A pet alcohol hate

nesf

Ice being put in my whiskey. Dear God, someone actually put ice in a 21 year old Bushmills for me once. Or the time when someone poured me a shot of Jameson 1780 into shot glass.

I mean seriously, if you are going to have a premium whiskey behind your bar you need to train your staff in how to serve it. Yes you will have people who won't have a clue and throw back a whiskey, almost as old as them, in one shot but really, a bartender should know their trade, or at least if in doubt ask the customer.

Maybe my expectations of others are too high though.

Pongo

Customer: 'Midleton please'
Barman: 'Sure, you know it's €12 a shot though?'
Customer: 'Yeah, no problem, I know what I'm drinking...'
Barman serves Midleton, (no ice!) in proper whiskey glass....
Barman: 'Now, that's €12 please...'
Customer: 'Oh sorry, can I get a coke for that'
Barman: '....a...coke????....you want a bottle of coke for your Midleton???!!!'
Customer: 'Ah no, sure splash coke will do fine thanks....'


True story. If I hadn't seen and heard it myslef I'd never believe it.

theCzar

Pongo wrote:

Customer: 'Midleton please'
Barman: 'Sure, you know it's €12 a shot though?'
Customer: 'Yeah, no problem, I know what I'm drinking...'
Barman serves Midleton, (no ice!) in proper whiskey glass....
Barman: 'Now, that's €12 please...'
Customer: 'Oh sorry, can I get a coke for that'
Barman: '....a...coke????....you want a bottle of coke for your Midleton???!!!'
Customer: 'Ah no, sure splash coke will do fine thanks....'


True story. If I hadn't seen and heard it myslef I'd never believe it.

lol! was he dipping Doritos in Caviar as well by any chance?

MagnumForce

nesf wrote:

Ice being put in my whiskey. Dear God, someone actually put ice in a 21 year old Bushmills for me once. Or the time when someone poured me a shot of Jameson 1780 into shot glass.

I mean seriously, if you are going to have a premium whiskey behind your bar you need to train your staff in how to serve it. Yes you will have people who won't have a clue and throw back a whiskey, almost as old as them, in one shot but really, a bartender should know their trade, or at least if in doubt ask the customer.

Maybe my expectations of others are too high though.

usually they just leave it neat, cos you can always put ice in, its harder to take it out. They'd have to be stupid to put ice in it without asking you. I hope you sent it back!

I never would have ice in a whiskey like Glenmorangie or anything like that, but i always have ice in my Jack Daniels without fail, unless its a shot of course, you wouldnt fit much ice in a shot glass, but i hardly ever do shots of Jack.

nesf

Pongo wrote:

Customer: 'Midleton please'
Barman: 'Sure, you know it's €12 a shot though?'
Customer: 'Yeah, no problem, I know what I'm drinking...'
Barman serves Midleton, (no ice!) in proper whiskey glass....
Barman: 'Now, that's €12 please...'
Customer: 'Oh sorry, can I get a coke for that'
Barman: '....a...coke????....you want a bottle of coke for your Midleton???!!!'
Customer: 'Ah no, sure splash coke will do fine thanks....'


True story. If I hadn't seen and heard it myslef I'd never believe it.

*twiches*

You made that up yeah? Tell me you made that up.....

nesf

MagnumForce wrote:

usually they just leave it neat, cos you can always put ice in, its harder to take it out. They'd have to be stupid to put ice in it without asking you. I hope you sent it back!

I never would have ice in a whiskey like Glenmorangie or anything like that, but i always have ice in my Jack Daniels without fail, unless its a shot of course, you wouldnt fit much ice in a shot glass, but i hardly ever do shots of Jack.

Yeah, with a JD or Paddys it's not a huge deal. At least it's not heresy mixing them.

Zulu

humm, I enjoy ice in my whiskey...

monkeyfudge

Oh I'm a big whiskey drinker and this drives me nuts as well.

A lot a bar staff don't understand the term neat.. so I find I have to say 'no ice'... but usually all they here is the word 'ice'

Ice in brandy is really bad as well.

I was in Eamon Dorans one evening... the bar was quiet enough and it was my friends round and he was getting me a brandy... From across the other side of the bar I seen them about to put the ice in and I just screamed loudly 'NoOOOOOooooooOOOOooooo!' but it was too late.

My friend refuses to ask for a brandy in a pub for me to this day because everyone in the bar turned to see what he was doing that could be so horrible.

nesf

Ice in brandy???

This thread is becoming a list of brutalised measures of lovingly cared for alcohol.

