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Sheep-Goats posted:Yeah ban the cigars outside. They're bad for business. I think you should either ban all smoking, or allow all smoking. Banning cigars and allowing cigarettes is ridiculous, considering cigarettes tend to smell much worse (if not quite so strong).
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# ¿ May 7, 2024 05:28 |
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Frozen Horse posted:Attn GMs: Hire older bartenders; I don't trust anybody younger than me to fix anything more complicated than a gin and tonic, and they'll probably gently caress up the gin:tonic:ice ratio. Now where's my goddamn manhattan? Maybe you're going to the wrong bars. If I want a beer, I go next door to the pub. If I want a Manhattan, I go to my steakhouse, or over to a fancy hotel bar. Speaking of my steakhouse and their wicked cocktails, what do you all feel about this presentation: each cocktail is mixed, and poured into a tiny little carafe, which in then put in a bowl surrounded by crushed ice. This is served with a chilled cocktail glass. I like it. It keeps the cocktail chilled properly without dilution, and it just seems very ritzy and clever. I've never seen it anywhere else, though.
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nrr posted:We just started doing this for martinis served on our patio and I think it's a great idea to combat a drink heating up without having to compromise on dilution. I'm not sure, but it seems like you end up getting a lot more cocktail at the place I'm talking about. I don't know if the martini glasses are smaller than average, but it always requires at least two pours. Two martinis can get your dinner off to a very memorable start (contrary to the end of the meal, which you probably won't be remembering).
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Halloween Jack posted:I'm a staunch defender of the principle that a daiquiri consists of Rum, Lime, Simple, and Shove That Blender Up Your rear end. And Maraschino liqueur, surely?
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Sheep-Goats posted:Hi guys I worked at a club with a cognac we sold for $650.00 for two ounces, and we sold it, too. Was it Louis XIII? Having finally tried some from a bottle my friend bought years ago and finally cracked, I can say it was indeed excellent cognac, but not my favorite and nowhere near worth the price, a large part of which comes from the crystal decanter that it comes in. I'd totally pay $150 for a bottle, but not 10 times that (which is what my friend paid at a duty-free in St. Maarten).
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Sheep-Goats posted:Louis XIII was 150 a shot, not 1500. Remy Diamond was basically an upsell on that same product though, the bottle was very similar but faceted instead of smooth and there was a little diamond set in there (in our bottle, I don't think the commercial version has those). You can buy it in in-flight magazines and stuff now for like 1500 a bottle (the Diamond one), which I think is less than a bottle of regular Louis so, like everything else in that part of the nightlife industry, we were selling smoke and mirrors. Jesus, I've never seen Louis XIII in a bar for under $230/shot. Man, Canadians get screwed on booze prices.
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Sheep-Goats posted:I know, right? We gouged on everything else, why not that one. I saw it for $230 when the Canadian dollar was at par.
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See, now this might be a bartenders' school worth paying for!
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Coolguye posted:So here's an interesting conversation that came up at work today. These machines already exist, and I believe they're quite popular in some applications like big casinos, where the drinking is something of an afterthought. Regardless of whether it saves money, it can never take over the job of actual bartenders in terms of recommending drinks, providing a show, making sure people are cut off when they need to be, and you'd still require the same number of servers to pick up the slack. This isn't even to talk about the cost of such a machine and the maintenance that's required on it.
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Do any bars have those tap-to-pay wireless credit card terminals? That would seem to be the best in terms of convenience (though I suppose you'd still have to enter a tip). Are US credit card issuers starting to use chip cards? I never thought it would be so slow to deal with credit cards, but if you're dealing with getting a signature every time, I can see how it would take a lot of time.
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Perdido posted:I have to swipe, hope that my ancient POS will recognise the card, if not I have to manually punch in the card number and expiry date, hit Send, which causes the POS to lag and lock up for about 30 seconds, then wait another minute or so until the printer barfs out the receipt. That's lovely. Aren't you Canadian? I don't think I've been to a bar in the past three years that hasn't had wireless PIN pads that accept chip cards. I think it's still a bit slower than cash, and obviously there's the processing fee (having looked at the processing systems for my own business, I think it's 5 cents plus 2% per transaction, or in that general range), but all in all I still don't think it's a major inconvenience if done with a modern system. I'll definitely pay cash if I have cash on me, and I wouldn't ever pay per-drink with a card, but I don't always carry enough cash to settle up a decent bar tab, especially if I've had food.
