What are some signs that the bar your at is a cheap, crappy one?!
What are some signs that the bar your at is a cheap, crappy one?
As far as recipes go, is it true that a cheap bar uses lots of triplesec instead of blue curacao etc...and they don't have creme de noyax just grenadine? How about glassware and other things?
Answers:
Crappy ones have more regulars while upper class bars will have new customers on a daily basis. The good bars use better, expensive glasses & dringks while the cheaper ones use cheaper stuff. Whats this all about?
If you can't taste the ingredients, they are probably not there. This is something I've never thought about but the taste test, I'm thinking is it, or order at the bar and watch exactly what they're doing!!! It's your cash so don't be shy.
An upscale bar counts on the quality of their liquor and drinks to preserve their reputation. A less reputable establishment often relies heavily on beer sales for their business and will sell rail drinks, but not carry top-shelf liquors or mixers. I live in a rural area, and it is not uncommon to stop at a club that may only carry 2 or 3 top shelf liquors (a good bourbon, vodka and gin) I am an amaretto drinker, and it kills me when I go out and can't find a bottle of Disaronno behind the bar. A lower class bar will also use poor quality mixers and juices, and have a definate lack of garnishes (got moldy lemons once)
i got a plastic curaffe today with my lunch, i think that's a crappy as it gets, there's also a heavy metal nightclub here wich serves everything in cans or plastic, no glasses or glass bottles. the drinks taste terrible.... if you see plastic, RUN
Cheap & crappy dives are smelly and dirty.... and shovel ice in the urinals. They have the nacho cheese machine on the bar counter and joint smells like stale beer.
when you know they are being a bit stingy on the vodka and you can't taste it.
(I think you meant Triple Sec instead of Grand Marnier...Blue Curacao is a completely different liqueur.)
To answer your question, most crappy bars are easy to spot. Your first clue is the quality of people in the bar. If you see a lot of college students chugging pitchers of beer, generally it's a pretty cheap place. College students generally gravitate toward $1 pitcher nights at these dives just because it's a cheap way to get drunk. Also, if you see a lot of shady (for lack of a more descriptive word) characters, you're probably somewhere you don't want to be.
Take a peek to see what they have on draft; cheap bars will have a lot of your domestic brands like Bud Light and Miller Lite, but a more upscale bar will also have a selection of imported beers, such as Guiness, Killians Irish Red, or Blue Moon.
Next, try to see if you can see behind the bar. Does it look clean? I'm not talking about the stray lemon wedge on the floor (sometimes we drop things while we're in a hurry) or some spilled ice on the counter. I'm talking about filth. Do the shelves look dusty or are they sparkling? Are the coolers shiny or smeared?
As far as glassware, does it look clean to you? There's one bar here in town that mostly college students hang out at...one of the bars is outside, and the glasses hang under the bar. Since they are exposed, they look so grungy. I cringe whenever I see a bartender reach for one of these glasses. Also, are you getting your martini in a martini glass or is the bartender giving it to you in something else? Most quality bars have sufficient glassware to put drinks in the appropriate glass. I've seen dive bars run out of glasses and put drinks in plastic. Run for the door if this happens; drinks just don't taste right in plastic. That's why all the liquor comes in glass bottles!
How about all of the scurvey looking dirtballs sitting next to you?
they are serving bud cans of beer, wine out of a box in a plastic or paper cup & the locals (with really bad teeth) sit at the bar 24/7.