Why is that a sign of pretentiousness? So, to say you don’t want it sweet, you say you want it to taste like liquor?  Or not like liquor?  How does shaking versus stirring make a difference?  

There’s a bar in Tribeca that kind of specializes in this tactic, and honestly, the best “try me!” experience I’ve ever had was there. I went out for my birthday and had a “surprise me!” cocktail, and even though I didn’t really like it, I resigned myself to it because like you all said, I took the gamble. Two minutes…

“You can’t beat women and expect to remain around civilized folks and if you do you better that hope no one catches wind of the fact that you have an issue keeping your hands to yourself.”

Yeah one of the trickiest things about reading this question is knowing how much else was said/not said, or asked/not asked. Did the customer really just say “bourbon” and the bartender was like “I GOT YOU,” end of conversation? 

I’m of two minds on this too, on one hand “bartender’s choice” is exactly what it says on the tin, don’t like it— order off the menu not a random drink.

On the OTHER hand a good bartender should ask at least a question or two before they make something, “do you like sweet or sour? do you like to be able to taste the…

Not to say it is the case here, but if you order a hamburger, no onion, and they deliver a cheeseburger with onion, you’re justified in sending it back.

“Can I send back the “dealer’s choice” cocktail I ordered?”

Can you stop? 

Aside from all the riffs on the Martini, and the Negronis

I would throw an amaretto way up on this list. Far more versatile than most of what’s listed and easy enough to drink on its own, also goes great with juice or soda, and most other liquors.

The US Pint is based off of the “wine gallon” and standardized in 1707 as 231 cubic inches (exactly).

I know the U.S. values freedom more than sanitation, but every bar and restaurant should be required to display those signs.

It’s a quick way to know if a place cares about the beer they serve. If it’s crappy dirty glassware, they probably have dirty lines, or dirty facuets or something. That shits gross.

Exactly. I’ve seen a couple places that take air-drying seriously, which also reduces the chance that you’ll have a residue, since its not like you change towels every glass. At one of them, I’ve seen people complain when they get handed a beer in a plastic cup during really peak times - which I get, but, given the…

Well OK then.

If a proper triple sink sanitizer system is in place AND being used and maintained properly, the dishes should be clean.

Signed,

You’re pretty much wrong about all of that. I tended bar for 8 years and this place was by no means up-scale. We had fresh, clean towels delivered twice a week. Dirty glassware was put in the dishwasher where it gets blasted with hot water and super concentrated detergent and then sanitized. Before pouring a beer the…

The alcohol content of beer is insufficient to kill bacteria. A concentration of 10% ABV or higher will temporarily inhibit bacterial growth, but it requires a >70% concentration to be an effective antibacterial agent.

The better beer bars use these to rinse every glass before it’s filled. Quality isn’t hard to do, you just have to want to do it.