Kevintsheehy wrote:

> I recall the first time I noticed an "up" charge itemized on a
> restaurant bill for a martini served "up". It was $2 or $3. I
> asked the waiter about it because I had not seen that before.
> He explained - in a rather surly way - that they started doing
> that because you get more booze when the drink is served
> "up". So, I say, why don't you just include it in the price of
> the drink and skip the separate line item. I don't remember
> what he said to that, just that it was also a surly answer.


That's interesting. I worked in a bar. There was one price for a shot
of bar brand alcohol and a higher price for a call brand of alcohol.
Soda mixers were free, and a shot was the same size no matter what it
was mixed with. So a shot of scotch served straight up (also called
neat) was the same shot served with ice (on the rocks) which was the
same served with soda or water. All were the same price. Juice mixers
(a screwdriver, for example) cost a little more, and frozen drinks
(anything requiring a blender) were more still. Everyone knew that the
cost for the alcohol and the size of the alcohol portion was going to be
the same however it was served. The size of the glasses reflected this.


While there's no excuse for the waiter explaining the "up" charge in a
surly manner, what would have infuriated me is that he was wrong or
lying. You DON'T get more booze when the drink is served neat, or you
shouldn't.


I have a funny personal take on this. I have little tolerance for
alcohol, but I enjoy going out for drinks with friends (more so in my
younger days, but the principle still applies). If I ordered scotch and
soda or any mixed drink on ice, I could never drink it before the ice
melted and the soda went flat, but if I tried to keep up with as much as
my friends were drinking, I'd get way too drunk. My date would want to
buy me another drink. Possibly he wanted to get me drunk. I can't keep
up and keep my head at the same time. The solution has always been to
order a shot of good scotch or cognac neat. That way I could sip at the
one drink all night. No one in his right mind would want to get me
drunk on the most expensive liquor in the house, but my all-night bill
was reasonable as I only ever had that one single drink.


--Lia