Cocktail Intimidation Is Real—Here's How To Order Your Drink Like A Pro
Ordering a cocktail at a bar can be pretty daunting. Politely making your presence known to the bartender on a busy night is one thing, but then you also need to have your order ready to go when it’s finally your turn. And depending on the drink, there’s usually a lot more to consider beyond just the booze.
Cocktails are like a choose-your-own-adventure game. You can customize with your preferred liquor brand, your garnish of choice, and exactly how you want your concoction to be served.
If you want to maximize your drinking experience, it’s worth knowing a few common terms. Learning exactly how to order a cocktail to your specification makes it easy for the bartender to get your drink just right. We’re breaking down some of the most popular phrases used behind the bar that’ll help you get the perfect sip every time.
"Up"
A drink served “up” means that it’s been chilled with ice (either shaken or stirred), but strained into the glass and served without ice. This is especially common when drinking martinis, manhattans, and gimlets. Up often implies that your cocktail is served in a stemmed cocktail glass like in a coupe, martini, or Nick and Nora glass. The stem effectively lifts the drink "up" and off the bar. Holding a glass by the stem prevents your body heat from transferring to the drink itself, which keeps it chilled for longer.
"Neat"
On the opposite end of the spectrum is neat. Neat refers to a drink that is served at room temperature sans ice, often in a rocks glass. Neat drinks are typically just one ingredient: alcohol. The lack of dilution from ice and the warmer temperature allows for a more complex flavor that highlights the nuances of the spirit.
"On The Rocks"
In the world of mixology, a rock is just another word for an ice cube. A drink served on the rocks, naturally, means it’s served over ice. Just like with drinks served up, the ice helps to both chill and dilute your drink. However, the ice remaining in your glass will continue to chill and dilute for longer periods of time.
Drinks on the rocks can be useful when you're cooling off on a really hot day. In other situations, like when you're sipping whiskey or tequila, it might pressure you to drink your beverage more quickly before it becomes too watery. Upscale cocktail bars try to mitigate the rate of dilution by using one large ice cube instead of several smaller ones. The smaller amount of surface area means that the ice melts more slowly.
"With A Water Back"
People who want to dilute their drink exactly to their specifications might order a drink with a water back. In bartending terminology, a back refers to a drink served alongside your alcohol in a separate glass. Also known as a chaser, a back can be consumed gradually, all at once, or incorporated into the alcohol itself.
Ordering a drink with a water back means that you’ll also receive a glass of water alongside your main beverage (in many cases, it's one type of liquor served neat). How one chooses to consume the water back is a personal choice, but many people will add a splash or two directly to their drink to control the dilution.
"In And Out"
No, we’re not talking about a west coast burger chain. The term “in and out” is used specifically when ordering martinis. Aside from choosing vodka or gin and your garnish of choice, the primary way to customize a martini is by determining the amount of vermouth used.
The ratio depends on the bartender, but people can limit the amount of vermouth by requesting a dry martini. And people who want it especially dry can use the term in and out—where the bartender pours the vermouth in the glass, then pours it out before adding the chilled gin or vodka. This allows drinkers to get the aromas and essences of the vermouth while still allowing the base spirit to shine.
"With A Twist"
If you want to add a burst of brightness to your beverage, you can order it with a twist—A.K.A. a strip of citrus peel. Depending on the drink, your bartender could opt for a lemon, lime, or grapefruit peel.
Citrus peels are full of aromatic oils, and bartenders twist them to spray, or express, those oils over the surface of your cocktail. This way, you get the bright zesty citrus flavor with each sip without any of the tartness. Twists are most commonly served in martinis, negronis, and old fashioneds.
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