Bourbon at bars?

[ipourbourbon]

I work at a bar in DC and I am currious as to what the best bottle you have found in a bar is?

[tmas]

I work at a bar in DC and I am currious as to what the best bottle you have found in a bar is?

While I've never found anything really exotic in a bar, bars were instrumental in fostering my bourbon obsession. One of the first really impressive bourbons I had was Baker's which I had in a chain restaurant. They had a display of bourbons that looked nice and I couldn't think of what to order so I ordered a Baker's neat with ice on the side. Really impressed me and got my attention so I followed it up with my 1st Booker's which was great too! The rest is obsessive history!

Other rather nice bourbons I met in a bar for the 1st time are Rock Hill Farms, Blanton's & E. Craig 12. Tom V

[cowdery]

I had a pour of Wild Turkey Tribute at a bar in Brooklyn. Come to find out later it was a Jimmy Russell signed bottle that the owner didn't want opened (then why did the fool put it on the back bar?) and he fired the bartender for opening it.

On that same trip, I was pleasantly surprised to find A. H. Hirsch 16-year-old gold foil at the Jazz at Lincoln Center night club (which isn't at Lincoln Center).

[TBoner]

I haven't had too many great bourbons at bars, as most bars don't seem keen on providing a pour neat, though the Beam small-batch collection is most everywhere. However, at a jazz club in Chicago last week I had a very generous pour of Lot B served to me in a snifter. My first pour of that whiskey. I'll be buying a bottle. Soon.

[camduncan]

Old Rip Van Winkle 13yo Rye, Blantons Single Barrel and some Rye that I can't remember the name of, as well as Stagg, Sazerac and several others at The Bowery Bar in Brisbane.....

This bar by far leads the way for hard to find bourbon selection in Australia..

http://www.thebowery.com.au/drinks.2.html

[ratcheer]

I had Pappy 20-year old and Rock Hill Farms at a bar in Atlanta, but that was several years ago. That bar had a lot of very nice pours.

Tim

[SBOmarc]

Blanton's, RR 101 and Old Charter PR at the Mission Inn here in Riverside.

Old Pogue ( by accident ) according to the owner. When that is gone there will be no more.

[OscarV]

The Tavern in Bardstown KY. I had Pappy 20 and WT Rare Breed. And they have a lot of others, if you can't find one you like at The Tavern then you don't like bourbon.

[brian12069]

Pappy 20 is the best bourbon I have ever tried at a bar. You ready for this???...the bartender gave it to me for the ever low price of....free.

[ILLfarmboy]

Booker's and WT RB.

I once had a pour of Booker' in a bar/restaurant called Sneaky Pete's Cowboy Steaks, in Le Claire, Iowa. A very healthy pour alongside a 14 oz. 'wood fired' ribeye. The meat had a definite campfire flavor quite different from the Kingsford charcoal I usually use at home. Anyone who has cooked over wood coals knows what I'm talking about. It went soooo well with the Booker's I almost felt guilty.

[CrispyCritter]

I once had a pour of Booker' in a bar/restaurant called Sneaky Pete's Cowboy Steaks, in Le Claire, Iowa.

*makes note to self*

Dang, I drove through Le Claire last summer - and didn't even know what I missed.

On the other hand, last September I had the opportunity to take a steam train trip from the Quad Cities to Iowa City and back. They offered coach, first class, and premium tickets - I took first class, and it included some nice meals and beer as part of the package.

Atalissa, IA, Sept. 15, 2006 (picture taken by yours truly)

[jspero]

The best I've been able to find out my way is the standard WT and JB White. I went to a particularly good restaurant in Westminster last month and asked what kind of bourbon they had. The waiter responded "Any kind you can think of". Right. I asked for Eagle Rare thinking there was a least a CHANCE they had it. They had (you guessed it) WT and JB White (and JD which they thought was bourbon). Maybe that's all anyone else up here can think of?

Jay

[ILLfarmboy]

I haven't had too many great bourbons at bars, as most bars don't seem keen on providing a pour neat...quote]

Do you mean they were reluctant to serve it to you that way? And what was their reasoning? I've ran into a lot of ignorance regarding the word 'neat' but I've never been told I couldn't have it any old way I wanted it.

