Why I Drink

So recently I was at a bar which was a little bit on the dive side of the spectrum. It did however have karaoke and it was close to some friends I was hanging out with. I was dressed fairly dapper and ordered a scotch with just a couple of rocks. The bartender was this short blonde girl and when she realized she would have to reach up to the top shelf she looked a little annoyed. She made my drink and I tipped her well.

Maybe 45 minutes go by and I am ready to order another drink. This time she gives me a bunch of attitude. Never before have I received so much attitude because I was ordering a Scotch. It is top shelf alcohol and easy to pour. This time instead of putting just a couple cubes in the drink she fills the glass with ice and pours the scotch. I immediately remove a bulk of the ice so as to not water down the delicious scotch too much. When she proceeds to tell me "Why don't I order something from a lower shelf next time!". Needless to say I did not tip her much for this drink.

Another 45 minutes go by and I am ready for my 3rd drink. I look at what they have available on the lower shelves and low and behold Grey Goose is on the bottom shelf. So I decide to have a little fun. The conversation went a little something like this.

Me: "Can I get a Dirty, Grey Goose Martini, Up, 3 Olives, with twist, shaken not stirred"

Her: "Really? I don't want to make a Martini!"

Me: "What? You asked me to order something on a lower shelf and your Grey Goose is just sitting on the back bar not even on a shelf."

Her: "Why can't you be like a normal dude and order a whiskey and coke."

Me: "Because I am not in college anymore!"

She did finally make the drink and it was actually pretty good. Never have I ever been given so much grief about ordering more expensive drinks though. Later that evening though I got to thinking about what exactly did I mean with the "Because I am not in college anymore" remark. It occurred to me that the reasons I drink now are entirely different then when I was younger.

When I was younger I would drink so I didn't feel socially awkward. I would drink to actually get drunk. I would drink simply because I had nothing better to do. Now that I am further along in my adult life I don't use alcohol in the same way. Somewhere along the way the social awkwardness went away and recovering from a hangover is now a much longer process. Now when I drink it is because I want to actually enjoy the taste of the beverage. Diluting your whiskey with a bunch of sweet coke only serves one purpose. To help you drink your drink faster and get drunk.

It is interesting how something like receiving bad service can make you evaluate why you like things the way you like them. Also if you are still drinking your alcohol with coke in it and are past your twenties you may want to try graduating to a different drink. Everyone has different tastes so I can't help you with what your signature drink should be. However you may find that you enjoy your drinking experience more once you get away from the coke.