

Typical cocktails served straight up include martinis, sidecars, and manhattans. Straight up involves the same process of adding ice to the spirit and shaking or stirring to chill the spirit, however straight up typically refers to mixed drinks or cocktails. Ordering a whiskey “up” tells the bartender that you would like the whiskey chilled, but do not want to have ice in your glass. This is different from ordering a whiskey “neat”. The term “up” refers to any drink that is shaken, stirred, or combined with ice and therefore chilled, but it is served without ice.
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Ordering a drink “up”, “straight”, and “straight up” actually all mean completely different things. Straight up is not as simple as it seems. A NEAT glass, standing for Naturally Enhanced Aroma Technology, helps you to appreciate the spirit in its purest form. A whiskey neat is usually two ounces, not chilled, poured directly into a NEAT glass.Ī NEAT glass is a specially shaped glass that squeezes lighter ethanol molecules out of its opening and keeps the heavier, delicious smelling molecules within. Whiskey is a very common spirit to drink neat, but that’s different from a shot. A “neat” drink is a pure spirit, poured into a glass with no other ingredients added, not even ice. What is “Neat”?ĭrinking a spirit “neat” is the most straight-forward. Let’s break down these commonly used terms. But remember: letting the ice sit in the glass will change the experience of a spirit because of dilution.If you’re new to the world of whiskey and bourbon, you may have heard the terms “on the rocks” or “neat.” But what do these bartending words mean? What’s the difference between straight up and neat? And how do these ways of drinking change the taste of the spirit? “Rocks” are ice, so if you want a pour of your favorite whiskey with some ice cubes, “on the rocks” is how you order it. This is a much simpler term that is rarely confused in the bar industry.

Firstly, It’s common to hear someone order a bourbon straight, although is the more appropriate term for this should really be “neat.” Some have ordered a chilled vodka (served in a stemmed glass), but as we discussed above, this should actually be ordered “up.” See how it gets confusing? It’s wiser to double-check with the bartender because this also changes from one establishment to the next. Ok, this is where it actually does get confusing. These are mixed drinks that are chilled with ice and then served without. Classic examples of drinks served straight up are a martini, manhattans, sidecars, sazeracs, pisco sours, and grasshoppers. Sometimes people use the term “straight” interchangeably with “neat,” which is where the confusion begins so always check with the bartender just in case.

The ice is removed and that’s how a whiskey served up.Īlthough this can get a bit confusing, we have it straightened up for you (ba dum tss!). Simply tell the bartender for whiskey served “up” and he will pour whiskey in some ice long enough to chill. Example: You want to order a neat whiskey but don’t want it at room temperature. Before being served, the drink is strained, removed of its ice, and normally poured into a cocktail glass. This term typically describes an alcoholic beverage that is iced and is shaken or stirred. High-quality spirits of any kind are commonly enjoyed neat as well. Brandy and whiskey are the most popular spirits to drink neat. Neat drinks are about two ounces, not chilled, there are no extra ingredients (even ice) and no, you can’t order an Irish Car Bomb neat. It’s similar to a shot, but the glass makes a huge difference in the sipping experience. This means that a spirit is directly poured into a glass (preferably a NEAT Glass). Neat is the least confusing of cocktail terms. What’s the difference between neat and on the rocks? How is straight up different from neat? Cocktail lingo has been around for decades but for a lot of people, the difference between these styles can be confusing or simply misunderstood.
