Sunday, August 22, 2010

Cocktail Terms

Have you ever sat down at a bar and ordered a drink such as a Gimlet or Negroni and the bartender replied: "Would you like that neat or straight up?" , and you had no clue what they were talking about?

Sometimes that would happen and I would reply: "I'll take it how ever you like it." That would get me through the night, but it would be nice to know how to order a drink exactly how you want it.

So here are a few different terms you could use next time you are out ordering cocktails.

Neat - Simply a drink ordered with no ice, straight out the bottle, at room temperature.

Straight-Up - This is a drink that is shaken or stirred with ice and then strained into a cocktail glass sans ice. Your drink will still be cold, but the lack of ice will prevent your from being slowly diluted.

On The Rocks - Served in a glass with ice.

Curaçao - Liqueur made of a sour orange, originally form the Netherlands.

Flip - Cocktail made with egg, in a shaker.

Apèritif - A refreshing drink typically served before a meal to stimulate the appetite.

Digestif - A drink, often sweet, served after dinner to complete a meal and aid digestion.

Mixology - A generally accepted as a slang term for a refined and in depth study of the art and craft of cocktail mixing.

Molecular Mixology - A special practice of mixing drinks using the analysis and techniques found in science to understand and experiment with cocktail ingredients on the molecular level.

Are there others you have always been curious about? If so, let me know...