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How common are barfights, really? Having gone to a bar pretty much at least once every other day (on average) for the past 5 or 6 years, all over the world, I still have never seen one. I've seen things come close, but never has it actually reached the point of a true fight.
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How concerned do you guys get about people driving drunk, and is there any liability involved with dram shop laws provided someone gets nabbed for DUI but doesn't actually cause an accident? I was at the bar earlier, and while I was having a smoke outside, I saw an obviously intoxicated person stumble across the street to their car, get in, destroy the better part of their clutch getting out of their parking spot, and drive off. I called 911 with the plate and a vehicle description, but now I'm feeling a bit worried that I could've landed my local bar and bartenders in poo poo if he actually does get caught or, god forbid, causes an accident. I like to think I'm an easy-going guy, but as a frequent driver and pedestrian in that area, among others, I feel that drunk driving is just not acceptable. Is there any real way to prevent drunk driving short of demanding car keys from every customer as they walk in? It's a downtown bar, and most of the patrons live within easy walking distance, so I think they may be a little lax about whatever measures they ought to be taking, but upon thinking about it for a while, I can't think of what any of those measures might actually be.
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Hoops posted:I've just been out in my small hometown, and goddamit in three different bars every pint I was served was flat. I've worked in bars in that town and no beer would be flat when I was serving. This was Saturday night so you know the supervisors were on, I don't understand why people will let the gas on their taps run out without changing it. I had to ask for some extra head on my beer in three different places just to make it drinkable. Some combination of lazy, stupid or cheap, I'm guessing.
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SubponticatePoster posted:I used to ask people their astrological sign back in the day. They'll memorize all the poo poo on that card down to the license number, but still either give you their sign or stare at you dumbly while they try to guess if it's Virgo or Libra. What kind of a massive retard would change their actual birthday, instead of just switching the year?
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FISHMANPET posted:Sometimes they get old real IDs from someone that looks like them, so they may not have a choice. Ah, forgot about that. I didn't have older brothers or anything so that option never occurred to me.
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SubponticatePoster posted:This. As ID's get more sophisticated and harder to fake they get someone else's real ID. In working the door I don't think I ever found a fake manufactured ID, they were all legit IDs being used by underagers. Do you get any specialized training on recognizing discrepancies between the photo on the ID and the person's face? I've never had anyone card me and scrutinize my face in any depth (granted, I've always been using my legit ID), but for example travelling in and out of certain countries, you can basically see immigration authorities running through a mental checklist of sorts to make sure you're the person pictured in your passport and/or entry photo. EDIT: Mind you, one time I did get refused for off-sales when I was only a year or two above the legal age. The bartender found it suspicious that I didn't want to walk to the much-less-expensive liquor store 3 blocks away, but the reality was that I was picking up beer for my nearby friends as a favour, and they wanted it ASAP and gave me the money. Sort of a piss-off, but I can understand why it happened. PT6A fucked around with this message at 23:19 on May 2, 2013 |
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FaceEater posted:We tend to see a good number of people trying to get in with papers that are similar to or supposedly in lieu of their ID. People that supposedly got their licenses taken away for a ticket or lost them or somesuch. Those people don't get let in, and while I understand some court in some other state might've given it to you, I don't know what a ticket from Idaho actually looks like, so, sorry. I've used a B&W passport photocopy to get into bars (and coffeeshops in Amsterdam), so it's not as crazy as you think, at least from a European mindset.
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Yeah, I think it's ultimately because, even if there is a drinking age and someone manages to finally give a poo poo, it'll be the person trying to pass a fake ID who gets in the most trouble (as it should be). Why should bartenders and (in the case of tobacco) retail employees be responsible for determining the validity of increasingly-realistic IDs, under the threat of really harsh punishments if they screw up? More honest people are going to get turned away, and inevitably some number of fakes will still get through. It seems like enforcement is going about it all wrong. Another thing is that people in the US are remarkably casual about carrying an illegal replica of government-issued ID. I looked into getting one when I was 16-17 to buy smokes, but ultimately it was easier, safer and cheaper for me to just find the shops that never checked IDs (there's more of them than you think!). On the other hand, my American uncle bought his stepdaughter a fake ID so she could drink underage (theoretically "a glass of wine with dinner," but I don't think even he was stupid/naive enough to not realize she was drinking in bars).
