Message 17792 of 39188 in General Discussion

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> 
> You would think that when a bartender gets an order (at his bar not 
> from a table) for a Manhatten straight up they would know to at least 
> ask the patron, "shaken or stirred?".

You're right, but in some cases I use my discretion to fill in the blanks.  If 
someone is a seasoned Martini/Manhattan drinker they're normally going to know 
what the options are and specify their preferences right up front ("Maker's 
Mark Manhattan, stirred, on the rocks, please").  I used to ask more but over 
time noticed that I was asking people who had apparently never considered the 
question and didn't understand the difference.  


> 
> Once I was at restaurant bar and asked for a Manhatten. It came back 
> shaken, okay. So, when I ordered my second I asked for it to be 
> stirred. I could not believe what I got back... a room temperature 
> cocktail! I think the bartender just put the ingredients in the 
> cocktail glass and just stirred it around. No ice to chill it, not 
> even a chilled cocktail glass. Needless to say, I switched to vodka 
> tonics after that.

Yeah, I'd have probably switched to something a bit easier too (for me the 
go-to would be Jack & Coke.  BTW, if someone followed a Manhattan order with a 
liquor + mixer, I'd get the feeling that they were less than impressed).  
You're right, there are a lot of 'tenders out there who still have a lot to 
learn about terminology and drink preparation.  Since you really like your 
Manhattans stirred I would just ask for it that way wherever you go.  Like I 
said above, it's normally the sign of a discriminating customer.  Few things 
irritate me more than customers who are overly vague and then bitch when they 
don't like the way the drink came out.  If they had been specific from the 
beginning I would have known exactly how to make the drink their way.  I'm 
referring to you  - asking for that second drink stirred should have gotten 
you what you wanted.    

On the subject of vague orders, does anyone else feel my pain when someone 
walks up to the bar and says, "I'd like a Martini."  Here's how it's done 
properly:  "I'd like an extra dry Grey Goose Martini, up and with a twist."    
T


> 
> I know that the people visiting this forum most likely know when 
> something should be stirred and when something should be shaken. The 
> problem is all those bartenders out there that don't know. How do you 
> tell them? I don't want to be rude and tell them they are doing it 
> wrong, but what I am I to do?

I don't see anything rude about saying "stirred, please" right after you order 
your Maker's Mark Manhattan.  Any bartender worth their salt knows that there 
are some options and you are falling in the category of a "good customer" by 
being specific with your preferences.  I actually have a pretty thin skin for 
customers telling how to prepare drinks in general, but not with them being 
specific about the way they like their drink.