Blub2k4

I suppose then I better admit to putting Orange Juice in a Belvedere vodka once. My excuse is that it wasn't ice chilled and I had no other vodka there...

45 euro a bottle to mix with OJ was a bit steep though:o

Civilian_Target

lol! Even in a really nice whiskey, the tiniest dash of water is usually quite nice, takes the edge of it just a little bit which usually isn't a bad thing...

smashey

I remember ordering a Laphraoig once and the barman attempted to put ice in it. I think I said something along the lines of him having to pay for it if he ruined it. He got the message.

nesf

Civilian_Target wrote:

lol! Even in a really nice whiskey, the tiniest dash of water is usually quite nice, takes the edge of it just a little bit which usually isn't a bad thing...

It is very much a matter of personal choice. Some like it neat, some with a dash of water and some heretics like their Midleton drowned in coke (as above), but the thing is a bartender should know that this is something that should be left to the customer to decide and when they order coke with their Midleton the bartender should shed a silent tear for the attrocity that he has unwittingly aided.

The Sweeper

I appreciate that there are drinkers out there who believe that the addition of ice to something all-out destroys it. However, there are other drinkers who find the addition of a little meltwater to their spirit of choice can make it more palatable. After all, enjoying your alcohol should be about drinking what you like the taste of, not necessarily conforming to the norm because people believe certain things should be imbibed in a certain way.

Saying that, anybody who'd buy an expensive whiskey and then ask for a splash of coke in it is obviously a thick eejit who should be beaten about the head with a set of profit and loss accounts, while being made to say "If I'm going to add coke to my drinkie poos, it really doesn't matter what sort of drinkie poos it is because I'll mostly taste the coke, and for the sake of financial sanity I'm going to drink something cheaper".

nesf

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

I appreciate that there are drinkers out there who believe that the addition of ice to something all-out destroys it. However, there are other drinkers who find the addition of a little meltwater to their spirit of choice can make it more palatable. After all, enjoying your alcohol should be about drinking what you like the taste of, not necessarily conforming to the norm because people believe certain things should be imbibed in a certain way.

I completely agree with you, but as above I have issues when I'm served anyway decent whiskey with ice. It's not that you have to drink good whiskey neat (a little water can help bring out the flavours) but not being given the choice is just highly frustrating. Combine that with the cost of a glass of good whiskey in a pub and it's just not acceptable for you to be served in that way imho.

ruprect

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

However, there are other drinkers who find the addition of a little meltwater to their spirit of choice can make it more palatable.

Professional tasters will dilute spirits down to enhance the "tasteability". But they certainly would not do it with crappy tap water ice full of flouride, chlorine and other crap. I think some uk schooldgirl went to resuraunts testing toilet water from the bowl, and ice from drinks, the toilet bowl water was cleaner!

Zulu

ruprect wrote:

Professional tasters will dilute spirits down to enhance the "tasteability". But they certainly would not do it with crappy tap water ice full of flouride, chlorine and other crap. I think some uk schooldgirl went to resuraunts testing toilet water from the bowl, and ice from drinks, the toilet bowl water was cleaner!

If you could taste the difference - I'd give you a score.

Vikings

I take a cube or two of ice in my Midleton, that being said I rarely order one when im out so have never came into this problem. When im at home I can measure and ice as much as I please which makes it all the better.

r3nu4l

Meh, I would have belonged to the no-ice club a while back but then I read "Raw Spirit - in search of the perfect dram" a book commissioned by the fine Scotch distillers association and written by Iain Banks.

He travelled the length and breadth of Scotland tasting all of the Islay malts and other unusual scotchs and the overwhelming sense I got was that the distillers themselves see nothing wrong with the additionof ice and water (and they didn't care if it was tap or bottled or tears from a virgin, so long as it was water). Equally, they didn't care about not adding water, it appears that they can be enjoyed equally and that the taste changes to a different taste rather than a "worse" taste.

Nowadays, sometimes I'll have ice, sometimes I won't.

WhiteWashMan

i know someone whos great grandfather or other was a master brewer at a scottish distillery, and he didnt touch a drop.
did everything on smell.

personally, i have no sense of smell, but whiskey just makes me puke. even just the merest whiff of it near my nose will make my stomach turn.

have never been able to stomach it after drinking 2 shots of paddys in college many years ago...

TKK

I was in a distillery a couple of years ago and we were told by the guide that you should put a small drop of water into whiskey as neat it deadens the tastebuds.