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FaceEater posted:It is not the case in a bar, at least here in Chicago. The law is something akin to (paraphrasing) having to have a valid ID on premises to drink in a bar. I know nothing about endorsements here having much to do with it. The really bizarre thing is that you have to make sure everyone has ID on them at any time they're in the bar. I always have my ID in my wallet anyway, but it would suck if I had to produce it for the bartenders (for both me and the bartender) every time I went to have a pint at the local. EDIT: And between government/corporate policy, I have no doubt it gets that ridiculous. London Drugs once carded my 60-year-old aunt when she was buying cigarettes.
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nrr posted:I've got to bite my tongue every time someone asks me where's your martini list? Why don't I see any on your menu? Well, my gins are on this page, and my vodkas are on the opposite page, do you really need to see a list with your options after that? Oh wait, you're not talking about Martinis at all, you want something like a Cosmo or a lemon drop... Mojitos are getting this same treatment and it infuriates me. You put mint in the drink, that does not make it a mojito. Things have names for a reason, damnit! I tried the "gin mojito" at a restaurant this weekend, and I'll admit it was a pretty tasty drink, but it's not a mojito.
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Benny D posted:Gin recommendation: Hendricks. It's a cucumber gin and it's quite tasty. He mentioned that one. I'd also recommend Citadelle or Port of Barcelona, for either straight drinking or martinis (not necessarily G&T).
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If you want a classic "manly" drink with a bit of sweetness, I'd have to recommend the Manhattan as well, especially if you're a fan of the herbal aspect of gin (which is what tends to turn people off of Manhattans, I've found). There's not really any sourness to speak of, mind you.
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Malcolm posted:e: I'm sure there are lots of clubs that do bladder busters poo poo but I'm surprised nobody actually got a ruptured kidney and decided to sue or something. I don't think that's a thing that can actually happen. You'd probably just piss yourself before any actual damage happened.
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Are managers prohibited from taking tips given to them provided there's no pooling? My local has a lot of "managers" that work the bar or kitchen from time to time. I don't really have a problem with them taking tips if they are working as a bartender or server; they aren't poaching good shifts by any means. I feel like a jerk as a customer if they aren't getting tipped for serving me, whether they're managers or not. I'd say the line gets muddied a lot more when they just "help out" during a busy shift, which the managers at my place don't do.
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Kaizoku posted:That is behavior I don't tolerate. "Excuse me sir/miss, I am your server: not your servant. Acting otherwise isn't going to get you far." Sometimes saying that will end up getting you a bad tip, but do you think they were going to tip well before you said it? Yeah, if my beer's empty and I can see the bartender is not busy, I'll occasionally call their name or wave to get their attention. If I can see they're busy making drinks or something, I'll let them finish that and then try to get their attention.
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Does anyone put the same level of effort into preparing Clamato (in terms of maybe cooking a clam broth themselves or something?) or is it all just pre-packaged stuff? I just can't convince myself why I should have a Bloody Mary when a Caesar is so, so much better.
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If I order a pint, I expect to receive a proper pint, or be told that pints are not served at that bar, in which case I'll have a "glass of draft", which ironically is much larger than would receive when order a glass in a place that serves proper pints. The right way to deal with that sort of stupidity is to politely make your feelings known, tip the bartender appropriately (as they have no say) and then find a bar that serves a proper, 20 oz. pint like God intended. If the bartenders knows English, he should inform you when a pint is not going to be served (of course, I'm in Canada, where I expect bars to serve an Imperial pint) mind you, it doesn't bother me when I'm in other countries that speak different languages and I get something like a half-litre when I order a pint in English.
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Frozen Horse posted:Would it kill us to finally go metric? It's not like it would be the first time I've been drinking out of a beaker. Bars would probably charge the same for 0.5L as they do now for a proper pint (568 mL, according to Google), so I'm sure bars would love it and customers would get screwed.
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If you're looking for a good rye whiskey, I would suggest High West. I've had both the Double Rye and the Rendezvous, and they're both extremely tasty.
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As a Canadian who tips well, I love going to bars in places that are visited by tons of people who don't tip, because when I tip as I normally would in Canada, I get hooked up with free drinks and wicked service constantly (even free bottle service one time -- what a day that was!).
