Can anyone refer me to web sites that explain drinking termiology in the States.
ie Well drinks? Scotch on the rocks? double or large measures? Vermouth and lemonade?
TA

First off, the question is on topic and nothing discussed on this board is substantial (world peace?, nah). I couldn't find any websites as you suggest, they would probably be written by a foreigner (to America) so perhaps a .uk search engine might prove better.

Well drinks = made with the cheapest of a certain liquor and you don't specifiy (i.e "I'll have a screwdriver")

Call drinks = you specify the spirit (i.e. "I'll have an Absolut Screwdriver"

Scotch on the rocks = Scotch over ice in a rocks glass

A double would have twice the spirit

Vermouth and lemonade? Never tried that. Is it something more than lemonade with Vermnouth in it???

Try:http://www.drinksmixer.com/guide/2-1.php And ignore Rosemary. Bottoms up! PS, a well drink refers to house (vs. name) brands, rocks refers to ice.

Try www.kingcocktail.com

It's the website for a somewhat well known NY bartendar who has written numerous books on the subject.

If it's not there, most bartendar's are pretty friendly. Just tell them what your looking for an learn by trying!

Thanks Jacketwatch, most of the info I need. I'll feel more comfortable now, going to the bar in US.
Like non-uk asking for a pint of 'Heavy' in Scotland?

Inebriated: Pissed, drunk, loaded, wasted, trashed, knee-walking, hammered, tore-up, smashed, high, buzzed, snockered.

Beer: When you want to order a beer, most people ask for the particular brand. Such as "I'll have a bud (budwieser)".

Most people I know drink bottled beer and don't drink draft.

And beware of two peoples divided by a common tongue. "Lemonade" on the right bank of the Atlantic is a different substance altogether than "lemonade" on the left bank. Ask for lager and lime and you will get a bottle of Bud with a quarter of an actual lime (as in citrus fruit) balanced on top. They'll think you're funny for not having your lime with a Dos Equis.

If you order a pint of heavy, just be aware that the bartender's name is not Jimmy.

You are welcome George. BTW what is a "heavy"?

Good point about beer in a bottle vs draught beer. It may be a regional thing - whether one or the other is more popular - but if you are particular it's always good to specify. "I'll have a bottle of Bud" or "I'll have a pint of Sam's."

Regarding the type of beer - pilsners are the most popular beers in the US - Budweiser, Miller, Coors are the big names. If you ask what kind of beer a place has, the server will generally rattle off these beers first. If you want darker beers, ask what kind of specialty beers or microbrews they have. Even beers like Samuel Adams and Sierra Nevada, which are brewed in large batches and are found most places are considered specialty in a lot of markets.

Some years ago this ignorant Aussie in a bar in Canada asked for a brandy and dry. The waitress was very perplexed thinking I wanted a brandy and rye!Apparently I needed to ask for a brandy with ginger.Vive la difference!

Look around the room when you order a beer. You may or may not get a glass without asking.

Light beer, usually spelled lite beer, refers to the alcohol content, not the calories.

One of the great features of British Women (I almost lowered the cap W, but decided not to) is their enjoyment of champagne by the glass. This is much more rare in the USA.

Whisky/whiskey is a confusing term, and int he USA may mean Scoth, or may mean Bourbon, or may even mean "Canadian" whisky, which in Canada is not called Canadian (except for the brand Canadian Club) but is called Rye.

The more "neighbo-u-rly" the drinking establishment is in the USA, the more regional it becomes. the main bar in a big chain hotel is pretty miuch the same everywhere, but a small town bar in Albany, Georgia is much different from one in Albany, New York.

Lemonade can be just plain lemonade, or it can be "hard" lemonade with alcohol in it.

Long ISloand Ice Tea has booze; ice tea, or iced tea, does not.

Soda, in the USA, refers to many berands of carbonated beverages, non-boozer, sold in bottles, cans, and from fountain dispensers. In Canada, it refers to a carbvonated, non-flavored, beverage sold in the same style containers. As in Scotch and Soda.

Not a lot of difference in high-end wine, but int he USA there is, according to today's Wall Street Journal, Two-Buck Chuck. a bargain beverage made, I understand, from grapes. It's real name is Charles Something or toher, with Two-Buck Chuck a common nickname. There was a correction in the WSJ today about this wine.

BAK

Here is a very thorough website for mixed drinks that I recieved from a friend not long ago. I have yet to look at it myself, however.

www.webtender.com/

The vermouth and lemonade would most likely be a vermouth and Seven Up, or Sprite. Just don't do what my mum and my aunt did some years ago on their first trip to California and ask for a Martini and lemonade. It just doesn't work well!

Re: Draft/draught beer -- some areas, such as Chicago & the upper mid-west of the county call this tap beer(the draft beer is served from a tapper). In those areas you can ask, What type of beer do you have on tap? & if you have a number of people drinking the same type of beer, you can order a pitcher of tap beer instead of a glass. Beer is usually less expensive this way than by glass. When asking what type of beer they serve, you may want to specifically ask for bottled beer or draft/tap. Also some places advertise beer by the bucket, this is a small bucket with ice in it & usually 5 or 6 bottles of beer in it, usually for a special price. Then you can also get into a place that may be a micro brewery, which is a place that may have some name brands on draft, but also brew their own brands of beer & serve that on tap. One of my favorite hard liquor drinks is a whiskey & sour which is whiskey/bourbon served with a sour type soda such as 50/50 or squirt on the rocks (again this isn't a well known drink outside of Wisconsin & the upper midwest), versus a whiskey sour, which is a mixed cocktail drink.

I speculate that Vermouth and lemonade...actually is Vodka and lemonade which is a semi-popular drink in the summertime. The proper way to order it is: I'll have a Kettle One and Lemonade please.

Being a Midwesterner/Wisconsinite: Order a Manhattan or an Old Fashion in WI and you will get Brandy automatically. May be the only state that this happens. All other places will make it with Whiskey.

KETTLE 1?

OK Di, I spelled it wrong: Ketel One, but hey it's pronounced the same.

But vermouth isn't vodka.

What part of the states are you going to? In some areas there are regional beers where you can just order a 'lager' or 'wheat' or 'stout', etc. and you'll get the regional beer in draft, if they have. In other areas, you get a confused look.

I've never seen anyone order a single glass of champagne, but that goes for my time in the UK as well. Over here, drinking wine at a non-trendy bar is VERY rare and I'd guess that many bars don't even have wine.

Have fun!

Two Buck Chuck wine has a cousin....

Too Much Chuck. He showed up at our last family reunion.

It's available at Trader Joe's.