As an aside does anyone know where the whiskey shop is in Dublin that does tastings and such? I was told of it's existence and location but can't remember.

monkeyfudge

TKK wrote:

I was in a distillery a couple of years ago and we were told by the guide that you should put a small drop of water into whiskey as neat it deadens the tastebuds.

As an aside does anyone know where the whiskey shop is in Dublin that does tastings and such? I was told of it's existence and location but can't remember.

The one opposite Bruxelles does it from time to time.. at least I've seen the notices in their windows... Never tried it out though.

CiaranC

I agree it should always be a choice.

I like ice in my whiskey, I always order 'Jameson & Ice'.

JohnK

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

Saying that, anybody who'd buy an expensive whiskey and then ask for a splash of coke in it is obviously a thick eejit who should be beaten about the head with a set of profit and loss accounts, while being made to say "If I'm going to add coke to my drinkie poos, it really doesn't matter what sort of drinkie poos it is because I'll mostly taste the coke, and for the sake of financial sanity I'm going to drink something cheaper".

You see this is why when I buy Scotch I buy the cheapest crap I can get my hands on. Tesco own brand Scotch, for the true connoisseur .

Carol H

The only time Bushmills made a 25 year old malt in celebration of the Millenium. This was only sold by the barrel. Over 224 bottles.
I was fortunate enough to buy one (yes you read that correctly a whole barrel).

I have letters from the master distiller regarding the progress of my barrel over the years prior to bottling. The bottles are numbered with the barrel number and bottle number. Hand printed lables by Bushmills.

Guess what
I don't drink whiskey but many a connnisoir has tried it and they say it is the "smoothest" and must be tried. WITHOUT WATER. It is a very very pale yellow and does not taste like the other Bushmills Whiskeys.

I have sold a few bottles to those who would really truly appreciate it.
It was a once in a lifetime investment and a very interesting one as I was one of the few who were not rich and famous who managed to invest in such a one off event - back in 1975:D .

Regards
Carol

anonymous69

I was a barmaid for years, and no matter what kind of whickey it was, or brandy, i always asked if they wanted ice or not. alot of the time people said no ice in brandy, but majority asked for just one cube.

i think it was the only time i didnt ask if they wanted ice, i just assumed they wouldnt, and i got the head eaten of me for not putting ice in her brandy! all she had to do was ask

dermo88

There is one mixer which will enhance the taste of a good quality whiskey, and you'll be surprised or horrified.

Chinese green tea.

bonkey

Personally, I don't care what people drink, or how they drink it.

I don't care how the experts tell me I should or shouldn't drink something. I don't care what their reasons for it are. I might try their suggestions, but at the end of the day, I have a simple philosophy that "if you like it, its good. If you don't, its not". What I consider a good whisk(e)y could be muck to someone else. That doesn't mean only one of us knows whisk(e)y...just that we have different tastes.

If someone thinks that a rare, single-cask should be taken with a healthy dash of lemonade, then more power to them.

But...

If I order a whisk(e)y, thats what I want. A whisk(e)y. Not a whisk(e)y with ice, with coke, with lemonade, with Ballygowan or anything else the barman thinks would be the right thing.

If I order a coffee, I don't expect milk or cream in it. I don't expect the waiter or barrista to decide for me how many sugars I should be taking. I don't want them deciding that this particular coffee would be best with a shot of chocolate syrup and a swirl of cream.

I don't want the chef deciding that my steak should be well done and served with a sauce thats not on the menu and that I didn't ask for.

Its not hard...well...it shouldn't be hard. but whisk(e)y, particularly in Ireland, seems to be the tough one.

and i got the head eaten of me for not putting ice in her brandy!

I'd love to tell you that you should have told her you served her what she ordered.....but with people like that you're only ever on to a lose-lose anyway.

bonkey

Carol H wrote:

I don't drink whiskey but many a connnisoir has tried it and they say it is the "smoothest" and must be tried. WITHOUT WATER.

Personally, I believe that any good whisk(e)y should be tried both with and without water.

The addition of just a drop of water can release/seperate oils which can either intensify or change the flavour of the whisk(e)y.

But like I said above...each to their own. I mean...some people like their whisk(e)y out of a tumbler!!!

rediguana

I hate when waiters fill my wine glass right up to the top, thereby passing their uncouthness on to me.

brianthebard

nesf wrote:

Ice in brandy???

This thread is becoming a list of brutalised measures of lovingly cared for alcohol.

Have you seen the new hennessey ad's, they end with a shot of a brandy glass half full with ice. They serve it like that in the college bar for some reason-I mean isn't brandy supposed to be to warm you up and stuff?