My father and grandfather always ordered by brand because they knew exactly what they wanted. Dad didn't often order cocktails in restaurants, but if he was having a steak in quality steakhouse, he'd have a rye Manhattan with it, ordered by brand which I no longer remember. More than once he taught a bartender how to make his favorite drink. I still remember the taste of the well marinated cherry from his drink - back in those days giving a child the cherry from your cocktail was no big deal, but I suspect it would be frowned upon now. :rolleyes:

I can't find a citation for it right now, but I've read articles that branding of liquor in general became much more important as a result of Prohibition. During and immediately after Prohibition much of what drinkers could get was swill-- or worse. Foreign companies that made quality products used branding to set themselves apart from the "bathtub gin" makers. My father and grandfather always ordered by brand when sipping strong alcohol straight.

Interesting testimony. I sort of thought it was all unrecoverable since relatively few of us accompanied our parents & grandparents into taverns. But I forgot about restaurants, where we certainly witnessed them ordering drinks. For my part I just don't remember.

FWIW, I'm still guessing that Scotch & Bourbon were the main drinks ordered by brand, if & when even they were. I am able to remember that they had significant ad budgets.

Yeah, that's affected & you would be well-advised to get over it.

Welcome to the Internet! :)

A real Maraschino cherry is a delight. For those who have only had the day-glo red "maraschino" cherries you buy at the store - those are a poor chemical imitation. A real Maraschino cherry is a marasca cherry soaked in Maraschino liqueur. Marasca cherries are a sour cherry variety grown mainly on the Adriatic sea. Maraschino liqueur is liqueur made from marasca cherries. Some good cocktail bars still take the trouble to provide Maraschino cherries.

The fake ones you buy in the store are a sweet variety (Queen Anne - I looked it up) soaked in a sugar solution and Red No 5. Oh, and preservatives.

And I would never give away a real maraschino cherry. I love them. :)

Agreed - then I found out that there are different styles of gin. By far the main one we find in the US is London Dry gin, which has juniper front and center. Try Plymouth gin for something much more restrained - Plymouth is both the style and the brand. And of course Hendricks has a mainly cucumber flavor.

Who needs to order a drink with grandpa? You're forgetting the power of family lore! In my family there's a running argument spanning at least six decades at this point about the multiple cases of Haig & Haig Pinch (whisky) that my grandfather imported from Scotland when he semi-retired and began traveling the world. Well, the drama isn't about how he got it, though that was probably an interesting story. More than 40 years after the man himself passed away, his adult children-- my parents, aunts, and uncles-- still bicker at family gatherings about who drank most of grandfather's rare Scotch and blamed whom else. :cool:

I may be getting old, but I guess I'm not growing up. Once I'm diluting it with cola, well bourbon remains good enough for me.

For the good stuff, it needn't be mixed, and I'd rarely drink it out anyway -- the markup at a bar is wayyyy too high.

I have a set of whiskey stones given to me by one of my kids. It's actually a pretty neat concept - you can chill your liquor without diluting it.

Ding ding ding. I'm a bar manager at a high end restaurant. A well gin and tonic costs me $0.45 and we charge $7.00. A Hendricks and tonic costs me $2.00ish and we charge $10. Way higher margins on the well stuff.

Chris

^^^
 

All these years, I've been in the wrong business :cool:

Speaking of Gin...anyone ever tried Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Gin? It's German and much of the ingredients apparently come from the Black Forest. Robert Parker called it the "the greatest gin I have ever tasted" although I'm not sure he qualifies as a gin expert. Regardless, at just under $100 (per 750ml) I haven't been in a rush to buy a bottle.

Yes, every week when I'm in Germany. It is a fantastic gin and I always bring some home with me (though only those who appreciate it get some, others make do with Tanqueray.) It comes in a pretty small bottle that looks like it has come from an old medicine cabinet. It has the most amazingly clean and pure taste. The downside is that it is just so bloody expensive.

Try VL 92 next time.... quite enjoyable too.
I get my Monkey 47 online for €29, only 50cl though.

Why we have to order drinks by brand name now
 

The Alsterhaus in Hamburg wanted quite a bit more two weeks ago. €40ish I seem to remember. :mad:

They normally do...that's why I'm glad to have found a decent webshop for my Gin and Whiskey.

I know companies love high margins, but give me net profit dollars every day. Cash flow is king! :)