September 28, 2006
Weaker Drinks for Women?
You’ve seen the lists on waiterrant and elsewhere: What Your Drink Says About You. Vodka martini drinkers are classy and old-school. Cosmo drinkers are prissy or passé. Pinot noir drinkers are on the Sideways bandwagon. On less cynical lists, beer drinkers are characterized as creative, tequila drinkers as extroverts, and red wine drinkers as mature and discerning.
But what does it say when your bartender questions your choice of drink? In an article in yesterday's New York Times, Alex Witchel -- who routinely orders bourbon and soda -- attributes her gender to the frequency with which she is served an exceptionally weak drink. That's to say, she contends that bartenders will pour a higher ratio of bourbon to soda for a man than they will for a woman, who presumably prefers pink, sweet drinks to the hard stuff.
D.C. restaurants and bars haven’t earned a reputation for denying women of age the right to a strong drink, provided there’s no misbehavin’. From Todd Thrasher at the new PX to the drink masters at Rasika, D.C. bartenders have been praised far and wide for going beyond what their patrons expect.
Unless we're missing something. Is it a common occurrence for women to get stiffed when ordering a stiff drink? Or is Washington an equal opportunity drinking town? Let us know in the comments below.
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I think we should test this myth, Mythbusters style!
no one waters down beer. this is why you drink beer. beer.
Or just drink bourbon without soda.
As a female Makers Mark and soda drinker here in DC I routinely now order MM, on the rocks, with a splash of soda. Can't speak to the male experience, but yes, if I order it as MM and soda it is considerably weaker than ordering a shot. I've always attributed it to stingy bar owners rather than a gender issue...perhaps I've been wrong?
It cuts both ways. I often order a Jack and Coke, and routinely I get a really weak drink. Worst offender: Bullfeathers, on Capitol Hill. I've had several bartenders there pour me a drink so weak that I wasn't sure there was anything in it at all.
In my experience, this isn't true. Then again, I order gin martinis or gibsons in warm weather and manhattans in cold, so I'm not sure how a bartender could water down my drink. There's nothing but liquor (and garnish) in either one.
I actually had the opposite happen this weekend at the Virgin Festival.
As always, drinks were expensive, but I was surprised that the bar had Patron mixed drinks for $11. That's significantly cheaper then at any bar/club.
Unfortunately, I already had a drink but recommended the Patron to my female friend. What the (female) bartender poured her was pretty much a glass of tequila, with a splash of juice. There must have been at least 3 shots in there, which again is an amazing bargain for $11.
So, after I finished my beer, I decided to get one for myself. What I got was the very opposite - a glass of juice with a splash of tequila.
She ordered the next one, and got all-tequila again. It was so strong, that we ended up splitting it in tow cups, and asking for more juice in each.
Yeah, and this is what those generous Virgin pouring policies got us this weekend. (I didn't put up the really bad ones of her. That would be cruel(er).)
a bit off topic, but this surprised me: "Vodka martini drinkers are classy and old-school."
but...but..VODKA martinis aren't the real thing! The "old-school" original is the GIN martini- vodka "martinis" are trendy and newfangled.
If it ain't gin, it ain't a damn martini. ...I don't know why this issue makes me insane with rage.
Thank you Shaken! I can't even begin to tell you how many vodka "martinis" I've sent back to the bar.
Shaken and mayaliana, I'm with you as well!
And Shaken, it makes me insane with rage too. Damn upstarts stealing our martini street cred with their sissy vodka....
Y'know, if you folks aren't getting a good stiff drink, go to Fox and Hounds and ask for a gin and tonic.
F&H G&T= a half pint of gin + a pony bottle of tonic
As a lifelong (hic - since college) female lover of bourbon and whiskey - with or without a splash of soda or ginger - I've found a strong hand/pour everytime at Biddy Mulligan's and Indebleu, and a phenomenal selection of infused-bourbons at Rasika (on rocks, thank you Gina). On the other hand, chain restaurants, dance clubs and anyplace that's serving you a drink in a clear plastic cup, will serve a poorly poured bourbon drink. secret key to any strong drink -- Get to know your bartenders!
I vote that the dirty vodka martini, marring the traditional recipe of the timeless gin martini, be renamed The Double Dirty. They taste too damn good to be shunned completely. It's all about brand marketing.