Some bartenders scare me.

**BigFoot** · 06-25-2012, 04:04 PM

I was in a pretty fine establishment the other night for work. We had an open bar during dinner. I ordered a vodka martini dirty. The bartender asked me what I preferred for vodka. I asked for Stoli which they had. He got out the Martini glass and the shakers and looked at it for a minute and walked back up to me and asked if I wanted olive juice in it.

I looked at him for a 2nd and said yes please; that is why I ordered it dirty. He said he was not sure what that had meant. He then asked me if I wanted whole olives as well.

. I was a bit fearful of what I was going to get. It ended up being a damn fine Martini. How in the hell do you become a bartender and not know what a dirty Martini is?

**chasethehero** · 06-25-2012, 04:10 PM

well, at least he admitted that he didn't know and made sure that was what you wanted. He could have tried guessing and done something awful instead (dirty=whisky, or anything he could have possibly thought of instead). As for the olives, they may have had both whole and sliced for some reason and was asking your preference.

**BigFoot** · 06-25-2012, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by chasethehero

well, at least he admitted that he didn't know and made sure that was what you wanted. He could have tried guessing and done something awful instead (dirty=whisky, or anything he could have possibly thought of instead). As for the olives, they may have had both whole and sliced for some reason and was asking your preference.

That is possible on the olives. Could you imagine a martini dirtied with southern comfort? I think I just made myself sick.

**dpm802** · 06-25-2012, 04:22 PM

The phrase "dirty martini" should be standard bartender jargon and he should have known what it is. He may have been new on the job, filling in for a call-out, or perhaps he was just having a bad day. As long as he got your drink right eventually, don't worry about it. If it still bothers you that he didn't understand what you wanted, reflect your displeasure in his tip (or lack thereof.)

But there are so many specialty drinks out there, with weird names, I don't blame 'em if they sometimes get confused.

The best bartenders are at the places I go regularly, and I don't even have to say anything. They know what I want (Johnnie Black on the rocks, served in a snifter glass) and they get it for me as soon as they see me standing at the bar. I appreciate this kind of service and tip them well for it.

**BigFoot** · 06-25-2012, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by dpm802

The phrase "dirty martini" should be standard bartender jargon and he should have known what it is. He may have been new on the job, filling in for a call-out, or perhaps he was just having a bad day. As long as he got your drink right eventually, don't worry about it. If it still bothers you that he didn't understand what you wanted, reflect your displeasure in his tip (or lack thereof.)

But there are so many specialty drinks out there, with weird names, I don't blame 'em if they sometimes get confused.

The best bartenders are at the places I go regularly, and I don't even have to say anything. They know what I want (Johnnie Black on the rocks, served in a snifter glass) and they get it for me as soon as they see me standing at the bar. I appreciate this kind of service and tip them well for it.

I was not upset. Just found it strange. And a bit nerve racking wondering what will end up in your glass.

**auk1124** · 06-25-2012, 06:10 PM

Look at the bright side. He could've just assumed you were some sort of freak and made you a drink in a used glass.

**Legion** · 06-25-2012, 06:31 PM

When I found myself working behind a bar some years ago I had no idea either. I basically learned on the job. He might have been new.

Luckily I was in a Queensland country bar, so 99% of people ordered beer or rum and coke.

**Isaac** · 06-25-2012, 06:35 PM

I use to bartend and concur a great deal of learning is on the job.

I use to have a customer ask for a bone dry martini. Basically Gin Shaken and with 3 olives. He use to claim it was the best martini he had ever had, and would give big tips. I was always confused, as it was just gin in a martini glass...haha

**maxman** · 06-25-2012, 06:41 PM

A good bartender should be able to make a Screaming Viking.
I prefer my cucumber bruised slightly.

**DeusVult** · 06-26-2012, 06:33 AM

What's bad is when you see the bartender looking the drink up in the little red book or asking one of the table bussers if he knows how to make it.

**JoshuaNY** · 06-26-2012, 09:43 AM

I ordered a Tom Collins once, and it was the most vile concoction I have ever tasted. It looked close enough to what it should, so I just assumed and drank it.
I was sure they just made me the wrong thing, so I asked the Bartender. He said he wasn't sure how to make it so he asked a waiter. He made it with Vodka, Tonic, margarita mix and a splash of pina colada mix. I almost threw up drinking this thing. It was probably my fault ordering it where I did.

