Message 8838 of 22774 in Behind the Bar

Share on Facebook |  Save to del.icio.us

> > Customer: I'd like a martini, please.
> > Waiter: Would you like that made with gin or vodka?
> > Customer: I'd like it with gin, the standard ingredient in the 
> > recipe.
> > Waiter: Actually gin isn't standard in a martini; vodka martinis are 
> > 
> > made with vodka and gin martinis are made with gin.
> 
> I'm not going to argue on the correctness here, but I will say that 
> any customer who said "the standard ingredient in the recipe" to me 
> is instantly going to brand themselves as a-holes to me.  It's too 
> matter-of-fact or even too arrogant to be a response to a simple and 
> reasonable question (albeit a question that's not entirely accurate). 

That was a simplified fictional scenario to demonstrate a point, that while 
there are questions worth asking (to determine the knowledge and preferences 
of the customer) one can be misinformed and be under the misconception that 
certain things need to be asked (like which type of vermouth goes in a 
Manhattan).  

>  In your case I would have simply assumed the waiter is an idiot (as 
> you did) and instead told him the recipe I'd want and not bother with 
> a lecture.  I know that it's our responsibility as bartenders to 
> educate, but this is one time I would have just clued in the 
> bartender on this particular case and left it up to him to set the 
> waiter straight.
> 
Maybe lecture was too strong a term.  I said something along the lines of, 
"I'd like a standard Manhattan made with Maker's Mark.  A Dry Manhattan is 
made with dry vermouth, a Perfect Manhattan is made with sweet and dry 
vermouth and a regular Manhattan is made with sweet vermouth.  If you order it 
sweet it gets cherry juice added to it, which I don't want."  

> > Basicly the guy wouldn't acknowledge that if I say "Manhattan", one 
> > 
> > word, I should expect whiskey, SV and bitters.  I also found it funny 
> > 
> > that the bartender he sent the order to made it exactly as I told him 
> > 
> > he would if I'd ordered a Sweet Manhattan.    
> 
> Here's the real question...does the waiter NOW know (and understand), 
> or did you leave it alone after the drink was ordered?

No, that waiter stuck to his guns and is presumably just as misinformed today 
as he was then, many months ago.  I felt like I'd already gone over the line 
while ordering the drink, I decided not to push the issue and be an a-hole.  
The Sweet Manhattan he served me was okay, just not what I usually order.