour mix – you are not in a craft cocktail bar.
If you see any pineapple and no tiki decor – you are not in a craft cocktail bar.
If you see any Jägermeister, Red Bull or Baileys – you are not in a craft cocktail bar.
If you see anywhere the word “frozen” and/or the name of a fruit/berry in front to the word “Margarita” – you are not in a craft cocktail bar.
Not much related with the episode, but I was in a bar and I ordered a Manhattan (an item on the specialty cocktails of the menu – made with Rye whiskey). At the end when I ate the cherry it was horrible. A mix of mold, and blue cheese smell. I could not swallow it. I thought of telling the bartender so she can change them, and here reply stunned me. “She said there is no mold on the cherries they just taste bad” … Why would you serve something that you know is bad!? Beats me!
Not a craft bar… Not at all.
When I go to a bar, I look first and foremost for the shakers they use. Boston shaker is usually a good indicator these guys have some basic clue. If I see screw-on shakers, either the establishment has little demand for cocktails or the staff does not know any better.
From my teachers in bartender school – if a bar has both yellow and green Chartreuse, it is a good indicator of mixology knowledge. The bartender is likely to know when to use which.
The easiest visual cue for me to spot is the presence of Luxardo Maraschino. The bottle really stands out on the shelf and as far as most mixologists are concerned it might as well be the only maraschino liqueur. Without it, no Aviation or Last Word. And if they can’t make an Aviation or Last Word, then they just aren’t a craft bar.