The Edison: CHECK YOUR BILL!

[nw6675]

Kudos to the OP who created an account for just this one post and all that follows. That is how you win the internet. 2 for Instigating and a Game Misconduct.

Still fun nonetheless in lieu of the I hate everything Disney or should I go to my 5th cousin's 8 times removed great grandchild's birthday party in Fiji posts.

 

[gmi3804]

I’d be tempted to ask for a doggy bag for the cube if it didn’t melt all the way.

 

[Ghost Host 998]

Just to help muddy the waters, the US government has never declared a formal measurement for a shot of alcohol. However, most states and bars typically use 1.25 to 1.5 US fl.oz. for a standard shot, including use in mixed drinks. Unmixed alcohol is typically ordered "on the rocks," "neat," or "up (straight up)." These pours are what is called a generous pour of what is usually 2.0 to 2.5 US fl.oz.

 

[RivShore]

Lol kidding right? On the rocks has never and will never mean extra liquor.

I have never known it to mean that either, yet many here insist it does...
In fact, if anything, I thought it to mean you might get less of the main ingredient when including ice, just look at how much soda is in a 16 ounce glass filled with ice, maybe 6-8 ounces.

 

[RivShore]

Kudos to the OP who created an account for just this one post and all that follows. That is how you win the internet. 2 for Instigating and a Game Misconduct.

I was just about to check if they had any other posts since this one and this single post is it.
I think we may all be part of some (drunken) experiment...

 

[Lewisc]

When I got the bill, they charged me $6.00 for “rocks”. I questioned our server and she said I asked for “rocks.”

Sometimes on the rocks means throw a couple of ice cubes in the glass.

Sometimes it means use a bigger glass and throw in ice. A larger pour so the glass doesn't look empty. It is frequently obvious there is more liquor in the rocks glass.

Given the different experiences in this thread a bartender, particularly in a tourist bar, should have a better answer. Sir on the rocks requires a larger pour or you wouldn't see the.whiskey.

I recently read an article. Some places are tired of customers using internet techniques to get better deals. Order a specialty drink from a place like.Starbucks and ask for no ice or eve ice in a separate cup. Some paces are no longer topping the cup. Sir no ice doesn't mean you get more XXX. You're getting the same 10 once serving, but without the ice.

A bartender in a neighborhood bar might earn a bigger tip via an on the rocks generous pour. A bartender in a corporate bar might get fired for a pattern of this kind of generosity

 

[bumbershoot]

Whiskey is frequently served in a small glass. On the Rocks requires a larger glass.

I live in a drinking town. I have never seen a different glass used for neat vs with ice.

I wonder if "on the rocks" = extra liquor is either (a) a regional thing

Absolutely.

if someone ordered something “on the rocks” I just knew they wanted a glass of liquor over ice that looked full to the brim.

If I were ordering it that is not what I would expect or want. I NEVER want a glass of straight booze full to the brim.
Neat or with ice, this is what I would expect. Except less, since both of them look like a double.

The place I frequent charges $4 for on the rocks versus neat.

So odd. But the difference is that they are being obvious about it. They seem to know there's a difference in how they are choosing to do it, and that people don't automatically know there's a difference.

Aka you order a drink “on the rocks” and you are getting a glass full of alcohol with no mixer.

When one orders a single-alcohol drink, you're expecting basically a shot. With whiskey, that's usually served in a glass, not a shot glass. No one should expect a glass "full of alcohol" in this scenario. Not even my borderline alcoholic bartender ex-boyfriend expected that.

If you and your friends are out drinking, and you order a Tito’s and club soda with a lime, and your friend orders a Tito’s martini, straight up with a twist, do you expect those drinks to look the same, cost the same, and have the same amount of alcohol? No. If that was the case, everyone would be ordering martinis because you’d get 2-3 times the amount of alcohol for the same price.

Correct-ish. I wouldn't expect them to look the same. I'd expect my one serving of alcohol to cost LESS than my friend's drink with a serving of alcohol and a mixer. I'd expect mine to be smaller.