[full_proof]

I haven't had too many great bourbons at bars, as most bars don't seem keen on providing a pour neat...quote]

Do you mean they were reluctant to serve it to you that way? And what was their reasoning? I've ran into a lot of ignorance regarding the word 'neat' but I've never been told I couldn't have it any old way I wanted it.

I've experienced the same level of ignorance. I've ordered bourbon neat only to get it watered down with ice :hot: . If I try to send it back I receive blank stares as if I'm rude or haughty. Most of the time (and no disrespect to youth) it's some underling at the bar with no clue, armed with some software on a PC with instructions on how to mix drinks--the ingredients and description for which he/she usually lacks comprehensive knowledge (yes, boys and girls, fine bourbon is complicated ). Reasoning? I've suspected the slight was from (1) trying to stretch profits from selling watered-down (mixed) drinks; or possibly (2) dram shop liability concerns about serving a customer straight bourbon. Who knows? Let's solve this problem now and open our own bar on the Gulf of Mexico! :cool:

[TBoner]

Well, a lot of Dallas bars are about the young, single woman. My wife is a young, attractive woman who enjoys bourbon straight, on the rocks, w/ginger ale, etc. But the assumption is that women want a Cosmopolitan or other vodka and sugar cocktail. At any rate, it's all about chicks here.

So, when it comes to guys, there's not a big emphasis on providing what you want. And bartenders seem intent on belittling guys in bars. For instance, the other night, my wife ordered a Sazerac and (at my suggestion) called her whiskey. The bartender laughed at me for suggesting a particular whiskey, but poured it. He was stunned she actually liked it (or stunned I/she knew what to request). Another time, at a pricey uptown bar, I asked what whiskeys were available. The bartender said, "We don't have whiskey. But we have bourbon." He then offered Jack Daniel's.

The point I'm making, I guess, is I don't always get what I ask for. I'm never told "no," it's just many waiters and bartenders don't get it because it's not what they're used to. For instance, I once got a whiskey with water, then on the rocks, and finally neat (2 wasted pours!), when I asked for it neat in the first place.

That tendency, coupled with the fact that the whisk(e)ys generally offered are JD and (if you're lucky) Maker's Mark is what leads me to say most places don't seem keen on pouring neat. That said, Dallas has some terrific places to drink whiskey, if you know where to look. And it's generally not in the ritzier, trendy places. The best pours in town are actually at a place that I always thought was just a dive on a neglected street.

So no, no one has been reluctant to give me what I want. They just don't know what the hell I want when I ask for it. And they may or may not be able to figure it out and provide it.

[ILLfarmboy]

Well, a lot of Dallas bars are about the young, single woman. My wife is a young, attractive woman who enjoys bourbon straight, on the rocks, w/ginger ale, etc. But the assumption is that women want a Cosmopolitan or other vodka and sugar cocktail. At any rate, it's all about chicks here.

So, when it comes to guys, there's not a big emphasis on providing what you want. And bartenders seem intent on belittling guys in bars. For instance, the other night, my wife ordered a Sazerac and (at my suggestion) called her whiskey. The bartender laughed at me for suggesting a particular whiskey, but poured it. He was stunned she actually liked it (or stunned I/she knew what to request). Another time, at a pricey uptown bar, I asked what whiskeys were available. The bartender said, "We don't have whiskey. But we have bourbon." He then offered Jack Daniel's.

The point I'm making, I guess, is I don't always get what I ask for. I'm never told "no," it's just many waiters and bartenders don't get it because it's not what they're used to. For instance, I once got a whiskey with water, then on the rocks, and finally neat (2 wasted pours!), when I asked for it neat in the first place.

That tendency, coupled with the fact that the whisk(e)ys generally offered are JD and (if you're lucky) Maker's Mark is what leads me to say most places don't seem keen on pouring neat. That said, Dallas has some terrific places to drink whiskey, if you know where to look. And it's generally not in the ritzier, trendy places. The best pours in town are actually at a place that I always thought was just a dive on a neglected street.

So no, no one has been reluctant to give me what I want. They just don't know what the hell I want when I ask for it. And they may or may not be able to figure it out and provide it.

Maybe its a Midwestern thing but most of the small town bars around here are probably 70% men (frustrating back in my single days). Night clubs in bigger towns like Peoria and the Illinois/Iowa Quad Cities area are a more 50/50 mix. I have never, even in my early twenties when I could have passed for a high school freshman, been belittled by a bartender/waitstaff member. I find that unconscionable! I've gotten poor service as a result of laziness or ignorance but never belligerence. We of course have "lady's night" etc. But bartenders don't snub the male clientèle. (that's just shocking!)