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Masonity posted:Try reserva too then if you can. It's the step up from 7. My last bottle was only £15 in duty free at heathrow heading out to Norway but it's usually around £25-30 while 7 is more £20-£25. Havana Club Anejo Reserva is a younger rum than the 7 Y.O., usually thought to be about 5 years old. It's also cheaper than the 7 year old by about $5/bottle in Canada. Are you sure you're comparing the same size of bottle? They're both good rums, though, so drink whichever you prefer. The 3 year old is my favourite for things like daiquiris and mojitos, personally. Anejo Reserva and up are sipping rums for me.
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So, do any of you Canadian bartenders have the dubious pleasure of opening up for the gold medal game this morning? I know Alberta's given all licensees an extension to be able to start serving at 5 AM, but I'm not sure about the other provinces. My buddy's bar was fully reserved as of yesterday. I'm going to need some stories, because I think there'll be some good ones.
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Perdido posted:Most of Canada granted special exceptions as far as I know...although most of them had it sorted out before 2:45 on a loving Friday. What I'm saying is gently caress Allison Redford and the AGLC, as I've heard a ton of horror stories from places because trying to drum up staff to work on such short notice at an incredibly off hour is pretty hard. Service was pretty bad because most bars had skeleton staff working...place I was at only had 2 people in their kitchen, while another place had multiple food orders go missing because of server or kitchen fuckups. Had bars been given the opportunity to prepare a bit, things would've been a lot smoother and people would've had far better service. Well, I suppose it's good that Alison Redford did it at all, but I agree she could've given some more notice. I ended up seeing a lot of bars open, and the ones that were open were pretty full. I read in the news this morning that there were very few "problems" and, as a result, the provincial government is looking at extending service hours in general and allowing sales in corner stores and grocery stores. It's about time!
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mooyashi posted:No college kid carries cash unless they work in the service industry. I've just gotten over it at this point. Every once in a while, and it is rare, you get someone telling you your five dollar minimum is "illegal." I put on my nicest smile and tell them it's against Visa policy, and they are free to call them to complain. Most people just buy another drink to round it out. If you've been super nice, I'll run the card for the requisite five and give you the difference in cash, with a friendly reminder to just keep it in mind next time you come back. Jesus, I think to get under a $5 tab at my local (or any bar in this city), you'd have to order a special and tip nothing at all. Unless you're just drinking pop, in which case you're either a DD and most bars will serve you pop for free, or a cheap rear end in a top hat who shouldn't be in a bar anyway.
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Sheep-Goats posted:E: Oh hey you're straight north of there Yep, but our governments have wildly different opinions on how to restrict things like liquor and tobacco. I think the Mormons were big in this part of Canada for a while. We should work on purging them and their ilk from our governments at all levels.
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Vegetable Melange posted:Cash only will be dead in a generation or less, already I see kids who are 21, 22, not carrying cash on a Saturday night. Once the US leaves the stone age and gets chip cards so you don't have to sign all the goddamn time, it will go even quicker.
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One of the bartenders at my local has his last shift on Thursday, after spending 14 years in the industry. Is there anything I should do for him apart from buying drinks for him and tipping well?
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What's the deal with treating "regulars" in most bars? There was some drama in my local because a regular came in, during a prebooked 80-person party, and ordered some meatballs, which are a cheap-rear end special for a different day. The cook said it would have to wait because he didn't want to gently caress up an 80-person party, and it ended with the bartender getting in a huff about "disrespecting regulars" and giving two weeks notice. As a regular at the same bar, I'd be loving embarrassed for myself if I ordered a $2 special on the wrong day during a party and expected it to come out pronto, so I'm with the cook on this one. Is the bartender being a nitwit, or is there a reason he freaked out over it?
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# ¿ May 7, 2024 05:28 |
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Compared to sangrias, there's also the easier (and quite delicious) "tinto de verano," which is half and half red wine and Gaseosa. It can be approximated by 2 parts red wine, 1 part water and 1 part Sprite. Honestly, though, I might focus on establishing a good selection of Spanish wines by the glass first and foremost. Get some reasonably priced examples from Rioja (both red and white), Ribera del Duero (red), Priorat (red) and Rueda (white). That's what I think about when I think "Spanish drink." Assuming you already have that end of things handled, feel free to ignore this. Also, consider getting some good Spanish brandies. I've recently started getting into them, and they are quite nice and yet very distinct from a Cognac or an Armagnac.
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