The Edison: CHECK YOUR BILL!

[MommaKetch]

A larger glass does not mean more liquor. Am I going crazy here or are you guys just making this up as you go along? I even Googled it to see if something has changed and not one site or dictionary said that on the rocks means anything other than getting ice. It doesn't mean getting charged more for a bigger glass and it doesn't mean that you get more liquor. It ONLY means that you pour your drink over ice. That's it.

No, in the restaurant industry, if someone orders something "on the rocks" it is meant to be served over ice WITH more alcohol than a standard mixed drink. I've bartended in corporate restaurants where everything is accounted for to a T. We absolutely had to have that rocks charge added or we could be fired for stealing. This was back in the day of handwritten bar tickets, that were all rung up when the party cashed out. So things had to add up. X meant rocks, so you still might see something on a receipt as Vodka X, meaning vodka on the rocks.

 

[MommaKetch]

To add, I can agree with OP having sticker shock. If you were unaware of what a rocks charge is, a $6 upcharge per drink would make me raise my eyebrows.

 

[glocon]

Very interesting….
I would have bet a kidney that “on the rocks” just meant over ice.
That’s what the phrase sounds like
(rocks = ice cubes).

I would have wondered myself.

You learn something new every day!

 

[nw6675]

I don’t drink at all. I looked at the menu. I was floored looking at those prices. So since I’ve saved at least a million by not drinking, I should plan another Disney trip, right?

IKR! Me, too!

At first I was judgy, like- what's $6 with those prices to begin with. Then I thought, well - no different than eating a pop tart at the GF to save $4.50 (me).

 

[MommaKetch]

Very interesting….
I would have bet a kidney that “on the rocks” just meant over ice.
That’s what the phrase sounds like
(rocks = ice cubes).

I would have wondered myself.

You learn something new every day!

Yes! It isn't clear, and I get why the OP questioned the upcharge.

At the jobs where I could tweak the POS (point of sale) systems, I would create a button for "on the rocks" so that the upcharge was included and not listed as an added charge. It was a frequent question!

 

[Halle]

My husband always has a Manhattan the server will ask him if he wants it straight up or on the rocks, they aren't serving him a double.

 

[RivShore]

You are correct! In my younger years, I was a bartender in and around Orlando. What OP is describing on the bill is called a rocks charge. A rocks charge is an upcharge for a rocks pour, which is 2 ounces of liquor. A standard drink, think Jack & Coke, should have 1.25 oz of alcohol and is meant to be mixed with water, soda, or juice. A Jack on the rocks is meant to be all alcohol, served over ice, sometimes with a splash of something else (water/soda/juice). So OP, that is what the upcharge was for. You ordered your drink “on the rocks,” so you were charged for the extra alcohol. The Edison was just really transparent about their upcharge. Most restaurants will have a separate button/icon in the system for a rocks pour, so the upcharge is already included in the base price, and you don’t see the difference. For further bar nerd facts, a double pour is 2.5 oz of alcohol and often isn’t double the price. Martinis (think gin/vodka/Manhattans etc.) should also be 2.5 oz of alcohol. Since I wasn’t born yesterday, I know that bartenders often over-pour, so what you get might be more than the industry standard… or less. Also, way back when I was bartending, a rocks charge was $2, not $6

So a Jack on the rocks and Neat would have different pours?

 

[DLgal]

My husband always has a Manhattan the server will ask him if he wants it straight up or on the rocks, they aren't serving him a double.

A Manhattan is a cocktail though, with specific measurements of ingredients. Not the same as just ordering straight liquor.

 

[flowergirl45]

Thank you for this thread! I am learning new stuff too!

 

[shh]

Was it a regular ice cube? Or was it one of the big, fancy square cubes? If it was the big square one, those are typically extra; they’re more expensive to produce (better quality water, larger size melts much slower and doesnt water down the alcohol as quickly).

That being said, they should have disclosed the type of cube and the cost, and given you the option of having a regular cube or two for free.

You learn something new on the DIS everyday. I never heard of larger or fancier "ice" as an upsell before. Interesting. I'll have to google pics of this.

 

[shh]

I googled it to double check if anything has changed in the last couple of decades and could not find any reference to on the rocks meaning anything other than adding ice.

Interesting thread. I've been around a half century as well (and visited waaaay too many bars in my lifetime. Several family members were bartenders back in the day. I asked a friend who used to bartend on Miami and Ft Laud beaches back in the '80s/90s and he said "on the rocks" to him meant a shot with ice, served in a regular rocks glass vs a tinier shot glass....it didn't mean any extra liquor.