Cultural expectations do come into play but it's not unusual for women here to order "Jack and Cokes" etc. When my wife and I eat out and she orders a beer when I order an Iced tea or water sometimes the waiter/waitress will set the beer in front of me.

[wingnut73]

I was out with my wife last weekend at "The Bristol" here in Louisville and had a glass of Pappy 20 yr old. It was excellent, but a little pricey. They have a pretty good selection of bourbon in their bar. That is all.

Joe

[Str8RYE]

I'm reposting this from another thread. It still holds true IMHO now as it did last year. To all the people who haven't read and in turn think most bartenders are stupid please read in with an open mind.

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by Str8RYE

Variety is the spice of life. I bartend and I watch everybody here rip bartenders because they make crappy whiskey drinks. :shocked: If I make 1 whiskey cocktail to 100 non whiskey cocktails a night, I would say I'm being nice to whiskey. I work at a trendy club and its the best $$ by far for a bartender. I've worked at classy restaurants and local bars, maybe the ratio there was 1 out of 50 cocktails were whiskey drinks. All the people I work with are 20 somethings and they all have a ton of shooters and cocktails in their catalog. They are all very good bartenders BUT they know almost nothing about whiskey.:bigeyes: Heres the thing now, it just doesn't matter anymore. We (us bourbon drinkers) are a tiny group in the world of bars and clubs. If you dint believe me, go to every bar and rest. in your area , even your local liquor store and look at the selection of whiskey. We are in a free-market and if it sold it would be there, wouldn't it. I can find every vodka everywhere I go because it sells.

I'm the goto guy when it comes to whiskey with my crew but I don't look down on them because the owner of the bars and rest. could care less about whiskey drinkers when vodka and rum cocktails and shooters make them a fortune as it is. WOW did I go off on a tangent. Heres my point. Whiskey cocktails aren't the craze We ( us whiskey nuts here) think they are. When you go to a bar or rest. most every bartender will never frown upon a guest teaching them a new cocktail and how to make it. Instead of looking down on the bartender because he doesn't know our version of a whiskey cocktail we love, stop and tell him how you would like it made.

Steve

[cowdery]

Good point which is, in a nutshell, get real. In a perfect world, every bartender in every bar would have a wealth of knowledge about every product they serve. In the real world, they're bartenders, not pharmacists.

If you are a whiskey drinker, the best way to get the best possible drink in a bar is to do the following.

First, get your drink yourself at the bar. Don't rely on a server to convey your instructions correctly.

Second, survey the back bar yourself to determine what's available. Don't rely on either the server or bartender to give you an accurate list of the American straight whiskeys on offer.

Third, talking directly to the bartender and knowing what is available, give your order with all the specificity necessary to get what you want. Don't hesitate to specify the glassware and additives.

I usually order my drink neat with water back or on-the-rocks, but specifying "go light on the rocks." This usually works. If the bar tender doesn't seem to know what "neat" means, I don't hesitate to say, "just pour it into a glass and give me a glass of ice water separately," or words to that effect. When you start getting specific, most bartenders will take the bait and ask you any additional questions necessary to get you what you want, type of glassware, for example.

Another tip. If any of the servers are wearing shooter belts, order a beer (or change bars).

[TBoner]

Umm..I don't see where I said bartenders were/are stupid. I just said that in Dallas, I often don't see bourbon on the menu or don't get what I ask for.

I understand I'm in a very small subset of drinkers, and I don't want to hijack the thread, but I don't think asking for a neat whiskey is a complex order. I also don't see where it's the bartender's place to laugh at me for calling my whiskey when it's right in front of me on the back bar. My comments were not a critique of bartenders generally, but of bars in Dallas.

Clearly, you took personal offense to a comment about a (as in one) bartender you don't know.

[cowdery]

Special reply to TBoner: I think you may need to reassess the bars you patronize. If a bartender ever mocked me for any reason I would either have a talk with the manager (if I really liked the place otherwise) or stop patronizing the place altogether. My personal experience with bartenders, which is considerable, is that 99 out of 100 will do whatever they can to give the customer what he or she wants. I've never experienced or observed a bartender belittling a patron under any circumstances. If this is a regular experience for you, I can't explain that, but it is completely outside my experience. And I have experience drinking in Dallas.