Not to mention having the audacity to serve me Vodka instead of Gin

**Devilpup** · 06-27-2012, 08:45 AM

I prefer the bartender to ask or look it up instead of taking a wild guess. At the same time, what bartender doesnt know what a dirty martini is?

**ackvil** · 06-27-2012, 08:51 AM

I was in a fancy NYC hotel recently and ordered a Bombay Sapphire Martini. The bartender asked me if wanted that with gin or vodka!

At first I thought he was kidding - but he wasn't. And then I got the bill for the martini: $15 for two ounces of gin.

**knlgskr** · 06-27-2012, 10:20 AM

Unless at a Brewpub, I try to avoid ordering anything; have been a mixologist and seen owners refill bottles with other than what was originally in them, add water, pour short shots, pad tabs, etc. That is what I know/have learned from experience/observation and why I quit several jobs and am no longer a bartender; I just don't/can't trust some people. Most customers don't/wouldn't know the difference in what they are ordering/drinking and nowadays it seems to me that drinks are considerably overpriced. To paraphrase Omar Khayyam: "I wonder what the barowners buy that is half so precious as what they sell?"

**BladeDE40** · 06-27-2012, 10:27 AM

How old was the bartender? I'm 33 which by all accounts is not very old, however, I've noticed that this new generation of bartenders that I've seen popping up are not very knowlegeable about classic drinks; their knowledge seems to be fairly limited to Cosmos and Red Bulls and Vodkas.

**DeusVult** · 06-27-2012, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by knlgskr

Unless at a Brewpub, I try to avoid ordering anything; have been a mixologist and seen owners refill bottles with other than what was originally in them, add water, pour short shots, pad tabs, etc. That is what I know/have learned from experience/observation and why I quit several jobs and am no longer a bartender; I just don't/can't trust some people. Most customers don't/wouldn't know the difference in what they are ordering/drinking and nowadays it seems to me that drinks are considerably overpriced. To paraphrase Omar Khayyam: "I wonder what the barowners buy that is half so precious as what they sell?"

If you go to a finer establishment, with experienced bartenders, you're likely to pay even more than at the run-of-the-mill bar. You're right; people ordering drinks are not any more knowledgeable than the bartenders. Just a symptom of the coarsening of people in general, loss of appreciation of the finer things. And, even if one has a "drink mentor" who knows if he knows what he's talking about? That's why I like B&B. Here I can read opinions backed up with some understandable reasoning, some life experience, and perspective that goes outside and beyond my circle of acquaintences in real life. Not that every statement on B&B is to be trusted, but at least there's some variety and healthy discussion.

**Doc4** · 06-27-2012, 12:51 PM

Nowadays, even a knowledgeable bartender should know that there's probably not any universal understanding among his customers about what a particular drink "is". Somewhere, someone thinks a "dirty martini" has tomato juice in it, and if some unfortunate bartender leaves it out ... the winecooler is going to hit the fan.

(Until I read this thread, my response to hearing that someone got a dirty martini would have been "fire the dishwasher".)

Originally Posted by knlgskr

To paraphrase Omar Khayyam: "I wonder what the barowners buy that is half so precious as what they sell?"

... not many websites where a discussion about dirty martinis turns quickly to paraphrasing O.K.

Good ol' B&B.

**galopede** · 06-27-2012, 04:12 PM

Come to Britain and you'll be lucky to find a bar man that knows how to make anything more complicated than a G&T! We are not a cocktail nation.

Gareth

**Bad Robot** · 06-27-2012, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by galopede

Come to Britain and you'll be lucky to find a bar man that knows how to make anything more complicated than a G&T! We are not a cocktail nation.

Gareth

Worked a pub bar many years ago in London and you are correct, unless you specifically go to a cocktail bar your bartender will likely only know a few basics.

**dpm802** · 06-27-2012, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by Bad Robot

Worked a pub bar many years ago in London and you are correct, unless you specifically go to a cocktail bar your bartender will likely only know a few basics.

I hope I'm safe if I ever visit the UK. Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks is what I drink, and that's all I drink ... how hard can that be? My only complication is that I like it served in a snifter glass.