I wonder if "on the rocks" = extra liquor is either (a) a regional thing - not necessarily common to all areas or (b) a more recent upsell idea, designed to drive a bit more profit per drink that just caught on?

Surely Lilsia and I can't be the only ones who thought if we ordered <insert favorite booze here> on the rocks, we're just asking for a shot in a normal glass with some ice?

 

[Threehearts]

this conversation is very interesting. I have 2 friends who are watching their weight. They order Tito's with a side of lime and ice. In DC, I am not seeing a more generous pour with the 2 ice cubes I request and their vodka ordered straight up, no ice.

 

[Minnie1222]

You learn something new on the DIS everyday. I never heard of larger or fancier "ice" as an upsell before. Interesting. I'll have to google pics of this.

Not sure if they're still selling, but you can get 40 cubes for a low price of $275. Free shipping and obviously non-refundable.

 

[Minnie1222]

For those who don't want to join the Ice Club, the cost is $325 for 40 cubes.

 

[verleniahall]

here in the midwest at least on the rocks does not mean a double pour - i asked a couple of bartender friends..... it just means over ice

 

[MommaKetch]

My husband always has a Manhattan the server will ask him if he wants it straight up or on the rocks, they aren't serving him a double.

This is correct, as a Manhattan is either served “up” strained in a martini-style glass or coupe after being shaken or stirred, or it is served “on the rocks” which in this case means over ice, not extra liquor past the 2.5- 3 oz standard. Same with martinis made with vodka or gin.

You could order a double Manhattan, which would then be double the liquor, so 5-6 oz depending on the standard for that bar. Wowza!

Overall bar lingo can be confusing, and I always made sure to repeat the order back and ask further questions so that the guest was getting what they wanted the first time.

 

[MommaKetch]

Interesting thread. I've been around a half century as well (and visited waaaay too many bars in my lifetime. Several family members were bartenders back in the day. I asked a friend who used to bartend on Miami and Ft Laud beaches back in the '80s/90s and he said "on the rocks" to him meant a shot with ice, served in a regular rocks glass vs a tinier shot glass....it didn't mean any extra liquor.

I wonder if "on the rocks" = extra liquor is either (a) a regional thing - not necessarily common to all areas or (b) a more recent upsell idea, designed to drive a bit more profit per drink that just caught on?

Surely Lilsia and I can't be the only ones who thought if we ordered <insert favorite booze here> on the rocks, we're just asking for a shot in a normal glass with some ice?

Oh, definitely not the only ones. It was a common question in the places I worked that had it listed as that separate $2 up charge.

Once I left bartending for corporations, the rules on pouring were way more lax. Not sure if it’s regional? I was bartending in and around Orlando in the late 90’s - 00’s. Though never worked for the mouse.

 

[MommaKetch]

here in the midwest at least on the rocks does not mean a double pour - i asked a couple of bartender friends..... it just means over ice

Yeah, on the rocks shouldn’t be a double pour. I was trained that it was 0.75 additional ounces of liquor. It’s possible that your friends work in a bar that doesn’t have corporate breathing down their neck about liquor cost percentages…

Also, by the time I was finishing up my bartending career, if someone ordered something “on the rocks” I just knew they wanted a glass of liquor over ice that looked full to the brim. So that’s what I did. If they were a jerk, I packed in the ice. If they were nice, they got extra liquor, LOL!

This has been fun dusting off old bar knowledge. Just sharing what I know and what I was trained to make and pour. But, it’s like a recipe and some places tweak theirs. Cheers DIS friends!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't even think it matters at this point what the definition is to this person or that person, it would be on The Edison for being unclear about upcharges regardless of what the upcharge means. I'd think the OP's warning to check your bill stands no matter what. If "on the rocks" means additional pour (regardless of the exact ounces given) with a certain liquor or specified type of ice, it should be notated on the menu and it's only notated for absinthe that an additional charge applies for additional items (in this case a set).

If we are back to the ice cube the bartender would have to ask the customer what kind of ice cube they would want if they would charge for it since this place has 3 different types of ice cubes that qualify for an upcharge.

So either we're getting an incomplete story (totally possible) or the OP got a less than honest bartender.

 

[wegotodisney]

So either we're getting an incomplete story (totally possible) or the OP got a less than honest bartender.

I think it's a stretch to call the bartender dishonest. Not every transaction comes with a cost analysis. If I ask for something in a restaurant or bar (or anywhere) it's implied that I know I'll be charged. I'm making a purchase. I'd find it really irritating for the server or bartender to point out the price of everything I asked for.