Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Top Ten Cocktails

That is a picture of the piece of mahogany that I stand behind. It's the bar and lounge area for a white tablecloth restaurant. The food is awesome. I try to make the drinks nice too!

Here is an unscientific list of the most popular cocktails I make. The number one selling drinks by far are beer and wine, but I'm not counting them as cocktails.

1. Vodka Martini
2. Martini
3. Gin & Tonic
4. Vodka Tonic
5. Margarita
6. Vodka and Juice
7. Cosmo
8. House Specials
9. Lemon Drop
10. Scotch and Water

The vodka martini and the martini also count the "super dry martinis" that are actually just straight vodka or gin. I think they should be called "chilled vodka," but they're ordered as martinis. At this point you really have to ask what someone is looking for when they order a martini. I think most people think a martini is supposed to be made with vodka.

Gin & tonic and vodka tonic are always popular. Gin & tonic may move up a place with the summer weather.

In the vodka and juice I lumped together all the vodka/cran, screwdrivers, greyhounds etc. If it's a duo with vodka and fruit juice, it goes at number 6.

Cosmo, what can I say? Everyone has heard of the cosmo, and if you don't like cocktails that taste like cocktails, it's a good choice. After all, it was on TV right?

House specials include anything on our feature drink menu, or any daily special that I'm doing on a particular night. I'll save the details of the drink menu and specials for another post.

We make a fresh-squeezed lemonade that is really popular in the restaurant, so we do a lot of lemon drops that use the lemonade as an ingredient.

We do a fair business in Scotch whisky. At number ten I'm counting single malts served neat, scotch on the rocks, scotch and water.

That's what my top ten look like. Other than the martini, there's not really a classic cocktail on the list. I'd like to see some of the great classics move back onto the list. I like it when someone comes in and orders a Negroni or a Sazerac (it's probably another bartender, I'd guess).

I'd like to see some of the other blogger/bartenders list of the drinks they make the most.

7 Comments:

Blogger Cocktail Jen said...

Can you tell me what restaurant it is? I don't make it down to Los Gatos much except to visit Manresa, but I'm willing to come by and order something classic.

2:34 PM  
Blogger jimmyp said...

It's the Lion & Compass in Sunnyvale. Every Tuesday night. Come by and have a Negroni or something.

5:43 PM  
Blogger bobgirrl said...

Ummmm... there's something wrong with that picture... someone is clearly missing from one of those stools...

9:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This list of drinks really pains me. I don't know what else to say...

8:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I stopped ordering sazeracs after i ordered one and got a fruit cup with a splash of rye...but its true i second your list as sad as it appears truth hurts :(

12:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think the problem is never knowing what you're going to get. I've ordered a martini and received a glass of cold vodka with an olive garnish. Once, I ordered straight rum and received it with a huge slice of lime floating in the glass. As a customer, it's uncomfortable to have to explain exactly what you mean all the time. Sometimes it's just easier to say "gin & tonic."

9:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I believe we are brothers. I learned how to make a Martini from the guy who made them for Dorothy Parker at the Algonquin. "Chilled vodka," indeed.

I make a good Sazerac, with Peychaud, a few drops of Pernod and Rittenhouse 100ยบ.

6:40 PM  

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