Given the different experiences in this thread a bartender, particularly in a tourist bar, should have a better answer. Sir on the rocks requires a larger pour

Yep. Absolutely.
When an area or a bar is doing something different, they need to make it very very obvious.
I lived in South Carolina in the 90s and back then (maybe not, not sure) they couldn't pour from normal bottles. Every single drink was poured from mini bottles (like on an airplane). Those are more than a shot's worth, so if you ordered a multi-booze drink you had to get multiples. They KNEW this was not typical in the..well...anywhere. So they were very obvious about it. If you ordered a Long Island Ice Tea they didn't just say OK and make you a pitcher of it. They said "because of SC laws this can only be made as a pitcher" and then you chose to order (maybe you had a tableful of enthusiasts) or not (maybe it was just you).

 

[MommaKetch]

I think where this falls on the OP, and consumers in general, is when you ask for and get more of something, don’t assume it’s free. There has to be some personal responsibility here. A drink on the rocks is a glass full of alcohol, no mixer. Aka more alcohol.

Another thing we are missing here aside from the MIA OP, is context. We are taking OP’s word like it’s the truth, and not someone who was out drinking straight liquor. I sure didn’t read OP complaining about a light pour.

A rocks pour is real. It’s 2 oz. A standard pour is 1.25-1.5 oz. Most places charge extra for a rocks pour, or they build it in and you don’t see it listed as an upcharge.

Mackenzie, you are exaggerating what I say. I don’t agree with you calling the staff dishonest, but we can agree that The Edison server could have done a better job of explaining what an on the rocks $6 charge is.

 

[Minnie1222]

Lol kidding right? On the rocks has never and will never mean extra liquor.

Not joking at all. But like someone said, it could be a regional thing.

 

[MommaKetch]

When one orders a single-alcohol drink, you're expecting basically a shot. With whiskey, that's usually served in a glass, not a shot glass. No one should expect a glass "full of alcohol" in this scenario. Not even my borderline alcoholic bartender ex-boyfriend expected that

Yes, thank you for including the pic. Yours is a more modern depiction, but also a nod to a classic style. I would not expect a glass like that to be full. The picture I have in my mind of a rocks bar glass is more casual and not as upscale looking. More like this:



Alright, who’s volunteering to be our detective and head down to The Edison to drink a $26+ scotch on the rocks? Haha!

 

[The Iron Giant]

No horse in this race, but I’ve been following the discussion. It seems likely the upcharge was due to additional alcohol being added to the drink. Mostly because the menu doesn’t actually show any gourmet ice option that costs $6.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Just pre game before dinner and save the drink money for Genie+ or a lightsaber or something else. Boom! Problem solved!

 

[Lewisc]

No horse in this race, but I’ve been following the discussion. It seems likely the upcharge was due to additional alcohol being added to the drink. Mostly because the menu doesn’t actually show any gourmet ice option that costs $6.

View attachment 763878

Unless King ice is $2 per cube; 3 cubes served.

 

[Lewisc]

If I were ordering it that is not what I would expect or want. I NEVER want a glass of straight booze full to the brim.
Neat or with ice, this is what I would expect. Except less, since both of them look like a double.

Picture looks like a 6 oz glass. Some restaurants used a 10-12 oz glass for on the rocks. It wasn't filled to the brim; it was obviously a generous pour.

Edited to add It might have been an employee mixing drinks as opposed to an experienced bartender

 

[The Iron Giant]

Unless King ice is $2 per cube; 3 cubes served.

I think it might take a gigantic glass to fit three king cubes.

 

[RivShore]

I live in a drinking town. I have never seen a different glass used for neat vs with ice.



Absolutely.



If I were ordering it that is not what I would expect or want. I NEVER want a glass of straight booze full to the brim.
Neat or with ice, this is what I would expect. Except less, since both of them look like a double.

