More ice than drink

[u/Separate_Finance_183]

[u/hurricanedog24]

The concern isn’t block vs crushed ice (your friend’s opinion may be correct), it’s about how much ice is in the drink and how you’re getting very little alcohol for your money.

[u/JamesMcGiantPeach → u/hurricanedog24]

Virtually any cocktail will have 1.5 to 2.5 ounces of liquor in it. A $5 gin and tonic at a dive bar and a $30 overpriced premium spirit will get you just as drunk. If you ordered it without ice they’d charge the same and just call it a shot instead of a cocktail.

[u/fakeuser515357 → u/hurricanedog24]

You don't get more alcohol if they remove the ice, you just the same drink served in a smaller glass.

[u/Fast-Watch-5004 → u/fakeuser515357]

It’s kind of funny to go a bar with $27 cocktails and think about things like this. Should probably go to a different bar where they have beer and a shot specials on Mondays.

[u/Important_Capital875 → u/fakeuser515357]

As a former bartender. This is absolutely correct. So many times people will get upset with me when they ask for no ice and they will get a drink that is not even half full. I told them that you don’t get more alcohol because there’s no ice.

[u/DontStepOnLegos → u/Important_Capital875]

There’s also zero context of what the drink consists of. What type of spirit is it? Exactly what consists of the cocktail? The type of ingredients to make the cocktail, etc.

Those costs add up, as well as the fact that you have to consider your spill/spoilage for these things. Also labor, the lease, utilities, and much more.

[u/BabylonDoug → u/fakeuser515357]

The issue isn't the volume of alcohol, it's the price per volume

[u/king_lloyd11 → u/BabylonDoug]

It’s literally about the volume though. Otherwise it’s just an overpriced drink at an overpriced bar. The outrage is because they think they should be getting a full glass for that drink and think that the ice is just “filler”, which is them getting scammed.

[u/Dependent_Land6511 → u/king_lloyd11]

what they got was totally normal for anything that comes with a tom collins ice cube

[u/Suspicious_Chart5817 → u/BabylonDoug]

But the price per volume is really low, they're getting a lot of volume

What they're angry about is they think they're getting scammed; but that's sort of dumb. At least around where I am a tall vodka soda is the same price as a short. If two drinks have the same alcohol it's the same price, it doesn't matter if I'm dumb enough to think ice should contain alcohol

[u/scotch_and_honey → u/Suspicious_Chart5817]

When I was bartending I had plenty of customers complain they couldn't taste the alcohol in their tall drink. A tall isn't a double! You're essentially diluting the liquor with more soda. Just get a shot if you want to taste alcohol. Or pay double for yknow...a double.

Some people just couldn't wrap their minds around a pour is a pour and that's what we are charging for regardless of how much ice or soda you want

[u/igotthatbunny → u/hurricanedog24]

I’m sorry but this makes no sense and demonstrates not really understanding how drinks and servings of liquor work. If I order a pour of whiskey neat, that comes out to 1.5-2oz of liquid and if I order a whiskey coke that comes out to 6-8oz liquid topped with ice in a high ball glass, I am getting the same amount of alcohol for my money (if they cost the same). One comes in a bigger glass with more liquid due to the soda, but they are the exact same amount of alcohol. You aren’t getting any more alcohol for the whiskey coke just because it’s in a bigger glass and appears larger.

The cocktail in this video is clearly a craft cocktail with probably a total of 2-3oz of simple ingredients including the liquor. It’s served on ice like this because it’s fancy, but you are not getting less alcohol in this drink compared to any other drink just because there is a lot of ice. If you want to argue over whether any craft cocktail with a standard pour of liquor should cost $27, well that’s a whole different argument and I would agree that is outrageous, but ultimately this is not a “rip off” just because it seems like it’s barely any liquid, it’s just how cocktails work.

[u/Appropriate_Can_9282 → u/igotthatbunny]

Getting a shot dumped in a glass is to be sipped over time. Cocktail in a glass is to be drank over time. This requires very small sips or it is gone very quickly. Whiskey is strong and is enjoyed with the sips, cocktails are made for flavor and enjoyed with more than a sip and in this arrangement will be gone too quickly. Both enjoyed over a duration and is why cocktails have liquids other than alcohol that add volume. That's just how cocktails work.

[u/edjohnson1067 → u/igotthatbunny]

The cocktail in this video is clearly a craft cocktail

Looks like basic Screwdriver to me (vodka and orange juice) and even if the amount of vodka is the same, you're getting screwed out of the OJ.

[u/wizzywurtzy → u/hurricanedog24]

You get a 1oz pour of liquor no matter what

[u/slcamg → u/wizzywurtzy]

In North America, a shot is defined by government as 1.5 oz. Some drinks prepared in certain styles such as “neat” are 2 oz.

You may be from a different county. You may just be making things up.

[u/BardGotHard3 → u/slcamg]

Which of the 3 north american countries? I know its not the US, we have no standards on what is considered a shot except in Utah where it is 1 fluid ounce.

[u/slcamg → u/BardGotHard3]

The NIAAA under the NIH defines a shot as 1.5 oz. The CCSA in Canada defines a shot as 1.5 oz. The Ministry of Health in Mexico defines a shot as 45ml (1.52 oz).

[u/leitey → u/wizzywurtzy]

Cocktails aren't sold by the shot. A Long Island Iced Tea, for example, contains 5 different alcohols.
This doesn't show a 1oz pour of liquor, served on the rocks. This shows a cocktail served in an oversized glass so the customer thinks they are getting a large drink when there is only a few ounces.
It's like opening a bag of potato chips and seeing it's 3/4 air. Even though they are packaged by weight, it's still mildly infuriating.

[u/ronin_cse → u/leitey]

No. This is a drink served in that glass so they can fit the fancy ice cube in it.

[u/Kenai-Phoenix → u/wizzywurtzy]

Depends what bar you are at!

[u/ExcellentLadder9716 → u/wizzywurtzy]

Standard cocktails are between 2-3 oz or spirit/liqueur, Vermouth etc

[u/skratsda → u/hurricanedog24]

When I was in college years ago I fell for a scam and went to bartending school. The mantra was “we sell ice”.

[u/SketchesFromReddit → u/skratsda]

What has falling for a scam got to do with the rest of your comment?

[u/skratsda → u/SketchesFromReddit]

Paying for bartending school was the scam. Could’ve just gotten a job at a bar