[Stu]

I rarely drink in bars. I have a much better selection here at home (including glassware). When I do go to a bar (usually at a professional meeting or some other social function) I look over the selection of whisky and glassware and say something like "pour some .... in that small brandy snifter and give me a large glass of ice water back'. For me that has worked almost every time. This also usually results in a larger pour because 1 oz. looks like nothing in a snifter or a tulip shaped wine glass. Now that I've said that, it probably won't work any more. As to selection, I've never been in a place where I couldn't find something to satisfy my appetite.

[TBoner]

Chuck,

You're right. This particular bar has been scratched off my list, and the proprietor knows about my experience. And I do think most bartenders do what they can to help clientele. In fact, I stated in an earlier post that Dallas has great places to drink whiskey, if you know where to look. And it's not a regular experience for me to be belittled. I just told the story as an illustration of the wider truth that I don't often get a good pour of bourbon neat in any of the "upscale" or trendy bars here in town because it isn't available. I was in a bar the other night with nine different vodka brands (some in varying proofs and/or flavors) and three American whiskeys...and I ordered a beer.

But,

Tipperary Inn

Old Monk

Louie's

Whiskey Bar

Libertine

Idle Rich

Greenville Bar & Grill

Dubliner

Stan's Blue Note

The W

and a host of others provide great whiskey and ambience to boot.

I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers. But I won't back off saying that a good pour of good whiskey the way you want it is the exception and not the rule here.

And I have more experience than I should drinking in Dallas.

[ILLfarmboy]

Good point which is, in a nutshell, get real. In a perfect world, every bartender in every bar would have a wealth of knowledge about every product they serve. In the real world, they're bartenders, not pharmacists.

If you are a whiskey drinker, the best way to get the best possible drink in a bar is to do the following.

First, get your drink yourself at the bar. Don't rely on a server to convey your instructions correctly.

Second, survey the back bar yourself to determine what's available. Don't rely on either the server or bartender to give you an accurate list of the American straight whiskeys on offer.

Third, talking directly to the bartender and knowing what is available, give your order with all the specificity necessary to get what you want. Don't hesitate to specify the glassware and additives.

I usually order my drink neat with water back or on-the-rocks, but specifying "go light on the rocks." This usually works. If the bar tender doesn't seem to know what "neat" means, I don't hesitate to say, "just pour it into a glass and give me a glass of ice water separately," or words to that effect. When you start getting specific, most bartenders will take the bait and ask you any additional questions necessary to get you what you want, type of glassware, for example.

Another tip. If any of the servers are wearing shooter belts, order a beer (or change bars).

I know I probably complain about bartenders more than I should. It is a lot to expect one person to keep up with all the trendy cocktails (which is what most people order) and at the same time be versed in all the classics. Most bartenders are young and youth alone accounts for a lot of the ignorance I see. I don't mean that as a pejorative. Inexperience and ignorance is not shameful. On this point I can sympathize with young bartenders especially, but on the other hand when I go to other businesses say like the Dairy Queen I don't expect to have to teach the girl behind the counter how to make a Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzard.

Its not always possible to survey the back bar. Recently I ordered an Old Fashioned at the bar in a Ruby Tuesday. The bar was L shaped. All seats were taken on the side with the bourbon and other whiskeys on the back bar. Also a crowd of people were taking up space behind the seats on that side.

In a noisy night club when the bartender(s) are rushing about and there is a line of other costumers behind you, it's not the best time to teach 'em how to make a proper Manhattan. In fact as soon as you say: I'll have a X they are off (oftentimes now out of earshot) making their version of what they think a X is, before you can add any further instructions.

My experience in bars, restaurants and nightclubs has been mixed but generally good. When bar staff are not pressed for time and the crowd is light that is the best time to ask for a classic cocktail that may take some explaining.

[smokinjoe]

My experience is that it's iffy ordering something "neat". Probably 50/50 the waitress or bartender knows what that means. I have no idea why the problem, but it's there. So, I've gone to "straight up--no ice". It's a little redundant, but short and to the point. Batting pretty much a thousand with that one. Had to use a baseball reference, as Opening Day is right around the corner. :woohoo:

JOE