So odd. But the difference is that they are being obvious about it. They seem to know there's a difference in how they are choosing to do it, and that people don't automatically know there's a difference.



When one orders a single-alcohol drink, you're expecting basically a shot. With whiskey, that's usually served in a glass, not a shot glass. No one should expect a glass "full of alcohol" in this scenario. Not even my borderline alcoholic bartender ex-boyfriend expected that.



Correct-ish. I wouldn't expect them to look the same. I'd expect my one serving of alcohol to cost LESS than my friend's drink with a serving of alcohol and a mixer. I'd expect mine to be smaller.



Yep. Absolutely.
When an area or a bar is doing something different, they need to make it very very obvious.
I lived in South Carolina in the 90s and back then (maybe not, not sure) they couldn't pour from normal bottles. Every single drink was poured from mini bottles (like on an airplane). Those are more than a shot's worth, so if you ordered a multi-booze drink you had to get multiples. They KNEW this was not typical in the..well...anywhere. So they were very obvious about it. If you ordered a Long Island Ice Tea they didn't just say OK and make you a pitcher of it. They said "because of SC laws this can only be made as a pitcher" and then you chose to order (maybe you had a tableful of enthusiasts) or not (maybe it was just you).

Please stop making sense!! LOL

That picture is exactly what I would expect, neat vs. rocks, in a simple classic whiskey glass. I would never in the million years of drinking that my liver has so far survived (JK), expect a glass like that filled to the brim with whiskey and ice. I would not even do that at home. Where are these over pouring bars, I may have to visit one!

 

[Minnie1222]

I think it might take a gigantic glass to fit three king cubes.

Agreed! I also don't see why they would serve 1 oz of scotch with 3 giant ice cubes.

 

[LuvLDM]

Today I learned there are different kinds of ice cubes, lol.

 

[georgina]

I think where this falls on the OP, and consumers in general, is when you ask for and get more of something, don’t assume it’s free. There has to be some personal responsibility here. A drink on the rocks is a glass full of alcohol, no mixer. Aka more alcohol.

Another thing we are missing here aside from the MIA OP, is context. We are taking OP’s word like it’s the truth, and not someone who was out drinking straight liquor. I sure didn’t read OP complaining about a light pour.

A rocks pour is real. It’s 2 oz. A standard pour is 1.25-1.5 oz. Most places charge extra for a rocks pour, or they build it in and you don’t see it listed as an upcharge.

Mackenzie, you are exaggerating what I say. I don’t agree with you calling the staff dishonest, but we can agree that The Edison server could have done a better job of explaining what an on the rocks $6 charge is.

Except the OP didn’t ask for more, they asked for ICE CUBES. What’s wrong with serving a standard pour over ice? If they are going to charge more for on the rocks that should be stated on the menu, as you can see from this thread many people have never heard of this. NO ONE is saying they want more for free. DH is 69 and been drinking on the rocks for a long time, never heard of this as an up charge or larger pour.

Just googled it and see more complaints about being charged extra for neat vs on the rocks because neat has more alcohol. So I guess this is not standard everywhere.

 

[MommaKetch]

Except the OP didn’t ask for more, they asked for ICE CUBES. What’s wrong with serving a standard pour over ice? If they are going to charge more for on the rocks that should be stated on the menu, as you can see from this thread many people have never heard of this. NO ONE is saying they want more for free. DH is 69 and been drinking on the rocks for a long time, never heard of this as an up charge or larger pour.

Just googled it and see more complaints about being charged extra for neat vs on the rocks because neat has more alcohol. So I guess this is not standard everywhere.

No, they didn’t ask for ice cubes. They asked for a johnnie walker on the rocks, which to myself and any bartender I've ever worked with, designates a specific amount of alcohol. It’s more than a regular pour. It's a rocks pour.

I totally get that some places might not upcharge for this. That’s crazy to me that bar would choose to lose money.

Just adding my two cents as a former bartender for 15 years in the Orlando area, where The Edison is located.