What you drink says as much about you as what you wear and how you conduct yourself. Dates, dinner with friends or a night out, your drink choices set a framework for you and how your are perceived. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for beer and cheap shots. Those places are best reserved for football Sundays, and backyard BBQ’s. That being said, that behavior is marginally accepted at best. Frat boy days are over after college.

I always look behind the bar before ordering. Better top shelf choices means the owner has invested some time and research into what to have behind their bar. (my opinion)  If they are dusty and appear unmoved, (the bottles, not the people) then you have entered an establishment that serves $3 well drinkers and $2 draft night people! The bottom shelf swill is exactly that. Stay away.   (Hopefully, you can spot these places and order accordingly)

Good ambience, lighting, and decor don’t make a good bar, but it is a start. If the bartender looks dressed for the part, meaning adult clothes. No t-shirts, hoodies, etc… That is a good indication that they know their business. Your chances for a good drink are highly plausible!

So, what to order?

1. Old Fashioned : Sugar, bitters, big ice cube and a thick glass. Timeless and elegant and makes a statement.

2. Scotch : Preferred choice is single malt, but a good blend will do. Ice or neat (no ice)

3. Manhattan : Darker, bolder version of the martini. This is made with whiskey or bourbon. Real cherries only, no jarred versions here.

4.  Martini : Personally, not a big fan. Vodka and I have a troubled past. If it was good enough for 007, then by  all means enjoy.

Basically, these drinks don’t determine your manliness. But, all night drinking is over! These drinks are potent and are drank to enjoy fine spirits and to conduct good conversation. There are plenty of good quality scotches, vodkas, and whiskeys for you to have a favorite. These favorites can be added to any of the above concoctions and it actually sounds like music to a bartender when you can say “I will have and old-fashioned with Jameson’s”.

Just  a thought at the end.

If you are the home dinner party guy, then learning how to make few of these cocktails could go a long way! You get too introduce people to some fine spirits. You control the consumption to a degree and it’s another notch in the well rounded man belt.